A River Runs Through It

Shown above is Greg Klassen’s River console.  Each of his furniture is a piece of artwork and no two are alike.  Klassen hand picks woods from the Pacific Northwest with an exciting grain pattern and melds green-blue glass through it.

Origami Project

The GJ chair from Lange Productions of Denmark caught my eye.  Made of laminated wood, the chair reminds me of a wonderful origami work with its turns and folds.  More Lange furniture are available from Karkula.

The Geode Nightstand from Tucker Robbins also shows off an exciting dimensionality in its surface.  Each drawer has a slight pyramid front and is made of cerused oak.  This casepiece looks at home both in a city apartment as well as in a beach cottage.

Skyline

Reflecting an edgy and cosmopolitan look, the Kyan console combines the industrial trend with a more refined touch.  The Kyan draws its inspiration from the Beijing skyline - its name the Chinese word for skyline. The console is one of many exciting pieces at Brabbu Design Forces.

Dorothy Draper 

Here are some Draper tips that we can all benefit from in our home decorating (and pick up a copy of her Decorating Is Fun! book for some great ideas).

1. Draper always believed it was important to have a good time decorating your home. She warned people not to be "grim and serious," and she said, "I don't believe there is any rule in the game that can't be broken."
2. "So many people stick timidly to the often uninspired conventional ideas or follow some expert's methods slavishly. Either way they are more or less living in someone else's house." To avoid this, she advised decorating where you live to make it "honestly your own - an expression of your personality."
3. "You need courage to experiment, courage to seek out your own taste and express it, courage to disregard stereotyped ideas and try out your own." She particularly advises against blindly following trends, fashions, or someone else's advice. But with that comes responsibility to try to research what's available, collect color and pattern samples that appeal to you, and begin to look around and find what's appealing.
4. "The Drab Age is over. Color is coming into its own again. Until very recently people were literally scared out of their wits by color." Dorothy Draper wrote these words back in 1939, and they are still true! Don't forget that lively colors in your surroundings are important, and she advises, "Be sure your colors are honest, fresh, and clear." She doesn't mean bright shades of color but instead, colors that aren't "wishy-washy."
5. Get rid of "junky knickknacks" in all your rooms. In fact, Dorothy Draper always eliminated all purposeless elements from her room and reveled in the "restful simplicity" of rooms that are well decorated.
6. Replace old picture frames with new ones to give your walls a fresher look.
7. Don't overlook the small details in any room. "Your lampshades," says Draper, "can make or break a room." She says to consider the decorating details in your room as carefully as you consider layering your body in clothes and jewelry; accessorizing is just as important as the basic outfit.
8. "No room can be called perfect unless it has real comfort. It must be livable for you. It must meet graciously every requirement you make of it." Take Draper's advice and look hard and long at how you're using your living room and dining room. Are these two underutilized rooms in your house? Can they be made more comfortable and livable for you and your family by accommodating more conversation groupings, spaces to enjoy media, great places to read a book, work spaces for homework and games and computer use?
9. When considering wall colors, get a large wallpaper sample which has the background color you want. "Hang it on the wall until you find out whether you really like it. Then have your painter match that shade."
10. Don't forget ceilings when laying out your color plans for a room. Don't just default and paint them white. "Your ceiling can be a contrast to your walls, or it can match some color in your wallpaper or rug. It can be painted shiny black, or it can be covered with the same wallpaper you are using on the walls. Just don't treat it like a stepchild."
11. "A room that is weighted down at one end by a great, heavy sofa that is not balanced by similar weight at the other end is an uneasy room." Draper cautions against buying pairs of things to create balance. ("It would be dull if you did.") Instead, she recommends clever uses of color such as a pair of chairs with upholstery darker than the sofa being used to create that visual balance in the room. "Solid colors will usually make things seem larger and bulkier than they are. And bold, all-over patterns will reduce their size because they break up the lines just as army camouflaging does."

Interested in learning more about interior design? Take a look at Sheffield School's Complete Course in Interior Design. At Sheffield, you will learn how to transform a space, create color schemes, and select furniture, lighting, and accessories.

Writing Room by Stephen Mooney

Who says small can’t be beautiful and spectacular?  We have examples here of exquisitely designed small rooms in a New York City townhouse. As we all know, every large city has its share of challenging small spaces but interior designers know the secrets to transforming problems to winners.

The Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club hosted their annual decorator show house and invited top interior designers to revive a Federal-styled townhouse in NYC’s Upper East Side. The townhouse like many a home in New York had a few small, narrow rooms that were problematic to interior design.

