If you’re looking for that special something to liven up your decor, a fabulous chair or pair of chairs can easily do the trick! I recently highlighted my top 5 favorite chairs of the moment for Good Morning Texas.
This leather & hair on hide upholstered chair with antique brass nailhead trim would work wonderfully in a study featuring a rich warm brown color palette.
Favorite Chair #2
I LOVE this jewel tone beauty from John Richard! The rich colors paired with gold leaf detail make this chair such a luxurious treat! This has been a very popular chair at IBB.
Favorite Chair #3
Now, you all know that I am a sucker when it comes to a fabulous piece featuring eglomise! So, it’s no wonder this stylish number (again from John Richard) made my list of faves!
Favorite Chair #4
The color of the year for 2010 is turquoise, but how about a richer deep teal for a pop of color? Use these comfy chairs to add style to a family room, study or swanky sitting area.
The embroidered branch pattern on this Sherrill chair is to die for! We contrasted the outside of the frame with a sumptuous chocolate brown velvet & then added some additional eye candy by using polished nickel nail head trim to finish off the look.
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.
Greetings design lovers! It’s still winter time & there’s nothing better than a cozy environment during the cold winter months. Today on Good Morning Texas, I gave a few pointers to help you create a warm interior for your home. I showcased a yummy sofa from Century in a leather/fabric combination, a rustic (yet sleek) coffee table from Henredon, & two different chair options to help bring the look together. The whole setting makes me want to escape to the mountains in Aspen or Vail!
I found this recipe on the Food Network’s website & it’s on the menu tonight at our house…
Ingredients
2 pounds ground chicken, coarsely ground preferred
3 tablespoons chili powder, plus 2 teaspoons
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed
2 (28-ounce) cans diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 medium sweet potato (about 10 ounces), peeled and shredded
1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup instant tapioca (recommended: Minute tapioca)
1 to 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce with seeds, chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground cloves
1/2 to 3/4 cup lager-style beer, optional
Toppings: Sour cream, shredded Cheddar or Jack cheese, chopped scallions, and chopped pickled jalapenos
**Note: I’m taking out the chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (only because we didn’t have any) & I’ll be using Blue Moon for the beer (because that’s what we had!) The tapioca sounds a little crazy to me, but we’re gonna give it a try…**
Directions
Put the chicken in the slow cooker. Add 3 tablespoons of the chili powder and all the rest of the ingredients, except the beer. Stir everything together, cover, and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.
Just before serving, stir in the remaining 2 teaspoons of chili powder, the beer, if using, and season with more salt and pepper, to taste, if desired. Divide the chili among warm bowls. Serve with the topping of your choice.
Know-How: Stirring in chili powder right before serving brightens the flavor of the chili.
Copyright (c) 2007 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved.
Posted under Recipes by admin on Thursday 21 January 2010 at 6:04 am
Remember, my 2 P’s tip to instantly update your home? Paint & Pillows! Well, I just have to share this new pillow line I came across last week at the Dallas Market. It’s called Square Feathers. The hand sewn works of art are made from high quality linen, jute & fleece. Ron’s signature design is the unexpected combination of jute & fleece.
I had the pleasure of chatting with the very charming creative force behind these fabulous pillows, Ron McIntyre. What’s even better is that he’s a Texas boy ~ located in the heart of Austin, Texas. I put him on the spot & had him record a quick video tip for using his pillows for all of my readers to enjoy.
Ron even has an amazing coffee table book out full of eye candy for the pillow lovers. You can get it on Amazon here. His collection is vibrant & very chic. He has even implemented the ever so popular bird trend into a few of his designs. Take a look at some of his marvelous masterpieces & let me know what you think.
Vibrant Rose bud pillows from Square Feathers liven up a white chaise lounge. Notice Ron’s fab coffee table book at the edge of the chaise.
One of the most popular pillows from Square Feathers is their monogram pillow shown in the upper left of the photo. The collection also offers designs featuring kid friendly designs incorporating puppies & fun frogs. This wall also showcases some of my favs including the floral & cherry blossom designs.
My guest bedroom at my house has a Parisian flair, so I know exactly where I could use the Eiffel Tower pillow. The pillow next to it reminds me of Audrey Hepburn & who doesn’t love her??? The bottom shelf features the Rose Bud pillow in a cool blue with contrasting neutral khaki rose buds. Switch out the rose buds to one of the 15 colors offered to compliment any color palette!
Posted under Design Cases by admin on Wednesday 20 January 2010 at 6:19 am
It’s time for another giveaway for my fabulous readers! In honor of my recent upgrade to feature more video for the Designer Detective readers, I am giving away a video camera! You could be the lucky winner of this Sony Handycam video recorder. Capture all of your precious memories on video!
