Pantone 2012 Color of the year

Pantone has recently announced it's choice for 2012 Color of the Year.  For those of you who are not familiar, Pantone is the world-renowned authority on color.  In 1963, Lawrence Herbert, Pantone's founder, created an innovative system for identifying, matching and communicating colors to solve the problems associated with producing accurate color matches in the graphic arts community.  This innovation allowed those in creative fields, especially digital, to have a true match for colors across the board.  Each year Pantone chooses a color of the year and that choice effects trends we as consumers see in fashion, interior design and digital technology.  

The 2012 color of the year is Tangerine Tango.  It is a spirited reddish orange that inspires energy and vitality.  Expect to see this color moving forward in the next year and perhaps consider how you might incorporate it into your own home.  Pillows, bedding and table top accessories are all great options for ways to use this fun pop of color.

Creating a Fall Tablescape

With the changing temperatures, now is a great time to think about fall entertaining.  Today I wanted to offer a bit of inspiration on creating a fall tablescape.  I remember Martha Stewart once said that she never set the same table twice.  Well of course she didn't, but not all of us have a dish room!  Here I have used folliage and accessories to expand on a table setting that starts with white dinner plates.  Table runners, chargers and napkin rings can be used to easily transform what would otherwise be an ordinary place setting.

Centerpieces can be expensive and often distract from dinner conversation.  In this case several low containers create one continuous presentation.  To ovoid excessive cost, use items that you have on hand.  For this table I gathered fallen acorns to add to existing hurricanes and placed fall hydrangea blooms in silver julip cups.  The whole look creates a soothing autumnal backdrop for a cozy dinner party.

The Look for Less

I am always excited to share a good bargain.  Today I want to pass along a great find that I have had fun using in some of my interiors.  Recently, Mongolian Lamb pillows keep showing up in all sorts of chic interiors.  I like to use these pillows in bedrooms to add a sexy softness, or to any room that I think needs a little luxury.  

Here you can see I have used one of these pillows in a model home I staged.  In this case I think it just takes the room up a notch and adds some unexpected softness to a modern aesthetic.   Always trying to keep budget in mind for my design clients as well as myself, I wondered if there was a way to get this same look for less. 

These pillows are regularly seen for $54 on up.  But I found a bargain look a like floating around target for only $14.99, and if you shop online right now it's only $11.99! 

I am happy with the quality of the target pillow too.  Just recently, I was shopping in the gifts department at Nordstrom only to find an exact look a like to the target pillow with a $58 price tag.  Check it out and add some chic to your space!

Home Decor Shopping Made Simple and Affordable

I don't know about you, but I have never been too impressed with online member only shopping sites.  They either seemed too outrageously expensive, or items that I would never buy.  This is not the case with Joss & Main.  They feature furniture, lighting, rugs and home accessories.  The sales all run for three days, but as I found out, the good stuff goes fast!  I'm addicted to this site. I find myself waking up in the morning to check my email and find out what the new sales are on that day.  What I like about Joss & Main is that they do the leg work for me.  They feature unique items at amazing prices, and since it isn't mass retail you aren't likely to see what you buy showing up in all of your neighbors homes.  Check out some of the great items I have found on this site.

There are new sales every day and many items you won't want to miss.  Use this link to sign up and start shopping today!

West Elm Fall Preview

If you're like me you're not even thinking about Fall.  Well not so for the folks at West Elm who have recently released a preview of their Fall collection to the Trade.  Even if you're not a big fan of modern design, many of their pieces will work in transitional or even traditional interiors.  Two of my new favorites are in the picture above:  the Cabriole Leg Desk and the Horse Bookends.  Check out the entire collection of new arrivals.

Elle Decor Showhouse

via Elle Decor

I wanted to share the living room space of this years Elle Decor Modern Life Concept House.  This room was designed by Carrier and Company and showcases many clever space saving ideas.

Carrier and Company used pops of yellow much like that of the yellow forecast for 2011 in the Benjamin Color Trends seminar I attended.  The yellow juxtaposed to the grey beige walls gives the room a fresh and modern look.  Since the home is in NYC, the designers used bookcases to house book collections, storage and a cocktail bar.  Multifunctional furniture is a must in small space interiors.

