It is officially Monday (bah hum bug).  Sunday went by way too fast.  It was like time jumped an hour-oh wait it did!!  Daylight savings is the cause of my sleeplessness at midnight.  Before I head off to bed I wanted to share a few things from this last week:

1.  New food for thought -'It is OK to feel scared but DON'T let it change who you are.'  I am feeding myself this line for breakfast every day, digesting each word (chomp chomp).

2.  Give me more celadon green!  This color must be one of my top fave for 2012.  It is so relaxing and I keep turning my head to it everywhere I go.  I recently helped a fun client with her master sitting room.  We upholstered two chairs in this fabric below, then flipped the fabric over and used the opposite side on two ottomans.  Too much of a good thing?  No way!!!!!!  

Then there was the recent family room I helped another couple with this last week.  We created a palette of celadon green, smokey gray and navy blue.  I just realized I used the same pattern in one of my fabrics as above.  Do you see it???  

3.  Am putting my Top Six tips together for Home Staging, and will review them on air Wednesday on WFMZ 69 News At Sunrise at 8:40 am.  I took off last month from the show and can't wait to see the news gang again (and do my monthly NR dance with the clip-on microphone.  There is usually anti bacterial soap involved (hah).


4.  I recently wrote an article for the Lehigh Valley Hakol full of ideas on how to change the purpose of a living room.  Check it out here!  The Living Room: A Dinosaur In Our Home. Turn to page 5. 

5.  P flies home tomorrow.  He's been away two weeks and owes me a great pair of shoes.  Here are the ones I want (hint hint P) Letitgo from Nine West.

Fresh Fabric Color Palettes I Am Using

I can't believe another week has gone by; I am a hot mess in three inch red pumps. I just walked in from my last presentation for the week and as I unhook my coffee IV I realize I meant to blog about something, anything, since Monday, but way too fast it turned into Saturday! Now I have whip flash and a need to share a tiny bit about the projects I am working on that have kept me busy.  So below are the color palettes I put together for each client because, well, I love 'em and maybe you will too! 

 Blue and tweed with touches of pink for a fresh, young and fun family room.

 Dramatic copper and large print wallpaper for an elegant and definitely eye catching dining room!

 Tailored hues of yellow, green and rich soft chocolate is a good choice for a grown up family room.

Tribal print and ice blue for a bold glam dining room!

(took the wing back chair you see above and covered it in the red and orange vine print to the left)

Rust orange, cappuccino browns and patterns for a family room with a kick!

Cool gray blues and bright white tiles on the wall and flat river rock under your feet create a calming master bath.

I accomplished a lot this week.  I also had some good finds along the way......

Tuesday I purchased this fabulously large necklace from Kohls for under $9.  I never realized they had a fun selection of jewels.

Wednesday I fell head over heels for these funky pillows from Target......goes great with my necklace!!

Thursday I had 2 epiphanies: 

1. After going through Dunkin Donuts drive thru two times I said "Shosh, just get the larger size coffee-you know you will miss it when it is all gone."

2. At midnight, after finishing off a box of cereal and still salivating, I decided I am no longer allowed to watch Just Desserts, Chopped or Iron Chef while working late.

Friday I  re-arranged a bookcase for a client:

BEFORE

AFTER

I did nothing except re-arrange their sentimental collection of photos and books.  Took just a few hours of moving things around, adding a few decor items from around the house, and now the shelves tells a story of where this family has been and what they are about.  

 CLOSE UP OF RIGHT SIDE

Have a great Monday everyone!!!!

Kids Camp Barn Makeover Part 1

I have designed and decorated home and office interiors, but this weekend I will be working on a barn.  The barn is part of a local kids camp in the Lehigh Valley.  I will be busy, along with a few friends as part of the social action group I chair called Tikkun Olam (hebrew for Repairing the World).  We will turn the empty spaces into fun new places where memories will be made for these campers.  I remember my camp experience.  We ate our brown-bagged lunches on our pool towel, and sat on the grass for hours working with lanyard, having sing a longs, and reciting hand clapping games.  I looked forward to the ice cream cups we would get while waiting for the bus and remember the bees kept bothering us if we stood too close to where the juice and milk was kept.   There were no comfy sofas, or delicate anythings around.  Nature was our room to play in.  But when it rained we had to find shelter.  This will be their shelter!! Here are photos of what the barn looks like now.  

