Designing Gender Neutral Nurseries

Gender Neutral Nursery Design via Vivint Neighborhood Blog

It has been quite awhile since I have had to decorate a nursery of my own, and back then there were far fewer choices to design gender neutral nurseries without a traditional theme. My recent post for Vivint Home Neighborhood blog shares my thoughts on designing a gender neutral nursery inspired by both color and the latest design trends. It’s so much easier these days to create a welcoming environment for both baby and parents that’s unique, not expected. Below are my design plans that didn’t make it into the Vivint post, featuring custom furnishings and carpets from Bassett Furniture paired with limited edition prints that I selected from Minted (such a great site!) I love choosing art for interiors, and nurseries can be such a fun place to try out cool pieces by non-traditional artists.  

{Pink + Blue Nursery}

Grapefruity by Katie Craig

via Minted

{Gray Nursery}

Sea Fever by Dean Street

via Minted

{Nature Inspired Nursery}

All is Quiet by Jenni Kupelian

via Minted 

{Black + White Nursery}

Falling Stitches by Bethan

via Minted

And below is one of my favorite nurseries of late, designed by Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent for their little one, Poppy. Read my related post on celebrity design for Vivint here.

design: Nate Berkus + Jeremiah Brent

photo credit: Douglas Friedman

image via Architectural Digest 

More of my posts for Vivint here.

How to Design Your Home Like a Celebrity

“To discover what’s trending in the world of interior design, one only needs to look to the stars — of the Hollywood variety, that is. Celebrity home design can shine a light on what’s in style in modern interiors. Most celebrities have a sky-is-the-limit budget to make their homes sparkle with the latest and greatest interior decor offerings. These designers are able to effortlessly pull the spaces together, while the celebrity is off shooting their next major box office hit or award-winning TV series. The supernova of famous interiors occurs when the celebrity is the designer, which creates an atmosphere that completely reflects the forward-thinking design aesthetic of the people who live there. Studying images of celebrity home design is a great way to discover the latest and greatest in home decor trends. But how can the rest of us create show-stopping interiors and tell our personal design stories on a more realistic budget? Follow the tips below based on rooms designed specifically for the children of the rich and famous, and you can stage your home like a popular design star without having to break the bank.”

The view from my seat as part of the studio audience filled with

design bloggers at the Nate Berkus Show, September 2010

For my tips on how to design your home like a star, read the rest of my blog post written especially for Vivint, a smart home solution based company that is doing some pretty cool stuff with technology! Check out the links in the article for some inspiring images of home decor from some of my favorite designers (like Nate Berkus) who just happen to be celebrities in their own right. 

Do you want to be a Design Star?

photo from HGTV Design Star website

Have you been watching season 6 of Design Star? Do you still follow past winners like Emily, Antonio and David? Do you think, “Hey, that looks like fun! I could totally see myself creating amazing designs, entertaining a mass audience, enjoying hair/makeup/wardrobe, and getting paid for it!” Well if you live in the Boston area, then you are that much closer to achieving this entertaining-others-with-design dream!

I recently found out through the social media grapevine that HGTV will be casting for Design Star Season 7 in Boston at the Lenox Hotel on September 24th! While this is not a position I would consider for myself (although I would certainly enjoy the hair/makeup/wardrobe part) I do know a lot of fabulous designers with larger than life personalities around the Boston area who could pull this off. Are you one of them??

And while we are on the subject, who do you think will win this season’s Design Star? I like to watch the show to see how fast these designers can come up with unique design plans and how well they execute them. Because if you can’t “make it work” then you’re out (or is that another one of my favorite design/reality shows?) Either way, good design is always entertaining : )

I love that the Design Show judges require the contestants to sell their design concepts on camera after each challenge. Being able to sell your work with confidence and enthusiasm is so important, even if you aren’t taping a segment for a design show.

So if you think you have what it takes, then what do you have to do to apply? First of all show up! I think it would be fun to go to the casting call just to see who thinks a network design show could be in their future.

