Today’s Post ran an interesting article on one of the greats. Mario Buatta is the “King of Chintz” now and at 72, forever. I love the idea of holding on to a signature style long after the fashion is over.
Personally, I never cared too much for chintz. You know what it is: that sort of shiny fabric with big huge floral patterns. Think cabbage roses on black background. Even in the 80s its tendency to squeak annoyed me.
Still I appreciate remaining true to your taste. Because if you love it, it is in fashion for you.
The biggest project of my career is nearing completion. A year and a half in the making, we are about three weeks from finished. After this much time it is, of course, bittersweet. I am excited to see it to fruition, but sad to have to say goodbye.
Most of the furniture has arrived. The rest of the custom pieces will be delivered next week. The photographs of local wildlife are at the framers.
This executive office suite has a very tight color story of slate blues, seafoam greens and small accents of taupe all grounded by massive amounts of cherry furniture. None of the colors exactly match, but all are drawn from the same section of the color spectrum.
The result blends upscale sophistication with an organic water atmosphere.
Scrapbook papers are beautiful in their own right, even before their intended adornment.Create simple and inexpensive wall art by framing the paper.
Nyttja frames from Ikea are perfect for this project. The wide white framing harmonizes with the beach theme and balances the bright graphic patterns. The 5 ½” square version comes in packs of 2 for $2.99. (Take care to remove the plastic film from BOTH sides of the Plexiglas.)
The huge popularity in scrapbooking has generated a market full of fantastic papers, readily available to suit any decor or season. The paper pictured is Anna Griffin Designer Cardstock Alix Collection from Michael’s. ($7.99 for a 24 page book.)
This entire project took less than an hour and cost under $20.
Harsh Realities
Although it is common to choose a paint color by exactly matching a color from a fabric used on furniture, this rarely works.Use a lighter or darker version of the color instead, or better yet, paint the walls a color not used anywhere else in the room. Remember that paint is your backdrop, just as a blue sky is the backdrop for green foliage.
Decide whether the colors used in your room are warm or cool. Remember to consider the flooring material when planning for color. Warm and cool tones can be present on wood work, fixtures and window treatments as well as the more obvious furniture and walls.
The harsh reality is that most people struggle when mixing warm with cool tones, so why try?
Stick to one and ensure success.
Don’t dismiss reupholstering as too expensive. It can be a reasonable option, especially if you can find a talented upholsterer. (I think I have.)
Take into consideration the “perfectness” of the piece. Does the size or “sit” work so well it would be difficult to replace? Then reupholstering is worth the expensive when you add the fact that there is a whole world of fabric out there to choose from.
In my case, last winter a terrible wind storm blew away one of my cushions. I replaced it and had the rest redone. My upholsterer made the new ones out of much better quality foam, and I was able to add a contrasting detail on the welt. They look wonderful, don’t you think?
Here is the before:
Filed under Bathrooms, Rooms
Why does a room have to serve the same purpose it always has?
I just made a recommendation that an unused Dining Room become a Tea Room or a Library.
In the book I recommended a few posts back, many small Bedrooms were transformed to Changing/Dressing Rooms to accommodate the New York City lifestyles highlighted.
In my own home, my husband and I office in our large Master Bedroom. A faux pas to some, I know, but we have worked this way successfully. This room has the best view!
How many people really use their formal Dining Rooms or Living Rooms? It seems like a great improvement to quality of life to repurpose the space to something that could be utilized everyday. I have seen Offices created out of closets in Unclutterer, a blog I read. How about making a basement into a Media Room? Common, I suppose. The photo is the ultimate repurpose. A spa from a closet!
I take full responsibility for the meme generated at my church that the exterior of our building does not reflect the vibrancy of the interior.
But I swear I have absolutely NOTHING to do with a similar angst at my daughter’s high school. This one concerns the soul sucking Teacher’s Lounge. The issue predates me, I must confess.
Here is the Design Sample Board I created for Teacher Appreciation Day. (If any of the staff there reads my blog: Please. Act Surprised.) Interestingly, Laura, a very committed parent, met me earlier at a seminar I was giving. She made a mental note to hit me up to help someday, and when I joined the Advisory Council of her very school, she waited a few weeks before she pounced.
Of course, I am thrilled to get involved with this project. If you read this regularly, or have ever at all, you already know my belief. Atmosphere affects attitude. Never more important than at school.
To continue from Friday:
Check out this website. Volksfaden is a German site. Linda Gaylord left thirty years in the world of theater to import fabric from the US and Japan. The graphics in the web design alone is worth the click.
Isn’t it wonderful how the incredible vastness of the web makes it so easy to find sites/people/businesses who share connections? Volksfaden: I found it in one click, and it covers Friday’s topic. I happen to have a German heritage. My family life and non-work time is all theater all the time. (We saw a show last night. I won’t say what it was because it was not good.) I drive a Volkswagen. Are these Coincidences? No, just Dedicated Web Surfing.
I digress. Our plugged-in world accelerates trends. In today’s Kohl’s circular, the back page shows bedding quilted in the trademark Orla Kiely style of continuous upward graphic petals on a stem. Etsy uses it in its ad. WestElm tries to change it up by adding beans.
What’s next?
What design is complete without some pattern?
Thankfully, we are experiencing an explosion of textiles coming from talented women who are artists first. So adding an item or two from my favorite designs can be worth the extra expense. You are paying for a work of art.
London based Orla Kiely is everywhere. Her fresh, graphic prints define “today”, and can be seen hanging from the arms of the trendiest in the form of expensive handbags, or on the walls of the most confident.
Liora Manne is New York. Innovative not only in design, but in process as well, she has even designed for Nike. I just placed a drum lamp in a client’s home and I can truthfully say it is even more wonderful in real life.
Amy Butler is, believe it or not, Midwest. Speaking like the native I am, “who’da thunk” such cheerful colors and designs would come from Ohio? Amy Butler’s prints are complex and easy at the same time. I think they are the bomb diggity.
Top Section from left: Multi-Stem Square Shade, Rowen Tree Square Shade, Flower Blossom Wide Shade, Tulip Print Wide Shade, Stem Print Tall Shade, Flower Abacus Tall Shade.
Middle Section from left: Bubbles Fiesta Long Pendant, Brush Strokes Blaze Wide Drum, Mosaic Stripe Red Gold Wide Drum, Mesa Swirls Cube, Big Swirls Cube.
Bottom Section clockwise from top: Ashbury Aqua Sweet Life Bag, Reversible Boxy 8 Pillow, Custom Lamp Shades from Forest, Reversible Horizon 10 Pillow, Reversible Boxy 7 Pillow, Sanibel Nickel Sweet Life Bag.
Wasting time surfing the web–oh, I mean spending some valuable time doing market research–yesterday, I found this unbelievably cool blog. You have to check it out. People write in to share their crazy do overs made from exclusively Ikea items.
Visit Ikea Hacker here.