Monthly Archives: August 2012

A Splash of Ikat for Your Interior

09 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by in fabrics, Inspiration, Shops We Love, Tabletop, textiles

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CWonder, Donghia, Elitis, ikat, Jill Rosenwald,

During my days at Donghia, I was surrounded by beautifully designed textiles, furniture and lighting.  It was amazing.  Among the many textiles that I fell in love with, the Ikat inspired and named textile (above) has continued to peak my interest due to its range of interpretation and uses.

Recently I had the opportunity to hear Steven Stolman – president of renowned Scalamandré - speak about Iconic Interiors of the Silver Screen.  And while he did not discuss an Ikat laden interior, he did remind me that a well designed interior can make anyone look and feel beautiful (which was Angelo Donghia’s philosophy, by the way!).  When finding design ideas in motion picture scenery or in our favorite periodical, we have to remember those same set and art directors found their inspiration in our homes that we design for our magnificent off-screen lives!

The origin of the Ikat textiles may be muddled due to its centuries old technique – attributed to pre-Columbian cultures – but its craft is very much alive today.  Similar to vibrant old school tie-dye, this type of textile can be designed in any range of colors and pattern variations, but to be a true Ikat it must be woven, not dyed.  Due to recent trends, this iconic pattern is recognizable in fashion – I have a navy and white Ikat dress in my closet – as well as interior design.  With all of the pattern and color options to choose from, the Ikat design can be used in any space on any scale, while adding a well traveled, exotic feeling.  And, the plethora of modern Ikat interpretations available today can be mixed into any decor.

If Jonathan Adler is known for pottery, then surely Madeline Weinrib must be known for her Ikat textiles.  She has bolt after bolt of vibrantly colored Ikats to use in your space.  This is a screen shot of one page of Madeline Weinrib’s Ikat designs . . .

and in any color way, Ikat can transform your interior from bland to bold.  Here are a few examples:

But if Ikat is too bold of a commitment for your soft furnishings, then consider your finishing touches.  As Sarah has admitted to a passion for all things from the sea, I am admitting to a love of Ikat.  Remember the Ikat cutting board, Ikat clothes pins, and the Ikat rug tiles by Flor?  Join me in surrounding yourself with objets that make you feel like you are on the silver screen.  Here are more Ikat goodies for you to enjoy!

Image sources:
Donghia, Madeline Weinrib, Madeline Weinrib, Pawleys Island Posh, Modern Interior Design and Decorating, , Élitis, , CWonder, Jill Rosenwald, Sheridan French, CWonder, Susy Jack

2012 Olympic Ring Inspiration

08 Wednesday Aug 2012

Posted by in Bath, Dining Room, Inspiration, Kitchen, Tabletop

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2012 Olympics, bronze, colorful design, gold, Olympic rings, silver

Blue, yellow, black, green and red.  The iconic colors of the Olympic rings.  Did you know that every participating country’s flag is represented by at least one color in the Olympic flag?  With the Summer 2012 Olympics in full swing, and our love of color, I just couldn’t resist the urge to explore multi-colored palettes inspired by the Olympic rings.

A quick search for colorful rings yielded felt bowls, tea cups and a tea pot.  All echo the colorful circles of the Olympic rings, and evoke thoughts of rainbows and cheery tea parties.

This kitchen is a perfect translation of this multi-color palette.

When I stumbled on the Olympic ring art made from duck tape, I found more images that seemed like stately Olympic design.

Solid blocks of color thoughtfully combined seems more in tune with the spirit of the Olympic flag.  All colorful circles, but more majestic in the final image.  While I love the use of multiple colors in a space, in the end the colorful Olympic Rings lead us to bronze, silver and gold.

