Friday, 31 October 2008

Put A Cork On It

No comments  

I've always been a fan of the cork / ribbon board. I love to look at what people put up as inspiration and their personal mementos. Here are some great examples of using them as a focal point.

This is an awesome application in formal panels above the breakfast table. What a great way to communicate with your family. Every member could have their own section.

Allesandra Branca - a fan of the ribbon board

Another Branca board

Love these alternatives to cork - clipboards and chicken wire and clothes pins , Who knew!

The top board is made from actual corks! You'd certainly have fun drinking all the bottles of wine you'd need to make this one.

How many of us grew up sticking pictures and notes to our vanity mirror? Here's a grown up version. I love it.

Wall pockets are a new trend. Very tailored and great for the neat freak who cannot tolerate the chaos of a conventional board.

No matter how you pull it off, inspiration, message or memento boards are a great personal touch to any interior.

Tuesday, 28 October 2008

More Things I'm Grateful For - Cheese

No comments  


Recently, I posted a list of things I was grateful for now that our country is broke. I’ve received so many emails and messages regarding this post that I thought I would share some of my thoughts about it.

I was surprised to see that, like me, although people are very nervous about their financial certainty, there is a pervading sense of deep relief among those who sent me messages. Many people are finding that they have been living a life that has been dictated by their peers. They shop, primp, eat and socialize not for themselves but to keep from being trampled under the stiletto clad, manicured feet of the millions of other wannabe’s they are racing against. In a society where the brand of your purse and sunglasses has become more important than your intellect or personality, the pressure of keeping up with the Jones’s has left us ready to blow! Now, impending financial doom has made it ok and even stylish to throw aside some of our materials trappings and focus on - dare I say it – living within our means!!!!!



Margie Boulé a columnist for The Oregonia, the daily paper in Portland, Oregon wrote me to say she read my post and was inspired to write this column in which she fondly remembers leaner times in her life.

She writes, “When my Volkswagen bug broke down, it sat parked in front of my tiny apartment for months, because I couldn't afford to have it repaired. I once ate cheese for two days because it was the only thing left in my refrigerator. It was one of the happiest times of my life. My friends and I spent a lot of time together. We had spontaneous, outlandishly creative parties. We shared food. We laughed all the time.”

I think we Americans have been falling down drunk on excess and materialism and we are just now beginning to sober up and see what fools we made of ourselves dancing on the table at the office party.

We are joining together in a collective sigh of relief that the constant pressure to have more, buy more, get more, is finally easing up. Now we can look forward to getting back to life as it should be, guided by a bit of sober reality that will keep us in check and hopefully prevent us from reverting back to our old ways when things pick up.



Thanks Margie...

Monday, 27 October 2008

Window of the Week

No comments  
I love this cornice and balloon shade. They are the perfect adornment for this beautiful bathtub view. Makes you want to add bubbles and soak.

Update: I am so excited to learn from a reader, The Collettes, that her mother is the artisan who made this treatment! It's much easier to identify the designer at times than the workroom that actually makes these designs come to life. Without a talented workroom good design would be impossible.

Sunday, 26 October 2008

Cascade Coil - New Age Drapery

No comments  


Over the past few years I have seen many applications of , wire fabrics, chain mail or beaded string draperies or room dividers in stark modern interiors of restaurants or nightclubs. Recently I ran across these installations from Cascade Coil that use the product in an almost warm and cozy way.



The soft draping of these long panels surrounds each booth providing the hint of privacy and intimacy without isolation.




I love the way the product has been used in this residential application. Separate panels are juxtaposed to provide separation while maintaining an open feel to the loft space.


The creative mind never ceases to amaze me. Just when you think you have a particular product figured out someone will come up with a whole new way to use it.

Friday, 24 October 2008

Wednesday, 22 October 2008

Which Blue Will Do?

No comments  
Ok my bloggers, I need help!!! I'm trying to decide which Robert Allen fabric to use as the background on the cover of my new book. I've narrowed it down to eight choices all in various shades of blue. ( Yes, I know they are sort of boring but the idea is to be classic and timeless and to not detract from the illustrations and look similar to the first book - Ugh) The illustrations and graphics on these mock ups will be changed so this is not the final cover design. I will draw a main image that will coordinate and contrast with the background once it is selected.

Please, please, please, comment and give me your opinions, which one do you like?


Choice #1


Choice #2


Choice #3


Choice #4



Choice #5



Choice #6



Choice #7



Choice #8


Here is a side by side comparison.

Thanks for your help................

Tuesday, 21 October 2008

Monday, 20 October 2008

,

Better Homes & Gardens, meet Walmart

No comments  

It seems that BH&G has climbed aboard the over sized Walmart bandwagon. I know many of you have very strong feelings (many justifiably so) about the retail mega-giant and it's policies here and abroad. I personally do not answer the "attention Walmart shoppers" call to arms (I'm a Target addict) but I am curious to know more about this seemingly odd pairing. Walmart has purchased the Hearst publications (BH&G's parent co) 30 Days of Home Magazine which it will use to promote it's new line of home furnishings, so the segue into branded furnishings seems a natural progression for the two. I just wonder how this partnership will affect the BH&G's brand. Even Martha Stewart couldn't make a profit on the sale of her products at K-Mart but raked in a mint due to the solid nature of her contract.


The tag line in their ads in House Beautiful is:
"Make my bedroom look like a picture in a magazine and not lose sleep over the price."


I must say that judging from the very few products that I could find on the Walmart website there is no clear brand signature to these items. I put together the combinations shown here - there is no cross product marketing that I could see. It seems to be a jumble of the same product style and quality that you would already find at Walmart and does not seem to have a strong brand image or increased quality that you would expect from a BH&G product.


