Friday, May 28, 2010 Designers We Love

With the death of so many design magazines of late, we thought we'd share with you some of our favorite designers' web sites.  They are full of beautiful photographs and great ideas that you can steal :)

Note:  Click on link to go to the designer's web site.

Jan Showers-Soft, pretty designs.

Kelly Hoppen-simple, modern, luxurious designs.  Muted colors, simple lines.

Orla Collins: Modern, luxurious.  Simply divine.

Rabih Hage-Scrumptious, luxurious. Rich colors, modern lines.  Marvelous details.

Nini Andrade Silva- Zen, modern.  Ethnic.

Michael Reeves-Simply divine!  Mostly modern but some traditional too...

Let us know if you like this list and we'll make it a regular feature in our blog in the future.

Monday, March 15, 2010 Chinoiserie Chic

Just a few pretty, Asian-inspired motif in our favorite color, green.

1) Mirror Wallpanels from Made Goods-each panel is 24" square
2) Silk Orchid from New Growth Design (it's 60" tall!).  Soo pretty in person too.
3) To die for green chinoiserie wallpaper from Scalamandre WP88216-0005 $92 (discounted from $132 for single roll 5 yards x 27 inches) sold in double rolls only.

Thursday, March 11, 2010 Where Did You Get That? Modern Sofa from Elle Decor

We were browsing through our old copies of Elle Decor today and found this picture. We love the warmth of this room. One can never understate the importance of accessories. What makes this room so cozy is lots of books, lots of accessories, lots of colors-- don't you think?

This sofa is adorable too.

Image via Elle Decor

You can find a similiar sofa, or daybed here. It's quite cute in person.  You can customize it with different fabric and pillows. The seat can also be tufted.

This item is made by Nathan Anthony. It runs about $1600-1800 depending on fabric or you can send in your own. Drop us a line if you need help with it.

Thursday, February 25, 2010 Color Story: Red & Black

A few of our favorite things for the day:

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

Sunday, February 14, 2010 Loft Living

The LA Times has an article on loft living that's worth checking out. It features four lofts in the Toy Factory building, done four different ways.   The one shown below is our favorite.  It's so unique!

Image  via LA Times.

You can check out the rest of the feature here.

Friday, March 20, 2009 Love This House

Elle Decor did a feature on Monica Lhuillier's house a while back. It's one of those houses that you'd just said, I wish I live in that!

Here are some pictures from the feature.

When you browse through the pictures think about how neutral colors can be used so elegantly. Notice also the lack of clutters and the well-edited accessories.

Furniture manufacturers that makes this style of furniture are plentiful. From the high-end, ultra expensive range you got Baker, Hickory Chair and Christian Liagre. In the more reasonable range, but still very similiar, there's John Charles Designs (now owned by American Leather), Michael Weiss for Vanguard and Bolier.

Source: Point Click Home

Sunday, March 15, 2009 Cool Bedrooms from Hip Hotels

We just love hotels! It's a great source of inspiration as it allows us to see creative things being done by some of the most fantastic designers...

Recently we've been to a couple of hotels that we thought were just amazing. One is the Haymarket in London; the other one is Apostrophe in Paris. Both are just so unique in their use of colors and textures.

Here are some pictures of the bedrooms from both hotels:

Apostrophe Hotel, Paris

This hotel's theme is poetry, and it is used throughout the hotels. We just love the use of mural wallpapers on one side of the room. So dramatic!




The Haymarket, London

This hotel consists of all suites. We just love their use of colors and patterns. It might be a little bit too English for some people, but we thought it's so creative and daring...

Tuesday, March 3, 2009 Home Tours from the LA Times

The LA Times has some beautiful home tours that you might want to check out. It's a great source of inspiration!

Shown here is the Greystone show house. To see more homes, check out the Home & Garden Section.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009 Love This Loft!

The New York Times recently featured a wonderful loft in New York City that we just love. Loft decorating is tough. It is usually just a blank, open space and most people find it a challenge to make it cozy, warm and inviting at the same time. There is also the issue of spacing--you have to divide and conquer creatively.

Here are some pictures from the article which shows how it can be done. To see the rest of of the pictures and read the full article, click here.

Friday, October 17, 2008 Making Your Home Life Comfortable--Even During Hard Economic Times...

If you read newspapers and watch TV lately, you'd think the world is coming to an end. Seriously, the housing market is tanking, the stock market is spiraling downward, and every one is acting like we're all be heading for the soup kitchen soon.

While we don't deny that the economy is terrible--believe us, being in the luxury industry that is absolutely dependent on extra disposable income, we feel it. But here's the thing, is it all that bad? We can all eat a bit less, spend a bit less, drive a bit less, no?

We can't really do anything about the big issues, such as the budget deficit and the national debt and the housing crisis, but you can make your home life more comfortable without spending tons of money. You can, and you must--because a comfortable home life will protect you from all the craziness that' s going on.

Here's how:

1) Keep the house clean. A clean house makes you more relaxed, keep you organized, and just makes you feel better.

2) Plant a garden. Yes, grow something. Anything. Plant flowers so you can have fresh flowers in the house, keep an herb garden. You'll be amazed on how therapeutic it is...

3) Learn how to cook. Cooking is a creative process and it can be a lot of fun. It is also a lot healthier and more cost-effective.

4) Spend less. You'll be amazed of what you can find on Craigslist, the local consignment stores and the local classifieds. It's a great feeling to get something at a fraction of its original cost while saving the environment at the same time.

5) Be creative. Take some time to explore the inner creativity in you, and yes, everyone is creative in some ways. Sometimes just re-arranging the furniture can give a room a whole new look. Move your artwork to a different room. Group your accessories differently. Get a fresh coat of paint. You'll be amazed on how little things like this can change how you feel.

Thursday, March 1, 2007 Decorating with Neutral Colors

We love colors, but we love neutral colors even more. There is something pleasing about coming home to a nice, quiet palette. It brings peace to the soul and gives your eyes a rest.

Here are a few neutral decorating scheme that are quite nice:




A nice use of black, gray and brown. Very masculine and clean-lined.




We think when it comes to bedding, nothing beats nice, white, high-thread count sheets. This bedroom looks like a beautiful boutique hotel suite.

Here's a good source for excellent bed sheets...

Look at this scene. It's one way you can turn a hardly-used corner space into something gorgeous...



With neutral colors, the key is to mix it up a bit. Use colorful accents such as flowers, artwork or home accessories to brighten up. Mix shades of colors, such as cream, beige and white--otherwise it gets monotonous. Finally, layer different textures together.

Image source: Metropolitan Home