I'm taking the next few days off because I'm still quite ill but I will meet you here again in a few days once I'm back to my 100% Holly self again and then it's full steam ahead! :)


I've been battling the flu for over 10 days now and the doctor told me that I won't kick it until I stop working and just sleep... So that's what I plan to do. But I should feel better soon and when I do, I'll return with lots of lovely product submissions to share along with another office redux so I'll meet you back here in a few days. Thank you so much for understanding!

(image by holly becker, a woodpecker outside of my bedroom window taken last week.)

Love the simplicity and serenity of these two study spaces. Very lady like too. Left image is from Jed Johnson and right is from Jan Showers.

From Julie:

Houseguests, anyone? We love this idea, spotted on Apartment Therapy: Artisan Shepherd’s Huts. Paulus Smith has been a specialist joiner for over 25 years, working on listed and historic buildings. He now spends his time creating meticulously crafted shepherd’s huts from his medieval barn workshop in Sussex; wheels are cast from molten iron using original patterns, floors are solid oak, and all fittings such as door handles and window fastenings are high-quality reproductions. Can be used as garden retreat, spare room, studio, or office. Prices start at about £11,000; go to Artisan Shepherd’s Huts for more information.

The oh so modern Chair One now comes in a swivel version. A great look for you modern home office or kitchen table.

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

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 systems
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.

Lots of great advice!

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Bridget Otto shows how two professionals, Jon and Julie Nordby, owners of Nordby Design Studio, solved the design problems of a house bought by ex-Minnesotans Keith Halasy and Erin Tripp. They loved the view through the large windows and the acreage.

Unfortunately, he says, the execution of the design was not very good. Take the relationship -- or lack of it -- between the living room and adjoining TV/office space, which was accessed from a hall around the corner from the living room.

I love to read about the design process and the problem resolution. The clients are happy and have handed out NORDBY DESIGN STUDIO cards to all their friends.

NORDBY DESIGN STUDIO
The team: Jon and Julie Nordby
Years in business: Jon has been an architect for 20 years. Julie has been an interior designer for five.
Specialty: The ability to bring the perspectives of both an interior designer and an architect to the job.
Contact: 9900 S.W. Greenburg Road, Suite 285; 503-968-8906; nordbydesignstudio.com

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

I'm always amused when I read about certain "studies" paid for by companies to support some marketing project or advertising campaign. While there are most certainly credible research studies conducted on the efficacy of colors and how they relate to user/user experience, I must caution you. There are many many so-called "studies" out there that have absolutely no credibility. A sure sign is when a blanket statement is made, encompassing huge demographics and situations.

For example, I was at a lecture the other week, listening to an eco-friendly company rep talk about using green products for building. While he had a captive audience of color consultants in the room, he asked our opinion about a specific paint color chosen for a doctor's office.
The architect of the project had supported his color choice by declaring that "studies had shown" that this particularly dreadful shade of diarrhea green was calming and soothing to patients. I wish I had taken a picture of this color sample- it was SO awful!
I am immediately skeptical... A color-confidence index? Obviously, automotive companies invest a Ton of money on market research to reach their target audience. But honestly, this seems just a tad bit formulaic. Maybe it works for caricatures, but we're more complex than that.
According to CNW, here's what the color of a car says about the person who bought it:
They were also able to calculate the "moodiness" of drivers—how widely their confidence varied from one extreme to the other, in the course of a year.
What do they mean by "confidence"? See what I mean? Recipes involving colors just don't work. There's no validity to that. What if a subject chose their particular car, not based on a color, but instead based on availability of that model? My car is silver gray. Probably one of the last colors I would have personally chosen, had I had options.

Well, that's my take on this, in any case. Anyone share my sentiments?

The third season of Design Star 3 on HGTV premieres Sunday June 8th at 9pm.

I just took a look at the competitors and only a few are designer "want-a bees", meaning they don't have any formal training.

Here's a rundown of contestants:

Trish Beaudet - Owner and Designer of Finishing Touches Interiors by Design, Inc.

D. Paul DeRouen - Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Profession: Architectural Designer

Matt Locke - Bachelor's degree in history from Princeton. Current Job: Designer

Michael Stribling - Interior design major from Wade College. Current Job: Interior Designer/Business Owner

Jennifer Bertrand - Bachelor of Arts in education with an emphasis in ceramics; master's degree in teaching and leadership from University of Kansas. Current Job: Interior Decorator/Owner of Bertrand Designs

Tracee Dore - Bachelor of Arts in interior design from the University of Kentucky. Current Job: Residential and Commercial Interior Designer and Builder/Renovator, Tracee Dore and Company

Jerome Scottie Miller - Master of Science in civil engineering from North Carolina A&T State University. Current Job: Regional Property Manager at Charlotte/Mecklenburg County Schools.