I will have to take a closer look at how it is displayed in the store but I think they may have missed the boat on creating a "collection". Perhaps they should have taken some lessons from Martha Stewart - at least you could immediately tell which products were hers at Kmart.

Let me know if what you think about these products if you take a trip to the Big W anytime soon.....

Saturday, 18 October 2008

Friday, 17 October 2008

Thursday, 16 October 2008

AMBER ALERT - Las Vegas

No comments  


Law enforcement officials are broadening their search for 6-year-old Cole Puffinburger, who was kidnapped at gunpoint from his northeastern Las Vegas Valley home Wednesday morning.

An Amber Alert was issued for the child at noon Wednesday. Puffinburger is described as 3-foot-11, weighs about 48 pounds and wears silver-rimmed glasses. He was last seen wearing a black John Cena WWE wrestling shirt, dark jeans and a black, zippered, hooded sweatshirt with white, black and blue stars decorating it, and tennis shoes with a white stripe



Up to three men knocked on the door at the child's home posing as police officers, police said. After entering the home, they tied up the child's mother and her boyfriend, then ransacked the house, police said. When they didn't find money, they took Cole Puffinburger and left.



The suspects are described as Hispanic, and one is described as in his 30s, weighing about 150 pounds with long, slicked-back dark hair.



Anyone who sees Cole Puffinburger is asked to call 911

Sunday, 12 October 2008

,

Come See Me at the World Market Center

No comments  
If you are looking for some fresh inspiration I will be a featured speaker at a special event at 11:00 a.m. onTuesday, Oct. 14 at the new Las Vegas World Market Design Center. I'm giving a seminar on current window treatments trends and construction. It should be a fun and informative event and it's followed by a hosted luncheon. The schedule also includes an in depth seminar on choosing the correct fabrics for upholstery and draperies sponsored by Robert Allen in their beautiful new showroom. There will also be seminars taking place in several other showrooms and the day long event will be followed up by a cocktial hour. I'd love to see you there....


The World Market Center has been growing in size and showroom space since it's groundbreaking several years ago. The photo above shows it's current configuration which includes three enormous buildings and a new parking garage.


This model shows an approximate view of the completed project which will consist of 8 buildings totalling more than 12 million square feet of state-of-the-art exhibit space on 57 acres in downtown Las Vegas. It's hard to believe that this huge complex is going up in my own back yard after years of schlepping across the country to High Point!

Friday, 10 October 2008

,

Since we're broke I'm thankful that:

No comments  

As our country and the entire world are headed for a serious "financial slump" ( more like a spiraling nose dive) I am thankful for the following:

  • I have been poor before and I am confident I could do it again in style.
  • I am an expert seamstress and could make fashionable clothing and home decor out of a potato sack (do they still have those? - I might have to use hefty bags)
  • I'm not a highfalutin gourmet - I can get by on tuna and crackers with the occasional pasta dish or peanut butter & jelly sandwich thrown in.
  • I never got on the Starbucks train so I won't miss my expensive daily coffee fix.
  • I don't drink alcohol at home so my happy hour won't be affected.
  • I have already lost my girlish figure so shopping is not really a priority for me, I won't miss the mall.
  • I work at home so gas is not an issue - I only need to make it a few blocks away to the local grocery store.
  • I have enough crap in my garage for a thousand yard sales that could generate some serious cash if I ever got off my butt to sort it all out. That day may be coming!


Things I can't live without:
  • Diet coke with crushed ice
  • Work
  • Scented candles
  • Never ending home improvement projects
  • The internet
  • TV
  • Electricity
  • Air conditioning & heat
  • Toilet Paper

Have a great weekend - Spend sometime being thankful instead of worrying.

Tuesday, 7 October 2008

Window Treatments - A New Installation

No comments  
I've shown many of my illustrations of window treatments to you all on this blog but I haven't posted many pictures of my designs. There are a couple of reasons for this. 1. I am a terrible photographer and all of my pictures come out dark, overexposed, or blurry. 2. I am a terrible stager and there is always something out of place in the photo. 3. I am so busy working that I forget to take good pictures until it's too late. Any of these sound familiar?

These photos are of a house that I am just finishing up. The draperies went in last week and they are still being tweaked. They are typical of many of my designs using layered construction and integrating unusual elements.


This treatment has an upholstered cornice base that has been embellished with a large ornate scroll made of resin and painted to match the interior of the room. This is part of a three piece wall decor arrangement by Uttermost. The matching piece is used on the other window and the center section is hung on the wall in the theater. I always try to impress on designers that they can look beyond the obvious for materials and hardware to make their designs stand out.


The raised side panels are hung over the top of the cornice at each side of the scroll work. I like to create interesting shapes in my designs that add architectural weight to the room as well as movement and variety. The key to elaborate designs like these is to create a harmonious balance that enhances the style of the room without becoming overbearing.




These treatments are in the great room and again are a typical example of my work. In this design scrolls and medallions are added to create an interesting shape to the bottom of the cornice. A large tassel hangs at the center to bring the eye into the middle of the window. Small medallions are mounted at the base of each pleat to balance the weight of the intricate scrolls below. A shirred border is placed at the top to emphasize the shape and to create a focal point at the top of the treatment.

On the other side of the great room this bay window is dressed with a more casual treatment that blends nicely with the formal cornices. This design repeats the same fabrics and elements; layered treatments, arched lines, and tassels at the center. By adding a decorative rod and rings the design is brought down a notch and it appears to be more relaxed.


Attention to detail when designing and specifying window treatments is the key to success. Small tassels wrapped around each pleat, a finished return, contrasting welting and trim - they all add up to a beautiful finished product.


Don't be afraid to try something new or unusual. Sticking to the basics can be a safe bet but sooooooo boring! Live a little!