Secrets to Creating a Blog That Gets You Tons of Traffic

Laurel Bern Live Interview with Claire Jefford

Do you feel like no one is reading your blog?

You work so hard to put it all together, doing your research, gathering all your information and carefully choosing just the right images to convey your message to your audience…but is anyone reading? Does anyone care?

Don’t let all that hard effort go to waste, get the right advice. I’ve got that and so much more waiting for you here right now!

In this video, my guest is…THE Laurel Bern.

Laurel Bern is an award winning New York Interior Designer, blogger, brand ambassador and keynote speaker. However, after 21 years as the principle designer in her firm Laurel Bern Interiors, she has turned her focus to blogging as a full-time occupation.

Her award winning blog, Laurel Home has drawn a large following due to her candid style of writing, useful information and warm community of readers.

Laurel is incredible, she doesn’t hold back on sharing some hard truths about building a successful blog. No one said it was going to be easy, but then again, nothing worthwhile ever is.

Laurel loves to share her success story and she disclosed some juicy secrets to writing a kick ass blog and building a loyal following.

Afterwards, be sure to Download my FREE Top Tips sheet from this fabulous interview by clicking the button below the video.

FACT: Since March 2014, Laurels’ website has gone from 4,300 page views a month to well over half a million.  Those numbers are freakin’ mind blowing!

Do you aspire to do the same? Then let’s do this!

Click here to get the

Top 14 Tips from my Interview with Laurel Bern

It’s FREE when you sign up for my emails.

What was your biggest ‘a-hah’ moment from Laurel?

Comment below and share what inspired you most.

To see what extremely helpful products Laurel has to offer, both her infamous Roledex & her Paint Palette and Home Furnishings collection – click here.

I had the pleasure of meeting Laurel at the KBIS show in Orlando earlier this year.

I’ve got a stellar line up of guests in my Social by Design series. Next up is my dear friend and fellow designer, Vanessa Francis and we are talking about How To Build Your Brand on Instagram.  Oooh, it’s gonna be good!!

Did you miss my first interview with Savvy Sexy Socials’ Amy Schmittauer?  Click here to find out trade secrets from the Vlog Boss herself, to learn about how to leverage video in your business.

To see my other fantastic guests that you won’t want to miss, click here.

Leveraging Video in your Interior Design Business

Amy Schmittauer Live Video Interview

Are you using video in your business?

If your answer is no, then you need to be.

If your answer is yes, then I’d like to know if you are leveraging it in the best way to reach your target audience and convert them into paying clients?

That’s the real key. Otherwise, let’s face it, you may be wasting a lot of time and energy with little ROI. (return on investment)

Welcome to Episode One of Six in my ‘Social by Design’ live interview series! I’m super glad you are here.

My goal is to always bring you a no-nonsense approach to building a successful interior design business.  I’m so excited to kick this off by interviewing my very own business coach, Amy Schmittauer.

I will have a FREE tip sheet for you to download with the Top Tips that I learn from each of my guests.  Click here to get your Top Tips for leveraging video in your design business now, when you sign up for my emails.

Let’s do this!

Amy Schmittauer is the Boss at Vlog Boss Studios. As a new media triple threat —YouTuber, keynote speaker and best selling author— she coaches people to go after what they want in life and leverage online video to make it happen.

Creator of the popular YouTube series Savvy Sexy Social, her channel boasts a global community and millions of views. Now, in her first best selling book Vlog Like a Boss: How to Kill It Online with Video Bloggingshe shares her collection of strategies and tactics to help you create video that gets the attention you deserve.

Watch the live video interview replay and get a pen & paper…you’re gonna want to take notes.
Comment below to share your biggest takeaway from Amy – I dare you to be able to choose just one!

Get the FREE Download!

Top 14 Tips from my Interview with Amy Schmittauer

To follow Amy on her Youtube channel, click here.

I’ve got a stellar line up of guests in my Social by Design series. Next up is Laurel Bern…yes, the Laurel Bern.  And to see my other fantastic guests that you won’t want to miss, click here.

Are you in my fabulous facebook group Interior Design Business Strategies (IDBS)?

Nicknamed ‘Claire’s Army’, IDBS is a brilliant community of creative, supportive and helpful design professionals.

Click here and request to join IDBS… where there is NO BS.

Laminates Have Come A Long Way Baby!

