High Fashion to Home Fashion

As I sat down to try to get organized for my week yesterday, I opened my computer and of course got distracted from my goal  when my Yahoo page popped up with coverage from Saturday's  Film Independent "Spirit Awards."  Intrigued, I HAD to check out the stars and their attire, I should have been writing blog posts....but maybe, just maybe this had potential for that.  Yes, I think so, fashion always seems to tie into home decor at some point and these days that happens quite quickly, so I gave myself permission to gape at the photos and read the story.

Inspired by a few of the great get-ups on the lovely stars, I've assembled some decor pieces to bring that sense of style right into your home...

Illeana Douglas in a simple, tailored gray ensemble

If gray is on your decorating radar, how about adding this great looking ottoman, also simple and tailored?

Overstock

Kerry Washington sporting a floral frock

A little goes a long way on bold florals, but this chair is dressed to impress and will steal the show in any room. 

Anthropoligie

Natalie Portman in a taupe and vibrant yellow prego dress.

I will digress for a moment....did you see Black Swan?  OMG, I just saw it and have not been able to stop thinking about it.  My mind has been a-swirl with trying to understand and analyze the story, and attempting to recover from the sheer creepiness of it.  From the stark colors of the sets (black, white, gray and ballet pink,) the hand held camera action, to the nut-job Mom and artistic director/boss, the movie set my nerves on edge almost from the beginning.

So back to home decor, sorry!  Love this fabulous, textural rug in yellows, grays and taupes, pair it with neutral upholstery or lighter wood tone and you have a very current look.

Viva Terra

Rosario Dawson in a leopard print Burberry number

Leopard patterns have been around forever, but add a little to your sofa, bed or a chair with these hand printed pillows in yummy, fresh colors, especially the turquoise.

etsy - giardino
 Hope you have enjoyed my "high fashion to home fashion" picks today!

Monday Postscript:  The Oscar runway was populated with stars wearing lots of red, black (of course) and white/nude/neutral gowns. I wonder what the "experts" will say about the prevalence of red......? I'll have to ponder the red myself and see what "home fashion" picks I can find.  Have a great day and enjoy all of the Oscar re-cap coverage!

Does your room need a “prescription” for a change of decor, function or design? If so please contact me,
I would love to help!

Ty Pennington for Howard Miller

Who knew?  I guess I must be a little late to the party, but today when I was helping a client select fabric for a sectional at our large local furniture store Steinhafels, I nearly tripped over a few really fun side tables and a chest with silver leafed drawers.  To my surprise they were part of a collection by Ty Pennington (of Extreme Home Makeover fame) for Howard Miller, the infamous clock company located in western Michigan.  Apparently this collection was first rolled out in 2009 with an additional grouping of smaller scaled pieces added in 2010.  I have watched the show a few times, (my kids love it and I love the concept but it is a little too much "Oh my God," crying and "move that bus" for me) and find that Ty is a creative force who regularly does a "secret project," a room that cleverly solves a problem or need the inhabitant may have, or showcases their personal style.

The products in this collection reflect that side of him in that they are unique to the mid range furniture market (in my opinion, and that's what this is about right?!) Ty has created a product line that works together with a few distinct color pallets, achieved through fabric, painted and stained wood finishes and styling. The room vignettes on the website are a little too "garanimals" for me, (that means matchy-matchy for those of you in the younger set) and I would never buy a set of anything, but the individual pieces are stylish and clean lined and would work in many decorating styles. I've rounded up a few items that appealed to me, but there are tons more on the website so go and see for yourself!

Works as an end table or nightstand and comes in painted finishes.

While the color might eventually feel dated, who cares, this is fun!  There is a stained version for the more cautious out there.

Love the cut out detail and again this is available in other finishes.

A nice classic piece and it includes a leaf to enlarge the seating capacity.

This is called a "hobby cart" and has a pullout work surface and lots of storage for craft supplies!

The leather top and storage below are a nice twist to the current "industrial" tables trend.

Yummy silver leaf table!

Wouldn't a pair of these make elegant bedside tables?

This product line seems to have mid range pricing, though I was not paying attention at the store and did not look too hard for prices in my internet searching.  Admittedly I did not really look at the quality of the pieces either, though with a name like Howard Miller behind them, I would assume that this is a well made group of furniture.  There is also a less expensive Ty Pennington furniture line at Sears and some of his products for Howard Miller area available from Grandin Road.  

