Bringing the outside in ...

watercolor landscape by Anne Rogers of Lynnfield Art Guild

Each spring I look forward to participating in “Art in Bloom,” the annual collaboration between the Village Home and Garden Club of Lynnfield and local artists. This year, I was inspired by the watercolor above painted by Anne Rogers. To me, the simple landscape was beautiful. With its expansive green lawn, it reminds me of one of the golf courses in town that whenever I drive past it, I vow to take up the sport just to enjoy a close up view of the immaculately landscaped grounds. 

I chose to combine a trio of orchid plants adorned with yellow twigs to represent the small patch of trees in the center of the painting. A small arrangement of green chrysanthemums in a silver vase placed in the foreground stand in for the evergreen bushes that dot the open field.

It seems as if my arranging style has become quite minimalist over the years, favoring groupings of same flowers and repetition of color. This is probably a result of my work schedule taken up more of my free time, but it is still a good example of how a simple flower can add beauty and drama without the fuss. Anyone can do this!

Along with bringing an arrangement for inside the library, I also had the job of decorating the front display window at the entrance of the building. Since our garden club is now a Home and Garden Club (membership has doubled!) I focused on showing ways to “bring the outside in” when decorating interiors. I brought one of my favorite prints from home and paired it with fresh lillies in a black vintage teapot. Wallcoverings, paint chips, fabric swatches and garden inspired objects filled the case. 

It was kind of a hodge-podge of design ideas, but in person I believe it looked a little more inspiring. I especially enjoyed being able to include origami birds folded in spring colored papers by my son Owen. Had to pay him $5, but it was worth it! Below are some of my nature inspired decorating ideas ...

Arts + Crafts style wall covering

from Victoria + Albert Museum

Paradise Flower Bluebird pillow

from Bassett Furniture

Woodlawn Stone linen designed by Sarah Richardson for Kravet

A recent window treatment project I designed with this fabric for a client

– see more on my Houzz profile page –

flower inspired paint colors from Sherwin Williams

White Dogwood, Azalea Flower, Coming up Roses

Lily by Sherwin Williams

Daffodil by Sherwin Williams

Daisy by Sherwin Williams

a bouquet of purples from Sherwin Williams

Obi Lilac, Radiant Lilac, Valiant Violet

origami art by Owen

grasscloth

How do you bring the outside in?

Get the Look: Spring Styled at Glen Magna

Flowers by Karla Cassidy Design

Room by Yvonne Blacker Interiors

Styled. Home Design Series

Glen Magna Farms, Danvers

Last weeks #SpringStyled event at Glen Magna Farms in Danvers was so much fun! After designing The Lounge, Powder Room and Hallway for the Holiday Show House in December, it was a special treat to be able to return to re-style the rooms for spring. This time around I brought select pieces from the Bassett Furniture Design Studio to infuse my traditional spaces with a modern freshness.

Below are links to the art, custom upholstery, pillows, and accent pieces that I had on display along with the other elements from the holiday show that are now a permanent part of each room. If you would like to see any of these spring accessories in person, stop by the Burlington Bassett location on Middlesex Turnpike. Let me know if you are planning a visit and I will set aside time to give you a studio tour. And if you are looking for a pretty spot to host your next event, contact Heather King at Glen Magna Farms to see the lovely rooms of this historical mansion in person. The gardens are beautiful in the spring!

Aves 25 Giclee

from Bassett

lighting from Lucia Lighting

photography by Elizabeth Wertz

custom ottoman from Bassett Furniture

{customize your own}

For the holiday show, I had a couple Glen Magna estate pieces revitalized with a white pearlescent-finish Chalk Paint from Annie Sloan and reupholstered with a durable, sparkling champagne colored fabric from Kravet. Chair reupholstered by Home Decor Group. Chalk painted finish courtesy of Maison Decor. Pink velvet pillow with Greek Key from Bassett. 

fabric selections from Bassett

wallpaper from Farrow & Ball

carpet from Landry and Arcari

More fun accessories from

Bassett in Burlington ...

Discoveries Iridescent Beige Pedestal

Zen Gray/Natural Pillow

Nouveau Pillow with Beading

Custom Dining Counter Saddle Stool in Mist

also available in Turquoise Enamel,

Newport Navy and lots more colors

Aprilyn, Stephanie and Jessica from Bassett

A recent “paint night” canvas of mine made it on the spring styled book shelves. My instructor was Mary Taggart of TaggArt Studios who painted the birch tree mural in the powder room (this surprise mural was an all-around show house favorite!)

Powder room mural by Mary Taggart

{more about the powder room here}

photo credit Mary Barthelmes

There is still time to take home a bit of #SpringStyled inspiration to feather your own nest. Enter now to win the $4,500 Home Improvement Sweepstakes via Coastal Windows and Exteriors. It includes an in-home design consult from me, along with great giveaways from the other local home improvement experts from the Spring Styled Series. Deadline to enter is March 31st.

