Fun Side Chairs

Totally fun side chairs from Walmart. Check out the Skyline Collection for chairs, ottomans, headboards and more. Chairs seem to range from $225-299.

Color for 2009: Purple, Blue, Yellow, & Coral

Thinking of painting or bringing in a new accent color? You won't go wrong with one of these colors.

Purples, especially reddish-based purple but you can also incorporate the palest lavender to more saturated tones.

Blue is our new green. We'll continue to see lots of greens just because of the "green movement" but more blues too from water blues, sky blues to aquamarine blue which works well with yellow.
Yellow is a hot accent color. Especially citrus yellows. I've been watching it make it's way from the fashion industry for a couple years now. It also combines quite well with blacks, whites and grays.
Coral is another color that has been seeping it's way back into design. Just look at Pottery Barn.

All pictures from the Better Homes & Garden site.

Have you heard? Mauve is Back!

What does it mean? Well, as always it's all about a fresh spin and making an old color look new. See below how mixing mauve with browns, blues or greens keeps it fun & fresh. Keep you eyes open because you will see mauve leaning any where from pink, purple, gray or to brown.

According to Funmum.com this season’s hottest colours straight off the catwalk are contrasting brown and mauve and they have managed to work that trend into this beautiful top.
Here's an interpretation of that mauve & brown combo in bedding by Elizabeth Allen Atelier.


I love how Elizabeth Allen's bedding is paired with this golden headboard. The barrel lampshade adds a fresh modern style, which also helps this new country look stay fresh.


Here Elizabeth Allen's mauve colored bedding is paired with a luscious apple green. The classic, clean lines of the headboard, popped with green and mixed with classic, mauve flower pattern still feels fun. It's all about what you pair together.

Back in December '08 I put together a young girls room in a monochromatic mauve color scheme. Remember this Glamorous Girl's Bedroom?

Coordinating Colors & Accessories

Suray is a site with some great area rugs; however, besides their great area rugs they have art, pillows, throws and lamps that coordinate with their rugs. They've even taken the guessing out of what go's with what by putting coordinates together for you.

Glamorous Girl's Bedroom

Here's a really fun girls room I finished last week. This was a fun room to do and eight year old Allison LOVES it. Here's what she had to say...."it's so awesome, like floating on clouds, and I can't wait to come home from school every day just to be in my room."

This room was easy to pull off. The stripes give it a lot of detail with a big bang for a small buck (and one of Allison's favorite things). The bed is Pottery Barn, vintage Barbie prints from Z Gallery, curtains & rod from JC Penny's, and bedding, lamps, shades and flocked artwork from Target.

The first picture is probably the best for natural light and true colors. Enjoy and don't get distracted by my photography skills.

Vintage Wallpaper

Second Hand Wallpaper represent the world's largest collection of vintage wallpaper. This impressive wallpaper collection, spanning the 1860's to 1970, has been featured on Martha Stewart and is a the collections of museums throughout the world. Kitchen, bathroom, geometric, and floral wallpaper prices range from $70 per roll (60'sq) to $1,200 per roll for original Frank Lloyd Wright designs (90'sq.) Check out their vintage linoleum too!

Decorating Kid Rooms

Tips for decorating kid rooms:

1) How Time Flies! Children grow up soooo fast. Honestly they are toddlers before you know it and then kids and teens. Clearly taste and functionality will change with time, but decorate for longevity (the best you can anyhow). Stay away from pastels unless you are doing something more vintage. Vintage in general works great...be it pretty quilting patterns or retro furniture finds. Think beyond infants, Tomas the Train & Disney. Save the toy themes for the toys.

2) Budget and a Plan. A child's likes and dislikes can change really fast, especially in the first eight years. Literally their favorite color changes year to year and that's not just being a 'kid' but is connected to their developmental stages. Keep the shell of the room the same such as a bed & dressers. Stay firm with these items and be more flexible every few years with new bedding, paint colors, and updating accessories.

3) Paint/Walls. Personally I don't think paint is so expensive you couldn't change a kids room every few years. However, one way to keep cost down is to select a color that isn't overly trendy. Consider spicing it up with a couple colorful stripes about a quarter of the way down from the ceiling. The stripes then could changed from time to time with little cost & effort (except some painters tape and a couple quarts of paint). Now days there are tons of low cost decals on the market which are also easy to install & remove. For a more dramatic effect, paint a mural which can be easily painted over at a later date.

4) Windows. Choose hard window treatments that can with stand time (e.g., roller shade, plain fabric shade, wood blinds, woven blinds. etc.). Further enhance with curtain panels or a valance. Plain department store curtain panels can easily be embellished with ribbon.

5) Custom Options. If building window seats or a built in desk...plan for future longevity.Those little tykes really don't stay small for long. For younger children supplement with appropriately scaled furniture. Lower tables meant for kids are more comfortable for them plus they are small, inexpensive and don't take up much room anyhow.

