Pretty Pumpkins

Here's inspiration for your holiday decorating.  You can also check out last year's Autumn Decor post for more great pictures.

Southern Living

Martha Stewart

Southern Living

Martha Stewart

Southern Living

Sunset

Martha Stewart

Better Homes and Gardens

Sunset

Martha Stewart

Recent Project: Traditional Updated

For a recent project, my client and I made some relatively small changes that made a big impact to several rooms in her home.   I couldn't wait to see her home today and take all these pictures of the transformation.   If you like before and after shots, you'll enjoy these pictures!  Click on the pictures to enlarge...

My client did have some wonderful furniture and accessories to start with.  In fact, I convinced her a new sofa was not needed.  It was in great shape and to replace it with something of equal quality would have cost a lot more money then to reupholster.   The picture above is an "AFTER" shot.  The rug, drapery, and artwork were to stay.  We reupholstered the couch with a soft chenille that had a subtle geometric pattern, added some pillows, found coffee tables on Craig's List and had them repainted, added a mirror to the top of the side table and found a new shade for the lamp!

Below are the "BEFORE" pictures.  Flower fabric on couch...gone!  Large glass coffee table with sharp corners...gone!  Lamp shade too big for the lamp...gone!

Here's a "BEFORE" picture of the coffee tables before they were painted.  Great design but the orange had to go...

So much better.  My client loves animal prints so we added some cheetah pillows too! 

On the opposite wall from the couch we wanted to create a seating area plus add a gallery of photographs showcasing all the great places my client has traveled too around the world.  Below we started to map out where to place the photos.  

Below is the finished result.  The white floral fabric on the chair was replaced with a cool chevron fabric!  A pillow with chevron fabric was added to the english regency chair but we were careful not to detract from the chair's pretty wood details.  The gallery is complete.  Her pictures of the far east are amazing!

Below is a close up of the chevron fabric on the queen anne chair.  The pillow was made with the couch fabric.  If you look close, you can see the geometric design.  My upholsterer did a great job.  

Here's a "BEFORE" picture with piano in the corner.  We centered it on the far wall which made for a better focal point.

Here's the "AFTER" picture.  We relocated artwork to above the piano and added some pretty accessories.  The piano bench was recovered in cheetah fabric which will hid more then the previous white fabric.  

My client converted her TV cabinet into a bar.  She added a mirror to the back of the cabinet which really opens up the space. Very cool.

 

Now for the dining room....  Here's an "AFTER" picture (sorry... no "before" pics for this room).  A shiny brass chandelier was replaced with this wood ball and bronze chandelier.  The dining room chairs were recovered in a mini chevron fabric.  Floral print drapery panels were added.

Artwork and accessories were rearranged...

A view of the dining room from the kitchen...

In the kitchen, glass accent tile was added throughout.  It transformed the look of the kitchen...

Here's another picture of the tile.  It's even prettier in person!

In the master bedroom, this window needed some help.  Here's the "BEFORE" picture.

Here's the "AFTER" picture.  A custom flat roman shade was made of white linen with a chocolate brown linen banding.    

Traditional furniture with classic details never go out of style!  As long as you buy good quality furniture to begin with you can refresh them over the years with fabric and paint and make them look current.

I'm thrilled with how everything turned out for this project but, more importantly, my client loves the results.

It was a good day!

Steve Jobs and "Good Taste"

Before my thoughts on Steve Jobs and taste...a short note to my email subscribers.  When you receive your email, please click on the title of my post to see the entire post.  This link will bring you to my blog website.  Please email me if you have any questions.

This is really going to show my age but my first experience with a Mac was in college.  The "computer room" had a PC side and a Mac side.  I choose the PC side so used PCs until my first job required I use a Mac.  I had to pull my Mac on a luggage cart to visit clients!  Since then I've never been able to go back to the PC (at least personally).  Today, I'm a proud owner of a iphone, ipad and MacBook Pro, which I now carry to client meetings in a purse!

Over the past 24 hours, I've learned how important "taste" was to Steve Jobs.  According to the NY Times, he used the word "taste" frequently.  He said, "Great products were a triumph of taste...of trying to expose yourself to the best things humans have done and then trying to bring those things into what you are doing."   He was a marketing genius.  He was able to simplify complex, highly engineered products into easy-to-use products that were simply beautiful.

I do believe "taste" is very subjective.  But I also believe to have "good taste", whether it be in music, fashion, or interior design, you need to experience lots of great music, fashion or interior design. You need to study the details and fine tune your senses for what works or doesn't work.    The people in my life who I consider to have great taste are passionate about their pursuits and continue to improve upon their great taste with more experience.

In honor of  Steve Jobs, below I've included pictures of interiors, all with the iconic "mac".  Enjoy!