In our first photo above, Palm Beach designer Stephen Mooney had to overcome the problem of a very narrow room.  By applying a sunny yellow color scheme and cream colored furniture, Mooney achieved a bright and cheerful space for the client to do some work in.  The designer also chose small-scaled furniture: a small desk and chairs, narrow console table, as well as small light fixtures, accomplishing a beautiful and highly functional space.

Home Office by Barbara Ostrom

Designer Barbara Ostrom also had to deal with a tight space – an alcove of about 6 feet wide by 6 feet long.  She created a home office, complete with built-in bookcase.  Ostrom also applied a light color scheme – all white with a pale yellow sisal carpet by Stark – to keep the room bright and airy.  She then installed architectural woodworking and an archway above the desk, giving the room distinction and an elegant focal point. The desk is from Dakota Jackson and the Reagan Hayes desk chair is upholstered in a leopard print Scalamandre silk.

Sitting Room by Felicia Zwebner

Almost an afterthought is this very narrow room designed by Felicia Zwebner.  Most people would probably just use this room as storage space but Zwebner imagined a luxurious and intimate sitting room – great for quiet reading or creative thinking!  To create this jewel-like space, she chose a golden wall covering from Stark and an ochre marble from Artistic Tile. The monochromatic color scheme helps create an illusion of a larger space. She also added a round mirror from Vaughan to provide reflection and depth to the room. 

Interested in learning more about interior design?  Take a look at Sheffield School's Complete Course in Interior Design.  At Sheffield, you will learn how to transform a space, create color schemes, and select furniture, lighting, and accessories.

I'm a creative person, and I know many other creative people. We all think deep creative thoughts and we love the process of making things. I like to write. Others I know are great in art, illustration, photography, jewelry making, interior design, embroidery, fashion design, screenplay writing, and product design. But few of the people I know are entrepreneurs. That means that few of us (me included) would risk their security and steady job income to open up our own businesses - enterprises based on what we create.

Yikes! Being an entrepreneur puts a completely different template over what we creatives do during the day, right? I know you're attracted to this blog because you have a love for the creative arts. You probably make something, either as a hobbyist or as a serious pro or somewhere in between, but you might not want to "risk it all" to start your own business. We've all known people who have tried and failed in such endeavors, so we don't want to be like them, right?

And deep down, are we all that confident about our creative skills? We can contribute our creativity to others in a defined job environment, but can we build a business sustained by what we dream about, make and fashion, and develop?

IF you have the guts to go for creative business glory, I encourage you. Period. I ENCOURAGE YOU. 

You heard right. I'm not going to try to talk you out of it, but only if you have the passion to pursue a creative business. Creative people are dissatisfied with things as they are. They have a strong desire to make things better, more beautiful, more elegant, more ... something! The only way to feel satisfied as a creative person is to have courage, focus, and vision - and to take action on your ideas.

Your creative outlet may be to help others make things. It could be assisting with craft time activities geared to young children or seniors. But you might want to base a business on your creativity. Mark McGuiness, the business coach pictured above, has what he calls the 5 Components of Creative Entrepreneurship. These are elements of success for any creative enterprise.

1. Create (Don't Compete)
2. Lead (Don't Manage)
3. Communicate (Don't Be Shy)
4. Automate (Don't Duplicate)
5. Accelerate (Don't Stand Still)

Mark's creative entrepreneurship formula is also worth repeating here:

Creativity + Productivity = Success

It's helpful to visualize the end result of your creative work. Imagine what it will be like to design a new jewelry collection and have your own jewelry business. Visualize how you'll decorate a client's new living room and have your own interior design firm. Imagine how great your new photography website will look, promoting your creative services to the public. Hold that end result in your mind, and it will help fan your passion and intensity while diminishing fear and uncertainty.

But never start a business in a vacuum or, worse yet, in an atmosphere that is not supportive to you and your creative mission. Jettison your nay-saying friends and tune out the negative family members who don't believe in what you'd like to accomplish. That doesn't mean to blindly forge ahead, however! Do your research, and definitely seek out fellow creative folk in the community who can give you good feedback and criticism.

Feedback. Criticism. You need both before you plunge into any creative business endeavor. Hey, if you want to merely sell earrings of your own design at the holiday church bazaar, knock yourself out. But if you want to become Earrings R Us and open up stores across the country, then you'd better seek out friendly, but knowing feedback and criticism - the earlier in your business planning process, the better.

This means finding

In our first interior above, we’re highlighting the color of the year, emerald, with the Murphy mid-century style sofa from Room and Board.  Our pops of color appear in deep reds, salmon pinks, and sunny yellows.  Essentially this room has a complementary red-green color scheme but reinterpreted into today’s color vibe so it doesn’t look like your grandmother’s living room. 

