Christopher Coleman Interiors....

I came across Christopher Coleman Interiors a little while back and of course, I was very impressed...Not only is he a talented designer, but he designs very chic and bold children's furniture too. His children's furniture is so sophisticated, I had to take a second look just to make sure I was reading it correctly...This Brooklyn based designer knows how to create a space that is elegant, full of texture with graphic sensibility... Just take a look at what he's done with this home gym above....If I had a room this, maybe I would work out more often...Enjoy!

My new home office/studio...

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I posted on Friday and talked about moving forward towards having everything that I want...and why not, right? Well, I didn't have much time to post last week because I was working on my new home office/studio space. I thought you might be interested in seeing the progress.

OK..this was originally a dining room. Then it became the doggy room (my son calls it the doggy room). Then it became the office/dining room...then the "whatever"you throw in there room...We only eat dinner in this space on Thanksgiving...literally! My husband and the kids use the computer in here..I have my own laptop to work off of thank goodness!

By the way, I took this picture when my husband already started working on the book shelf, so everything is pushed to the corner. I really don't live this way...I did however manage to stuff all of my books into this one bookshelf and storage below. I also managed to stick the computer in there...So as you can see, we really needed to do something.

The point of this first step is for me to have a home studio to finally put my dreams into action.

As I push forward, I will be documenting my progress and certainly sharing the love...It's not completed yet. There are still small things I would like to add/change, but it is a start. I also had to do this on a SERIOUS budget...I'm talking under $500 for everything! So...Here it is..the beginning..Enjoy!

I put together a CAD drawing of the unit I wanted my husband to build..The plywood comes in 4x8 sheets, so I made the unit 8' high x 8' wide. That made this piece much easier for him to cut and it cost about $275.00 including the molding and the sheets for the back piece.

So much storage now...I love it! By the way...the liquor tray was in there when the space was a dining room...You never know when you might need a drink...

This corner is where that black cabinet was...what a change.

Gotta go...off to work!

From the desk of Lola...

I get so excited when I find a cool designer and I can share the love...Alexandra Loew was recognized by our beloved Domino magazine, as a "Top Ten" rising talent and she is the brainchild behind these fab interiors. The name is so catchy, isn't it? Turns out she's such a huge fan of the movie Charlies Angles and the mysterious "Charlie"... that she dreamt up her own fictional character "Lola". Hence...the inspiration for the name of her LA based design firm "From the desk of Lola". I fell in love with her design aesthetic immediately...Love your style..so glad I found you Lola!

The power of grey...

We usually paint the wood work in our homes white. Here's another thought...Why not go grey? Take a look at these beautiful photos..they're just fabulous! Going grey could be the simple and affordable change you've been looking for and.... the color is versatile and looks very chic...Enjoy!

Levenson McDavid Architects, P.C.

Valerie Pasquiou Interiors

Image #1 courtesy of Kate Sellers and image #4 Living etc.

At Home with Tibi founder...Amy Smilovic

I have been looking for design inspiration for my new home office and I came across these great photos of Tibi Founder, Amy Smilovic.. in her own fabulous office. I really love the inspiration board and wall below...It shows how similiar the design process is, whether it's for fashion or interiors. Amy popped up yesterday too when I was organizing my magazine shelves. I found a very worn June 2008 issue of InStyle, featuring Amy Smilovic's Connecticut home. I'm So glad I did, because the color palette is totally what I was looking for. I actually carried around that magazine last year for a whole month trying to match my roman blinds fabric to her yellow chaise. Since she popped up twice in two days, I just had to feature her.

Amy Smilovic is the founder of the fabulous Tibi clothing line if you don't already know. Her story is pretty inspiring. She founded her company in 1997, shortly after she and her husband moved to Hong Kong. Her husband was transferred there with his job at American Express. Amy was also an employee with American Express and continuing with the company would have met reporting to him! Read more about Amy's great story on Ladies Who Launch, you'll enjoy it. BTW...My InStyle issue that features Amy Smilovic's home is in such bad shape that I had to search for better pictures. Good thing...because I found Mark Lund. These beautiful pictures of Amy's home and her family were photographed by the very talented Mark, who is an interior lifestyle photographer. Click here to check out his blog...What great finds today...Enjoy!

Photos courtesy of New York Social Diary and Lund Photo

Design "Yellow" into your Spring

It's the middle of April and we've been getting a lot of rain. The sun just won't come out!  So, I thought I would try to create my own sunshine... As I mentioned in a previous post, yellow is my favorite color and it also happens to be the Pantone color of the year. I thought It would be a great way to inspire you to design some "Yellow" into your Spring. 

I scouted my first LOOK LIST from VIVRE. It is the creme de la creme of online stores for exclusive luxury brands.  

The first look list pick is Andy Warhol's Interview by D.A.P. Interview magazines seven-volume retrospective explores the first decade of the publication in honor of its 35th anniversary. 996 pages.

The second look list pick is the Crayon Dog Sculpture by Herb Williams. A sculptor who ingeniously uses crayons as his medium, made of cut yellow and blue crayons, wood and two-part epoxy resin. 42" x 19" x 28". Each piece is signed by the artist on verso, dated and titled with edition numbers.

The third pick is Almidi End Table Hand-cut glass and hand-hammered iron blend global aesthetic with modern appeal. Modeled after the doorways and arches of Eastern architecture. Yellow square 18" x 19".

Love this new line of Organic Cotton Bedding from Rubie Green.  She is one of my favorite entrepreneurs and she is so inspiring to me.  She designed and launched her own line of organic fabric and now look at her...Fantastic!

Rubie Green pillows

Wow, what a great door!  

Too bad my house is blue....

This is my living room though..

Kelly Wearstler is best known for her femininity, decadance and glamour.  Her design aesthetic is bold, luxurious and unexpected. She is one of my favorite designers because she goes where most designers are afraid to go... using bold colors is her trademark and she is one of the few that uses yellow to the extreme and does it perfectly.   Buy Modern Glamour 

KWID for the Viceroy, Palm Springs 

KWID for the Viceroy, Palm Springs

KWID - Spyros fabric for Viceroy

Kelly Wearstler for Trina Turk, Palm Springs.

Love this new line of indoor/outdoor fabric designed by

Trina Turk for Schumacher.

Love the simple touch of yellow accents in this room designed by

Eileen Kathryn Boyd.