Contributing to Houzz – Mixing Metals in the Home

I first wrote about Houzz about a month an a half ago, because their contributors were showing us a lot of love by including our work in their inspirational and informative ideabooks. Shortly after that, they featured our Harlem apartment in a wonderfully written, in-depth houzz tour. I'm so proud to announce that I recently joined the Houzz team as a contributor! My first ideabook, about mixing metals in the home, went live yesterday – please hop on over to Houzz to check it out! Metal Mixology: Multiple Metallics Give A Room Layers of Interest

DVF in Your Home and Your Closet

I gave a lot of presentations in graduate school as part of my coursework; we worked on projects for two to four weeks, and were required to present them for final critique in front of peers, professors and guest critics (usually professionals in the design field). I learned early on that how well you presented your work was half the battle; a poor design could often be (somewhat) masked by a dazzling presentation, which wasn't necessarily fair, but it was the truth. I watched outstanding designs go completely unnoticed because the presenter muttered and had tattered posters and models while nonsensical designs were lauded because the presentations were slick and the student, adept at public speaking, sold the half-baked idea with fervor. Many of us took it a step further and actually dressed the part. That's right; my outfits almost always coordinated with the work I was presenting. No matter that I hadn't slept in two weeks or that my last meal took place a few days back or that I had forgotten what a shower felt like, I made time to pull together an outfit that reflected the colors and materials in my interior design projects. Thus the beginning of my interest in exploring how all forms of design are related.

True to form, I always see a link between runway and interiors fashions, so when I heard Diane Von Furstenburg recently launched a collection of bedding and tabletop designs for the home, I was eager to see what she showed at the just-wrapped New York Fashion Week. I figured there would be some overlap, especially because she took inspiration from her own iconic apparel prints. I've put together some comparisons to illustrate how Ms. Von Furstenburg's personal style, brand, favorite colors and fashion inclinations are reflected in her bedding and tabletop designs.




Bedding and tabletop products are available at Bloomingdale's and DVF.com
All fashion photos courtesy Vogue.com, and Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Runway Photos

Coincidently, I recently completed an assignment to write about 1970s wrap dresses, which Ms. Von Furstenburg is credited for inventing – she didn't exactly, but she certainly pushed the design into the mainstream (twice!) and women's fashion has been thanking her ever since! Read the full article here! A sneak peak:

Nothing New Under the Sun & Stripe Roundup

I had a professor in graduate school who used to listen to us ramble on about how unique and cutting edge our designs were, then in his deep, guttural-yet-sing-song-y voice, he'd bellow, "Well, there's nothing new under the sun, that's what I always say." Thanks, Gus. You know we haven't slept or eaten in, like, WEEKS, right?

But he's right. Sort of. I submit there are new things under the sun, but they are often informed by old things. Ya' feel me? Gus has been practicing architecture since the year one, and has worked at Pratt for something like forty years, so he's pretty much where everything today derives from.

WELL! I was poking around the interwebs last night when I came across this interior shot of a hallway on Country Living:

Home of Jane and Billy Pritchard of Stray Dog Designs; photo by Victoria Pearson

And it reminded me of our own hall in our last apartment:

I certainly didn't think we reinvented the wheel with our navy stripes, but yowza! At least we know our instincts are on the right track ... Maybe Country Living is going to come knocking on my door soon. Fingers crossed :)

If not, at least Apartment Therapy gives us some love. As I poked around for more stripes images, I came across this "Get Striped: All Kinds of Striped Inspiration" story, featuring our home office (#13)!

I'm loving that turquoise chandelier with tiny striped shades in the Pritchards' hall–that's a great detail! Their's is clearly neither a rental nor an apartment, and I believe they shoot the catalog for their store in their home, so let's just say they have more resources. No matter! I think we did a lot with a little!

Obviously, its no secret that we love stripes, but clearly we're not alone.

Jeremy and Kathleen showcased their own striped hall on Apartment Therapy and their blog

The brown stripes in this galley kitchen are quite sophisticated:

Photo by Simon Upton for Elle Decor


Photo courtesy Anne Coyle Interiors


Mixing a pattern and a stripe at Elle Decor

If its good enough for Carolina Herrera, its good enough for ME:


Coral + Yellow = BOLD

Via Elle Decor

The tiny settee with small-scale stripes against the wide-striped wall, the mini-lamp, the abstract art surrounded by other work, gallery-style – this is a beautiful vignette:

Photo by Thiebault Jeanson for Elle Decor

Another perfect vignette:

Source Unknown

Oh my, that copper tub!

