Nursery for her? or him?

It's a BOY!   OR is it a... GIRL!?

As a designer for families, I do a lot of nursery design.  I'd say 80% of families find out the gender of their baby before they are born but some...just some decide to wait.  What fun!  I couldn't do it, as I thought the excitement of a new baby was enough.  I needed to nest, pick a name and start imagining my little one as boy or girl.  So for those who decide to wait, I find they still enjoy designing the room in which their new bundle will reside.  There are so many fun colors and options now to create a room that would work for both boy & girl. 

 

A few ideas to make it work-

• Select a wall treatment you can remove later on
• removable wallpaper (Timothy Sue or a decal from Etsy) you can change out down the road.  Maybe the red and teal work for her now but in 2 years, she's way into purple.  No mess, easy to remove- voila!
• Use colors that will grow with the child
• I love orange or teal as 'neutral' color palettes
• Go all neutral-  I love simple tones of creams, white, black & charcoal.  You can still make it youthful and fun with pattern and texture.
• Get specific with accessories to personalize the space.

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Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

WOO HOO, It's officially Summer Season!  Hope you are all enjoying fun in the sun. 

 I will be enjoying my big finale weekend at the SF Showcase house!  Hard to believe this is it...

Don't forget to take a moment and honor all Americans - men & woman who have died serving our country.  

Happy Memorial Day!

 We are thankful.

Summer Favorites from Serena & Lily

I had the pleasure of attending a summer evening party at Lily's house of Serena & Lily.  Lucky for me they are based out of the Bay Area so I'm able to attend their events and see their new products in person.  It's a huge plus for me since they are predominately and on-line/catalog company.  My clients Love Serena & Lily products.  It all started out with just a baby & kids line but has grown into an incredible company that has products for the whole home and now are introducing an beautiful line of OUTDOOR products!
Lily's home was furnished and decorated (mostly with their own product) and let me tell you it was incredible!  She has a one of a kind 1900's property in the Marin hills, surrounded by enormous Redwood trees {a few gigantic palms} and a garden to die for!  Lily mentioned they raise about 22 chickens which turn a fair amount of eggs.  Their kids sell them around the neighborhood & even provide delivery.  So cute.
These woman are incredible, so sweet and so down to earth.  It was a treat to meet the visionaries behind such a wonderful company.  Definitely an inspiration to me!

They treated us with an adorable gift bag, including their new catalog, a sampling of their new outdoor napkin patterns and images of their newest products!  I had to share some of my faves:

Citrine Soleil Print Outdoor Pillow

Corsica Napkins & Placemats

Crotchet Edge Towels- don't you just love this color combo?

Cyprus bone Inlay Mirrors

Dip-Dyed Stools- Yes Please!!

Fouta Towel- craving the beach days big time.

Gobi Sheet set, I see myself designing an entire room based of these textiles!

Hanging Rattan Chair- why wouldn't you love this!?  She had is hanging from her deck, was a perfect compliment to her outdoor seating.

Indigo Paddle Stripe Dhurrie

Ramona Sheet Set- these colors!

Riviera Chairs- for indoor or outdoor.

Serena (left) & Lily (right)

 Please get on their mailing list so you won't miss out on the latest and greatest.  
** Don't forget about their Bazaar line- they travel the World looking for one of a kind material by artisans, a great addition to their look!

Hey Ombre!

Ombre, Dip-Dyed or hey maybe it's the tie-dye of 2012?  Either way, it's hot right now.  I'm seeing it everywhere from hair color treatments to furniture.  I'm digging it...
Trying to figure out if I can integrate this trendy look into a wall treatment?  Hummm... maybe I should hit up my fave decorative painter Caroline and see what she says?!  A venetian plaster wall with sweet colors, sounds fab!  What's your favorite ombre treatment? 

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I love the DIY pillow and painted dresser, definitely something you could try at home.  And the subtle affect of the gel nails with neutral colors (my new guilty obsession).  I also love the soft hair with light ends, sort of a natural beachy look for summer!

APPS you gotta have

So almost 71% of Americans own a Smart phone- I'm assuming the majority of those are iPhones.  Because... hey, they are cool, right?  What are some of the newest, coolest, must-have apps you use?
Here are my current Top Five that are pretty groovy.

1.)