Mark Cravotta

Feldman Architecture

Urban Homes, NY

Red Jet Whistle

Frisson

Valerie Pasquiou

If you would like help turning your home into one you love, please contact me about design services.

Have a great weekend!

Fallingwater

Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece, Fallingwater,  is having a big birthday...75 years!  This beautiful home is the ultimate example of integrating a home with it's surroundings.  I have not seen it personally but that is going to change soon...a day trip with the family is being planned to Mill Run, Pennsylvania!

Enjoy these beautiful pictures taken by Christopher Little for a new book to commemorate Fallingwater's 75th anniversary.  Click on the picture to enlarge...

Have a great weekend!

Interior Design Lesson with "Sophisticated Global" Style

If you follow my Facebook Page, you already know I'm a big fan of the WSJ's Design and Decoration column.   I enjoy reading this column every Saturday and learn something new each week.  Last Saturday, WSJ highlighted designer, Jeffrey Bilhuber, who is considered one the greatest designers of our time.  

In this article, there were two quotes that really resonated with me ..."his rooms are reflections of personal histories and family life, not grand gestures of presentation.  In other words, decorating with soul."  The other quote was by one of his clients "Good decorators know how to assert their vision, but great ones know how to assert their clients".  I love this quote...a great goal to strive for!  In Mr. Bilhuber's new book, "The Way Home", every home has it's own personality.

I get asked all the time by potential clients what is my style...hmmm...I wonder, should I really tell them...will it scare them away because it's not what they like?   I'm still perfecting my answer, but it goes something like this...I love lots of different styles (the very eclectic look in my home is proof) but I try to have the client's personality, style, house and existing treasures reveal the style.  What a designer should do is apply good design principles and elements.  For instance, a designer should ensure their design follows these five (abstract) principles:  scale (i.e. your sofa isn't too large for your room), proportions (i.e. the valance is not too long for your window), balance (i.e. furniture and accessories are arranged in a way that makes sense), rhythm (i.e. there is some repetition but with an element of surprise so you don't get bored),  emphasis (i.e. every great room needs a great focal point), and harmony (combination of items in a room are pleasing).  The more specific elements of a design ensure that these principles are met.  The elements include space, shape, form, mass, line, texture, pattern, light, and color.  These principles and elements are applied universally and should be considered for every style!

Below are some rooms with a "sophisticated global" style.   This style just happens to be one of my favorites which I'll use to show how these universal design principles and elements are applied...

Katie Leede

Would this space look as good if you took away the three square pillows on the settee? I don't think so.  It would make the large painting look out of scale with the settee.  But by adding the three large pillows, it changes the overall scale of the settee so it works with the painting.  Also, the designer could have included a settee without exposed legs and fully upholstered to the floor to give the it more mass.  I'm guessing this is an entry or stair landing, so a smaller space.  The open, or negative, space below the settee keeps the space feeling more open.

Katie Leede

I would say that the emphasis, or focal point, of this room is the outside view through the window.  In other rooms, it can be a fireplace, a piece of art, or entertainment center.  I'm guessing the designer selected a more neutral color scheme so your eye would be drawn to this outdoors and not distracted by the interiors.  Even the lamp's shape and form, the side table's shape and texture, and chair fabric's pattern remind you of the outdoors, making this space harmonious.

Katie Leede

In this room there are lots of square shapes...artwork, table, chairs.  So we definitely have rhythm with repetition of the square shape.  However, the rug's irregular shape adds some variety so we don't get bored.

Katie Leede

Here's another good example of scale.  If the white chair was shorter and without arms it would look too small next to the large armoire.  The chair's white color even makes the chair appear larger.

Kristen Buckingham

Above is a good sample of balance that is achieved with the symmetrical arrangement of the beds, lamps, and artwork.   This symmetrical balance feels more formal and orderly. If you want a more informal room then use asymmetrical balance.

Peter Dunham

Here's another room with symmetrical balance.  This room also has a monochromatic color scheme for the most part.  I know the pillows bring a little color and pattern but basically the room has mostly browns.  Why does it work?  Texture.  The natural fiber shades, the wood chairs,  the upholstered bench setting, even the tufted seats add texture.  If the bench seats had not been tufted, the room would probably look dull.  If the chairs had been upholstered, there wouldn't be enough variety of materials.  Having the contrast of wood color between the chairs and table add interest too but notice the chair's wood color still tie back to the shades, providing harmony.

Katie Leede

Above, the room reminds of the land and the sea due to its colors and textures.  It's hard to go wrong when we draw inspiration for our natural surroundings.  The orchid in the clam pot is the punctuation mark for the look!

Daniel Sachs

This room has more pattern and color then I usually care for in a room.  However, the designer offsets all the pattern and color with simple white walls and artwork that visually gives your eyes a rest with the repetition of the artwork's arrangement and subdued colors used.  Masterful!

I hope I've given you some tips you can take away for designing your own spaces!