dwellings and décor

As most of you may have noticed tree branches are all the rage in home decor whether it be a textile design, motif or a tree branch itself. Below are some of my favorite finds and this is the perfect time of year to show it off. The tree branch trend looks great in modern and natural styled interiors with coordinating colors in white, black and rich wood tones. I recommend checking out the links below for some more great products from these companies and artists.

On another note I wanted to let everyone know about a new feature on the blog. You can now click on the links under “pages” to see thumbnails of all the dwellings and decor posts!

Clockwise from top left: 1. Melissa Borrell 2. Urban Outfitters 3.  N.Sybrandy 4. Myoung Ho Lee

Clockwise from top left: 1. Brondesbury Villas 2. Rockett St George 3. Martin Tessler 4. James Merrill

Clockwise from top left: 1. Fototiller 2. John Lewis 3. Kindling Shop 4. IAFR

Clockwise from top left: 1. Colico Design 2. Brown Design Inc. 3. Bliss Living Home 4. Dodeci

Some of the words that I think of to describe Harbinger would be traditional, fun, chic, unique and quality. I especially love all of their one of a kind looks and fun upholstery. I am not usually a fan of eclectic but I think there is a nice mix of modern colors and textiles with the traditional furniture and decor. If you are in the Los Angeles area I would stop by their store and check it out. To see more images go to their fabulous website at www.harbingerla.com.

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.

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

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.

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

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

From the fashion runways to your home purple is the color to surround yourself with. I especially love deep purples for Fall and I like to use purple in small pieces like lighting and pillows so you can change it out easily and quickly when you want to incorporate a new color. Thomas Paul has a beautiful line of purple pillows out at the moment and I am dying for the one with the gypsy looking girl in the circle. Another talented and great artist is Yumi Yumi and she designed the floral and bird illustration. You must check out her Etsy shop for more of her work.

Clockwise from top left: 1. Plush Pod 2. Foscarini 3. Thomas Paul 4. Lush Lamp Shades

Clockwise from top left: 1. Thomas Paul 2. Thomas Paul 3. Etoile Home 4. Yumi Yumi

Purple is such a great fall color either for clothing or home decor so I wanted to design a board that would have some purple in it. I also love purple with blue and black to make it less girly and make it more sophisticated. This inspiration image has so many great colors and textures. I decided that I wanted to find a fabric for the bedding that would be a similar look as the big purple flower to make it the focal point of the bedroom. I then decided to go with a black backdrop like in the image and decided to go with an upholstered black headboard with ornate detail. I also incorporated wood, glass and white ceramic just like the inspiration image to really pull it all together.

Inspiration Image from Edge Reps

Clockwise from top left: 1. DWR 2. Bellacor 3. The Shade Store 4. Kravet (9098_110) 5. Maisons du Monde 6. Plastic Land

I really love how modern these chandeliers are. I think what makes them more modern looking is the fact that they have a shiny metal band that holds the strands together. It also seems like there is less fuss in the design. The table lamp is also a great idea to glamorize a modern or traditional space.

I have been putting together a more finalized wedding inspiration board and I am considering having a chandelier either in the tent for the reception or having one hang on a tree outside. I think I am leaning towards twinkle lights in the tent and a chandelier outside on a tree.

Clockwise from Top Left: 1. Eurofase 2. Modiss 3. Axo Light 4. Eurofase

When I was decorating my apartment in college I loved going to Urban Outfitters, especially when they were having a sale. They have such great fabrics and designs and I love that they aren’t too serious. Below are some images that I grabbed from their site. I love the old Hawaiian records in the second image on the bottom right hand corner. There is a coffee store called Hawaiian Village Coffee and all of their stores are decorated with old Hawaiian memorabilia. They always have old Hawaiian records with great cover art on them. Another favorite of mine from Urban Outfitters is the black and white photo of the Eiffel tower with the tree branches. If you check out their website they have other black and white photos of different cities across the globe. Their stores are also really beautiful and the one in Portland, OR used to be an old warehouse building and they even kept one of the facades the same.

All Images from Urban Outfitters

It just so happened that I found this beautiful inspiration image (#4) a little while after I found the pink lantern (#1). I couldn’t believe how similar they were. They even have the little half circles on the side. When I was collecting imagery for this mood board I wanted to create a similar feel of the inspiration image. I was going for fun girly romantic and elegant and I think the colors of pink white and black also helps to bring in that feeling.

From Top: 1. Bernabei Freeman 2. Horchow 3. Harriet Carter 4. Stina Persson 5. Vivre 6. Maisons DuMonde

Cork isn’t only for wine stoppers and flooring anymore. I recently went to a restaurant here on Maui and they had cork menus. I loved the way it felt and it had a nice clean sophisticated look to it. The menu had a similar design to the purse in the top left hand corner. Next to the purse are cork lamps and I think they would be perfect on the desk because you could just pin up notes to yourself on it. The ottomans are also great for its elasticity and are wonderful for kids because there are no sharp corners. Here are some cool facts about cork from Wikipedia:

1. Portugal produces 50% of cork worldwide.
2. Cork stoppers represent about 60% of all cork based production.
3. Cork is used in musical instruments, particularly woodwind instruments, where it is used to fasten together segments of the instrument, making the seams airtight.
4. Granules of cork can also be mixed into concrete.
5. The sustainability of production and the easy recycling of cork products and by-products are two of its most distinctive aspects.
6. As late as the mid 1600s, French vintners did not use cork stoppers, using oil-soaked rags stuffed into the necks of bottles instead.
7. Cork has been used in rocket technology due to its fire resistance.
8. Cork can be used as bricks for the outer walls of houses, as in Portugal’s pavilion at Expo 2000.

