Forgot to mention this fun article on the WCCO (local CBS) website that features some ideas from yours truly. You can read it here.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Small Measures
Inspiration wall. Hand the kids a roll of colorful tape and let them go!
The mother behind this one says this space is theirs "till the tape runs out."
(If you want to feel tearfully joyful about parenthood, go ahead and read her blog. Every post.)
Friday, June 8, 2012
Indoor wicker: a makeover
There's really nothing better than giving old furniture new life, is there?
The lines of my client's vintage wicker set were gorgeous, but clearly it had seen better days.
A coat of black paint and some simple, sleek upholstery in a neutral outdoor fabric, and it is ready for its closeup.
Wicker paint by The Wicker Shop, upholstery genius by Union Place.
Kravet fabric, Robert Allen gimp.
Obviously, the room has not been styled. At all. So just for fun, what some other people have done with their vintage black wicker, inside, all eclectic.
Inspired?
The lines of my client's vintage wicker set were gorgeous, but clearly it had seen better days.
A coat of black paint and some simple, sleek upholstery in a neutral outdoor fabric, and it is ready for its closeup.
Wicker paint by The Wicker Shop, upholstery genius by Union Place.
Kravet fabric, Robert Allen gimp.
Obviously, the room has not been styled. At all. So just for fun, what some other people have done with their vintage black wicker, inside, all eclectic.
Inspired?
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Ideas to borrow from the ASID show house
I have two clients on the same block who I have been working with over the course of the last 9 months or so, and on my many drives to their neck of the woods, I have watched the progress on a very old house on a very lovely lot overlooking the very excellent Lake of the Isles. In a state of 10,000 of 'em, I have to say that as a designer, Lake of the Isles is tops, largely for the stunning mix of architecture and million dollar homes that ring its curvy shape.
Turns out, that old house was one of the first on the lake, and its slow progress the result of the ASID show house. My mom and I hit the designer showcase today, and while it is mostly not to my taste, there were ideas or materials in every room that got me thinking.
So, herein I present some ideas you could steal. In the order in which I surreptitiously photographed them with my phone.
Square grommets! (Oh, and psychedelic wallpaper on the ceiling)
Trim in the same tone as the walls expands the sense of spaciousness while diminishing the sense of architecture, and in a house full of architectural molding, this strategy totally set this office space apart.
Layering a headboard against a bigger headboard. I might dig it, if not for the silver-gilt molding around the whole shebang. (That red upholstered bed is to die, though.)
Splatter paint your floor (most apropos in the artist's studio), and graffiti your upholstery. Even better: make your own.
Hang small scale art from a cord on a hook for a casual look.
Use magnetic paint on panels in the same color as surrounding textural wallpaper.
A graphic mural is always a good thing. (This is the gift wrapping roo designed by my friend Colleen over at Colleen Fox Interiors.)
Inset contrast color cork stripes in your kitchen floor to effect an area rug
Use tile to create stripes on the walls
Upholster an ottoman in a patchwork of moving blankets. And surround it with metal mesh bullion-style fringe.
The ASID showhouse is open a few more days here in Minneapolis--details here.
What do you think: any ideas you can use?
Turns out, that old house was one of the first on the lake, and its slow progress the result of the ASID show house. My mom and I hit the designer showcase today, and while it is mostly not to my taste, there were ideas or materials in every room that got me thinking.
So, herein I present some ideas you could steal. In the order in which I surreptitiously photographed them with my phone.
Square grommets! (Oh, and psychedelic wallpaper on the ceiling)
Trim in the same tone as the walls expands the sense of spaciousness while diminishing the sense of architecture, and in a house full of architectural molding, this strategy totally set this office space apart.
Layering a headboard against a bigger headboard. I might dig it, if not for the silver-gilt molding around the whole shebang. (That red upholstered bed is to die, though.)
Splatter paint your floor (most apropos in the artist's studio), and graffiti your upholstery. Even better: make your own.
Hang small scale art from a cord on a hook for a casual look.
Use magnetic paint on panels in the same color as surrounding textural wallpaper.
A graphic mural is always a good thing. (This is the gift wrapping roo designed by my friend Colleen over at Colleen Fox Interiors.)
Inset contrast color cork stripes in your kitchen floor to effect an area rug
Use tile to create stripes on the walls
Upholster an ottoman in a patchwork of moving blankets. And surround it with metal mesh bullion-style fringe.
The ASID showhouse is open a few more days here in Minneapolis--details here.
What do you think: any ideas you can use?
