off-the-floor

Desginer Advice:

"Moss green is a livelier antidote to brown. It's rich but still fanciful and it beautiful with polished dark woods, peacock blues or red lacquer." - Celerie Kemble, designer

"The warmth of this green makes it deal for use in social areas, such as a dinign room." -Mary Rice, color expert, Behr

"Sonce moss green is a color from nature, any other color from nature will complement it." -Eve Robinson, interior designer

Green Facts:

-Highly absorbent and possessing antibacterial qualities, sphagnum mosses were used as first-aid dressings on soldiers' wounds during World War II.

-Earthy greens have long symbolized fertility and were the color of choice for wedding gowns in the 15th century.

-Night vision goggles use green to enhance the image because the human eye is able to discern the most shades in that color.

 All the best designers agree: Now is the perfect time to rethink pink. The hottest (and Happiest) hue has grown up.

"The deeper, brighter shades are joyous, uplifting. They make people stop and smile. The paler shades are very sexy and soothing- great for bedrooms." -Marjorie Skouras

"Pink can say a lot. I like to pair hot pink with cinnamon brown; it becomes seductive. Bright pink mixed with oranges and purples is always a fun match." -Eve Robinson

"Pink is a seasonless color for me. Are the cheeks of angels appealing only in the summer? Adding cerise pillows and accessories to a beige room or coral lamps to a gray space creates instant dazzle. And lamp shades lined in pink will make everyone in proximity look like they've just returned from the best vacation ever." -Jamie Drake

 The sugary shade's sophisticated side blossoms with this digitally printed poppies on Opusuede fabirc proves pink can pack a punch. (photo bottom left)

Add color to your evegreen garland.  

Stockings don't have to match. Find fun, patterned fabrics in coordinating colors to create one-of-a-kind stockings.

Use neutral accents to create delicious holiday displays.

Spice up your tabletop with a centerpiece of glittering trees and stacked ornament topiaries.

 Whether your home is country or sleek moden, choose holiday decor that matches your style.

Don't just stop with just one Christmas tree. Find a few smaller ones to place in guest rooms, playrooms or even your own bedroom to spread the holiday cheer throughout the house.  

I found a slideshow of a condo and it reminded me so much of Austin that I had to share the photos! This one is located in NYC. Fun, exciting and fresh....words of inspiration and what describes my thoughts when I see these photos.

Wallpaper has a way of re-defining itself all the time. It comes and it goes but, everytime it comes back; it's back with a bang! Check these photos out below, I found them quite inspiring!

Great room or cozy nook, almost any space can handle a boldly scaled pattern splashed across its walls. Huge flowers, wide stripes, and other bodacious motifs provide instant atmosphere—and in small spaces the right oversize pattern can even erase boundaries, diminishing angles and corners so the room seems bigger than it is.

With the help of Josh Minnie of Flavor Paper, fashion designer Cynthia Rowley created a wallpaper of stylized blossoming cherry trees to cover the walls of her dining room in Manhattan’s West Village. The metallic paper’s gardenlike fantasy led Rowley to use a flower-and-bird-themed cotton on the Louis XVI–style chairs and cushioned banquette

In Jennifer and Larry Creel’s Upper East Side dining room, decorator Suzanne Coleman Bancroft stretched Manuel Canovas’ Ming linen across the walls. The pale-blue-and-white vase shapes are reflected in vessels grouped on the table. The black doors, lampshades, curtain rods, and floor add bold accents to the quiet palette.

 Hung like exotic paneling, antique Indonesian ikats are set into the dining room walls of Jeanne Donner’s house in Vero Beach, Florida. Interior designer Robert Couturier complemented the island allure of the bold fabrics with simple but gutsy furnishings that evoke a romantic villa in the days of the Raj, including a chandelier found in an Indian palace, British Colonial–style chairs, and a towering 19th-century ebony-finished cabinet inlaid with bone and ivory.

Tastemakers Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan chose Chippendale, an iconic wallpaper by Bob Collins & Sons, to cover the walls and ceiling of the dining area of their Palm Beach, Florida, getaway. A groovy 1960s take on timeless Chinese Export patterns, the powerhouse green-and-white floral serves as an appropriate background for an assortment of vintage white furniture and Adler-designed accessories, including high-backed Thonet chairs, a grand octagonal mirror, and a ceramic collie.

Great comments about the color red from top designers....makes you think about color a little bit more in depth. Marie

“Red is part of our signature. We don’t like blue in our reds: It’s like blood. Even though people are into vampires, we are not. We like orange or clear red. It’s great to live with. —William Diamond and Anthony Baratta

“I like truer, strong reds paired with warm neutrals, perhaps framed by a backdrop of rich chocolate brown. Red on red is a particularly favorite approach, mixing up hues, intensities and values.” —Mark Pollack

“A great way of experimenting with any new color is to introduce it in a small way: a bright-red cushion or lamp shade, red trim or piping on a throw. A glossy red satin or velvet will have much more impact than a matte cotton muslin.” —Tricia Guild

“All my life I’ve pursued the perfect red. I can never get painters to mix it for me. It’s exactly as if I’d said, ‘I want rococo with a spot of gothic in it and a bit of Buddhist temple.’ They have no idea what I’m talking about. About the best red is to copy the color of a child’s cap in any Renaissance portrait.” —Diana Vreeland

Suddenly the world is going mad for plaid. This Scottish classic is stealing the spotlight from runway to tabletop.

What's your opinion???

I love hearng about trends happening abroad. They make it here sooner or later. Check out this link for more information on the Milan Market for 2009.

http://www.pointclickhome.com/style_guide/articles/market_report_milan_2009

Even if you’re the quiet Dixie Chick—as Emily Robison has been called—there’s no getting away from the fact that there are few places you can go without causing a stir. Except maybe design showrooms, which the self-confessed shelter magazine fan slips away to when she’s on the road. “I love them,” Robison readily admits. Their vignettes of stylish furniture and picture-perfect kitchen systems make it easy to focus on domesticity. They certainly offer respite from generic hotel rooms, the chaos of night after night of standing-room-only concerts and the occasional protest from former fans still fuming over Dixie Chicks’ lead singer Natalie Maines’s antiwar declaration in March 2003.

But there was also a practical impulse for the design showroom escapes, Robison notes. “I’m project-oriented,” she says—and she had a project. It was a loft in San Antonio, originally meant to be just a stopping-off place between the airport and Robison’s ranch in the Texas Hill Country two hours away. But once she and architects Jim Poteet and Patrick Ousey and interior designer Joel Mozersky started work on it, the near-downtown oasis ended up becoming a four-bedroom, three-bath spread where the Grammy award-winning singer and instrumentalist could kick off her boots and really be at home.

“I wanted something modern and sleek,” says Robison. But when Poteet and Ousey showed her the unfinished loft, it was far from that. Outside, it was a handsome six-story, brick-clad 1926 icon in the city’s warehouse area. Inside, though, it had seen better—if not sweeter—days. The fourth floor, which had caught Robison’s eye, displayed conspicuous evidence of its former life as the Duerler candy factory—nicks and odd propellerleaf shapes in the floor were telltale bolt scars left by the Hobart candy-mixing machines. And there were no support beams, just concrete columns set on a roughly 22-foot grid, their V-shaped capitals chunky exaggerations of their Corinthian antecedents.

The columns, though, would determine the floor plan. “The columns are a little weird,” Poteet concedes. “They actually correspond to the plain brick facade of the building and not to anything inside.” In spite of the columns’ eccentricity, Ousey and Poteet opted to go with the flow. “Rather than suppressing the grid,” says Ousey, “we made the columns into an organizational element—like exclamation points.”

“I worried that the living area was too big,” recalls Robison, “and that the farthest parts would be a no-man’s-land.” With the columns as their guide, the architects contrived a plan in which the public arena of Robison’s loft is deftly introduced by an entry hall that opens to the living room at a diagonal to maximize the impact of the views. Dining and family areas and the oak-paneled kitchen assemble neatly along the room’s perimeter.

