Emily's Fav!

Emily sent me over to check out her favorite designer's portfolio - you must take a look at the work of Tom Scheerer! It was chock-full of beautiful and inspiring images, and I also happen to love how it was organized - city, country, beach, commercial.

While there are many many portfolios out there that I love to browse and most contain stunning images, I seldom find one that is full of designs with out of the ordinary and unique ideas.

Not completely unheard of, but I don't see floating beds often. I'm really liking all the varying texture and furnishing styles in the first image with the twin bed, and the second room seems like an extremely relaxing and airy place to sleep...something about sleeping in the middle of a room seems freeing to me!

How about all those circular rugs? Quite unexpected, and I like!

{All images via Tom Scheerer Inc}

Don't you love Scheerer's inventive designs? It's refreshing to see spaces that are playful and creative, yet elegant and timeless. Definitely a FUN portfolio to peruse!


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Okay, this is Emily now.. I just had to weigh in on this posting dedicated to Mr. Scheerer since I adore his work. (thank you Saara for writing this post!)

Dear Tom,

I love the way you so seamlessly maneuver between so many different design styles; urban to country to your set-point-style, island...



I love how you have so much fun playing with design elements to truly create something captivating to look at.





I love that when I discovered your website, I realized that I probably had 20+ of your rooms already stored away in my design binders.



I love your clean style that somehow always feels completely liveable.




And lastly, I love your color combinations and how you almost always incorporate something playfully unexpected in every room.


Thank you for the design porn as Joe and Kim over at Desire to Inspire like to say:)

Love, Emily

A Rainbow of Inspiration

Did you know about this? I'm very excited! 

I know there are some Sarah Richardson fans out there! Those of you who are with me, will probably be excited to hear that Sarah Richardson has teamed with Para Paints to create her own paint palette with 75 gorgeous colors. From the quick glances I've taken, I'm liking them. They totally remind me of her signature muted or toned (colors with grey added, a little color theory 101 for you!) color schemes, which suits me just fine! I've already referred to these choices for my family cottage and have to say that it is pretty nice feeling like a trust-worthy, "bestfriend" has laid out some fail proof go-tos for me. :)

Here are some of the paint colors used in Sarah's home...

And feast your eyes on the full collection...I'm particularly loving a bunch of the greys!

Unfortunately for most of us, these are currently only available in Canadian Lowe's stores. Hopefully they make it south soon!

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Color Theory 101...

1. Adding white to a color, or paint, is called tinting...

2. Adding grey is called toning...

3. Adding black is called shading...

Hope you're all having a great week!

House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year: Jeff Lewis

I caught a segment about the House Beautiful kitchen of the year on the Today Show Monday morning and was so excited to see that it was designed by Jeff Lewis of Flipping Out. Bravo is the TV channel of choice in my home, and Flipping Out is one of my favorite shows! I would LOVE to spend a day with Jeff, he totally cracks me up!

The kitchen is very much a Jeff Lewis design - sleek, modern, minimal, and amazing! If you watch the show, you know that his kitchens tend to look similar, but that's okay because his signature style is both beautiful and functions well for cooking, and most importantly to him as he doesn't really cook, entertaining. He always includes amazing appliances and high-tech kitchen goodies into his designs. You must watch this video and look for the cutting board-sink-flushing-garbage disposal-trap thing in the counter. LOVE IT!

 I love the contrasting dark cabinetry and white island with the medium-tone wood floors. The open wine storage wall is a great way to create two distinct spaces, while still keeping things open and airy.

He makes me want to attempt open shelving, just don't feel like I could keep them looking neat and tidy! 

The futuristic Licht im Raum chandelier is so perfect, it is by far my favorite part of the design! And check out all the texture added by those various plants, they look great! The table was created using wood from the old Vanderbilt polo barn. Also, pretty darn cool!

{By designer Jeff Lewis, all images and video via House Beautiful}

If you're going to be around NYC in the next couple of days you should make your way over to Rockefeller Center to check out this dream kitchen. It is free and open to the public until the 23rd, complete with cooking demonstrations and guest appearances by Jeff Lewis and his Flipping Out crew. Sounds pretty fun to me!

ps...this kitchen will also be featured in the October issue of House Beautiful :)

New York Condo: Schematic Design Pt. II

I have FINALLY got around to posting part two of our schematic design for the NYC condo. Here are the private quarters - bedrooms & study/guest room. 

{As I mentioned in the post for part one, these are mainly used to work out the most functional layout for our clients' needs and wants. Some of the images have color where we started playing around, others are just shaded.}

This couple has a year old baby girl, and yes, another on the way! With two little babies, especially this close together, these parents need a relaxing retreat, and that's where we are headed for this master suite. Did we mention that there are four bathrooms in this condo!?! Oh, and all have large windows! And of course, one of them is in here. 

Nursery one is for the newbie on his or her way! We are going to use the existing dresser/change table, crib and glider in this nursery, and have designed a built-in bookcase with storage below for heaps of toys. Under each window, there will be a desk height surface dividing the shelves and cabinets that can be used as a cozy spot for art creation and eventually homework. 

Nursery two is for the wise, older sister. :) Our clients have requested a queen-size bed in this room so we are working that in with all the other toddler necessities such as crib, cozy reading chair, kiddie table and chairs, etc. We're looking to make this a cheerful, playful and inspiring space!

Lastly, the office will incorporate a desk and a requested queen-size pullout sofa. This is a small room with many doors and a large window, but we will make it work! 

We can't wait to share the next phase of this design plan with you in a few weeks!

So far, what do you think? 

