Holiday Photo Collage

So I finally got those holiday cards off the wall!  It made for a fun afterschool activity for me and my daughter.  We cut out all the photos, pasted them to some paper to make a collage, and then scanned it into the computer.  Now it's a great desktop image! LJ made her own photo collage of friends and family to hang on her bulletin board too.

My plan is to do this each year and keep a simple archive of family and friends over the years.  (We'll see if I'm this motivated every year?)!  I think it will be fun to have the photos up as new ones come in for the 2010 holiday season... great way to see how all the kids have grown. 

We also cut out the other cards for gift tags...

Is it a snow day for you too?  Do you have any fun indoor activities to share?

 

Color Story: Red & Black

A few of our favorite things for the day:

Dress by Victoria Beckham, Chandelier by Stonegate, Rug by Safavieh, Settee by Michael Weiss.

Thom Felicia Furniture

You are probably familiar with Thom Felicia from "Queer Eyes for the Straight Guys".  Do you remember that show?  We kinda miss it from time to time.  We don't know any straight guy who watched it though, only straight girls, hoping to fix up their men...

Anyway, Thom Felicia is getting to be a major licensing house.  He's doing rugs for Safavieh, fabric for Kravet etc.  The latest is a furniture collection from Vanguard Furniture.  It's quite lovely and original.

Take a look:

You can see the rest of the collection here. If you need help with pricing, drop us a line.

Fabulous Graphic Wallpapers

We often wish we were more adventurous than we actually are.  Our home is quite boring-- for people who are in the furnishings business.  More often than not, it consists of returns, overstock and miscellaneous things that we can't sell in the store.  It looks like a darn garage sale, actually.

Okay, so maybe we're exaggerating a little...

But we do play it a bit safe with just plain colors, solid and textures.  This is why we live our fantasies via this blog.  We just love showing you things that are whimsical and fun.

Like these wallpapers from F Schumacher, for example...

This one is called Bird and Butterflies pattern 2704420. 

This one is called New York Pattern 26340

This one is called Aviary pattern 2705511

Our favorite, this one is called Train Pattern 2703940

This one is called Balloon, Patter 2704320

These wallpapers run about $180-200 per roll, not cheap right?  But you can get it for less at our F Schumacher wallpapers section (usually 30-40% off the listed prices).

Interior Design Tool

Here's an eco idea (both environmentally and economically speaking),  instead of buying a stack of magazines to find inspiration for your next home project, go to the Decorpad website.

It's a great resource for seeing lots of interiors in many different styles.  So rather than flipping through countless magazines looking for particular images that might inspire you, go to this site and find ideas that directly relate to your own project.



Here's how I like to use the site... say your thinking about painting your kitchen cabinets (like I do every other day!) but are unsure if you want a bright white kitchen or something richer. Well, you go to Decorpad, pull down where it says 'posts' and select the 'photos' search option, enter in the key words 'white kitchen' and... Voila!  Dozen's of kitchens come up with that criteria. It can be quite helpful to see real examples and you might get some new ideas too.  Have fun with the word combinations...maybe try 'bedroom chandelier'?



I've been contemplating painting our kitchen cabinets a black-charcoal color. It sounds scary but here are some images from Decorpad that make me think I might love it...

McGill Design Group

McGill Design Group

Kristin Cunningham Kitchen

House & Garden

Hmm, this image has me thinking about my next post. Painting your window sashes in a contrasting color... let's discuss!

New Home Accessories for Spring

We just uploaded a ton of new home accessories on our store. Here's a quick sampling:

All can be found on the home decor section on the front page.  If you have time, please come visit!

Where Did You Get That?

We thought we start a new feature called "where did you get that"?  This is because many times we browse through a picture of something that we like, be it clothes or furniture or anything else, only to find the source not listed.

Does that happen to you?

In this feature, we'll do our best to show you where to get this stuff.  Some of the stuff might be things we carry, some might be other stores.  We'll hope you'll find it helpful!

The first one is from Lonny Magazine (have you seen it? It's quite fabulous).  The blue stool can be found here in various colors.  It costs $288 with free shipping.

Image via Lonny Magazine

Do you need help finding something? Email us a picture along with your email address and we'll do our best to help you find it.

Pretty and Chic Furniture for Smaller Spaces

We found this adorable line at the Las Vegas Market a couple of years back and we thought we share it with you.  They make really cute, adorable furniture that are smaller in scale --quite perfect if you have a small apartment or condo to furnish.   The furniture usually comes in neutral colors, which makes it easy to accessorize.  They are quite stylish and inexpensive.

Here are a few samples:

The occasional chair runs about $600, sofa is about $1500, chair about $300, bed about $1600. They have a huge web site that you can browse through here. If you need help with pricing let us know (Sunpan only sells wholesale). Shipping cost for furniture is usually high, so we don't recommend buying just one or two pieces. Usually shipping costs will exceed the price of the item.

