BlogFest 2013: Day 1

So on Monday and Tuesday I had the pleasure of attending BlogFest2013- a conference of Interior Design Bloggers brought together for some fun, learning, networking, touring, lots of laughs (and some food and drinks...and gifts!). Over the next few posts I will share all the wonderful things I took away from this whirlwind of a time!

The first day started bright and early with an opportunity to tour the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse privately with the other bloggers (sans the public!). The Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse has been around since 1973 when it was started to benefit the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club after school programs for NYC kids. It was such a treat and truly inspiring! I took some pictures but the professional ones on the Kips Bay site are much better so here are a few teasers compliments of Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse site:

This dining room was probably one of my favorite spaces. It had laquered blue walls, yellow-ochre curtains, a deconstructed metal buffet and the one gem you can't see in this photo....a gold-leaf wallpapered ceiling that was hand-painted over. I COULD DIE! It was amazing! And the designer was in the room to greet us and she was so lovely. Kudos to Kristen McGinnis- you killed it! 

 

 Dining Room by Kristen McGinnis

 I believe this room below is the Lounge Suite by Garcia/Maldonado, Inc. It was such a gorgeous and serene sitting area. I loved the unique color combination...so pretty!

Garcia Maldonado Lounge

Here is the Master Suite compliments of one of my favorite designers, Kathryn Ireland. It was a beautiful combination of antiques and her always unique play on patterns and colors.

Master Suite by Kathryn Ireland

AMAZING Laquered powder room on the main floor.....love the play of two-toned turquoise and gold!

Foyer/Powder Room by Andrew Suvalsky Designs

I have to say- the outdoor areas in this Decorators House were unbelievable...each one more enticing than the next. I don't have a photo of the sitting area on the first floor but it was serene and sophisticated done by Nievera Williams Design....and then take a look at this....imagine bathing right outside in NYC! The fifth floor terraces featured amazing work by West Chin Architects & Interior Designers.

Fifth Floor Terrace by West Chin Architects

We were also treated to a lovely breakfast compliments of Doodle Home in this amazingly sophisticated yet rustic kitchen by Christopher Peacock. The wood can't be appreciated in the photos but those cabinets and the hardware were just divine. And Doodle Home had the most delicious breakfast set up for us to start off the day. For those readers who are designers- definitely check out Doodle Home- it is the wave of the future in how you will run your business and purchasing!

Kitchen by Christopher Peacock

After touring the beautiful Kips Bay, we headed on buses over to the Hearst offices which sit high up in NYC for a festive lunch and speaker time! Ok, you've been reading long enough...I think you've earned something....how about some HGTV goodness?

HGTV was so generous in offering the bloggers at BlogFest and our readers a 69% discount on a subscription! Just visit subscribe.hgtvmag.com - I am already a subscription but make sure you visit to be able to get your own monthly treat in your mailbox! Stay tuned for the next post on the HGTV lunch and the hilarious speakers.....

What I'm reading...Undecorate

On my last trip to the library, I happen to grab a book that I had my eye on for my design library. I love being able to preview the books through the library before adding them to my already large design library. The latest book I picked up was Undecorate: The No-Rules Approach to Interior Design by Christiane Lemieux.

Christiane Lemieux is the founder of DwellStudio. DwellStudio is known for their very cool style, eclectic mid-century home furnishing and mod prints in geometric and graphic patterns.

Gate Azure Pillow

Mallory Chair

While I was reading it my very enlightened six year old asked me why I would read a book called Undecorate when I spend all day helping people decorate. Curious boy. Wasn't sure how to answer this question...couldn't he have just asked where babies come from? That would have been easier.... Seriously, though- the book is about the antithesis of the "decorating process". It's the antithesis of the "act of decorating with intention". The rooms seen in design books are typically rooms that don't make sense for real life.

As Lemieux puts it:

 "Great style isn't necessarily a finished product so much as it is an ongoing process." 

As she states "These aren't flawless residences straight from the pages of some interiors magazine; these homes are imperfect and unbuttoned, a lesson in how to live whether you're a fashion designer or a dentist."

