Thursday, December 31, 2009

All New for 2010

I have been on a short hiatus...but soon, I will be back with some great posts!

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Power Play


Photo courtesty of elledecor.com

Color is so powerful. It can transform something from exciting to moody, from calm to electric...from love to hate! So when I saw this room, my eyes lit up! The beauty, the flow, the aesthetic...it took me into my wildest home interior dreams...where my own home looks like a page out of Architectural Digest...
Even though it is well designed, it is still liveable, comfortable, functional, and real world!

And don't get me started on those curtains and that ottoman...perfection!

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Adler Anarchy

Since I am sharing all that I love...
I loe Jonathan Adler designs...so I thought I would share some great ones:








Photos courtesy of House Beautiful at www.housebeautiful.com.

Etsy: The Home Centric

As you know, I love love love Etsy.
Nowhere else on the web can you find such one of a kind, quality, and unique items...some things you never thought you needed!

Pillows...are something I always need. They can add color, sparkle, shine, and style to a room in a simple and cost-effective way...that most other accessories cannot.
So when I stumbled upon this DAZZLER:


I wanted more and more and more...and more is what I got.
Made by The Home Centric, these beauties could up the style factor in a room in a major way...and for $20 to $30 a pop, you have spent less than a pair of jeans!
Check these out:







Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Esty World

I love etsy, it is a haven for one of a kind, handmade, goodies that will add the flair and personality to your home that you need to make it uniquely yours.

Here are a few of the things I am loving this month on Etsy for your home.
Check out etsy for other great gifts, jewelry, and clothing as well!


Monogrammed Wedding Vases by Maid of Clay!

These would make the cutest wedding or anniversary gift, or simply add your own monogram and get one for yourself...would work great as a pen/pencil holder for your office!


Micro Clay Wall Tiles by Elements of Clay

These are so stylish and unique. Add to a white wall for seamless textural interest, or to a colored wall for a stark contrast of unique wall art!
I would love love love these in my bathroom!


Felt Chair Pads by Inbound Thread

I hate regular chair pads, the kind that ties to the back of the chair. They are always moving, make you slide, and those pesky ties are always breaking off! These, however, are my kind of chair pad. First, they are made of felt...one of my favorite green materials. Second, they are slim, stylish, and ahhhhhhhhhhh...anti slip! Great!


Wire Sphere Light by Splurge
Finding a good pendant light, for an affordable price, is a task. Well, this one, you can use it as is, for a slightly rustic look...or you can cover in in the paper, fabric, or covering of your choice (make sure it is not flammable) to make a statement all your own. Personally, I like it as is...in a modern room...to play down the shiny, stark, hard lines of the furniture! But you do it your way...




Friday, October 9, 2009

On the Treetops...

I always wanted a treehouse growing up.
Now that I have a child, I would love for him to have one...but one that I could go in as well.
Check out these amazing treehouses!





Photos courtesy of Apartment Therapy, Barabara Butler Treehouses, and the Treehouse Workshop.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Contemporary Color







Photos courtesy of www.apartmenttherapy.com
I LOVE this room.
It is a room by Nancy, entered in the Apartment Therapy "Room for Color" contest!
The contemporary furniture, the sherbet colors, the white partially paneled walls, the dark wood dining furniture, the patterns, the lush velvets, the acrylic chair (tres posh) are all the makings of a stylish Contemporary room that any lover of interiors would swoon over!
Good WORK Nancy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Princess Pumpkin


Cinderella Crib from Punkin Patch for $4,750.00

Okay, now I am sure that Cinderella, with her evil stepsisters, never got to sleep in one of these! This is the crib de la crib...
This crib is made of iron and hand painted by skilled artisans. So you know its top o the line!!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Eclectic Ego


Eclectic Dining Room

This room is magnificent, with its bright red coloring and its stark white contrasts. It is, however, the furnishings that make a room eclectic, and this room has it!
The only true characteristics of an eclectic room is a variety of art, furnishings, and decor from different time periods, styles, and parts of the world.
And with its 1950s Italian chairs, the modern chandelier by Pellucci, the vintage table, and the neoclassical style of the room...you get just that!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Glam it UP!


