Modern Marvels

Did you know that a suite of appliances can easily cost as much as one of the cars currently sitting in my driveway? And how in the H@$# did I get to a stage of my life where I covet, simply love, the feel of a cool stainless steel handle in my hand? Unfortunately, not in my house. This would be in the high-end showroom of yesterday's work. For instance, why brew coffee in a pot when you can have a built-in wall coffee machine, piped with water already. At the touch of a button and insertion of coffee, bing! espresso into your cup. Alas, the salesman lamented, you still have to add the milk fresh. Sorry. A good thing, I might add, because the refrigerator made to house said milk needs to be doing it's job to justify that whopper of a price tag!

Yesterday there was also some reverent stroking of the ice machine which is constantly filled with Sonic ice. Sonic ice!! There should never be another kind. That one little stainless gem cost more than my anaesthesiologist at the last c-section, and you know which one I would pick in a head-to-head contest. However, given an extra, luxury anaesthesiologist just hanging around...Sonic ice would be divine in my daily morning ice water.

One appliance I could do without - the guilt-inducing built-in rotisserie oven. How would Walmart make payroll without our weekly rotisserie chicken purchase? So not only do you have a constant reminder that you're NOT Barefoot Contessa, but you've just put some poor deli schmuck out of a job? No thanks. One that I can get behind is the steam oven. Would we actually eat more vegetables though? I'll let you know in about 20 years, when I've finally saved enough.

This one is the granddaddy of all stoves. The pinnacle, so to speak, of having arrived in the kitchen world. You know what? After playing with it, open doors, removing grates, adjusting shelves. Really not impressed. Although being able to pick your color is pretty cool, the price tag is not. Really, too hot to handle. But I pick "Brick."

Craftsman Clever

Recently I got a question about "Craftsman" interiors. This can go by many different names, and usually they are just variations on a basic architectural style. Bungalow, Arts & Crafts, Stickley, Mission...people use them somewhat interchangeably, although they aren't, really. They do have some distinctions. However, for the purposes of today's post, we'll just say Craftsman. First, a tiny bit of history. (gotta put that degree to good use occasionally.) This movement which started in the mid-1800's with William Morris , among others, was a backlash against new industry and the overly fancy decor of Victorian England. One fear was that hand-crafted and artisan created items would be replaced by impersonal, mass-produced objects. (uh-huh.) There was a return to the organic, nature inspired interiors that eventually evolved into what we know of as the Arts and Crafts movement in America. That was very popular early in the 1900's, developed and promoted by Frank Lloyd Wright, Gustav Stickley, the Greene Brothers (family-friendly bungalows all over California.) While Frank Lloyd Wright's ideas were revolutionary for the time, he did put a huge stamp on Interior Design. (for a bit of insight on Wright as a person, and his controversial lifestyle, Loving Frank: A Novel by Nancy Horan is a good read.)

Now, on to the real post of the day. When handcrafted, stained wood moldings, cabinets and floors are not an option, you can still bring the warmth of Craftsman style into a modern home with a few adjustments. If you can paint a cabinet or built-ins, try a mossy green instead of the standard bright-white trim. Changing hardware, lighting, fabrics, bedding and furniture all can contribute to a cozy Craftsman feel. This style is notoriously family friendly, with warm, organic colors (hide dirt and smudges!), leather finishes (wipe those paw prints right off!) and simple, clean lines (easier to dust!) Choose metal finishes such as copper, bronze and wrought iron.

Lighting is an easy change to make. These are good, decently priced fixtures that would go a long way towards contributing an Arts and Crafts feel. No, there weren't ceiling fans like this in Wright's homes, but none of your friends are going to care.

The bedroom below is a great example for modern inspiration. The furniture is a rustic oak grain in that beautiful warm, honey finish. Although this furniture is great, doing a whole suite of furniture in this style is not necessary. Just pick one, a focal piece that will set the tone of the room, and really emphasize it. The drapery panels here are modern, on a nice wrought-iron rod. The paint finish in the room is warm yet bright. I love the art, both the colors and scale. It really works because it's not competing with patterned fabrics. Someone is probably very comfy in this room. I know I would be.

Choose fabrics that have prints depicting nature - leaves, for example, and are textural and inviting without being overly decorative. Nothing fancy, shiny or silky please. And warm colors. Here's where I contradict myself a bit. California Bungalow style is a lot lighter than Wright's Chicago style, especially in modern renovations. It's really just a matter of climate. So, change the depth of color according to your taste, but the tone of the color (cool vs warm) should be homey, cozy, warm.

I love this bedroom, and it's a really good adaptation of Craftsman style, just modernized. Note the leafy print fabric, the simple oak headboard and uncomplicated bedding. Now, see how there's a clean, modern lamp on that nightstand? It's the right hue, good scale, simple shade. Forget the stained-glass mission style lamp. Clean it up, made it modern and really usable, and you'll like it for a lot longer.

New Year, New Media

Moonlighting: projects completed when even the moon has gone to bed. However, I do have to say they are with fun clients (thank you thank you), which is why I even consider drawing someone else's utility room at 11pm. Heaven Knows how much mine could benefit from a little drawing.

So, thinking ahead to next year, and the next, I decided it was time to reorder business cards with current, correct info. after 5 years. Going down this road a couple of times in the last year, and being put off by price, lack of originality, general cheesiness of most business card companies, I haven't been able to push the "place order" button on any orders I've started. However - today - I did it. Finally found a company with original, adorable, whimsical, unusual designs with which I did some business. It was really hard to choose between all the different designers. AND they do greeting cards or postcards. Soooo cute!!

