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Vacation time
06/24/2008, 22:11 | Original Site: Karin's Style BlogWhen a bouquet is not just a flower arrangement
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: Hue
I'm told that most event designers participating in the event chose traditional interpretations of floral decor. David took it in a different direction with a birch paintbrush and 6-foot tower of red carnations and paint cans.It's a pretty bold use of color in a space dominated by spring pastels. I want to know how on earth he got the paint brush to "hover" like that. Must be attached with strings to the ceiling, wouldn't you imagine?
Have you ever heard of the Macy's Flower Show? Evidently, it's a pretty big deal, with cities like New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Minneapolis participating. It took place over the last two weeks (Sunday, March 16th – Sunday, March 30th).
Here are some pictures from this year's event:
Such edible colors, I love the bright oranges and yellows paired with the more subdued green.Pink and green-you just can't go wrong with this pairing. I'm sure it was quite amazing in person.
image sourcePodcasts
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: designer's library
If you've got time to spare and want to hear me babble (on and on) about how I got started with my business(es) and what I've been doing over the past 9 years, I recently did a podcast with Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood of CraftSanity. I have to say that I actually enjoyed doing this podcast because it felt more like a conversation with friend than a press interview.
I also did a podcast several months ago with Chronicle Books. I was kinda nervous when I did that interview. Okay, why couldn't I remember what I covered in my book?! Seriously. There were some definite deer-in-the-headlights, crickets-a-chirping moments during that interview. Thank goodness it wasn't live. Thank goodness is wasn't filmed. And thank goodness for the magic of editing so that I seem like a competent book author. Um, really, I am!
I'm still getting used to doing these broadcast interviews and I tend to get all self-critical when I listen to myself speak, so I haven't actually listened to either podcast yet. But trust me, you should--you'll either walk away with some quasi-interesting information about me or maybe even some laughs at my expense. Either way, it's good times.
aygo happy graphics
02/08/2008, 19:54 | Original Site: red.house
: : I love graphics like this! [and I think it has inspired me to do a new motif.]even better, it's been applied to .aygo., the car. my friend .louise. owns an .aygo., they're so cute, and so tiny. maybe she'll let me apply my graphics to her car?
via .print&pattern. graphics work by .studiokanna.
What To Do... Paola Thomas
04/24/2008, 19:03 | Original Site: decor8
Today we'll hear from creative lady Paola Thomas who is a Seattle-based mother, wife, blogger, and online shop owner of MirrorMirror. She, alongside Velocity Art & Design, just recently launched a creative meet up in Seattle called The Lab, too. Busy lady! Let's talk to Paola, shall we?
How do you think a person can find their spot in the world of design?
Take a long hard look at yourself and what you can do and what you enjoy doing. What do you really LOVE to do? I guarantee the business you end up doing will not be the one you envisaged, so don?t wait for something fully formed to drop into your lap, start experimenting with something TODAY and then watch it unfurl and grow. Do a new thing to your baby business every day, and grab every opportunity with both hands. You can always stop and change direction if you?ve made a mistake.
Let's say a person found what they love to do, is there more to it than creating pretty things?
Oh yes! Be truly honest with yourself and also focus on what you CAN'T or don't want to do. emember if you want a real money-making business that there's an awful lot of selling and marketing and networking and finance that needs to be done. You can hire people to do some of those things if you've got the money, but you have to at least be able to manage those people. I happen to love that side of things, but if you don't, then I really would think long and hard about whether you want to turn your creative passion into your business. I've seen people end up hating their passions. Instead have a job that pays the bills and develop outlets for your creativity in your spare time.
One thing I've heard a million times over is to see if there's a market for your work. Just how important is this?
One should think seriously about whether there?s a market for what you do. Just doing what you love is not enough. Keep testing and experimenting to see what will get you an audience. If you make stuff, get an Etsy shop; if you take photos, get on Flickr; if you want to write, start a blog. If can get an audience in these challenging environments, then maybe you have the beginnings of a business.
Great advice. Speaking of blogging, I met you in 2005 long before you had a blog. Can you tell us how that came about?
I find my blog tremendously useful for exploring ideas. It started as a marketing tool for my shop, but has now become a way for me to experiment with ideas, practice my writing and photography, and act as a platform for the things I like doing such as cooking, knitting, decorating etc. I doubt very much I?m going to make money out of these things, but having that outlet for my personal creativity is enough. For example when I started my blog I didn?t possess a digital camera. Now photography is a huge part of the blog and of my life.
Do you feel that you've found your 'calling' as a web shop owner and blogger?