But before you go, there are some required items that you will have to bring along with your designer smile:

1. A COMPLETED application (click here)
2. Two recent photos labeled with your name on the back
3. Portfolio of your work
4. Resume

If you don’t live in the Boston area, they are still casting in other major cities (Austin, Charlotte, Miami, and New York City) so click here to get the open casting call information. And if you can’t make it in person to a casting call, you can submit a video of yourself ... check out this link for more information.

If you have ever wanted to see your name in lights, now is the time to act! How often does an opportunity like this knock in your neighborhood?!

And for research purposes, be sure to watch tonight’s episode at 9pm on HGTV. Nate Berkus is the guest host and they will be showing segments that the remaining four designers taped on his show which just aired this morning. They were challenged to come up with a quick and easy do-it-yourself project and one walked away the winner (I won’t tell you which one – tune in to find out!)

What I loved at the NYIGF

Two-talented: Stacy Kunstel (aka Duchess) and
Michael Partenio (otherwise known as Dunes)

at their nautically-inspired booth at this week’s
New York International Gift Fair

Last night I returned home from a weekend trip to New York to scope out the New York International Gift Fair. This was my first time attending and I am so glad I went! My traveling companion (and guide) was Rosanne Palazola who pens Focus On Design, shares retail space with me and others at New England Fine Living, tends design clients of her own, and has been to the gift fair a number of times while working with Tuttle and Co.

Roomates Rosanne and Tina

Snacks-to-go: Blueberry muffins
wrapped in swan-shaped tinfoil

We arrived in New York just before noon on Saturday and quickly hailed a cab to the NY apartment of Rosanne’s friend, Tina. The apartment was a delightful pied-a-terre with plenty of room to entertain overnight guests, and blessed with its own courtyard garden that looked charming even while blanketed beneath a white-winter snow.

The three of us headed over to the Pier section of the gift fair on our first day and then visited the Javitz center on day two. Aisle after aisle of gorgeous home decor products and gift merchandise greeted us upon entering each section of the NYIGF. While I did not take photos of everything I saw (honestly, it would have considerably decreased the amount of goodness we could squeeze in if we stopped to photograph every booth) I did collect the cards of my favorite exhibitors for future reference (and journalistic posts!)

Find the Dunes and Duchess at this well-styled space at the NYIGF

While there, we made sure to visit our Boston design friend, Stacy Kunstel at the Dunes & Duchess booth located at Pier 94, Booth #41059.

On display were new products like cool mirrors and elegant sconces that were added to this stylish line of accessories that includes lamps, candelabras, and giant hurricanes.

I finally got a chance to meet the talented and gracious Michael/Dunes in person, and he showed me a new free-standing pedestal that I know would look fabulous in the next design show that I’m working on : )

I would love to see the eco-friendly design-conscious lighting
by Artecnica offered at New England Fine Living

The energized crowds in the exhibit halls were just as stylish as the products being displayed. It was quite the fashion show! When I called home to check in with my family, one of my sons inquired whether I had seen anyone famous. No, I did not see Nate Berkus this time, but I did meet Lisa from the design blog Hamptontoes who had a House Proud segment on his show early in the fall. I have somewhat of a photographic memory and rarely forget a face, so I noticed her right away when she was visiting the Dunes & Duchess (plus I had seen her on Stacy’s blog after Stacy saw the Nate Show last August, so it was easy to put two-and-two together.)


More designer sightings ...

While we were admiring a gorgeous room decked out in lavender and linen designed by Oly Studio, I noticed a woman strategically shooting best-angle photos of the space. I figured she must be with the press since many exhibitors prefer that photos are not taken. When she turned around I immediately recognized her as Heather Clawson of Habitually Chic. I introduced myself as a fan of her design blog, but I could tell she was just like us, trying to see and record as much of the show as possible, so we didn’t chat long.

Designer eye-candy: Little Nest by Karen Alweil Studio

Going to the gift fair can be much like visiting an amusement park for design lovers, but it is also a work-related field trip that involves research and analysis. Designers are thinking “What does my client need?” Store owners are wondering “What would my customer like?” Writers are looking for products to engage their audience, and many of us are wishing we could take home all of our show favorites and not just order slips, catalogs and memories!