Both architects are proponents of letting a building speak for itself. “We decided,” says Ousey, “to celebrate the floors as they were.” There turned out to be more to celebrate than everyone thought: While burnishing the concrete floors, an older layer of honey-color terrazzo speckled with black began to peek out from underneath. “We were excited to see it,” says Robison. Terrazzo, plus intermittent sweeps of concrete, scars and niches, stayed. “At that point,” notes Ousey, “the introduction of other colors into the loft seemed wrong, so we decided to paint all walls off-white and to bring in color via the furnishings.”

Ousey added a subtle gray-and-ocher antique Oushak rug to anchor the living space; Joel Mozersky introduced a bold brown and white pattern—in the dining room chairs, in the Amadi rugs in the seating area next to the kitchen and in the master bedroom—to define a visual corridor along the ceiling-high windows that are draped in Ultrasuede. “Emily wanted the space to be unpredictable (no Saarinen tables, she specified) but homey,” says Mozersky. The rugs did the trick and also tempered the powerful presence of the steel-framed windows that overlook them.

“It was really important that all the furniture was child-friendly,” says Robison. Sofas upholstered in soft gray chenille, coffee tables with no sharp edges and durable leather on chairs make the furnishings suitable for the wear and tear that comes courtesy of her three children and their friends, as well as road-weary musicians just off the red-eye or the tour bus.

Besides specifying unpredictability, Emily Robison’s other request was for a master suite, which Poteet and Ousey gave her. There’s an office that’s a buffer between the living room and the bedroom itself, a small music studio, a spacious bath and a huge closet. “Her big desire,” says Ousey, “was for a luxurious bathing experience. Emily roughs it when she’s on the road and also at her ranch, which is still under construction, and she wanted to feel pampered when she’s here.”

While the east-facing bedroom is all about light, the tile-lined bath is windowless. The room depends on ambient reflections of light bouncing off the glass shower doors and the lustrous handmade floor and wall tiles to evoke a comforting evanescence. Once again, though, the columns were not to be denied. One became a canopy that crowns the shower stall; the other is a totem to bathing, with the Agape tub at its base and a chandelier floating above.

“I’ve gone through a lot in the last year,” says Robison, alluding to her recent divorce from songwriter Charlie Robison. “This is a happy place to live.” She’s not the only one with that opinion. The children are fascinated with the building. Knowing that they have favorite neighbors who are asleep on the floor above affords nonstop intrigue for them. “They love to get the mail and to say hello to the desk clerk,” says Robison. “Their friends ask, ‘Do you live in a hotel?’ ” These days the answer is no, because Emily Robison isn’t on the road—she’s “in the house” at home.

What the Pros Know

“The tendency when renovating older buildings has been to replace all the windows,” notes architect Patrick Ousey, “because they are thought to leak air or need too much repair.” Both Ousey and his collaborator Jim Poteet have long been champions of reuse, but in the case of the building housing Emily Robison’s loft, there were aesthetic as well as environmental rewards for recycling the extant windows. Although the industrial sash windows are steel, both of the architects appreciated the visual delicacy of their design. “Today,” says Poteet, “double-pane glass is the standard, which means that the framework that holds the glass in place is heftier and the mullions are much thicker than they were in the ’20s, when this building was constructed.” Ousey observes, “The frames are an industrial material, but they look refined.” After sanding, reglazing and reinstalling the panes, the windows are actually better than new.

Metropolitan Home

http://www.pointclickhome.com/celebrity_interiors/articles/dixie_chic

I found a great site today for hot trend ideas and sources. I wanted to pass it along to my fellow designers.

http://www.goodfactories.com/index.php?main=community&sub=article_details&cid=16&aid=631

The W Austin Hotel and Residences is an important project for downtown Austin. It's located at the heart of the emerging Second Street District. It's a $300 million multi-use project including a much-needed hotel, a prominent condo project, retail, and entertainment. It's the home of the new Austin City Limits studio.

Until this week, the failure of the project's primary lender has put the project in jeopardy. While the 37-story building has continued to rise past 25-floors with the developers investment capital, the project could not have been finished without a new construction loan. Unfortunately, these are tough times to get a construction loan for a condo project that is partially constructed.

This week, Austin-based Stratus Properties Inc., the developer of the W, and the Canyon-Johnson Urban Funds announced the closing of a $120 million replacement construction loan for the W Austin Hotel & Residences project. As part of the deal, the developers were required to add partners to raise an additional $45 million in investment capital. As a result of the financing, the project remains on schedule to open in December of next year with condo units being delivered to buyers through May, 2011.

"Our ability to secure a construction loan in the current economic climate reflects the strength and quality of this project and of the relative strength of the local Austin real estate market," said Beau Armstrong, CEO of Stratus Properties. "Unlike many markets, downtown Austin has a small supply of upper end condominiums - just over 400 units - and is not likely to have any additional new supply in the next five years."

The W Hotel and Residences is located on the City's "Block 21" in the heart of downtown Austin`s 2nd Street District. The building will include 159 residential units, 252 hotel rooms and suites, 18,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, 37,000 square feet of office space and a street-level plaza. Also unique to the project, a state-of-the art, live music venue that will serve as the new home of the world renowned Austin City Limits, the country`s longest running televised music series. The venue will be operated by Live Nation.

W Austin Residences will be located on floors 18 through 37, providing views of Lady Bird Lake, the Hill Country, University of Texas Tower, State Capitol Building and the downtown skyline. Homeowners will have access to all hotel amenities including concierge service, an 8,000-square-foot spa and fitness area, private pool and preferred access to property restaurants and the music venue.

You want your home to be a healing place, promoting healthy minds and bodies, right? Then you may want to learn more about using color therapy in your home decor with the following series titled What Is Color Therapy?

Color therapy is a form of holistic healing that has been used for thousands of years to treat physical and emotional issues. Also known as chromotherapy, color therapy is regaining popularity today. According to ayurveda, the 5,000 year old traditional medicine of India, every color has certain healing energies. By using color therapy techniques when you are decorating your home or office, you bring those healing energies into your space and enhance or diminish certain qualities.

Color therapy is based on the seven colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. According to ayurveda, there are also seven energy centers in the body, each on e associated with one of the colors. If a person’s chakra is weak or out of balance, the color associated with it will help strengthen it.

Color therapy is a form of holistic healing that has been used for thousands of years to treat physical and emotional issues. Also known as chromotherapy, color therapy is regaining popularity today. According to ayurveda, the 5,000 year old traditional medicine of India, every color has certain healing energies. By using color therapy techniques when you are decorating your home or office, you bring those healing energies into your space and enhance or diminish certain qualities.

 The Seven Chakras and 7 Colors of Chromotherapy

Color Therapy is based on the seven colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. According to ayurveda, there are also seven energy centers in the body, each on e associated with one of the colors. If a person's chakra is weak or out of balance, the color associated with it will help strengthen it.

This information is meant to help you learn about color therapy, not as medical advice. This ancient practice has experienced a resurgence of interest, so I thought you might like to better understand its theory. Why not try it out in at least one room in your home and see if you can experience the benefits of color therapy for yourself?

 The Crown Chakra or 7th Chakra is located at the crown of the head and can connect us to our spiritual self. It promotes positive thought patterns, inspiration and imagination. It controls the pineal gland

The Brow Chakra or third eye is the 6th Chakra and it is situated just above the eyebrows. The Brow Chakra controls the pituitary gland and therefore controls and balances all the other glands in the endocrine system, nose, ears and sinuses. It promotes vision, intuition, psychic abilities, concentration, self knowledge and insight.

The Throat Chakra or 5th Chakra is located in the throat area. It is the link between ourselves and the world around us and is associated with communication, self-expression and sound.