What do you think, which pieces do you like?  What are your thoughts on some of the latest products from designers and "personalities?"  Did Ty hit the mark? 

Does your room need a “prescription” for a change of decor, function or design? If so please contact me,
I would love to help!

Decorating Bargains: Shower Curtains

Yesterday I received the March issue of Better Homes and Gardens in the mail and while I haven't had time to fully dig in to this month's content, I did come across an article that peaked my interest, "30 Easy, High Impact Decorating Ideas." Lots of quick, terrific tips, but #21 - "A fabric shower curtain is full of potential" really spoke to the "champagne taste on a beer budget" me, reminding me of my own quest to use inexpensive textiles intended for other uses, as I shared here in a window treatment post.  Think of it, at 72" x 72" this is 2 yards of fabric with 50% more width than the average designer fabrics, at the right price, this is an amazing bargain.  So I decided to search out some great looking, well priced shower curtains and share them as well as a few ideas on how to use them.

I love the block printed paisley, a fabric style that is currently quite trendy.  Picture this as the upholstery on a chair like I featured here with wood arms and legs painted black.

Saffron Marigold $59.99

 I stuck this bedspread in here because of the size, it would be good for taller window panels.

Saffron Marigold $79.99 (90" x 108")

Picture these fabrics in a kid's room or playroom made into floor cushions or slipcovers for kid sized chairs.  Or, using two different colors, make window panels with the top 2/3 of one color and the bottom 1/3 of another, so fun!

Garnet Hill $28

This would make a darling roman shade or shirred/gathered treatment on a window where privacy is important but you don't want to fully block the light.

West Elm $49 (74"l x 72"w)


How perfect would this be as a twin sized upholstered headboard?

West Elm $39 (74"l x 72"w)

Dwell Studio fabric for a bargain price.  Great as a bed skirt or crib bumpers in a gender neutral nursery.

Layla Grace $66

How about these two great looks from Amy Butler?  Think window valences, pillows, a cushion on a bench.

Bed Bath and Beyond $39.99

Bed Bath & Beyond $19.99 

 

Since this is water resistant and mildew proof, it would be perfect for use in a protected outdoor area, think cushion covers, chair seats, pillows.

 Bed Bath & Beyond $24.99

 

A lively fabric for a bedroom as an upholstered headboard, bed skirt or euro shams.

 

 PB Teen $49

This Marimekko pattern, Unikko, would great pulled over stretcher bars and used as a wall hanging

Always Mod $55

 
There are probably millions of other ways to use these great fabric shower curtains, but my brain is too tired to conjure them all up, so here are just a few more: 

A table cloth 
Placemats
Cover for a bulletin board

Have you used a fabric shower curtain in any decorating projects?  I would love to see what you have created, so please comment and feel free to share a link.

 

Does your room need a “prescription” for a change of decor, function or design? If so please contact me,
I would love to help!

"Out of the Office"

 via

Today I am spending the day at the "School Forest" with my son and his 7th grade classmates (yes, here in Madison, our school district owns a piece of land in the woods, setting for countless cool field trips.)  We'll be sporting snowshoes and traipsing around looking for, and counting Heron nests for the DNR.   Since I don't have time for one of my usual posts, you are getting this instead.... A couple of lovely nests to enjoy, even if they are not fit for human habitation.  In my mind, these are still swoon worthy!
Have a great Wednesday, I'm pretty sure I will (well, it will be interesting at the very least!)

Bathrooms: Dark Vanities

My friend is renovating her bathroom and loved the vanity that my TWBIL (Talented, woodworking brother in law) built for my CSIL, which I featured here.  Her bathroom is not nearly as large and she has been wrestling with how to make a dark wood vanity work in a smaller space. So since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are a few (and don't mind me if I add my two cents to the thousand words!!!)

White and a touch of color makes the vanity the star

Style at Home

Larger bath but same concept

House Beautiful

Subtle color on the wall with mosaic tile

Mosaic Source

Nice use of subway tile and wall color

decor pad

Ssimple shelves over the toilet provide additional storage

 decor pad

Paint on the upper half of the walls and tub surround give an infusion of color

 decor pad

Neutral and natural except for the vanity

decor pad 

Love the gray and amber accents

 decor pad
So there you go BOK,hope these images spark a few additional ideas for the project.  It seems that dark wood is a theme of mine of late, first in the kitchen and now in the bathroom and many of the same rules would apply.  I have no dark wood cabinetry in my own home, but I like the looks of it how about you? 

