Modern vignettes

Modern sitting room by designvignettes
on Polyvore.com

Comfy new year by designvignettes
featuring American Eagle Outfitters

My four boys have been keeping themselves pretty busy since the 25th, playing with their new holiday toys/electronic gadgets. Today I figured that I deserved a little down time of my own to have fun online with one of my favorite design tools polyvore.com. And since yesterday’s post focused on recreating a look based on historical colors and formally styled treatments, I felt compelled to design the opposite – a modern yet comfortable “room to outfit” look (a concept taken from the late Domino magazine). Now all I need is a good book to get me through school vacation week while I curl up in my comfy chair dressed in my cozy clothes ... any suggestions? In the meantime, I will get to work on writing my new year’s resolutions.

Resolution #1: Schedule time for blog writing,
but *REALLY* try not to exceed set time limit
by bouncing around on the internet all day!

Enter to win this AllModern.com giveaway!

Kikkerland LET Light Imperial Chandelier
available from AllModern.com

While many have begun the hunt for holiday deals on must-have items, I am happy to offer a special of my own ... this completely unique mini-chandelier (it is about the height of a wine glass) that will be given away* to one of my lucky readers courtesy of AllModern.com. Add light and sparkle to any small area with this dazzling and artful object created by designer, Chris Collicott. Just 3 AA batteries and it is good to go (optional adapter is available).

I can picture using this item to decorate for the holiday season ... maybe hanging one at each window instead of the traditional plug-in candle? Or it could be equally pretty hanging over a writing desk, bedside table or in a kids room. Wherever it ends up, it is sure to generate conversation and a smile or two! And isn’t that what the holidays are all about?

ENTER NOW TO WIN!*

To enter to win, all you have to do is post a quick note on the comments section of my blog, sharing your favorite holiday tradition, and I will draw one name from the posts that I receive. While you are contemplating your favorite tradition, here are a few iconic design items that I discovered on AllModern.com that would make anyone smile ...


Gus Modern Timber Table



Kartell Mademoiselle Chair
with Missoni Fabrics



Alessi Parrot Corkscrew
by Allessandro Mandini


Kikkerland Charging Station


The Vitra Vegetal Chair by
Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec

This chair from Vitra looks just like a snowflake to me! How pretty a bunch of these would be around a well-dressed holiday table.


Or for a little one in your life, this
Rocking Crocodile from Wonderworld
looks like it would be adorably fun ...

Best wishes as you navigate your holiday shopping, and good luck to all of you entering the Chandelier Giveaway! I will be announcing the winner on Thursday, December 3rd (please post your “favorite tradition” comments by Wednesday, 11:59pm EST to be included in the drawing).

*The fine print: Unfortunately, this prize item can only be shipped within the United States and Canada so I apologize for any international visitors to my blog! The winner must provide a delivery address to receive the giveaway item.

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.

Modern Love: Sebastian Carpenter Designs

A sun room set for inspired conversation.

Dragonfly Club Chairs, Deco FL-A Floor Lamp, Cube Ottomans in Zebra, Bamboo Coffee Table, Dragonfly Sofa in Raffia

Ahh .... serenity! I was recently invited to view the studio line of furnishings by Sebastian Carpenter at his Wenham home and studio “Dragonfly.” The property itself, one of those breathtaking sites securely rooted in history, is quietly ensconced atop a wooded hill overlooking the Wenham Lake. Modern sculptures that combine welded metal and used farm equipment designed by his late father (and renowned modernist sculptor) Harlow Carpenter, line the long curving drive and herald a display of inherited creativity to come.

Modern vignette inside the front entrance,
with antique farm-tool sculpture on top
of Kinko Chest inspired by modernist
Charles Rennie Mackintosh

Moderne T. Deco Console Table
paired with Deco T-A Lamp

This completely renovated and restored property is uniquely modern while surrounded by a setting of mature trees and gardens (the property dates back to 1916). Both the interior and the back “yard” views look like something straight out of a magazine ... oh, yeah, they were featured in a magazine article or two.

Out of the Woodwork by Regina Cole for Boston Home Fall 2007
Local designer creates new look in old house ... by Natalie Miller
for the Hamilton-Wenham Chronicle Fall 2007



While enjoying a cocktail reception/studio tour hosted by the architect-designer and his wife, Elisabeth, I was able to take a few snapshots for my blog (thank you!). The fact that another guest was my favorite high-end interior photographer *EVER* Eric Roth made me a little shy behind my pocket-size Nikon lens, but I couldn’t let the opportunity pass to show off these great pieces.


Cow Skin/Mahogany Cubes

Dragonfly Sofa (image from SC website)

The clean, streamlined look of Carpenter’s pieces are stylishly-symmetrical while being warm and inviting. The club chairs were very comfortable seating, and I loved the built-in ledge behind the luxe sofas ... ideal to perch a reading lamp/book/etc. on. The only drawback? When my husband and I returned home, I was ready to take all of our mostly traditional pieces and put them out on the curb! Although, to be fair, these modern beauties would mix very nicely with vintage pieces and would add a nice contrast to traditional settings. No need to start over, just add a piece here and there to achieve your own touch of “modern love.”



