Product of the Week: Suzani Ceramic!!

Just when you think things couldn’t get any cooler, Boston-based ceramicist Jill Rosenwald created this ultra-cool suzani-inspired ceramic bowl.

The piece measures 10"wide by 10.25" high and it is dishwasher safe and meant to be used all the time.

Jill has many other very cool ceramic designs at her etsy site here.

 

There are more products of the week in store.  Stay tuned!

Becky

Room Re-Do’s

I’ve been busy busy with this staging business.  And let me tell you… it’s hard work!  I come home exhausted from my jobs!  Staging requires a lot of physical work.  And while I consider myself in good shape, it’s a different thing to haul boxes and go up and down stairs all day long.   It’s a good thing that I like design and decorating, otherwise, this would be torture!  Luckily I love the people/friends that I work with and I show up everyday with a smile on my face, grateful for the work.

I just finished up a beautiful $1.75 million home in beautiful Los Gatos, California.  I thought I would share the pictures with you.

This is the entry into the home.  It has a beautiful courtyard to sit and read your morning paper.  This picture is the before and unfortunately I didn’t take a picture of the after, which included a cute lantern and flowers in the hanging baskets.

This is the living room before the staging…

and after…   The cut-outs on the wall matched perfectly with the pillows.  We didn’t plan it, it just happened to come together.

The other side of the room.  The contemporary chairs are a fun metallic silvery blue.

Dining room before…

Dining room after.  It’s hard to see from this angle, but the base of this table was very intricate and went very well with the chandelier.  I was so tempted to sit down and open that bottle of wine after spending the day staging the home!

Another angle of the dining room.

Kitchen before….

Kitchen after.  With the lighting you can’t see the asian barstools, which looked very cute at the counter.

Family room before…

Family room after.  The sisal rug didn’t want to lay down flat for us yet.  With a few hours we are hoping it will cooperate!   So much more homey, don’t you think?

Master bedroom before…

Master bedroom after!  We have a little “under the sea” theme going in here.

Master bathroom before…

Master bathroom after.   Cute accessories make all the difference.

Hope you enjoyed my little tour.  If you are in the Silicon Valley area and want to see the home, there is an open house this weekend.  Feel free to contact realtor Gaylene Wyatt at (408) 741-8237 for more information.  Or you can email her at gwyatt@serenogroup.com.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Becky

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Here is the test to find whether your mission on earth is finished. If you’re alive, it isn’t.

~Richard Bach

NKBA 2011: Design Finalists for Bathrooms

Have you checked out the National Kitchen and Baths design finalists in the bathroom category?  If not, swing on over to this link now and check them out!
There are a couple of really inspiring bathroom designs like these;

Designer Holly Rickert got it right on the money with this bathroom.  River rock surrounds the free-standing tub giving this bathroom a relaxing spa feel.  Coupled with the dark cabinetry and flooring, this space feels modern and timeless.


Designer Christine Salas also had a hit with this tiny, but uber-chic bathroom.  Cool bathtub + cool fireplace right next to it is a winning combination for me!  The color of the tile works in the room, the sconces are unassuming and perfect and the artwork right on.
But there are also a few that I just don’t get!

Designer Ellie Baker can put a bathroom together, but I am not so fond of the color scheme in here (the white tile is too stark for those warm cabinets), the bowl glass sink (are they even still in style anymore?) and that hardware on the cabinets!    Sorry… this one misses the mark in my book.

Designer Lori Carroll did some things right here.  The oil-rubbed bronze faucet is trendy and in style right now and the pendant lighting adds a cool vibe to the space as well, but overall, it feels very 80’s to me for some reason?   I think it is the color of the floating cast stone sink as well as the corrugation tiles on the wall.  She tried something unique and different with marble slabs embedded with fossils behind the sink, but again, this one misses for me as well.  What’s your opinion?
Becky
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It isn’t the size of the gift that matters, it’s the size of the heart…

Super Cute Homegoods

Soft Surroundings, which is mainly a clothing catalog, has their Spring line out.  And, with it, they have featured a couple really cute home goods that I have to show you! 

