Hi, friends.
I sure hope you haven’t given up on me; I have missed all of you!
Busy, busy working on several new projects, including a new tween girl’s clothing store in Brookline which is going to be a real design treat and surprise for all you locals. Scheduled to open by the skin of our chin in October, it will be fun, fun and more fun. Check back for details. The overall look is a bit of a secret, but not for long….the great part is that we are incorporating two local innovative designers’ items in our scheme, which feels right and looks fresh and plain great.
I am headed to the ATL for a site visit on my “pink lady” project— whose fabulous historic home is in full renovation mode. The finishes are as colorful and unexpected as we planned and I am thrilled with the outcome so far. We are FINALLY ready to order the textiles and furnishings, which I blogged about almost a year ago. This has certainly been an exciting full scale project and I am super thrilled to actually get it installed.
I am lucky to have a great new roster of fun projects and great clients right now, thank goodness…:) Once again, the spirits above have gifted me another design soul-mate for a client, a real treat for any design professional. It is rare that a client loves everything I suggest and is willing to go for it, hook-line-and-sinker. Most clients start with baby steps, start to understand me, and go for some or most of my ideas but—usually not skidding into home plate full speed ahead, like these few. I certainly was lucky to have found one of these in my “pink lady” and now, a local newbie who is making my job more fun than it already is. As evidenced by the OKL suggestion I emailed her about a half an hour ago and has already been purchased for her dining room.
Notice the turquoise sideboard pictured above. Welcome the newest member of my local project round-up: a vintage Asian buffet, scheduled to land in Boston in a few weeks, hopefully. Now, this is a woman who thinks like me! Jump in without looking down…. Happy times…!
More soon, promise.
XO
Katie
Image via One Kings Lane.
When it comes to table lamps—or lighting in general, go big or go home. Nothing can throw a design off like an ill-proportioned tiny lamp. Scale is so important, and lamps (and all lighting, for that matter) need to have a presence.
The goal is create height and stand up to the furnishings. And, by the way, you may have noticed my proclivity toward gourd lamps… The most basic, simple easy way to add a jolt of color to your space. If you are going to buy a lamp, start your collection with a gourd. I think most people are afraid of too big, so they opt for too small. And next to a sofa, chair or bed, a 26″ lamps fades into the woodwork.
As my friend at the design center in Boston says: “Too small is wimpy, too big is statement”… But in reality, there usually isn’t a too big. What may feel like too big is most times probably just right. For a regular sized table bedside a sofa or a bed, a lamp 30″-33″ inches is good. Save the smaller sizes for a desk, small accent table or small scaled space. Don’t be afraid of the big guys; they are probably what you need beside you….
Images via shopcandelabra.com and shadesoflight.com.
I read an article about designers’ own laundry rooms a few months ago in a design magazine. I think it may have been House Beautiful, and I expected the pictures to be outrageous. They weren’t so much… In fact, most were well organized, outfitted white industrial spaces—even closets, with little, if any decor and top appliances. I was surprised… I suppose that is why they used to be called “Utility Rooms”.
In terms of priority, this may be the lowest on the list, but for me, it’s actually quite important. I basically “live” in there, so in my home, I needed something to make me visually happy—let alone the ugly tile floors—so wallpaper did the trick. You’d be surprised what a little attention can do for your wash space. Colored bins, apothecary jars (highly impractical, but pretty), and dare I suggest a chandelier?
If I had the headroom, I would have one, I can tell you that! Give the washroom the respect it deserves—give it a little love. Hang artwork, wallpaper it, add anything you like to look at. You’ll thank me next time you spend all day in and out of there…
More laundry rooms:
Images via Pinterest.
Remember, I told you about the new-ish client I had who wanted hot pink in each and every room? I have shown you her textile groupings, layouts and even my selection of her taxidermy…
Well, the renovation of her historic home down South is finally underway, things are moving right along, and I travel there in August to continue our work. Take a look at her charming Mediterranean Revival home.
To me, this house defines the term, “great bones”—it just needed a breath of young fresh air, some TLC, a lot of good design, and a huge sandblast.
We worked together last month, and she was fretting over the exterior filth that bathed her brick home. Plans were scheduled to have the house sand-blasted as a last ditch effort to clean it up and reveal the true color of the original house. If this didn’t work, well, we were considering paint. (I do love a painted brick house…)
Alas, it worked! Like a new finish, the original mellow sandy colored bricks are back to life. We had some doubts, but no need…
Next step: decorate the hell out of it. Look for regular updates as well move along further.
XO,
Katie
Where in the world is this picture from? I received an email this week about a potential new project in this location, somewhere I have never been, and somewhere I would LOVE to go. Doug has actually traveled there, but no one else I know has. The notion of designing a vacation home for a client here is tremendously exciting. And it just may happen…
The question is: Can you guess where it is? Answer at the end of today…
