Doux Nid [du ni]

Style Lab

melissa — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:33:31 +0000

Create your own style lab. Home should be a think tank to dream and experiment with the creative process. It should be a place to gather information, brainstorm about beautiful concepts, hone promising ideas that feel right, and discard ones that no longer serve.

First step, be inspired by others. I love to read how interior designers, artists, graphic artists, and fashion designers feed their creativity and approach their work. Picasso famously worked on a blank canvas for five hours filling it spontaneouly with free-form associations. At the end of the five hours, he declared “now that I begin to see where I’m going with it. I’ll take a new canvas and start again.” Let Picasso inspire you. Make your home a style lab with an ever-evolving canvas powered by your imagination. Experiment. Create. Grow.

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Design Resolutions

melissa — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:10:01 +0000

Look at houses, workplaces, stores and gyms. Everything is designed. So much creative thought goes into our environments. From Gucci to Apple to Target, the way objects function and look is of critical importance in the 21st century. Good design has become good business. It differentiates companies. Separates them from the competition. Gives them an edge. Workers have job security, because creative capacity cannot be easily copied or outsourced to other countries. How do we develop our design sensibilities in the New Year? Think about visiting a design museum online to see examples of beautiful design. Collections can be accessed digitally. Plenty of inspiration for 2012. Start developing your eye for design today.

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Boost Your Creativity with Travel

melissa — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 15:57:43 +0000

According to the author, Jordan Ayan, who wrote Aha! 10 Ways to Free Your Creative Spirit and Find Your Great Ideas, there are four elements that make up our creative spirit or creative C.O.R.E.: curiosity, openness, risk tolerance, and energy. Ayan states that one way to feed and expand our creative C.O.R.E is travel. Great artists have known this for a long time. Paul Gaughin traveled to Tahiti, Ernest Hemingway haunted France, Spain, East Africa, and Cuba, and the Beatles traveled all the way to India for fresh perspectives. Travel is really one of our greatest teachers.

Recently, I found myself in Norway and the Netherlands for the first time. Determined to be a sponge and soak up new points of view, colors, tastes, and smells, I brought my travel journal and camera. Here are some cherished inspirations from my trip:

Stavanger Cathedral in Norway

This structure was originally founded in 1125. I was mesmorized by its atmosphere infused with reverence and puctuated with subtle shades of slate, fawn, and beige along the stone walls. Monochromatically elevated and beautifully quiet with age.

Landscape near Preikestolen

I haven’t seen an alpine landscape like this before. Fresh and rocky with texture. Emerald-green moss hugs each stone forming a stunning visual carpet accented by a spring running through it. It was hard to pull myself away to continue on the journey. So pristine and perfect.

Pelts and Pillows

Whether dining inside or outside, I noticed in Scandinavia that animal pelts and pillows are used to create intimate settings. Placed casually on benches, they define comfortable groupings and add to the dining ambience. Pelt favorites included sheep and reindeer. They were paired with either neutral-palette pillows or bohemian ones for a colorful splash.

Facades and Canals

Amsterdam has a rich architectural history. Just by walking along the 17th-century canals, you get a feel for the city’s past. It is written on the streets. From Dutch Renaissance to Baroque to Neo-Gothic to Art Nouveau and Art Deco, the cityscape is a real visual feast showing where Amsterdam has been and where it is going. Full of promise and inspiration.

Venturing beyond my geographic comfort zone made my senses come alive. Nothing was familiar, so I noticed everything. New information and data to inform my creativity and shape future ventures. Forever changed. I am grateful.

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Why?

melissa — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 02:01:56 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4

At an independtly organized TED event, Simon Sinek, author of “Start with Why“, spoke about how great leaders inspire action. He starts by writing three words on a flip chart: why, how, and what. Mr. Sinek goes on to state that people in leadership positions usually focus on what their organizations do and how they do it, two very important areas. Advertisements for those organizations usually echo the same focus. Here is the rub according to Sinek. What and how usually don’t inspire people to action. Sinek believes that why companies do what they do is really the essence of it all. Why is the larger vision and mission that touches people at their core, makes them jump out of bed and work their tails off, or makes them want to be first in line to buy new products even if it is pouring raining outside.