Wilsonart is well known for it’s countertop materials such as laminates, solid surface & quartz.  But at this years Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (#kbisblogtour) it was the laminates that were getting so much of the attention!  Watch my video to see why.

Danny Seo was at the show as a spokesperson for Wilsonart and I had the opportunity to see him speak and to get a signed cookbook.  I will have to give that to my husband because he does most of the cooking in our house!   Danny says he coined the phrase ‘Materials Mixology’ which paired up nicely with Wilsonarts’ tagline: ‘Explore New Surfaces’.

Danny Seo from www.NaturallyDannySeo.com

If you look closely, behind Danny is a vignette they created on the show floor.  Watch my video so you can see exactly what products were used and why we designers were all buzzing about them!!

More to come from KBIS very soon!!  #kbisblogtour #modenus #designhounds

To Design a Smart & Sexy Kitchen, You Need This

We want our kitchens to look sleek, sexy and classic right?  Of course! But it’s also imperative that they do what we need them to do in terms of functionality. It’s like when we meet someone who we are attracted to. Initially it may be their looks that entice us, but if there’s nothing between the ears and the personality is flat, then what’s the point?

Fortunately, when it comes to appliances, Thermador has very thoughtfully considered both.  A fridge/freezer with smart technology including a ‘touch to open’ feature, their latest Liberty Induction that boasts ‘No Looking Cooking’ & a dishwasher that cycles in just 20 minutes!  No, that’s not a typo!

Click on the video below and see it all with your own eyes in my latest video from KBIS Blog Tour in Orlando. Be inspired to do more in your kitchen.

You may know that I don’t like to cook. I even burnt soft boiled eggs last year…no I’m not kidding. However, these innovative appliances make me reconsider wearing the apron strings more frequently in the kitchen& there aren’t many things that I could say that about!

Below: Fridge/Freezer combination that you wouldn’t even know was there! You’ll won’t believe what can reside permanently on the inside of the refrigerator door…watch the video to find out and to see the spacious interior of this beauty!

I AM A FRIDGE, HEAR ME ROAR!
Thermador was the first to introduce a wine freezer with 3 different temperatures in one fridge

Thanks A-Latte…

A sleek built in coffee machine that cleans its own milk dispenser!

As a gracious sponsor of the KBIS Blog Tour in Orlando, Thermador pulled out all the stops for us. Not only did we get front row viewing of many of their new product lines, we also got treated to a lovely lunch out.  Thank you Thermador!

Are you planning to renovate your kitchen this year?  Contact me here and I can help you with the design or in pulling it all together with finishes and thermador appliances! that weIf you are considering a kitchen renovation this year, check out more products from Thermador here on their website.

To get more inspiration for your kitchen design, see all my videos from the 2017 Orlando Kitchen and Bath show here.

What Detail is Often Overlooked in Interior Design?

Earlier this month I headed to KBIS – Kitchen and Bath Industry Show – in Orlando for Blog Tour 2017!  It was an all expenses paid trip hosted by the lovely Veroinkia Miller of Modenus.

The purpose of the tours are to connect interior designer professionals from all across North America with vendors of the show so we can learn about their products and share them with you. Continue reading “What Detail is Often Overlooked in Interior Design?”

An Ugly Duckling Transformed!

It’s November already!?! Donald Trump is the new US President?!  Christmas is just around the corner?!!  I know, I’ve been AWOL for the last little while and so much has been happening in this world!

Let’s escape for a few minutes to see this latest transformation that I recently had photographed.  If you like a good before and after, you’re going to love this.

My Hamilton clients living room was a bit of a challenge to decorate due to the vast size of the space. When rooms are so large, it’s a good idea to create ‘zones’ that give each area a purpose.

Watch my Facebook live video here from my clients home. Forgive me for being sideways for some of it, this video was my first Facebook live!

Here are the before photos:

Living Room Before
Living Room Before

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This leather sofa went to the basement and a new room was born!

A New Room Is Born!

Large Gold Leaf Prints create a Stunning Focal Point
Large Gold Leaf Prints create a Stunning Focal Point

We accented with teal, oranges and some purple tones as well. The stunning artwork of these three gold leaf prints really are the focal point of the room.

When this artwork went up, my client said “Wow, these really finish off the room beautifully.” (And that was the hubby!)

Custom Floating Shelf
Custom Floating Shelf

My carpenter built a floating wood shelf to anchor the large TV which also allowed us to add some accessories on either side. The large gold framed mirror works wonderfully with the tones of the artwork flanking it on either side, as well as with the large gold leaf prints.

