image from house and garden

i've always wanted my own place, but now that we're actually looking to purchase, i never dreamed that the whole process could be so hard. it's so different designing for others and designing for yourself, especially when my husbands idea of good design is an old lazy boy and a 72" flat screen! needless to say, our ideas clash - however he's been one of my biggest fans and has given me full reign over the design process of our future home. the hardest part for me is picking a style of home i like, because i just love so many different styles ... i love the metropolitan feel to lofts, the openness and raw architectural details, but i also have a passion for modern country that brings a sense of warmth and serenity to a space. vintage furnishings, lots of textiles and layers on layers of umph oh, what about small space condos for simple living, or ... the list goes on. i can't seem to decide. i'm hoping when i see THE space i will know it and love it.

condos, single detached homes, lofts, town homes .... there's just so much out there.

 

Designing around an egg, by Johannes Hoyos.

http://www.design-egg.net

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Has anyone else noticed the progression of Hillary Clinton's outfit colors as the primaries progress?

image source

“Hillary Clinton’s biggest criticism is how harsh she is,� said Mary Lou Andre, president of Organization by Design Inc., a professional image consulting firm in Needham. “I think by wearing certain feminine colors, she will connect with voters. I think the public knows she can do the job. It’s her likability that’s the issue.�(source)

Evidently a way to appear more accessible, she wore red in Texas, ginger in South Dakota and buttercream in West Virginia. It certainly sets her apart from all of those somber dark gray, black and navy blue suits out there in on the campaign trail. I am fascinated by how far color psychology can penetrate into marketing strategies. Just look at most official uniforms- navy blue is favored because the message it sends says: authority, dependability, and strength.
A Washington Post article dubbed her, "Clinton-the-human-color-wheel". But it's a smart way to set herself apart, to communicate more of her message through the colors she wears.

What do you think? Is it chauvinistic to focus on Hillary's clothes, or do we do the same for her male counter-parts? Do you think what the politicians are wearing have any bearing on their appeal as candidates?

from beadid. Almost too pretty to use.

my parents just arrived from virginia beach so i’m off to indulge in some family fun and away-from-the-computer time. i hope you all have a fantastic weekend and i’ll see you on monday! until then, i wanted to leave you with a fantastic before & after from conn and john in hawaii (you might remember their gorgeous island sneak peek from june). conn and john found this old stainless steel medicine/dental tool cabinet years ago at the 26th street flea market in nyc. after picking it up for $35 it was stripped of its pale hospital green finish and kept a plain stainless steel. but as conn says “[when] we moved to maui the elements took over and my inspiration was to turn it into a rothko painting”. as luck would have it all three paints conn needed were on sale (2 for $4) so he sanded it down with steel wool, applied three coats of each color and voila! a $10 makeover. thanks to conn and john for sharing!

• anne’s regional roundup: brisbane and additional australian links and artists
• diy wednesdays: homegrown honey video
• new sneak peeks: spruce austin, jill malek, and uhuru design
• before & after: summer’s chair
• must see of the week: patterns from allan the gallant
• paper genius: zoe bradley’s paper sculptures at kate’s paperie
• furniture: new upholstered chairs at chairloom
• misc: new artwork (key prints) from dallas shaw, calling cards from avie designs, faux bois wingchair, zig zag towels, sculptural white lamps, new prints from good shape design
• new ceramics: ceramics from mudpuppy, ceramics from lisa bengtsson

Klas Fahlen is one of my favorite illustrators. These magazine holders are from his portfolio at the Art Department. The building-scape is totally genius, especially the second image with the plaza perspective illustration.

(And yes, I'm trying to post more these days. I know, a blog with daily posts?? What a concept.)

We took an unexpected and unintended hiatus for the past few weeks.

Will be up with a fresh idea from Lena shortly.

We usually don’t do “ripped from the headlines” types of posts here, but it’s hard to not think about how this week’s economic news is affecting the value of our homes. Personally, I have been dreaming about moving into a larger space to accommodate our growing (and recently crawling!) family. But that would mean putting our one-bedroom place on the market. Suddenly an idea that was simmering in our heads for a springtime “perhaps” has become a “better sooner than later” boil. Are you having similar debates in your home? Or are you thinking of hunkering down and doing a little remodeling? I don’t know what we’re going to do, but we probably need to make a decision in the next few weeks to either stay the course or act fast. I’d love to hear your thoughts, and perhaps enjoy a little company during the crisis. Please share! — Angela M.

Hey Kstylers,
My mother is undergoing a very serious health crisis and so I will be taking a leave from Kstyle until she is stable and back on her feet. I am happy to report that she got through major surgery today and wanted her ipod and of course had to stay awake to watch the latest episode of American Idol. Now given that she is 81 I can only hope that I have half her meddle down the road. Anyway I will be leaving soon to visit her and help in her recovery so I will only be in sporadic touch until this has settled down. So think good thoughts for my mom. Talk soon
k

Domino, The Guide to Living With Style, is a magazine and website I visit frequently.

Domino is published by the people that publish Concierge, Epicurious, Men.Style.com, Style.com, Wired.com, Lipstick.com, NutritionData, YM, Allure, Architectural Digest, Brides, Condé Nast Portfolio, Cookie, Glamour, Golf Digest, Golf for Women, Golf World, Gourmet, Lucky, Men's Vogue, Self, Teen Vogue, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and W.

Most of us subscribe to one or more of those magazines or pick up a newstand copy from time to time.

The latest issue has an article that caught my eye: domino's Top Ten Decorator Tricks. Here are their ten tips:

1. invest in the best
Instead of filling a room quickly with things you can afford, enjoy the process and slowly add pieces you absolutely love.
2. borrow your own clothes
If you love the hue of a blouse (or anything smooth-textured), bring it to a paint store to be scanned and reproduced.
3. lighten up
Reflective, sparkly fabrics and wallpapers draw light into any space.
4. work with what you've got
Play up a room's assets. If it has high ceilings, put up really tall curtains. If it's a dark box, don't try to alter it—painting it bright white will only make it seem dingy; instead, go for cozy.
5. lights!
Even in small rooms, aim for at least three light sources—ideally a floor lamp and matching table lamps—to banish gloomy corners.
6. go antique-chic
Invest in one fabulous antique per room, to set the tone for the entire space.
7. think outside the welcome mat
Don't neglect your entryway! Think of it as an appetizer for what comes next. It should reflect your home's overall style but also contain something special, so guests want to see more.
8. collect more
Collect something that speaks to you. No matter what it is, there's impact in numbers.
9. skirt the issue
Skirted tables in offices or entryways can hide all manner of ills: shoes, kids' backpacks, mail—even filing cabinets.
10. beyond wallpaper
Upholstering, rather than papering, walls yields a layer of softness and luxury for about the same price.

I particularly like 8. collect more. We recently had dinner with Cheryl and David Leland in their beautiful condo. In every room are framed art pieces or art pieces from places they've visited. The design of the rooms reflects colors of their favorite places in Mexico.



When Mike and I visited Italy we purchased a small painting from an artist in Florence. It was titled "Door of the Supplicant". We had it framed and it hangs in our living room. Not only is it a wonderful painting and not too expensive, the framing was more, but it brings back fond memories.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

lovely .ali. shared this site she found. these guys do some amazing woodwork with so much attention to details. and if you visit their site, you'll see that they have a lot of fun too. visit them here bddw

When I spotted these skeleton serving forks over on boing boing I couldn’t decide if they were really cool or just morbid. I know they’d be great for a Halloween party, but at $50 for the set I’d need them to be good all year round. What do you think — creative or creepy? –Erica P.

Randomly surfing the variety of design discussion forums out there, I found a posting on HGTV's discussion board that "revealed" several of Panera Bread's interior wall colors. I never knew they were top secret, but I can't tell you how many times I have had a client ask for their colors. Instead of using these exact colors, I steer people towards using colors appropriate for their particular spaces that may be evocative of this franchise's visual look.
That warm orangey color is from Benjamin Moore called Golden harvest 2157-02


The gold color on the right is evidently Ben Moore Semolina#2155-40, just for your reference.
Love the blue and orange combo-isn't it cheerful? And really plays up the warm honey tones in the breads.These were the only pics I was able to snap at my local Panera Bread, as evidently, picture- taking in the store is not permitted. I was quickly asked to put my camera away. Probably didn't help that I was toting this enormous camera with large lenses... Not the most subtle of approaches- I don't think I'd make a very good spy!

$10.00 via dandeedesigns.

The long-awaited second issue of Colour: Design & Creativity has finally arrived, and it looks fantastic!A sneak peak:

Did you know that you could buy live plants on eBay?

Yep, in addition to just about every other item on the planet, you can also procure plants for your garden from the auction super site. (It's a particularly handy service if you don't have a great nursery nearby or if the ground hasn't quite thawed in your area and your local garden center isn't yet stocked up for gardening season.)

