I’m so excited to do more renderings soon, but until then I found some gorgeous ones to inspire me!  I’d love to make a mini-collage of these to put on my wall!  Am I the only one that loves looking at floorplans, elevations, and other architectural drawings so much?

{Drawing by Olechko}

{Drawing from Betsill Workshop}

{Interior Rendering from Ellen Nygaard}

(Photo via Trip Press Print)

This is one of their color palettes for next year.  I love the European feel to it!  Very clean, chic, and contemporary!

I absolutely love color theory and anything having to do with color.  I find it fascinating that they forecast the colors about 2-3 years out.  So yep, back in 2007 they forecasted that purple would be big this year…and sure enough, we’re seeing purple everywhere now!

To choose the color palettes they come up with a theme (or a few themes).  The particular color palette above was based on Ingenuity.  They saw that designers would be using color in unconventional palettes.  Their other palettes were based off of New Luxury and Genesis.  The New Luxury color palette featured rich purples, yellows, oranges, and darker bronze neutrals.  Almost Eastern inspired.  Their Genesis palette featured a much more monochromatic palette which focused on colors found in nature.  Texture was a big factor in this particular color palette to provide some relief from the monochromatic colors.

She talked some about their paint (which I’ll share later) but she hid paint chips throughout the store (Pottery Barn) and made it a game of finding them.  She was showing some colors that coordinated, and some new color palettes we would start to see next year.  Mary mentioned that along with more purple next year we’d start to see navy pop up again.  (You heard it here first folks!)  Here are some of the paint chips I found in the store:

We’ve seen a lot of yellow, grey, white color combinations, but pinks will be added to the palette next year too.

Love how this gorgeous green provides a soft feeling to all the dark wood tones.

Here’s some more purple!  Love it with the neutrals and metallics!

Be sure to check out their site!  They’ve got lots of great resources and inspiration photos too!

General tips:

• Make your rooms comfortable, yet funtional.  Everything should serve a purpose in a small space.
• In addition to funtional, make sure everything has a spot.  You may need to focus on the items you really need, and pitch things that you sortof need, or love.  A clean and non-cluttered space will always seem larger and open.
• Use color to your advantage.  The use of white and cool colors can make a space feel larger than it actually is.

{via Apartment Therapy}

Kitchen:

• If you have a lot of party serving platters, consider using these as artwork somewhere in the home so you aren’t taking up valuable cupboard space.
• Be creative- Use spices as decor, hang your knives on a magnetic wall rack.
• If you have soffits, make sure your cupboards go all the way to the top- as high as possible and make sure they are the same width as the soffit so they blend in and don’t stick out.  You may have to get out a step stool to get all the way to the top if you have tall ceilings, but it will be nice storage.

{via Apartment Therapy}

Bedroom:

• If you live in a studio/efficiency, try to separate your bedroom area from the main living area.  We promise you will be so much happier.  {See the picture above- the bookshelf serves as a divider – and storage!}
• Hopefully you have a closet close by, but if not, you can purchase one.  The Hosle from IKEA is a reasonable solution at $79.99.  If you have the room for something a little bigger, try the Kullen  for $149.00.
• An easy storage solution is found under the bed.  The Container Store has great products that will fit right under your bed and make things easily accessible.

Do you live in a small space?  If so, how are you using your space to your advantage? 

Where am I supposed to hang these pictures?

Usually this refers to where to place them on the wall.  The general rule of thumb is to hang them all at eye level, though I find that this is not really true.  When we hang pictures, especially in front of a console, buffet, or sofa we’re looking to complete the arrangement of art, accessories, and furnishings.  If you have a low, modern sofa, hang your art piece no more than 12″-18″ above the back of the sofa.  If you place it at eye level in a situation like this, your picture may end up a few feet above the sofa and seem like it’s floating and not a part of your arrangement.

How do I pick colors for this room?

This is a great question!  Usually we’ll start with one piece, maybe a piece of art, accent pillow, or rug, and base a color scheme around it.  It’s perfectly alright to just match paint colors from the inspiration piece for your room!  Don’t get hung up on which color will work, if you like the color, and it coordinates with your furnishings and accessories, go with it!  Your home should be a reflection of YOU, not everyone else!  If you just can’t decide, or need someone to let you know that yes, it is alright to paint your walls grey and your ceiling black (hypothetically speaking, of course), be sure to sign-up for our phone consultations!  We’ll look at pictures of your space and guide you through the process!

How big of a rug do I need for my living room?

I usually go bigger, you want your rug to be larger than your sofa.  A rug helps to pull your furniture arrangement together, and if it’s smaller than your sofa, it’s hard to feel cohesive.  Can’t find a large rug for your space?  Consider putting 4 smaller ones together!

Many times the furniture stores will tell you the wrong information on how to clean your upholstered pieces.  Or try to sell you solvent cleaner, when your fabric can be cleaned with water as well.  The best way to check is to ask them for the cleaning code.  There are 4 different cleaning codes you’ll see on your upholstery and window treatment fabrics.  Here’s a brief synopsis of them below:

Source

The biggest thing to remember is to always test it on a small, inconspicuous spot on your sofa.  A favorite place of mine is on the fabric between the seat cushions.  The fabric is never seen but provides a flat surface for testing.  Always leave the test space fabric for a day or two.  One time I performed a test, and it looked like it worked, then the next day there was a ring around both my test spot and where I cleaned in a very conspicuous place.  Yikes!  So, after you test, wait a day to make sure this doesn’t happen to you!

Are you finding these helpful at all?  Again, if there’s any questions please leave them in the comments!

