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Whisk Me Away...

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: absolutely beautiful things

Yesterday I had to make a quick, over and back trip to Straddie to get the house ready for some tenants arriving. I very nearly didn't come home. The weather was perfect. The waves on the beach were glassy and rolly and I just wanted to escape and hide over there for a few days. But, I came to my senses and came back to work. On the way home I sat in the car on the barge reading some magazines and as I looked out the window this pretty little sailing boat was sailing past. I must say I am thoroughly enjoying the beautiful Spring weather here and I just can't wait to head over to Straddie again for a few days over the school holidays with my special little one. Anyway, enough of my rambling. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. See you next week!!

51. Designer Ghislaine Vinas

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: let your creativity .... FLOW
i keep hearing, "spring is in the air" but my reality is another foot of snow by end of week!! i needed something to pick me up and bring some light back into my world ...

who better than designer Ghislaine Vinas.


full of bold vibrant colors, spunky unique textures and lots oh lots oh style!



"Color excites me. As a child, I would feel a rush of excitement when opening a box of crayons and seeing all the colors interact and relate. I still feel the same excitement when I see colors come together in a room." - GV

i feel the same way when i see her interiors, i don't know very many people who can use and create spectacular interiors like her using such bold vibrant colors! the key when using colors, a little goes a long way!

The Poster List

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: Design Milk

If you don’t know about The Poster List, now is the time!! Adam sent over this awesome new take on the “Keep Calm” poster. Sweet. I also included a few others I really like below:

All posters are printed with 100% vegetable ink on organic acid free paper. This week and next they are having a 2 for $20 sale: 2 posters for $20. Go poster crazy!

http://www.theposterlist.com

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grosgrain's greatness

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: studio wellspring
ok fabulous people, i've got a good one for you. a really good one.
it's called grosgrain. this fabulous blog is by the very talented & generous kathleen dougherty. basically she designs & makes the most adorable children's clothes ever and she gives away one of her creations every single week to one lucky winner. for free.
i'm so swooning over her generosity & creativity. . . . . even if you don't have a wee one yourself, i'm sure you know some one who does, so click on over to get in on some of this swooning.


etta designs & sustainable interiors

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: studio wellspring
the term 'sustainable interiors' can be misleading because it describes only part of the picture. claiming that a project or renovation is green, sustainable or eco-friendly, may seem like a wonderful thing to boast but it alone doesn't define a space. an interior space also needs to have functionality, beauty, comfort, and good space planning ~ as all good design requires. the vast majority of projects claiming to be green aren't 100% eco-friendly, especialy since they're often found within existing non-green architecture. but integrating green design techniques and knowing where to go to help boost the eco-friendly factor in interiors projects is the key stone to making a shift from wasteful to wonderful in interior design. that's why i just adore finding people like rachel winokur & her firm eTTa designs.
rachel winokur runs eTTa deisgns, an l.a. based interior design firm with a focus on interior design for residential & commercial applications including stunning eco-friendly solutions. rachel is the founder and lead designer of eTTa designs which handles the entire design process including concept, budget, space planning, selecting and purchasing finishes, furnishings & equipment, project management, and installation.

in this excerpt from apartment therapy rachel has some great tips for staying green during a renovation and shares some of her favorite resources.
in her own home she's stayed green largely due to using vintage pieces instead of buying new. for larger projects here's how she stays green:

