Feminine Friday: Pretty Eclectic

This gorgeous room was featured in the current issue of Rue Magazine this week and I just had to do a little digging and get my hands on copies of these images for myself.  The room belongs to Jolene Ballard, one of the 2 founding designers of Domicile ID.  To me, it's feminine and pretty, with an eclectic feel.  It's not overkill feminine, but there are soft touches like the salmon drapes and tufted ottoman.  I'm a big fan of tufted furniture and think that it adds dimension, softness, and even a bit of a tailored look to a space.

With a soft grey color palette as the base for the room, the accents can be changed on a whim to create a different look over time.

 

Designer Tip: Stylin' Holiday Gift Wrap

This Holiday season look like you've got your act together even if you're a hot mess by using designer holiday paper.  No one else will have gifts in the same wrapping paper as you with these adorable prints by Lux Paperie.

 

Great contemporary berries and mistletoe in bright colors...

 

Adorable nutcrackers and reindeer...

And some of the designs have coordinating gift cards for a complete look:

 

  

Manly Monday: Dining Light

I've been attracted to light woods and open spaces lately...

I like the lighter wood tones in the room and the light filtering through the matchstick woven wood shades.  Wouldn't this be a great space to do some gift wrapping?

Feminine Friday: Soften a Dining Room

Dining rooms can become sort of cold and stark.  I guess it's all of the wood pieces that we typically place in the room; table, chairs, hutch & buffet, servers, and reflective items like mirrors, lighting fixtures, and shiny plates.  We've seen the trend over the past few years to add upholstered parsons chairs to the set, adding some softness and even pattern...and what a difference it makes.

See what a set of upholstered chairs can do to warm up a room?  These are gorgeous chairs to begin with in a small, warm hounds tooth pattern.  But it's the finishing details such as the nail heads and tufting that really make them and this room special.

 

The tufting adds a feminine softness to the entire room.  Paired with gilt mirrors and luxurious draperies, this room is rich, warm, welcoming, and extremely feminine.

interior by:  Vanessa De Vargas

Get the Look: Amazing Pillows

I've been mesmerized by the images of designer Caitlin Wilson's living room in Adore magazine which I mentioned here a while back.  I love the look of a clean white sofa with lots of pillows, but not just any pillows.  The bright colors and bold patterns of the pillows used in the room is a great and interesting mix.

Well, I found some of that amazing Schumacher "Chiang Mai" print and Windsor Smith "Riad" print pillows at this cute Etsy Shop.

Manly Monday: A Little Wood

NYC designer Shawn Henderson uses a little wood in his interiors...

an extra long coffee table and wood-framed dining chairs,

an incredible table in the center of a bathroom,

convenient for toiletries and the dark lacquer contrasting nicely with the oak vanity,

and some mid-century pieces in lighter tones alongside curvy chairs.

Designer Encounter: Jennifer Flanders

You may have seen them before;  beautiful bedrooms with upholstered beds, patterned drapes, gorgeous tufted benches, and amazing color schemes so fun and fresh it's addictive.  I'm talking about bedrooms created by Interior Designer Jennifer Flanders of NYC.  Her style is so upbeat yet sophisticated, colorful yet soothing, they are works of art.

Jennifer's work has been featured in Traditional Home magazine, and at the 2007 and 2008 Hampton Designer Showhouse and the New York Junior League House Tour.

Join me below as I interview the talented Jennifer Flanders and discuss her work through her design business, Jennifer Flanders Inc.

1.  Your bedrooms are so sophisticated, and at the same time they are welcoming and not overdone.  What do you feel are the essentials for a bedroom to become a comfortable retreat?
JF:  A bedroom plays such an important part in our lives - think about it, your bedroom is where you begin and end each day, making the environment of the bedroom so important in our lives.  When designing a bedroom, the single most important thing to figure out is what kind of environment you want to go to sleep in every night and wake up in every morning - do you want a Zen retreat from the world, a space that evokes relaxation and peace?  Or would you prefer a room that energizes you and lifts your spirits?  Once you determine the answer to this question, you can choose colors and patterns that reflect the kind of environment you want to achieve.


No matter what feel you are going for, the single most important item in the bedroom is, of course, the bed.  A comfortable mattress, sumptuous bed linens and lots of pillows are key to creating an inviting bed.  I also love tall, stylized headboards which can add a dramatic touch to the room and define the personality of the room.  Placement of the bed within the room is also important - finding the right wall for the bed, situating the bed thoughtfully with respect to the entry door of the bedroom, making sure the bed is not shoved into a corner of the room, hopefully having a nice view out the window when you are sitting in bed, etc.  