When the weekend was over we were like little kids wishing we had time for one more ride on the merry-go-round. But we knew our time was up, and to be honest, all the pretty-shiny-colorful objects had left our senses overindulged (in the best way, of course!)

As I notice posts about the show this week (it goes through February 3rd) I will add them to this list. If you post about the show, please leave your blog address with the post link in the comments. I would love to see what you loved about the NYIGF.


• Habitually Chic: Gift Show Guide

• Habitually Chic: Jonathan Adler

• Habitually Chic: Favorite Things

• Habitually Chic: Oxbow Decor

• Habitually Chic: For the Birds

• Habitually Chic: Trends Report

• Ishka Designs: NYIGF part 1

• Hamptontoes: Tour of the NYIGF

• Hamptontoes: NYIGF part II

• Frugal Farmhouse Design: Gift Show Observations

• Pretty Little Green Things: NYIGF Pier 94

• Pretty Little Green Things: NYIGF Javitz Center

• ShelterPop: Roost at NYIGF

• Shelter Pop: NYIGF – Favorite Booths

• The Itsy Factor: NYIGF Baby & Child Review

• My Mom Shops: NYIGF – Best new baby & child

• My Mom Shops: NYIGF – Melissa & Doug

• IVillage Home & Garden: NYIGF – Favorite Finds

• IVillage Home & Garden: Best Kid Friendly Designs

• IVillage Home & Garden: Amazing Finds for Pets

• Pretty Pink Tulips: My First NYIGF

• The Zhush: NYIGF A Newbie’s Perspective

• Fifth Joy: The Best of NYIGF

• Maison de Ballard: Dolan Geiman Art at NYIGF

• Design Sponge: Morihata International

• The Lonny Blog: Nina’s Finds from the Gift Fair

• Design Milk: New York International Gift Fair


And from my traveling companion ...

• Focus on Design: Road Trip

• Focus on Design: Road Trip, day 2

Where do you look for inspiration?

My jar of inspired objects includes green glass
knobs, paint samples, pretty threads, gold keys,
a silhouette of a little boy on a rocking horse,
and a celebratory cork from a bottle of bubbly
opened in honor of my first design show.

Last week I mentioned that I was chosen as one of the top 100 entries for the Design Sherpa “What Inspires You?”contest based on my submission of a chosen photo accompanied by a 100 word post explaining how the image inspires me. My photo? Glinda the good witch from the Wizard of Oz. What does Glinda have to do with interior decorating and good design? When we base our choices on what we love, and surround ourselves with the people and memories that are important to us, we are being authentic – and good design always comes out of authenticity.

Well this entry qualified me to move on to the second round of judging! Phase Two required a 350 word post “on an interior or architectural design topic that communicates both your unique passion for design and writing style.” And guess what? The judges (who include talented design-industry professionals Diane Carroll, Tobi Fairley, Michael Fink, Elaine Griffin, Marcia Sherrill and Clinton Smith) liked my post enough to qualify me to be one of the top 10 entries! I am not sure if they plan to share the 350-word posts we submitted or not, but I will
let you know if they do. In the meantime, this week
on the Design Sherpa blog, our 3-minute video submissions required for Phase Three are
up for *everyone* to see!



We were asked to provide a video that was “both entertaining and informative about some element of home design.” It is harder than it looks to be both entertaining and informative in a mere 3 minutes (all without the aid of a teleprompter or video crew -- I give those Design Star contestants a lot of credit!)
Plus we were required to condense our .mpeg video to less than 10 MB in size so the end result of the submitted versions appears pretty grainy. When I was “filming” this video, shortly after my trip to see The Nate Berkus Show and just a day before New England Fine Living opened, I had no idea my video would actually make it online. But here it is.

So far, six videos have been shown and the remainder will be aired in the next couple of days (I am guessing). The winner will be announced on or around November 7th so I am thinking it may be as early as this Friday!