renovations ~ one of the first things to do when starting a renovation project is to plan for the proper disposal of whatever will be removed. this means: recycling demolition debris through a service like looney bins or in some cases a better solution is to hire someone like the reuse people to deconstruct your project and take away all materials intact to be sold at their warehouse. your tax deductions for the donation of those materials may offset the cost of deconstruction which takes a little longer than demolition, but shouldn't be a problem with proper planning.
the reuse people's warehouse is a terrific place to buy building materials at a fraction of the cost of new. for commercial projects, check with the city to find out who they require you to use. {for the eco-friendly nail salon we completed recently, we were instructed to use consolidated disposal services.}
planning the design ~ use what's already there. it's important to embrace the existing conditions and make as few structural changes as possible {as long as it makes sense to the project}. this creates less waste and can also decrease the cost and energy usage. for the nail salon, we kept the existing window and door openings and added new metal frames to give it a fresh and clean look, added clerestory windows for cross-ventilation with clerestory windows in the back, and added fluted glass for privacy. we re-used an existing exterior light fixture which was cleaned up and re-installed with a flourescent bulb. to remove existing paint and stains from a fixture you wish to re-use, try soyclean's paint stripper.
we also discovered a wonderful concrete floor hiding underneath the wall-to-wall carpet. to remove remaining carpet adhesive, use something like franmar's bean-e-doo
and enhance the concrete finish with a product from eco-procote.
new materials ~ when selecting new materials and finishes, consider not only the manufacturer's 'green' claim, but also the product's life cycle and who manufactures it and where. for example, recyclable glass tile from sandhill industries is not only made of 100% recycled glass, the energy used to make it is less than 1/2 that required to make ceramic tile and 1/4 that of cast glass tile.
choosing the right green product usually requires weighing the pros and cons just like with any product. for example, at $29/SF, the sandhill glass tile may sound expensive, but consider covering a smaller area with this special tile or use it more generously and hold back on something else. also consider the associated savings with benefits of 'green' products, like health, durability, sustainability and curb appeal.

for more delights along the same lines, rachel has a nice blog based on her green design philosophy & savvy, called
eTTa bits.

What Is Magnetic Induction?

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: Landfair Furniture (Blog)
Mike came across an article today at Wallstrip Today about how Intel, using some new technology called "magnetic induction" has demonstrated a prototype system that could power gadgets without having to plug them into a wall socket. Imagine that! No more charging stations for cell phones and laptops, maybe even electric cars.



His research into "magnetic induction" led him to another article, this time about a new cooking surface.
Magnetic Induction Cook Tops uses technology that transfers heat to the pan through magnetism. Even when the cook top is on, it is cool to the touch because the energy transfer only affects magnetic objects. This is of great value for homes that have kids with curious hands!
GE is selling the GE Profile:
The GE units have a whole lot of smarts added in, especially when it comes to safety. If you remove the pot or pan while cooking, the surface detects its absence and cuts off. If you place something with less mass on the surface such as your ring or a spoon, it won't heat up. Only pots and pans will be allowed to generate the cooking heat. There's even a setting that lets you lock the cooktop's controls.
The neat thing is, it can boil water in 15 seconds and heat control is much more precise than with gas or electric burners. Think of the fossil fuels that can be saved! The GE website shows the cooktop has a retail price of $2549.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Out Of The Box!

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: Landfair Furniture (Blog)


They are more slender generally than the lamps you see today and the bases are smaller, but what a find. I'm talking about the lamps Ed Sexton and Doug Taylor found all crated and untouched in the Edward P. Paul Company's east coast warehouse.
The Edward P. Paul Company originally imported these gorgeous high-end lamps from the 40s, 50s and 60s, from the finest Venetian glass houses including Barovier & Toso, Barbini, Seguso, and Venini. They were marketed under the BALBOA trade name and were sold exclusively at their New York City store. Later, BALBOA lamps were offered at fine department stores such as Macy’s, Bloomingdales and Marshall Fields.

Changing tastes and mass production techniques in the 1970s compelled the Edward P. Paul Company to focus fully on their gilded iron furniture business, leaving hundreds of beautiful Murano lamps ...all but forgotten.
Ed and Doug purchased the entire contents of the warehouse. They took seven months to uncrate these timeless works of art and then completely restored the Murano lamps using UL Certified hardware. That's when Swank Lighting was born.

Now, Swank Lighting is working with MaterialGirls to sponsor a ‘virtual’ design contest. Their contest was inspired by the collaboration between Metropolitan Home Magazine and SHOWTIME to create ‘Metropolitan Home’s SHOWTIME House’.