* Hi8 Handycam camcorder with 320,000-pixel CCD
* 20x optical zoom lens (digital zoom to 990x) with manual focus and image stabilizer
* 2.5-inch rotating LCD and black-and-white viewfinder
* Low-light recording settings and built-in white LED light
* NP-FM30 InfoLithium Rechargeable Battery
To enter, simply leave comments anywhere on the Designer Detective blog between now & Tuesday, February 2nd. How easy is that? Please keep your comments “content focused”. Join in the fun & the design conversations. Whether you’re a design novice, professional, or simply a blog lover your design comments are welcomed! Tacky, tasteless, or inappropriate non-content focused comments are frowned upon & will not be considered in the drawing (so sorry to even have to mention that, but unfortunately there are a few crazies out there on the world wide web & the intent of the giveaway is to reward a lucky reader). Make sure a valid e-mail is posted along with your comment. I will be contacting the winner via e-mail to obtain shipping information for the Sony Handycam. One entry per valid e-mail. All vaild e-mails will be put into a drawing to select the winner. Entries will be accepted until 5:00 PM Central time on Tuesday, February 2nd when the winner will be selected. Good luck!
Posted under Giveaways by admin on Tuesday 19 January 2010 at 3:12 pm
Yesterday, I introduced you to my fabulous friend & our first guest blogger, Shelly Rosenberg. Today, she shares her fresh take on the 2010 color of the year featuring our good friend & jewelry designer, Elizabeth Showers. Enjoy!
Fresh is the new fix in an economy that has us feeling deep blue. Take it up a notch with a hue to good to be true! Who says? Pantone, the Oz of the color wheel, gives Turquoise the title: Color of the Year, 2010! We need vibrant, chin-to-the-sun fun. Let’s walk like Egyptians and embrace this historic tint they honored for it’s restorative and healing power.
Energy is not all it’s got- fashion says it’s hip and haute. Dive into your favorite mags and notice it in the most delicate of porcelain, sleek urban furnishings, punchy textiles and the most exquisite bijoux!
Bling is the thing for our beloved local designer, Elizabeth Showers. Her designs celebrate the most refined version of this gem. Her work has been featured in O Magazine, Town & Country and Vogue and is treasured by A-list celebs. In a word, her art is simply stunning. This designer aims to “empower all women to feel beautiful.” Aligned with her trademark logo, The Hope Star, her affair with turquoise offers inspiration to us and integrity to a stone often overlooked.
A sampling of some of the magnificent turquoise jewelry by Elizabeth Showers.
So taken was she that her new ride is now all the rage. Years ahead of the curve, London’s Mini Cooper is fashion forward…In her limited edition, Elizabeth cruises in style. Here, the plucky partner to our featured shade is brown- in yummy shades of chocolate and toffee! Pleasure and sophistication coexist with Elizabeth at the helm.
Check out Elizabeth’s fab jewelry up against the chocolate brown interior with turquoise stitching of her tres chic Mini Cooper! Can you say hot???!!!
Elizabeth Showers showing off the super cool interior of her Mini Cooper! This is a girl on top of her trends!
Detailing of the turquoise stitching on her leather interior.
I’m so excited to introduce you to the Designer Detective’s first guest blogger ~ Shelly Rosenberg! I met Shelly on a design trip in New York. We immediately hit it off & have since become fast BFF’s! Let me explain why…
Shelly Rosenberg is certain she is a renaissance woman in every sense of the word. Any of her associates can tell you: public relater, interior designer, writer, political advocate, singer and salesman- this artist revels in it all. A colorful, southern upbringing developed Shelly’s ability to float easily though numerous trades. Her natural talent to motivate and inspire, coupled with a passion for creativity, has led the mother-of-two through a varied and successful career. Her sense of style and cunning eye has earned Shelly projects with top designers, boutiques and showrooms. She has stylized events from political fundraisers to A-list soirees. Shelly’s passion for the innovative is reflected in her current focus of joining the blog-o-sphere, writing and sharing her vast experience and exploring the next “next”!
Look for Shelly’s first post tomorrow. She’ll be giving us her take on the 2010 color of the year, turquoise, & also introducing us to a fabulous jewelry designer that is more than ahead of the curve when it comes to trends.
Posted under Designer Friends by admin on Monday 18 January 2010 at 1:00 pm
Lisa Capdevila has been an interior designer for 19 years.She received her degree from California State University of Northridge.Lisa’s portfolio contains a broad range of projects from high end residential to hospitality design.She says that over the years she has learned that design has no boundaries and gathers most of her inspirations from fabrics.“Placing the right fabrics on the right pieces is key to creating a warm home environment”.
Prior to joining IBB Design, Lisa worked for the world renowned Hendrix/Allardyce firm in Beverly Hills, California.It was there that she learned to push the envelope with creativity while working on many home interior projects for celebrities.While working under Barbara Barry, Lisa gained the knowledge of her distinct design style of elegant simplicity featuring many monochromatic design schemes.
Lisa contends that, “Whether 35,000 or 3,500 square feet, a home should be a client’s haven where they can relax and enjoy every inch of the space tailored just for them”.
She recently completed a project that changed her life in more ways than one.My Friend’s House, a shelter for abused children and teens, is now open after four years of design and planning.The 10,000 square foot facility will shelter children ages newborn to teen who have been removed from an unsafe environment.
Click Here for a photo slide show from My Friend’s House.
You’ve probably heard by now that turquoise is the color of the year for 2010. Do you love it? I do! I’m a huge fan of turquoise! Get inpsired & find out how to incorporate this fabulous color into your home decor. Click here to watch & learn!
Posted under Courageous Color, GMT by admin on Monday 11 January 2010 at 7:09 am
