Color Saturation

With literally billions of paint names to choose from and multitudes of color combinations, what is the simplest way to narrow down your favorites?  Pantone so kindly forecasts the season's color trends years in advance. In the same way you see repeat fashion and movie remakes, colors cycle through a pattern. As a designer, it's evident which trends are timeless and which are fads. 

I guarantee you will not be able to guess which of the below photos are more than 10 years old....don't peek!  Color can be timeless.

I am continually "wowed" by Alan Campbell & China Seas prints.  Below, I paired each of Pantone's Fall 2011 top 10 shades with a Quadrille fabric.  Best of all?  Most of these are available in both textile & wallpaper!! 

Island Ikat in "Magenta"

Prague in "Salmon on Tan", as seen in Veranda

Island Ikat in "Zibby Blue on White", found in Veranda

Nairobi in "Inca Gold" & "French Blue", designer Christina Murphy

Petit Zig Zag in "Navy", as seen in House Beautiful

Zig Zag in "Leaf on Tint", design found in Elle Decor

Paradise Background in "Taupe on Tint", designed by Meg Braff

Henroit Floral in "Pinks on Ecru", designed by Judy Cormier

also, Saya Gata wallpaper in "Pink Lines on Tint"

Quadrille discontinued pattern, by Timothy Whealon

 

Paradise Background, colorway discontinued, designed by the fabulous Elizabeth Martin

Did you figure out which one was oldest?  Meg Braff's "Nougat' and blue room from 2000.

Shelving with a Twist

One of my dear, sweet clients has a love for built-ins, as do I.    We're in the process of choosing the icing on the cake for the space....a pop of color or pattern in the shelving via wallpaper!   I see this everywhere from famous designers' projects, to DIY afternoons, from reputable design magazines, to.....your truely!  Here's some visual inspiration for your weekend.

Love you guys!  Happy weekend :)

If you need a good cry...

...this might do it!  So precious :)

I've been spending too much time working in the baby store, apparently....have a great weekend!

Wash, Rinse, Repeat....

My day off consisted of laundry, laundry, cooking, and more laundry!  I heard some clips on the radio and tv recently about bed bugs & it totally had freaked me out.  I was laundering everything that would let me with my homemade detergent!

The room that we have for this activity is embarrassing.  A catch-all for.....ALL.  A dust bunny haven.  A black hole...?  10 square feet plus washer/dryer.  THE WALLS ARE CLOSING IN!  I began to wonder....couldn't this be more pleasant?

Here's a truck load of photos of laundry & mud rooms done right, with some basic rules of thumb.

1.) Unify your containers.  

2.) Make it homey.  This laundry room is adjoined to the kitchen.  This drape will serve as a sound buffer and a clean slate when guests come to visit.  A clock, pendant light, and whimsical shelf make folding clothes a more pleasant task.  Even the dang laundry basket is precious.

 3.)  Keep clutter minimized & hidden.  (See how much better these stacked rolls of toilet paper look than the tacky plastic wrap they come in?)

4.)  A glimpse of the outdoors.  Do you think our landlord would like me sawing through the drywall?

5.)  Make the space work for YOU.  Consider other items this space can hold for you.  For us, we need a place to store our dog food (all 80 lbs. of it), patio pillows, and tool kit.

Have any of you mastered the 'pretty' laundry room?

Musical Chairs

I keep noticing dining tables set with alternating chair types!  Most common, are the traditional winged-back style duo at the heads of the table.  I also love the look of one (or two) benches flanking the sides of a long table.  Fluff them up with coordinating pillows, and it's a little unexpected twist!  But lately, designers & homeowners have mixed it up in these homes...check it out!

This table incorporates the winged-backs with one side bench and a few chairs.  It's works beautifully, no?  The slatted chairs keep the space airier between dining and living rooms, whereas the bench solidifies a window wall.

Lucite, how we love thee!

These classic Loop chairs never get old!  I am failing at photo credits these days, but this one I think was in Traditional Home or Elle Decor(??)  Oops.  And the design is Suzanne Kasler.

These selections are my favorite of this post...what an excellent use of radial symmetry!  The cantilevered, molded plastic chairs work perfectly with the traditional gray slipper chairs.

A little retro for your evening.  Brave!

This reminds me of something Sixx Design might create.  A little vintage-mod.  A little overdone.  A little awesome.

So I randomly met a local designer today who came into our store!  I've been reading her blog for the past year & checking out her portfolio...take a look at Laura's blog :)  It's so crazy to me that the blogosphere is full of really cool people just like you...who you might very well run into in the real world.

This also happened to me 3 weeks ago in our store!  The mother of Laurie from Rhoney Designs, was talking to me about mobiles, when somehow we figured out that I have read about her granddaughter's nursery featured on Apartment Therapy!  Confusing? :)  I love small worlds!

Please drop me a line!  It would totally motivate me to write more often...

Secrets from a Stylist

Whew, my fingers are a little rusty from taking my blogging summer hiatus!  Where the heck have I been?! Highlights were starting my own interior design business based from Charlotte, NC, took an anniversary trip to Seattle with hubby, a couple mini vacays, and starting an additional job at a local shop designing nurseries and children's rooms!  Oh and one more thing I've been following was HGTV's Design Star.

HGTV and I have a love/hate relationship.  Being, I am super supportive of the educated designers, yet slightly disgusted with programs that lead viewers to believe they can make their home look like a million bucks with a ball of string and a can of paint.

My favorite show thus far, has been Dear Genevieve, who is adorable, and a smart cookie.  Candice Olson has created a literal empire for design with her own business, show, and various product lines.  I also respect Mr. Vern Yip as a designer, even though his education was in architecture, it's still an extremely valuable asset with structural interiors.  He definitely has what it takes.  And all the flack he caught for being 'critical' of the Design Star contestant?  BRING IT!  They deserved every bit of the constructive criticism.  A great designer will not make it if they cannot generate multiple solutions and evolve their style.

However....a NEW show with this season's Design Star winner Emily Henderson will begin THIS Sunday at 10 P.M.   I might have a new favorite.  Here was the second to last challenge's space she designed.

I've read her blog before she made it on the show, which inevitably made me pull for her...and what do you know!  What I like about Emily is she is humble, real, discerning, and clever.  I mean...you can't get any more real than this:  her wedding invitation...ADORABLE.

Her branch of design is styling.  You know how pretty photos are in magazines?  From Martha Stewart displays to fluffing a home before a photo shoot...this is right up her alley.  This is her own desk at home:

Her show is all about making your home look like you by finding inspiration in the clients' wardrobe.  The best part?  She is a big fan of flea markets...boy, we should be friends!

"Secrets of a Stylist"  Don't miss it!