2010's Hot Color

It's true. I don't make this stuff up (well some of it I do). I was surprised to see so much of it in my new catalogues this week. I love it, I think it really freshens up a room and adds a nice pop of color. BUT not all rooms can handle yellow. I don't have a single room in my house that yellow would work in. That makes me a little sad. Maybe it will work in yours. Notice how it's used as an accent in the photos below and not overdone. I like how the other colors are neutral and light. So, if you have a room that needs a color pop, give yellow a try.

Photos above are from some of my favorite places to shop- West Elm, CB2 & Chiasso.

If you use yellow in a room, send me the link or the photos so I can see your great work!

P.S. Yes, I did read an article the other day where a designer said the hot color for 2010 was "Apricot". Well, he has many years of experience more than I do and he designs houses for the rich and famous but I have a hard time believing that Apricot is going to be hot this year. So, if you are rich and famous and reading this, ignore the part about the yellow and go with Apricot.

The Nelson Bench

A classic piece of furniture. So simple. So beautiful. It's a popular item in museums for the seating. Designed by George Nelson- you can find his bio HERE.

He also designed the clock that is in my heading. Cute clock.

Back to the bench. I have one. It's awesome in real life. I think it's the coolest piece of furniture I own (Ikea and West Elm are cool... just in a different way). The bench sits at the end of our bed. How did I get this amazing bench? Well, I won it in a drawing at a continuing education event from Herman Miller. My co-workers were quite jealous. It came with authenticity papers and everything. I love this bench.

My child does too, just in a different way. A way I don't really approve of.

That little munchkin better keep his 4 teeth off my bench or he's going to be banned from the bedroom!

Culin Home Knives

I found these knives on Amazon and liked them immediately. I have a magnetic strip that I hang all my knives from so the fact that they are decorative was very appealing. My question was, do they cut? Well, I ordered them... all of them, and they are great- incredibly sharp and they look wonderful. I have washed them a few times and they still look just as good. They have other patterns but this one is my favorite. Heres the link: CulinHome
Hope you like them as much as I do!

Metrocon Update and Review

Every year there's an event in Dallas called Metrocon for Interior Designers. It's a local version of Neocon which takes place in Chicago and has designers travel from all over to attend.

I look forward to this every year. It's a nice 2 days to get out of the office, continuing education gets knocked out and I get to see friends who work at other design firms and all the new products that have been released.

Here's a few photos overlooking the show.

My friend Lori who works at Club Design.

Ashley from Tri-Kes. Check out the beautiful wallcovering on the table. I want to use fun wallcovering on a project!

The Poulsen lighting display. Beautiful fixtures, a little expensive but one of my co-workers did get to use some on a job once.

This year I felt as though many of the vendors had smaller booths than in years past and less giveaways and drawings. It seems as if the economy has affected everyone. Someone mentioned there were quite a few designers there without jobs which is sad. Hopefully this gave them an opportunity to network with future employers.

The major problem I have with metrocon is a problem I have had for a few years now. The continuing education classes are BORING and some are not related to our field as much as I would like for them to be. I had a hard time finding anything that sounded interesting enough to take. I did end up having a few good classes that I really enjoyed but I had more that were snoozers. We have a requirement to have a barrier free class and I think there were 2 that were offered. A few more barrier free classes would have been helpful!

So, what was my favorite thing? Well, there was too much to say but here are a few:

Pantheon had some beautiful new tiles.

The Generation Chair by Knoll was good looking and very comfortable. I registered to win one but I didn't. I like to sit with my legs crossed under me or sideways or other silly ways and this chair will let you do all of that comfortably.

Check out this furniture from Greenplay. I hope I can use that on one of our Church projects soon!

Dunkin Donuts New Prototype

Have you seen the new Dunkin Donuts? They just put one near our house and I think they did a great job on the new look. The one by our house I actually like a lot better than this picture. It's really nice to see a chain restaurant using some modern design on the exterior of their building, especially one like a donut shop where high design isn't typically the norm. Unfortunatly, i'm not a huge fan of their donuts, their vanilla chai on the other hand is fabulous, but haven't found a donut there that I like. Their cool building makes me want to support them though so I stop by every once in awhile to grab a snack... like it's my personal goal to keep businesses with attractive spaces in business.