The super-stylish lamps would be a great place to start ...

Or how about this gorgeous chair that combines a modern aluminum
frame with sleek walnut and supple leather ...

EC1 Chair (image from SC website)


Love the shoji screen room dividers ...

Moderne T3 Dining Table/Desk
with EC1 Chair and Deco-T-A Lamp


The pieces look great from every angle and the materials used – ash, bamboo, white oak, aluminum, and natural fabrics – are visually sumptuous with the various elements combined in a thoughtful zen-like fashion. Fabulous lamps, custom tables and designer-y cube-shaped ottomans complete the collection. I wasn’t able to photograph all of the pieces, but look for them soon on scdfurniture.com or at the Boston Design Center.

(Lamps available at Blanche P. Field,
Desk available through EcoModern Design)



For more information on prices and availability
contact Sebastian Carpenter at 617.470.6060
info@sebastiancarpenter.com
sebastiancarpenterdesign.com

And if you love amazing photos of interior design ...

Be sure to check out the website for Eric Roth Photography to see some professionally-posh photos of Dragonfly (look for the “snooker” table beneath large scale white paper lanterns in a room with red leather walls, or the exterior shot of the glass-walled sun room at the end of a walkway covered with a wisteria-trellis canopy). While you are there, take a virtual tour of Roth’s extensive and impressive portfolio ... be prepared to sigh! Then look for his work on Sunday mornings when you sit down with a cup of coffee to skim the pages of Boston Globe Magazine (in which he was recently featured as the subject of an interview) or when you are looking at just about any important shelter magazine (Design New England, New England Home Magazine and Metropolitan Home to name a few). Roth’s photography showcases the best in architecture and interior design. For me, looking at it is like a visual escape/small slice of heaven. Enjoy the view!

House hunting and makeovers

In an effort to stimulate the spring real estate market, I am dedicating the next few days to “before and after” photos. For all you house hunters out there, before you walk away from what could be a dream home in disguise, think about temporary solutions that could transition you through potential design dilemmas until you have the ... (choose one)

A. time
B. energy
C. inspiration
D. funds
E. all of the above

necessary to create your ideal after.

Or, if you are not feeling the love for the living space you do have, these mini-makeovers may help ignite some decorating passion.

When we bought our fixer-upper five years ago, this first floor bathroom screamed “do-over.”

BEFORE

(even this frightful scene did not scare us away at the open house ... brave, yes; crazy, a little)



AFTER

With minimal effort, and a small-scale budget, the outdated space was transformed ...



I re-papered the less than perfect walls with a subtle damask print that was more suitable to the vintage fixtures and mirror. By adding a simply tailored window treatment with contrasting stripes and black beaded trim, this small bath becomes more timeless elegance than kitsch.

and AFTER again...

If I were to take this bathroom and re-do it with a more generous budget – using the old wallpaper as my inspiration – I might use this classic Marimekko print for the shower curtain ...

Marimekko - Unikko (designed in 1964)

and this curvaceous mirror from the Barbara Barry Glamour Collection by Kallista. And while I am at it, how about the Kallista Janeway Console Table (love the legs) ...

The modern sconces paired with it in this photo from the Kallista image gallery would be a nice touch.


But instead of white, I would go with this putty-colored glass tile ...

Modern 8mm Thick Mini Glass Subway Tile from Modwalls

Add some big, fluffy white towels and a couple of accents in black, and I would have a fun, sparkly like-new bathroom. Until then, I will keep this vision in my “I can dream” files.

Traditional styling of modern necessities

There is nothing good-looking about a cordless phone with answering machine (although some gadget-loving guys may say otherwise!) Instead of ignoring this modern-day eyesore, find a way to camouflage it, or creatively design around it like I’ve done here. Using a traditional footed serving tray to elevate the scene, I composed a vignette that includes old-fashioned decorative favorites like a pair of glass votives paired with a ceramic planter.

The tray, which I discovered at a local HomeGoods, closely fits the curved shape of this vintage dressers black-painted top (almost like they were made for each other), which then repeats the black of the phone as well as the black of the boy’s outfit.


Design tip: If an antique piece has drawers that are tough to open and shut, like this one, use them sparingly to hold items not needed on a regular basis. The wide drawers of this dresser are used to save art class projects that are periodically brought home from school.

With “Art in Bloom” still fresh in my mind, this serves as a great example of how to pair low maintenance plants, instead of fragile blossoms, with works of art. Around Easter, I will temporarily relocate this arrangement (yellow vase purchased through Southern Living at Home), and replace it with a larger grouping of tall white lillies as seen in the painting.

Historical style ...

I clearly wouldn’t have to disguise beautifully designed phones like the vintage versions shown below. Additional bonus ... the earpiece would always be where I left it. Searching for a ringing cordless is not my idea of “modern convenience!” Although conversations on these stylish darlings might end up being pretty short without the advantage of being able to walk and talk ...

1893 Coffee Mill Replica Phone

1910 Chicago Candlestick Phone




Alexis 1922 Decorator Phone

1930’s Crosley Desk Telephone

This sleekly styled red number is my personal favorite. It would go great with the current trend of combining modern styling with vintage pieces ... “I'll get it, dear!”