dwellings and décor

One of my favorite looks right now is black and white with rich woods. I think it is so stunning, clean, modern and chic. The black and white give the space a clean minimal look and the rich woods really help to make the space feel warmer. I love how the warm wood tones with the clean black and white give the space such a beautiful balance.

Note: I believe that this Apartment isn’t in the state Alaska, its in Alaska somewhere near London.

Images from Shoot Factory

The owners of Day describe their style as Bohemian Modern or “haute boheme”. After reading that in their “All about Day” page on their website I began thinking about their description and I would say they definitely nailed it. The Day company started with stylish fashion apparel and branched out to home decor. Their focus is on the revival of craftsmanship with the idea that modern glamour could be worn every day. Check out more of their fabulous designs over at www.day.dk.

I have been wanting to do this top ten clock post for awhile now and I finally came across these 10 that I love. Clocks can be that perfect addition to your empty wall space whether it be modern, simple, coo coo, or elaborate. Not only do these wonderful clocks serve an artistic purpose they serve a functional purpose that has been around for centuries. I would have to say my favorite one is number 8. Which one is your favorite?

From top: 1. DWR 2. Benjamin Hubert 3. Unica Home 4. Anthropologie 5. Decoy Lab 6. Conran USA 7. Hidden Art Shop 8. Velocity Art and Design 9. Impressionen 10. EQ3

Whether your looking for a modern or traditional kitchen a brown kitchen can work. A kitchen with brown can make it timeless and beautiful and I love the warmth of the rich wood cabinets of these interiors. There is such a clean and inviting look to them.

Clockwise from top left: 1. David Dalton Inc. 2. Wish 3. Michael Delpiero 4. Architectural Digest

Clockwise from top left: 1. Habitat 2. Jessica La Grange 3. Rogers Marvel 4. Guillaume de Laubier

A wire framed chair or stool usually has a distinctive outdoor look. But not always. The pieces shown below are a great examples of wire framed seating that looks fabulous indoors and out. So now that its getting colder outside and most people aren’t enjoying the backyard, lanai, or rooftop terrace you can bring these guys in for now and out for later.

Clockwise from top left: 1. Moooi 2. Jules Seltzer 3. Saba Italia 4. CB2

For this Room in a Book I decided to go with this beautiful burgundy color to warm the space up and tie it with her cherry cabinets in the kitchen which is the adjacent space. I previously designed her kitchen and she went with design 2. Click here to see her Kitchen Room in a Book. She just recently painted and put in the wood flooring and she also had a large black leather sofa I needed to work with. She also picked out the dark sleek ET Center which balances nicely with the black sectional. She has a young child so I chose a dark rug to hide possible spills. I also chose an adjustable table lamp so the user can create adequate light for the space. I came across the artwork first while searching my Aunt Paula Scaletta and the rest of the decor followed. My aunt is a well known graphic designer and her artwork can be found in most major stores like target and art.com. All in all I think the design came out lovely and the client is pleased which is most important. Check out Room in a Book for more information.

Click on images to enlarge

I also want to let everyone know about my new group I created in Flickr called Digital Mood Boards. Check it out here and add some if you have any. Have a wonderful weekend!

I just love this clean soft natural look of the items below. There are so many creative individuals out in the world and I find it interesting that you can do something so small to a simple object and make it incredibly beautiful with a touch of craftsmanship and imagination. I love when I come across an object of design and think to myself how unique and different that object is. At times when I am designing or creating something I feel frustrated because I want to create something so unique and different and just feel like everything has been done. I have to remember though there are so many ways to design something and to keep at it until the pieces come together and to build upon these frustrations to create something even more incredible.

Clockwise from top left: 1. Small Place Style 2. Edge Reps 3. Wasara 4. Caroline Swift

In the spirit of the upcoming holiday of Halloween I thought I would post some more black images and this time its furniture and decor. Like clothing black goes with everything in the home. It especially looks good if you have at least three black pieces across the space for a better color flow. Black gives furniture like dressers and tables a sense of weight so they look very substantial and heavy which can really ground your space. Black is also a great color for a rug because it will hardly ever look dirty.

Clockwise from top left: 1. Anthropologie 2. John Lewis 3. Hidden Art Shop 4. Hickory Chair

Clockwise from top left: 1. Jo Meesters 2. Downtown 20 3. Tonic Home 4. Property Furniture

Clockwise from top left: 1. Shop Plastic Land 2. ECC 3. Bernabei Freeman 4. Madeline Weinrib

I have a lot of clients who ask for a warm and bright space which seems to be more common for this time of year. I love incorporating soft pretty golden yellows for these clients and these interior images always provides inspiration. As I may have mentioned before yellow is probably the most difficult color to work with, at least in my book. I don’t know how many times people have come to me for assistance after painting their walls a yellow they thought was subtle enough in the can became too bright on the wall. I think once you find the right yellow for the walls it can work with so many other colors and really does make a room cherry and bright. I think its worth the extra work on finding the right yellow and remember that once yellow is on the wall it will always seem brighter especially if your getting a lot of daylight in that space. As you see below yellow looks beautiful with honey and dark rich woods.