Photo courtesy Elle Decor

This is just too much fun, with the varying pinks, the formal silhouette of DOGS and the ornate picture frames (that I suspect were formerly mirrors with Syroco frame. We have an identical mirror!)

Photo courtesy House to Home

Oh, hello, gorgeous burled wood table with lucite legs!!! The stripe pattern behind you is lovely, too:

Photo courtesy Lonny Magazine

Designer Markham Roberts jazzes things up by putting the stripes in this room on a diagonal:


Designer Ned Marshall mixes silvers and golds to create this elegant stripe-infused room:


I'm loving the wide stripes on this sofa:

Source Unkown

Got some money to burn? Then upholster your walls in Osborne and Little fabric:

Design by Collette Ward Interiors

Photography John M. Hall captured the beauty of this opulent coral bedroom:


But stripes aren't just for walls. They are fantastic on floors and ceilings and exteriors.

Beverly Hills Hotel photo courtesy Second Floor Living


Jenna Lyons' nursery, via Domino


Umbrellas at The Viceroy Hotel, by Kelly Wearstler

Or just put them everywhere, as in this hallway from Domino:


And they don't have to appear only on soft things: paint them onto floors, create them with tiles:

Design by David Mitchell Interior Design


Photo courtesy Decor Pad


Design by Jeffers Design Group; Photo courtesy House Beautiful

This image (from Domino Magazine) sparked my love of horizontal stripes in small spaces offset with whimsical florals:


All this eye candy is fun, but Gus' insistence that there's "nothing new under the sun" still applies:

Mosque of Cordoba (Spain); completed in 987; Photo courtesy Ian Pitchford via Wikipedia


Notre Dame de la Garde, Marseilles, France; completed in 1864; Photo courtesy MJA Studios

Notre Dame de la Garde, interior:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Putting A Bird On It

I wrote about the owl trend a while back and I mentioned a disdain for birds (I believe I actually said something like, "I have been forever grossed out by birds"), but I would like to edit that sentiment, as I now realize its not birds I hate, its those winged rats referred to as "pigeons." They are vile and likely to poop on your head at the most unfortunate of moments.

In my previous post, I touched on the fact that while I didn't particularly care for birds the creature, I did like to see birds the imagery in interior and graphic design. I also astutely noted that birds were EVERYWHERE already, so I didn't have to write a whole post on them. Whew! Glad I did, because I think it excuses me from being the butt of the trend joke, as seen in this video:

Many of you have probably come across this already, but for those who haven't, I thought it was worth sharing. PORTLANDIA is six-part IFC short-based comedy series that premiered late in January. While the sketches focus on people (and are filmed on location) in Portland, OR, the characters speak to hipsters everywhere. The above video really hits the nail on the head as far as gimmicks designers fall back on when creativity runs out. Don't get me wrong; bird illustrations have a special place in history. They are complicated to create and require tremendous skill and patience. You can't exactly put this bird on just any old thing! (Thanks to John Gable for enlightening us about this show; we are sans TV right now and are out of the loop in terms of current shows).

Hand-colored lithograph published by The Zoological Society of London, 1848-1849
Available through Fine Rare Prints

But, it is true that the more silhouette-y versions of birds as embellishment are a little played. Today birds are the gimmick; tomorrow it will be something else.

As far as real birds go, I've come to learn that they are actually pretty great. The reasons for their greatness are many, but let's just go over my own personal favorites:

1. What with all those colors, they are pretty!

2. They eat bugs. YES! I like bugs even less than I like pigeons. This trait will come in handy when we sit outside this summer and finally plant a small garden

3. They leave cute little foot prints

4. The little ones hop around adorably

That's all for this soap box! 

Houzz in the House - Feeling the Love

I "discovered" Houzz a while back (read: I didn't discover it at all. Check out all the press). It's a great tool for collecting ideas, inspiration and finding designers by region, specialty, style or all of the above. You can browse around, make your own ideabooks (more than 130,000 have been created), share them with others or keep them for your own reference.

A few months ago I created a profile, hoping to drum up a little interest in Austin's Newest Interior Designer, and I have been overwhelmed by the response to my work. Subscribers have been saving my images in their own ideabooks, and Houzz contributors have illustrated their informative posts with some of my project photos, along with the work of other talented designers! Check out some of the recent stories:

Have Lemons? Make a Decorative Statement by Lily Gahagan
Bedding Trends: Tailored and Tucked In by Janell Beals
Keep Your Collectibles (Without Losing Your Sanity) by Lily Gahagan
Relax A Little – Home Decor Should Be Fun by Kerrie Kelly

Becky Harris' post, How to Turn Your Closet Into an Office, even appeared on SF Gate!

