New Blogs for a New Year Part 2 - A SCHEMATIC LIFE

This is my second post dedicated to new blogs that I found last year and have grown to enjoy more and more every time I read them. My first post introduced you to designer Tobi Fairley's new blog.

Today, meet Michelle Morelan, the very talented artist and designer of A Schematic Life. She is an interior designer based in Vancouver, BC - what is up with these crafty Canadians? They seem to be hogging a lot of the talent out there along with the Aussies!

She has actually been blogging for a while but she blew me away with this rendering that she sent to Decorno in response to a readers design dilemma. I am absolutely in love with her rendering style - it evokes so much emotion and energy.

She works magic with drafting velum, pens, and markers which she uses to give just enough imagery to the space without making it look sterile and two dimensional. She obviously paid close attention in drafting class and must have had some fabulous teachers.

Even her quick renderings have a great flair to them which is hard to achieve on the spot. Good rendering is just as much about what you don't include as what you do and Michelle is very adept at using negative space.

Like many creative talents she sometimes makes remarks about her work in posts indicating that she is not satisfied with her level of competence but I have found that those artists who continually challenge themselves to become better are ussually doing it right in the first place. So many very talented people are truly unaware how remarkable their work is to others. They can't see past the imperfections that they would like to correct. I think her work is fantastic.

Here she is hanging out with some other talented blogging friends from North of the Border; Maria Killiam from Color Me Happy, Nancy Devries of Urban Aesthetics and my online buddy Patricia Gray. How awesome to be able to get a group of gals like this together - I'm so jealous.

Hand rendering is a dying art in our industry and it is a subject that I am very passionate about. Whenever I speak or lecture at trade shows, schools or design centers I try to encourage designers and students to develop their hand sketching skills alongside their CAD and graphic software skills. Both are necessary in our industry but many schools have lost site of teaching these critical fundamentals. It's like teaching math majors only to use a calculator and never showing them how to find the answer to their calculations with their minds.

When you see well done renderings you immediately understand the power that they can convey to the client.

In a recent post Michelle walks her readers through her rendering process, step by step, showing them how she completed the rendering above which features a Nierman Weeks chandelier.

Even her more formal renderings show her personality.

Michelle is also very adept at sketching as she shows by posting excerpts from her sketchbooks filled with images from her travels to Amsterdam.

She posts about other topics on design as well including sharing great sources, products, and personal stories but I am partial to her original renderings because they are so unique to her.

Thank you Michelle for sharing your images and for the inspiration that they have given to those who see them.

I can't wait to see what you draw next.....

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DIY Throw Pillows

This year will see some changes to my little blog, most notably I am going to be documenting my attempt at completing some unfinished decorating projects around my house. (Look for my longest post ever on the subject in a few days and a sneak peek into my seriously neglected house).

I'll also be giving some DIY tips that I've learned from years of doing things the wrong way and then finally figuring out how it's supposed to be done! Trial and error people - there's nothing like it!



I'll be showing you how to make simple things like throw pillows with my favorite trim - rouched welting.

I'll include some great "cheats" that will allow you to spend less time on construction and improve the finished product.


These photos are some pillows I finished last week for my family room sofa. I've had the sofa for over three years and the fabric for the pillows has been sitting in my office staring at me, waiting to be transformed into fluffy back support but somehow I have not found the time to finish them until this week.


I absolutly love combining fabrics and trims for pillow faces but I hate installing zippers. I ussually sew all of my pillow fronts myself and then send the face and back along with whatever trim I will be using to the workroom and have them finish up the boring part.


In future posts I'll be showing you how to use fusable tape to make perfect pillow fronts and attach trim so it won't travel while you sew it.


There is something special about items that you make for your home yourself. They impart a little bit of your personality into your home that store bought or even custom made products don't have.


Once you finish your project ( as long as you don't wait forever like me) you'll enjoy it all the more because you had a hand in producing it.

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Michael S. Smith tapped as Obama Decorater

Mr. Smith Goes To Washington !!!

According to a press alert I just received from Domino Magazine, President and Mrs. Obama have engaged designer Michael S. Smith to redecorate the private quarters of the White House!


