Interior Design 101

Think grammar school.  Pencils, check. Erasers, check. Graph paper, check.  Tracing paper, check.  Architectural scale, check.  Glue stick, check.  You get the picture!  I finally bit the bullet and enrolled in an interior design class at a local college.  I think this is the first time I have taken a class and really (and I mean really) just enjoyed it.  It felt natural although intimidating because I have no experience, but that is why I am there, right? 

The last 30 minutes of class, our instructor handed out her favorite design shelter magazines and told us to browse them and rip out anything that inspires us.  I was like, for real?  I mean this is what I do for ultimate pleasure and now I get to do in class!!  Love it!!

The instructor, an established interior designer, shared a lot of 'sound' advice and many of her sources or as she calls them her "secrets".  It was fun and I'm looking forward to going back next week. 

For homework, we need to pick a room in our house that we want to re-do and the sky is the limit (in terms of budget).  Do you know how foreign that is to me?  I am so use to sourcing items that are budget friendly, I think I am going to get over-whelmed with all the beautiful and amazing furnishings out there. 

All photos from At Home in Fairfield County

But, hey, I'm not complaining.  This is going to be so fun!!  I picked our dining room!!  Woohoo...

Darling Confetti....

Have you seen the Thibaut's new fabric called Marathon?  It reminds me of confetti and I absolutely adore it.

I need to find a place in my home for this new adorable and fun fabric.  On a separate note, come back tomorrow as I have a fun giveaway planned that you won't want to miss!!  Hope you all had a lovely weekend!  Let the week begin!!!

Steele Marcoux's Cottage

In the most recent issue of Southern Living, I was delighted to see a feature on Steele Marcoux's, Coastal Living's design editor, quirky but cheerful cottage.  The thirty month remodeling project produced a stunning 1920's 1800 square foot cottage.  Let's take a peek.

So many things I love.  Where to begin?  I love the custom touch of the full-length lumbar pillow on her  Lee Industries sofa.   She seamlessly mixes high and low end furnishings by pairing her Lee Industries sofa with a West Elm jute rug and Target coffee tables. 

I have to say I haven't always been a huge fan of the honeycomb mirror, but it is perfect in this space!  And, yes it is the Pier 1 version.  Behind the sofa is a black painted console table that she upgraded by placing a mirror (instead of glass) on top of it.  Love that custom touch and all the touches of 'green' especially the green mini shades on the chandelier.  

Traditional meets modern with the antique secretary paired with the lucite stool.  Love it!  Steele lined the inside of the secretary with a cream wallpaper to lighten it up. Brilliant!

I love the color she painted on these walls - grayish pink called Calamine by Farrow & Ball.  I love the camelback sofa paired with the painted cane back chairs and all the pops of pink, green and brown (note the Ziggurat curtain fabric by Quadrille?).  

Love the chinoiserie meets Palm Beach feel of her dining room.  She introduces an unexpected pattern by adding wallpaper which is a great touch.   One of the things I found amazing is that Steele and her husband had almost nothing (very little furniture and small budget) when they moved into this cottage and yet their home looks like it has been lived in and effortlessly collected over years.  It's perfection if you ask me!

Inspiration: Dining Room Turned Leg Table

This weekend I went over to my friend's house to help her with her dining room.  She just moved and is starting from scratch.  She wants to be practical (as she has two very young children) and stick with a dining room table that will weather the storm, accommodate a large party of guests and is fairly traditional.  She has yet to officially define her style.  How many of us can relate to this?  And, until she does, she just wants a practical room that will last a couple of years.  

So, let's introduce the wooden turned leg dining table.  A look she likes.  Here, are some inspiration pictures:

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An espresso stained table matched with simple white side chairs.  The varying shades of wood create depth and interest throughout the room.  

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A fellow blogger's breakfast area.  A farm table paired with her dining room chairs.  Love the citrine and gray color combination - so fresh and clean.  

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My friend is considering an unfinished table where she can pick the stain of her choice.  Here, is an example of a honey stained table with white Gustavian like dining chairs.  The look is casual, but is dressed up with a crystal chandelier and silver accents.  

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Another honey stained table matched with rattan wicker chairs to create a natural and warm look.  I like the addition of the horizontal curtains that add a modern touch. 

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An espresso stained table paired with slipcovered side chairs.  She is not a fan of slipcovered chairs, but I only show this for the table.  

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A sophisticated room touched with a hint of subtlety.    

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A different turned leg table - formal and classic in design.  

So, do you have a turned leg table and how is it used in your design?

Hello 2011!!

So sorry to be 'tardy for the party!'  But, we've had a house full of sick puppies the past couple of days.  BUT, my love for starting the new year has kept me strong - determined to start the year on the right foot.  Here is a glimpse of what I hope to tackle in terms of design for 2011.

1. Finish my office/toy storage room/ guest room.  I resolve to clear clutter, get organized and have a well oiled working machine (ahem..office)!!

2.  Completely redesign our dining room.  It is the last room in our house that has my husband's mark (his decor from pre-marriage days).  And, it is the one room where we do the most activities - eat, crafts, ichat, family discussions, etc.  Go figure!  What was I thinking?

3. Add some finishing touches to our family/living room.  I resolve to have at least one 'finished' room in our house.

4. Complete the renovation on our upstairs bathroom and finally finish my son's room, my upstairs hallway, add some final touches to our kitchen and hang some photo wall galleries.  So, basically every room in our house!! :)

5. Lastly, I'd like to update my blog's look and feel and enroll in a couple of design courses!!  

Here's to all of you - my readers - wishing you the best for 2011!!  I'm amazed each and every time I get a comment - that there are actually people out there taking the time to read my blog!!  Thank you!  And, if you ever find yourself in the CT area, please drop me a line!!    

Catchin' Up

We're in Michigan right now relaxing with family and enjoying the lack of any type of schedule.  Sleeping in, playing ice hockey on the lake, eating home baked cookies and catching up by browsing some of my favorite home decor magazines.  I'm currently loving these pictures - great for some fantastic color inspiration....

SW Meander Blue (#6484)

BM's Wood Grain Brown (#2109-30)

BM's Hawthorne Yellow (#HC-4)

I also was able to catch up on the recent Renovation Style magazine featuring Meg Braff.  Here are two of my favorites pictures of her work...

Lastly, if you ever happen to find yourself in Ann Arbor, MI, you must go to The Treasure Mart.  My sister in law and I went there and it was amazing.  She walked away with a fabulous bamboo dresser for $75.  Not too dissimilar to this......

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I hope you all are having a relaxing holiday week.  I plan to be back in full swing in the New Year!!  Happy New Year's!!  

From Formal to Relaxed...In No Time.

I read an interesting article on Oprah's website (O At Home) which discussed how accessoricies can really transform the feel of a space.  Now for all you designers out there, this is not new news, but for a lot of stay at home moms, new home owners or design enthusiasts, there are some key tips here that can be carried forward to fit any space.  The above is a picture of a family's dining room.  They loved it, but the truth be told, it wasn't practical especially for their toddler aged children.  They quickly realized that they needed to change things fast so their whole family could enjoy it.  So, they hired a stylist to help. 

So, what did the stylist do to make this space more relaxing?  First, he started with the rug and drapes.  Do you notice the sisal rug? - a family friendly option that brings instant casual chicness to the space. He then added  linen shades which immediately softened the room.  These 2 subtle changes transformed the space immediately.  Then, he added a linen PB table runner, an oversized centerpiece to break up the intimidatingly banquet - like dining room table and a lot of greenery.  Yes, plants do bring life to a room!  Personally, I also like how he broke up the symmetry and hung a painting below one of the wall sconces; it immediately adds interest and brings down the formality a notch.  The lucite console brings in the fun factor and modernizes the room while keeping your interest level up!! All in all, I think it is much more inviting and welcoming room. Let's take a look at their living room, shall we?

Beautiful furnishings, but a little sterile, huh?  Let's see what the stylist did to add some life to this space.

Ahh..much more relaxed!  I like it....again, he started with the rug and window treatments.  He decided to add a geometrically Jonathan Adler patterened rug on top of a sisal rug.  The sisal rug brings in the casualness and the geometric rug adds interest.  He hung linen shades to soften up the room.  He changed the coffee table which is a better fit scale-wise. Notice how he hung abstract paintings  below the sconces?  It adds more depth and sophistication to the room.

My favorite part is that added some animal prints to bring some 'fun' in the space.  The great things about animal prints is that they are great neutrals and will look in a lot of spaces. The room was given a more "lived in feel" by adding a couple more pieces of furniture - the Stella shelves by Oly and a Jonathan Adler floor lamp. 

What I love about this family's living and dining room transformations is that it has gone from formal traditional to casual tradition by just adding accessories.  I mean how easy is it for all of us to take away some of these tips and apply it to our own homes?  The best part of the article was when the client said she is 'shedding' her textbook ideas of how a house should look!  Amen, to that!  A living and dining room is not just for company - it is a place where your whole family can and should enjoy!

Annsley Interiors

Every once and a while, I like to profile an interior designer's work as a way to capture my favorite designs and designers.  Annsley McAlleer is no exception.  

The styling of these bookcases are perfection.  Notice the small nesting lucite tables?  How about the fabric on the chairs?  Looks like Albert Hadley's Fireworks for Hinson & Company?  Love it.

Who doesn't love a banquette with a zinc pedestal table and a chippendale chair?  Oh, and of course, french doors!

So relaxed, adorable and functional!  

I love the blue & green color combination! 

So serene!  Blue and yellow - I love it.  I'm curious as to what fabric she used for the curtains?

I love the sconce she chose for this bathroom!

I can't tell if the color palette is blue and green or black and green.  Either way, I love it.  Very dramatic.  All the above pictures are from Domino where they featured Annsley's home in Boston.  

Do you spy a blue ghost chair, David Hicks La Fiorentina pillow and I believe Alan Campbell's zig zag fabric on the chair?  I do!!  Hope you enjoyed her portfolio as much I did!!  To see more, go here.  

Southern Exposure's Amazing 'Before & After'

If you haven't been introduced to Rachel's blog, Southern Exposure, you're missing out!  This is not the first time I've posted about her work.  I am consistently impressed by her talent and the level of difficulty of her DIYs.  This most recent one had me saying, 'Wowsers!'  Check it out:
She scored a dining room cabinet from a local shop in her home town.  She was intrigued by the cabinet because it was well made and had good bones.  'Before':

The upper cabinets (there are two of them) sit upon the base.  Not really into the greek gods pictured on the cabinet panels, she knew she had her work cut out for her.  Now, let's see the 'After': 

Can you believe it?  Is that even the same cabinet?  She replaced the greek god, glass panels with mirrors.   Her husband made the moldings on top of the mirrors.  I make it sound so easy!

One of the upper cabinets folds down like a secretary which she lined with imperial trellis and made into a bar!  Brilliant!

Amazing, if you ask me!  Please check out the rest of her DIY project here (I really don't do it justice).  And, if you're interested in more 'Before & Afters', check out Design Refuge's September challenge!  

Happy Weekend, All!  Anyone working on some 'Before & Afters" this weekend??  I am.....

Guest Blogging

Be sure to stop over by Strictly Simple Style today, where I am guest blogging about adding a little kid resilient fabric (a.k.a. oilcloth) to your decor!!

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