I SPY ... the printed word recycled

Spotted this week at my local HomeGoods:
eye-catching containers fashioned out of recycled magazines
that would look very cool on a desk in a home office.

I have been clearing the clutter from the 2nd floor space above my garage this week. Basically, it is a storage area gone wild ... full of toys, books, seasonal clothing, furniture found on the side of the road to be transformed (when???) into something beautiful, and TONS OF DESIGN MAGAZINES! While I can never part with a good magazine (I seriously have a problem letting my little photo-filled friends go!) I did run across a couple of sites that feature printed materials repurposed for decorative use.



Recycled Magazine Round Wall Mirror
by Linon available online at
mirrorsource.com


Eco-Weekender Recycled Market Bag
These totes made from recycled rice and feed bags lined with cotton, are a green-fashion-statement and a real steal at $25.00 each
greenergrassdesign.com
I love this site! xoxo




Recycled Newspaper Market Bag
from uncommongoods.com

A little pricey at $52.00 each, but they remind me of how my mom always wrapped our birthday gifts with the comic section of the Sunday paper. She still wraps gifts in this offbeat way, using the front of a card, magazine spreads and even junk mail (stickers and gift cards from charities, it all gets put to use)! I wish I had a photo of the refrigerator that she decoupaged when I was little. It was AMAZING. She covered the entire front of a vintage fridge with magazine clippings and then shellaced the entire collage. Hmm, I might just have an idea for those magazines I have been saving after all!



In the meantime, I discovered a worn-to-bits, but much-loved copy of Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak in a box of books that I had put away. I surprised my boys by framing a page for their bedroom (of course then they wanted to read the whole story -- minus one page -- oops!). Luckily, the movie version of this story is being released in just a few weeks. 6 (recyclable) tickets please!

Find a way to recycle your magazines
and this post (forward to a friend!)

Color Stories: Back-to-school palette

With the start of the school year officially well underway, the color yellow is looking pretty good to me! Here are some design choices in back-to-school colors that make me smile ...




Paint colors from Farrow & Ball ...

Yellow Ground 218 combined with Pitch Black 256

A basic piece done with class ...

Maine Cottage Occasional Tables
from Circle Furniture




Best dressed ...

Pony Leather Chair
from Art Furniture on the Web




When fabric imitates art ...

Tango Positivo
from Calico Corners



An educated choice
(made from recycled wood)

Chalk It Up Wall Bins
from Viva Terra





This water bubbler is tres chic ...

Linea Pocieta in Yellow Lemeon
from WS Bath Collections
as shown on HomePortfolio.com

A school day is a good day ...

Smiley Happy Face Mug
from Treasured Designs
available on Amazon.com

We have a winner!

Antonio’s eclectic living room gets my vote
Photo from HGTV Design Star website

As any artist knows, design is a subjective matter. But in the case of HGTV Design Star, the winner has to be far more than a thoughtful designer who can get the job done. He (in this case) has to be able to entertain and give viewers a reason to tune in. Who isn’t just a little curious about what Antonio is going to come up with over the course of his own show? I admit I favored Antonio because he is a firm believer in setting a stage, just like I am. Everyone has a unique story to tell – create some star-quality drama and have fun doing it. I find Antonio’s renegade sense of humor refreshing, and love the fact that he looks capable of handling any design challenge from start to finish. While he could use a little help pulling together the small details (need an interior stylist on your crew??) I am looking forward to tuning-in to HGTV to see more of his entertaining take on design.

Who will be the next HGTV Design Star?

Image from the HGTV Design Star Blog

Antonio or Dan ... who would you choose?

I have to admit, I love a good design competition. The HGTV Design Star finale airs tonight at 10pm and I am obsessing over who is going to win. Will it be Dan Vickery, the you-must-stop-giggling 27-year old who has made-for-tv-good-looks along with some really cool design ideas? Or will we get to see more of the surprisingly creative fresh-voiced (I-can-get-it-done-just-don’t-get-in-my-way) talent of edgy and experienced 40-year old set-designer Antonio Ballatore? And of the canceled finalists (9 total) who would you like to see host an online show? Post your picks and get your snacks ready for tonight’s showdown. I know who my design star favorite is ...


An HGTV design favorite
Knappa Pendant Lamp from IKEA

I am going shopping!

Photo from Mason & Madison website

If you are looking for a boutique shop full of “gifts with style,” you will find it in the charming center of Middleton, Massachusetts. Owner, Liz White, offers a collection of beautifully displayed gift items (many by local artists) and presents them in an equally chic atmosphere (she even has a coffee bar for browsers!) I have picked up a number of really pretty gifts there and have since been following her cool-products-and-gift-giving-inspired blog.

To kick off the new blog, Liz posted a “Best Gift I Ever Received” Contest. I was just notified that my submission was the winner! I will be popping in next week to claim my prize – a $50.00 Gift Certificate which I just might spend on myself! Check out my lucky entry on the Mason & Madison blog and be sure to visit her Middleton shop (or online) the next time you are looking for the best gift ever!

Mason & Madison Gifts
2 Central Street
Middleton Massachusetts
800.333.1038

HGTV Design Star kitchen reminds me of ...

This week’s episode of HGTV Design Star opened with the four remaining contestants meeting in the kitchen of their stylish home base. Lots of bright colors and modern elements fill their living quarters. In this shot (taken while I was watching the show on DVR) I took note of the rich purple wall with the proclamation
EAT.