Living Room of Ali Wentworth and George Stephanopolous
(photo courtesy of Elle Decor at www.pointclickhome.com)

Glamour is all about living it up, the high life, entertainment, and style!
It is about adding that dash of panache and that pinch of punch to your space and your life!
Most of all, it is about full-on, no holds barred...FUN!
And that is exactly what this couple has brought into their living room, loads of rip roaring, never want it to end...FUN!

Here are the style points of any good glamourous room:
1. Lush and luxurious fabrics. Think velvet, silk, Egyptian cotton, thick wool.
2. Mirrors. A glamourous room without a mirror, is lacking glamour. I mean REALLY...would a glamour girl not have a mirror to look at herself in EVERY room!
3. Metallics. Reminiscent of jewelry, legs on tables, and decor are often decorated in golds, silvers, copper, and pewter for a hint of shine and sparkle.
4. White. There is always a little white in every glamourous room, whether vases, curtains, walls, or rugs. It simply makes all those lovely pieces stand at attention.
5. Artwork. Often pricey artwork lines the walls of a glamourous room, but even a simple print in an ornate frame will look equally appealing.
6. Patterns. Often, you will find rather feminine colors and patterns in a glamourous room, but that alone does not make it feminine. These patterns are often rich in detail.

Let's see how this room stacks up:

1. Well, the velvet sofas, the silk curtains...I think we have lush fabrics covered.
2. The mirrored table brings all the glamour of the 20s into this room, and keeps it on trend.
3. The gold table legs, the silver metallic items on the bookshelf. These add polish and shine to the room.
4. The white walls, the white vases and mantel pieces. Even the white chair makes that lovely golden woodgrain stand out even more!
5. The art here is not just on the walls. The John Derian moroccan poufs are art in and of themselves. The shocking pink color makes them even more artistic.
6. The pattern on the Baker chairs is wonderful, as is the one on the floor. The lavendars, periwinkle, and pink...all girl colors...in this contemporary room keep it from appearing to girly!

This is one room I would LOVE LOVE LOVE...but my husband would despise that pink color! George gets a standing ovation for that one!

Monday, October 5, 2009

Wood or Woodn't You?


Ancient California Redwood Headboard by Urban Hardwoods $8200.00

Now, I love nature as much as the next girl...the kind of nature that involves pretty flowers, park benches, beach towels, a great pair of sunglasses, and maybe even some OFF bug repellent. However, love rich and decadent woods. I always dreamed of having a dark mahogany hardwood floor in wide planks, but instead I have just regular hardwood in regular planks...and that too, is okay with me!
This beauty above though, it something I can only see in a large and lavish log cabin home tho...nothing like my quaint and family friendly home!

It is a beauty though!

Friday, October 2, 2009

Modern Icons

During the first half of the 20th century, a new focus on furniture design emerged. Gone were the days of overly ornate and impractical furniture, that spoke only to the design era and none to the functionality of the piece. This new modern style of furniture focused on function and accessibility, it was light, and it was much more about innovation than history.
Few names are more synonmous with the modern era more than Charles and Ray Eames, who used steel and molded plywood, to make furniture that was aesthetically pleasing as well as strong and comfortable.Their most famous pieces are the:

Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair (1945)


Eames Lounge and Ottoman (1956)


Other Famous Modern Furniture and Designers include:

Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer (1925)


Eileen Gray Side Table (1927)
'

Barcelona Chair by Mies van der Rohe (1929)


Tulip Chair by Eero Saarinen (1956)


Noguchi Coffee Table by Isamu Noguchi (1948)


Most of these designs set the stage for today's contemporary and modern home styles. You can see the influences of these designers and their designs in many current brands and product lines. If you have a Modern or Contemporary style, any one of these pieces would fit into your room as a focal item!

Thursday, October 1, 2009

In a Manly Mood

Masculine ModernRoom by Candice Olsen of Divine Design
This room has a really strong presence. It is filled with gender neutral items, but has a distinctly masculine appeal. The dark woods, the large scale furniture, the tough, yet sophisticated leather and velvet seating, the non-matching, yet cohesive design items. This is masculine style at its best...not plaids and moose heads, but definitely strong, sturdy, and manly!