The Heart Chakra or 4th Chakra is situated in the centre of the chest. It holds our emotional centre and promotes compassion, love, understanding, sharing and forgiveness. It controls the thymus gland, heart, blood pressure, circulation and the whole of the immune system

The Solar Plexus Chakra or 3rd Chakra is situated between the navel and base of the rib cage. It promotes confidence, humour, personal power, authority, laughter and warmth. It gives us our sense of identity and personality.

The Sacral or Naval Chakra is the 2nd Chakra and it is located between the pubic bone and the navel. It promotes physical force, vitality and strength and it generates creativity, new ideas, passion, endurance and sexual energy.

The Base Chakra or 1st chakra is situated at the base of the spine. It controls the adrenal glands, kidneys, spine and the whole of the nervous system. It promotes physical survival, vitality, stability, patience, courage and material success

Chakra Symbol: Sahasrara: The Crown Chakra (Chakra Colors: Purple/Violet)

Violet is associated with the the crown chakra , or the energy point center at the top of the head. It's said to increase intuition, calm psychological disorders and balance physical and spiritual energies. It has been called the color of wisdom." Violet is also the color of meditation so works well in rooms where you want to think introspectively, like bedrooms, studies or libraries.
Violet is used in the treatment of epilepsy, scalp disorders, mental and nervous disorders and tumors. It is also believed to help those who suffer from migraines or insomnia. Violet strengthens the lymph system and immune system and helps purify the body.
Too much violet suppresses emotions or provokes excessive feelings of arrogance. Balance it with yellow.

 Ajna: The Brow Chakra- Third Eye Chakra

Indigo is a color that many of us would call navy blue. It is related to the third eye, or brow chakra and affects intuition, enhances a sense of responsibility and has a calming, sedative affect.
Physical ailments that are believed to experience relief from indigo include sinusitis and lung infections. It helps detoxify the body and slows excessive bleeding. It affects vision, hearing and the sense of smell as well. Because of its sedative affect, indigo is not usually a good choice for rooms where there needs to be activity. It works quite well in quiet areas, though, particularly bedrooms or studies.
Too much indigo can cause a feeling of loneliness or depression. Use orange to balance these affects.

Anahata: The Heart Chakra- Color Therapy Green

Green is a balancing color and encourages emotional stability, purity and calmness. It is connected to the heart chakra and is thought to facilitate emotional issues such as love, trust, compassion and forgiveness. An imbalance of the heart chakra promotes mistrust, jealousy, insecurity and a fear of relationships. Green lowers blood pressure, balances metabolism, encourages growth, eases insomnia and acts as an aphrodisiac. It refreshes the mind and creates harmony. Green is a great color for bedrooms, but is so beneficial that every room in the house should have at least a splash of green. Adding green houseplants is an easy way to achieve that effect. Magenta is green's compliment color.

 TO BE CONTINUED...

http://www.squidoo.com/color-therapy-and-seven-chakras-of-healing

A little education that I thought was interesting on the history of FIDER!

The Foundation for Interior Design Education Research (FIDER) was established in 1970. The founding organizations were the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC), the American Institute of

Interior Designers (AID), and the National Society of Interior Designers (NSID). AID and NSID merged in 1975 to form the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). The intent of the founders was to promote excellence by developing standards for interior design education and to acknowledge the increasing demands of an emerging profession.

ASID relinquished two seats on the FIDER Board of Trustees to include the Institute of Business Designers (IBD 1984) and the Interior Designers of Canada (IDC 1985). In 1994, IBD, the International Society of Interior Designers (ISID), and the Council of Federal Interior Designers (CFID) merged to form the International Interior Design Association (IIDA).

Interior design professional societies' leaders joined FIDER Trustees in 1997 planning sessions to address the need for financial support of accreditation and reflecting a shared commitment to design education. FIDER's governance structure was identified as a strategic issue. With the support of the founding organizations, FIDER was restructured in 1999 into a Michigan nonprofit corporation, designed to maintain productive connections with all 'communities of interest'.
The collaboration between interior design educators and practitioners has continued over the years through participation in FIDER and support of its accreditation activities. Today, FIDER maintains relationships with the American Society of Interior Designers, the International Interior Design Association, the Interior Design Educators Council, the Interior Designers of Canada, and the National Council for Interior Design Qualification.

Interior-Design.us

As the W Hotel & Residences continues to rise, the developers have been busy creating new renderings of the high visibility second street project. The renderings look great -- in fact, they make you wonder how they produce renderings this good for a building that does not yet exist. We are particularly impressed by the second image where they superimposed the project into the current Austin skyline -- the building looks as real as any of the others in the skyline.

I have been very involved in joining many networking groups over the past few months. Trying to reach out to as many people as I can to find out what is needed and what we can do to better serve our designers. I have recently found a new networking group that I am very fond of. The name of it is: Home Design Network. You are able to create your own page, post photos, show your business information and talk to other members thorugh blogs, discussions and comments. I have met a lot of designers, photographers, and vendors through this site. I find it very helpful to get to know others in the field and have the many resources for when I get asked a question that I may not know the answer to, you have those other people to turn to. This helps me be a better resource for you as well. If you have a moment and would like to check out my page on this group, here is the link:

 http://home-design-network.ning.com/profile/MarieRichards

If you would like to join or just pop around the site to see what its all about, here is the main page:

http://home-design-network.ning.com/

The creator of the site has been working very hard to get the site onto a video montage, news feeds and media distribution channels that will help get the public to see this site, and if you have your business information available on your page, this will act as free advertising for you! Think of the possibilities!!!

A great video on how and what you can use to make your kitchen more eco-friendly~ enjoy...

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid6936143001?bctid=6970587001

REALTOR® Magazine recently visited Abt Electronics in Glenview, Ill., to tour one of its eco-friendly kitchen models and find out about the newest “green” kitchen features (see video link above).

I would like to introduce you to a new wallpaper company founded in 2008 that uses all natural product to create wallpaper. Fabulous designs and colors make this an amazing selection for any project. Here is a short blurb of their company! ~Marie

All Madison & Grow papers are crafted with the utmost care and are eco-friendly. The designs are hand-drawn before being scanned in for pre-press production. Screens are created and each roll is hand silkscreened using water based ink. The papers are clay coated for extra durability and can be wiped clean with a damp sponge. Our manufacturing process emits no VOC's whatsoever. With an aesthetic that combines Dorothy Draper, Lilly Pulitzer, David Hicks and the midcentury modern movement, Madison & Grow’s designs are traditionally contemporary. They are as comfortable in a mahogany dining room as they are against a blonde mid-century dresser. They are as at home in a residential setting as they would be inside a hospitality or commercial space. Madison & Grow was a recipient of Interior Design Magazine's Merit Award for Best Residential Wallcovering of 2008. Teresa Grow, the principal designer and co-founder, finds inspiration in nature. Her patterns are botanical yet geometric, and her fine art training, at SVA, is the “secret ingredient” to Madison & Grow’s hand-drawn prints. Her experience color consulting for architectural firms also brings a trained eye for color that is evident in the patterns. Madison & Grow offers custom color options on all patterns to prospective clients.

http://www.madisonandgrow.com/

MIAMI BEACH, Fla., Aug. 6, 2009 /PRNewswire/ -- July 2nd, 2009 will be marked as the day the Stone Age came to South Beach; the W South Beach's 408-unit condo hotel had a sold-out opening and, from top to bottom, showcased some of the world's most opulent stonework.


Italbec U.S. (www.ItalbecUS.com) installed more than 400,000 square feet of semi-precious stone, granite, quartzite, ceramic tile and marble on all guestroom flooring, walls, bathrooms, kitchens, the restaurant, ballroom, nightclub, bars, lounges, public bathrooms, terraces and lobby areas. Italbec U.S. Vice President, Rick Watson, said the $14.5 million dollar price tag reflects the W's commitment to consistently delivering the luxuries that their clientele have grown accustomed to.