This video got me thinking. Should we only focus on why at work or when we purchase our favorite things? At Doux Nid, we believe creating a home is a chance to think about why in a very personal way. Why we do things at our core? Home is the perfect place to ask the biggest questions. It is a place to showcase and nurture our largest purpose, encourage our wildest dreams and anchor us to our deepest values. At Doux Nid, we definitely start with why at home.

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Coquillages

melissa — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 01:49:41 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2atw_XM-SKg

I love to use nailheads in all kinds of shapes and sizes small and big alike. They have been around forever in design circles tracing their origin back to the reign of Louis XIII. In modern times, nailheads can be used in a variety of ways from outlining upholstery to giving decorative distinction to walls. They come in all looks and finishes ultra modern to very traditional.

I recently decided to use them in a foyer to make a grand entrance. First, I outlined the walls using nailheads that come on a roll. Outlining unifies a space. Then, I created decorative panels on the wall using more of the nailheads. Since creating the panels. I have been brainstorming about what to put in the panels. Maybe a hand-painted motif using a stencil for the design and outlining the silhouette in coordinating nailheads? Maybe a design created with shells? I love shells. Shells have a long history of being used as decorative material from 18th century grottoes to garden pots to Victorian Valentines.

Over the summer, I visited Newcastle, Maine and picked up vintage corks that were used in the fishing industry. The floaters have a patina colored dark taupe to light brown that is just beautiful. In a moment of inspiration, I decided to use the cork and shells together. The corks would serve as medallions on the walls and the shells would be placed in a design around the cork.

The combination turned out to be smashing. Each decorative panel took about an hour to create. The install was easy. I did run into a few snags. One was the glue. I tried several different types from silicone adhesive to Elmer’s to a glue that claims to bond anything. I found that Crazy Glue worked the best. Take a look at the video to see the process. Enjoy!

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Home

melissa — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:46:51 +0000

In a recent article featured in the New York Times, I noticed a quote from Stephen Drucker, the former editor of House Beautiful. He stated that ” decorating always has two goals: comfort and display.” It got me thinking. Comfort and display are important, but at Doux Nid, we think that hearth and home can serve a much larger purpose too. If we take a thoughtful approach, home can promote healthy living, nurture creative and innovative thinking, remind us of our larger missions and visions, and celebrate ideas from around the globe. Truly inspired living starts at home.

Why?

Raw in Reykjavik

melissa — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:15:17 +0000

There is a boom with the number of online design publications that are available for readers. Some of my favorites are Lonny, High Gloss, Matchbook, and Rue. Recently, I was perusing an issue of Rue magazine, a San Francisco-based publication, and an article, on page 79, caught my eye. It features a home owned by the founders of the fashion label, Farmers Market. Farmers Market is known for celebrating the purity of raw materials and utilizing neutral colors echoing the shades of Iceland in winter. Their home embodies the same pure and unprocessed philosophy while also emphasizing family history by framing stories through hearth and home.

In the photos shown with the article, you really notice their love of raw textures like sheepskin, real antlers, seashells, and sisal. I love the jars filled with foodstuffs and the upholstery finished in linen, cotten, and silk. The unembellished beauty of the materials speaks for itself and provides a striking backdrop for family souvenirs. Even though their home is on the other side of the world from Doux Nid in Houston, the philosophy of celebrating raw textures and framing stories through home has a universal quality.

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Accessorizing a Cocktail

melissa — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 03:28:43 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX5t3H6yTJA

When accessorizing, I like the idea of mixing clean lines with elaborate pieces. It takes some experimenting, but it is definitely worth the effort. Take a look at a stainless-steel cocktail mixed with a Kilim rug, leather ottomans, and a very traditional sofa covered in chintz.