"Undecorating isn't haphazard style; it's not thought-free. It's about being guided by something other than the traditional constraints- whether it's your commitment to the environment, or your love of polka dots, or the fact that you want to feel like you're in Paris when you live in Peoria"

I wish I could share some of the beautiful interiors but you can meander over to Amazon to check out some pages inside...fun! I'll definitely be ordering this one for the coffee table....

I am also SUPER excited because on Monday and Tuesday I will be attending BLOGFEST 2013 sponsored by Kravet, HGTV among other amazing companies. It is the third annual BlogFest held for interior design bloggers- FUN! Anyone else going? These things are so much more fun when you have someone to hang with!

Staging vs. decorating

Sorry for the radio silence....I had some really big projects going and clearly I am not good at multi-tasking! I have also been having some issues with Blogger that wouldn't allow me to post pictures...and I couldn't do that to you-a blog with no pictures- no fun!

Anyway, I have been working on a huge staging job that just finished and then rolled into another staging job. Not that I am complaining....busy is good! And while I have my degree in Interior Design, I did get certified as a Home Stager and I do enjoy the variety that those staging jobs throw into my everyday mix! While designing is all about pleasing the client, staging is all about pleasing the masses. This is one approach:

Source: thinknsmile.com via Sabre on Pinterest

Here is one before and after of a previous job I did...perhaps my biggest transformation- Luckily I had money in the budget to paint some rooms but as with every job, there was something I had to work around: silk teal draperies. Certainly not my first choice for a neutral room- but my job was to create a warm neutral space while I incorporated the teal draperies and made them look like they were intended to be part of the design.

Here is the after photo...you can see I repeated the teal color in the artwork and in the pillows to balance the strong statement the drapes make.

I think I may have shared these before. On my most recent project, I had to work around about 75% of the homeowner's furniture.  The biggest challenge was a very large (and beautiful) Persian rug in the family room which was red and black- not ideal for staging. While the rug is beautiful- once the room is photographed, the potential buyer's eye will go straight to that rug in any photo and detract from the items we are trying to sell....the double-story windows, the view of the backyard, pool, tennis court....you get the idea. The trick was to balance the rug so it didn't steal the show. I don't have pictures to share yet- the realtor is having the project photographed so I'll share once I have them.

On another note, Happy Mother's Day to all the moms, grandmas, stepmothers, God-mothers, mother-in-law and mother figures out there! You all do such wonderful, selfless things for the special people in your life so this is your day to be hang up your cape! Be lazy and indulgent! Eat bad food! Ignore everyone and don't clean one single thing! Yes...impossible....I know....just enjoy!

Source: ca.images.search.yahoo.com via Jaimie & on Pinterest

Crate and Barrel Sketch

So I know I told you in a previous post about the Crate & Barrel chair I designed for the Designer Custom Challenge. This challenge was so much fun- whether I win or not- it was a blast designing my very own chair! The chair I selected was the Essex Chair which is a Lee Industries frame sold at Crate & Barrel. beautiful!

Then I went on the Lee website and into Crate and Barrel and selected my fabrics....my inspiration was to design a chair for a Ladies Library. Imagine a powerhouse, female CEO. Libraries are typically designed with dark woods, leathers and menswear patterns. I decided to give that a little twist with some stripes, hounds tooth and florals...

Then I came home, broke out the old colored pencils and got to sketching...this was my final design....

It might be hard to tell from the sketch but the seat is done in a light ticking stripe, the back seat cushion is a light neutral floral and the back and base of the seat is done in a khaki hounds-tooth fabric. I think they announce winners this month so we'll see what happens! The best part is that anyone can really design their own chair by visiting Crate & Barrel and selecting from their gorgeous frames and fabrics!

Articles, contests and FREE design book!

Hope you all had a nice weekend! It was very exciting for me- I was featured in the LivingHere section of the Journal News as I had shared on Friday. It looks like the link I shared doesn't include the entire article unless you subscribe. Sorry about that...I'll see if I can get the entire text to share! Thanks for all your support and kind comments!