Fountainbleu Quilt.

From $189 to $269, this super romantic, fluffy quilt is so dreamy, I just want to plop down in it and sleep in!

The Fountainbleu Euro Shams.

dreamy.lovely.renoir-ish…..  $59.00.

Marrakesh Express Quilt

From $139 to $199, this Indian-inspired quilt is very zen-like.  The blues and greens are calming and the pattern is beautiful.

 

Haiku Garden Stool

$251.00.  This garden stool/side table is so unique.  I love to put different pieces into rooms.  What I don’t like is cookie-cutter décor.  So, when something like this comes along and screams “original!”, “beautiful!” and “unique!”… I’m all over it!

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Enjoy!

Becky

Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.

~Aristotle

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

~ Aristotle

Extraordinary Lighting

 

We’re almost at the end of January.  It’s the new year!   Have you made changes for the better?  Have you made your New Year’s resolutions?   Have you lit up your life yet?   No?  Well, let me give you some inspiration.  Let me flood your life with beauty and light!

Here are some beautiful, extraordinary lighting fixtures that are so gorgeous, so inspiring, that songs should be written about them… poems should be penned and definitely… rooms should have to be designed around them!

 

From Hudson Furniture Inc. 

MOTHER
Design by Baran Baylar
Gloss Nickel Plated Laser Cut Rings and Chains
How gorgeous is this lighting fixture?   It reminds me of Audrey Hepburn in “My Fair Lady”.  So elegant and regal.   This chandelier screams dinner party!

 

From Hudson Furniture Inc.

LYCC70BL
love you love you not
chandelier, conical
steel, swarovski crystals
This fixtur, on the other hand, reminds me of Edward Scissorhands and War of the Roses.   It’s beautiful, but in a very dark, ominous way.   I would love to see this chandelier lit.  The tiny crystals interspersed between those gorgeous black roses probably reflect beautifully.  I can see designing this fixture into a very modern-styled home, or even a retro-inspired décor.  It would be fun to place it in an unexpected place as well, like a front foyer or large master bath.

 

From Hudson Furniture Inc.

CASW30NH
iron, clear crystals
gloss nickel finish
This wall sconce was so unusual, I had to feature it.  It’s so organic and beautiful.  I love the little candle holder within the wirey tangled mess of iron… all topped off with beautiful crystals of course.

From Hudson Furniture Inc.

BF150
broom
floor lamp, iron
gloss nickel
These floor lamps are so fun and so unusual!  I love them!  But, I do want to turn them upside down and start sweeping!

 

From Hudson Furniture Inc.

KIKI WALL LAMP
ludwig & larsen
Solid Walnut, Blackened Steel, Linen Shade (Brown shown, white also available)
I love this swing arm lamp!  What a great mix of retro and modern, with the drum shade.

 

QUIN.MGX Chandelier

Part of the Within4Walls Collection since 2006

From Bathsheba Grossman for MGX by Materialise.

These extraordinary starfish shaped balls would be perfect party lighting.  Group a bunch of these on your patio, throughout your pergola or strung across your lawn for a fun summer party. 

Cibola Bone China Pendant Light by Dominic Bromley for Scabetti

Part of the Within4Walls Collection since 2007

i.love.these…..  Part seashell, part planet, part teardrop.  Gorgeous how the light infuses from behind the inner ball.  Made of bone china.

 

Linz Wall Light

Part of the Within4Walls Collection since 2009

Sometimes simplicity is the best option.  I love the travertine embedded in this chromed steel.  Perfect for hallways, breezeways or covered porches.

 

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Have a wonderful week everyone!

Becky

In the beginning there was nothing.  God said, "Let there be light!"  And there was light.  There was still nothing, but you could see it a whole lot better.  ~Ellen DeGeneres

What is true by lamplight is not always true by sunlight.  ~Joseph Joubert

When God Closes a Door….