Image sources:
  Life With Cake, The Yarn Kitchen, Queen Mary Tea, Temptation Gifts, Apartment Therapy, Design Bright, Apron Strings, for Lisa Hackenberg, Decoratrix, via Life In a Venti Cup, , Dwell Studio

Open House: Pennsylvania Country Manor

07 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by in Accessories, Flooring, Furniture, furniture, House Tours, Inspiration, Kitchen, Living Room, Outdoor, Tabletop, textiles

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Antiques, birds nest, Country, Farm stand

Trust me, there is nothing like Newport, RI in the summer and getting me out of town is no easy task.  However, getting out of town to visit family in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania doesn’t take much convincing.  The quiet country is the perfect way to relax mid-summer and getting out of tourist season at home is sometimes just what the doctor ordered. I am thankful that my architect uncle, Zach Davis, puts me up at his incredible home tucked away in the country woods.The screened in porch is the perfect spot for naps.  The moment I walk on the painted floor and hear the hum of the ceiling fans, my eyes get tired and the soft lounging sofa calls my name. Birdhouses, whimsical furniture and unique antiques fill both the indoor and outdoor space.  The kitchen is, as in most homes, the spot everyone gravitates to.  I never tire of waking up to hot coffee and scrapple while talking about great music and old times with my family.  Country living suits me just fine.  

A trip out there is never complete without a stop over at the Hillgirt Farm Stand.  I pack the car full of fresh goodies that make my mouth water even as I type this post. Funny, I think I can hear Wille Nelson singing in the distance…

Shops We Love: Wild Thyme

06 Monday Aug 2012

Posted by in Accessories, garden, Inspiration, Outdoor, Shops We Love, Tabletop

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Garden Decor, orange, wild thyme

Wild Thyme is a fantastic flower shop tucked away on Kennett Pike in Wilmington, Delaware.  It’s hard to miss the gorgeous pops of color amidst the array of gifts and garden accessories set up outside along the store front.  On my recent trip to visit family, I made my annual stop to say hi and find a little hostess gift. 

You know me, anything with the color orange and I am hooked!  The fun didn’t stop on the curb.  Inside there were many fun accessories like these little rats, set up for comic relief.  Something we all need every once in a while. 

A must stop shop if you happen to be in that great part of the country!

Open House: Historic Cottage in Newport’s “Point” Neighborhood (Part VI)

03 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by in bedding, Bedroom, Before & After, D.I.Y., Furniture, House Tours, Inspiration, pillows

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Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, Basement Decorating Ideas, Bedroom Decorating Ideas, DIY Furniture, IKEA Hacks

Did you think we were done with Kim and Marc’s house? Not to fear, we’ve got one more bonus room for you! Although we’re very sad to say this is the last space we have to feature. It’s been so much fun touring this historic Newport Point neighborhood home. So last up is the basement. The previous owners had painted this space quite colorfully and added this built-in daybed to use it as a bedroom for their teenage son. As you can see it doesn’t exactly fit in with the rest of the house now!

The basement is accessed from the back hallway off the kitchen, and Kim and Marc wanted it to be more of a relaxing retreat for their guests rather than a dark basement guest room.

After tearing out the built-in daybed, Kim applied a fresh coat of white paint to both the walls and the floor.

Then she brought in this daybed with a trundle and got a few DIY projects going.

She made the artwork hanging behind the daybed using IKEA shadow box frames and shells.

I love the all white decor with pops of this pretty blue.

The next DIY was this IKEA Lack table hack with nailhead trim. Do you remember it from our feature on nailhead trims? The good news is that this project was inexpensive (under $40) and looks fabulous. The bad news is that it took way longer than Kim expected. In fact, it took about 7 hours so if you want to try this be prepared!

Opposite the guest room is this sweet little vignette with a place to rest your bag or your own bottom. The chair was black before Kim got her hands on it. And I love, love, love the garden stool!

On the edge of the space, where the hall starts to lead to the normal basement space of utilities and storage, Kim placed this well-stocked bookcase to keep their guests to enjoy when they want to chill in this space or up on the porch.

This was the dresser before…

and here it is after she transformed it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Stunning!