"The luxury market is incredibly competitive and discerning clients continue to seek the details and finishes," says Watson. "This hotel simply cannot disappoint -- the lobby showcases an eclectic mix of fabrics, furnishings and finishes of an almost surreal quality and highlights the intricate detailing and book-matching of massive slabs of unique marbles and stones. It's magnificent."


Across the industry and around the world, cementing this deal was an eye-catching coup for the Dania, Florida-based, stone supply and installation company. State-of-the-art machinery, access to the world's most coveted quarries and a strong commitment to customer service are what led Brad Meltzer, President of KM/Plaza, to tap Italbec U.S. for the project.


"What we accomplished at The W South Beach with the help of Italbec U.S. is a blueprint for luxury," added Meltzer.


The massive undertaking was completed in less than 18 months by over 200 stone and ceramic craftsmen. Jill Poser, Italbec U.S. Director of Business Development, says "Italbec U.S. has become a 'Quiet Giant' and is proudly poised to call out its strengths and demonstrate the mark it has made in the U.S. market."

KEY:

UPFRONT COST: $ Low or none | $$ Moderate ($50-$500) | $$$ High ($500-plus)

 1. Lint hint

Saving energy doesn’t get any easier than this: Lower your energy bill by cleaning your clothes dryer’s lint trap before every load to improve air circulation, therefore cutting down on energy-wasting drying time. $

 2. Power to the people

Reduce your carbon footprint (and maybe even your waistline) by using human-powered appliances and equipment. Think reel mowers, good old-fashioned manual can openers, carpet sweepers, whisks and wooden spoons instead of electric mixers. $

 3. Good day sunshine

On cold sunny days, open window coverings to let the sun warm your home. On hot days, close window coverings on the south and west sides to keep your home cooler. $

 4. Washing day

Save $30 to $40 per year in water heating costs by washing and rinsing clothes in cold water. You can also save more than 3,400 gallons of water per year, according to Energy Star, by washing full loads instead of partial loads. $

 5. Fridge shui

Refrigerators blasted by the sun’s rays or subjected to heat from an adjacent oven or heating vent have to work harder to chill your food. If possible, relocate the fridge to a cooler spot, or close window coverings to keep the sun off. $

 6. Rock-a-bye computer

Enabling your computer and monitor’s power management features so they go into sleep mode when idle can save from $25 to $75 each year in energy costs, according to Energy Star. Also, turn off computers and peripherals at night. $

 7. Wrap it up

In the winter, room air conditioners installed in windows can be a source of cold drafts. Remove
window units during cold months or insulate them with tight-fitting A/C covers, available from most local home-improvement stores. $

 8. Battery recycling

Recycle your old cell phones and used portable rechargeable batteries from cordless power tools, laptop computers, digital cameras and other devices. Find a drop-off site. $

9. Run the numbers

Use the U.S. EPA’s online emissions calculator to find out how many greenhouse gas emissions your household is responsible for. Spend 10 minutes entering your data, and you’ll get a rough estimate of your total CO2 emissions, plus action steps to go on a carbon diet. $

 10. Think globally, buy locally

Choosing a product that’s harvested or made locally reduces transportation energy use and helps sustain your community’s economy. $

 11. Nix the night lights

Install motion sensors, photocell controls or timers so outdoor lights are only on when needed. Reduce light pollution and keep the night sky darker by using light fixtures that direct light downward instead of toward the sky. $

 12. Be a dim bulb

If you have incandescent light fixtures where you can’t or don’t want to use compact fluorescent bulbs, install dimmer switches. Dimming shaves a bit off an incandescent bulb’s energy use and makes the bulb last longer (Note: Most compact fluorescent bulbs can’t be used with dimmer switches). $

 13. Hung out to dry

Many newer clothes dryers have moisture sensors that shut off the heat when they detect that the clothes are dry. If your dryer lacks this feature, try not to overdry your clothes. Operating the dryer for an extra 15 minutes per load can cost as much as $34 per year, according to Energy Star. $

 14. Wipe your paws

Worried about toxins in the home? The Washington Toxics Coalition reports that using entryway mats can reduce the amount of pesticide residue on carpets by 25% and the amount of dust on carpets by 33%. And homes where shoes are removed at the door, according to the WTC, have 10 times less dust than homes where shoes are worn. $

 15. Paint your home green

The air in our homes can be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air. One of the major culprits? Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, that are released from paint, particleboard and other home-improvement products. Most major paint manufacturers now make low-VOC paints, and some offer zero-VOC paints. $

 16. Compost happens

Food waste that winds up in landfills generates methane, a greenhouse gas that’s 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Take charge of your greenhouse gas emissions by composting food scraps (except meat) in a backyard composting bin or even a worm bin. A bonus: Your plants will love the nutrient-laden finished compost. $

 17. Prevent energy-wasting air leaks

To stop drafts, install weatherstripping around doors and caulk cracks around windows. Check the heating and cooling systems’ ducts to make sure all joints are connected and well sealed. Use a mastic sealant or foil-backed tape to seal ducts. $

 18. Keep it in the garage

If your garage is attached to the house, fumes from car exhaust and stored chemicals can enter living spaces through gaps around doors or cracks in the ceilings and wall. Make sure the door between the garage and house seals tightly, and caulk or seal any cracks or openings between the garage and house. $

 19. Breathe easy

Carbon monoxide is called the silent killer because it’s colorless and odorless. If you have a fuel-burning appliance inside the home, such as a gas stove, furnace, water heater, fireplace or clothes dryer, be safe and install a UL-listed carbon monoxide detector on each floor. $

 20. One man’s trash is another’s treasure

When you’re through with an item, sell or Freecycle it rather than throwing it away. $—$$

 21. The M word

To keep mold at bay, use your bathroom and kitchen ventilation fans. To be effective, fans need to vent to the outdoors, and Energy Star products are more efficient, quieter and last longer. $—$$

 22. Automate it

Reduce energy bills by as much as $150 a year with a programmable thermostat that adjusts the temperature when you leave the house or go to sleep. $—$$

 23. Audit it

A home energy audit helps you assess how your home uses energy and prioritize actions you can take to make it more efficient and comfortable. To get started, try Energy Star’s Home Energy Yardstick. $—$$$

 24. Water is the new oil

Consider repurposing water for irrigation. Graywater systems typically recycle wash water from sinks, tubs, showers and clothes washers. Rainwater harvesting systems direct rainwater from the roof into barrels or above- or underground tanks. $—$$$

 25. Cool-down upgrade

An old refrigerator or freezer in the basement that’s just cooling its heels and a few cases of soda may be costing you as much as $100 each year. If it’s more than 10 years old, recycle it and replace it with a new, high-efficiency model. $—$$$

 26. Once is not enough

Choosing salvaged, secondhand or antique furnishings, doors, trim, fixtures and other items that have been around the block a few times is often a smarter use of natural resources than buying new. One caveat: Steer clear of single-pane windows, old toilets and used appliances that waste energy or water compared with their newly manufactured counterparts. $—$$$

 27. Be rid of radon

Radon in indoor air is responsible for 21,000 lung cancer deaths in the United States each year, according to the U.S. EPA. To check for it, DIY tests are available from home improvement stores or from the National Safety Council for $20 or less. If unsafe levels are detected, the cost for reducing radon ranges from $800 to $2,500. $—$$$

 28. Light at the end of the tunnel

Brighten up dark hallways, bathrooms and other spaces with tubular skylights. They let in daylight without the excess heat and are relatively easy and affordable to install. $$

 29. Plant it again, Sam

Plants like bamboo that can be harvested and grown again within a short time ease demand for slower-growing trees and nonrenewable resources like petroleum. Check out great bamboo alternatives for floors, cabinets, built-ins and furniture. $$

