Bunny Williams at Design Bloggers Conference

It is always a pleasure to hear Bunny WIlliams speak about Interior Design. Bunny has for years been one of my design heros, her name is synonymous with style, elegance and sophistication… and of course, Parish-Hadley, where she got her start in design.

Bunny spoke of her path to decor stardom and offered advice to designers regarding the business of design.She showed beautiful photos of homes she has designed, offering great tips and pointers to her eager audience.  Her furniture line, Bee Line Home, will have many new items for the Highpoint Market in April.  Great news: her New York store Treillage will begin to sell online starting March 8, 2012:  http://www.bunnywilliams.com/treillage/

Bunny Williams is gracious, authentic, inspired and always a pleasure to learn from, she was truly a highlight of the 2012 Design Bloggers Conference.

 

 

Martyn Lawrence-Bullard At Design Bloggers Conference

We had the pleasure of hearing one of my favorite design reality stars speak at the Design Bloggers Conference today in Los Angeles.  He was as entertaining and inspiring as you might guess he would be, if you know him from the Millionaire Decorators show.  He shared humorous stories and beautiful photos of his work for his A-list clients.

And he even has a new fabric line out! Great news for all of the designers in attendance.

This range of blues is particularly gorgeous… but honestly, all of the fabrics are. He is quite gifted with color.

I look forward to working these new fabrics into projects. Thank you, Martyn!

 

Chic Fire Screens

Most people think of fire screens only on the coldest days of winter, when they are ready to light a fire. That is great and all, but….no matter what the season, it is important to remember that the hearth area is often THE focal point of a room. It is important to consider the fire screen carefully, as it will definitely be noticed by your guests… Continue reading

Trompe L’oeil

TROMPE L’OEIL: a French term literally meaning “trick the eye”. Sometimes called illusion-ism, it is a style of painting which gives the appearance of three-dimensional, or photographic realism. It flourished from the Renaissance onward. The discovery of linear perspective in fifteenth-century Italy and advancements in the science of optics in the seventeenth-century Netherlands enabled artists to render objects and spaces with eye-fooling exactitude. Both playful and intellectually serious, trompe artists toy with spectators’ seeing to raise questions about the nature of art and perception.

Famous painting by Pere Borrell del Caso, “Escaping Criticism”, 1874 Continue reading

Bejewel Your Home: More Crystals

I have been selling the gemstone lamps and accessories like crazy! Apparently I’m not the only one who loves them. Here are the latest:Gorgeous quartz chunk, great for table top, can be mounted to an acrylic base. Continue reading

How High Should You Hang a Chandelier?

photo credit: murano imports


If you have to walk under it, you want to allow for clearance of 7-8 feet from the floor. If the ceiling is super high, consult your designer.

If it is over a table, you want it 30-36 feet from the table, depending on the fixture.

Any design questions? Send contact us and we will be happy to address them.

Valentines Day Entertaining

If you are planning to cook for loved ones and/or friends, check out this wonderful article to bring out your inner IRON CHEF: 10 Cooking Tips from Restaurant Chefs http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/10-cooking-tips-restaurant-chefs-213100019.html

Great advice, tips and culinary techniques from top chefs put together by Jennifer Sweenie to help us shine in the kitchen.  Your guests will be looking over their shoulders for the cooking channel camera crew…  Happy Valentines Day!

10 Tech Things Everybody Should Know How to Do

Great article from apartmenttherapy.com highlighting things we should all know how to do around our homes… how many do you know??  No worries, helpful links are provided for anything you need to brush up on.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/10-things-you-should-know-how-to-do-with-tech-164388

How to Find a Stud (design, not dating advice…)

Want to hang pictures this weekend? You always hear about the importance of finding the studs to support your heavy pictures, but do you glaze over when faced with how to actually find them?

Follow the helpful advice of this DIY blogger and you will get it right: http://diyhomeblogger.com/?p=10

“You definitely don’t want to be entertaining people at your home and WHAM…. a shelf falls off the wall and cracks your dinner guest over the head.  This is not the kind of thing we want happening to any of our readers!”    Many thanks to this blogger for showing us how it is done.

Color Theory: Undertones in Paint Colors

Paint color can magically transform any room, altering the experience of being in that room for better or worse. There is nothing simple or easy about chosing a paint color – which is why many people leave it to the experts- the subtle nuances can be frustrating for those who don’t want to be bothered with the complexities of pigment, light, hue, paint quality or color theory. The helpful article below explains why colors can appear to be perfect in theory yet lead to disappointment on the walls. HomeDesignFind addresses the effects of undertones in paint colors and offers a few pointers for successfully chosing a paint color:

http://www.homedesignfind.com/how-to-tips-advice/design-dilemma-understanding-undertones-in-paint-colors/