In an effort to share more of the graphic design side of projects I have been working on, I am going to be showing more of my freelance and marketing work.
Last night I updated my friend Shannon’s blog. The objectives: hip, fun, chic, greens, blacks, and trendy. Shannon loves fashion, interior design, and it would definitely be hard to capture her in one word. I do my best, however, to capture her in a template!
High-gloss, laquer-finished furniture. I can’t think of anything I want more. Here are my favorites:
Reeves bedside table {reeves design}
Malm occasional table {ikea}
Bergsbo bookcase with glass doors {ikea}
Rawlins accent table {pottery barn}
Charging station {west elm}
Go-cart desk {cb2}
lacquer table lamp {lotus bleu design}
Shell chair {barber osgerby}
Southtown is a Master-Planned Community in Vacaville, California, by homebuilder D.R. Horton. I have been programming this website at my work for months now, and the unveiling is here: the Southtown website is LIVE! Be sure to check out the great interactive map that my colleague, Terry, created here.
My DIY project, painting a temporary ballroom floor for a backyard wedding was featured on Elizabeth Anne Designs. This blog is featuring the best-of-the-best in DIY wedding ideas for the month of November. Check out her post here and be sure to comment!
Since my mom has finished her degree that she has been diligently working on for the last few years, she has had more time for creative work. She has been really into recovering furniture, making pillows, and painting, so she thought the spare bedroom would be a great place for a craft/sewing room. This room was my sister’s, then it was a spare, and now my mom will get to use it as a little studio. Exciting!
Here are my mom’s requirements:
1. a ceiling fan
2. a modern feel
3. paint the ceiling
4. use the color teal
5. grandkids may need to sleep in this room when they are in town, so it needs to be somewhat kiddie-proof.
So here’s the room as it looks now (she recently disassembled the bed, painted it, and moved it into the guest room):
and here is the inspiration board I put together for her:
white desk with large surface area for cutting, doing her calligraphy, or other crafts. {ikea}
blue milk crates for storage in the closet, easy to organize {target}
smaller storage boxes for tabletop storage {ikea}
branch hooks for fun, to hang trim, measuring tape, etc. {urban outfitters}
wallflower decals because color and free-form shapes are always inspiring in a creative space {urban outfitters}
tear drop chandelier to make it special, pretty, fun, and to have light over the sewing machine. {urban outfitters}
wall shelf to keep supplies out of reach for little ones. {ikea}
pillar candles: modern and moody {crate and barrell}
the fainting sofa in black and white would look great with the teal walls, and make the room comfortable. {urban outfitters}
green chair for the work desk {crate and barrell}
modern ceiling fan with exposed wood echoing exposed wood of the wall shelves {lowes}
pillows to add color and comfort {etsy}
I think the room transformation is going to start this weekend - I’ll keep you posted!
Maybe it’s the weather, or the premature holiday marketing at Starbucks, but I just got excited about decorating for Christmas. I don’t decorate for many holidays, mainly because I don’t like clutter. However, Christmas makes me a new woman. Every year, I do my day-after-Christmas shopping, shopping carts full of Christmas decorations that I get the pleasure of opening around the week of Thanksgiving the following year. Oh, I LOVE Christmas decorations.
So with my premature excitement comes my premature Christmas inspiration board - vintage style.
The Highlights:
pine cone ornaments in greens and golds {smith and hawken}
mercury glass tabletop trees {smith and hawken}
ceramic bird {pier 1}
icicle ornaments in shiny gold and brown {target}
iridescent brown tree skirt {front gate}
vintage look moss garland {pottery barn}
sparkly silver stocking holders for the mantle {christmas people}
black, white and silver damask dinnerware {target}
berry beaded wreath {target}
silver foil stockings {west elm}
silver tree branch candelabra {west elm}
Anybody else in the Christmas mood?
My mom updated her couch with a recovered set of accent pillows. She complimented her small-scale patterned couch, a blue and green ticking upholstery fabric, with a large-scale floral fabric from Amy Butler, one of my favorite fabric designers. When putting fabrics together, always consider color and scale. Two large-scale patterns would appear too busy, and two small scale patterns wouldn’t balance like these two.
Sue McKinley, last year’s “Top Sales Agent” for Alain Pinel Realtors, is watching the trends and has offered some words as to why now might be a good time for you to buy.
Sue says, “Bay area home sales are up 45% over 2007 and the median home price fell to $400,000. There have been two interest rate reductions in the last few weeks, along with home prices ‘on sale 30% off‘. Now is a great time to buy. Why wait for the market to bottom? You might just miss the bandwagon! Call me for more details or if you’d like to know how much home you qualify for.”
Sue helped my husband and I get into our recent investment, and she was very helpful and knowledgeable. She will help you every step of the way and keep you updated during the process. You can contact Sue at suemckinley[at]apr.com or 925.413.2866. Visit her website here.
Reader, Shannon, has a master bedroom that is currently in transition. She had just purchased new bedding and pillows and is looking to tie it all together. You can see the room as-is in the picture below.
Here are my observations:
I love the matching nightstands and lamps on either side, but the lamps are too small for the size of the room. Plus, they have no form.
The sconces look outdated. At best, they could be pulled down lower, much closer to the nightstands to make it more intimate. If they were spray-painted in a shiny bright color, that could help bring them to date.
The room lacks pattern and color.
Here is the inspiration board I put together for Shannon to show that her room has style, color and pattern. Here is how she can achieve that:
A pale green wall color would be a great way to modernize the zebra print. I suggest adding this subtle paint treatment (as seen on HGTV) with a lighter shade to add interest to the boxy room. {HGTV}
A green bench anchors the green in the room, and adds another formal touch. {target}
Formal pillows play nice with the bold zebra print and bring the brown and green together. {target and target}
Make the couch or bench look inviting with a mustard-yellow throw. {target}
The lamps next to the bed need to be weightier because the furniture in the room is weighty. These lamps are fun AND traditional, and they add warmth to the room. {wal-mart}
The large wall could use some color. This print ties the brown, yellows, greens and reds in one place. {cost plus world market}
Because the wall is large, the print may need some help filling the space. I chose two fabrics by Amy Butler in a vintage frame to help tie the colors together, and add weight to the focal wall above the bed. {fabric.com}
Glass fixtures add color and help set the tone. {bed bath and beyond}
Because the bedding is all one solid color, I suggest tucking a pattern underneath with fun sheets. These colors peeking out add personality to the room. {overstock.com}
What do you think? What would you add?