6) What do they want? Kids DO have their own ideas. I have two daughters 8 & 10 and I happen to be working with them on their rooms. I listen to them, acknowledge their personalities and try to incorporate elements that represent them. I even compromise on little things like a shade of color and I let them call the shots of Remember - when kids get to be involved in the decision-making, they are more likely to “own” their new décor and keep it clean and tidy!

7) Ideas. Check out my good friend and designer, Anna Stahl, of Nest Interior. She specializes in children rooms. The dinosaurs and flowers are vinyl decals she designed. All three were rooms for small children, but something they could grow into.

Painted Furniture

I've been seeing loads of painted furniture. Check out some examples and ideas.

Voltaire Dressoir - $1490 (special rubber coating). If you don't need it for outside or heavy use look at craiglist for a good find, spray out yourself or take it to an auto body shop to be sprayed with a high gloss finish.

Daniella Chest, Pottery Barn

Curvee Shelf, from House Eclectic $371

Next two photos from Knack Studios. Great reuse of furniture. Check out her site for before and afters. Love how she incorporated fabric or wall paper on the drawer fronts of the side table.


If you are up for a DIY project, check out this craislist posting that has many inexpensive pieces that are great in shape/form.

Stylish Home Office Supplies

See Jane Work is a fantastic site for ordering all things stylish, hip, fun, & functional for your home office! Also check out their section for Pulling It Together for lots of tips and ideas for organizing and managing.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Rococo Oval Chalkboard - $36


Eco-Chic Calendar - $23


Large Document Boxes - $18

Fabric Trend

I think it's good to let you know what the Trade Only fabric showrooms are promoting and adding to their lines. Here's an example of Robert Allen/Beacon Hill both in fabric and furniture. This will help you recognize the trends while you are out planning and implementing your personal decor projects.

Bookcase of the Day

Need bookcase inspiration or wondering what to do with all those books??? I Suwanne has it covered! Check out this blog for loads of ideas, from colorful to unique to clever.

Not All Corporate Offices Are Boring

I thought this small company in San Ramon was very innovative in their desire to provide a real lounge their employees could relax in, watch TV, eat or have meetings. I've heard they've even had a few Wii game-offs.

How did I do it? Here are five basic steps that anyone could follow.

1) Define Style: Cozy, comfortable, clean lined, interesting, appealing to employees and durable materials.

2) Floor Plan & Budget: What did they need? Dining area, TV, sitting area & some outdoor seating. I created a couple layouts with furniture options, which helps determine scale and size of each piece. As well, a budget was in order. Honestly a budget helps the client take a realistic look at their needs, priorities and plan of action.

3) Select Furniture: These dining room chairs were my first find at a Palecek sample sale at the Palecek warehouse in Richmond. The texture and color of the rattan chairs combined with the golden leather end-chairs set the direction for my color palette. Combining different dining chairs gave a homey, eclectic feel to an office environment. From there I kept the wood tones similiar to keep a unified feel, repeated the leather in a dark leather sofa, and softened the seating area with cozy chair. Take note that the flat screen TV could have been hung on the wall; however, I chose a media console which anchors the TV and prevents the TV from "floating" on the wall. Plus the TV console actually balances the dining table.

4) Create Color Palette: This picture captures the essence of the color palette. Dark woods, soothing blues, golds and greens with pops of aqua blue, plus texture from the rug, pillows & dining chairs. As well notice, how I pulled the gold from the leather dining chair into this side of the room in the art and vases. It's all about creating balance.

5) Accessories & Art: Accessories and art are the last layer that finishes a room. It was important (especially since this was an office environment) to include little touches to create a feeling of comfort & coziness. This was achieved by incorporating throw pillows, vases, magazines and natural elements such as orchids on the dining room. As well, this last layer allows for a balance of color throughout the room.

Do you know what's missing? What's missing is lighting. If I had my preference I would have added a chandelier of sorts over the dining room table and a table and floor lamp. Lighting is an often over looked opportunity to add... light! Surprisingly homes are often missing basic lighting. However, in this case there is plenty of natural light with a whole wall of windows and plenty of florescent light. So even though we didn't add it here light fixtures can balance and create scale to a room as well as incorporate accessories & sculptural elements.

This was a fun project! It worked in an office but it would just as easily fit into someone's home.

Purple is HOT this Fall

Here are some picks of what high-end designers have available to the Trade. These are high-end products with prices tags to match. The products below can only be ordered through the Trade, but let these serve as examples during your own shopping trips.
Ramjata - Lilac by Peter Dunham


Deep Purple Porcelain Onion Lamp by Allan Knight


Samara fabric by Pierre Frey


Kimono fabric by Alpha Workshops

Commode LXV by Cote France