You must design your own room based on one of your favorite tv characters! Your design must be from a a pretty well known tv show, new or old, but the winner will be the one whose room captures the tv character’s personality the best, AND you must include a pair of Swank Lighting lamps in your design board.

After MaterialGirls gets all the submissions via email (laurenehayden@gmail.com or emily@ejinteriors.net) by November 1st, they will announce a winner on November 15th!

Do you want to know what you are competing for?

**The winner will receive a pair of lamps (valued at more than $2,000) from Swank Lighting!**

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

New Art Glass Offerings

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: Landfair Furniture (Blog)
Lindsey Strader writing for Home Accents Today notices art glass offerings are being shown with asymmetric configurations, abstract patterns, undulating edges and bold colorations. One design featured is from Globval Views carried at Landfair Furniture.



Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

noshii and the new website

01/01/1970, 01:00 | Original Site: the happy living Blog

Tennis Ball Furniture

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: Design Mind

From Joseph Starr at 3 Rings comes this funny look at tennis ball furniture. Personally I'm more of a hockey fan but what a fun material to design with. Anyone know of any hockey puck furniture?

NEW BLOG! ::Silver Screen Surroundings::

04/18/2008, 16:09 | Original Site: ::Surroundings::

By far, my most popular blog posts have been my "Get that Look" series where I have profiled beautiful movie interiors and how to break them down and get the look in your own home.
While I still intend to do these posts over here on ::Surroundings::, I have created a new home ::Silver Screen Surroundings:: where I will focus exclusively on movie set decor, including the set decorators and who they are inspiring.

In addition to my "Get That Look" posts, I'll include lots of still images for fun and links to many other online articles and images.

::Silver Screen Surroundings:: is still a work in progress - I'm still copying my existing posts over there and updating some of the links - a bloggers work is never done! But I invite you to hop on over and let me know what you think!

Now, all we need is the popcorn!

Relishing Regency Redux

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: The Peak of Chic




On to another book review...

I have posted a few articles about my anticipation of the release of
Regency Redux by Emily Eerdmans. And now that I've received my advance copy, all I can say is "instant classic". I'm actually suffering a bit of those post-reading doldrums- you know, that down feeling you get when you've finished a book that was pure joy to read. No matter because I might just read it again this week!

Eerdmans begins her book by giving the reader a brief history of the English Regency and French Empire styles- an important starting point as the 20th century interpretations of Regency are based on these two similar styles. Then, it's on to explore all of the different sub-genres of 20th century Regency. There's Neoclassical Moderne, Vogue Regency, Hollywood Regency, and Decorator Regency. I'm being a bit vague here as I don't want to spoil it for you, but let me just say that each distinct style is explored in great detail- and with copious amounts of scrumptious photographs (meaning... I want the furniture and interiors featured in this book.)

Also, the gang's all here, with Draper, Fowler, McMillen, Maugham, Arbus, Leleu, and others being prominently featured. And as the Regency look played such an important role in Hollywood cinema of the 1930s and 40s, there are scores and scores of movie stills that are a delight to see.

Now, I must say that I was prone to like this book as 1930s and 40s design suits my aesthetic. But no matter what your style is, if you're interested in classical, modern, traditional, stylized, theatrical or sophisticated interiors, then you too just might find this book to be as captivating as I did.
Regency Redux is a must-have for any design library.


A still from the 1932 movie Transatlantic, which won an Oscar for art direction. The look here is referred to as "Deco Greco".


Another still, this time from the 1935 movie No More Ladies (appropriately named as Joan Crawford starred in it!). Eerdmans makes note of the Regency swags and the Neo-Grec furniture in this room.


Can you tell I'm a sucker for old movies??? Here is an image from the 1945 movie Week-end at the Waldorf. Wouldn't you have liked to attend this staged cocktail party??


The Palm Beach resident of Mrs. Hugh Walker Mercer, designed by Ruby Ross Wood. Wood is one of my all-time favorite decorators (and she was a Georgia girl too!).


A room designed by McMillen for Millicent Rogers... a match made in heaven. Note the Neoclassical details in the room.