Flash back almost ten years ago to one of my very first design clients
who happened to be very modern with a fondness for bright colors ...

Good design is timeless!

This almost all white kitchen with soaring ceilings (sorry, I don’t have a full picture to show) gets a jolt of color with this bright eggplant backsplash. The word YUM! was a final touch that my client added above the cooktop.

I had a lot of fun helping out this particular client. She called me after seeing an ad I placed in the local paper when I was just starting out. At our initial meeting, I didn’t even own a color fan deck of my own. We used Pantone color chips from my graphic design past to get the ball rolling. At our next get together, I showed up with a huge Color Preview kit from Benjamin Moore. Soon after, we were able to transform her mostly white walls with some really fun color combinations. (And she later referred my name to a number of her friends who then became clients and so on). I will always be fond of this project. It was fun to work with someone who did not hesitate to go bold.

Here are a few more pictures from her home which was a confident mix of contemporary, modern, and traditional with a touch of whimsy. My role in this project was choosing colors to energize and unite her spaces, while providing decorating ideas for her to complete on her own.

The artwork in this entry way was the starting point for our color story. Benjamin Moore Crushed Velvet was a bold choice for the walls, and a real “wow” factor. This lucite bench was recovered in a bright red and purple stripe to coordinate with the art above. The homeowner discovered a perfect match in a striped pillow while a teal vase adds a pop of contrasting color, which is visually repeated in the painting. Even the recessed light seems to coordinate with the full moon.

Opposite the bench, a utility cabinet almost disappears by being “painted-in” with the same vibrant hue as the walls. A collection of silver items is the first hint at the silver painted walls found on the lower level. Before our mini-makeover, the large expanse of mirrored closet doors was the first thing anyone saw upon entering. Now, they seem to recede into the background while the saturated mix of bold colors sets the tone for this home full of unique and lively character.

In the living room, a dark gray wall (Benjamin Moore Eclipse) adds drama while allowing the natural grays of the stone hearth to really shine. Moving furniture to create areas of interest, created this stylish corner. A new pillow on a classic wing chair is a modern update. I think I love the fabric on the chair even more so today. The oranges and blues are such a great color combination, and the pattern is fluid perfection!


My client has since relocated to a warmer climate. I am sure that she has transported her fearless decorating, modern style, and love for color to her new surroundings.

Design TV and a Fashionably Chic Condo

I chose this pillow, end table and lamp all from Pier 1
for a recent design project, and later saw the pillow
on the set of the Project Runway All-Star Challenge.

I happily overstuffed myself this past weekend on a large serving of DVR’d design TV ... gobbling up half-a-dozen HGTV Design Star episodes along with a generous portion of the Project Runway season, now being shown on the Lifetime network. I just love watching how other creatives go through the design process. Since the trends in one field will often show up in the other, I liken this overload of TV-viewing to “critical design research.”

Ruffle Pillow from Pier 1

I was pleasantly surprised to discover this soft pink ruffled pillow from Pier 1 (which reminded me of the trend-setting design work of last season’s Project Runway winner, Leanne Marshall), displayed on every bed in the women’s sleeping area on the Project Runway All-Star Challenge.

This pillow is one of those great pieces that has the ability to draw a person into a room. It practically invites you to pick it up and “ruffle” it. We used it on my client’s chocolate brown futon in her spare bedroom/office to add a touch of feminine whimsy to this warmly modern space.

Since the room is visible from the front entrance, I wanted to give visitors a reason to walk down the hall to go see it up close. At a recent cocktail party, one of the first guests did just that, exclaiming at the front door, “Ooh, I love that pillow!”

Here are a few more pics from what is turning out to be a very “fashionably chic condo” ...


My client adores zebra prints ... this pair of trays (also from Pier 1) gives her new ottoman an added touch of stylish function. Ottoman and custom sofa from Boston Interiors. My recommendation for art, Verdigris by Elizabeth Jardine, is available at Art.com




Art.com framed print, Seascape by Claude Monet
swells with the colors of her marine palette ...
Benjamin Moore Silver Marlin, Sandy Hook Gray,
Misty Air and Limesickle



A vintage chair gets a pick-me up
with this petite accent pillow from
my Vintage Seaside Collection.



An ocean-inspired vignette ... a silver star pendant casually drapes over a framed photo of a sea turtle (taken during a recent vacation) and is surrounded by a collection of sea-colored glass and gathered shells in a narrow ceramic dish.


Tablescape design with Olive Dish by Sigrid Olsen
as seen at the North Shore Design Show

I recently met designer Sigrid Olsen at the gala event for the NSDS at the Wenham Museum this spring. My client, who attended the gala as my guest, had met Olsen previously during sample sales held at Sigrid’s former clothing design studio. Since selling her apparel business, Olsen has “returned to her roots as an artist and print designer,” and now has a new collection of sea-inspired pottery and art (among other design projects). Check out her new locations in Gloucester, Massachusetts to see more:

Sigrid Olsen Art Gallery
34 Rocky Neck Avenue
ISLA Beach House
77 Rocky Neck Avenue
978.281.1766

And be sure to check back later for more updates on this Fashionably Chic Condo. Coming up next ... coffee table, window treatments, and final touches.


Mirrors that seem to float above her desk are
illuminated by this paper lantern from Pier 1


Did I mention that the best part of working with this particular client is the fact that she is my younger sister? Congratulations, Linda, on your new place!


Photo borrowed from the Wenham Museum
North Shore Design Show: Tablescapes – Album 2 on Facebook