project: the green house- great room inspiration board

i've been hard at work crunching budget numbers, and then finding furniture, artwork, light fixtures, and rugs for our new home.  and i think i've finally got a decent plan concocted!  here's what i'm thinking for our kitchen/living/dining great room.

1-art from big cartel.  

it's a large, glossy, painted wood panel.    it'll go right over our dining room table.

2- storage solution - i got the idea here.  

i'm going to customize it a little bit for the size we need and the look we're going for.  but this will either go in our computer desk area or will house some books, dvds, and our dvd player.  or both.  plumbing pipe and reclaimed wood?  yes, i think i can handle that.

3-dining table and chairs from csn.  

i like that it features a removable leaf so when we're having guests we can expand, but when it's just the 3 of us it won't take up as much space.

4- cute little side chair from urban outfitters. 

 it'll go beside our fireplace, in the little reading nook with the plumbing bookshelf. 

5- industrial type stool from ikea.  

i'd like to find some vintage drafting stools eventually, but this is cheap and accessible, so i'm all over it. 

6- grey sectional from west elm.  

now i'm not normally a sectional type person, but this one is modular which means we can switch up furniture arrangements as we need to (i'm a big fan of doing that), the seats are wide and accommodating, and the color is great.  add to that the fact that west elm upholstery is all 15% off right now, and you've got a deal.  i pick these up thursday!

7- making mercury lamps with burlap shades out of some old glass lamps i already have?  yes please!  

so there it is.  version 1.0 of our great room.  i  can't wait for it to be completed!  wanna come hang out?

project: j+b's living room

i made this conceptual design for some friends back when i was in school.

the room is for a couple in their 30s with clean, traditional, casual style.   for the color scheme i chose airy colors with hints of navy blue and sea glass green.  i added textural, earthy elements to keep it casual, some gold accents to add sparkle, and a few unexpected elements (gnome side tables!) to make it funky.

1- carly chair with cobalt blue frame from crate and barrel.  in euphoria aqua upholstery.  2- canvas flowers from west elm.  3- recycled glass vases from west elm.  4- tufted bench in flax belgian linen from restoration hardware.  5- chunky wool and jute rug from pottery barn (so soft!!).  6-  tyler sofa from pottery barn.  7&8- chestnut branches and rattan floor vase from crate and barrel.  9- lovers at chi tou from art.com  10- gold gnome end tables from hive.  11- sadie table lamp from crate and barrel.

could you see yourself hanging out in this living room? 

nursery colors

sometimes i think designing for youself is so much harder than designing for a client. there are just so many beautiful things to love and no one to reign you in! i can't even begin to tell you how many reincarnations this nursery has had. i haven't done them all but i've gone through about a gazillion different ideas of what to do and what colors and fabrics to use...

the last time chris and i were at the fabric store trying to pick out fabrics for some art and pillows in the nursery, tears were shed (by me, not chris). haha, yes... it's an emotional decision. and although i try to remind myself that we're only going to be living with this particular nursery for about 3 months, i still feel like it needs to be a masterpiece.

so here is a little taste of where i currently think i'm gonna go with this room...

fabrics are from hancock fabrics and joann. the blankie in the crib was made by chris' mom (i need to find out where i can get more of that fabric!) and the watercolor is by ashmae of birds of ashmae. i love her watercolors. after thom is born i want to get a family portrait done by her. it would be a treasure.

what do you think? do you like the scheme? and for you designers out there, do you think it's harder to design for yourself or for someone else?

nursery progress

as an interior designer, i find it somewhat embarassing to post pictures of my house when it's a disaster. in fact, i think many people are shocked when they find out that interior designers have normal homes with normal clutter and organization issues, just like everyone else. **GASP!**

but... for the sake of before and after pics, i'm going to show you the disaster that WAS our music/craft/storage/guest/everything room and is in the process of becoming ONLY a guest room/nursery for our little man.

but here they are- the current before and after shots.

so what i've done so far is clear out a bunch of crap from the room (musical instruments, craft stuff, filing cabinets, school supplies and old projects, etc. etc. etc.) and then find places for all his little man stuff in the closet. i also made his bed.

but seriously! with a pregnancy woman's energy level (read: lowest i think it's ever been in my life!) i'm surprised i've gotten even that done.

now i just have more cleaning and packing (lots!) and the fun stuff (decor - yay!) to do.

current project: j+e bedroom

current project: j+e bedroom

the clients:

2 teenage girls, j+e (13 and 15 yrs old).

j loves purple. e loves blue.

j wants something happy, calming, and unique. e wants something chic, modern, and classy.

the needs:

place to sleep, read, write, do homework, hang out with friends, play guitar.... basically a sanctuary for these two girls and their buddies to work and relax.

-TONS of storage. TONS. it's a small space for lots of stuff so it has to be really well laid-out to maximize the space they have.

-super budget-friendly design.

my color solution:

a clean, modern room with some classic details. palatte stays mainly lavender and denim with accents of orange and green.

lavender walls with a dark purple stencil accent wall (either the trellis or the quatrefoil shapes).

denim and indigo textiles on the major pieces (bedding, closet curtain, and window treatments).

large doses of white on nearly all of the furniture, on the moldings, and in accessories.

bring in accents of green or orange through artwork, plants, pillows, and accessories(not shown - these girls are artists; they're going to make their own art and accessories and i'm sure they'll be rad).

my space solution:

maximize vertical space to free up the floor.

take advantage of high ceilings by giving them bunk beds.

create a reading/guitar/homework nook under the windows with cool lighting and artwork.

divide and organize the closet with closet doublers, boxes, bins, etc....

vertical storage next to the bed and storage on the wall in lieu of nightstands.

so... i'm presenting these ideas to them (along with the estimated budget) tomorrow. i'm excited to get their reactions!! because plan #1 is almost never the final plan - there are always changes and revisions made. so maybe i'll make a revisions board and share that, too.