ORC: Laundry Room / Week 4

It’s week four of the Calling It Home design bloggers #OneRoomChallenge and I’m getting excited to see the selected design elements for my laundry room makeover all come together! What do you think of my design board above? This is how I imagine our completed laundry room will look. I especially like that there is one perfectly white, fluffy clean towel ready and waiting on the folding table (island available online from Lowe’s) for each member of our family of six!

As I mentioned, I am working as a designer on call with the Design with Lowe’s online interior designer program (powered by Decorist) to source key pieces for this space that has been seriously neglected, organization-wise, for years. I really can’t wait for this room to be beautiful, intentional and welcoming! It will make the chore of washing, folding, and sorting so much more enjoyable!

Backsplash tile option that I am considering from Lowe’s:

Elida Ceramica Brushed Glass Hex Mosaic Glass Wall Tile

Laundry sink faucet option:

Brizo Artesso Single Handle Articulating Faucet with Smart Touch

This very cool articulating kitchen faucet (you can remove the spray nozzle and semi-flexible tube neck from the repositionable chrome arm) is actually in my personal design inventory (I won it at a design event, thank you, Brizo and Designer Bath!) The original crystal finial faucet I was thinking of installing (see it here) will actually be featured in a unique design project that I will be posting about later.) While the Brizo brand (Delta’s luxury line available only in showrooms) is not carried by Lowe’s, they do have some pretty nice top-of-the-line faucets along with on-trend and classic styles available in a variety of price points from budget friendly to investment worthy. I am quite impressed with their selection, to be honest. After spending many years in a luxury kitchen and bath showroom environment, and being married to a licensed contractor who specializes in these types of projects, I certainly appreciate what it takes to make a hard-working fixture that can be relied on for years to come. My advice? Don’t skimp when  it comes to the fixtures you use every single day, over and over again! The brands that may cost a little more will usually serve you well, and will look and feel good to the touch. 

What exactly does with Design with Lowe’s offer?

The process for the DWL’s program is pretty similar to how I would approach a consult with any one of my own clients in real life. First, the online client chooses a space that needs help (bath, kitchen, laundry room, living room, bedroom, etc.) Next they can select a designer to guide their project (please pick me!) or they will be assigned one for a flat fee of $149 (hello, this is quite a bargain!) The client takes an online design quiz answering a series of questions ranging from what type of home decor styles they favor, to what items they will be keeping in their room, to how they envision the space will feel when it’s done. They upload photos of the space, pictures of items they are keeping, and even attach floor plans for the designer to review. The more info the better! The chosen designer is notified that they have a project in their queue and then the fun begins! And the whole process only takes a couple weeks from start to finish depending on how quickly designer concepts are approved by the client.

 Take the Design with Lowe’s online Style Quiz here

If you ever have a project that you are struggling with, DWL is such a valuable service! Just to get a professional’s opinion, someone who has seen your type of project completed from beginning to end, someone who is there to answer your questions with an objective eye, someone who is familiar with the brands offered through Lowe’s as well as some additional home decor categories that are available through this program ... how cool is that to have this type of peace of mind so that you can make purchasing decisions with confidence?

Sample concept boards from my DWL project

My current design client that I am working with via this program has expressed her sincere gratitude at having access to a design professional who is up on design trends as well as experienced in specifying products for kitchen and bath. She is thrilled to have discovered together fresh design ideas that she may not have come up with on her own. Together we have come up with a beautiful design solution for her kitchen renovation. The DWL program is a a really fun process and I love that I can work at my own pace during the hours that suit my schedule (designer night owl over here!)

Work with me via Design with Lowe’s

Next week is crunch time for the One Room Challenge (week 5 of 6!) and I hope that I will have some real photos to show you of the progress in my space. Until then, I hope all of you that are participating in this online event are finding success with your own design plans. This is my 3rd time participating, and each season has had its own challenges. But each go around, I learn so much, and am seriously inspired by the others who are also giving design accountability a shot. Check out the other guest participants here and sponsored designers here. See you back here next week or follow me on Instagram here.

MEDIA PARTNER:

Spotting trends at The BDC

Classic zebra patterns in the Scalamandre showroom on display

during the Boston Design Center luxury open house: The Look.

Last week I took a field trip to the Boston Design Center to catch up on the latest interior design trends as presented by BDC Vice President and General Manager, Julie Rogowski, as well as via the well dressed showrooms throughout the building. At the entryway of the first seminar “Trends 2013” we were handed complimentary Mimosa cocktails served on silver platters. I could tell that this was going to be a good day at work!

We took our seats in the crowded fifth floor seminar room, eager to hear from Julie what colors and design directions are predicted for 2013. Her lively narration entertained us while a storyboard of designer eye-candy played in the background. See the Trends 2013 report here. But first, let me show you who and what I saw at the Boston Design Center that embodied the forecasted trends.

Above is a photo from the Scalamandre showroom. Classic patterns, like their zebra wallpaper circa 1930 have been reinterpreted in new colorways and treatments – as shown it is in a silver metallic grasscloth. The spindle chair is another design classic. Upholstered in a bold zebra print graced with a pop of color accent pillow in Mellow Yellow (another predicted design trend) this vignette is a great example of what we will be seeing in upcoming issues of our favorite shelter magazines. 

