Who do you turn to when you need custom upholstery that not only looks hot, but is also comfy & cozy? On a project I recently completed for a client in California, I turned to Hickory Chair. Their Made to Measure program allows your clients to truly “Have it Your Way”. It also gives designers an opportunity to put their personal spin on HC’s pieces. My young & hip client, who is a 6′10″ NBA player, requested an edgy contemporary yet comfortable feel. When you are 6′10″, standard size sofas & chairs just don’t work, but as a designer you must also be mindful of the size & scale of the home. So, I sat down with my friends at Hickory Chair & designed a sensational Made to Measure sectional that showcased all of the details my client wanted.
Since the sectional would “float” in the family room, the back had to be interesting. We dressed the frame in black Vacona leather & tufted the back using a subtle square pattern (click the photo to enlarge for a better view of the tufting). (Hickory Chair was kind enough to forward me these photos from the factory before the sectional shipped. My client could not wait to see it!)
The sectional ended up being 9×12 with a custom depth & height to accomodate my client’s stature. The seat cushions were covered in a graphite flannel. We used a COM Ralph Lauren cashmere for the accent pillows. My client is not a big fan of pattern or color, so the house is layered in shades of black, taupe, gray & cream. It turned out remarkably sophisticated & chic.
Hickory Chair has invited me to attend a program they are presenting, so I am heading to North Carolina this weekend. So, if you don’t already, make sure to follow me on facebook & twitter to get a behind the scenes experience of our time at HC & lots of eye candy!
Hello design friends! I apologize for being MIA over the last week or so. After I returned from furniture market in North Carolina, I hopped right back on a plane to go install my client’s home in California. I’m back in Dallas now (at least for the time being) & wouldn’t you know it ~ I got a terrible sinus infection in the midst of trying to play catch up back at our showroom. So, please excuse my tardiness in sharing all of my exciting adventures & finds with you.
I have so much to catch you all up on, but it will have to wait for now. I need to follow up on current projects & put the finishing touches on an event we’re hosting here at IBB for STAR Children’s Charities next week. So exciting! Don’t go far though, because next week will be full of lots of fun on my blog including a guest post from my fabulous friend Shelly Rosenberg.
So, for the time being I will leave you with a little teaser to entice you to come back & read up on my latest adventures…
No, this is not something I normally keep in my designer’s tool kit. However, I did use this ever-so- handy forklift to get my client’s absolutely favorite piece into his home during my installation in California. It’s never a dull day in the design world! Stay tuned for details…
Posted under Design Dilemmas by admin on Thursday 6 May 2010 at 7:47 am
I’ve got answers!!! I will be answering viewer questions on an upcoming GMT segment. Post your questions here on the Designer Detective blog now! If your question is used on the show, you’ll get a $100 gift certificate to IBB Design Furniture Showroom.
It’s time for a make-over! It’s a mini project for me. I’ve finally had it! My office at IBB is in major need of some TLC. You see, we’ve been at our current location for more than five years now. I was pregnant with my daughter & super busy at the time of the move, so I decided to put the task of “officially” designing my office space off for a later date. Well, five years later, things are still super busy around here (Praise God!) & my walls are still bare (with the exception of a print of the new studios I was given when I started at Good Morning Texas). My desk chair is oh-so-comfy, but a MAJOR eye sore! My guest chairs for clients & other business guests are pretty, but they’re just not me.
Last weekend while I was up here working on a client project, I finally reached my boiling point. Part of creating inspiring interiors, I believe, is surrounding ourselves with things we find inspiring. My office, where I spend a great deal of time each day, falls very short of awe inspiring.
I whipped out some fabric books & my Benjamin Moore paint deck & picked out some fabulosity for my new digs. I wanted something fun, girly, young & hip. I will be using hints of fuschia (because I love pink & I think my fiance would kill me if I ever tried to use pink in the home we’ll soon be sharing!) I’ll be re-covering my desk chair & the guest chairs, painting the walls, adding some art & lighting & switching out the big bulky armoire for a sleek mirrored console. I’ll be keeping my desk unit (even though I probably should eventually update that too) because I love it’s functionality & quite frankly I just don’t want to spend the money right now. I’ll be tackling this in stages (in my spare time: note to self; find spare time! ~ LOL!) so I will post the after pictures when it’s complete. For now, check out the color palette as well as some before photos below.
These are the fabrics I’ve selected. Since you haven’t heard me shut up about my excitement that turquoise is the 2010 color of the year, are you even surprised that I’d be using it in my own surroundings? I’m contrasting it with the rich midnight blue velvet. I’ll be pulling in hints of my favorite color pink through the fuchsia in the stripe fabric as well as some accessories. I”ll show you & explain where everything is going in the After post when the room is complete. Gotta let the reveal be a surprise…
Desk Unit before
Desk chair before
I know, I know. Hideous, right? I use that cozy turquoise throw everyday ( It’s always so dang cold in my office! ), but it actually helps disguise my ugly desk chair too ~ LOL!
My chunky clunky armoire is getting the boot. It’s really just serving as a storage unit for JUNK! Hasta la vista baby!