It warms my heart that others are finding inspiration in my work – thank you Houzz community! Whether you just moved, think you'll move, or are always on the lookout for new ideas to implement in your home (current, future, dream home, etc.), but clipping images from magazines sounds time consuming and space-eating, I strongly suggest you get on Houzz and make some ideabooks for yourself! They'll be saved in the cloud so you'll never lose them and they won't require filling an entire filing cabinet with ideas!

Haute in Honeysuckle

I'm not sure how much stock I put into this "color of the year" business, but it's my self-proclaimed job to report on it, so here I am. According to Pantone's color institute, honeysuckle (a "dynamic reddish pink" that's pretty coral-ish) is 2011's color of the year, although it seems the group "forecasted" a trend that most designers were well ahead of, as various shades of pink have been everywhere for some time now. The New York Times did a Pulse piece on pink way back in March 2009 and more recently wrote about pink bathrooms, although the one they featured was pretty ho-hum. Two features in the Times tells me this isn't exactly new, but it's still a fun trend, so I'm not complaining!

I happen to love pink, but I know it's a tough sell for many. It casts a beautiful glow, making everyone look healthy, but my suspicion is that most fellas (and probably most ladies) aren't interested in living in pink full-time. As with all colors, the right hue in the right application makes all the difference. I don't doubt we'll see (even more of) an uptick in the use of pink in general this year, not solely "honeysuckle," which definitely has a feminine, even girly, bent. I think designers will boldly use all kinds of pinks in their projects. A wide range of looks can be achieved, from jazzy fuschia to serene rose-y gray.

Via SAS Interiors


Interior design by Sarah Richardson


Image courtesy Elle Decor


Image via Domino


Source unknown


Image courtesy House Beautiful


Image courtesy Elle Decor


Source unknown


Interior by Jonathan Berger for House Beautiful



Interior design by Grant K. Gibson


Interior design by Suzanne Kasler

Of course, the color forecast doesn't just pertain to interiors; it stretches across all realms of design–graphics, products, fashion, furniture. If I hit on all of those, this post would never end. Gotta edit. But, I couldn't resist sharing a few faves:

Letterpressed cards available at Hello Lucky


Fashion sketches via Pantone


Lonny's holiday issue showed some honeysuckle love, as did recent Veranda and House and Garden magazine covers


Cuisinart's Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream and Sorbet Maker in Honeysuckle

We were right on trend with our color for The Studiolo's new identity:


So, how do you incorporate this color trend into your home if:
1. You don't want to overhaul the whole place because next year a new color will be announced
2. You don't want to over-commit because it's a tough color to use a lot of
3. Your boyfriend/husband/girlfriend/wife/pet has an aversion to pink and isn't buying it
4. You are slightly color-phobic, but would like to indulge in this trend (or any other trend, for that matter)

My advice: Use it sparingly! Bring it into your home in small doses:
• Buy a few yards of trim tape and sew (or hot glue) to curtains, shades or lamp shades


• Buy some new pillow covers for your existing toss pillows or shams, or a fresh throw blanket and switch out when you're not feeling it anymore


• Get a new shower curtain with a splash of honeysuckle, if it works with your towels and other bathroom decor.

Shower curtain from Anthropologie

• Use it on accent upholstered pieces that are in need of a rebirth, like dining chair seats or a piano bench.

Via House Beautiful

• Paint it on furniture frames that need a little pick-me-up. It can always be painted over if you hate it or tire of it

Via Apartment Therapy

• Stencil a pattern onto a wall using the color


• Buy one "statement" in a pink that speaks to you, and design the rest of the room around it in neutrals or work in a small-scale piece of furniture to your current collection for a little unexpected pizzazz

• For a more temporary use, buy some pink flowers!

Image courtesy Southern Accents

Last fall I painted a client's entry in Benjamin Moore's Summer Plum with much success:

Using such a deep color in a small space really packs a punch and was a super affordable way to transform this entry into a special space

I was so pleased with how that turned out, Oliver and I began to pull paint chips in various shades of pink for our next house, with a focus on fuschias. We'll be starting to paint soon, so stay tuned for our own use of pink, if we go through with it!