Clockwise from top: 1. One and Only Resorts 2. Winfriend Heinze 3. Tracery Interiors 4. Zara Home

Clockwise from top: 1. Madeline Stuart 2. M Grimm 3. Thomas Treuhaft 4. NY Interior Design

It is finally cooling down and raining more here on Maui and I absolutely love it. Lately I have been quite inspired by water whether it be rain drops, waves, or puddles. I love how these light fixtures emulate rain drops coming down from the sky. They are just lovely and great for an entryway. The top left one would also look beautiful in a dining room and I think the one on the bottom right would look fabulous above side tables in a bedroom.

Clockwise from top left: 1. Horchow 2. Eurofase 3. Boyd Kentfield 4. Neidhardt Inc.

The designers for All the Bells and Whistles who designed this spectacular space below have a distinct look and style to their interiors. I would describe it as very LA with a mid century feel and class. They make beautiful one of a kind custom furniture for their clients which I think is why I say their designs are so unique. I feel like if I ever go into one of their spaces with a similar feel I could say “Hey I wonder if this space is designed by All the Bells and Whistles”. I highly recommend checking their site out to see more of their designs like the cash wrap for the retail store Milo and the Bar for Aubergine Restaurant.

Images and Design from All the Bells and Whistles found via Design Sponge

I am so excited about this post! As you can imagine trying to decide on just 10 pillow favorites was close to impossible so I started with over a 100 in my collection and made my way down to 50 and then I stopped at 30 because I just couldn’t take any more out. So Instead of top 10 this week you get a top 30! Aren’t they just fabulous? Which one is your favorite? I can’t decide.

From top: 1. Exclusively Home 2. Design Public 3. Zara Home 4. Vivre 5. 2 Modern 6. Inhabit Living 7. Burke Decor 8. Dransfield and Ross 9. Bliss Studio 10. Dwell Shop 11. Dransfield and Ross 12. Bliss Studio 13. Crate and Barrel 14. Lisa Fontana Rosa 15. Madeline Weinrib 16. Pillows and Throws 17. Louise Body Wall Print 18. Pillows and Throws 19. Pillows and Throws 20. Bed Bath and Beyond 21. Nimli 22. Lisa Fontana Rosa 23. Pier 1 24. Pillows and Throws 25. Lisa Fontana Rosa 26. Kohler Interiors 27. Conran USA 28. Looolo 29. Madeline Weinrib 30. Fortunoff

Halloween is definitely one of my favorite holidays to decorate for. It can be so fun and there are many styles to choose from. You can do more of a harvest look or a spooky scary or something in between the two. Okay maybe there aren’t that many styles but you can get pretty creative especially with the front entry area. I just love this image below of the black door and gold pumpkins. That cat is pretty adorable as well. What ever you choose to do remember to have fun.

Clockwise from top left: 1 & 3. Blissful Living Studio 2 & 4. Country Living

I thought that showing some black and white bedroom interiors would fit the mood for the upcoming holiday of Halloween. These rooms aren’t really spooky or scary but they are pretty great and I don’t recommend painting all your walls black for Halloween but an accent wall could look pretty cool if done right like some of the ones below. Some might feel that an all black and white interior can seem cold and uninviting so that’s why I like the idea of adding a little splash of yellow or beige to warm it up a bit. Adding a natural colored rug or rich woods can also do the trick.

Clockwise from top left: 1. Campanas 2. Castel Veciana 3. Elle Decor 4. Mimou

Clockwise from top left:1. SPI Design 2. Melanie Molesworth Blog 3. Nick Bowers 4. Susan Carpinello

Clockwise from top left: 1. Dwell Shop 2. Lisa Cohen Photography 3. Reeves Design 4. SR Gambrel

Many designers are inspired by natural elements and in the autumn season many are inspired by leaves. Here are a few examples of furniture and decor that have a leaf type design for beauty and usability. I love how the designers incorporated the veins of the leaves into the design and made it functional especially in the shelf design.

Clockwise from top left: 1. Adrift Mobiles 2. Finnish Design Shop 3. FCR Design 4. Finnish Design Shop 5. John Lonsdale

Many items found via Crib Candy

Take it from Dolce & Gabbana to design a glam gold restaurant. Located in Milan is this opulent restaurant that is divided between a cafe and a bistro which has plenty of reflective surfaces including brass and gilded glass to give a feeling of luxury. You may need to wear sunglasses with all this shine. The Architects Ferruccio Laviani & Gianmaria Torno added warmth by incorporating pink and grey arabesque patterned marble and oak parquet.

