David Nicholas said in a comment, he saw Mart Visser show in Amsterdam. "Check it out." So we did:



Mike said he loved the confident strut of the models to the music: today's woman. Sort of reminded him of Sarah Palin or what she would wear.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture +Design Gallery

I was pretty much rendered verklempt when I discovered the portfolio of Rachel Whiting, a photographer based in London. The light and composition are so perfect for these relatively simple spaces. There seems to be a little something special and noteworthy in each photograph.

Piquadro and the University of Florence School of Architecture collaborated to present 14 travel bag concepts developed by the 3rd year Industrial Design students. The objective was to meet the needs of the modern traveler who must move regularly for business on multiple modes of transport, and obviously for one who is not afraid of a bit of color. Thanks to Core 77.

When people get ready to paint a room, does the color of the trim ever come into question, or do people always opt for white? A great post on this very topic over at My Notting Hill got me thinking about the dilemma.
I think the one-color approach works really nicely in this scenario because there is so much trim detail- the fireplace surround, chair rail, panels, crown molding, window trim... It adds visual interest to a large wall space without breaking it up as much as it would if the trim contrasted.
White against another color presents you with a certain level of contrast, heightened, obviously, the darker your wall color goes. Sometimes, white trim against another color just doesn't give you the desired effect, instead. In the picture above, white trim would have been too busy, and competed with the architectural lines of the furniture.

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...

The beauty of books and art a la Bunny Willams...

Lindsey Strader at Home Accents Today Product Line has singled out some new products and two are from Uttermost, whose products Landfair Furniture carries on our showroom floor.



Tree Panels
Set of 2 are frameless hand painted oils designed by Grace Feyock, and feature an array of natural earth tone colors. Each measuring 20"W x 70"H.



The Jannik
Hurricane Candleholder features an old barn finish with bronze metal details and clear seeded glass. Designed by Matthew Williams this candleholder measures 11"W x 25"H.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Does serenity adds security? BWI (Baltimore Washington International Airport) will be rolling out the first of its kind pilot program for stress reduction in specific airport screening areas. I think this is a fabulous idea, as airports (especially post 9-11) are extremely stressful places. Racing to catch a plane, stuck in lines that move at a snails pace, then jostling to strip off all offending articles of clothing and accessories at the screening area, etc. I find myself much more anxious and short-tempered in airports.
This is a description of the special screening area:
But if these images from TSA's promo video are any indication of what is to come, I'm not sure how "soothed" I'll feel!
TSA planners have been tinkering for months in a warehouse at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, testing these new aspects "You can actually influence some behavior subliminally through color," said Catherine Lillie, head of the checkpoint-testing team. source

Coming from a profession where the psychological effects of color is basic knowledge, I have to chuckle at her seeming incredulity over the idea.

What do you think of the concept?

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?

I'm still feeling a bit groggy from all the meds I'm on, but I can't stop thinking about you and your many emails and comments that continue to wish me a speedy recovery. Thank you so much for your caring words but it's just a virus, nothing major really! :) I thought that since I'm not up to blogging at my regular Holly speed, I will post a few things today and tomorrow to keep you inspired until I'm back on Monday. Since I have a few more posts from the What To Do When You Don't Know What To Do series, I think I'll start with these...


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...

I really, really want to go here. And yes that means I would love to to go to the summer olympics in Beijing but even more I would LOVE to swim with my underwater ipod in the breathtaking new Aqua Center, "The Water Cube" which has to be one of the more spectacular venues ever to come out of an Olympics. Leave it to the Chinese to be way ahead of the curve. love, love this, k

This country retreat designed by Pinakin Patel Associates looks so beautiful, serene and relaxing I want to spend a lovely weekend there...actually many weekends there:-)Pinakin Patel graduated in Chemistry but today heads one of India's leading design firms and owns a unique lifestyle store.
"The firm is known for their distinctive interpretation of the clients needs, producing contemporary design from a classic base, juxtaposing yoga and bhoga"

Do click on to read more...

(images from pinakin.in)

Reader Penelope wants to give her "kit" kitchen a cosmetic make-over. So let's roll up our sleeves and see what we've got to work with!

"The cupboards are a pale pinky beige that I intend to paint white and install new handles (chrome), as well as install a new shelf (white) somewhere above the cupboards.

My laminate benchtop is a swirly, "natural rock inspired" pink/violet/blue monstrosity, but we're stuck with it, and I'd like to make the best of it.

Here's the room on the other side of the kitchen which we don't actually use as a dining area."

And for the most important part- what colors does Penny like?

"My eye tends to be drawn to soft colours, like icey pink and blue, even soft lavendar. I just don't know what will go best with the benchtops we have, although it does incorporate a mixture of these tones."

I think Penny is on the right track with her inspirational photos showing soft pastels with a retro feel. The counter-tops are unfortunate, for sure, but not a lost cause. With the focus drawn away from the counters, and onto the walls, they won't stand out quite so distinctly.

So, the first question I would ask would be about lighting. Is the kitchen dark during the day, or does it get lots of bright natural lighting?
In this mock-up, I pulled a pastel blue from one of Penny's inspiration photos for the walls, and a light pink for the ceiling.

A nice solution to give the illusion of sunlight is using buttery yellow, like this photo Penny submitted. Love the copper pots against the yellow and white-lovely!In taking a closer look at the second kitchen picture, I see other areas where color can be incorporated. Notice I pulled the yellow up onto the ceiling to de-emphasize it's low height. The curtain leading into a back room (pantry?) could be replaced by colorful upholstery fabric quite easily. Our designer-readers might have some good suggestions for what might work there.

To draw attention away from the mauve tones in the counter-top, you could try pulling out one of the other colors you like better, like light blue or lilac (as long as it isn't too gray which can quickly translate to dingy )

Also, by swapping out the back splash tiles (if this is an option) for something more updated in color, it would draw attention away from the mauve theme going on.
You might even be able to paint over it. (but -only- if it doesn't get wet frequently) A crisp bright white for the trim would also liven up the space. Perhaps a fun light fixture with some full-spectrum bulbs to brighten the kitchen? Play around with the colors of the items displayed on the shelves-you can incorporate the pastel palette more completely.


Since the kitchen is so small, several more shelves stacked above would offer more storage space, and more design opportunities. Granted, this kitchen example has lilac cabinets instead of white, but feel how refreshing and alive this space feels! Besides, who says cabinets have to be white or wood?

So, that's my initial take on Penny's kitchen make-over. What would you suggest for her space? Please share your ideas!

via yellowcanoe.

My friend B sent me a link today to this photo on Flickr, by kaylovesvintage, saying she saw it and thought of me. She knows me well. It's so cute I had to share.


While on the subject of cats, I know some of you were concerned about my friend's cat Binky who needs a new home. Sadly, she hasn't found anyone willing to take him. She has an appointment at the Humane Society Monday. I'm just praying he doesn't mind being in a cage, or they will put him to sleep. (That happened to a stray cat I took there once). That will totally break Jenny's heart, and mine. I told her if I can manage to make it through the front door (although I will be a blubbering mess, I am just typing this for crissakes), I'll visit him since I live just around the corner. I really wish I didn't already have 6 cats.