Does your room need a “prescription” for a change of decor, function or design? If so please contact me,
I would love to help!

Room Rx: Ugly Room Contest

It was eons ago that I mentioned here about being asked by a local retailer to be the designer for their "Ugly Room Contest."  The winner was chosen a while back and completed all of the steps needed for a Room Rx and submitted them to me.  This homeowner was on a tight budget and had a few elements that needed to be worked around, but was open to DIY projects and had a $500 gift card to use at Home Concepts, the store that sponsored the contest, as well as some rewards $$ from her credit card. I was able work my magic and came up with a solution for her Master Bedroom which I presented just the other day.

Before:

The goals for this room were:
1) Seating for reading and watching the home's only TV
2) Storage (books, clothing,etc.)
3) Working around the fairly new green carpeting that the previous homeowner had recently installed
4) Media storage
5) Re using as many existing pieces of furniture as possible
6) Creating a relaxing, restful haven

Inspired by this canvas artwork from Pier 1 (on sale, woo hoo!) and a couple of chairs and lamps from Home Concepts, the colors of the beach and seaglass fell into place...

My intent in pulling together this room was to find a color scheme that allowed the green carpet to play a supporting role, not the lead. By using lots of naturals (bed upholstery fabric, linens, chairs, window treatments & bench,) adding accent fabrics that tie in to the seaglass color scheme and painting the walls a pale blue green, the carpet will appear toned down.  Though not in the budget at this time, an 8' x 10" area rug placed over the carpet and under the foot of the bed would also help.

There will be lots of DIY projects for this Rx, an existing chest will be painted cream, nightstands a deeper shade of the blue, store bought window panels will get customized with accent fabric, pillows will be sewn and most exciting of all, the upholstered bed, inspired by this tutorial.  I think I hit the mark, my client was excited and has already started to pull together the pieces for her master bedroom makeover.  I am thrilled and love to see a client feel empowered to transform a room. Stay tuned and I'll keep you up to date as the changes take place....

Does your room need a “prescription” for a change of decor, function or design? If so please contact me,
I would love to help!

High Brow - Low Brow: Chesterfield Chairs

The Chesterfield, a classic style for a chair or sofa with it's tufted back and rolled arms, is a great foundation piece for any sitting area.  I found the chair below while searching for chairs for a client.  Made by Hickory Chair, this is the "Cadillac" of upholstered pieces with a "spring down" seat, beautifully finished wood legs and high quality construction.  A piece meant to last a life time, with a price tag to match (unfortunately I was unable to get an exact price as this is a custom item, suffice it to say, it probably costs well over $1500 in a simple fabric, more in a higher end fabric...) 

Hickory Chair

 Love the look but not in the market for a lifetime piece?  Today's your lucky day as I found a couple of other similar chairs with price tags for those of us with the "beer budget."

This one would look great in a more modern setting due to it's dark, simple wood base and legs.

Home Decorators $229.00

Darling in a bedroom or woman's office space, love the tufted seat and turned wood on the legs.

overstock $297.99

Enjoy my "low brow" goodies for the day.  What bargains have you found lately? 

Does your room need a “prescription” for a change of decor, function or design? If so please contact me,
I would love to help!

BHLDN

My darling, younger {much...} cousin Jesse, is getting married in May and I have been honored to be helping her with planning some of the details of her day.  We are both fans of Anthropologie so when I received an e-mail introducing their new line of bridal wear, I immediately contacted Jesse, and no surprise, she had already heard.  The line is called BHLDN which is pronounced "Beholden" and is apparently inspired by the Dutch word for “to keep.”  The gowns, dresses and accessories are stunning, created with beautiful, unique fabrics and details in typical Anthro fashion...

the huffington post

BHLDN

 100 layer cake

So, inspired by these stunning dresses and other wedding accroutrements, I immediately thought of the white, natural and lace home accessories I saw during my visit to ABC Carpet and home a couple of weeks ago....

and remembered a few other "lacy" home decor items I have come across recently....

maggie weldon

 brocade home

It is fun to interpret and translate what is seen in the world of fashion to the home front. Lace is graphic, textural and emotive, a piece or two could easily be layered into a room design and done right, can add interest without feeling fussy or old fashioned.  

Have you used lace in your home decor and if so how?  I would love to hear.... 

Does your room need a “prescription” for a change of decor, function or design? If so please contact me,
I would love to help!