{Photo from the Hotel Recamier website}

Did I mention what the winner of this social media driven contest will receive? Just a 10-day trip to PARIS, hotel accommodations at Hotel Recamier, and a 4-day VIP pass to the Maison & Object trade show, PLUS $10,000 (!!!!!) and the opportunity to blog as part of the Design Sherpa site!

(click here for all the fine print)

{Image from the Maison & Objet website}

If you know me at all, you know I am good at keeping a secret. All I am going to say for now is that I would love to put the six years of French that I took to good use, and would love even more to discover the amazing home fashions that will be on display at Maison & Objet. Just to walk the streets of Paris would be a dream! And who couldn’t use an unexpected 10 grand these days? “Hello” unfinished design projects!




And speaking of winners, I would like to properly introduce you to the winning eco-friendly chair from Project UDesign: the Alifair designed by Savannah College of Art and Design student Ryland Quillen. Even though my posts featured the Kona chair by Emily Carpenter, I thought each of the designs had style and merit. The well-tailored Alifair almost
looks a little French to me ...

Congratulations, Ryland, and to everyone who participated in and organized this inspiring competition. A little competition certainly goes
a long way in raising the bar on good design!

The mecca to Nate and back

Thanks to the Moggit Girls (lifelong friends Joy and Janet were behind me in line and are seen in picture above) Boston designer Julieann Covino of the blog CreateGirl (not pictured here but I did get a chance to finally talk to her in person but my camera was all the way across the room!) and the power of twitter, I had the opportunity to be an audience member at a taping of The Nate Berkus Show yesterday. And it wasn’t just any old audience that walked in off the streets of New York to be there. Just about everyone there was invited because we share a love for Nate, inspired design, and a hard-to-put-into-words passion for social media. Big time gratitude goes to everyone behind the scenes at the Nate Show for hosting with stylish grace and
lots of humor (that would be Dena), and for
sharing Nate with us for the day!

Bloggers traveled from both near and far, leaving work/school/families/and their computers behind to be a part of this special Nate Day audience. Having the opportunity to meet so many fun, creative (and well-dressed!) personalities from the same industry *in person* was well up there on the list
of highlights from this trip.

I chose my outfit based on a recent post collaboration with Fashion Coach Susan Kanoff that featured the color purple. The silver rose pin from Stella & Dot is my favorite way to dress up a strand of pearls.

New York native and design blog author of Focus on Design, Rosanne Palazola, was the perfect traveling companion. She kept me entertained on the 4 hour journey with stories about her career in design, her close encounter with Nate this summer, and life in general. We also talked about our joint venture at the new lifestyle boutique New England Fine Living which will open in Middleton on October 1st. She also knew exactly how to get where we had to go in the city in the shortest amount of time, which certainly came in handy with all of the traffic in NY this week!

Friends Sara and Harold were behind us in line at CBS studios where the show is taped. Both were quite charming and appear to have bright futures in design.

Met through the blogs: Marcy of Pine Creek Cottage lives in Connecticut now, but loved my posts and pictures from the historical design show in Danvers
(which happens to be her hometown).

The audience was just as captivating as the host.
So many star sightings for us design bloggers! Our collective stories could probably be a design show series in itself (will send memo to HGTV!) which may explain why Nate could not call attention to all of the creative efforts of those gathered in NY to enjoy this amazing opportunity to meet and greet. Did I mention Emily Henderson was there??? Be sure to watch the show to catch her segment on how to showcase the treasures in your home. Oh, and she blogs, too.

Souvenirs from the trip: my VIP ticket, a gift card to Payless (perfect for budget-conscious fashionistas), a stunning necklace provided by Send the Trend and promoted by Project Runway star Christian Siriano who shared a few of his fashion tips with us. My box of new business cards also came home with me as they were not needed thanks to a new blog friend, Chanee, who went out of her way to create an entire Who’s Who of faces and contact information for each of the bloggers invited to the show, which was extremely helpful in putting names with faces and blogs!