The view from this side of the room shows how a chaise lounge was used along with a table to create a multipurpose space.  By using glass and mirror, the designers expand the visual space and create a energetic and practical living room.  The arcing lamp over the table is the perfect choice in such a space.

Design your own Fabric

Design, like so many things these days, has come a long way in the last few years.  There are many tools out there that help us such as 3D Room Designers, Color Preview software and online access to design experts.  I learned of one site recently that intrigued me and I thought I would share it with my readers.  


It's called Spoonflower and their easy to use website allows visitors to design their own fabric.  Now I know most people will not find this quite as exciting as I do.  While other little girls were playing softball and pretending to be Wonder Woman, I was making doll clothes on my first little Singer.  However, just imagine the possibilities!  Any pattern you have access to or design can be made into pillows, drapes or napkins to help customize a room.  Not to mention how fun this site could be for quilters, especially landscape quilters needing to find just the right pattern and color.

The process is extremely simple.  All you need to do is upload an image and the software on the site will show you how the pattern will repeat on the fabric.  In this case, I chose a bold pattern from a Jonathan Adler notebook and scanned it into my computer.  I cropped the image and uploaded it to the Spoonflower site.  The resulting fabric I created can be produced in many different sizes and weights.  If you want to make drapes or pillows you would order either Linen Cotton Canvas or Upholstery Weight Twill, while napkins would be fine made from Quilting weight cotton.  Even if you don't sew, you can have these items made for you at either a dry cleaner or by a good tailor.

Margarita on the Rocks

Since it's Friday I thought I would post my favorite margarita recipe - enjoy!

Margarita on the Rocks

1 oz. Rose's Lime Juice

1 oz. Triple Sec

2 1/2 oz. 100% Agave Tequila 

5 oz. Sweet & Sour

Put all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.  Shake until nice and cold and serve over ice.

2011 Color Trends

As part of the design trade community, I recently had the opportunity to attend a Benjamin Moore 2011 Color Trends seminar.  This is the third one of these types of events that I have attended, but I have to say this year's trends are the most exciting to me because they more closely reflect what I am seeing trending right now and what my clients are gravitating towards.


The seminar was lead by Mary Hoffman, Color & Design Specialist for Benjamin Moore.  Mary explained that 2011 year is the year of balance.  Neutrals are a huge story this year and many of the colors we are seeing are very much earth inspired.  These are colors that make us feel calm and restore balance.  This year there is no "shock" of color like the saturation of color we might see on TV.


She shared several color stories with us, but I want to bring you just a few that are speaking to me right now.

Yellow is still present, but rather than a bright citrus yellow we saw last year, this year this color is moving more into the gold range.  Orange is still present going forward, but in more earthly livable tones that are more comfortable.

Purple is another color moving forward from last year, but this year we are seeing more magenta and lavender.  The presentation of these colors in small pops make them very easy to live with as well as vibrant and fun.

Finally the Red story for this year is showing a darker or more "blackened" red.  This story also includes pink in two shades: one as a more "Barbie Pink", and the other as a comforting light pink.  The pink is giving a nod to mothering and nurturing which is of course is at the heart of how we experience comfort.


I am hopeful that you will be inspired to use some of these color trends to freshen your space and bring some increased comfort to your home.

Tiffany Blue

Today's post, more inspiration from my recent trip to New York.  I snapped this photo on the fourth floor in the gift section of Tiffany's.  I was just in awe of all the gorgeous displays and all of the products that are produced in the coveted Tiffany blue - even coin purses!  In this picture you can see an old fashioned typewriter that has been carefully painted Tiffany blue.  It got me thinking.... what could I paint Tiffany blue?


That lead me to my next search for a paint that would best approximate the iconic color.  Sherwin Williams manufactures a color called Tiffany Blue, but if you are looking for something close to that of the little blue box, don't waste your time.  I did however find four colors I think are worth checking out.

Benjamin Moore, Tropicana Cabana 2048-50

Valspar, Seafarer 5007-10A

Sherwin Williams, Mariner 6766

Benjamin Moore, Caribbean Cool 661

I was able to pull these great color swatches off of a very helpful site called My Perfect Color.  My favorite blue is definitely the Valspar, but I need to find something fun to paint that color so stay tuned! 