The key elements of a masculine room include:
1. Rich textures
2. Deep color palette
3. Personal items
4. Layering of different styles and items
5. Use of Iconic male design elements

Now, using this list, let's see how well the room above scores in its masculine design!

1. Looking at the room there are a wide variety of textures: leather, velvet, marble, dark wood, silk window panels, glass tile, mirrors. This is definitely very rich in texture!
2. The color palette of this room is mellow. The browns, oranges, black, grays, and the dim light keep the room darkened, but not dark. It is definitely full of deep vivid colors.
3. Most men's room have a bit of personality intertwined with the design that doesn't quite go with the room in theory, but in actuality keep the room from being Sherlock Holmes Stuffy or James Bond Slick. The paintings, the floating flowers in the bowl, the figurines on the mantel...are examples of these types of pieces.
4. In its bare form, the room is a dark wood room with black marble...very masculine base. When you think of what the next layer was, it was the contemporary furniture, yet everything else is a nod to other styles. The very mod pillows, low table, lighting and lines were the next layer. Then just a slight bit of shine with the glass, mirrors, and metallics. Lastly, the small touches like the floating flowers, and paintings were added for that quirky detail.
5. The dark wood, the tortoise shell floor, the marble, the leather, the nature inspired art...these are items that are iconicly masculine.
So this room is most definitely masculine in design and in practice. I am sure any man or woman would love it...don't you!

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Online Obsession

Okay, almost EVERY day I check online at Jayson Home and Garden because I am basically OBSESSED by this store.
It is this collection of fantastic and unique furniture finds...that will make your room into the modern, eclectic, contemporary, or traditional room you have always wanted...with style to boot!
Check out some the best pieces, with style tips on how I would use them in my personal space!

The Rockefeller Sofa
This would be sitting right across from the fireplace in my study, with a couple of strong chairs sitting opposite. I would sit here, read my latest Toni Morrison novel...and even work on my laptop when being at my desk was just a little to Presidential.


Madeline Settee

Picture this, in an ivory bedroom with a sleigh bed done in the darkest of woods...this beauty is perched by a wall, with beautiful Vogue pages in frames above it.


Antique Argentinian Bench
Simple...in a long foyer...beautiful!

Moroccan Marvel

Kasbah Tamadot - Morocco: Sir Richard Branson's Moroccan retreat set in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains{photo courtesty of Apartment Therapy (www.apartmenttherapy.com)}

This the the ULTIMATE Moroccan theme room, but why not start there!
There are several KEY components to any Moroccan theme room:
1. Vibrant Colors-usually red, orange, blue, green, gold, and silver
2. Simple Furniture-usually set low to the ground in rich and detailed woods
3. Lush Fabrics-fabrics rich in color and texture, such as silks, satins, velvets. Lush curtains are often used, from ceiling to floor and collected with heavy cords to tie them back! Pillows in rich patterns are often added.
4. Lighitng-dim lighting from colored glass, pierced metal, candlesOften Morovian stars and lanterns are found in Moroccan interiors.
5. Floors-dark hardwoods or ceramic tiles, plush and patterned rugs, and floor cushions or poufs
6. Decor-mirrors, carved wood, jewel embellishment, and items with onion domes

Let's compare our list with the photograph above!

1. You can see the room is intensely golden with shades of red and orange throughout the space. The walls appear to be a golden ochre color.
2. The furniture in this room is not as simple, but the grand scale of the room can handle the more ornate furniture. It is all wood, and most of it appears to be colored wood. All of it is relatively low setting. The table by the windows is a traditional Moroccan piece.
3. There are fabrics galore. The rich bed linens. The lush and full curtains, with the cord tie back!4. The natural lighting is fresh and bright, but the artifical lighting from lamps is very low and dim. Very traditional for Moroccan style!
5. The floors appear to be a light ceramic tiling. More impressive is the detailed ceiling.
6. The mirrors, the light fixtures, and all of the decor come together beautifully in this room.

The onion dome of the entry way makes this place a stand out as a Moroccan getaway!

Hello World!

Style is impeccable!
Style is timeless!
Style is fabulous!
Style is iconic!
Be in STYLE, Live on STYLE, Have great STYLE!
Put a little swing in your style...style swing!