I love succulents -- because not only are they almost impossible to kill, they make great modern houseplants (group several in a wide, low planter for a stunning centerpiece or just one in a small container for a pretty, natural accent) as well as interesting and textural additions to your outdoor landscape. Can't decide? Enjoy succulents both ways -- keep them inside until you're ready to get your hands dirty, then incorporate them into your garden.

This succulent selection up for auction on eBay includes a mix of twenty cuttings, including hens and chicks, volcano plants, echeveria, sedum, agave, euphorbia, and several other hardy varieties. The cuttings are easy to grow -- simply stick them in well-drained soil (either potting soil mixed with sand or gravel, or perlite), protect them from hot afternoon sun, and water them every once in a blue moon. I promise, they're practically black-thumb proof.

Current bid: $30

this sequined Ked's shoe but I detest that ridiculous bow. Is there anything we can do about this?

today’s in the kitchen with is a special recipe that i was lucky enough to have land in my inbox this week. brooklyn based food photographer jessika creedon sent over these gorgeous photographs of a picnic she attended in prospect park and i was blown away by the special presentation of the food. rather than using plates or napkins, the hosts decided to use natural “containers” like lemons and avocados. top that off with jessika’s incredible photos and i was sold. so today the group behind the special picnic, sidedish, was kind enough to share one of their delicious picnic recipes with us- a summery chilled avocado soup. i could live off of avocados so this is one that’s definitely going into my regular repertoire. i just wanted to thank jessika (whose website can be viewed right here, and her flickr page right here) for sharing these photos, and to sidedish for sharing this incredible (and incredibly easy to make) recipe. CLICK HERE for the full recipe (and more photos from the picnic) or just click “read more” below.

about sidedish: sidedish is an ongoing experiment in staging uniquely engaging food experiences. at sidedish events, a rotating list of diners enjoys a full five course meal with an unrepeated, custom-made menu. sidedish dinners pivot around food, but go much farther, with each event exploring a particular theme. renee baumann and keren weiner, two alumni from the french culinary institute, are the heads and hands behind sidedish (with much organizational assistance from andrea montejo). photos and past menus from sidedish events can be seen at sidedish’s facebook page right here.

Joe Harmon is building a car made of wood, and if you’re in Atlanta August 20th-23rd, you can see it at the IWF (International Woodworking Fair). Amazing.

Thanks for the link, Caroline!

http://www.joeharmondesign.com

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Vanessa wrote in to share that she heard India Hicks will host the next season of Bravo's Top Design and Todd Oldham will continue in his role as mentor (minus the host part). Of course our dear Kelly Wearstler, Jonathan Adler and Margaret Russell will still serve as judges. Kelly must stay, we need her advice and her clothes to check out each week. It will be fun to see what India is like (does she have a fabulous British accent, I wonder?) and what she will wear too. I have no clue either way since I've only seen her in photos throughout the years.


Here's a little bit about India that you may not have known that I find quite interesting, "Host India Hicks is the daughter of famed interior decorator David Hicks and Lady Pamela Hicks. Born in London, England, she was named in honor of her grandfather, Lord Mountbatten of Burma the last Viceroy to India. Her godfather, HRH Prince Charles, chose Hicks to be a bridesmaid in his wedding to the late Lady Diana Spencer in 1990." - Bravo TV.

What do you think of adding India to the mix to replace Todd as host?

(image from bravo tv)

I'm a sucker for wire mesh. So I'm trying to find a right place for these pieces in my home to justify their purchase. (I'm sure I'll figure something out.) But first, I would also like to check them out in the store to see if they look and feel just as good in person. The chair is the De la tour chair from Urban Outfitters and the table is the Link side table from CB2. I'm glad they're finally opening a store in San Francisco this summer.

I've been a huge flickr fan of I Can't Live Without a Poni (aka Brooklyn artist, Parsons grad, and blogger Niki Kelce) for awhile now. So I was thrilled to discover that she recently opened an Etsy shop to sell her mindblowingly intricate and beautiful original drawings. Above: The Seeds Are Thinking, $300

My Frustration, $250

From the Capsules Came a Garden, $400

Floating, framed drawing, $400

Family Portrait 1, $300

Visit Niki Kelce's new Etsy shop right here -- and see more of her amazing work here.

(P.S. For those of us on a tight budget, Kelce promises to add prints to her shop soon. I'll let you know when she does.)

Park Hotel, bigger here. And so we reached Barcelona, the final long stop of our journey (as the train journey back to Sweden included several short stops in many places). We stayed in an area called El Born, it was very atmospheric and truly lovely. Our tiny flat was at the ...