Posi+ive Chair by Jittasak Narknisorn

09/10/2008, 13:13 | Original Site: Home Design| Decorating Home | Interior Design | Furniture Inspiration

Designed by Jittasak Narknisorn and selected as a winner of the One Good Chair competition, the Posi+ive Chair is a comfortable and sleek chair. Narknisorn created the concept for the Posi+ive chair by playing with folded paper, discovering a design that would be ergonomically comfortable and stackable at the end of the day.

This design is minimize waste material and allowed the plywood to form curves and bend in more directions to create a nice shape with more ergonomic support. It is made of plywood with stainless steel legs and a wool felt cushion, punctuated with plus-sign holes for a stylish little embellishment. - Via

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Posi+ive Chair by Jittasak Narknisorn

Perhaps If I Let Go

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: Another Shade of Grey
Print on canvas paper by Christina Romeo available for $20.00 via her etsy store.

Marie Antoinette at the Met

04/23/2008, 07:05 | Original Site: ::Surroundings::

This month's Architectural Digest has a fascinating piece about the Metropolitan Museum of Art's newly renovated Wrightsman Galleries. The piece focuses on their recreation of an embroidered fabric - embroidery by Marie Antoinette herself - that once graced a suite of furniture by Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené for use by the Queen at the Chateau de Saint-Cloud, a 17th century palace that Louis XVI purchased for Marie in 1784. The Chateau was burned, but amazingly, some of the furniture still exists, as does a sample of the original embroidery.

The Met owns a berger chair, a daybed and a fire screen. They contracted with Chelsea Textiles in London to recreate the original floral embroidered pattern as upholstery fabric.

One of their big decisions was whether to use a white ground fabric or an "aged" color to match better with the 200+ year old patina of the furniture. Ultimately, they decided to go with a fresh white, which will naturally age over time.


These scans don't do the AD images justice, so head on over to the newstand if you want to see them in fine detail!

Photography for Architectural Digest by Billy Cunningham.

Furniture: Sam Whiteman Lucite Table

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: Remodelista

From Julie and Janet:

Sam Whiteman is a Sydney, Australia–based furniture designer; we love his steel and Lucite coffee table. Go to Sam Whiteman for information; via Materialcious.

samwhitmanlucitetable.jpg

samwhitmanlucitetable2.jpg

Helen Amy Murray

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: Design Milk

Helen Amy Murray’s surface reliefs on everything from chairs to headboards to walls are just unbelievably gorgeous. The detail is just as amazing as the overall effect.

http://www.helenamymurray.com

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Dennis Design Group

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: desire to inspire
Several months ago Jo posted about an eco-friendly home designed by Lori Dennis of the Dennis Design Group. I loved the photos Jo posted and came across their website again with many more fabulous photos. Her style is youthful and modern and hip, with lots of bold artwork. I am totally impressed by the importance this firm places on "green" design. Lori even has a blog called Glamorous Green, about green design and living. (My favourite is that walk-in closet. YUM)






A Few Favorite Things

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: Mark Cutler Design

Organic Bedding

05/20/2008, 04:12 | Original Site: Belle Vivir

Beautiful and modern organic bedding by Plover Organic.

Bloggers in print

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: Hue
I was reading one of my weekly favorites, Creative Thursday, and just learned that there is a new magazine out called Artful Blogging.
Granted, this post is a bit of departure from my color-centric articles, but I think it's great that bloggers are getting some recognition, and want to support that effort. More and more blogs pop up every day, and it sure is hard to keep track of all the new goodies out there. I can't wait to see if anyone we know gets covered!

Update

05/06/2008, 07:28 | Original Site: k style
Hi everyone,
Just a quick update on upcoming move. So much to do and so little time. Our move in date is June 2, and I have been pretty overwhelmed with the years of accumulation that have to be boxed and sorted and of course we will be having the expected garage sale. I have also been doing some furniture shopping and lots of browsing looking for inspiration like the gorgeous lanterns I found on Gumps today. Will try to check in with some of my finds as we count down to the big move. It's going to be sporadic here at Kstyle until we settle in so thank you in advance for your patience. k

LOVE her style...