Clockwise from Top Left: 1. Cork and Cotton 2. Shop Lum 3. West Elm 4. DWR

So I have been asking myself what makes a vintage inspired light? I have come to the conclusion that it is the materials used in the design and the way the light shines through the material. Some elements might be lace, etched glass, shells, or glass droplets and the light being shined through it is soft and subtle, almost as if there is a candle inside it. I have been thinking a lot about the style vintage because I am designing my wedding around a vintage but natural feel. I found my dress yesterday and I am so excited! It is sooo beautiful! I purchased it from a boutique in Paia here on Maui and the store is called Tamara Catz. You can see the dress I purchased here. I am actually removing the straps because we all agreed that it looked better without them. I just love how comfortable it was and it felt like I could be myself in it. I tried other ones that were gorgeous with a train and beads and all but they just weren’t me. My mom and I went to the shops of Wailea to see if there was any wedding dresses in the shops. We didn’t come across much but I did see the light that is on the bottom left hand corner over at this store called Tori Richards. You can’t tell from the picture but this light fixture is made with shells and was made with much detail and precision. Its funny that even when I am shopping for a dress I am trying to find new interior products. Please visit the links below to see more about these beautiful light fixtures and if you have the time I would love comments on what you think makes an item vintage.

Clockwise from top left: 1. Modern Dose 2. Kathleen Hills 3. Horchow 4. Nice on Etsy 5. Swank Lighting

I had a lot of fun picking these top ten table lamp designs and I think its a pretty good collection. I want them all! I think my favorite though is number 3. I just love that green shade with the blue base and the design is timeless. I tried to pick different styles so you will see number 5, 6 and 8 are pretty modern and number 1 has an Asian flair to it where as number 7 is totally tropical. I even picked a funky one like number 9 and of course some traditional elegant ones like number 2, 3 & 4. So which one is your favorite?

1. Artful Home 2. Horchow 3. Jett Modern 4. Shop Modify 5. Seascape Lamps 6. Souk Shop 7. Jamie Young 8. Bellacor 9. Bodie and Fou 10. Target

When the sunlight hits these midsummer white interior items it creates beautiful shadows. The photo on the top right shows that the inspiration for these great products is vintage crochet. The first image on the top left is called the Midsummer Light. It is made out of paper and the designer used no glue. The three products at the bottom is actually made out of handmade crochet cotton held together with an epoxy resin. I just love how unique these products are and they blend a nice style of vintage and modern together.

Clockwise from top left: 1. Tord Boontje 2. Irina Graewe 3. Moooi 4. Marcel Wanders 5. Moooi

There is something so magical about these interiors with multiple hanging light fixtures. Lighting is too often an afterthought for people and it can be very difficult to create the right amount of light. You will notice in these interiors that the design has been carefully thought out. The first image has multiple chandeliers that sparkle when sunlight hits from the large glass skylight. The second image down is a retail store and the designer used the same light fixture in different sizes but hung them at different heights to give it a more scattered feel. I love that there are so many and it still feels subtle and it gives the space a nice glow. I think this idea of multiple hanging light fixtures may work best for events and special occasions. It can really give you that drama that your looking for.

From Top (left to right when there are two) 1. Shoot Factory 2. KWID 3. Martyn Lawrence Bullard 4. Little White Dress 5. D Wiseman 6. Event Design Group

Bamboo has been a popular trend in interior design lately mainly because of its environmental factors. We are making bamboo flooring and bamboo furniture and even bamboo sheets. Bamboo is a renewable resource meaning that it grows fast and plentiful and it is even biodegradable. Although these light fixtures are not biodegradable they are inspired by the shapes and curves of bamboo. The first floor lamp on the top left hand corner is from Eurofase and I love how modern and clean it is but it also has character because of its curvy lines. The second one from 2b mod is called the Legna table lamp and it is designed by Jeff Designs. You can purchase it in teak or zebra wood veneer and it comes in a variety of styles. The third layered linear floor lamp is called Stacking D and you can purchase it from Ecosta. I like the different varieties that Rockwell Group designed. The last image on the bottom left hand corner is from Leucos and I love the color composition of the white, gold mirror, tobacco, and white gold mirror. Click on links below for more information.

Rachel Mallon
www.roominabook.com

Clockwise from top left: 1. Eurofase 2. 2b mod 3. Ecosta 4. Leucos

Happy fourth of July everyone!

These vibrant and striking lighting designs can give your home the burst you are looking for. They make your eyes go straight to them just like fireworks on the fourth of July.

Rachel Mallon
www.roominabook.com

1. Room Online 2. Plug Lighting 3. Gnr8 4. Rian Rae