Hotel Silver

During my trip last week to New York, I had the opportunity to visit the Champagne Bar in the Plaza Hotel.  After walking all over Manhattan I was very happy to enjoy a relaxing, albeit expensive ($16), glass of chardonnay in this amazing and historic hotel.  As I sat breathing in the luxury, I began to wonder how I could bring a small piece of this decadence home with me.  Then it hit me...Hotel Silver.

Hotel Silver is commonly found in heavy serveware with a nice bright silver plate.  Silver plate is a coating of pure silver on a base metal such as copper or nickel.  Sterling silver, on the other hand, is comprised of 92.5% silver and commonly stamped with 925.  Many of these lovely silver serving pieces can be purchased through ebay, however, I came across a great online store, Paris Hotel Boutique , that sells hotel silver in addition to several other collectibles.

Field Trip - NYC

This week I'm on a little field trip to New York, and although it's not my first trip, I am finding new inspiration everywhere I look.  I will share the best of what I find in later posts.

Five Qualities of Luxurious Bathrooms

In staging a bathroom I am always trying to achieve a "spa-like" feel.  Much of staging is about creating a life that a buyer wants to live.  While most people are not staging their homes to sell, we all want to live our best life and pamper ourselves a bit.  So, I wanted to share:  Five qualities of luxurious bathrooms so we can all have that little bit of luxury in our own homes.

Timeless Kitchens

Houzz- Kitchen Design, Bathroom Design and More»

I think we can all agree that the one room in the home that is incredibly important is the kitchen.  We want our kitchen to be not only functional, but beautiful since we typically spend a lot of our time there.  Often times people ask me what the newest trends in design are.  Many times I can talk to them about a color seminar I attended, or trends in materials that I am seeing, but when it comes to kitchens I really recommend timeless design and finishes.  That prompted me to put together a Houzz   Ideabook with kitchens that I think will stand the test of time.  The last thing we all want to do is remodel every 10 years.  My advice is select timeless materials and you cannot go wrong.

Browse by Space and Style- For Example:

Mediterranean Kitchen · Modern Bathroom · Traditional Living Room · Contemporary Bedroom · Traditional Dining Room · Traditional Homes · Contemporary Patio · Modern Landscaping ·

Thrift Store Chair Transformation

Hard to believe this smart looking chair started out as a $5 thrift store find.  I needed a new desk chair and found this sorry looking barstool, but thought I could transform it into something great.  I want to show you the process of how I went about it so you could see how easy it is.  Below is the "before" picture of how the chair looked when I brought it home.   

It's hard to see from the picture but the chair was pretty scraped up and barstool height as well.  I started by popping out the seat so I could recover it.  

I removed the cording piece, but left the remaining red cover on and decided to recover over it.

In order to recover the seat I selected 5/8 yard of a greek key patterned fabric that I purchased for about $4.  I place the seat face down on the back of the fabric.  I used a staple gun to put one staple in the front, back, and each side.  After these four staples, I went around by pulling the fabric tight and stapling the fabric to the edge of the seat.  When it was all stapled down, I trimmed the excess fabric and the seat was done.

I removed the metal bar from the bottom of the barstool, sanded the entire piece with a fine grit sandpaper and wiped it down to remove the sanding dust.

Finally, I sprayed the whole piece with a satin finish black spray paint and cut 6 inches off the bottom and the chair was ready to re-attach the seat and use.

House of Fifty: New Online Magazine

Welcome to the premier issue of another great online magazine dubbed an "e-zine".  House of Fifty is published by fellow blogger Janell Beals and features lots of great content including top summer fashion picks, how to create a family command center, as well as plenty of fresh interior spaces for inspiration.  I devoured the online content and am already looking forward to the next issue due out this fall.

Jonathan Adler Happy Chic Decorating Books

Amazon $9.20

Amazon $9.18

These two small books really pack a decorating punch!  Jonathan Adler is known for his self-professed "Happy Chic" style of decorating, but he definitely leans toward to the high contrast Hollywood Regency look that I love.


