Granite or marble for your kitchen counter tops? Citrus green or chocolate brown for the walls?

To trend or not to trend?

When it comes to decorating your home, it’s easy to get caught up in the latest designer must-haves, instead of defining your own style.

Don’t cave in to peer pressure, said Joe Ruggiero, who helped pioneer interior decorating and design television shows.

“I’m a big believer in the Burger King theory: ‘Have it your way.’ There are enough choices out there, and people should decide for themselves what makes them and their significant other feel good,” he said during a phone interview from his Los Angeles headquarters of Ruggiero & Associates, a multi-media company that specializes in home design.

Ruggiero will be sharing his Burger King theory and other decorating philosophies and tips during the Gulf Coast Women’s Expo at the Pensacola Civic Center on Friday and Saturday.

As one of the design authorities for Norwalk furniture and fabrics, he’ll speak on the main stage several times during each day, and when he’s not speaking, expo attendees will get a chance to meet and talk with him at the Norwalk booth.

“He’s going to be doing book signings, and people will have an opportunity for some one-on-one with him,” said Michelle Spencer, owner of Pensacola’s Norwalk. “People will also be able to hire him, if they can afford him. That would be awesome.”

Fans also can check out Joe Ruggiero’s new fabric line for Sunbrella and his other designs at the store on 12th Avenue.

Norwalk is joining the Pensacola News Journal, pnj.com and Baptist Health Care in presenting the expo, which also features a host of other national speakers, product and service demonstrations, educational opportunities and more.

“HGTV is very popular, and we feel our women audience likes to get expert advice on decorating tips on everything from small decorating jobs to a complete room overhaul,” said Becca Boles, Pensacola News Journal’s marketing development director who is organizing the expo. “To bring in an HGTV expert that women can hear and talk to one-on-one, we think is an exciting plus for the expo. We are absolutely thrilled to have him.”

During his appearances, Ruggiero said he will show photos of dozens of ideas he has used in rooms he has designed from coast to coast, and he’ll talk about the Home Collection he designs for Norwalk.

One thing he said he has learned from producing “Homes Across America” is that people seek inspiration from the “Joneses” from all over the country.

“Everyone loves to see how other people decorate their homes, what problems they encountered, and how they overcame those problems with great design,” he said.

Ruggiero, considered one of America’s design authorities, has a pulse on the decorating taste of Americans. He said that despite a lagging economy, volatile stock market and increased political tensions abroad — conditions that usually signal more conservative behaviors — he sees no end in sight in America’s love affair with home decorating and renovating. Troubled times only make people want to do more to enhance home sweet home, he said.

“As we go forward, our homes are going to be more important to us as a place to seek refuge,” he said.

He plans to continue to help people find joy in decorating their homes, whether they are large or small, because he’s a firm believer that great home design “brings structure and comfort to life; never underestimate the recuperative power of curling up on a soft sofa or kicking back with a perfect ottoman,” he said.

For those of you who are feeling pressure to put in a new counter top?

Go ahead, Ruggiero said.

“The kitchen and the bathrooms are the areas you should upgrade; it adds equity to your house,” he said.

Whether it’s a new counter top, drapes or a sofa, he said, try new colors, materials and styles, and above all, “Have it your way.”

source : www.pensacolanewsjournal.com

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