Friday, May 27, 2011

Curtain Making

I just finished making this pair of
navy curtains for a friend/client
of mine.
(shown in my little girls room)

They are for her little boys room,
he has the Star Wars bedding from
Pottery Barn
And his room is painted light blue,
so the navy ties right in!
Now that they are complete
I can enjoy my long weekend,
and I hope you do too!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Lonny+ West Elm

Lonny Magazine and West Elm are
pairing up and giving away a $10,000
room makeover.
Go HERE to submit photos of your space!

Speaking of Lonny, check out this
"kids office" they featured.
I love it, especially the bookshelves.
I have dreams about having bookshelves
like that some day.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Book Review- Home Rules

My sister and her husband just bought
their first home and we were discussing paint
colors the other day.
People who have been renters for a few years
seem to go a little paint crazy once they have
the freedom to choose their wall color.
Nate Berkus has a few good tips in his book
Home Rules that I thought applied well.
1. Don't be afraid to experiment with colors.
Sometimes it's the only way to find out what
colors you really love and can live with.
2. Try out my rule of four: One color, top to
bottom, can be a bore, two might work, three
can be interesting, four adds up to a rich,
sophisticated scheme
3. Your clothes closet often knows best.
If you feel comfortable wearing a particular
color, you'll probably feel comfortable living
with a shade of the same color.
4. Paint is cheap and changeable, and it
creates a rich result.
5. Try out your paint coors in the rooms where
they'll be used before you make an all-out
commitment.
6. Remember three things if your going to paint
it yourself: prep, prep, prep
7. To play it safe, keep walls and major pieces
neutral, then add color in the details. A patterned
pillow is a lot less risky than a set of boldly
upholstered dining chairs.
8. Unify your fabric and paint story.
Collect all the pieces of the puzzle on a story
board to see if you like the mix before you play
the decorating game.
9. When in doubt, men's suiting colors such as
camel, navy, gray, and crisp white are
reliable choices.
10. Use lighing to create mood and
influence the colors in your space.

Number 8 is probably my favorite tip. I love the
look of layered spaces that you can add to over
time, but in general you should have an overall
color scheme in mind BEFORE you start
painting and picking out furniture.
Once you have your large pieces taken care of,
then you can add more life and color to the
space with accessories.

This book was a fun read and had some
great tips and ideas for designing spaces
as well as some great inspiration photos.
Oh and the multiple photos of Nate
throughout the book were nice too!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Anthro's DIY Hardware Tool

Have you seen Anthropologie's new
you can play around with hardware on
cabinets, desks, and dressers.
I designed this little dresser and I think
it would be PERFECT in my living room
under a flat screen TV mounted to the wall,
and wall mounted lamps on either side.

Go on and check it out, and leave the link to
your creations as a comment, I'd love to
see what you came up with!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Before and After- Kitchen

Here is a kitchen design I did while I was
working full time at a design firm.
It was one of the first projects of mine that
I designed and then saw come to life.
There's nothing quite like the feel of
seeing a design completed after working
so hard on it.

Here's the before plans that I drew up
in AutoCAD.
(unfortunately I misplaced the pics)
It was a large space, but it just
didn't have a good layout.
There was a lot of wasted space.

So after working with the client,
we came up with this plan
And here is the completed kitchen.


Oh how I miss designing kitchens!


Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Book Review- Shoestring Chic

I recently checked out this book at
my local library thinking it looked
cute, and might have some fun ideas.
Well... don't judge a book by the cover.
I was very unimpressed by the book
and even though I like the look of country
and shabby chic decor,
this just didn't do it for me.
I wouldn't recommend going out of your
way to check this one out.

But don't worry, I just checked out a few
more books and I'm much happier
with the ideas and inspiration I found,
so stay tuned next week for another
book review.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Check This Out-Bathroom Renovation

One of my friends from design school recently
finished a bathroom remodel in her home.
She lives in this charming 1940's home

which came with one not-so-charming
bathroom.

Here's the before:
outdated, and boring

Here's the during:
more during:
and after!!
new toilet, new paint, new trim, new
lighting, new window coverings,
new accessories,
new subway tiles in shower
and new travertine floors.
And it's beautiful!
I know this transformation took a
lot of hard work, but with a reasonable
budget, they made a HUGE improvement!

Don't you love it?

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Nautical Nursery Design

This is the nursery I was working on last
weekend in Salt Lake City.
And thanks to Danielle's tips we
were able to find lots of great ideas!

Here's the inspiration board I put
together for the nursery:
1. PBK Darcy Changing Table from
DownEast Home
2. We found these GREAT oars at
Home Goods similar to these
3. Cute blue lanterns found at
Emilie Jayne
4. Blue Sailboat also at
Emilie Jayne
5. Land of Nod Rocker in Navy
from DownEast Home
6. Navy upholstery on rocker
7. DIY rope lamp
8. Sofia navy and white stripe
fabric from Ikea used to
upholster ottoman and cribskirt
9. PBK Harper Crib that
client already owns

This little boy is due in just one month,
so let's hope this nursery gets finished in time!
I can't wait to see what she decides to use.

Book Review- domino

I recently checked out this book from
my library and enjoyed every bit of it!

It was page after page of inspiration
and some great tips.

Here are their 9 tips on getting
started on a design
1. find inspiration
2. determine your style
3. consider how you'll use the room
4. assess your stuff
5. draw up a floor plan
6. set a budget
7. research, research, research
8. create a design scheme
9. make a decorating schedule

I graduated from design school 3 years ago,
but I still enjoy reading design books
and finding inspiration for new projects.

If you need help with designing a
space email me for pricing information.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

This Aint Your Mommas Wallpaper

I heart wallpaper.
I'm not talking about the 1970's kind,
I'm talking about the new and improved!

Like this:
which is currently on sale at Land of Nod for
$14.95 a roll!
It would be perfect in an entryway,
or a small powder room.

Or how about this one:
It's a little more fun and modern.
Cute for an accent wall in a nursery, playroom
or even the back of a bookcase!

What do you think?
Thumbs up or thumbs down when it
comes to wallpaper?

Monday, May 9, 2011

A Wedding Cake

Well the wedding was beautiful, and
I survived making the wedding cake.
Here's how it turned out:
and another view:
And me with the cake.
I'm sure glad that's over!

I will be back with our regular scheduled
design posts tomorrow!

Monday, May 2, 2011

Celeb Style

Check out Sarah Jessica Parker's New York
living room.
image Elle Decor

I love everything in this space, especially
the fern prints and the two Lack side tables
from Ikea used as a coffee table.
It's great to know that even celebrities shop
at Ikea. Those side tables are so versatile and
are a whopping $7.99 a piece.