I'm definitely going in the right direction but I'm nowhere near where I want to end up. My background is in finance and business development ? I worked for many years as an investment banker and then management consultant, before losing my job at a small Internet company in the dotcom crash. I realised then that I liked cushions and colour more than spreadsheets and legal docs and started combining some freelance journalism with doing a home study course in interior design. I soon realised that I don?t think spatially enough to be a great designer (and I want to be great at what I do) and also really missed the commercial side ? I love marketing and I love the Internet. Which is why I decided to set up a business that's actually primarily all about selling and marketing and the Internet, but focused on a market I really understand (women like me) and brings me into daily contact with beautiful things and creative people. And along the way I've had to write a business plan, get a bank loan, manage the building of a complex e-commerce website, run a customer database and PR list and pay sales tax etc. It?s not all about cushions.
You mentioned you lost your job and launched your web shop, but how can one afford to do that?
The upside for me is that my husband's salary has been enough to support us in this ?experimental? phase ? every penny the business makes gets put straight back in - though we have far less money than we used to. The downside has been that I've been combining it with being at home with a baby/toddler, so am only doing this stuff very part time so far. But I love what I do, I have created myself a ?job? where reading design magazines counts as work, so therefore I'm happy.
Thank you Paola! If anyone has questions to ask Paola about running a web shop, etc. please use this as your opportunity and ask some questions in the comments section below...
Lotus Love
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: * Terramia *
Oh, I am so charmed by this dinnerware... how gorgeous would this look for a springtime dejeuner? Very chic.
The Green Lotus Leaf Collection from Chintz & Company in Victoria...
Each plate is a delicately ruffled, hand-painted lotus leaf. What a dramatic table effect to stack each guest's place with the largest leaf at the bottom and the smallest at the top. Stunning!
Carter Berg
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: desire to inspire |  |
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Copy Successful Designers
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: Landfair Furniture (Blog)
Nika Stewart has an email that echoes some of the thoughts of KP in The Luxury Consumer Part 2: Interview With Kathie Pozarich
Stewart, Designer' Success Coach, tells us "if you want to run a successful design business, copy what successful designers are doing, and you'll achieve the same success." So, what are successful designers doing? How do they work, think, act? Here are Stewart's three traits that are common to successful designers:
Successful designers have systemsLots of great advice!
What do you do when a call comes in? When you measure a room? When you hire a contractor? Do you have specific steps to follow for every part of your business? Or do you wing it? I used to! But I learned that "winging it" leads to chaos and confusion, and you certainly can't grow from there. Successful designers handle each part of their business the same way every time. They follow a system for everything. Systems lead to consistency, organization, and effectiveness.
Successful designers study marketing
Unfortunately, being a terrific designer doesn't necessarily make you successful. In order to succeed in business, we need to be super marketers. Successful designers are either great at marketing, or they hire people who are. The most lucrative design firms actually spend more time and energy on marketing than they do on studying design.
Successful designers are detail- oriented
This may seem obvious, but are you doing it? Successful designers take care with every detail of the business - from all aspects of office work to each element of design projects. This doesn't mean they do it all themselves (in fact, profitable design companies delegate a lot of the details.), but they always make sure that every part of their business - down to the smallest details - supports their exceptional image.
Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery
Tia Zoldan
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: desire to inspire
Think modern classic with a boho twist. L.A. interior designer Tia Zoldan creates rooms with a sophisticated yet at the same time casual appeal. Painted furniture and vivid artwork bring life into spaces while textures and colour add the bohemian flavour. It's a laid back Californian vibe that combines classic and playful.
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Floor Tattoos
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: Design Milk
Nursery Rooms
06/03/2008, 14:15 | Original Site: Belle Vivir
Textiles of the Week
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: style court
This West African tie-dyed, chevron-patterned, zebra-striped cotton is believed to be from the Ivory Coast and was described by Hali, April 2006, as the most optically dramatic piece displayed several years ago at the San Francisco Tribal and Textile Art Show It reminds me of popular zebra-striped fabrics made today by so many fashionable fabric houses.
Louisiana-based textile collector, Rebecca Vizard, recently posted her 2008 assortment of small Christmas stockings. These are my go-to presents because they are the perfect size for holding gift certificates, large chocolate bars, secret messages for kids, and tiny gifts. Some people hang them on the tree. The stockings are about six to seven inches long and made from fragments of lush antique textiles in both brilliant hues and soft shades. Prices range from $35-$50.
Got your sunglasses ready?
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: Hue
Faces have been obscured to protect identities in these "spy" photosBut honestly, I was ready to slide my business card across the counter and offer to do damage control if they ever wanted some help.
