Styling--Liz Caan Kitchen three ways

The other day I shared my obsession with heart art, and used an awesome kitchen by Liz Caan as an illustration.  When I was writing the post, I could not initially remember in which magazine I had seen the kitchen, so, naturally, I googled it.

Though various internet machinations, I ended up finding several versions of this kitchen--each with different art.  Amazing how one painting can change the feel of a room, no?

And what looks to be an earlier iteration of the space:

Here she uses a mirror in place of the art and a bell jar lantern in place of the visual comfort star flushmount.  The floors are much more traditional, a little bit "country," and a cheeky framed poster hangs where there is now a wooden island.

Don't you just love seeing the way spaces evolve?  Which is your favorite?

Art you can afford: Heart Art for you, Heart Art for me

As it turns out, plenty of retailers are in on the heart art trend.  I found pieces in many colors, sizes, and price points.  shall we?

Shown in relative scale.  Clockwise(ish) from left:

Multi-heart print (I love that this is a play on Damien Hirst's dot paintings): Saatchi Gallery online, both original and prints available (scale here is the large print.  Prints are reasonable, original is expensive.)

Neon pink heart poster, with write-in box: ElasticCo, through Domino

I worked with this poster's maker on projects long ago.  She is awesome and deserves her own post.

Chartreuse, pink, and ted (you know I love this color combo): Saatchi gallery online, both original and prints available at this scale (prints are reasonable, original is expensive)

Cartier Heart Strings, gold leaf: Natural Curiosities, to the trade.  Contact me for pricing

Love Letters Collection, Blue: Natural Curiosities, to the trade.  Contact me for pricing

Big heart (I used this print in this little girl's room): Minted, available in many sizes and frame options

Tiny black heart: Natural Curiosities, to the trade.  Contact me for pricing

Gold heart: Serena and Lily,  love the sparkle!

What do you think: would you go for the heart?

I Heart Heart Art

For some time now, I have been obsessed with the graphic punch of very simple heart art.

I already have one version in my office gallery wall--the sweet valentine my older daughter made me at school when she was maybe 2 or 3.  (I love that it has the letters to spell "Hug me," but that it is all jumbled up.)

This art wall was the first thing I did when we moved into this house.  Four years later, I've barely changed a thing--updating some old collages of my daughter's to her Warhol-inspired soup cans, here.  See my original post about hanging this gallery wall, here.

Now what I am really craving is the super-simple heart.

Liz Caan, HGTV Magazine

I was thinking I needed a red heart like this more the girls' bathroom, but then, when the brown and white stripes went up in the laundry room, I REALLY wanted the bold simplicity of it in there.

Tomorrow I'll round up some options that are currently available!

Just for fun, some other excellent heart art.

So versatile.  Trendy?  A bit.  But really, what could be more classic than the symbol for love?

All I want for my 40th Birthday is a Missoni stair runner

Is that so wrong?

(sneak peek of the happy hallway)

I love that either of these striped runners (in the photo above and in the design board, below) pretty much encapsulates the whole palette of the house, and plays well with all the rugs it touches.

Here is the "rug story" for the main floor of the house.  

The runner (middle, below), can be seen most directly next to the moroccan jute sisal dining room rug and the afghani wool entry rug (bottom right and bottom left, respectively).  The beni ourain is in the living room and the green concentric diamond in the master.

Those stripes.  Super fun, right?

Quick Tip for twin beds

Sometimes it's the little things that trip you up.

My girls' room has been basically done for quite a while (after the initial design, the floorplan change, the redesign plan, the re-redesign plan, and the rug switch), but for some reason I could never pin down the pillows on their beds.  I bought several new options when I was getting things ready for the photo shoot, but ultimately I went with something I had, and remembered a good lesson in the process.

The best pillows for Twin beds are King pillows.

Why?  Because a king pillow is almost the full width of a twin bed, making for a seamless look.

In fact, when you don't have an upholstered headboard, layer a king pillow in a sham (not a pillowcase) behind a standard pillow for a finished look, like we did here:

The purple shams = king, the white pillowcases with green ric rac = standard.

With a headboard, I like a king pillowcase and a small accent pillow.  That's what I finally did in the kids' room, and I love it!

The king pillows are vintage Laura Ashley with pink ticking stripes and a ruffle on the other end.  The accent pillows I made with fabric leftover from this sweet space.  They are basically these.   I made them at midnight before the shoot and haven't actuallys ewed them closed at the bottom.

 Now the only problem is that my change-loathing 8 year old is not on board, so I have to switch this out with her "old" pillows every day.  Fingers crossed that someday she'll get on board....