This label has lots of important information on there and we’ll try to sort through it all in the next few weeks so you can ALL be experts!  What do they mean when they reference double rubs?  Well hopefully I can help a little!  And if you have any questions please feel free to ask them in the comments and I’ll answer then for you!  If there’s enough questions about different things I’ll do a separate post.

The double rubs refer to a test where a special machine is utilized and a pad is rubbed back and forth over the surface of the fabric multiple times.  This is done until a hole is worn through the fabric.

If it takes 25,000 rubs to make a hole than the fabric is labeled that it is durable to 25,000 double rubs.  Some fabrics are rated for 100,000 to 200,000 double rubs!  When compared to that amount, it seems like a 25,000 double rub fabric is not so durable, but in fact, 25,000 is perfectly fine for most residential applications.

Most of the ones rated higher than say, about 50,000, are for commercial use.  When I design emergency rooms and I’m looking at the fabric labels to see what is safe to use on the chairs there, 50,000 is plenty for that application.  (And emergency room fabrics get TONS of abuse and are used 24/7!)

If you’re ordering a sofa and getting custom fabric from a furniture store this information might not be in plain sight.  You may have to ask the sales associate to do a little more work and find out the information for you!  But it will help that you can make a more informed decision about the fabric you’re choosing!  I hope this has been helpful and remember, if there’s any questions be sure to ask them in the comments!

He loves to mix and match, is into pattern-on-pattern and textures.  His pieces and designs are timeless, but he always seems to throw in a contemporary twist into everything.  Barclay loves to look at a sofa like ‘the little black dress’ and then you accessorize around it. He believes that every room should have one fabulous grounding piece, and also, usually, one bit of red.

He has his first coffee table book debuted in Sept., Living In Style (it’s amazing, seriously).   And keep an eye on him, his line of textiles/trims with Kravet is just about to come out. Today, Barclay is going to show us how to make a bed properly.  He has some great and easy to follow tips for making your bed beautiful and well made.

by Barclay Butera

Using freshly laundered and pressed sheets, you’re ready to dress your bed!  If you don’t have a box spring cover, and your box spring is visible, you need to cover it with a fitted sheet which is the same as the fitted sheet for your mattress.  Always use a mattress pad for your comfort and to protect your mattress.  Always start your fitted sheet at the headboard, not at the foot in case you have more or less sheet to work with it won’t be visible.

Now this is where it gets a bit tricky… Taking your flat sheet upside down, place it evenly on the mattress noting its length to each side of the bed.  You may have to visit the sides of the bed several times.  Once this step is complete take your blanket right side up and place it on top of the mattress noting its length on both sides. (Note: Always remove tags if you don’t want to make sure you have the tags at the foot end so they don’t show.)

At this point you need to fill your duvet with your comforter.  The easiest way to do this is place your duvet flat on the mattress with button open side at the foot of the bed.  Take the comforter end and pull it half way into the duvet, move to reverse side of the bed and do the same.  Move back to the starting side of the bed and pull it up so the corner of the comforter is in the corner of the duvet and repeat on other side.  Button duvet and lift duvet up several times so all the comforters fill is dispensed evenly.

Now that the duvet is full and flat on your mattress and evenly lands on each side of the bed, go to the headboard and take the corner of the duvet and fold it down in thirds, almost like rolling a burrito!  IF you have a footboard it should neatly meet the footboard, if not leave enough unfolded duvet to cover the mattress at end.  Now you’ll need to tuck the blanket and flat sheet between the mattress and box spring at the foot first, then the sides.  I always fold down the blanket and flat sheet about 24”, now tuck the sheet and blanket into the side rail if you them or between the mattress and boxspring.

Take your sleeping pillows (2-4), and stand them against the headboard.  Add the European shams (2-3), Fnish with an interesting throw pillow (22”x22”) and a single boudoir pillow.

You can find Barclay Butera at http://www.barclaybutera.com

It almost makes me want to try a darker color on my own walls!  What about you?  Would you try a darker color after seeing this picture?

You know Kelli Ellis from HGTV’s Takeover my Makeover, TLC’s Clean Sweep or Bravo’s Real Housewives of Orange County.that  She has also contributed to magazines like Better Homes and Gardens and Redbook.  Kelli is an Interior Design Expert and Design Psycologist,  and is fun and witty to boot!  Visit her site for more tips and tricks that she shares, along with her genius product, the Kelli Kit -used to help you layout your space before you get started. Welcome Kelli, we are so glad you’re here!

{image via flickr}

As a Design Psychologist, the ideal format for an office is the one in which manifests the most productivity! We all have different working “styles”; for example some of us like to “spread out” when we work. If you are a visual person you need to “see” all the working parts of a project in order to decipher it and complete it. For those of us that are focus challenged (easily distracted), we need to only have one task on our desk at a time or we’ll complete nothing! Your working style must be determined in order to understand the space you require and the best way to tackle projects. Furniture placement is very important, as well. Again it is key to examine how you work and what tools are necessary to complete each task. For myself, I am visual and I need space to “see” my colors, fabrics, designs and ideas. I also need drawing space, computer space, printers and scanners nearby. If you have the room to spread out, it’s best to keep like tools together. For example, my drawing table, art supplies and paper are all on one side of my office with display boards above them, likewise my desk holds my computer, scanner, printer and pull out writing shelf for more cerebral work. The key to my office layout is a rolling chair!

Hold out your hands in front of you – Your eyes and the ends of your fingers make your “working triangle”! Using Design Psychology, I have learned you need to see and be able to reach everything efficiently or you won’t use them. If you can’t access a tool, machine, or system, with little effort you won’t do it! The piles on your desk will grow, along with your inefficiency.  Make your office work for you so you can work less and relax more !