Some very well-intentioned individual was on the right track, striving to liven up the space with a cheerful, friendly color. But this salmon pink is so over the top, it's amazingly bright. My photos don't do it justice, so you'll have to trust me when I tell you that standing in that space, you literally vibrate!
Current Project
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: absolutely beautiful things
five things we learned last week
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: shelterrific
1. The web is a wonderful tool to lend a helping contribution when needed. Julie left a comment on our post about the Nie Nie benefit to tell us of her own fund raising call to action. She wrote: “The tragedy that has happened to Stephanie and Christian has turned into a beautiful wellspring of hope and love…. Unfortunately, I know first-hand of the cost of extensive medical bills. My daughter, Alyson, is three years old and has been diagnosed with Leukemia. A friend, Marina, is an Etsy vendor and has put together a shop to help us pay for her three-year-long treatments… If anyone would be kind enough to visit the shop at alysonscure.etsy.com or leave Alyson a little “Love Note” via her blog at alyson.mystyl.us. Any support, whether financial or emotional is always greatly appreciated.” Be sure to check out Alyson’s Cure on Etsy. There’s some lovely artwork and jewelry up for grabs.
2. A lot of you are happy to be homeowners, especially during this economic crisis, though all the money talk does get ya down. seanSF says: “I’m really tired of having my home evaluated by a dollar amount. Yes, it is an investment. Yes, I want to get my money’s worth. But we didn’t buy our house with either of those thoughts primarily in our mind. It was a home, first and foremost. A place to live, get to know each other better, raise a family, have family and friends over for dinners and vacations and whenever they’re in need.” See what others have to say about the current housing crisis and leave your own comments here.
3. Halloween is not the only time of year to appreciate creepy design. As Katherine says of these skeleton serving forks: “Be bold enough to use them year-round! I love creepy stuff like this. It works well when in contrast to an otherwise bright & beautiful place. Love it!”
4. You know some great online resources for buying fabrics. Lanny T. shares one suggestion: “The best place (and I have done a lot of looking) to buy fabrics is an online fabric store called iluvfabrix.com. They have incredibly beautiful fabrics on their site all the time, and there always seems to be some sort of sale going on.” Click here to see more suggestions for upholstery fabric stores.
5. When trying to decide a new paint color for room, trying looking in your closet for inspiration. As J recommends: “What colors do you wear a lot? That has always been a good starting point for me. Actually it was what color does my husband wear a lot: he had an affection for the bland until I painted a wall a deep blue-gray that he wore, and now he’s totally into color.” See more ideas for choosing a paint color here.
Making The Most Of Your Kitchen Space
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: Design Mind
There are so many ideas you can use in a kitchen design to make the most of your space. Consider how you use your space and decide how much cabinet space you really need. Not a big cook? Then use less cabinets and incorporate more open space and art in your kitchen. Need a desk area? It doesn't have to be large and can go on an otherwise empty wall. Small islands can serve as seating, food prep areas and serving areas. Whatever you need in your kitchen doesn't have to take up lots of space. Many kitchens these days are just to big and lack a personal and intimate feel. You can have it all without having a bowling ally size kitchen.The Hospitable Guest Room: Vogue's Guide Circa 1969
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: style court
According to Vogue's Book of Etiquette and Good Manners, 1969, "A guest room should, above all, look welcoming. It should have that indefinable quality of aliveness, rather than emptiness. It should somehow suggest that it is accustomed to making visitors happy and is not a seldom-used 'spare' room. A hospitable guest room is essentially gay, and completely comfortable."
"A tall order, you may say, but you can have a lot of fun filling it." Like many decorators today, the book says go with the mad wallpaper or print fabric you love but could not abide for more than a month. Your temporary guests will enjoy the change of pace and sense of adventure.
Vogue prefers two twin beds in a guest room with a generously scaled night table between the two. Each bed should have one very soft pillow and one firm.
The lamp should be very easy to reach, and easy to read by without strain. If the floor is not carpeted, provide plush bedside rugs.
Don't forget the filled cigarette box, ashtrays and matches.
A clock with a quiet tick, a pin cushion and sewing kit, a well-lighted mirror for makeup and a full length mirror too.
A good, "brisk" book of fairly new short stories, a carafe of ice water with two glasses, and always fresh flowers.
Also include:
A chest of drawers with at least the top two largest drawers left empty.
Half a closet pole
A closet shelf
A pretty luggage rack -- not Hotel-ish
A couple of chairs, "Guests should not have to sit on the bed to read or file their nails."