Below is a console we customised to fit three cubes underneath for extra seating as needed.

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We colour blocked the inverted pleat drapery using the same blues/cream that you see in the geometric pattern of the occasional chairs.

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The biggest splurge was the area rug which adds extra softness to the room while complimenting the colour scheme.
My clients recently put this house up for sale and it sold in just one day!!  The home required no ‘Staging’ and sold for more money than any other house in the area.

The realtors said that there wasn’t anything on the market in their area at a similar price point that was finished as beautifully as this home was and essentially ‘turn key ready’ for the new home buyers.

This was great feedback for me and goes to show that the return on the investment of working with an Interior Design professional is well worth it.  Not only did my clients get to enjoy the home while they lived there, but they also didn’t need to do any extra work in order to have it ready to put on the market. Nice!

My clients are thrilled with the result and so are we! What’s your favourite part of this living room?

Ready to work with me on your upcoming decorating project?  We are booking into January 2017. Contact me here to set up a phone call with me and let’s do this!

Halloween Decorating Ideas at Homesense

Do you go crazy for Halloween?  So many people do! I think it’s because you can have so much fun with decorating this time of year, there seems to be no limits and its only growing in popularity.

Last week, my daughter Elise and I headed to Homesense in our home town of Burlington, Ontario to see what decorating ideas we could find. Homesense never lets me down Continue reading “Halloween Decorating Ideas at Homesense”

Stonington Gray by Benjamin Moore

Despite the ever-growing popularity of the colour white in interior design, grays are still widely used for wall colours as a neutral backdrop and for many fixed elements. Stonington Gray HC-170 by Benjamin Moore has a slight blue undertone and is one of my favourites to mix with whites and bold colours.

Check out my latest video below where I:

  • Compare Stonington Gray to other BM grays
  • Select the best whites to use with this gray for your trim and ceilings
  • Show you pairings of fabrics that work wonderfully with this colour & how I’ve used Stonington Gray in a clients home

After you watch my video, to get all this information conveniently in one place and to have even more paint colour combinations to use with Stonington Gray, check out my Perfect Colour Palette for Stonington Gray.

A must-have for any colour enthusiast or interior design professional to use as a helpful resource.

Stonington Gray Benjamin Moore
Stonington Gray Perfect Colour Palette – Get it here now

Watch my colour review of Stonington Gray below.

Photos below of Stonington Gray in my client’s kitchen and front foyer.

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Stonington Gray walls surround this gorgeous window seat with custom treatments.
Stonington Gray Paint Blob
Stonington Gray HC-170
Gallery Walls with Stonington Gray backdrop and Cloud White Wainscoting.
Gallery Walls with Stonington Gray backdrop and Cloud White Wainscoting
Foyer painted in Stonington Gray with striking black dresser and lamps.
Foyer painted in Stonington Gray with striking black dresser and lamps.
Foyer With Black And Gold Picture Frame And Plant Decor
Vignette on dresser with gold accents.

I’ve also created a booklet appropriately named ‘Fifteen Shades of Gray’ which you can download for free! It lists 15 grays by Benjamin Moore and categorizes them into three different undertones so it’s simple to understand and use.  Download your free guide here.

Perfect for pinning on Pinterest!

Stonington Gray Magazine Cover Image
Stonington Gray Magazine Cover Image
Pinterest Graphics Perfect Colour Palettes

To see more on my Benjamin Moore video series, click here.

Comment below to let me know if there is a specific colour you would like me to review in an upcoming video. 

Be sure to also watch my most popular video on ‘Best Gray Paint Colours’. It has over 150k views!

Convenience At Your Fingertips

Our Perfect Colour Palette library is expanding. Click here to see all of my Perfect Colour Palettes.

Stonington Gray is now part of my Benjamin Moore Grays and Blue-Green collection showcasing all 10 of my Benjamin Moore gray and blue-green Perfect Colour Palettes.

Grays and Blue-greens Collections Covers Benjamin Moore

If you want to get all my Benjamin Moore colour guides in one place, look no further than my Benjamin Moore Ultimate Collection.  All 20 of my guides in one handy collection.

Ultimate Collection Cover Benjamin Moore

Remember, it only takes one mistake to take your home decorating project from divine to disaster. Don’t let the paint be what stresses you out!

Take my Colour Quiz to discover your Perfect Colour Palette.

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