Images from Design Book Mag

Nella Ventrina in Italy designs bathroom vanities that are unique and gorgeous! I don’t often come across such beautiful bathroom furniture. I really like the way they are displayed in these rooms especially the ones with the very large mirrors and top-mount sinks. I also really like the balance of traditional elements with modern style. These vanities really inspire me to add some glam to my plain wood cabinetry. I would think wallpaper might do it but I don’t how well that would hold up to the water. Any body have any suggestions?

Images from Nella Ventrina via Bueller Designs

Pendant lights can add so much more than light to your space. How many homes have you been to where there is no consideration for ceiling lights as if no one will notice because its not at eye level? Ceiling lights are definitely not as easy as tossing a pillow on the sofa but they are just as crucial to designing a space. I recommend hiring an electrician to install ceiling fixtures because it truly can take a professional to do it right and safely. So get out there and tell your friends and family or yourself to remove their home depot standard light that the contractor picked out and get something elegant and more up to date that fits their style and home. I know it can be a hassle but its oh so worth it! Here are some that I think are just fabulous and worth the install.

1. Tay Lighting 2. Mekavi 3. Foscarini 4. Vivre 5. Mekavi 6. Downtown 20 7. Oly Studio 8. Target 9. Stonegate Designs 10. Emmerson Troop

If your looking for a really clean and timeless bathroom than neutral maybe the way you want to go. When choosing hard materials like tile and cabinetry it is often times best to go neutral because it will stay in style for a really long time and it may become easier to sell the home. Not only will it stay in style longer but adding white and off white colors can it give a bathroom a really clean and modern look.

Clockwise from top left: 1. Splyce 2. Domino Magazine 3. Marie Claire Maison 4. Shoot Factory

Clockwise from top left: 1. Tricia Joyce 2. Bamo Inc. 3. William Hefner 4. Cheryl Rowley Design

Clockwise from top left: 1. B Home Interiors 2. Salon Interior 3. Marie Claire Maison 4. India Mahdavi

Clockwise from top left: 1. Cheryl Rowley Design 2. Kiwi Collection 3. Walker-Warner Architects 4. Kiwi Collection

I am always in awe when I come across wood furniture and decor that has more of a curvilinear nature to it. I am really liking this new trend where designers create these curvilinear wood pieces and create furniture and decor with it. Most wood furniture is very geometric with straight lines mainly because it takes a lot more work and time to make wood curvilinear. The products shown below are just a few examples of what is being done out in the design world. I can really appreciate the craftsmanship and attention to detail and I am hoping to come across more pieces that have a similar look.

Clockwise from top left: 1. Plush Pod 2. Architonic 3. Yomo 4. Godoy Lab

Below are some photos from the wonderful interior inspiration site Shoot Factory. This House in particular is one of my favorites and it is located in Kempe, England. These photos show the beautiful autumn light and I am in awe of the small details throughout the home. Some of my favorite elements of this home is the hand painted shoji screen, the clean and relaxed feel of the linens and upholstery, the hand sketched framed artwork above the sofa and the cute little shoes under the mirrored armoire. Another aspect of this home that I love is that there is such a fluid and smooth transition from one room to the next. Colors, style and the feel of the rooms are consistent throughout the home. Click here to see more images.

Images from Shoot Factory

Lekker Home Furnishings prides itself on originality, affordability and quality. You can tell in just the few images that I selected below that they are unique and high quality. The wood looks like solid pieces and not MDF or particleboard. I love the design too. Not too simple with elegance that will last you a long time. The owner Natalie van Dijk Carpenter has lived in Paris, Amsterdam and the Netherlands. (No wonder she has impeccable taste.) “Lekker” is a Dutch word for alluring, enticing, great, attractive and tempting. Check out more of their products over at www.lekkerhome.com. They have some great items for Fall.

Since we are already on the subject of the color green I thought I would post some fun green furniture finds. Painting or upholstering furniture in green may give your space the pop that it needs. Green looks great with other wood toned furniture and anything in white or blue. If you are planning or already have a pure green item then I would be careful not to add a pure red in fear that it may look like Christmas all year round. I love reds and greens together but I try to use more toned down reds and greens. For instance sage green and burgundy look amazing together.

Clockwise from top left: 1. CB2 2. Design Public 3.Cottage and Bungalow 4. City Living Home

Clockwise from top left: 1. Jett Modern 2. Vivre 3. Ecc 4. Modern Dose

Clockwise from top left: 1. Tonic Home 2. Tonic Home 3. Burke Decor 4. Cottage and Bungalow