29 August 2012

spotlight on... Jacobsen's egg chair

Arne Jacobsen was a Danish architect and designer famous for his furniture designs of the 50's, such as the iconic egg chair.  

House and Home
Jacobsen created the egg chair and swan chair as part of designing the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen from 1956-1960. Jacobsen was a proponent of proportion, as is seen in all of his designs, including the egg chair. 

jacobsen egg chair
Design Sponge
Though always a classic, the egg chair has recently once again experienced a surge in popularity, with new takes on the fabric or leather covering. I've noticed that Restoration Hardware has their version front and centre in their Fall store display. 

Restoration Hardware
Here are a few others that are pretty groovy. 

modern egg chair
Design Within Reach

Hive Modern

Occa-Home

Gotta keep my eyes open for a vintage one...

28 August 2012

small room of the week

I'm in love with this small home office, as seen in Elle Decor, by homeowner and designer Claudia Benvenuto. Claudia refreshed her small Craftsman style home and made the small rooms work by keeping it simple. I love the personality injected into this office through vintage pieces. Space is maximized by building in a tall bookcase, and a spacious feel is created with white paint, white curtains and glass closet doors. Lovely.


27 August 2012

a little pretty to begin the week

Happy Monday friends. I came across this picture while browsing for inspiration on Sunday and adore it so much that I felt I should share. This is the perfect little vignette- a vintage console table, small touches of gold, silver and bronze all mixed together, and set against a wonderful traditional print wallpaper. Even though its very vintage and classic, it still feels so modern and fresh. Do you agree? 

vintage vignette
House to Home
Have a great week everyone. 

Need some ideas for designing or redesigning your home? Contact me about online design for only $150.

24 August 2012

pick one: wallpaper choice for bedroom

I've got a new client who's excited about refreshing her master bedroom into a statement room. So we are going with wallpaper on the wall behind her bed and now have a tough choice to make. I've created design boards for 3 options below, and you can see that the whole room changes around this one decision. She has dark bedroom furniture, bedding will be white and we are building a headboard.  The rest will change based on the walls. 

So which would you choose? 





22 August 2012

hang in there, summer

Does anyone else sense a faint whisper of Fall weather? I don't really mind - it's my favourite time of year. But I could use just a couple more weeks of Summer. You? 






All images via Skonahem

Need some ideas for designing or redesigning your home? Contact me about online design for only $150.

20 August 2012

monday refresh: find a new artist

Sometimes refreshing your space is as simple as finding a new (to you) artist whose work makes you smile. If you are able to put an original piece in your home, great. If not, creating a new screensaver or printing out a 8 x11 copy to pin on an inspiration board will do the trick. 

I'm loving the work of Philip Barlow right now. 
Happy Monday all. 







Need some ideas for designing or redesigning your home? Contact me about online design for only $150.

16 August 2012

room of the week: black and white living room

Yep, you guessed it. Another simple beauty with lots of white, black, natural accents and modern design. I love the sleek lines of the mid-century modern inspired stools and paint-dipped table. Also love that the fireplace was painted out in a crisp white, and that the entertainment equipment is hidden in a minimalist white unit hung on the wall. The cowhide rug, layered amongst others creates a sense of warmth and personality.

modern living room
Jennifer Hagler via Houzz
Thanks to Kelly at Jax Does Design for bringing this to my attention (you know I love my black and white rooms!).

15 August 2012

black and white day 18

The room: loft bathroom of Elizabeth Hanson.
The style: calm, white, airy and natural.
The verdict: perfection.


Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles


Need some ideas for designing or redesigning your home? Contact me about online design for only $150.

14 August 2012

side-table upcycled DIY makeover

Yesterday I revealed a beach-glam bedroom refresh


Because the budget was low, I needed to be creative in coming up with furniture options. A side table with storage was a requirement, so I tracked down a fantastic but cheap old chest at a garage sale. My client couldn't believe I could turn this ugly laminate box into something befitting the glamorous guest room she envisioned. Oh, how I love freaking out rookies. 

Here is what we picked up for $3.50. 


Here is what it looks like now. 


I removed the hardware, used wood filler to fix some dents, and lightly sanded down the laminate wood finish. I then spray painted it with two coats of white enviro-friendly Krylon H2O paint (about $10). As I always do, I put 3 coats of water-based high-gloss urethane on top. Then I added shiny new oversized knobs picked up at IKEA for $10. 



Easy-peesy! And she doubted me. Pfft. :) 

13 August 2012

beach-glam guest bedroom: before and after

A little while back I told you I was working with a client on turning her blank slate spare room into a glamorous guest bedroom with a light and chic beachy vibe. You can check out the design board here.  Now take a look at how it turned out. 



Both she and I are very pleased with the results, even though it is a bit different than the design board. The slight change was driven by the wallpaper that we found, which kept a neutral colour instead of bringing in turquoise. This was a good idea because it blended well with the beige walls and carpeting in the room. We therefore had free reign to use turquoise in the curtains and accessories. We kept it simple though, since it's a small room and she wanted to achieve a calm feeling. 


The total budget for this project was $500, and we began with only a bed and frame. First, we built a headboard by cutting six 21" squares from plywood and covering them with foam, batting and discount fabric. Each board was tufted with a large fabric-covered button by threading it through the back of the board and tying it off. Each board is secured to the wall with industrial strength velcro strips. 


Next was a bedside table. This was a garage sale find for only $3.50! A little paint and new hardware does wonders. See tomorrow for the before and after on this. (here you go)



We also found a wicker stool while garage sale-ing as well as a paddle that we painted white. Another great $1 thrift find was the hurricane lantern that was then filled with sand and shells. 



The fabulous turquoise curtains were hugely discounted because of a small tear which is undetectable when the panels are kept drawn to the sides. The bedding was a splurge- after all, you want your guests to feel pampered. 



The result is a hugely different room than when we began. 
What do you think? 

11 August 2012

Olympic art # 7

As we say goodbye to the spectacular London2012 Games, here is a sampling of official Olympic Games posters. I hope you've enjoyed seeing the interesting Olympic artwork here over the past couple of weeks - I know I've enjoyed finding it! 

via
via


10 August 2012

trend to try: mixed metals

This year is the year for mixing metals in your home, and what better time to be inspired than during the Olympics? The past few days I've posted some great photos using bronze, silver and gold separately. Now, here are some ideas for making them work together. Very modern, don't you think? OK, go mix it up.

Greg Natale

Knock on Wood Design, via House & Home

Hecker Guthrie via 79 Ideas

House & Home
Southern Living

Sally Wheat Interiors
Lonny

photo by Michael Graydon

Lonny

Lonny

photo by Michael Graydon