Umbra Loft at Target

You have to hand it to Target, they do a great job of getting well known designers in the store for an affordable price. They have recently introduced the Umbra Loft collection. I have been a fan of Umbra for awhile, we even have some umbra kitchen chairs, and it's not outrageously priced, but the pricing here is much better. Most everything in the collection is black and white right now, I'm hoping that will change as the line evolves since nothing in my house is black and white, but I can appreciate the design. I know some stores are following their lead and getting designers in at reasonable prices but I wish that even more would follow. I think everyone should be able to experience modern design at a price the average person can afford (love you DWR but sorry, there's nothing within reach at your store except the location). So check out the umbra stuff online or at the store. I'm sure there's something there you will like.

About Me

I am a wife, mom and a commercial interior designer in the Fort Worth area. I received my undergraduate in design from Baylor University and my masters in design from Savannah College of Art and Design. I've been working at the same firm since I graduated. I love commercial design and have had the opportunity to work on all kinds of projects including retail, restaurant, religious, multi-family and even some residential.  I wrote a little more about what I do HERE.

My husband and I purchased an older home a few years ago and SLOWLY I'm working on making it ours. We have learned a lot in the process and hope I can share some of that on this blog.

I draw inspiration from all styles and meld them for a modern mix.

In my spare time I do anything crafty. Scrapbooking, card making, anything. Currently I'm making custom letters for your home. You can see and order those HERE.
I love talking design or giving opinions. Feel free to email me at everythingdesign@hotmail.com

My personal blog is HERE where I talk about raising our first child (without a clue what I'm doing).

Modern Nursery

While a lot of modern styles are becoming more and more affordable, modern nursery items are still a bit pricey and hard to find. Now that I'm looking to supply a modern nursery of my own, I'm trying to hunt the coolest style and the best bargains. Here is a bit of what I've been finding.

Cribs:
This is one of my favorite cribs and it can easily be yours for at least $2,100 at this web site.Now, here is one that's a little more reasonable and I love the way it looks. It's also convertible which seems like it will save even more money in the long run. This one will cost you only $299 and you will be surprised at where I found it- web site


Changing Tables and Dressers:
Another beautiful changing table. Since I'm thinking about doing dots in the nursery, this would work perfectly. But.... it's going to cost a mere $1500. Check out this web site for more great looking changing tables.
Here is one I also love. I think it's a great design, a great price ($299), and it's easy to access from this web site.

If you are interested in further research, here are some of my favorite baby furniture web sites. I don't know if I will be able to afford anything from these but it would sure be fun! Enjoy.

DucDuc
2 Modern
Baby Star
Stokke
Modern Nursery
My Urban Child

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Projects

While I believe the worlds best projects are the ones I work on*, every once in awhile other people come up with great designs too. Here you can see both... well eventually... when I get more posted.

Acid Stained Concrete
Bathroom Makeover
Painting Stripes on Textured Walls
Fireplace Remodel
Chalkboard Tutorial
Dunkin Donuts Prototype


* Don't worry, I'm not being serious about my designs being the best.

Product Reviews

I appreciate good design all around and I'm always looking for products that are extra cool. Some things I've tried personally, some I just want to try.

Tillmans Roadhouse Review
NYLO Hotels
Ornament/Photo Tree
Umbra Loft at Target

Modern Nursery Stuff

Modern Tea Stuff

Party Stuff

Modern Shoes

Modern Fireplace Screens

Modern Knives
P.S. I don't get paid or free product for anything I review (oh, I would love to *hint hint* but I'm not there yet)

Opinions

I have lots of opinions. You can agree or disagree, either way... it's all good.

The one about Modern vs. Contemporary

The one about being tired of 'Green'