 30. Be an Energy Star

Sometimes to save a lot, you have to spend a little. Energy Star-qualified appliances may cost a bit more than standard models, but they incorporate features like high-efficiency compressors and motors and better insulation. And they use 10% to 50% less energy and water, which means more money in your pocket year after year. $$

 31. A truly green landscape

Waterwise, landscaping doesn’t have to resemble a desert scene, thanks to today’s high-efficiency irrigation products. Drip and bubbler irrigators and smart controllers determine when and how much to water based on moisture sensors, historic local weather data or a signal from a weather station. $$

 32. Made in the shade

Summer sun striking west- or south-facing windows and walls can make your home unbearably hot and drive air conditioning costs through the roof. Plant deciduous trees along them and get relief. $$

 33. Blow off some heat

Solar-powered attic fans exhaust hot air and help keep your home comfortable while reducing cooling costs. An added benefit: No need for electrical wiring, so installation is straightforward. $$

 34. Got WaterSense?

If a family of four replaces their 3.5- gallon-per-flush toilets made before 1994 with a WaterSense-labeled toilet, they could save $90 a year and as much as $2,000 over the toilet’s life. $$

 35. Deconstruct, don’t demolish

When remodeling, reuse as much as you can of the existing structure, trim, finishes and fixtures. If you hire a deconstruction outfit, ask if they’re a charitable organization — if so, you may be eligible for a sizable tax deduction for the value of the salvaged goods. $$—$$$

 36. Button up

Save energy and feel more comfortable by beefing up insulation in perimeter walls and ceilings. Check out eco-friendly options like recycled cotton or cellulose and fiberglass batts with no added formaldehyde. $—$$$

 37. Foiled again

In hot summer climates, attic radiant barriers can help keep homes comfortable and reduce cooling bills. Made of a reflective foil, radiant barriers block the transfer of radiant heat from a hot roof into the attic. In the Southeast, radiant barriers can reduce cooling costs by 8% to 12%, according to the Florida Solar Energy Center. $$—$$$

 38. Consider the source

When choosing appliances and equipment, remember that not all energy sources are created equal. If you’re in the market for a backup generator, natural gas and liquid propane (LP) engines burn cleaner than gasoline engines, which reduces air pollution and extends the engine’s life. $$—$$$

39. Double up

To keep heat inside during winter and outside in the summer, choose double-pane windows with an appropriate low-e coating. For help choosing the right window for your climate, go to efficientwindows.org. $—$$$

 40. Be radiant

Radiant floor heating systems are a boon to indoor air quality because unlike forced-air systems, they don’t blow dust and other allergens around. Thanks to warm water circulating in flexible tubing installed under the floor, heat radiates evenly up through the floor, providing quiet, even warmth while using less energy. $$$

 41. Grow a green roof

Also called living roofs or vegetated roofs, green roofs are specially engineered with a waterproof membrane topped by a lightweight planting medium. Typically planted with native grasses, wildflowers or other climate-appropriate groundcovers, they slow the flow of stormwater off the roof, keep surrounding outside air temperatures cooler, insulate the home from noise, heat and cold, and may even extend the roof’s life. $—$$$

 42. Don’t get burned

Wood-burning fireplaces are notorious polluters and energy wasters. Think about retrofitting yours with an energy-efficient, clean-burning, EPA-certified fireplace insert. The inserts include glass or metal doors, vents to provide outside air for combustion, and blowers to circulate heated air into the room. $$$

43. Reroofing?

Cool roof products come in a variety of colors and materials (including ceramic or concrete tiles, metal and synthetic membranes) and reflect more of the sun’s heat, lowering the roof’s temperature by up to 100 degrees F. $$$

 44. Harvest the sun

In regions with abundant sunshine and high energy costs, solar systems are gaining ground. Solar electric systems can offset some or all of your home’s electricity use, while solar water-heating systems can heat water for sinks, showers, laundry, home heating, pools and spas. A variety of federal, state and local incentives are making renewable-energy systems more affordable. For a directory of incentives by state, go to dsireusa.org. $$$

 45. Salvage style

Spare the precious forests by choosing salvaged wood harvested from dismantled buildings, old barrels, urban trees that would otherwise have been chipped for mulch or firewood, sinker logs from lake and river bottoms, and many other sources. $—$$$

Mr. Black, who was the art director at Rolling Stone in the 1970s, and at The New York Times and Newsweek in the 1980s, is now a publications consultant and a partner of Font Bureau Inc., a digital type foundry in Boston. He built the house last year, on the incline of a mesa on his 3,000-acre spread in Brewster County, where shale bluffs and sandy valleys are dotted with sagebrush and spiky yucca, and giant tarantulas languidly cross the heat-radiating roads.

When he visits, about once a month, he unlatches the double doors on each of the five 8-by-20-foot shipping containers to reveal, from left to right, a living room, a bedroom, another bedroom, a kitchen and dining area and a storage and utility room. The last is filled with hardware to support several satellite Internet connections, so while he’s out of the way he’s never out of touch.

The opening on each compartment is fitted with sliding glass doors and screens to keep out stinging, biting and otherwise menacing creatures, and the rooms all face west so Mr. Black and any guests can watch the spectacular sunsets as well as distant locomotives toting the same kinds of shipping containers used in the home’s construction.

“It’s comfortable, but you get more than six people in here and you start to bump into each other,” Mr. Black said.

But that isn’t much of a problem, since few of his friends consider West Texas a desirable destination. “City folks get apprehensive looking out onto the horizon and seeing the curvature of the earth,” he said. His ex-wife hated it, as did his ex-boyfriend.

According to the architect, Mark Wellen of Midland, the entire project cost about $200,000 and would have been half that if it wasn’t on such remote terrain. “There’s no local manpower and it’s hard to get equipment out here,” he said.

The containers have hubs on each corner that allow them to be stacked like Legos on railcars and in the holds of ships. Mr. Wellen used the top four as insertion points for the home’s raised shed-like roofing; the bottom ones were used to attach stilts, which he said lift the containers a few feet off the ground “to get them level and also get you up and away from snakes and thorns and varmints.”

Cinco Camp is unlike most other shipping-container structures in that the boxes have been left intact, rather than being cut, contorted and connected. The containers and the bar-grate steel decking that runs between them have the same rusty patina as West Texas cattle guards and barbed-wire fences. Hovering above the house and shielding it from the sun are the five slanted, shed-like covers held aloft by I-beams.

As Mr. Black explained, “I wanted something that blends into the landscape and could be installed and eventually removed with minimal disturbance to the environment.”

He spends most evenings at Cinco Camp on the deck, grilling his dinner on a custom-built barbecue welded to the railing. “When I’m working, there’s a lot of stress and I have to be on all the time,” he said. “Out here, I get back to reality ... whatever reality is.”

 Originality is always important!!! I love this article, puts a lot of things in perspective. Not harming nature in order to provide human life with comfort when built and when taken away. Amazing. The view at night must be phenomenal! What a breath of fresh air. ~Marie

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/garden/16location.html

Colour Associations

I love seeing old architecture mixed with contemporary style. It gives a whole new meaning to the appreciation of old versus new. Something that I dream about owning one day, an old loft or home only to give it that funky twist. I came across this home in London and couldnn't help but share. I hope that you enjoy as much as I do....

The Luxurious flat in Hampstead was designed by Stephen Fletcher Architects is located in London NW3, United Kingdom. The architects have recently renovated it, were commissioned to transform a large run-down flat occupying the ground floor and basement of a grand house into a spectacular contemporary residence. Stephen Fletcher Architects’ brief was to create a series of living and entertainment spaces at ground floor level, retaining the nest of the existing features, and a series of private bedroom quarters with a more contemporary feel at basement level.