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Look for Less: Chilled out
Carins Schott in Domino
As it turns out, promising you a look for less based on yesterday's California chill rooms was, well, ambitious. Some looks aren't about the mix: they are about the individual pieces. The interesting thing about these spaces is that they work partly because the pieces aren't cheap. When you cheapen the finishes on a really chill space, it can go college dorm on you real fast.
I found a knock off togo.
And a passable brutalist light fixture (not cheap at $750 or so)
And the truly cheap version ($64!)
And a lovely live edge coffee table (again not cheap at $1800, but FAR cheaper than many, which can easily reach to $10,000).
As I started to put these together, however, the color and the horrible micro-suede finish of the couch just couldn't touch the patina and broken in vibe of the legit leather togo (which, for a sectional, STARTS at $10K). The chandelier was okay, but it kind of needed to be vintage. Any art that felt like the right fit was not budget, so I threw in a Smashing Pumpkins oversize concert poster, mostly because we have it and if I was going for this look in my house it would make it in.
In the interest of transparency, I'll show you the (unfinished) board.
You can see that I was debating two pendants, and playing around with some elements. The striped rug doesn't feel chill enough, but a super textural shag in a solid color fell flat with the flat finishes on the upholstery.
The truth is, you CAN get this look for less. You just can't buy it all at once from websites. You can search vintage sources like a madwoman and carefully collect just the right pieces (What, this old thing?) until you have just the right I didn't even TRY but it's perfect vibe.
(Sources: Chairs are from whiteonwhite and Serena and Lily. White side table and horse head lamp are West Elm. Wood candlesticks and white geometric light fixture are Urban outfitters. Rug is Ikea. Plants are in wooly pockets.)
What do you think? Could you work towards a chilled out vibe?
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Know Thyself
I know what I like. The individual elements (indian block print, stylized florals, midcentury furniture, statement chandeliers, chinoiserie, global rugs, double gourd lamps in great colors, moroccan embellishments, chartreuse, teal, and orange, pin stitching) and how they are put together (eclectic traditional with a slightly global spin). To give you a point of reference, this was my favorite room in the current House Beautiful.
Zim Loy via Mrs. Blandings
But something else has snuck up on me. More masculine interiors. Quieter spaces. A more relaxed aesthetic. I think of it as being very California.
I even have a pinterest board called "chill out" and I love the notes that go with the pictures, all of which say something like "My style is more uptight, but maybe if I lived somewhere warm...." Or "Maybe if I were a more casual gal...."
Welcome to my other side:
Via Apartment Therapy home tour
Interestingly, this vibe would totally work with the architecture of my house (high ceilings, huge windows, light woodwork, mostly white walls), and if I had been starting from scratch, who knows? Maybe we would have done something like this. My husband really, really, REALLY wants a togo sofa.
Tomorrow, I'll bring you the look for less.
Zim Loy via Mrs. Blandings
But something else has snuck up on me. More masculine interiors. Quieter spaces. A more relaxed aesthetic. I think of it as being very California.
I even have a pinterest board called "chill out" and I love the notes that go with the pictures, all of which say something like "My style is more uptight, but maybe if I lived somewhere warm...." Or "Maybe if I were a more casual gal...."
Welcome to my other side:
Via Apartment Therapy home tour
Interestingly, this vibe would totally work with the architecture of my house (high ceilings, huge windows, light woodwork, mostly white walls), and if I had been starting from scratch, who knows? Maybe we would have done something like this. My husband really, really, REALLY wants a togo sofa.
Tomorrow, I'll bring you the look for less.
Monday, June 4, 2012
How many pins equals a trend?
I saw this slipcover over at I Suwanee last week, and I thought to myself I thought, Self? You've seen that type of ribbon band somewhere before.
And sure enough, it joined some friend in the "upholstery" folder on my pinterest.
Yup. Ribbon-banding seems to be the next new thing in upholstery and drapery. Perhaps another comeback from the seventies? My aunt apparently tricked out some white curtains with yards and yards of grosgrain ribbon back in the day.
Interestingly, when I was searching for additional examples, I found an awful lot of photographs of rubber band chairs. This one is actually kind of cool.
Who knew?
And sure enough, it joined some friend in the "upholstery" folder on my pinterest.
Yup. Ribbon-banding seems to be the next new thing in upholstery and drapery. Perhaps another comeback from the seventies? My aunt apparently tricked out some white curtains with yards and yards of grosgrain ribbon back in the day.
Interestingly, when I was searching for additional examples, I found an awful lot of photographs of rubber band chairs. This one is actually kind of cool.
Who knew?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
LinkWithin