Discovering John Pawson, Master of Luxurious Minimalism

I've always dreamed of designing a yacht someday so when I came across this spread in June 2010 Elle Decor, my heart absolutely melted. The design is absolutely beautiful and practical to a moving ship in everyway. Architect/designer John Pawson just made my list of top top career idols. And I should probably also give props to stylist Carlos Mota because his subtle touches; books, sea corals, flowers, bowls, cups, etc. give Pawson's designs life and excitement. This purple mast sail is going to rock your weekend:

Pawson carried the bleached teak floors from the ship's deck through to the interior floors and ceilings. The walls and bulkheads are covered in leathered parchment or white laquer.


The Christian Liagre sofa, Hans J. Wegner chairs and Bruno Weil pieces, as well as many Pawson-designed pieces create an atmosphere of luxurious minimalism. Do you think the yacht's owner and documentary filmmaker, Angela Ismailos, ever sits around amongst these beautiful furnishings in her bathing suit? I don't know why but I keep thinking about what I would wear if I were on that boat!



I think Elle Decor writer James Reginato summed up best what makes this boat so special... (It)...has an open, loftlike feel rarely found on sailboats. The airy, sunny atmosphere is reinforced by an unusual feature: the boat's large rectangular portholes, which admit profuse light, especially to the serene bedrooms below deck."

Have an inspired weekend!!

5 Musts Under $10

I was thinking about the inexpensive things in my home that pack huge punch. Here are my top 5 things - all of which are less than $10! - that will cozy up a home in a flash.

Saara's recipe for instant warmth:

1. Photos

Framed photos, both candids and formal, make a home feel so much more personal and warm. I love looking at old photos in my home and remembering good times, or looking at photos in friends' homes and learning more about their life. Target and Michaels have options under $10...

{Samantha Pynn}

2. Canisters & Jars

I don't like excessive clutter on my kitchen counters, but LOVE the look of clear glass canisters. My favorite look is clear canisters of various sizes and shapes grouped together and filled with similar colored foods such as oatmeal, pasta, flour, sugar or cereal.  I recently bought some great canisters at Crate and Barrel on sale for $7 each...

{Crate & Barrel, Urban Grace}

3. Throws

Every sofa looks great with a soft throw draped on it. I have an ivory throw on my sofa and love how it adds another texture and color to the space. This Ikea throw is a steal at $8...

{Decorpad, Ikea}

4. Books

Display your books, both old and new! I love a well organized bookcase, or a fun pile stacked beside a chair. Garage sales and estate sales are GREAT places to find old books for pennies, seriously they can be 25-cents a piece!

{Domino, Decorpad}

5. Plants

It is incredible how living things transform a room! Try to have at least one plant in each room, they really add life and are really good for air quality. :) I picked up an adorable mid-size fern for $8 at Lowes a few months back and it's still green and beautiful...

{BelleMaison23, House Beautiful}

PS. The rest of the NYC project schematic images are coming early next week. Sorry about that! 

New York Condo: Schematic Design Pt. I

We've been working hard and have finished the schematic design phase for our New York City project. If you missed our introduction to this project, a few pictures of the raw space can be viewed 'HERE'. 

This condo is large for NYC at 2,500 square feet, so we're going to show you our schematic plan in two parts, public and private. During this first design phase we create a well-functioning furniture plan. Along with 2D floor plans, we present our clients with 3D models of their homes. Here are a few of the images we have submitted to our NYC clients...

{Please note that while some of the furniture in the 3D images may resemble furniture intended to be used, many pieces do not. For the most part, these images are meant to help clients gain a better sense of how their rooms will flow with our proposed space plan. The small photos show which pieces of existing furniture are being used in the plan. Oh, and click them to make them bigger!}

Part One - Public Spaces

The foyer is open to the living room and dining room, and provides access to the kiddies' quarters and the master suite...

We have proposed a full wall of built-ins to hide toys and TV/stereo equipment below in cupboards, and display pretty books and accessories on shelves up top. Oh, and the TV fits in there too!

In the dining room we are hoping to include two small-scale wingback chairs that can be used at either end of the table, or by the windows to save space day-to-day...

In the kitchen, a settee and bistro-size table make the cozy nook a perfect spot for breakfast and reading the paper, or keeping the cook company with a glass of wine...

 In order to best understand our clients' favored design style for this condo, we asked them to chose an inspiration image. This is where we're headed...

It's going to be great!  

Check back for part II of our schematic design later this week!

I Spy Lots of Canopies!

Until this week, I have always thought of myself as an upholstered headboard gal. No longer, my friends! I have finally taken notice of all the iron canopy beds I was spying - and LOVING! My only rule, no draping fabric, please.

Iron beds are a great way to add an additional material/texture to a bedroom. They blend beautifully with wood side tables and dressers; and while they are metal, they look light and airy visually which I am drawn to right now. A nice departure from their heavier-feeling, thick and tufted, upholstered cousins!

Bedrooms to dream about...

Sleeping in this bedroom would feel like you're in a birdcage, and I love that.  Along with the zig-zag rug, the turquoise accents are perfectly placed and keep the room from feeling to frilly. PS. Can you see those pleated, ruffly curtains....

{Miles Redd via Domino}

This bedroom is a perfect example of how the canopy bed can be masculine too. I know my husband would be content slumbering in here!

{Phoebe Howard via decorpad}

Another gorgeous room and bed! I want to point out that a few of these beds have the added bonus of a high yet thin headboard, perfect for reading in bed and keeping those pillows from becoming wedged between the mattress and wall - I love getting the best of both worlds!

{Alisberg Parker Architects via decorpad}

Lastly, my absolute favorite! I particularly love the shape of this bed, not to mention the AMAZING wallpaper, and stunning area rug, wood floors, darling chair, art, etc etc etc. This image has been saved to my inspiration folder. :)

{Elaine Griffin via her website}