To successfully carry off the bright pops of color, we toned it down with a soft muted green upholstery and brown woods as in the mid-century coffee table by Pierre Jeanneret.  The Glass Pebble table lamp from Palacek shimmers in blue-green hues.  The three-drawer Ermitage chest is from Grange and the baroque Barcelona mirror is from Joss & Main. 

We brought in touches of spring with yellow oncidium orchids and a beautiful 18^th century porcelain vase from Bardith Antiques. 

The second room above is awash in a citrus color scheme of soft yellows, sage greens, and chartreuse. The design features two current trends – the artisan look and the botanicals passion.  The Evie two-drawer chest from Joss & Main shows off the artisan touch – the chest was stripped down and hand-painted with tree branches and birds.  The Safavieh rug and the Simon pillow also reflect botanical prints.

Another popular trend is the craze for Chinoiserie.  We introduced Asian influences with a Chinese cloisonné dragon bronze urn from Avalon antiques.  Rounding out the room is the chartreuse Mimi chair from Christopher Kennedy and a fun cable pouf from Overstock.

With just a few touches, you can refresh any room with the colors of spring and sprinkle it with the latest trends.  Try it!

Interested in learning more about decor? Take a look at Sheffield School's Complete Course in Interior Design. At Sheffield, you'll learn how to transform a space, create color schemes, and select furniture, lighting, and accessories.

So, here is my post on inspiration rooms and how I plan on re-doing the boys' room. First off, I love blogs...love, love, love them.  My favorites usually have to do with mom stuff, interior design and finally, weddings.  Amanda at Dixie Delights combines both mom and interior design...it's like heaven when I look at her photos.  I am a huge fan and am using her little one's 'big boy' room as inspiration for my boys' room.  For this post I am specifically focusing on the artwork as my inspiration (since that's as far as I am in my own room re-do!)

I adore this room!  I want to take every element out of it and transplant it into my boys room...it's perfection in my opinion.  So, here is how I decided to start...with the art work of course!  I love the crab painting by Catherine Lovett but it is a bit out of my price range.  So, I found something similar that I really like on etsy and purchased that.  

The artwork from Recycled Wood Art is much easier on the budget and still similar in feel.  Plus, it's an original painting and not a print, so I don't necessarily have to frame it (big budget saver!!).

Next, is the art work and prints on the wall.

I love how they are clustered together so I started on the hunt for similar items in the light blue/teal hue to compliment the crab.  I hail from West Virginia and it's very important to me that it is represented in my home...the easiest way, a map.  Dixie Delights highlights maps of Georgia and Savannah on her wall, so again, I went to etsy and found this sweet map of West Virginia.  

(map from Blast from the Past)The map from Blast From the Past is also an original and not a reproduction which I really like but this one will have to be framed.  

I also found this graphic print from Jessica Sutton - JSGD.  It's perfect.  My Jack loves to "rawr" like a dinosaur (he's 2) so I knew I had to have this from the moment I saw it.  Plus it follows closely to my inspiration room photo without being a complete knock-off.

The next item on my list to purchase is from The Old Try Print Shop.  They are my new favorite and I love that they are Southerners also...making it so much more appealing for me.  I am going to purchase this print of lightning bugs (yes, lightning bugs and NOT fireflies to all of you non-southerners out there).  I love it and it reminds me of my childhood.  

I have also been scouring etsy for small, original watercolors to frame but have yet to purchase anything.  Here are a few shops that I have found items that I like for now.  I keep adding them to my favorites on my etsy account, so that I can easily find them when needed.  

Art by Susan Windsor

Art by Seaside Studios UK

Art by Tricia Herald

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For more information on our Interior Design course, please visit our website at the Sheffield School.

John Reeves

I found a furniture maker with a philosophy that's in perfect synch with my decorating and interior design ethic. UK furniture designer John Reeves tries not to follow design trends. Instead, he insists on designing clean, contemporary furniture with nods and twists to past periods and styles, but all with an attempt to create "antiques of the future," decor elements that someone can live with for a lifetime.

I'm tired of disposable decorating and furnishings. They insult homeowners and my clients. Good quality pieces hold or gain value over the years and, when mixed with more moderate priced pieces, add impact and timelessness to a room unlike anything else.

Reeves isn't buying into the disposable culture where you purchase a mass-produced item that will last only a few years and must be disposed of. And if you're making furniture for the long haul, it better be sustainable, too. Reeves only uses sustainably sourced timbers and he also uses discarded materials in his work, like scrap marble.

In his Sketch collection, Reeves uses old aluminum engine blocks from Vietnam and melts them down into recycled furniture (beautiful sand cast pieces that have a finish not unlike rough, washed river stones). Click on each image for more product information, and visit the Reeves Design website.