With Barbara Baratz of Venegas and Company, Lucy Dearborn of

Lucia Lighting, and designer Sarah Lalone of Sarah Lalone Design  

As we know, interior design and fashion design go hand in hand. Above, we see the same sunny Mellow Yellow paired with white and black worn on Barbara Baratz of Venegas and Company. I had to capture this photo with my Passport to Design partner, Lucy Dearborn (who is wearing True Blue – also on the color chart for next year), as the Venegas showroom sparkles with fixtures from her North Shore based design destination Lucia Lighting. The twin large scale orbs hanging above the island in the picture are the cousins of the chandi she lent me for my Modern Family Mudroom vignette featured at the North Shore Design Show last spring.

Read the post I wrote for New England Home Magazine

that included this dazzling light fixture seen at The Bright Group.

Dramatic lighting is one of those design tricks that truly makes a room beyond ordinary. In the showroom above, we see how a pair of lamps in bold orange (still an on-trend color choice, especially rosy-hued versions) are the perfect counterpoint to a neutral palette. Mushrooms, creams, and caramels – or “Tea Party” colors – will maintain a strong presence in 2013.  

From the North Shore: Lisa Kawski of LMK Interiors,

Juli MacDonald of Green Bridge Architects,

Linda Hentschel of iDesign Interior Design Solutions,

 and Nancy Faye Glass of Glass House Designs

Standing in front of The Martin Group showroom, these North Shore designers are wearing colors straight from the trends report: a bit of mushroom, coral, blue and teal, along with forecasted Neo Geo patterns. Lisa, on the far left, will be presenting one of her kitchen design projects in this Saturday’s Wenham Museum Heart of the Home Kitchen Tour.

Floral patterns are also trending, as is glass tile. These shots were taken in the new 342 Designers Club. This much needed addition to the BDC will provide designers with a stylish and relaxing area to sit with their clients to discuss their projects over a cup of coffee or a bite to eat. We popped in to connect with some of the design bloggers that we knew who were tweeting, meeting and greeting as part of the days Social Media Lounge (see the list here). 

Design blogger and former Rue editor Cassandra LaValle

with Julieann Covino of  Jace Interiors and Create Girl

I had never met Cassandra of Coco + Kelley and Rue Magazine in person before – she has a lot of amazing design happenings going on in her world. Check out her super stylish lifestyle blog. 

Stacy Kuntstel of New England Home Magazine,

with Cassandra and Julieann in Designers Club 342

And speaking of super stylish, Stacy Kuntstel was also tweeting in the Social Media Lounge along with presenting her magazine editor styling tips during the lunch and learn portion of the day. While she claims she is not a designer (she spends her days staging photo shoots and creating candelabras) I am pretty sure that any room that she even casually decorates looks like it should be in a magazine.  

With Stacy and Eric Haydel of EMH Design Inc.

Last spring Stacy was the honorary chair of the Wenham Museum North Shore Design Show (see candids from the preview party here). While in the lounge, we also ran into Eric Haydel, another Wenham Museum alum. His fabulous space was just featured in the fall version of the ASID newsletter.

Don’t you just love the striped carpet in the Designers Club? That’s right, stripes in all widths and colors are also trending!

The carpet in this Webster and Company showroom vignette has a similar striped look, but in a classic animal print. Combined with a feminine color palette, floral wall paper and Tea Party neutrals this space was soft, yet warm and elegant. That’s a lot of trends working the same room, yet together they look flawless.

Throughout the day, showrooms provided a unique mix of bits and sips. I passed on the jelly beans at Venegas and Company, but enjoyed a couple of the pineapple martinis being served by Del Frisco mixologist Paul McAvoy. They were quite refreshing. Linda thought so, too.  

Designers Katherine Hawkins and Rosanne Palazola

Another trend to look out for was dubbed Femme Fatale. These fine fabrics on display at the Duralee showroom are a great example of the combination of boldly feminine colors paired with prints in elegant finishes.   

Linda with a piece from the fashion collection of Marilyn Riseman  

While black as a wardrobe choice is always on-trend with the design crowd, I also noted a repetition of gold accents in the crowd (Mellow Yellow), geometric patterns and that brilliant teal blue which pretty much looks fabulous on everyone.

Stephanie Sabbe of Sabbe Design (a guest blogger)

with designer Michelle Cortizo of Cortizo Interiors

(a recent contributor to New England Finery Magazine)

With designer Vani Sayeed who is the principal designer for the

recently opened Boston Magazine Design Home 2012. She also

shared her style tips in the last issue of New England Finery.

With Gail Ravgiala, editor of Design New England Magazine

Even the flower arrangements were on trend:

Mellow Yellow, Seeing Red, True Blue

Say it With Flowers: whether on a fabric, or in real life, flowers are always in style. Referencing their natural colorways is a great way to orchestrate a design scheme.

geometrics + bold stripes + true blue + burnt orange = perfection

While I was at the BDC, I was looking for some inspiration for the Designer Bath showroom. Our brand colors are gray, orange and occasionally blue. I just may have to use this tile-like wallpaper in our storefront windows ... 

  

Artist Susan Siefert of MadPatter Design with Linda Hentschel.

See the Chalk it Up piece she painted for Linda in this post and more

of her work in my recent post for New England Home Magazine.

If one chandelier is good, half a dozen is better.

We had a wonderful time enjoying the luxury open house at the BDC. If only every day at work could be so sparkly!

{Boston Design Center 2013 Trends Report}