This space will be a Game Room full of fun games!

This space will be a Creative Musical Room to inspire kids to use their imagination!

The barn 'extreme makeover' has been fully funded by Fabrics by Allan, Sherwin Williams on Tilghman St. in Allentown, Buss store in Emmaus, and donated pieces from the JCC Nearly New Sale.   I can't wait to see what a group of friends who care about their community can do.....I promised to show off my Vanilla Ice moves so watch out!  I will blog about the 'After' next week.

Master Bedroom Becomes A Lodge Retreat

When my clients, Scott and Karen, asked me to design a master bedroom that brought in their love of lodge style, full of warm colors and rustic pieces, I was up for the challenge.  I wanted them to feel like they were at a resort in the woods that included luxurious bedding and fun natural accents.  The space is in a cape style home so it includes a number of angled walls and entrances to the eaves.  I had so much fun on this project and was very excited to present my design plan to them.  I had to use an extra big board to hold all the ideas and products I included.  Here are some of my ideas:

To erase wall angles, I will paint it all one color, so a warm golden yellow will go on all walls and ceiling, except the two end walls, which will be painted in a barn red.  And what lodge wouldn't be complete without a fireplace.  This one is electric so it is simple to set up, not requiring structural changes, and really adds to our look.

The windows and sliding glass door will get striped drapes which bring in greens, golds, browns, and reds, and two comfy chairs will be covered in this beautiful rich pattern.

Although the bed had a headboard and footboard made of rod iron and wood, I wanted to create more texture and drama. I proposed framing out the wall behind the bed using 1x3s and painting it in a deep dark chocolate (all the trim and doors will also be painted in this chocolate color -yum!). The grasscloth wallpaper you see below, which contains lots of reds, golds, and tans, will fill the center of the frame.  Dark brown bamboo wall arm sconces will be hung above either end table leaving the table tops free for lots of woodsy novels.

I didn't just want Scott and Karen to have that lodge feel around them.  I wanted them to lye in bed and feel it above them, so I included 2 fans with antler chandeliers.

And of course, faux wood beams, which are so easy to put up. 

I will share the Before and After photos of this soon-to-be romantic lodge getaway bedroom suite!

My Split Personality - A Tropical Eclectic Living Room & Modern Glam Bath

I have a split personality lately and loving it! I began work on two totally different spaces, two totally different clients, who want two totally different looks.  One is a living room in Bethlehem and one is a bathroom in Allentown.  I thought I would share the progress so far.

A TROPICAL LIVING ROOM WITH A TWIST OF ECLECTIC WORLDLY PERSONALITY

Aren't these fabrics fun-so full of texture and curves! This couple's design style is truly a reflection of their passion for life and bright personalities.  Their living room, which opens into their dining room, will get a creamy coat of Convivial Yellow (SW6393) on the walls.  A nice warm backdrop glow for introducing the tropical flavored fabrics above on the windows and furniture.  We bring on deep finished woods and furniture pieces, which are, to say the least,  one-of-a-kind and shapely!!  And the lighting will make you 'EEEP'.  We've just begun and I can't wait to see the vision in my head-in person!

 

MODERN GLAM BATH

This full bathroom is the size of a six foot person in length and five foot person in width.  It is tiny, to say the least.  BUT the new reno will make it feel big and G-E-O-R-G-O-U-S!  This space does not represent my contemporary client at all.  The bathroom has a stand up shower that takes up way too much space, little room for anything else, dark wood paneling everywhere, and a vanity, that has me shutting one eye in distress.  We will be replacing it all!

  

We will install a smaller shower that is all glass and add built-in shelves on one side to hold towels and essentials. We will wrap pure white subway tiles around the space, halfway up the walls and completly around the shower. It will be very minimal- then comes the bling! Adding sleek and sexy tile down the center of the floor and all the way up the shower wall. Yes, like a runway. And also around the walls as a border above the subway tiles. With the Hep Green (SW6704) paint, new lighting, new vanity, niche, and accents I have planned-it will be a show stopper!

I will show the before and after pics when I have finished the projects so stay tuned! I am also working on a very cool master bedroom with a rustic lodge theme, a fun library, and contemporary asian style family room.