A new way to get a 'cab'.  Open the app on your phone, the driver finds you via location services, within minutes a sleek black {Lincoln Towncar on most occassions} arrives at your location and bam- you arrive in style! Fees automatically charged on your CC, tip included, done and done.  Put it to use after your oh so tipsy Friday night- Hassle Free! 

2.)

I don't know about you, but I use this Pandora app everyday!  In my car, at the computer, while hanging with the kiddos.  What's station am I playing now?  Gotye!

3.)

Shopping on the go has never been so dangerous!  You'll never miss another sale!  Get their app here. 

4.)

If you aren't on the Instagram train, well I highly suggest you jump on board.  Who doesn't love an app that makes all your photos look like pro shots?!  And what's even better is you can stalk your best friends and see what they've been up to.  Just another social media outlet to keep us uber connected!  Creepy, you can set your settings to Private!

5.)                                  

"Pin It!"   Last but not least... Pinterest.  This has become an noun, verb, adjective.  Have you 'pinned' it?  Is that 'pinnable'?  That image is a 'pin'.  If it's not addicting enough on the desk top, now you can search the world for eye candy while you are on-the-go. 

By the way, don't forget to follow me on Pinterest!  Or Instagram!  or Facebook!

Products I love: A P P A R A T U S

Being a designer, I am immersed in beautiful products on a daily basis.  I'm lucky that I get to meet so many creative people through my line of work!  My goal this summer is to increase activity on my blog (my activity) and stay connected to my readers, clients and fellow designers.
I decided to integrate a few re-occurring posts, my first being Products I Love!
No better way to kick this off than by introducing  you to my new friends Gabriel Hendifar & Jeremy Anderson of 
 A P P A R A T U S Studio.
They were kind enough to let me borrow one of their fixtures in my Showcase room; the Compass Chandelier.  Their pieces are a playful experimentation of vintage lighting & found objects- assembled to create one of a kind eclectic fixtures.  Don't you wish you had one? Here is a tour of their product line. 

CLOUD Chandelier

Cluster of 37 glass orbs, frosted to create the look of 19th Century glass frosting techniques.

Brass Compass Chandelier- obviously my favorite!

Teen Hang out Room at the SF Decorator's Showcase House by yours truly.

African Bowl Wall Lights

Constructed of Kenyan wood bowls- what a pair!

Chain Sconce- I love the play of old and new- to drape the light in front of a mirror- It's a work of art!

They call this the Twig Fixture.  I love the idea of installing this down a hallway, foregoing the typical recessed lights.  This is much more interesting!

 

The genius (and good looks) behind Apparatus {Jeremy (left) &  Gabriel (Right)}

Be sure to tell them I sent you!

Finding My New Normal

Has the dust settled yet?  Not really and I don't imagine it will anytime soon!  My Showcase room has been a big hit, I've gotten a lot of great press and exposure from doing the room.  I'm meeting other amazing designers and hopefully some fantastic future clients.  One thing I've really loved about doing this room at Showcase house, is you get to feel the reaction first hand, how your designs affect people.  I designed a space that I really liked and genuinely felt like it would be a space 'real' people would love also.  It's attracting people for all the reasons that I wanted it to, it's happy, it's fun, it's innovative and refreshing.
I want people to feel like they can really kick off their shoes and lay back.   Isn't that what home is for?!   It's incredible once I stop and think about how much this one experience has affected my life in so many ways- both personally and professionally.
It is with great enthusiasm that I am now able to jump into my clients' projects who have so graciously waited for me to free up time now that Showcase has installed.
I feel crazy busy, scrambling to hire help and get my office organized.  (Still haven't hung anything on the walls or filed any paperwork since I moved in 3 months ago!)  I think this is my *new* Normal.  I'm learning to embrace it and find time to do things that keep me sane, like sleep, spend time with my family and actually exercise once in a blue moon.  I love my life and feel so lucky that I'm able to be a mother but also a designer.  What more can a girl ask for?!
What's new on the horizon... a few new  projects in the works, here is a sneak peek of one.
   I'm working on a fun project in town that is a Victorian home owned by a young family.  They have modern tastes with an attraction towards bold grey tones!  We're able to play up some of the incredible original mouldings & trim with bold color combinations paired with some wildly fun wallpapers!  I can't wait to see what direction this projects takes!

Excited to try out Clarke & Clarke's wallpaper collection & use one of my favorite patterns from O & L called Teatro.

Is your normal as crazy as my normal?!  How do you handle the balance of a busy work life and home life?