Candice Olson

“I firmly believe that if your environment works for you and your family, it translates into a better life.”

“I never want to hold myself up as the poster child of the successful mother-businesswoman. It's a total 'Gong Show.' I won't pretend. When you do so many things, something always suffers. You just can't be great at everything.”

“Today's kitchen is all about a well-planned space that makes cooking a completely interactive experience among family and friends.”

“Dining rooms are really all about the table and the chairs.”

“I've dealt with a lot of couples over the years, and most cite the battle for closet and bathroom space as one of the most frequent causes of marital discord.”

“Sometimes living in a room that's badly designed isn't the worst thing in the world. Trust me - this is a fact! Living in a room that has no design whatsoever is even worse. I've learned this from my many clients over the years that have moved into new houses and just can't figure out where to begin.”

“The perfect antidote to dark, cold and creepy is light, warm and cozy.”

“Mom raised me all by herself, and although we went through our share of lean years, she always worked hard to make our home warm and welcoming.”

“A common mistake people make regarding dining rooms is to buy a matching set of table and chairs, which can be monotonous. I like to mix guest chairs in one style and head chairs in another for a more interesting, dynamic look.”

“With every bathroom renovation, there are three areas that I focus on: budget, function and style.”

“Now that our kids are getting older, they need their space. We dug out the basement so they will have a place to go crazy in the wintertime. My son is already talking about how he's going to make a skateboard ramp. It's just a mosh pit down there, so they can do whatever they want. We're not even going to finish it.”

“We don't have one of those houses where there's a rope that separates the kids' area from the adult area. There's a happy medium. It's all about fabric choices, accessories.”

“Why have one chandelier when you can have two?”

“Look for inspiration in books, magazines, and even other people's homes - then be brave and take a chance with a room in your home.”

“Paint goes a long way in making old look like new.”

“Spaces I love to do - the uglier the better - tend to be really old, dated basements - especially from the '60s to the '80s. I love those.”

“I know it can be difficult for parents, but I really do believe that kids need to play the predominant role in the choices that go into their own space.”

“Why do guests always end up in the kitchen at parties? Is it a social phenomenon? Some strange gravitational pull? I don't know, but one thing is for sure: If your friends are going to congregate in your kitchen, you'd better make it as nice as possible.”

“There has been a major shift in how we live in our homes. Everyone knows the kitchen is the soul of the house. It's more of an open-concept approach.”

“Things have changed a lot since the earth was cooling and I was a teenage girl, but the basics of teenage bedrooms have remained the same. Every girl wants a place that they are proud to call their own and where they can express their own individuality.”