Smith is a internationally known designer, manufacturer and author who has been an influential force in interior design for the past decade. Young and vibrant I think he is a fantastic choice for the job. Known for blending contemporary and traditional elements to create rich eclectic interiors, he has the knowledge and experience to maintain the historic character of the first families residence. At the same time he will probably be able to interject the casual elegance he is so well known for.



The private quarters of the White House are not as roomy as I had imagined, in fact they are actually fairly limited. The family is confined to their bedrooms, private dining room and sitting room. It must be a bit like living in a fish bowl.


The newly revamped Lincoln bedroom is used for guests only. It was modified under the Bush family to be more historically correct for it's era.



The Reagan's private residence was very feminine with Nancy at the helm. Hand painted Chinese wallpaper covered the walls with a vision straight out of Hitchcock's - The Birds. There are not any personal mementos that I can see and the room seems a bit hotel like.

The Johnson White House seen above shows single beds pushed together with one unifying upholstered headboard - a la, I Love Lucy. Again, not too many personal touches, you'd think Lady Bird would have made more of a mark.


My favorite are the Kennedy rooms, personal, classic and comfortable, they have the feel of a real home. Family mementos, art and portraits fill the room and tell the story of it's occupants. No sterile hotel layout here.


The happy colors and the imaginative use of fabric on the bed corona and drapery help to soften the large room and make it less cavernous.



This intimate seating arrangement set apart from the rest of the room with a large area rug creates a room within a room. This must have been a safe haven for the family, can't you imagine Caroline and John John playing on the floor with their toys. Check out the fabulous blue crystal chandelier.



The Truman bedroom showed some serious Oriental influences but had a serious scale and proportion problem. Look at the tiny paintings over the furniture. The oriental screen is an odd touch - wonder what was going on behind there?



These beautiful rooms designed by Michael S. Smith show some of the formality mixed with casual comfort that should be present in his White House designs. They look almost Presidential already! Those mirrors practically scream White House.


This bedroom with its stunning hand painted wallpaper could be transported straight into the first families bedroom. I would love to see a draped bed used.


This tailored canopy bed could work although it is a bit casual.



This sitting room has a regal feel to it; I like the subtle coloring used.



Could this be the style for the Presidents personal dining room? It would work.

I hope he uses some fantastic wallpaper. No matter what the finished design I am confident it will be stunning. I can't wait to see it and I hope Domino is still around to show us the finished product. Thanks D for the update and kudos to you Mr. Smith!

Be sure to check out the amazing slide show of Presidential rooms as well as Michael S Smith designed rooms on Domino's site here.

images via Michael S Smith & The White House Historical Society

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New Blogs for the New Year

It's getting pretty crowded out there in cyberspace with new design blogs popping up almost daily. While they are all interesting in their own way and the product of much hard work and effort on the part of the authors, there are a few fresh bloggers who really stand out. Over the next couple of weeks I will share some of them with you.



The first of my new favorites is Tobi Fairley, written by the very talented interior designer of the same name based in Little Rock, Arkansas. Her designs are fresh and on trend but posses a timeless quality that will ensure their lasting beauty. She loves color and contrast and uses it to great effect in her work.

Fairley's own living room

All of her rooms are vibrant and full of energy. Her sense of scale and proportion is finely tuned and she plays these elements with precision.


Natural elements, geometric shapes and bold stripes seem to be a reoccurring theme in her designs.

She seems to be equally adept at traditional and modern styling and blends the two seamlessly in her interiors. I am in love with the drapery heading below - box pleats are extended into a seamed casing that forms a rod pocket casing on each beautifully tailored panel.



The sitting area in this room shows off her rug designing talents. Check out the area rugs in the rest of the pictures - stunning.



The bold geometric pattern on this rug below shows her signature use of large scale pattern.



In the picture below a smaller geometric is used on the sofa with wonderful yellow accents and yet another bold rug.


If you have a few free minutes check out her blog and be sure to scroll down to the posts of her amazing Christmas decorations in her home. Green apples never looked so good.

all images - Tobi Fairley

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