My Friend is Famous!

Kristin and I met years ago while working at a design firm in Chicago and became fast friends, bouncing design ideas off of one another and using our lunch breaks for Michigan Ave power shopping instead of sandwich eating.

These days, Kristin is a white hot force on the Chicago design scene with her e-design business, Bien Living. Back in October, she was featured in Daily Candy Chicago and now she’s chatting about her business in this month’s issue of CS Interiors (article below).

She’s a wicked talented designer and I definitely recommend you enlist her services if your home needs a little pick-me-up. Her fresh design solutions will arrive directly to your email’s inbox complete with a design board and shopping list. To find out more about Bien Living’s design services, swing by Kristin’s website/blog here.

{Bien Living in CS Interiors}

{CS Interiors Cover}

Celebrity Holiday Homes

I’m feeling very uninspired by design these days. Which is terrible as its Christmas, my absolute FAVORITE time of year and everywhere I look should fuel creativity in me. So I’ll lean on the creativity of other designers tonight.

I caught part of HGTV’s Celebrity Holiday Homes special the other night. Though the celebs were sort of ho-hum, (why won’t the decorate Jennifer Aniston’s house or something?!?!) the designers had some sort of cute ideas. The special runs periodically throughout December so check your listings.

{Brooke Burke and David Charvet's White and Silver Christmas}

{Sherri Shepherd's Gold and Champagne Holiday Motif}

{Trisha Yearwood's Simple Southern Christmas}

*All images from the HGTV website*

Readin' Pretty

I’m sure that you’ve seen these all over the design blogs:




They are Penguin’s Clothbound Classics series featuring the designs of Coralie Bickford-Smith. Basically they have taken a collection of wonderful classic books and suped them up with bold colors and fun cover art. Each cover features a pattern design significant to the story (Alice in Wonderland sports flamingos, Oliver Twist’s are clocks). Each design is stamped onto linen with beautiful matte foil.

Originally only available in the UK, they have sloooooowly been released in the US over the last year. You can purchase them on amazon.com or in some Anthroplogie stores. My mom ordered a bunch of them for my birthday back in June. And then low and behold, another three showed up on my doorstep this week. Five new designs were recently released.

I can’t decide if I actually want to read them and risk creasing the pretty little spines or not. For now I am using them as art. They live on top of my armoire with a vintage suitcase that I picked up at a junk market last winter and my stainless steel curly-cue initials from Ballard and Design circa 1999.

{book images from here}

Orange and Grey

There is an episode of Seinfeld in which George Costanza states, “I would drape myself in velvet if it were socially acceptable." Well, if it were socially acceptable (and wouldn’t kill me), I would drench myself in charcoal grey paint and saunter around town. I love the color grey. It can be warm and rich or cool and dark. It pairs with everything and is a much more dramatic neutral than say, beige. Blah.

One of my favorite colors to mix with grey is orange. Any shade really. A deep pumpkin shade can create a cozy room. A soft sherbet shade can create fresh, vibrant space. I thought being that’s its now October and orange is pretty much the star of this month, today would be a good day to take a look at how well orange and grey compliment one another in these spaces.

Long Distance Design

Long distance relationships?...done it (it’s hard). Long distance phone calls?...yup, we do it every day. Long distance interior design services? …from your computer? Ummm what?

My dear friend, Rebecca and I met in design school in Chicago years ago. She was telling me recently about her firm’s newest venture of interactive online design called Pushpin Revolution and I knew that I had to spread the word.

Rebecca, Steve Johnson and Sarah Soler are wicked talented designers with over 20 years of design experience (check out some images of their work below). After years of working together at a hospitality design firm, they started up their own gig, Johnson/Soler, last spring. Their simple philosophy that design should be less complicated, more personal and more affordable is just what we need in this crazy long distance relationship having, phone call making world. Pushpin Revolution is their latest endeavor to bring good design to the masses in the most convenient way. I asked Rebecca to share a few words about how it works:

We think that great interiors should be available to everyone. At Pushpin Revolution, this is as simple as a click to get you on your way to the space you love.

Whether you need help picking paint colors, arranging furniture or getting the details pulled together. We offer straightforward solutions and advice to help you shape your space.

At Pushpin Revolution, we use the internet to complete this process. First, you give us some basic information about your space, your budget and your likes and dislikes. Then we use our years of professional design experience to get to work creating a design solution especially for you. Quickly and affordably. Like it should be.

We have a range of design options tailored to meet your needs. Our ‘Style Guide’ helps narrow down the choices and provide some specific direction for your individual style, and colors and materials that work for you.

Our ‘Room Remix’ provides a more comprehensive design package. Complete with a detailed room layout, custom color palette, furniture, lighting and accessory selections and a complete shopping list to help you get the job done quickly and efficiently, this package does it all.

Pushpin Revolution also offers additional services if the above packages don’t seem to fit your needs. Send us a note and we will get back to you with ideas and options that work for you.

Design really doesn’t need to be complicated. Check it out for yourself at www.pushpinrevolution.com Start YOUR revolution today!

{all images from www.johnsonsoler.com}

Let's Hear It For The Boys!

My friend, John, once told me that he thought my blog was “more for girls than guys”. So this post is dedicated to the boys!

When I design for men, I go for a look that is more bold and uncluttered, and less highly decorated and full of unnecessary furnishings. I tend to gravitate towards a comfortable, sophisticated feel with clean strong lines. Dark brooding colors with rustic and earthy accessories.

Below is a collection of some of my favorite masculine inspired interiors.

{all images from the web}

“I’ve been cheating on fashion with furniture,” -Carrie Bradshaw

Last night, Nat and I opted for a girl’s night featuring a little vino and a lot of Sex and the City 2. While the movie was fairly mediocre, the fashion and new men (HELLLLLO Samantha’s new international architect find) were fun. But the real scene stealer was the interiors of Carrie and Big’s new Manhattan apartment. I’m literally drooling over every design decision!

Check out some snapshots of Carrie and Big's new digs...

How eye catching is that backsplash tile? Its Oval from Health Ceramics. I am also loving the whimsical print on the chairs...Belgravia from Lee Jofa.

Accent pillow is Birdie Blossom by the Rug Company. Retro-inspired coffee table is Ninfea from Poltrona Frau. I love how the books are displayed upright.

Closet shot.

I love the large scale of the upholstered headboard...fabric is Velvet Gate Tuxedo from Kravet

My FAV FAV FAV part about this apartment is the dramatic wallpaper. The bedroom features Rococo Damask by Cole and Son.
The entry features Oiseau in Chocolate by Katie Ridder.

Think Pink

I was in New England for work last week and couldn’t get over how GORGEOUS the cherry blossom trees were…bright pink bursts of Spring were everywhere. I started thinking about designing with the color pink and how far it’s come. It's not just for little girls’ bedrooms anymore!

{Spring in Connecticut}

For starters, there are so many shades of pink to play with. A soft, pale pink can add a little romance to a bedroom or dining room. A bold raspberry shade can make a statement in a kitchen. A hot pink can punch up a sunroom.

It’s easy to be intimidated by color. Many times we gravitate towards using it as a “pop” in pillows or accessories in a neutral space. I’m here to tell you that our favorite feminine hue is not just a pop color anymore. Check out these fun rooms where pink is the star!