I went with the "Mini Cards," which are the same length as business cards, but only 1" tall. The originality just appealed to the Designer in me. Here are a few of my favorite designs. The pattern is on the back, and the front is the info you provide. Great for calling cards, unorthodox business cards, or gift cards. For the first 100 cards, I will be represented by the first collection. But I can't WAIT to use them up and choose my next collection!

MiniCards $19.99
Buy this on MOO.com

MiniCards $19.99
Buy this on MOO.com

MiniCards $19.99
Buy this on MOO.com

By the way, for 2010, I promise to remember I have a blog.

Mattress Mania

Never say we aren't efficient. It only took 3 store visits and about 5 hours to purchase a mattress this weekend/week. It took us less time to buy a car, or a house, for that matter. Craaazy. After one night of sleep (can you believe we had that sucker in our house at 8pm last night, a mere 8 hours post-purchase?) I respectfully reserve judgement. Marshall was not so tactful. How can a pair of very intelligent, practical people screw up something so simple? By overthinking. We should have gone with the less expensive one that we both liked, but that seemed, well, too simple. Instead we weighed the advantages of component materials against longevity, examined the fabric on the top for breathability, and stepped on the coil samples the salesman proudly displayed. And after an hour of discussion the 1" of memory foam in the less expensive one paled in comparison to the 2.5" of the one we ended up with. Which is why my hindquarters were a full 2.5" lower than the rest of my body all night, and Marshall woke up with "tingly feet." It will be an interesting 30 days.

p.s. we promptly encased that breathable, cashmere-infused fabric topped mattress with a stain-proof, allergy-reducing, heat-inducing cover. read: plastic. Is $119 too much to spend for one night with said cover?

The fun part of all of this is the imminent redecoration of our bedroom. Having gone from a queen to a king size bed, all the existing linens, and the bed itself, are history. Right now there's nothing but a set of white sheets on the bed. I'm so excited! A designer's dream is a blank slate. I do have some bedding on order, which, being blue this time, necessitates a full repaint, redrape and reaccessorization. WAHOOOOO!

Luscious Lamps

So, let's face it. There's not that much you can do in designing a lamp. But these guys did surprise me a bit. Lately I've grown so bored seeing the same ole same ole everywhere. I mean EVERYWHERE. It's like Target knocked off the high-end designers, but then the high-end designers didn't come out with anything new. So everything's the same! (Which is kinda great for us gals on a budget, but not that great for us designers trying to place stylish accessories in clients homes. They don't want Target!)

First, the Moon Glow Lamp by Barbara Barry. I love how you can light the base separately for soft lighting, and comes with a dimmer switch. It is the perfect scale for a bedside, 28.5" high.

The "U-Fill-It" Lamp. This one stands 33" high and is made to be a focal-point, as in living room or family room. I see all sorts of possiblities here, from sea shells in the summer to berries in the winter. A nice transitional style, this would fit in almost any decor.

The Kate Table Lamp, by Alexa Hampton. Love the simplicity. At 24-26" high, this is perfect for a console, piano, bookshelf, desk, etc.

These great looking lamps are from Circa Lighting. It's a great resource that I use all the time!

www.circalighting.com

Don't forget to check their Web Specials area for some fabulous finds with deep discounts!

Clothespin Photos, Adult Style

Pottery Barn has made this idea famous, but I love this much more sophisticated way of doing it. Any good print or reprographics shop can put your photos onto watercolor paper or cardstock, so the paper will hang stiffly.

That's all for today. I've got a really sick kiddo who has cried ALL day. Poor little thing, she celebrated her 3rd birthday party by getting 102-deg fever and the hand-foot-mouth virus. Ick! It must be terribly painful because she keeps wailing, "I feel sooo bad!" Which, of course, just breaks your heart when it comes out of that tiny mouth. Must go mother now...

Organic Decor

One of the first things we learn as an interior design major is that unexpected is interesting. Not wacky, off-the-wall unexpected, but the kind of surprise that's pleasing to the eye. One of the best, most pleasantly surprising things in a room is often organic: shape, color, texture, made in nature. That's why it's so important, in my opinion, to incorporate a little of the outside, in.

I was great about this when I was newly married, childless, straight out of college with that design degree in hand. We had a creeping rose on the back fence and I would cut tiny little red roses and place them in assorted vases all over our little house. Now, if I put something like that out, it would be covered in papers immediately, or carted off to become part of a Lego invention. Somewhere along the years the clutter just took over. My organic is now dust bunnies. However, I vow that will change!

Here's a look at some great, real, ways to bring in the softness of nature. Notice these are not florist-designed arrangements. Rather, real people collected these sprigs and stems from their yards and markets and put them in beautiful vessels. Not hard!

Greenery from the yard or garden. I love the "messiness" of this arrangement.

These are perfect for the kitchen, and useful. The decor should be appropriate to the use of the room.

Clean and simple. Pick up a bag of lemons at the store next time you go.

Hard not to love the simplicity here.

Cut some seasonal blooms and put them in the vase that you're probably already using for decor.

A real person who enjoys their bedroom. These little flowers can be purchased at the supermarket, and any little clear glass vase or bowl can be found in your house, somewhere. Softness is especially important in the bedroom - a place that most of us forget to seasonally decorate.