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!