{enter to win here}

{more photos from the SpringStyled Event here}

A special thanks goes to Stephanie Vanderbilt and Julie Fairweather for coordinating this first event of the Styled Series!

{stay tuned for more here}

Kravet studio tour // Blogfest 2013 part 5

Aerin Lauder introducing her new collection of fabrics for Kravet.

On our last day of Blogfest 2013, we had the opportunity to visit the design studios of Kravet, Lee Jofa, and Brunschwig and Fils, which are all under the same roof in New York’s Flatiron district. One of our stops on the tour was a visit with the inherently stylish Aerin Lauder – granddaughter of Estee Lauder – who showed us her new collection of fabrics designed for Lee Jofa. Aerin is known for her lifestyle brand that includes beauty, fashion accessories, and home decor, all infused with her signature, effortless style.

“Estee was an incredible role model. She taught me the importance of passion, style, hard work, family and, of course, all things beautiful. Her dream to make women feel beautiful and special still lives on today. My vision is to create a beauty and lifestyle brand shaped for my generation and those to follow.” – Aerin Lauder

Aerin’s fabrics are a combination of stately traditional and modern playful, with an elegant look, sumptuous feel, and tell-tale gold thread running through most. I think they would be perfect for an historical estate make-over project that I am working on ... will keep you posted ...

Gold threads add a hint of Lauder glimmer to Aerin’s collection.

There are numerous interior design stars that have textile collections with the Kravet brand. Thom Filicia, Candice Olson, Alexa Hampton, Ralph Lauren, Barbara Barry, Barclay Butera, and many more. Why does a well established fabric house partner with interior designers? The answer is simple. When you think of these designers, each has a specific point of view and that is what you will find in their collections, which makes it easier for other designers and home owners to make decisions based on what they know they like.

Thom Filica for Kravet

Ralph Lauren imagery, mood boards, and fabrics

Coming soon to the Kravet label is Canadian designer and HGTV star Sarah Richardson. Look for her softly-colored fabric collections this fall.

Kravet offers classic furniture pieces that may be customized with their fabrics. I loved this work-in-progress pinboard featuring floor plan selections for a contract interior. 

current fabric trends and colorways

The history of fabric design as an artform goes back for centuries. David Toback, Director of Design at Brunschwig and Fils, shared with us the story of a particular archive-quality pattern that had been reinterpreted over the years in many different ways. A pattern may be translated on linen, cotton, silk, wallpaper ... with each differing slightly in appearance, but telling a similar story. If you love a particular pattern, it’s very possible to find just the right application of it to suit your needs.

from the archives to fabrics to wallpaper

The carpet studio at Lee Jofa was very interesting. The possibilities are seemingly endless on ways to customize a carpet, from color choices to scale of pattern to combination of materials from silk to wool to blends. The designers who work the pattern magic had me fascinated with their stylus, tablet and super size Macs. I could see myself doing this kind of work ...

pattern check on a large ink jet printer

Behind all the pattern making, there are traditional artists who actually hand paint some of the images that get translated onto fabrics and wall coverings. Such amazing talent!

The contract work that Kravet handles ranges from edgy rocker hotel suites to gracious table linens for the First Lady and so much more. If you have visited Disney World lately, chances are you have seen their work. Look at any pattern in a Disney resort and you will see a Mickey Mouse logo embedded in the design thanks to the art directors at Kravet.

a table linen fabric designed for a White House event

More highlights from the studio tour:

On the board at Lee Jofa: Fornasetti fish wallpaper

seen at Kips Bay Showhouse (shown here in blue)

Trims and window hardware: Kravet has it all.

bloggers recording the latest trims offered from Kravet

current trends in window fashions

The last stop on our very informative Blogfest 2013 Kravet studio tour was a glimpse at their couture line which is actually manufactured right here in Massachusetts. These fabrics are their most exclusive collections, influenced by the world of haute couture fashion, translating luxe runway looks into home decor ready materials. They were fabulous!

Thank you, Kravet and Blogfest 2013 organizers for showing us such a wonderful time in New York this spring and for providing a veritable month’s worth of blogging content! I will follow up later with a post on trends that I saw at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair. For now, here is a sneak peek of a recently completed client project of mine that included a gorgeous Kravet silk fabric used for the floor to ceiling window treatments. I was really happy with how they came out. 

Stay tuned for additional pictures of this living room and adjoining dining room redesign ... I plan to show more photos of my work as soon as I finish up my spaces at the York Decorator Show House which opens on July 13th. This summer show house nestled in a picturesque cove located in Kittery, Maine, is definitely worth fitting into your travel plans. Watching the other designers transform their spaces over the last couple of months, while I have been working on my own, has been such a fun experience. If you love on-trend design, beautiful textiles, and ocean-inspired color palettes, then you will not be disappointed! Let me know if you plan to attend – I’d love to see you on a day that I am there. Click here for tickets and show schedule.