Work Projects–Lobby

So this is what I have been busy with lately.  This is for a counseling center.  The client was wanting to make their lobby more functional.  It used to have desks on each side of the room for a full time and part time person.  When someone was called back for their appointment it was like they were walking through a runway.  So we centered the desks and combined them.  They also wanted seating for 20.  By combining larger lounge chairs with smaller chairs and adding ottomans that double as seating they have well over 24 seats.

The software that I am using is definitely giving me a challenge.  That is why the lamps look a little funny.  It has been awhile since I have used it and it is kicking my butt.  Are you working on something right now that is more of a challenge then you thought?

Fashion Remix

The other night I attended IIDA’s Fashion Remix.  Interior Designers are paired up with different design manufactures like tile, carpet or commercial fabric and are supposed to make an outfit out of it and walk the runway in a fashion show.  It is amazing and totally fun!  If you have never heard of it or have never been you should definitely mark your calendars when it happens again (but I will for sure tell you when it is coming.) This year I wasn’t on a team but I had a couple of friends that were.  I was on a team for the 2010 Fashion Remix.  We had Coalesse which is a furniture manufacturer.  We didn’t win anything but here was the outfit.

Here are a couple of pictures I took from the night.  If you want to see the professional pictures go here.

This one was made of Formica laminate.  It won “Best Runway Presence”

This one is made from 3Form

I loved this wedding dress from Masland Carpet.  It won “Best Use of Soft Material”

This was kind of out there but still interesting from MDC Wallcovering.

This one is my friends outfit.  It is from Contempo Tile.  It won “Best Use of Hard Material”

This one was amazing close up from Panolam Industries-Nevamar (laminate)

This was totally funky.  It was made out of chair parts and task lights. The manufacturer was Humanscale.  It won “Most Innovative Use of Material”.

This is from Maharam Fabrics

I loved the fringe on this one from Interface Carpet.

This from Forbo Marmoleum won an “Honorable Mention” and “People’s Choice”.

This is from Wolf Gordon Wallcovering.  It also got an “Honorable Mention”.

This one was just like a peacock when she opened the skirt.  It was really cool.  It is from Silverstate.

This is from National Wallcovering.

And the last one is the winner of show

From Mohawk Carpet.

The whole night was so fun and creative.  It is so amazing to see what people come up with.

Getaway

It’s raining here in Utah today.  I actually love the rain but I saw this picture on Pinterest and it made me want to live where ever this pool is.

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I love how the pool looks like it is running into the ocean.  The only problem about this picture is it makes me wonder what the rest of the home looks like.  I bet it is amazing!  So if you find me day dreaming today, I am living and swimming in this little getaway in a smokin hot bikini body (that for sure is a dream).

New Concept for Master Bedroom

When I got married to Fireman he already owned a home two doors down from his parents. It was a 1960’s split level. The previous owner was an elderly women. So when I moved in it was a combination of bachelor and old lady. To say the least it needed work and it still does. The master bedroom had dark forest green vinyl wallpaper on one wall, wood doors from the sixties and popcorn ceiling. The one great thing about our house is that it has wood flooring throughout. And by throughout I mean we don’t have an ounce of carpet. So shortly after I moved in I started a facelift to the bedroom. This is what it looked like during:

Notice the wood floors?  It is actually the popcorn ceiling.  Someday I will post a tutorial on how to remove that

Make sure you wear your protective masks.

My overall plan for the room was to do minor fixes and match our bedding. For our wedding we registered for a beautiful bedding in browns and blues that were very in style at the time. We were lucky and received all of the bedding we registered for. I painted the walls a light robin egg blue and tried a daring chocolate paint treatment on the walls. The look was romantic and perfect for newly weds. We inherited some old dressers and nightstands from family. And yes one of the nightstands was a plastic storage container on wheels. The table lamps were ones I bought in college for my dorm room. I found the drapes for a great steel at Home Goods. This is what our room looked liked after some TLC:

I loved how it turned out but after 6 1/2 years, 1 big dog and 1 kid later the bedding was falling apart and I was ready for a change. I started looking for new bedding over a year ago and finally decided on one recently. I decided on the Jaipur Bedding by Echo.

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It is beautiful, colorful and cheery. So far I have only bought the duvet cover and am in love with the changes. I eventually want to buy the euro shams and maybe one of the accent pillows when I have more money. I did come up with a design concept for the room that I thought I would share with you.

Maybe someday when we aren’t focusing on the basement and other areas of our house, we can make this concept come true.

Felt Flower Pillow

I have seen different versions of flower pillows in several stores, boutiques and blogs.  Every time I see one I think it is so adorable and would be such a great pillow on my sofa.  But then I look at the price tag and it is anywhere from $20 to $70.  That is a little out of my price range, especially since I like to change them out frequently.  I figured I could make one for a lot cheaper.  I followed this tutorial and it was pretty simple, just time consuming.  The tutorial had you glue each petal.  I wasn't patient enough so I ended up sewing each piece.  I bought the felt at Hobby Lobby, and I already had an existing down pillow.  So the cost was definitely less than $20

If you don't have the patience to make one, here are some on Etsy that you can buy.

Furniture Find: Eileen Gray

I was browsing Kohls website the other day because most of their home products are on sale.  I was looking under furniture when I found this.

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This side table is basically a knock off of a classic Eileen Gray side table from 1929.  It is such a great side table because it can slide under any type of furniture.  It is perfect for a place to put a drink or papers in your living room or as a side table in your bedroom for breakfast in bed.  Kohls had this on sale for $71.99 and if you use a 30 percent off coupon it is a great deal.

Isn't it beautiful in a room?

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If you want a more accurate version of the table, Room and Board has it for $399.  

Design 101: Hanging Pictures





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A question that I get asked frequently is if I can help someone with hanging their pictures.  Some people have a great eye for this but others really struggle.  Either pictures are hung too low or way too high.  The general rule for pictures (which most people don't know) is to have the center of the picture be about 66" high.  This is where the average line of sight is. If you are worried about putting several holes in the wall before finding the perfect location try putting masking tape on the wall first of the outline of picture.
 Also look at the proportion of the wall verses the picture.  If you have a small picture and a large spot on the wall, most likely it won't look very good.  Try to place your smaller pictures on a smaller wall or group several pictures together.  The rule of three always looks good.  If you are grouping pictures here is a great example I found on Pinterest of several ways to hang them.

One last thing about hanging pictures is just because there is space on the wall for something doesn't mean that it needs to be filled.  Now you have all of the skills for becoming a great picture hanger.


If you do have any design questions that you need answers for let me know and I can sure try to help.



Ikat Trend

Via Kravet Fabric

Has anyone noticed that ikat fabric is everywhere lately?  I have noticed it at Pottery Barn, West Elm, on HGTV and even Target.  At first when I saw ikat fabric, I thought "I can't."  It is growing on me though.  Basically ikat fabric is a form of dying the weave, kind of like tie dying.  You probably have seen it along time ago with the South Western Trend.  Sometimes when I look at it I think I need to get my eyes checked because it looks blurry.  So the big question now is would you put this in your house and say "I can" or "Ikat."

Via Pottery Barn

Via Neiman Marcus

Printable Valentine Day Banner

With the "Love" season coming up soon, I wanted to decorate a little before the holiday is gone.  I made a printable Valentine banner.  I decided I have a new crush on banners.  I love them (and not just because Valentines day is coming.)  They add so much festivities to a room without looking over done.  

I wanted to share this with everyone because it was so easy.  All you have to do is print, cut, punch holes and add ribbon.  Ta Dah!  Your done and you now have Valentines day decor.  

Here is the link:

Printable Be Mine Banner

Pantone Color of 2012

The Pantone Color for this year is Tangerine Tango.

Quite bright huh?  I was kind of surprised at first to see that this is the color for this year.  But as I have been looking around at the web and different products I have seen variations of it everywhere.  And it is growing on me slowly.  

Here is a room that has toned down the shade.  The color totally works in this room because of the other neutral tones.  Also notice that it is not on every single wall.  I think if it was on all of the walls it would be very intense.

This mudroom is so happy.   Too bad it will never stay like that!  But the mix of orange and white is perfect.

I love this kitchen in orange.  It is very daring but could be so "in" for this year.  I might get sick of it later though.  But when you are totally rich and can change your kitchen for the color of the year go for it!

If you aren't willing to paint your whole wall or redo your kitchen in Tangerine Tango, then here are some accessory options that can easily be changed out later:

This lamp would be great to add a punch of color in your room.  (I'm considering it.)

With light blue walls I think a bedroom with this duvet cover would be striking.

A great accent pillow is always great.  Especially because they don't cost too much to change out every year.

This rug would make a great statement small or large.

Favorite Chair: The Barcelona

Let me introduce to you one of my all time favorite chairs, the Barcelona by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

It has also sometimes referred to as the Pavilion.  This chair was designed back in 1929.  Can you believe that?  It was designed for the German Pavilion at the International Exhibition in Barcelona.  Hence the name of the chair, pretty creative huh?  The chair is made out of bent chromed flat steel frame with leather straps and buttoned upholstered cushions.  

This classic chair is perfect for any room.  It fits into office lobbies seamlessly or as a side chair in a residential home.  It is a timeless piece of furniture that you will always love.  And lately it comes in a couple of different colors.  I saw it in red on Overstock.com.  Now that would be a great statement piece.

A New Blog

So here it is.  A new blog among the thousands of other blogs.  But soon to be a favorite right?  I have been wanting to start a design blog for several years now.  And the brand new year was my jump start.  This blog will mostly be for me as a hobby to keep up on all of the design trends out there and to keep track of some creative projects that come and go.  But if you decide you would like to come along for the ride too, more the merrier and I welcome you.  So here is my start into the blog world.