A variety of wooden hangers
Shades, shutters or lined curtains that block out light
Biscuits or fruit "can be appreciated."
Facial tissues
And, Vogue says, if you live near the water or have a pool, tuck some whimsical straw hats or Japanese paper parasols in the closet.
I think I have a lot of work a head of me.
Credits:
Bedroom one, Chloe Warner
Bedroom two, Kate Spade
Bedroom three, Kate Spade's guest room courtesy M. A. Belle, via Town & Country
Bedroom four, (images four through six) Peter Dunham
Bedroom five via Domino
Clock is from High Street Market
Carafe and glasses are from Park Avenue Gifts
the peach named alesia
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: studio wellspring
alesia marie was born on september 22 at 2:10 am ~ 5 lbs 11 oz and 18" long. both mama & baby are very happy and healthy. thanks to everyone for all your stunning kindness & support through this momentous life changing event.
You Dig?
04/24/2008, 18:38 | Original Site: decor8
... Though I don't know where line about the hideous planter from Christmas came from because I didn't write that, but when you work for others you have to expect that they'll revise your text a bit. Doesn't this look so nice?
(image from the boston globe)
Donostia San Sebastian
07/22/2008, 20:59 | Original Site: Karin's Style BlogThe many colors of house-hunting
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: Hue
Nondescript white-walled room. Totally forgettable.
Really dated kitchen in desperate need of a make-over.
Love, love, loved the colors in this house. We were ready to move in, and I didn't even have the desire to change their paint choices. This house wasn't staged, but really tastefully done by the owners. After peeking in an office cabinet, I discovered someone living there works as a color consultant.
Testing the authenticity of a staged "bed" that turns out was just cardboard boxes draped in fabric. Aren't these walls just screaming for chromatic assistance? A distinctly unsuccessful staging, I hate to say.Sometimes, stagers will go further, advising refinishing floors or painting walls. I've got to tell you, it made a huge difference as we were strolling through our 15th house of the day.
Soft yellow walls and muted sophisticated accent colors (check out the throw pillows, rug, even the golden bowl on the table) really made this room appealing. The touch of green helped round out the palette. This was another favorite house, but alas, an offer was already in on it.
Those properties with unique, rich or even just understated colors on the walls certainly made the place feel more homey and more personal. Loved the pumpkin.
There's something so sterile about an empty, white walled house. This fireplace wall would have looked much better with an accent color to ground it in the space.
I'm not big on black counter-tops, as they are hard on the eyes, ergonomically. Not enough contrast between the work surface and items on top. But I loved how the stager took cues from the existing palette to bring in black and white plates in the empty cabinets and pulled in touches of bright blue here and there. I couldn't get enough of the sunshine streaming through the window-just like a cat, I suppose...I noticed it in new apartment complexes, as well. They advertised "designer colors" and would point out accent walls in the model unit that were either standard, or not included. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera when we toured the complex, so I can't show you the cool hall and unit colors. In any case, evidently, the general public has become much more color and design savvy, for the salespeople to emphasize color so much.
So, that's just a little taste of our adventure out west. For the time being, I think we will settle for a rental while we continue the quest for our house. I'd like to hear from those of you who have gone house-hunting in the past: how important were the wall colors in your impression of a property? Did it make a difference in the end when you bought something?
58. Fabric Hunt
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: let your creativity .... FLOW
i've been searching high and low for fabric like this one but can't seem to find it anywhere! HELP!
does anyone know of any good farbic stores in the GTA?
i've been to BB Bargoons, Designer Fabric and a variety of little stores on Queen St.
Marie Antoinette and the Last Garden at Versailles
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: The Peak of Chic
Attention all Marie Antoinette fans! (Oh yes, and you Francophiles, gardeners, and historians too!) There is an upcoming book release that you must not miss. Marie-Antoinette and the Last Garden at Versailles
According to the book, there was great debate in mid to late 18th century France about formal gardens versus more naturalistic ones. Louis XIV's Versailles was of course noted for its rigid gardens designed by André Le Nôtre. But by the time Louis XVI ascended to the throne, there was a growing group of aesthetes who championed gardens and landscapes that were more loose and natural. And Marie Antoinette fell into this camp. When she became chatelaine of Petit Trianon, she set out to create a Franco-Anglo-Chinese garden complete with man-made lakes, ridges, and vistas. To me, the most interesting parts of the gardens are the structures that were built, including the Dairy House, the Tower of Marlborough, the Hamlet, and the Rock- a folly meant to resemble the mountains of her Austrian homeland.