Mikey Verdugo - High school diploma from Hialeah High School. Current Job: Police Officer

The winner will host their own show on HGTV. In addition, starting June 6th, viewers can begin entering for a chance to win a $5,000 shopping spree to Sears or a $5,000 gift card from Lumber Liquidators.



If you want to root for someone local, I'm afraid Matt Locke's home is the closest: Los Angeles, CA. Go Matt!

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

But 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!

Phew! I am back from our whirlwind trip to the Bay Area to try and secure housing. Emphasis on "try"... Boy oh boy, are houses out there expensive! I guess it's all about "location, location, location".
While house hunting, I had a completely different perspective from that which I normally inhabit- that of adviser. Often, I have clients who want to spruce up their house, but are concerned about selecting colors that will make the house easier to sell, eventually. So, here I was, a potential buyer, examining houses for my own needs. I have to say that staging and colors helped a TON with the appeal of a property. Of course, I'm rather biased, but in my head, I imagined I could see through what wasn't there to what I would do to the spaces. But after days and days of touring properties, you don't want to expend the energy. Turns out, I was much more intrigued (as were other house-seekers I noticed), by those spaces with color.
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.
For those of you unfamiliar with the term, staging refers to taking a house for sale, and spiffing it up to make it more appealing to potential buyers. Sometimes, a stager works with existing furniture and accessories, editing where necessary, re-arranging items to maximize space and flow. Other times, stagers will bring in furniture and pieces into an empty house, to give the buyer a sense of how the space would feel when its inhabited.
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?

This year I am determined to conquer the very thing I attempt each time the weather starts to heat up.

Find that one dress that is stylish, classic, and won't wrinkle or wilt in the sweltering city heat.

It's a tall order, finding one garment that can go from the office (add cardigan) to a dinner out (add dangly earrings), to the beach (add flip-flops), or wear errand-running around town (add shopping bags).

So every time Memorial Day hits, I scour catalogs, web sites, and newly-stocked stores hoping it will be there saying, "Look, over here."

Unfortunately, every Labor Day, I discover the same thing. I have bought way too many throwaway dresses that fit no more than one of the above requirements. And most I never want to see again.

This year, I have come up with a few candidates. Tell me what you think.
And be sure to tell me of any you think could be "the one."

Candidate 1:

Candidate 2:

Candidate 3:

Late Entry: Candidate 4 (I forgot about this one)

I was really excited when I received an email from Anisha Ghosh of Saffron Marigold.

Saffron Marigold~ The words that bring to mind vibrant colour, fragrance and textures...
Ruby Kilim ~ Designer Red Black Queen Duvet Cover
That's the name of this amazing online 'Luxury handcrafted Bedding & Linens store' that is owned & run by Anisha from two home offices, one in California and the other in India.Starry Nights ~ Modern Contemporary Blue Queen Duvet Cover Purple Moon ~ Floral Indian Print Luxury Queen Duvet Cover

Anisha designs and prints traditional blockprinted home furnishings working closely with artisans in India. Saffron Marigold is comitted to the fair trade movement & revival of arts & crafts of India.Spice Route ~ Red Orange Exotic Queen Duvet Cover

Saffron Marigold has a range of products from Bedspreads, Duvet Covers, Sheer Curtains, Pillow Covers, Table Linen, Cushion Covers & many more.
Ivy Lace ~ White Tab Top Cotton Voile Sheer Curtain Panel Ruby Kilim ~ Red Cotton Dinner Napkins & Purple Moon ~ Floral Cotton Dinner Napkins
Tropical Garden ~ Floral Decorative Cushion Cover & Memories of Shalimar ~ Green Gold Decorative Cushion Cover

I am absolutely in love with the beautiful blockprint motifs and the rich colours. If you love a specific print, you can also shop by print...wow, now that is awesome:-)

Do check out Saffron Marigold to bring in that Indian luxury & elegance into your homes...

(images from Saffron Marigold.com)

the bay area is experiencing record breaking heat and i'm loving every mintue of it. i'm in my fave outfit: sundress, sandals, sunscreen {being an irish-finnish girl with freckles i'm fully commited to spf45}. and there's nothing like warm summer nights in may ~ actually, any time i love the warmth, but especially when it's an out of season surprise. it could only be better if we acutally had fireflies on the west coast and if i had a swimming pool to jump into whenever i wanted {sharon & shana ~ are you picking up on this? ;o) }
to celebrate the heat wave i'd much rather be soaking it in by a gorgeous body of water instead of working away at my office. so i've collected a few of my favorite images of places i'm day dreaming about as i watch the thermometer rise.