As bloggers, we are a diverse community of many voices, but we all share a passion for design. Almost everyone in this shot lives in the Boston area.

Sabbespot, Everything LEB, Perfectly Put Together,
Deliciously Organized, Haven and Home

The weather was perfect. The city was full of life.
I wish we could have stayed longer. Next time!

Even though “our driver” was picking us up at 7pm, we still managed to enjoy some food and beverage at Affina before making the trek back to Boston. And even though we missed a couple of blogger events (please don’t remind me!) that we just could not squeeze into our quick trip to New York, I was happy to spend the day in a different kind of reality!

I will post the air time of this show when I know the details, and will link to more photos that Rosanne took from her point of view. She may have caught me talking with a few women involved in ProjectUDesign like social-media extraordinaire Leslie Carothers, Maybelline Te of Snug Furniture, and Nicole Nachazel from BiOH. I hope she caught me in deep conversation with both CreateGirl and Jonathan Legate (a rising star in Canadian design) as we amazed at the fact that it took about 140 characters to make
this dream our reality.

And thank you, Nate, for bringing us all together. Some people have the ability to draw a crowd and shine a light on others at the same time. You have that gift along with a generous spirit and big heart! Best of luck with your new show (insert virtual hug here!)

xoxo
yvonne

New York State of Mind ...

CityGirl by designvignettes on Polyvore.com

I have been shopping for a special trip-to-the-city outfit, which reminded me of this style-with-an-edge post that I was working on with Fashion Coach, Susan Kanoff. Urban and chic, these looks are for the budget-conscious fashionista! Whether decorating a studio apartment, or filling a dorm closet with day-to-night fashions, incredible style can be had at a reasonable price. It is all about attitude! And you don’t have to be 20-something to appreciate a bargain : )

Edgy College Student Day to Night by Fashioncoach


The reason why I am shopping ...

You know when you work really hard to achieve some kind of goal and then you almost stop trying because you just aren’t sure if your efforts are paying off plus you really should be trying to find a legitimate way to pay the bills that keep showing up one after another ....

Well, I am so glad that I have continued to keep doing what I love – writing a design blog and putting myself out there by connecting with others in my industry – because this week I feel like I have connected a lot of dots and am finally starting to see the big picture! And I love what I see! Can I just list a handful of the better headlines from my week?

Photo borrowed from Nate’s blog

1. I am invited to be an audience member at THE NATE BERKUS SHOW next week in New York! Remember when I devoted a blog post to Nate back on Nate Day? Well I will get the opportunity to see the very show I posted about being taped at his studio, along with an audience that will be full of design bloggers just like me! My friend, Rosanne who also writes a design blog, will be joining me, and I already know that a bunch of Boston bloggers will be heading to NY, too! This news would be enough to keep me floating for weeks, but there is more ...

Rue Magazine Sept./Oct. 2010

2. Yesterday I discovered I was quoted in the premiere issue of RueMagazine (see page 4!)
If you haven’t checked out the launch of this much anticipated on-line designer-eye-candy that is filled with amazing ideas and resources, beautifully designed
and produced by a super-creative team of hard working bloggers, then do it now (well, after you
finish my post ; )

3. I received confirmation that I will have an online decorating column of my own with a new local news source Patch.com for the town of Lynnfield.
I will be answering decorating questions and will be highlighting local businesses that relate to interior design. How fun is that?! If you have any questions you want answered, send them my way!

4. I even met a lovely new client with a gorgeous home who would like my design help.

5. I still can’t share this surprise yet ...
but I promise it is BIG!!!!


I mean, really, I can hardly stand all this good news at once! And I am not saying that I did not have my share of not-so-good moments this week, but I prefer to look on the bright side and toast unbelievably-special happenings like these that seriously don’t come
along that often!

I will fill you in with more details sometime next
week. Like who I met, what everyone wore, what
Nate is like in person ...

Signed,
“Pinch me, I must be dreaming!”

P.S. In case you are reading this ...
Happy Birthday, Nate!