(This is not my design...this was the Contest ad....)

I also had the treat of designing my own chair for the Crate & Barrel Designer Custom Challenge. Crate & Barrel called on their design professionals to select one of their chair frames, work with their fabric selection and design their own custom chair. Entries are due today so I am going to wait to share my sketch until tomorrow but here is a little teaser of the beautiful fabrics I selected:

Sorry for the blurry photos and the shadows...I was trying to be discreet in Crate & Barrel! Anyway, wish me luck!

One other thing I just had to share today was a great Amazon book, "How to Design Your Perfect Interior" . It is available for FREE to download from April 15-19th. I highly recommend you download it!

It was written by Gail Dolby, founder of Design Success University and it educates consumers on important factors involved in starting a design project. It also highlights the value of working with a designer. Definitely worth the download!

By the way- it says it is a Kindle Edition but you can still read it on your Ipad or computer- just download the FREE Kindle app. I just learned that! Happy Reading!

Homestyling101 to appear in LivingHere section of The Journal News

Happy Weekend! Hoping that the sun is finding you this weekend...and hoping it shows its face in NY! I am tired of this dreary weather!

On another happy note- I am so excited to share that I will be appearing in this weekend's edition of the LivingHere section in The Journal News, the newspaper covering Westchester, Putnam and Rockland Counties. Here is the online version of the article. Read it HERE.

Thanks to all the wonderful editors at the Journal News, (especially Karen Croke) who were such a delight to work with! Also a big thanks to Frank from CST Creations who allowed me to use his beautiful showroom for my photo shoot! Anyone looking to re-do a kitchen should be sure to stop in there- the selection is stunning and Frank is a pleasure to work with!

New Client...New Master Bedroom

One of my favorite rooms in the house to design is the Master Bedroom. The furniture layout is usually fairly standard and very straight forward. While other rooms in the house may have multiple functions- the main function of the bedroom is to relax and rejuvenate.

Here are few of my tips for a sumptuous bedroom: 

Tip #1: Focus on mixing textiles. And choose fabrics that feel good! I love to mix fabrics such as linens, velvets, cottons and wools. I love working with a monochromatic palette(one color...although can be multiple shades of one color!) mixed with whites, creams, beiges, blacks and browns depending on the room. This keeps things simple and less complicated for the eye...creating an overall soothing effect.

Here I am loving the monochromatic shades in mixed fabrics such as silks...crushed velvets....crisp cotton....yum!

Contemporary Bedroom by London Interior Designer Alexander James Interiors

Tip #2: Focus on light control and window treatments! Window treatments in the bedroom are crucial! You absolutely need to focus on light control in this room over any other. Spend a little extra to get the black-out liner on drapes, panels or roman shades. Choose wooden blinds with no holes so the light can't sneak in...these upgrades are all worth the good night's sleep!

Have multiple light sources around the room and add a dimmer to that overhead light! This is very important as your are winding down to sleep- the light will stimulate you so have a bedside lamp, dimmers or sconces so the light can slowly be turned down as you prepare for a dreamy night of slumber.

Traditional Bedroom by Newport Beach Home Builders Spinnaker Development

Tip #3: Keep the family photos to a minimum! This one is not a hard design rule but I like to follow this rule. It may seem silly but lots of little eyes looking at you is hardly relaxing. Maybe one or two photos is fine but I wouldn't do a gallery wall in my bedroom or clutter up the dresser with lots of photos. Think minimal...if you have a gaping empty wall space that calls out for something to be hung- hang mirrors or a piece of soothing artwork....

Eclectic Bedroom by Atlanta Photographer Erica George Dines Photography

Tip #4: Control the Clutter! No one can relax with unpaid bills, newspapers, piles of laundry or daunting paperwork laying around the bedroom. Keep the clutter to a minimum....the floors are clear, the tabletops are clear and your mind will be clear for a relaxing night of sleep. Doesn't this photo make you feel relaxed already? Love it!

Traditional Bedroom by Greenville Interior Designer Linda McDougald Design | Postcard from Paris Home

Ok, after writing this post- I think I am going back to bed!