This shows off the wall color before. I’ll be changing it to a bright white for a cheery update and to bring some life into my office. I have no windows in here, so I’m ready for a light bright feel. As of now, I’ve selected Benjamin Moore white dove. I’ll be painting a test sample this weekend.
I’ll be recovering these chairs & adding some cool detailing to give them a fun playful update.
If I’m feeling a little frisky, I will probably chronicle this makeover via twitter, so make sure you follow me here.
I hope you are busy finding all sorts of wonderful ways to light up your life! As we discussed previously, lighting is a key element to a well-designed room. During my recent trip to the International Home Furnishings Market in High Point, North Carolina, I found some marvelous way to add style to your home through great lighting. Check out some of my favs…
Amber Chandelier from Bella Rosa
How cute is this? So frilly & girly! I love the elongated shade.
Pure fabulosity! I call these the “bubble pendants”. So many creative ways one could use these!
A little glitz. A little glam. A whole lotta style. Love the shape of the shade. Makes me feel all sparkley just looking at it!
This is totally on my wish list! It’s a chandelier inside a floor lamp! One of my very favorite finds at High Point this year. My wish is to one day place this beside a beautiful baby grand piano in my home.
After choosing furniture, colors and accessories, if you’re room still feels lacking the problem may be the lighting. Lighting is a crucial part of home decorating.Beyond helping you see, proper lighting can add beauty and drama to a room.When used properly, lighting enhances color, highlights texture and creates just the right mood for any room in a home.
There are many ways to light a room, and the room’s function greatly determines the way it should be lit. Mixing natural and task lighting makes a room visually interesting.
Natural light: Sunlight, candlelight and firelight. This is light that moves and is sometimes referred to as kinetic. The quality of natural light, sunlight in particular, depends on many things–time of day, weather, what season it is. The setting sun gives a different kind of light than midday sun.
Task lighting: Task lighting is just that; lighting that’s used to perform daily activities such as reading, cooking, shaving, putting on makeup, etc. Effective task lighting enhances visual clarity and keeps the eyes from getting tired.
Now that we’ve concluded today’s lesson in lighting. Take a look at some stylish ways to light up your life…
The transparent lamp base was a big trend at furniture market in High Point this fall. This beauty is from Barbara Cosgrove. Available at IBB Design Furniture Showroom.
SO stylish! Perfect task lighting for a desk in a home office or study. Rectangular shades like this fit so nicely up against a wall because of their flat sides, so this could also work for an entry or hallway on a console. Barbara Cosgrove. Available at IBB.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this lamp from Jamie Young! The shade is made from cork. Again, we see the transparent base, but with a tinge of yellow this time
Fabulous floor lamp from Jamie Young. Great scale & style. Suitable for a wide range of homes.
Colorful pendant lighting from Jamie Young.
Chatting with designer Jamie Young at furniture market in High Point this fall. Such energy & spunk ~ which is obviously carried out through her fabulous designs. I love that you can mix & match all of her shades with any base. We had fun playing & buying for IBB Design Furniture Showroom!
Not ready commit to custom bedding? Buy a white or neutral down comforter & add color to your bed with decorative pillows & a throw or toe warmer at the end of the bed that can be easily switched out. Most down comforters can be easily washed or dry cleaned & they are super cozy to sleep with!
Need to find out what to do about window coverings in our family room. We don’t want to block or distract from any of wonderful view, but leaving them plain just doesn’t look right.
-Kim Collier
Dear Kim,
Thank you so much for your question! It’s actually one I get all of the time. Here are a few solutions that i would suggest for you.
Simple pleated linen panels on either side of the windows with woven wood shades. The woven woods can raise & lower for privacy & allow for little or no view obstruction.
Another drapery panel & woven wood example
OR
Simple pleated panels to dress the windows. This option does not allow for privacy. However, you could make the panels wide enough to draw closed if you want to be able to have privacy. This will make the panels hang into the windows on the sides more, but will not obstruct your view.
OR
Here we used 2″ wood blinds with simple pleated drapery panels on either side. The panels help to dress the windows, draw your eye up & bring color & texture into the room.
Time to get those windows stylin! Let me know what you end up choosing to make your windows make a fabulous design statement! Happy decorating!
I recently featured a series on Good Morning Texas in helping viewers find their design style. I decided to put this series together after seeing that 15% of the people polled on my blog had no clue what their design style was. If you have no idea what your style is, how do you shop for your home? You’ve got to know what your style is! Otherwise, you will be making huge costly mistakes when making purchases in furniture & accessories for your home.
Have a design dilemma or topic you need help with? Need some fresh ideas, paint or fabric advice, or just want to be up to date on current design trends? Need an opinion on your latest design project? Here’s your chance! Write in to the Designer Detective. All next week we’ll be focusing on questions asked by you! Check in daily to find out what design dilemma we’re solving for that day.
Then, tune in to Good Morning Texas on Friday, February 20th to see the design dilemmas and practical solutions discussed on live television!
I can’t wait to hear from you! Happy decorating everyone!