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: MadeByGirl
Pamela Love has got to be my 'favorite jewelry designer'. She's as EDGY as her jewelry designs, being a painter, drummer and designer...oh & did I mention shes totally beautiful? Her 'eagle cuff' design has been featured in many editorials as well as her bird's skull. Of course, these aren't made of real claws & skulls, thankfully.....that is what makes them even better! Pamela said in an interview for New York Magazine that her hair is so hard to manage. She is wanting a hat from the Sonia Rykiel collection & she mentions it in all her interviews in hopes they'll send her one! Smart gal. Hmmm, I'd LOVE an eagle cuff from Pamela Love.... hint hint.


(photo above by: Melissa Hom)

WREN handmade : now on Etsy

01/01/1970, 01:00 | Original Site: the happy living Blog

If I were a house .....

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: desire to inspire

Long time readers will remember a series of posts I did featuring rooms that spoke so much to me that I could see myself not only in them but as them. I had the same longing to "be" a place when I first saw this Creekside Guest House by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. The firm is well known and respected for their consideration of place and user, the meaning and sensibilities, the possibilities and sensitivity. Their portfolio is diverse as is expected from a large firm but it is this simple yet refined building which not only addresses but embraces its site that took my breath away. I love it. I want to live in it. Take the time to view their work particularly their residential, renovation and adaptive reuse projects. They are truly a gifted firm.


Shakti Space Designs

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: desire to inspire
I wanted to share with you all the incredible (and painstaking) faux and decorative painting by Lucinda of Shakti Space Designs, based in Portland. She recently worked with an interior designer on a basement lounge project that I was so impressed with. As Lucinda pointed out, decorative painting techniques go far beyond sponging and rag rolling. This project is surely proof of that. There is a plastered stencil circle design that looks like wallpaper and a faux crocodile skin tabletop and countertop.



I am so impressed that someone has the patience to do something like this. Lucinda, I applaud you.

The designer was apparently inspired by David Hicks. I would say so...


Fan Tan Fabulous

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: * Terramia *
This is by far one of the most amazing stores I have ever stepped foot in... Fan Tan Gallery located in Victoria's historic Chinatown, just steps away from the famous 5-foot-wide Fan Tan Alley. Bette Patrick and her son Alan are the shopkeepers and maintain a superb home décor store. I don't think I have ever seen a more remarkable merchandise display that changes *weekly* (see a post I did back in February showcasing some fabulous examples).
It is always a treat to stop in for a browse whenever I go for a pitterpatter downtown. And Coal the gorgeous cat is sure to greet you at the door, or at the cash register (sooo darling!).

Furniture: Ikea PS Ellan Rocker

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: Remodelista

From Sarah:

We’ve had our eye on the Ikea PS Ellan Rocker for a while now; we especially love the way it looks as a suite of outdoor dining chairs at Brooklyn designer David Weeks’ upstate New York farmhouse. Made of wood plastic composite, the rocker costs $39.99. Via Cookie Magazine.

david-weeks-ikea-rocker.jpg

Andre Yi

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: Design Milk

http://www.andreyi.net

[via]

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66. Summer Hiatus Is Over

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: let your creativity .... FLOW
my summer hiatus is officially over ...
what a crazy roller coaster ride of a summer i had this year. from having to attend 8 weddings, shooting 1, being in 2 and attending all the other 5 (and i have 2 more in september) i had a hard time balancing work with my design with weekend excursions to weddings and on top of all that, i just found out i'll be having to go in for surgery thanksgiving weekend (in canada that's in october for all you americans). needless to say, i've been busy.

did i mention, we're looking to purchase our first home??? well, we are!
this is an exceptionally exciting time for me, being that i've never been a home owner - but as a designer, it's an opportunity for me to really sink my teeth in my own space from start to finish. color me giddy with excitement!



i'm so excited to catch up on all your fantastic blogs!
thanks for all of you who dropped by to share your thoughts and greetings during my absence. it was very much appreciated!