I’m so sad to say that that is the end of our tour of this amazing cottage. However, Kim’s already switched a few things up since I was there last week and let’s be honest, there will always be something else to be done, so we may just be back for another visit. Thank you Kim and Marc for welcoming us into your home. We know you will inspire many others in their home design and decorating!

Open House: Historic Cottage in Newport’s “Point” Neighborhood (Part V)

03 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by in Bath, Bedroom, House Tours, Inspiration

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Bathroom Decorating Ideas, Bedroom Decorating Ideas, Historic Home Renovation, Historic Newport Point

We know it’s hard to believe, but we haven’t even been upstairs in Kim and Marc’s house yet! Head up the beautiful semi-open staircase from the kitchen to the second floor. Along the way you can soak in the original pages from one of the first ever illustrated children’s books. Kim picked up several pages of it many years ago during a trip to Brimfield. Talk about a score!

She had the pages framed and she recently moved them to this house from their former one where they now sit proudly in a gallery in the stairwell.

At the top of the stairs, you are greeted with this stunning full length mirror which they also just moved from their former home. A fabulous full length mirror is a great addition to any home, and having it in the upstairs hallway is a great way to make sure both you and your guests have access to it without any problem. Of course, it needs to be a good looking to work so don’t just go throwing any full length mirror up.

This cottage is has two bedrooms. The master a cozy gray with a touch of shabby chic…

and a bit of antique elegance.

And the guest room is sophisticated with a pop of color, making guests feel like they’re really happy that they’ve come to visit.

Never to leave a detail unturned, in addition to a sweet place for guests to rest their heads, they also provide a nice little reading nook too.

And we’re not going to lie; we love the armoire and its décor as well.

But perhaps my favorite element of the upstairs of this home is the bathroom. It is not extravagant and doesn’t feature anything too fancy, but it exactly what a bathroom renovation should look like…classic. The sink is simple and beautiful.

So often people renovate bathrooms and use the latest and greatest trends in tiles, fixtures, and more. But bathrooms should be designed to be timeless and this is a perfect example. Classic black and white is the way to go, but this bathroom is still modern with its glass door shower.

And a clawfoot tub never goes out of style!

Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better it did, but we’re not done yet.

The 3rd Annual Mad Hatter (Iced) Tea Party

02 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by in Celebrations, Inspiration, Kids, Outdoor, Parties

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Alice in Wonderland Themed Parties Ideas, Ballard Park, Mad Hatter

Alice sighed wearily. “I think you might do something better with the time,” she said, “than waste it in asking riddles that have no answers.”

We are very lucky to have a great park in Newport that plays host to many family events throughout the year.  Ballard Park is a 13 acre, nature preserve that has a wonderful quarry meadow.  The meadow is a wonderful back drop for activities like yoga, concerts and movies.  This summer the park will host its 3rd annual Mad Hatter Iced Tea Party.  Families can come sip tea, enjoy wonderful sandwiches and sweets, play croquet and participate in a scavenger hunt.  Characters from Alice in Wonderland will be there to set the scene for this unique experience.  

If you are a fan of sundresses, sandals, iced tea and cupcakes then this colorful summer experience can’t be missed!  Reserve your tickets by tomorrow, 8/3 at the Ballard Park office.

Open House: Historic Cottage in Newport’s “Point” Neighborhood (Part IV)

02 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by in D.I.Y., House Tours, Inspiration, Living Room, pillows, textiles

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Historic Home Renovations, How to Style a Book Shelf, Living Room Design Ideas, Newport Historic Point, Willywaw

I know that it’s hard to believe that after Kim and Marc’s garden, porch, and kitchen there could possibly be another cozy spot to rest in this Historic Point cottage, but we haven’t even gotten to the living room yet. Brace yourself, here it is. I bet you’d like to sink into one of those couches or chairs right now to enjoy this room tour!