The presents are opened, the recycling bin is full of wrapping paper, the Christmas dinner, which took hours to prepare, was eaten in minutes.  The wine bottles empty, the children all playing with their new games and the cats doing what they always do…. sleeping through it all.  The year is winding down and what a year it has been.  For my family, it has been one of major change.  Whether or not it will be a good one is yet to be seen, but we are all adjusting to our new roles, the new game, the new rules.  We are all going to bed unsure of the now, but hoping to wake up to a better future.

They say when God closes a door, he opens a window.  For many of us, it’s so hard to see that indeed that window is open.  All we see is that the door has been shut in our faces and we are left there, stunned, not knowing what to do next.

The point, I think, is to just keep moving.  Keep searching.  Keep looking for what you want in life.  And that… putting one foot in front of the next… is the secret to getting through life.  One step at a time.  One moment at a time.  One breath at a time.

In keeping with this blog’s theme….. Harmony and Home…. and in loving (and living in) peaceful serene homes, here is one that I’d like to share with you.

From Boston Magazine.  All photos by Eric Roth.  Interior Design by Gerald Pomeroy.

A sitting room with built-in glass-fronted cabinets and complimentary artwork pull this room together in a beautiful way.

 

Farrow & Ball wallpaper and simple artwork make this entryway seem casual, even though the furniture is formal.

 

This Gustavian case clock is perfectly showcased against the wall mural.

 

This beautiful antique Biedermeier wood table and Austrian chairs are from the same period, centered under a gilt lantern chandelier.

 

The beautiful cabinetry and mirror-on-mirror in this master bathroom create a very elegant atmosphere.

 

The master bedroom features a mirrored side table and custom headboard.

 

In the entry,  a sunburst mirror is positioned on an antiqued mirror and x-frame chairs standout amongst the multi-colored marble tile.

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If I have just one aim,
And if that aim is to be myself,
Then I am bound to discover joy,
True joy, eternal joy.

If you can create harmony
In your own life,
This harmony will enter
Into the vast world.

The transformation of life
Begins with a soulful smile
Of the heart.

At the dawn of each day,
Let us make our hopes
And promises
As sincere and powerful
As possible.

~ Sri Chinmoy

 

Happy New Year Everyone!

Blessings of Good Health, Prosperity and Endless Love!

Becky

Holiday Design Gift Ideas

With Christmas almost upon us, I thought I would write a post with some last minute Christmas gift ideas that pertain to design… for you afficionados out there.  :)

So without further adieu…

HGTV’s Home Design and Remodeling Suite Software.  I have this program and haven’t had the chance to really get in there and use it, but upon quick perusal and based on the reviews, it looks like a pretty decent software package.  For those of you out there who would like to design, but don’t have the training, this is a fun little tool to work with.  You can remodel your whole home or just change the colors of a room.  The possibilities are endless.

Restoration Hardware's Heathered  Stripe Throw

At just $59.00, this beautiful throw will keep you warm on the sofa or look good thrown over the corner of your arm chair.  It’s oversized at 50” x 70” and the blankets from Restoration Hardware are just luxurious.  I bought a chenille throw for my father a couple years ago and the weight of it and quality were impeccable. 

Guinevere Bed from Horchow

Heavy gage steel in a beautifully scrolled romantic design, complete with four posts.  Love.  $799.00 for a Queen.

 

Embossed Faux Leather Journal from Leather Journals.net.  Every good designer needs to record all his/her transactions.  Make sure you have know where you are going with your business!

 

'>'>How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Redesign, Redecorating, and Home Staging Business: With Companion CD-ROM.  For all of you out there that want to start up a design business, this is a good starting point.  Practical tips and wisdom from those in the industry to help you get started.

 

May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace,
The gladness of Christmas give you hope,
The warmth of Christmas grant you love.
~Author Unknown

 

Becky