Gallotti&Radice

I'm having fun with the new Home catalog from contemporary Italian designers Gallotti&Radice. Their so-chic offerings are client pleasers, and I've been having fun proposing items for projects requiring high style, great design, and timeless modernity. Here are five current favorites from their catalog - but, believe me, there are more favorites to be had. Click on each photo for more product information.

Glasitalia

Consider the perfection of glass shelves. They're easy to clean. They hold anything and are strong. They don't add superficial patterns or colors to your decor. And they're beautifully sculptural whenever they're well designed. Click on these photos to check out some of the amazing glass shelving creations from Glasitalia. I highly recommend this resource!

Socks

Who knew men’s socks could be so interesting or even that socks could be fashionable? Use socks with your groom and groomsmen's attire to add a pop of fun to an otherwise formal affair. I found myself obsessing over the best choice and could not decide. Use these general choices to help you decide: patterns, colors, or the wacky choice. Choose the argyle look for a polished, yet daring look like these from J. Crew or a shocking, unsuspecting color for laughs —pink never looked so good with a suit. For the brave, go extreme, with the wacky choice—the only time when cartoonish socks are ok on a grown man.

Photo Credit: www.rebekahwestover.com/

(Photo Credit: www.darbyelizabethphotography.com)

(Photo Credit: www.beckyjensenphotography.com/) Shoes

I’m sure men are not as concerned with their wedding shoes as women; but, when given a choice, comfort is probably at the top of their list. What better way to shuck the traditional brogues or loafers, with something different… while being comfortable? Three options I like best: Toms, Converses, or Nike’s—or any athletic twist for business casual footwear. Make a statement. Customize your Converse or Nikes to match the wedding theme and each groomsmen’s personality. This is also a brilliant gift option for your groomsmen!

(Photo Credit: www.scobeyphotography.com/) (Photo Credit: www.aaronshintaku.com)

 (Photo Credit: janiceblackmonevents.wordpress.com/)

Boutonnieres

To have one or not?

(Photo Credit: Taira C @ Etsy)I think boutonnieres are a great choice when tying something from the bride back to the groomsmen. The tradition of wearing a boutonniere may have started during the middle ages, when women favored men with something personal: handkerchief, scarf, or favorite flower. This tradition has carried over into weddings that stand today. Today’s boutonniere surpasses the traditional flower route. Mesh modernity with tradition by adding creative and simple touches. Tammi from JewelBeGorgeous on Etsy transcends the typical boutonniere with these masculine beauties. Another option is to tie in your wedding theme via color or texture of the boutonniere. Nancy from Alliums123 on Etsy uses an alternative to the traditional flower boutonniere in the shape of a pocket-square designed from natural raffia.

(Photo Credit: Alliums123 @ Etsy)(Photo Credit: ChiKaPea @ Etsy)

Neckwear: Tie or Bow tie?

While a traditional black or navy colored bow tie makes the attire more formal, bow ties have come a long way from being stuffy and un-hip. I personally love bow ties; something about a guy wearing a bow tie makes me think of a sexy nerd sans pocket protector. Bow ties…so many great options and easier to manage than figuring out how to tie a necktie: Windsor, Half Windsor, Four in Hand, or a Pratt necktie. Nevertheless, when choosing to wear a tie or a bow tie, base your decision from your wedding theme and colors. If your wedding is more formal, go with a solid color and stick with a more neutral palette. Choose the pattern option, if your wedding is semi-formal or “casual.” To stand out from your groomsmen, choose a tie or bow tie that’s slightly different, whether by color or pattern.

(Photo Credit: iloveswmag.com/)(Photo Credit: upperfrench.bigcartel.com/)(Photo Credit: www.onewed.com/)

Accessories

Accessories are another fun way to be creative to make your tuxedo or suit more dashing. The possibilities are endless: vest, top hat, studs on the shirt, suspenders, and the list goes on. This is another the perfect way to tie in a groomsmen gift, by personalizing an accessory like these cufflinks from American Bridal. Choose either cufflinks with their initials or a pocket watch to add a masculine, old-world charm.

(Photo Credit: Greenweddingshoes.com)(Photo Credit: Urbaneye @ Etsy)(Photo Credit: ruffledblog.com/)Just remember: as a rule of thumb, try not to over do either of theses choices or your overall attire will clash. For example, if you’re going to wear fun socks, hold off on the personalized Nikes. Whichever option you choose to do, have fun. This is your wedding day too. Best of luck and Congratulations!

Thanks to American Bridal for their unique ideas and wonderful post! At American Bridal, you can find a wide array of wedding favors and accessories. Visit the American Bridal website today.

For more information on Wedding and Event Planning, please visit our website at the Sheffield School.