Luxury Bathtub Design

modern bathtub design
Bathtub Design

Modern Interior Bathroom Design Ideas
Here is the new bathroom products by Pearl Bath in their New Eterne Series. Pearl Bath usually offers an exceptional range of bathroom products designed to provide relief and relaxation for body, mind and soul.Amazing Furniture Design

luxury bathtub

Ultra Modern Bathroom Faucet from Bandini

Amazing ultra modern bathroom designs inspiration

Change a tired master bathroom into a luxurious retreat with the Eterne drop-in bathtub by Pearl Bath. With its seamless design, Eterne bathtub is luxury at its finest, the lavish Eterne bathtub lets you unwind in utter carefree comfort. As comfort is considered top priority at Pearl, Eterne features ingeniously integrated armrests that are perfectly positioned for extra ease and support, Sleek Integrated Handles Handrails, Ozonator Whirlpool System, and a Back massage. Sleek Integrated Handles Handrails provide security and assurance when entering or exiting the bathtub. Ozonator Whirlpool System, This technology purifies bath water, providing a safe and clean bathing experience.Modern Furniture Design

bathroom vanities

Artistic Bathroom Design

The unique bathroom designs ideas

 Back massage Four microjets and two powerful rotating water jets relieve muscle and joint aches and restore your energy levels. So you can Enjoy an utterly divine bathing experience every day with this elegant Eterne Series bathtub.

Retro Style Bedroom Decoration

Retro bedroom furniture 

Bedroom Modern Interior Design

Luxury and Modern Bedrooms by Answeredesign

Bring a smart inspiration to create an american style bedroom to middle-income America in the most convenient way possible. Snuggle up in a cozy, olive green and butter yellow bedroom with chocolate accents bedroom decoration or relax in a cozy, exotic Contemporary Safari Bedroom Decoration with soothing colors and fabrics to create american style look in your home! Modern Furniture

interior design bedroom

Modern Bedroom Design

Bedroom Interior Design in Hard Rock Hotel

Don’t miss the leopard print rug, and slipcovers must be ordered separately for the chair and ottoman. You can also Check out a Retro Style Bedroom Decoration with calming blue walls, retro mirrored night stands and touches of contemporary chocolate accents, anyone would love to relax in this fun room.Bedroom Lighting

bedroom decoration

Apple bedroom ideas

Children Bedroom Furniture Sets

Kitchen Cabinets Design

kitchen island disegn

 Kitchen Furniture Design

Modern Kitchen Design

Here is a modern and durable stainless steel kitchen cabinets design from Elektra Ernestomeda  Programme. They are has excellent technical characteristics, reliable, stain, corrosion resistant and environmentally friendly. A simple, discreet formal language, an unusual yet effective layout with the various functions assigned to five horizontal layers, and inspired use of materials that ensure unbeatable performance in daily use.Table Designs

white kitchen cabinets

 Kitchens Design from Bulthaup

Kitchen Design Ideas

This is Elektra italian kitchen, the Ernestomeda programme with a streamlined image and vast opportunities for personalisation in function and look, achieved by combining materials such as steel, Corian, marble and walnut, in an attractive blend of volumes and choice finishes. This minimalist Elektra Vetro kitchen perfectly demonstrates one more advantage of stainless steel cabinets.Modern Kitchen Design

kitchen sink

Purple Kitchen Ideas by Spazzi
Black & White Modern Kitchen Design
Technical information and main feautres :

Base cabinets/Cupboards: Steel plain door
Cupboards: Steel or Ice gloss lacquered
Hood: Nuvola in steel set into ceiling
Work-top: Deck in steel and Deck in glacier white Corian
Handle: Less in steel welded to the steel door

kitchen design
Design Ideas,Modern Kitchen
Spain Kitchens - modern kitchen cabinets

modern kitchen cabinets
Modern Kitchen Lighting

Architects Have Great Tools! - Interior Design Study

Architects do have some great tools, and here is one more example of how they can use them.

The interior great room images below of this particular cottage house plan were created using a 3d modeling tool called Google Sketchup. I used the tool to carve out the basic design inside and out, but I wanted to study variations of the design in order to present to my client.

Here is the Great Room space. Simple with white walls and vaulted ceiling - nice and clean!

Added a white washed wood ceiling and a little color on the walls.

Added a beam treatment to the ceiling and went back to the monochrome color scheme.

Added white washed wood ceiling between the beams.

Wood beams, white washed wood ceiling and a little color on the walls.

This example illustrates how just changing a few elements within a design can dramatically alter the character of a space. And Sketchup is a great tool for visualizing that space.