In his new Happy Chic Colors book he shows how different color combinations can be successfully carried out with examples of gorgeous interiors.  The Happy Chic Accessorizing book shows how the right accessories can bring a whole look together.  Either book gives the reader lots of inspiration on how to rev-up their decor and add lots of pop.

Key Lime Cheesecake

Over the weekend, we had our Moms over to celebrate Mothers day and I decided to serve this Key Lime Cheesecake.  This is a recipe I have adapted from one a found several years ago.  It is the perfect balance of tart and sweet and turns out beautifully every time.  Enjoy!

Key Lime Cheesecake

Crust:

1 ¼ cups fine graham crackers crumbs (5oz.)

3 tbs. sugar

½ stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

2 (8oz.) packages cream cheese at room temperature

1 cup plus 2 tbs. sugar

¾ cup fresh or bottled key lime juice

½ cup sour cream

½ tsp. vanilla

2 ½ tbs. all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. salt

3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan.  Stir together crumbs, sugar and butter in a bowl with a fork until combined and press into bottom and one-third up side of pan.  Bake crust in middle of oven 8 minutes and cool in pan on a rack.

Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.  Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer at medium speed until fluffy then beat in sugar.  Add lime juice, sour cream and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Mix in flour and salt at low speed, scraping down side as needed, until just incorporated, then add eggs all at once and mix just until incorporated. 

Pour filling into crust and set springform pan in a shallow baking pan.  Bake cake in middle of oven until set in center, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.  Cool completely in sprngform pan on rack. 

Run a thin knife around edge of cake and remove side of pan.  Serve with slightly sweetened whipping cream.

Adapted from Gourmet magazine recipe May 2002

Copy Cat Design for Less

 

Like many of you, I just love a good deal.  I spend a lot of time pouring over design magazines seeking inspiration and trying to figure out how I can get "the look" for less.  I few years ago I visited Jonathan Adler's LA store and became obsessed with his drum shade chandelier.

                                                    Jonathan Adler Meurice Pendant $375


When I was searching for something similar I came across a very good likeness at Overstock.

                                       Overstock Beige Fabric Chrome Chandelier $80.99


I am happy to report and that I bought the Overstock Chandelier and am feeling quite smug about the savings.  This is just one example, but are lots of design items just like this.  Some places that I like to go to find great designer knockoffs is Zgallerie and Cost Plus.  I also follow a blog called Copy Cat Chic which is devoted solely to finding great copy cat items.  Reichel Broussard writes the blog and she, along with readers submit their great finds.  If you like decorating on a budget, you will want to check this one out!

Korean Skirt Steak with Corn Raita Salad

Although I cook for my family most nights, on Sunday evenings I always try make a special meal and we eat in the dining room instead of at the ho hum kitchen table.  This last weekend I chose to make this fantastic new recipe from Todd English.  I did the steak on my indoor grill and it turned out amazing.  The combination of the steak and the corn salad is certainly what I consider to be restaurant quality food at home.  Todd appeared on The Nate Berkus show last week and you can find the recipe as well as a video demonstration on Nate's website. 


I have been a fan of Todd English since 1998 when I picked up a booklet at Williams and Sonoma entitled "Great American Chefs".  I have to confess that my admiration for Mr. English initially had more to do with his incredible good looks than his talent as a chef.

A couple of years ago while eating at one of Todd's restaurants, Olives in Las Vegas, I noticed him sitting at the bar toward the end of the night.  Of course I had to take the opportunity to meet the man who I have come to know as a great chef, who produces incredibly flavorful and approachable food, and who is not bad to look at either. :) 

Ikat Design Motif

Pick up any shelter magazine and you are likely to see Ikat fabrics and products woven into a variety of interiors.  I love how these fabrics instantly update and add energy to a room.

Ikat is a style of weaving that uses a tie-dye process before the threads are woven to create a pattern or design. "Ikat" means "tied" or "bound" in the Malay language. Through common usage the word has come to describe both the process and the cloth itself. Ikats have been woven in cultures all over the world and Ikat is still common in Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Mexico.

Ikat can be found in a variety of products from many popular retailers. 

                                                                     Via West Elm

                                                    Via Fabricadabra

                                                                       Via West Elm

                                                                    Via Anthropologie