One of my favorite things about this space is that it’s not big. So often we get caught up in wanting the biggest everything that we forget that smaller is often better. For two people to wind down at the end of the day this is a perfectly adequate space, and it’s still large enough to have guests as well while also being cozy, exactly the vibe that a living room should portray. Not only is it a great size, but it also offers the perfect balance of comfort and chicness (which you can see even with that pesky shadow my camera has cast on all these pictures–my apologies).

While you can’t wait to sink into the couch, the navy tufted ottoman with its silver tray, fresh flowers, and vintage books add a touch of elegance.

In this home, no detail is overlooked. From the carefully placed oars in the corner to the starfish placed on the end table to the lamp shades that were updated with a simple DIY band of navy blue grosgrain ribbon.

And of course the perfectly placed pillows. Do I love that octopus because it’s a sea creature or because it was created by Willywaw? Tough call.

Another favorite element of this space is the art selections. These fish prints are fabulous!

But even with all of those fabulous elements, the star of this space is the built-in bookcase. Looks familiar, right? We featured this book shelf back in 2010 with a tutorial on how to style book shelves, and it’s been one of our most popular posts. Since then Kim has made some tweaks to the design to perfect it even more. I’m not going to repeat myself, but let’s just look at a few of the key elements that make these book shelves so stunning.

The limited color palette makes it elegant rather than distracting, and the repetition of the colors ties each unit together for a cohesive look.

While many of the book groupings are done by color, even those that aren’t are carefully arranged by size and have a common thread within such as with the red found throughout this stack.

And we have to say that the fresh flowers certainly add a nice touch as well.

Once again, Kim and Marc have packed a huge design punch into a relatively small space. And each room continues to impress as much as the one before. I don’t think I’d ever leave home if I lived here!

Open House: Historic Cottage in Newport’s “Point” Neighborhood (Part III)

01 Wednesday Aug 2012

Posted by in Before & After, Dining Room, House Tours, Inspiration, Kitchen

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Design Ideas, Dining Room Design Ideas, Historic Home Renovation, Kitchen Design Ideas, Kitchen Renovation Ideas, Newport Historic Point, Pantry Ideas

We see you all are loving Kim and Marc’s house tour as much as we thought you would! If you missed Part 1 and Part 2, we encourage you to check them out before joining us as we move into the kitchen and dining area. Here is the before image of the kitchen looking towards the back of the house. It was quaint, but dated and not particularly conducive to entertaining which they like to do.

Behind the wall where the refrigerator and stove sat was this living room.

Luckily, Kim and Marc had vision and a good builder, WKP Construction, to transform the space from this…

to this! Quite the transformation I’d say. The kitchen went from a narrow cramped room to a wide open gathering space (and that’s exactly what it has become).

I’m not sure that I could choose a favorite element of this space, but the kitchen island is certainly up there along with the six-burner gas range and inlays in the wood floor.

The soothing color palette reminiscent of sea glass also makes the space incredibly calming and gives an endless summer feel to the home.

And of course few things can top a farmhouse sink!

Just outside the kitchen is the back entrance and access to the basement (wait until you see the transformation down there!). In addition to coat storage, it also provides the perfect spot for a pantry cabinet filled with mason jars.

I just can’t get enough of the high gloss clapboard in the entry spaces (front porch and here) of this house, and of course a whale always catches my eye too!

Back in the main kitchen area the once closed off staircase (see before photos above) were rebuilt–actually relocated a bit too–to expand the open air feel of the first floor of the house.

As a result the foyer is now open to the kitchen which allows the architectural elements of the home, such as the original double doors, to become a highlight of the space and allow more natural light to pour into the space. Oh, and how gorgeous is the reflection from that foyer light on the ceiling?!

And lastly, the dining table offers a space for more formal meals as well as a place to expand the buffet for larger gatherings. The mix of antiques gives this space so much character, and the wainscoting really gives this space the feel of a custom home.

What is your favorite element of this home so far? Stay tuned for an updated version of this couple’s famous bookshelves along with the rest of their living room tomorrow!