The property was originally built for a gentleman artist in the 1870s who installed various features, including the gothic panelling and stained glass in the Living Room, taken from a French church. Since its conversion into a boarding house soon after the First World War, and then flats in the 1960s, hardly any remedial work had been undertaken, and the place was in a perilous state.

http://www.nikiomahe.com/interior-design/luxurious-flat-in-hampstead-london-by-stephen-fletcher-architects/

No one said that you have to have a big space to create big style. There are a lot of loft/ studio spaces that fill the cities and they are growing in popularity with the young professional's. I have stumbled upon some great inspiration photos to help capture the sense of small space with big style. Let me know what you think about these transformed spaces:

Kelly Giesen unified the design of her 450-square-foot studio to create a seamless look from kitchen to bedroom to living area, eliminating the need to physically compartmentalize the rectangular space. Textures and layers stylize her home, while the neutral color palette is uncomplicated and soothing. Architectural salvage (old doors, transom windows, antique mirrors) and a TV cabinet built into a mantel fill the small space with character and charm. In the bedroom area, Kelly separated the bed from the rest of the space by hanging luxurious curtains. Ceiling-to-floor curtains take advantage of the room's height and give the appearance of a canopy bed. She created a corner closet in unused space and added molding to a set of salvaged doors for a sophisticated touch. The ottoman seated at the foot of her bed actually disguises her cat's litter box. Kelly was able to create a gourmet kitchen in just 95 inches of space. A 24-inch stove and 18-inch dishwasher fit neatly beneath the counter. Because she lost space under the counter to the appliances, Kelly had drawers built into the bottom of the upper cabinets to store utensils. Her dining table does double-duty as an extra work surface for food preparation.

Interior designer Vanessa De Vargas created hotel-style living in her 500-square-foot Venice Beach cottage. Without an actual office space, she simultaneously keeps her chic living space uncluttered and work-related items at her fingertips by using a mudroom for storage and a kitchen table for work. A minimalist style, vintage furniture and palette of gray, black and white evoke a tranquil sanctuary. Because she likes the style and craftsmanship, Vanessa finds and refurbishes 1950s and '60s furniture. Collecting items from a mixture of eras can result in a yard-sale look, but by customizing furnishings with matching finishes and fabrics, disparate pieces look like a matched set. To keep the small space open, Vanessa uses four chairs in her living room (instead of the traditional sofa and two chairs) and added a cabinet with accordion doors for space-saving storage. Add style to functional, but bland-looking furnishings by customizing them with paint or moldings. Vanessa customizes TV cabinet doors to match her home's aesthetic and to add visual interest. This idea translates well to closet doors, built-in cabinetry and any storage areas you'd like to disguise or distinguish. Floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall curtains make a space seem bigger. The windows in this room are near a passageway. To cut down on noise and increase privacy, Vanessa made a thick, upholstered headboard that absorbs sounds from the window area.

John Protos and Tup Thomas gutted their 520-square-foot New York apartment and molded it into a sophisticated mini-loft. They've maximized every square inch. A narrow staircase leads to an almost full-height sleeping loft; the space below houses a huge walk-in closet. Creating a perfect example of modern minimalism, they have selected a few large pieces to set the tone for their living space. The homeowners opted for additional counter space in the kitchen. An under-the-counter refrigerator and a swing-out table built into the counter maximize the space they have. The smaller fridge poses some challenges; for instance, they have to shop more frequently and buy items fresh for larger meals. They enjoy a full-size oven but had to compromise with a smaller dishwasher. Everything in this New York mini-loft is painted white, including a brick wall and the floors. John and Tup decided to use a few long, large pieces of furniture to accent the depth of the room. Built-ins for books, electronics and to cover the radiator keep the space clean and uncluttered.

http://www.hgtv.com/decorating/small-wonders-design-tips-for-space-starved-homes/pictures/index.html

   I know I talk a lot about color in these little tid bit blogs but, with color being so inspiring and so much a part of your everyday life it's hard to just forget about it. Color can inspire and lighten up a smile on a cloudy day. It expresses so much of a personality and tells a story about someone. It's a great way to show off the other items in the room by highlighting them with a fabulous backdrop. I read a lot about color from Sherwin Williams website. I worked as a color specialist in a retail store of Sherwin Williams while going to college. I was able to experience the many difficult decisions people have about choosing a color for their home. It was fun teaching those people not to be afraid and to use color that they love. Today I visited the Sherwin Williams website once again and found a great section on their 2009 forecast. I wanted to share those with you and get your thoughts on how they relate to your forecast from your own personal experiences. So without further ado, here they are:

Global Tapestry- This collection dances a festive tango with bold shades of orange, red, gold and green; and also waltzes with balancing browns in roasted and sandy tones.

Conscious Luxury- Conscious Luxury blushes with sophisticated, cosmetic-inspired pinks as well as  blue and purples that reflect the brilliant sheen of conflict-free gemstones.

Local Momentum- Shades of urban, eco-rooftops inspire the grassy and yellow greens in this collection while the tranquility of water and sky stir a serene blue. And the influence of raw, natural materials like sand and wood are found in this collection’s neutral hues.

Techno Color- Catch the next color wave with the eye-catching pinks, blue and green in this collection, then go industrial with concrete and stainless-steel grays. Bright colors are a key element, providing a dramatic contrast when used with the darker, more subdued tones that are also part of this palette.

 You never know what will inspire someone, but initial reaction is always very important. Something that stimulates the eye, will stimulate life! Thank you, Marie

 http://www.sherwin-williams.com/do_it_yourself/paint_colors/color_trends/2009/

Patios are no longer furnished with aluminum lawn chairs, lounges and picnic tables. Who wants to sit at on a hard picnic table to eat that wonderful steak just off the grill? The patio of today has become a spot for entertaining and family bonding. A place to encourage relaxation. So the stiff and formal are out and the comfy-cozy is in. The great desire is for a place to relax. A place that makes you think you are at a cottage or on vacation. A place that has a look and feel of being light, airy and carefree. By using outdoor furniture pieces that look like they belong indoors you can extend the indoor comfort to your patio. And not only with the furniture, but also with accessories. Have you considered putting an outdoor rug under your patio lounge set? Does that say cozy? Having a statement piece, that is, a piece of furniture that serves as a focal point or that is a conversation piece, always is a good idea. It may be of a different style or color or even something quirky. Deep seated furniture pieces are not a totally new trend, but they have really caught on this year. People are putting more money into their homes, re-doing old pools, updating their yards, and staying home instead of traveling. And, they are buying the high-end outdoor furniture that has the comfort and the durability that creates an outdoor living space they so desire. Bar sets continue to be very trendy with the swivel, deep-seated stools However, glass topped tables are on the way out. They are hard to keep clean and looking good. Warm colors and earth inspired fabrics with an ethnic, other country flavor, are popping this year. Even orange is coming back. Durability is important and with all-weather materials such as resin wicker, teak, and cast aluminum, chaise lounges, recliners and ottomans have made their way from the living room to the great outdoors. And, for an extension of the kitchen, coolers (that look more like furniture than anything you might lug to the beach), and attractive serving carts can transform your patio. We have an extensive line of patio furniture available at McGannon Showrooms. Stop into the Dallas or Austin showroom to see what we can offer for you and your client to cozy up this summer!

Prestige- Availale in Austin and Dallas

OW Lee- Available in Dallas only

Pavillion- Available in Dallas and Austin

Lloyd Flanders- Available in Dallas only

Cast Classics- Available in Dallas and Austin

With the weather being so beautiful the past few weeks, it's hard not to think about enjoying those wonderful spaces outdoors. I thought we could take a break from the inside for a bit and take it outside. Get inspired to breathe that fresh air; spend time away from the tube and time with family and friends. Have that BBQ or pool party that you have been waiting for all winter. Here are some spaces that have inspired me....

I agree with a lot of what they say in this article so I wanted to share this with everyone. I would love to hear your thoughts on how your clients are re-designing their lifestyles so to speak.