To add to the eclectic feel of the room, I wanted to keep mixing it up with accessories on the cocktail table. For height, I used a Baccarat piece made of crystal and an exotic stand covered in stamped aluminum. I then added a bird’s nest filled with delicate eggs centered on a celadon bowl for texture. To add some whimsy, I layered a peacock made of horn, a vintage purse all hand-beaded, and a Chinese figurine made of porcelain on the exotic stand. The eclectic mix really works, because it is all tied together through color.

Initially, I placed the tall Baccarat piece in the center of the cocktail with the stamped-aluminum stand on the left and the celadon piece with the bird’s nest on the right. I noticed that the composition was unbalanced for some reason. With a simple tweak, I corrected the imbalance by moving the Baccarat piece from the center and creating a high point with it on the left side of the cocktail. Using the other accessories, I filled in with different heights like stairsteps coming off the crystal. Very assymetrical. Sometimes, all it takes is a little tweaking. Experiment to find your best style.

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Setting the Mood

melissa — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 02:18:02 +0000

In the July/August issue of Lonny Magazine, designer, Adam Strauss, explains how he created ambiance in his Los Angeles apartment. He likes to unify interiors through color, mix modern and mid-century pieces with traditional pieces, and accessorize in out-of-the-box ways. His helpful advice dovetails nicely with the Doux-Nid philosophy.

Unifying Through Color

Color is the easiest way to create mood in a room. Dark colors like the deep browns, charcoals, blues and black are backdrop colors that are neutral but dramatic. Think about blending your fabric tones, wood, and metal finishes too for a really unified look. One of my favorite fabrics to use to set the mood is mohair, fabric made from one of the oldest textile fibers. It is luxurious and durable. When it wears, it gives you the shabby chic of an English-country house.

Mixing Modern and Mid-Century Pieces with Traditional Pieces

Doux Nid loves to use juxtaposition. Mixing high-end with low-end, formal with informal, or rustic with sleek. It is all about keeping balance between elaborate pieces and those that have simple lines and tying the whole look together with color.

Accessorizing in Out-of-the-Box Ways

Once you know the design elements and principles, you can start breaking the rules. I love how Adam Strauss propped paintings on sofas and headboards instead of hanging them on walls. He also mounted a series of small charcoal drawings on antique mirrors. Very out-of-the-box. The charcoal drawings have more presence, and the mirrors bring light and sparkle to rich-colored walls.

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Malibu Magic

melissa — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 21:49:07 +0000

Recently, my husband and I went on a summer trip to California. Our first stop was Malibu. I always wanted to go. It was early one Saturday morning when we found ourselves wandering through the nestled neighborhood by the Pacific. Of all places, we started to see garage-sale signs. I was curious. We decided to stop at one of the sales. I am glad that we did. To my excitement, I found a small cache of beautiful leather belts. The homeowner told me that one of them was once sported by the actress, Alfre Woodard. Kind of a fun story that you would only hear in Malibu. Even though I didn’t need five belts, I bought them all. As I was making the purchase, I struck up a conversation with the owner. She told me that there was a really big garage sale at Our Lady of the Lake, a church in Malibu. Evidently, Martin Sheen had just dropped off some things there for the sale. I got caught up in the celebrity of it all and went straight to the church. The hunt was fun.

When I finally returned to Houston with my Malibu belts, I wondered how I was going to wear them all. During a moment of inspiration, I adorned some of my favorite silk and velvet pillows with the leather belts. The rest is history. It turned out to be a smashing combination. I am really pleased. If you want to breathe new life into your old pillows, take a peek into your closet. Do you have some woven, embossed, or hand-tooled leather belts that you aren’t wearing? I love to find new uses for treasured accessories. Belts are beautiful cinched around pillows. Perfect for adding panache.

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