The text of the book, written by Christian Duvernois, provides us with an engrossing account of how these magnificent gardens came to be. I think the author does an excellent job in helping to correct the misconception that Marie Antoinette was simply a vacuous and supercilious woman. And for those who can't get enough of beautiful photographs, there are plenty of those too. François Halard's haunting images capture the awesome splendor of this thoroughly unique place.
A bust of Marie Antoinette by Louis-Simon Boizot (c. 1775)
A view of the French Pavilion at Petit Trianon. The pavilion, designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel for Louix XV, anchors the main axis of the French Garden.
The ornate interior of the Queen's Theater. The plain exterior of the Theater belies the sumptuousness of the interior.
A marble fountain inside of the Dairy House. The walls were painted in trompe l'oeil to resemble real marble.
Vibrant pink roses in the Queen's gardens.
A view of the Dairy House (right) and the Tower of Marlborough.
(Photo credits: François Halard from Marie Antoinette and the Last Garden at Versailles, Rizzoli New York, 2008.)
time life sea
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: studio wellspring
oh my, have i not been getting enough of this lately. somehow i've got a very full life with a to-do list that never ends and i forgot to rejuvenate. that's not my usual style. i suppose i'm just trying to be sure everything gets done before, well, you know, that due date arrives. but it sure seems like a lot of other things besides just baby-prep are going on. way more than usual, actually. and i am starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. which means it's time to slow down, breathe, and just be.
i'm trying to face it all with a happy heart and a smiling spirit. for the most part that comes naturally to me, as i am optimistic by nature. and ultimately, these are all good things ~ albeit they all require steap learning curves, lots of attention, and all the enthusiasm i can summon. but when i find myself musing about how much calmer & easier things will be after the baby comes {and thinking of that as my excuse to keep on pushing myself through the next task-at-hand}, then i know i've hit a new high of self-imposed delusion. and so i've really got to take a step back and soak up some nothingness. . . . . if even for only a few hours. . . . .with some quality alone time at the ocean.
Food Tour
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: Bluelines
Posted by LenaI just got back from a quick trip to Portland, Maine. I was there to work, but spent a big portion of the time eating!
Dining in, dining out... both simple food and sophisticated... it was all so delicious.
Here are some snapshots of my meals in Portland, and a list of restaurants I highly recommend.
FORE STREET
Fantastic local, seasonal food in a beautiful old building.
288 Fore Street
BRESCA
A sweet, intimate restaurant with great Italian dishes, also made with fresh, local ingredients.
111 Middle Street
BLUE SPOON
The perfect place to get a really delicious soup and salad for lunch.
89 Congress St
FLAT BREAD COMPANY
Wood fired pizza with toppings like organic vegetables, homemade maple fennel sausage, and goat cheese.
72 Commercial Street
SARA'S TEA SHOP
This sweet little tea shop doesn't have a website, but the loose teas are wonderful and the homemade scones are to die for.
195 Congress street
I am in love with ......
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: desire to inspire
.... this furniture! The distressed leather in that rich hue. The shape of the sofa and the nail head detail. The playful fat tufting of the ottoman and that cocktail table. OMG don't get me started. Where pray tell do these glam meets rock meets Hollywood meets hedonist's playpen pieces come from? Check out Bradley Hughes. They are Atlanta based and hot, hot hot. Here's another image Michelle Bradley emailed. Check out the full range here. Seriously lust worthy.
Curb Side Furniture
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Original Site: Landfair Furniture (Blog)
Have you ever driven around the city and seen furniture sitting on the parking or next to the street with a sign that says, "FREE". My husband does all the time from his big yellow bus. So many times it rains, then the furniture is of no use to anybody.
We recently donated a sleeper sofa to Oregon Community Warehouse. It was still in good shape, but we wanted a change in the den and with our remodel of the lower level, just didn't see the need for the sofa in the den.
We were interested to learn that the Community Warehouse has a need for lots of furniture and it's a shame to see it sit outside in the rain when there are so many in need.
I called Sharon and found out they don't need more sofas. They need beds and dresser drawers, and tables and chairs. They may drive by with one of their trucks and pick up your used items if you call. They may even take your sofa if you have additional furniture items items.
Won't you pick up the phone and call Sharon at 503-235-8786 or the other volunteers about your gently used items before putting it on the curb.
Their web site says
Clients include women escaping domestic violence, individuals and families who have been homeless, elderly persons on limited incomes, people with mental and physical disabilities, refugee families from all over the world, youth and adults recovering from substance abuse, and the working poor.
Community Warehouse
2267 N. Interstate Ave.
Portland, OR 97227
Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery