We welcome Lucy Faye with some girls' room goodness

Yesterday, my best friend in New York (the maid of honor at my wedding) welcomed baby number two into the world: Lucy Faye.  Marni is also in the midst of a major renovation, and I will soon have the honor of designing rooms for Lucy and big brother Daniel.  For months now, I have been resisting the call of little-girl fabrics because, well, we didn't know whether a girl or boy was on the way.  Now I can go wild.

Before I officially dive in, some inspiration to get Mommy thinking.  (Because that is what a mom to a brand new baby is thinking about: the nursery design.  Right?)

Source: spearmintbaby.com via Heather on Pinterest

Source: materialgirlsblog.com via Heather on Pinterest

Source: housetohome.co.uk via Heather on Pinterest

Source: housetohome.co.uk via Heather on Pinterest

Source: estateeclectic.blogspot.com via Heather on Pinterest

Can't wait to dig in!

I have three other girls' rooms in the works, and I have to say, I think they are the most fun.

Congratulations, Marni, Matt and Daniel, and welcome Lucy!

Small Measures: Fabric Backsplash

via Rachel Ray Everyday

No tile?  Fabric under plexi makes a splash.

Amazing Stuff in Blogland: new ideas, products, and resources

It struck me, when lots of random people started following me on pinterest, that I look at a LOT of images related to the home and home design.  Probably a little more than most people.

On average, I look at about fifty blogs a day; sometimes that number is double or, dare I admit, triple.  Naturally I encounter a lot of great ideas, inspiration, and resources.  Sometimes when blogs share great ideas they've seen on other blogs, I find myself thinking "duh, saw that."  But you, my readers, may not look at 50-100 blogs a day.  You may not have 400+ pins on pinterest.  You might like to see the great ideas, and be introduced to the great products, that I encounter in my travels.

So maybe I'll round 'em up on occasion.

This week, I was inspired by:

Hand-drawn Schumacher-inspired "wallpaper":



Can you say amazing?  Shannon from Shannon Berry design created her favorite Schumacher wallpaper with a SHARPIE and CRAFT PAINT.  Not sure where I first spotted it, this one is (rightly) making the rounds!  Check out her full tutorial here.

Amazing Photographs of Rickshaws



By Greg Vore, spotted on Elements of Style Blog.  He shoots the rickshaws, with or without drivers, on makeshift seamless to really spotlight the colors and designs.  I would love to add one of these to my art collection, which is growing more "idiosyncratic" by the day!

This week, I discovered some great sources and products:

Awesome silhouette necklaces



From Crafted by Kirsten, via Milk and Honey Home
We know I love silhouettes (my girls, botanicals, animals, painted); if anyone wanted to commission one of these babies with silhouettes of the girls and their initials, just like the one above, that would be okay by me.

The perfect sized pillow for a single large bed bolster





PBTeen via Little Green Notebook

Great, inexpensive Sofas



"Anna" sale price from $549! From Monarch Sofas.  (Save an extra 25% through Sunday using coupon code 7UYC)

Via Caitlin Wilson:



Caitlin says it cost a ton to ship her pink linen sofa from California to the east coast, but that it was still a deal over all.

Eco-Friendly Textiles



From etsy shop Shapes and Colors Textiles via Emily Henderson's Throw Pillow Round up.

Modern Cement Tiles:

From Mosaic USA via Modern 24/7 (check out her round up of inspiration images, here)

Closeout Rugs:



Michaelian and Kohlberg, via Naomi's round up of the NY Gift fair, seen on her blog Design Manifest

I should mention that Namoi highlighted a new product, but when I checked out the site I spotted the outlet.  I never met an outlet I didn't like.

Now, these are not "cheap," but there are some great deals to be had, like gorgeous hand knotted wool and silk tibetan carpets marked from $12,000 down to $3,000.  The one you see above happens to be a 3x12 runner, which I would snap up in a second if only I had $400 to spare just now.  (It would be perfecto in the upstairs hallway, if only I hadn't painted it chartreuse.)

Wow, it was a great week around here.
You know what might be even better than sharing all of this goodness with you?

Cleaning up all the tabs I have open in Chrome.

Enjoy!

Client work: Design Process

I believe it is my job as a designer to help you love your home.

I know there are a lot of big name designers out there who have a recognizable look, and people pay big bucks to have it. That's all fine and good, but I think your home should look like you, not like me.

Because there is no way to predict every single thing that you will love (or every single pet peeve you didn't even know you had about decor), there's a good chance that I will show you lots of things you love--but also the occasional item that you just can't get behind. That's okay. I love when clients bring their ideas--and specific products--to the table. Incorporating something you love that I may not have chosen is an excellent challenge.

Allow me to demonstrate.

I'm working with a lovely new client who found me through the article in the Pioneer Press. (How great is that?) After our initial consultation, I set to work on a budget-friendly plan for her living room, and came back to her with design two directions. (I have found that most people do not subscribe to just ONE style.)

"Fresh Modern"

"Earthy Global"

She loved them both, but alas could choose just one.  She ended up going for the fisrt option, with one big concern: she didn't like the chairs.  She worried that the yellow might be too lemony for her, and wasn't too keen on the mismatched legs  (see what I mean about predicting pet peeves?). She hopped online and found a chair from the same line in a fabric that she DID love. Enter the domino effect: the new pattern fought with the old curtains and matched the green rug binding and garden seat a little too well. A few changes later, and she loves everything.

She's happy, I'm happy.

What do you think: Do you have a favorite?

Reader Design dilemma: Living room with no solid walls

Many older homes were built for a different kind of lifestyle--and different scale furniture--than we have today. One of the biggest challenge I encounter is how to make these spaces work for life as we know it.

Steph wrote to me with a major space plan dilemma:

What do you do with a room only 10 feet wide, with an entry door, a staircase, a big fireplace, and two large arched entryways defining its walls?  Both the dining room (above) and the den (below) open off this space, but right now this is a lot of wasted square footage, and a very awkward set up with the TV across the room and at an odd angle to the couch.

From the living room and family room, Steph and her family need:

- a conversation area
- toy storage and playspace for two kids
- a place to watch TV

Let's tackle the conversation area first.

With no solid walls, the only choice in the living room is to float an arrangement in the middle of the room, and the 10 foot width of the room limits choices to chairs or loveseats.  An arrangement of four chairs around a coffee table is one possibility, though I think I would go for a facing arrangement.

Options 1: A pair of 60" loveseats, like we did in this home of a similar vintage, in New Jersey.  Armless loveseats, like the one below, are particularly useful for keeping things open.


Design by Lonny, in Lonny

Option 2: A loveseat and a pair of small scale chairs.  I like the use of these shell chairs here: they don't take up a lot of visual weight, and they are literally light, making them easy to move around the room.


Paul Caddell, Lonny Mag

Options 3: A loveseat and a daybed.  Daybeds are great for a conversation area (less so for watching TV), and make a wonderful play surface for the kiddos.  And again, the armless/backless scenario means that it won't stop the eye, making the space look bigger.


Jarlath Mellett in Lonny

Or, surprise option number 4, a loveseat and a pair of upholstered ottomans or benches.


Celerie Kemble, Lonny

In any of these scenarios, go for an 8 x 10 rug to define the seating area, and a couple of small and lightweight occasional tables that can be moved wherever they are needed most.

Now let's kill two birds with one stone.
Moving the TV from the corner by the fireplace into the family room both opens up ample space for kid storage (shelves or closed baskets), and takes the TV watching out of the mail living space, tucking it into a cozier corner.

In the family room, I would swap out that couch for one just a few inches shorter, to keep it contained in one room, and mount the TV on the wall where the tall bookcase is.

In the fireplace corner, I would move those tall shelves from the family room, and tuck a small round table in front of it for drawing.

Bonus space
Believe it or not, there is still space for a little sumpin sumpin in front of the radiator at the far end of the living room.  Depending on need, this could be a slim desk with tuck-under stools, a chair in the corner for a reading nook, or a buffet for the adjoining dining room.  Whatever the case, I would hang floor length curtains to soften the window and bring height to that end of the room.

So, what do you think?  Can you see it?  How would you tackle a space like this?

pssst.  Have a design dilemma?  Email me at heather@heatherpetersondesign.com.  Let's talk.

Go Vertical

Let's forget, for the moment, about the "art wall."  It's a thing these days.  I know them and love them.

But there are lots (and lots) of ways to hang art for impact.

Do you remember this cover of Domino?



I have always loved the way it made use of that sliver of vertical space between the windows.  Those drawings are so simple, and the repetition packs a graphic punch.

Interestingly, when searching for this image in lieu of scanning it, I came across another version which leads me to wonder if the good people of Domino edited in those extra frames for impact.



Taking the arrangement to the top of the window treatments makes a huge difference, doesn't it?

You CAN try this at home.

Over Christmas break, I had a few days home alone, and I decided that the upstairs hallway needed some BIG art.  Like the 4 foot by 5 foot Smashing Pumpkins poster that my husband bought at a concert in 1993.  The six smaller frames marching down the hall felt a bit staid.  I knew they could have more impact somewhere else.

Like the dining room.  In a room with tall ceilings, a vertical column can add drama and emphasize the ceiling height--win/win, if you ask me.  For an added bonus, fill the frames with something small and intimate.  I love watching people get drawn in to these images, which are small scans of vintage African stamps that I (randomly) collected in Junior High.

Want further proof ?  I went digging for additional examples of vertical arrangements.  Here's what I found.

Formal: gold frames, stacked one on top of the next.

Source: homedesign.marthastewart.com via Heather on Pinterest

Modern: small, colorful abstracts in clean-lined frames.  Taking it to the floor makes it very modern.

[via Lonny]

Traditional: collections grouped in simple frames, evenly spaced for balance.

[via Arianna Belle]

Warm: a little movement within the rectangular perimeter takes the edge off, as does the eclectic grouping of images.

[via Arianna Belle]

Bohemian: mixed frames, rustic finishes, COLOR, and a haphazard edge take the edge of the structure here, giving it a little bohemian flair.

[via in your back pocket]

Gallery wall!  Okay, even the ever popular salon-style wall can work in a column!

[via in your back pocket]

See?  Works with any style home.  What do you think: are you ready to go vertical?

What's in a name?

I remember someone telling me once that Heather is a stripper name.

I was shocked, mostly because I was actually named for the flowers that grew in my parents' backyard in California, and I always thought of it in a category with Rose, Daisy, and Iris.  Those old fashioned names are a far cry from a stripper pole.  But it made me very aware of the associations that come along with naming.  (I happen to be one of those people who chooses her nailpolish by the name as much as the color.)

Our younger daughter's name is Eleri, which we thought to be an Irish "Ellery" (and we pronounce it that way.)  (If you are so inclined, more on that here.)

Most people have either never heard of the name or, if they are of an older generation, associate the name with Ellery Queen, a fictional detective appearing in a series of novels in the 1940s.  So I have been interested to see that furniture retailers have picked up the name lately.

First there was the Ellery chair from West Elm.



And now the Ellery stool from Anthropologie.

Somehow, looking at these, I can't help but feel we chose the right name for our daughter.  A little tough, but round around the edges.  A little cool, but not overly so.  More complex than first sight might let on.  A bit of a tomboy, but not too interested in getting her hands dirty.  I bet a group of "creatives" sit around a room throwing out names for new furnishings, writing lists of attributes they associate with the name.

My younger brother and I refer to Room and Board sofas by name.

A client recently bought a pair of vintage chairs I found with the name of the maker and the designer attached, and I remember her commenting that she loves that her chairs have names.

I wonder, do you refer to your furniture by name?