(ARA) - More and more Americans today are looking at their homes as a place of refuge in a stressful world of challenges and economic instability. Instead of going out to dinner or social events, they're cocooning with their families. Now, more than ever, their homes need to be restful and soothing, yet stylish at the same time.

Interior designers and industry experts across the country have noted this trend as well, along with an increased focus on cost-consciousness as homeowners become more selective about how their money is spent.

Here are their top 10 home decor trends for 2009:

1. Color Your World
Colors will literally be across the spectrum next year. On their Web site, the Pantone Color Institute forecasts lively colors and sophisticated, grounded hues with Fuchsia Red, Salmon Rose, Palace Blue, Lavender, Rose Dust and Vibrant Green predicted to be popular.

Andrea Vollf, American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), believes strongly in "transforming an ordinary home into a living oasis" using neutrals, especially warm and cool grays, along with bold accent pieces. Deep shades of blue are in demand by customers of Jan Hubbard, ASID, and Candice Mathers, Allied Member of ASID, with Hubbard also noting a draw to spice, bisque, toast and green/gold tones to create a warm ambiance. On a brighter note, both Mathers and Susan Pantaleo, ASID, see yellow emerging as a very versatile color. Popping up in every shade from Sunlight to Dijon Mustard, Pantaleo lauds yellow's attention-getting appeal and ability to add life to any room.

2. Light up Your Life
Because residential interiors are incorporating more intense paint colors -- not only as accent walls, but throughout an entire room -- more light is needed to properly illuminate a room. According to Jeff Dross, senior product manager of Kichler Lighting, lighting manufacturers will introduce chandeliers with more arms or multiple lights per arm, as well as pendants and wall-mounted fixtures that accept higher-wattage bulbs.

3. We've Got You Covered
Wall murals will continue to be in high demand in 2009, according to Todd Imholte, president of www.MuralsYourWay.com a leader in the production of decorative wall murals for more than 35 years. "Wall murals are a very cost-effective way to completely transform the look of a room," says Imholte. "We recently introduced 90 new mural designs including bold graphic patterns, contemporary designs and murals inspired by nature such as birch trees and bamboo." Murals Your Way offers a gallery of more than 5,000 images, as well as the ability to personalize an existing gallery image or create a custom mural from a personal photo or artwork.

4. Establishing a Pattern
In a press release distributed earlier this year, Michelle Lamb -- co-founder and chairman of Marketing Directions, Inc. and senior editor of "The Trend Curve" -- stated that patterns are being constantly updated and reinvented. Some ways to keep them fresh include combining classic and contemporary styles in one piece; utilizing tiny, country patterns that include calico or patchwork; and trying distinctive materials, like foil, or embellishments that cluster and layer upon each other.

5. Comfort is Key
Vollf sees 2009 as being the year of comfort, with furniture that is comfortable and functional, yet still elegant. More and more people are interested in creating a personal refuge that is chic, peaceful, inviting and easy to maintain so that they can relax and unwind at the end of a busy day in an aesthetically pleasing environment.

6. Wood is Good
According to Kathy Peterson -- celebrity design expert and co-host of Lifetime TV's "The Balancing Act" -- wood flooring is blending into an eclectic mix of wood tones. She also forecasts hardwood wall coverings (wood, resin, metals) with seamless panels of custom designs becoming focal points of a room. Dross echoes the popularity of wood throughout the home, seeing floors, walls, ceilings (bead board) and furniture incorporating wood at their center.

7. Shining Stars
Metals will continue to shine next year, according to Lamb. She envisions them being translated into modern metallic finishes and textures that create a sense of visual excitement and high energy. Particularly noteworthy are platinum, dark silver, rose golds and copper, and colorful metallics.

8. Hooray for Hollywood
Carmen Natschke -- editor of "The Decorating Diva" -- sees a revival of "Hollywood Regency." According to her Web site, this style is "glamorous, classy and elegant; composed of an eclectic mix of styles like Neo-Classic, Asian, Baroque and Art Deco; sumptuous and luxury fabrics, shimmering finishes, mirrored furniture, chinoiserie, bamboo and lacquered furniture; bold color; clean lines and beautiful symmetry."

9. Embrace the Outdoors
Seamless transitions from indoor to outdoor space are envisioned by Pantaleo, who says the most successful outdoor spaces will be an extension of the home's interior style and color scheme. Using nature as a backdrop, she suggests pulling colors from adjacent rooms to maintain a visual connection. She also recommends accessorizing gourmet cook centers and plasma televisions with weather-resistant chandeliers, rugs and artwork to create a cozy, appealing and relaxed ambiance.

10. Go Green
Eco-friendly products will continue to be in demand by today's energy-conscious and environmentally-aware consumers. McKinley Adams, Allied member of ASID, predicts consumers will be interested in sustainable building materials that may cost a bit more up front, but will save money in the long run. He also sees a surge of interest in vintage furnishings for inside the home, while Mathers anticipates increased use of grass cloth and natural Sisal finishes.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

http://www.dezignare.com/newsletter/09-JAN/article02.html

Everytime I come across something I find interesting you know I like to share it, well here's another one for you. I would love to do this for a living... 

A little known group creates a roadmap for traversing the rainbow

By Marion Butterworth

What’s “in” depends, in large part, on who you ask. Luckily for clueless consumers, there’s a group of designers dedicated to predicting which colors will be popular over the next three years. Not soothsayers but trained professionals in interior design, marketing, visual communications, floor coverings, fashion, home appliances, and electronics, to name just a few, members of the Color Marketing Group, headquartered in Alexandria, Va., gathers twice a year to analyze what’s hot, what’s not, and where tastes are headed.

Meeting of the Minds

Founded in 1962, this 1,300-member-strong, non-profit association forecasts color directions for all industries, manufactured products and services. And they don’t just make it up! 650 CMG members come to these semi-annual conferences prepared to exchange prognostications from their specific fields at Color Forecast Workshops. The resulting “color directions” go to a steering committee where the process is repeated until a consensus palette is reached. The input of so many color designers from such a wide range of backgrounds affords the palette its validity.

Orange You Glad

The group has predicted that colors will be “warmer, clearer and brighter” and that reddish orange and yellow “gain importance” and predicts colors becoming “richer, cleaner and deeper,” as “purple explodes.” Orange remains significant; “blues gain increased presence.” They go on to say that “warm neutrals cluster together as deep rich browns.”

Black and Blue

So what does this mean for homeowners that want to redecorate or rescue new homes from the lethargy of builders’ beige? Doty Horn, Director of Color and Design for Benjamin Moore and CMG chair holder, declares that the 2007 palette “is all about skin. Skin tones are a neutral base on which to build a color story,” she says. “We have been in a bright phase for a while. The end of the decade will usher in a more neutral trend.” All shades will be toned down by the addition of black.

“The ‘graying’ of hues is a result of many different influences including globalization and our multiculturalism,” believes Horn. Sherri Thompson, Director of Color Marketing and Design for Sherwin-Williams and CMG member, agrees: “Cultural influences have a huge impact on home interiors. Hispanic, Asian, Indian and Moroccan influences are the strongest contributors, introducing consumers to richer, more saturated hues.”

When it comes to blue, the Sherwin-Williams camp disputes the CMG opinion that in 2006 “Blues will dramatically recede,” only to regain preeminence in 2007. “Blues are back,” says Thompson. “We see blue becoming the single most important color in years to come.” She explains, “Colors never just drop off the radar. Instead, there is an evolution of colors. Chroma, values and saturation change rather than a color completely going away.”

Cappuccino Anyone?

Consistent with CMG’s prediction of a more neutral, muted palette, Thompson identifies brown as a color with long-term appeal. “Browns have been strong for the last few years. Brown has become a classic color, no longer thought of as ‘dirty.’ Rather, now adjectives such as ‘robust’ and ‘rich’ reference brown. An extremely versatile color, brown mixes well with oranges, yellows, blues, greens, pinks and corals.”

Renee Hytry, Senior Vice President of Global Design at the Formica Corporation concurs, saying that “warm tones such as gold, copper and brown” will be popular in 2006 and 2007. “This color palette was not even a consideration in the late 90s. Formica could not sell a countertop design in brown! Our Jamocha and Butterum Granite are the most popular countertop designs today and were inspired by CMG’s color directions.”

Travel and Turnover

Directors of color and design for multinational paint companies travel the globe, attending trade shows for everything from textiles to tech finishes to cosmetics and shop the streets of fashion capitals like Paris and London to track trends as they unfold, the better to translate them into cutting edge colors. A trend shift takes about a decade from birth to acceptance to decline. Designers are aware of new influences several years ahead of consumers.

Horn explains that the more disposable the item, the faster its style and color changes. Accessories, makeup, and interior accents have a more rapid rate of turnover than clothing. “Fashion turns twice a year,” declares Horn. We trade our cars about every two to four years. Local designer, Federico Roman, head of the decorative painting division of Benchmark Painting Inc. in Kensington, Md., says, “People paint their interiors about once every five years.”

Although we replace our computers every few years and our clothes every six months, the National Association of Realtors reports that Americans stay in their homes about six years. We’re all searching for hues we can live with for awhile. The CMG is here to help us stay on the cusp of color trends.

article courtesy of http://www.whgmag.com/

 Yes it's true. There actually is a fear of color. This helps explain why people are scared of clowns, people like Freddy Kreuger, spiders, and other everyday activities. Read below for more...

Chromatophobia - The fear of colors.

 
Chromatophobia is an abnormal and persistent fear of colors. Like most fears and phobias, the fear of color is created by the subconscious mind as a protective reaction. It was likely an emotionally traumatic event in ones past that was linked to colors in general or a specific color. Because the association of colors to that traumatic event is so strong, when subjected to colors later in life the unconscious mind brings up terrible feelings. The phobia affects people in different ways, with some experiencing the suffering all the time and others just to direct stimuli.

Specific Color Phobias:

Phodophobia Fear of the Color Red		Chrysophobia Fear of the Color Orange		Xanthophobia Fear of the Color Yellow		Chlorophobia Fear of the Color Green
Cyanophobia Fear of the Color Blue		Porphyrophobia Fear of the Color Purple		Leukoophobia Fear of the Color White		Melanophobia Fear of the Color Black

Coulrophobia - The fear of clowns.

The fear of clowns is not uncommon among children, but is also sometimes found in teenagers and adults as well. One of the most well known and totally creepy clowns is Pennywise from Stephen King's 1990 film IT . It usually appears as Pennywise the Dancing Clown before taking the form of whatever its child victim most greatly fears.

Ablutophobia - The fear of washing or bathing.

The horror classic Psycho probably helped create this phobia. The shower scene is commonly rated as one of the scariest moments in movie history.

I would consider arachnophobia a fairly rational fear... I mean there are several types of spiders that can kill or seriously harm you with their bite and since most of us aren't informed enough to tell which ones are what... it is better to err on the safe side and keep your distance from them. With that being said, I know a daddy long leg spider is totally harmless but I still freak if one is on me.

This is actually a pretty rational phobia. I'm don't think I have a phobia of sharks, but I'm not exactly excited about being anywhere near a perfectly designed predator with razor sharp, regrow-able teeth that can smell a drop of blood in the ocean from 2 miles away. The JAWS movies that came out in the 70s and 80s did a good job of scaring every 9 year old out of the ocean for a good decade or two.

1... 2... Freddys coming for you... 3... 4... better lock your door. I would probably say that because of Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th I had a fear of sleeping for a year or two of my childhood. Not only did Freddy haunt the dreams of millions of children, he single handidly killed the red and green striped sweater industry.

Most people would find creepy old dolls a little scary, but there are people who suffer a terrifying fear of all dolls... Barbies, Cabage Patch Kids or Bratz. For the 20-30 crowd with this phobia, they can probably blame a little read headed doll named Chucky.

Thank you to http://www.colourlovers.com/

Green design, especially in Austin TX, has evolved into a focus rather than a back thought. The city officials have become very involved in participating to make Austin a green city. More resources become available to us each day to help us become more educated in the process. I have found a few websites that I wanted to pass along that I thought may be helpful to designers. Here they are:

http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/

http://sustainabledesigncenter.com/

http://www.designevolutions.com/green-house-plan-design/green-design-resources.html

 http://www.austinenergy.com/energy%20Efficiency/Programs/Green%20Building/Resources/GreenByDesign/index.htm

 I was reading this article today and thought it was very interesting. I remember taking color theory in college but sometimes it's nice to get someone else's take on it.

With all of the high rises going up in downtown Austin there has been a noticeable trend of smaller scale furniture requests. This is a nice challenge for designers and their clients. Here are some tips on how to make these small spaces work for you. I have recently moved into a condo downtown and have had the specific challenge of storage. You learn what you really need and what you don't. It was a great way to "cleanse the home". I was able to get rid of all that clutter that just stacks up and up over time. I guess that's one way to force you to finally deal with it! I hope you find these tips helpful:

• Go through the same steps you would for decorating a home.  This will be your home and it should be treated with the same amount of respect.  Consider what you will need to have on a continual basis, and if you have a lot of belongings, you may want to invest in a storage system.  

• Create Specific Living Areas - Designate a specific area to eat, sleep, study / pay bills and entertain guests. Use these areas as a template for placing your larger pieces of furniture first.  If you really need to section an area for privacy, you could purchase room dividers or hang a decorative sheet or curtain from the ceiling.  Be creative with bead curtains, or other objects that you feel fit with your decorating style. 

• Double Duty - Certain areas of your studio may have to be used for more than one activity.  Try to incorporate furniture that can have more than one use. 

• Small Spaces  & Storage - 

   Studios  are usually equipped with little to no storage space. To enhance this limited space use color, proportion and textures to make your room appear larger.  Lighter colors are visually more spacious than darker colors. An important rule of thumb for small spaces is " The less clutter the better".  

• Feng Shui - Keep your traffic paths clear.  You don't want to be walking around tables and chairs to get to your bathroom or front door.  

• Thin Out ! Don't be afraid to pack away or sell some of your extra furnishings that just don't fit.  It is true that you need to live with things you love, but some of us love so many things it is better to pack them away or rotate accessories so you can enjoy all your finds. 

• Enjoy Your Space - Do whatever you need you must to personalize your studio! It will become a place for fun, rest and enjoyment!

Never let the size of your studio space deter you from creating your own personalized living environment!

courtesy of rental decorating digest

I was reading an article today dealing with color and how you should divide it throughout a space. I was intrigued by what they had to say. Come to think about it I probably follow these steps and didn't even know it. Here it is:

When decorating a particular room, divide the colors into percentages:
60% of a dominant color
30% of a secondary color
10% of an accent color

When you think about it, this color breakdown is similar to a man's business suit:
60% of the outfit's color is the slacks and jacket
30% of the outfit's color is the shirt
10% of the outfit's color is the tie

Translated to a room setting, it typically means:
60% of the room's color is the walls
30% of the room's color is the upholstery
10% of the room's color is, say, an accent piece or a floral arrangement

Here is a picture that they had with the article:

Little something to think about....interesting?

I am one of those types of people who are easily inspired by other people's work and creativity. Originality has a big part to do with it. Whenever I come across something that inspires me, I will most likely try and share it with as many people as I can. Well this morning I was catching up on some other design website's that I am subscribed to and came across this~ That's right, it's a house boat made out of all sustainable and green materials. Ever see a house boat go modern? Now you have! Created in northern Germany~

Photos courtesy of design-milk.com