Showing some love for Nate Berkus

Nate’s Oprah Show Farewell

When my boys were all little (and before I had DVR ; ) I spent many an afternoon from 4pm to 5pm, tuned in to the Oprah show. Like many other stay-at-home moms, a really good day would involve a guest appearance by “cutie-pie decorator” (as Oprah calls him) Nate Berkus. If Nate was on, I would telephone other friends who were home (we did not talk via email or text back then) and I would snuggle on the couch (usually with a baby in my arms), put my feet up (without a bit of guilt!) and dream of Nate
knocking on my own door some day!


{Image From Nate’s book: Home Rules}
Photograph by John Bessler

Nate’s first makeover for the Oprah show, in which he gives a tiny Boston apartment star treatment, is still one of my all-time favorites. His philosophy of appreciating what you have to work with – and making it work for how you live – is what made me fall in love.

Home Rules by Nate Berkus
Photograph by Fernando Bengoechea

While Nate has only been a “virtual” guest in my home, I actually have seen him in person at Oprah’s “Live Your Best Life” tour when it came to Boston. I wasn’t blogging back then, but if I was, I surely would have made every effort to get a snapshot with one of my favorite design stars! Instead, my sister and I listened to him share his decorating tips and techniques, and when it came time for the audience to ask him questions I was TOO SHY to raise my hand
(what would you have done????)


Nate’s book was a part of my designed space at the
North Shore Design Show: Favorite Spaces


I do have a copy of Nate’s book, however, and here are a few photos of my favorite Nate-designed spaces ...

{Image From Nate’s book: Home Rules}
Photograph by John Bessler

Even Trading Spaces host, Paige Davis, knew Nate could help her live beautifully. He combined her love of modern and rustic in a big way when he made over her small space apartment. Using organic items to decorate a space is a common feature in Nate’s work.



{Image From Nate’s book: Home Rules}
Photograph by Fernando Bengoechea

This makeover incorporated sacred moments
to celebrate the passed life of a loved one.


Let the sun shine in featured on Oprah.com
Photograph by Fernando Bengoechea


Recently Nate announced on Oprah that he will be launching his own talk show on September 13th.
The Nate Berkus Show “will apply his approach to decorating to every part of life.” Sign me up! What I have always loved the most about Nate is that his style is always about people and not things. Objects are cherished for the memories that they represent. Every space is more about the unique presence of individuals than it is about following trends or having
the latest and the greatest.



{Image From Nate’s book: Home Rules}
Photograph by John Bessler

I love that this child’s room is super sophisticated,
yet visually playful at the same time.


Go inside Nate’s home as featured on Oprah.com

Nate’s own home appears thoughtful and subdued. I am beginning to appreciate his desire for white walls!

{Image From Nate’s book: Home Rules}
Photograph by John Bessler

Nate is an avid collector and loves to shop the antique markets. For his new venture, I hope that he plans
to take us along for the ride on his shopping
- and life - journeys.

In my own home: a pretty, yet functional, Nate Berkus item
from a collection that he designed for Linens-N-Things

Herringbone Throw from Nate’s collection

for the Home Shopping Network. Love it!


Nate has certainly been very busy over the past eight years, taking on over-the-top decorating makeovers to small space challenges to creating products for us at home to hosting a talk-radio program and even a charitable reality show (remember Oprah’s Big Give?) I am sure that whatever Nate takes on next will be guided by his warm and caring nature and his “big ole heart” (another Oprah quote!) Best of luck and heartfelt wishes to you, Nate! Your devoted audience awaits and is so ready to cheer you on : )

To keep up with Nate, follow him
on twitter by clicking here.




For a list of design bloggers who are sharing their love for Nate today, click here. The list is being posted by Joy and Janet of the Moggit girls, who strongly suggested that the audience at Nate’s first show should be completely filled with design bloggers ... nice!



And be sure to follow Boston-based design blogger CreateGirl, designer Julieann Covino of Jace Interiors by clicking here. She was the one with the bright idea to designate today as #NateDay on twitter. Smart!


And to follow me on
Twitter, click here : )