Aside from the bed itself, it is essential to always flank the bed with a pair of night tables - somewhere to place a book, a glass of water, and a note pad and pen (for those middle of the night thoughts) - and to illuminate the room with a beautiful pair of lamps.  Also, you can never have too many books in a bedroom.  Books add color, warmth and personality to any room, giving a room a homey feel.

2.  Typically, how many different fabrics will you use in one bedroom?
JF:  I love a "layered" look, so I tend to use a lot of different fabrics in a single room.  The number of fabrics in a bedroom will always depend on the size of the room and how many different pieces of furniture I have to work with, but in general I will have one fabric for my curtains (which is often the fabric I start with to determine the color palette and feel for the entire room), one fabric for my upholstered bed, one fabric for a chair or other seating piece, and possibly one other random fun fabric for a decorative pillow on the bed.  When mixing many different fabrics, the key is always to create a balance between the large and small scaled patterns, and the more solid, textural fabrics.

3.  Your portfolio features some rooms designed for children that have so much personality and color (below).  These rooms are special, and not too juvenile.  How do you achieve that?
JF:  I feel very strongly that any well-designed room should stand the test of time and be livable for at least 7 to 10 years.  So I shy away from designing "baby" rooms.  When designing children's bedrooms, I go for a look that is playful and fun, yet one that will last.  I achieve the playfulness through bright colors and large-scaled patterns, mixing in lots of reflective elements like metallic fabrics or high-gloss lacquered furniture.  Little girls (as well as their moms) like lots of bling, so anything sparkly works - a crystal chandelier, beaded curtains, glass lamps, shiny nail heads on a headboard are all fun ways to mix playful with sophisticated.

4.  The room that you designed for the East 88th St. residence is breathtaking (below).  What was your starting point or inspiration for that space?  

JF:  This bedroom was a joy for me to design because it happens to be my own.  When I created this room, I knew exactly what I wanted - I wanted a room that reflects my true personality, the way I see myself - feminine, strong and interesting.  I wanted a space that makes me feel alive, excites me, and rejuvenates my spirit.  I wanted a very feminine and chic space.  I wanted to be surrounded by things that I love - favorite artwork, pictures of my children, lots of books piled on top of and underneath my bedside table.  When I designed this room, I gave myself the biggest gift - an incredible place to start and end each day.

Thank you to Jennifer Flanders for taking the time to share with us how she turns her clients' bedrooms into beautifully designed retreats.    

The Designer Encounter series highlights established designers and interiors from their portfolios, sharing their design process and tips. 

  

Manly Monday: Color & Pattern

This little boy's room is so full of color and pattern, it's fun and stylish.  Check out the graphic black and white window treatments and then the green and white trellis wallpaper.  The lime green nightstand and bright yellow chair look amazing next to the beige bed.  A very stylish space for a little man.

image via:  decor pad

GOURD-geous Centerpiece...

Towards the end of this Summer, my mom purchased about 50 small butternut squash from her local farmer's market. I'm not exaggerating, 50.

As long as you keep them in a cool spot, they will keep for some time.  They are sitting in a plastic bin in her hall.  Every time I visit, she wants me to take some squash...

So, when I came across this photo, I had to send it to her.  It's such a cute and creative centerpiece, perfect for  Thanksgiving.  Simply cut off the top of the squash and carve it out.  Use different sizes to create a great vignette.

Color Me Yellow:

I'm working on a room with some yellow accents, and am so excited about using the color.  It's not one that I've used often.  I've been seeing some images recently with yellow, Crate and Barrel has some great vases that I'm drooling over, and Homegoods has provided me with a few good finds in this hue.

 

interior by:  Christina Murphy      Saffron Palmela Vase, Crate & Barrel, $39.95

Manly Monday: Flipping Outrageous Kitchen...

House Beautiful recently revealed their "Kitchen of the Year" designed by Bravo's Jeff Lewis and his team from the show Flipping Out.  I think it's the ideal Manly Monday kitchen because of it's sleek design.  It's also a great kitchen for women too, with all of it's neat storage and cool appliances.

See the designer cast talk about their favorite aspects of the kitchen in the video below: