Bob Vila's Thumbs Up Competition

Hey Blog Friends- you've heard of Bob Vila right? The original Do It Yourselfer- purveyor of all things home??!! Of course you have! Well he's having a little PVC Pipe Project Competition this month with a group a bloggers. Only it's not little it's a BIG deal because I am one of the bloggers competing for a chance to win!! 

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Remember my PVC Pipe Wine Rack? Well it's one of the projects competing for the winning spot.

So, won't you take a few minutes of your time and vote for my Wine Rack? You don't have to sign up or anything! And you can vote for as many projects as you want- so after voting for mine (pretty please...) you can vote for the others as well.

Chairish Color Challenge

So we've all heard of Chairish right? If you haven't then you need to go check out their website ASAP! Chairish is an online marketplace for vintage furniture and home decor. They have vintage finds from all over the country for every room in your home. It is a great place to find unique and one of a kind furnishings.

I was contacted by Chairish last week about creating a bold color mood board designed around one of their many vintage accent chairs. It's no secret I have a chair fetish so I was happy to oblige! I choose this Mid-Centruy Beauty to work with:

I loved the color and the clean lines. I paired it with a dark grey sofa and the design quickly took a moody yet cozy turn. Maybe it's because fall is just about here but I would love to be sitting in this room sipping some coffee right now!

Sophisticated Boys Bedroom Design

Recently I was contacted by a mother who was needing help designing her 12 year old son's room. He plays the saxophone and is into theater and art and has an extensive hat collection. She knew he wouldn't be into the usual sports themed rooms we so often see. She asked him what he wanted his room to look like and she got the usual "I don't know...." (Haven't all us parents heard this one before?) She showed him pictures of room designs to see if he liked any of them but he was still non-commital. 

The only thing he said he liked was this picture of Charlie Chaplain-

So she came to me for help. We knew he needed a new bed, desk, bookshelf, rug, and something that would make his room stand out.

Here is the mood board I came up with that they both loved:

Modern Farmhouse Design

So it's been a while right? Summer was happening- no time for blogging. I took the kiddos home to Louisiana for a few weeks, we went to OKC, and did some other fun summer stuff. And my Big Boy Con-Man started Kindergarten last week!!! OMG how did he get so big?! More on that later-

For now I am excited to share a farmhouse design I completed for a client who is buying land in Pennsylvania. They hired me to design a garage apartment. Their desire was to build an apartment they and their two girls would live in until their final dream home would be designed and built. They wanted the apartment have the same look as the home they would one day build- so it's a pretty awesome garage apartment. 

It's complete with 2 bedrooms, playroom, living and kitchen area, and dining room. The exterior has dormer windows, a pergola, and cupola complete with weather vein! Not to shabby for a garage-

I was also excited to be able to use SketchUp to render a 3D of the home. I have used SketchUp in the past but am trying to further my skills and this client was willing to let me go the extra mile for them. So grateful!

Pretty cool right!? 

Right now the couple is still looking for the perfect plot of land - hoping they are able to complete their dream home (and garage) soon!

NeoCon 2014

For us regular folks the past few days have been pretty normal- basketball is on TV, soccer about to gear up. But in the design world - especially if you are a commercial interior designer- the past few days have been an exciting whirlwind of product and technology introduction. 

NeoCon- where the furniture manufactures, fabric, carpet and wallcovering dealers, and anyone else involved in product design come to show off their latest and greatest in the windy city of Chicago. 

When you are amongst thousand of prospective users for your product and all you toughest competition is present as well- standing out is key. I love how these carpet manufacturers showcased their products- 

Bently

Patcraft

Shaw Contract Group

As you may have guessed I am a sucker for furniture- so I was drawn to some of these new introductions.

51,577 ways to specify your Shell Chair (You know I love me some Herman Miller!)

Hello there Modern yet Mid Century inspired chair by Beaufurn

The future of office workstation design? Maybe used in airports? The Open Nest by Haworth

And maybe the most important part of NeoCon- the swag bags. Pretty much every company has some kind of giveaway promoting their product. It's the coolest and trendiest ones that are most sought after. It's usually the bags because not only are they fun they are functional- gotta carry all those cut sheets full of information around somehow!

Here are a few of the ones that caught my eye:

One day NeoCon I will grace your gleaming halls- one day! Until next year though, I will have to keep dreaming.

Mid Century/ Industrial Office Designs

Whoo!! I am getting pumped for this weekend. Con- Man's last day of school is tomorrow! My baby will be in Kindergarten next year. I am excited to be able to relax a bit during the week- not have to wake up early and make lunches, get everyone dressed in the morning, rush to get to school, ect. (Though am kind of dreading finding activities to keep us occupied all summer long). Also we are going camping this weekend!!! We are going up to a lake near us for the night. Nothing to hard core- fishing, smores, lake swimming. All around fun. And to top it off I'm going on a shopping trip with some girl friends! This is a big deal since we live in the boonies and have to drive an hour to go to a Target. Yay Memorial Day Weekend!!!

Anyway- recently I completed a small project for a client's office. I was excited about this one because it involved 2 of my favorite design styles- Mid Century and Industrial. There are two owners and each needed furniture for their respective office. One loved Industrial the other loved Mid Century. I like that these styles can work together so having the two in offices right next to each other works.

Option 1

Option 2

Both of these Options speak to the Industrial style but in different ways- one is more hard edge with the metal and filing cabinets; the other softer with the wood tones. The pieces could even be mixed and matched if they client so choose. And I love how they were open to original one of a kind pieces of furniture as well.

Next up was the Mid Century Office:

Option 1

Option 2

Again both of these options have the Mid Century Vibe but in different ways. The client specifically asked for some sort of Eames chairs and wanted bold color. I am loving those Eames chairs in the first option! The colors are awesome!!

Do you have a dream office style??

Bold Kitchen Design

Hello! Hello?? Anyone still out there?? 

My apologies for my long absence. I've been working on lots of design projects and have not had time for blogging at all. Lately work has slowed a little so I have some time to blog again!

Unfortunately a lot of the projects I have been taking on are not what you would call "blog worthy". Mainly space planning and floor plan redesign- CAD work and construction documents. It's what I like to do but doesn't make for a fun blog post. And some of the freelance work I've been receiving is assisting other designers with their work (finish and furniture selection, bathroom redesigns, ect!). So I haven't felt comfortable sharing that on my personal blog.

But- a while back I helped a couple who are finishing out a their shop space into a second family "hangout area". Their children are older and the couple wanted them to have a place to hang out with their friends. The building will also have a guest bedroom, office space, kitchen and theater. Pretty cool!

The layout is pretty basic but the kicker was that the couple wanted to use red stained cabinets from Ikea. They loved bright colors and wanted a fun space since this is a extra relaxing area not their formal home.

In the first scheme I went with a neutral wood floor, bright blue accent wall, antique tin ceiling look backslash, bright red pendants and other fun lighting.

The second scheme I went a little different with grey flooring, another bold paint color and other fun accents:

Pretty fun I think! Different from what you might expect in a kitchen.

Another area they wanted help with was a bathroom in the shop. They wanted to use a blue bathroom cabinet they had seen and fallen in love with so I centered the bathroom around that. Again they wanted a totally different color scheme and feel for this room.

And Option 2 with a different sink cabinet:

This couple wanted different bold paint colors throughout the space- which is a fun change from the norm. What do you think? Do you like a colorful home or is neutral throughout more your taste?

Love for Armstrong Residential Ceilings

*The following is a sponsored post but the opinions are 100% my own*

Hey Blog Friends! Back in the day when I was working for an architecture firm one of our go to manufactures was Armstrong- they have amazing ceiling, flooring, and wall products. As of late I'm working for myself doing more residential design and I have been very interested in Armstrong's Residential Line of ceiling and flooring products.

So imagine my excitement when they asked me to review some of their residential ceiling products! They wanted to know how I would use them in a real life setting. 

For example:

Staying Alive- Still

It's official! I have kept a plant alive for a whole year!!! (Hoping that I'm not going to jinx myself talking about it now...)

My Fiddle Leaf Fig is 1 year old- Happy Birthday little guy!

Now

1 yr ago

He hasn't grown much, maybe a few inches. But that's not the point- the point is that I did not kill him. :D

Now comes the real challenge. He's getting a bit big for his pot. Fiddle Fig is still in the same pot he was in the day he arrived on my door step (Ordered from Home Depot thank you very much). He seems really  happy in his little plastic pot but I'm worried if I leave him in there much longer things could go downhill.

Even though I am gripped in fear right now I need to find him a proper pot and hope for the best. 

Anyone have tips on replanting?? Help!

What I'm Digging Lately: Iacoli & McAllister

I've never been a big jewelry person. Maybe that is abnormal for girls but I've just never been that into it. My poor husband- while most girls would love a piece of jewelry for their birthday or Valentines I'm kind of like- Meh. Not that I don't think jewelry is a great gift or would be ungrateful if I were given some- it's just not what excites me. (Vintage furniture is more my thing :) 

Well that perspective has changes somewhat when I discovered Iacoli & McMcallister. They are a team of designers who use their knowledge and skills to create some of the coolest jewelry and furniture I've seen. 

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I love the simplicity, the use of natural material, and the use of color. I like the clean lines and modern look. Just love over all. And I not so subtly hinted to The Hubs that I wanted this necklace for my last birthday:

(He got the hint..:)

They don't only make jewelry either. They make amazing furniture that has won awards and is giving me some ideas of my own.

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But what originally turned me on to them was their lighting. I don't remember where I first saw it but I was in love right away. If only I could afford it...

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They also have a lot of other items as well. Like this bottle opener for example:

I don't usually use bottle openers but maybe the Hubs needs one? That still might be a gift more for me than for him. I just want an excuse to buy it.

I think this pink paper weight would look nice on my desk! Now that I'm working I need my desk to look cute right?

Maybe some cute mini pedestals? For all the plants I don't have but might get soon?

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I just want some more Iacoli & McCallister in my life if you can't tell.

Their website is pretty fun to poke around too. Their "about" story is interesting and they have some pictures of their studio. It's for great inspiration and makes me want to toy around with new ideas and try to be creative and original as well.

New Home Kitchen Design

Recently I was asked to create a Kitchen Design for a new home build. The owners are building their final home. They were not happy with the current layout the builder had planned and wanted a designers eye to create something more functional. 

I gave them two layouts and two design options based on what they said they liked. I won't bore you with the layouts but here are the finish boards I created:

Option 1

Option 2:

Option 1 is more traditional while option 2 is a little more edgy though it has a lot of natural finishes. Both have two toned cabinets and wood floors which the home owner likes.

Trying to find a layout which worked well with the flow and feel the owners were hoping for was the main challenge of this project. 

Do you have a favorite?

Capturing Your White Whale

That's what I feel like- like I've finally tracked down and reeled in a piece of furniture I have been lusting after for years- like since college. I don't know if Captain Ahab ever caught Moby Dick- I actually have not read that monster of a book. But I can imagine his plight. Always looking, keeping his eyes peeled every moment for an opportunity to catch his prize.

That's kind of how I was about Eames Chairs. I've talked a lot about Eames furniture on the blog before. It's an obsession that started in design school and grew after interning at a Herman Miller Dealership. I loved the  modern look and all the bright colors. But what I've always wanted was a genuine vintage piece to call my own. And if you know me I also did not want to pay big bucks for it. ;)

Changes on the Horizon

Uncertainty in the air. 

That's what I've been dealing with lately. I have been feeling especially blessed lately with the design work I have been fortunate enough to been given. It's something I've wanted since we moved to Altus and I feel like I've finally found a little niche.

With that being said our world is about to change again soon. As you may know Hubs is in the Air Force and his commitment is ending in about a year. Instead of signing on to further our military career he wants to do extra training in Peds Hemotology, which means extra school. He has been interviewing at different hospitals that offer the fellowships in the field as the Air Force is not offering an opportunity to train for another few years.

So this means another move in about a year. 

What I've Been Watching

Ok- I know I am late to the game (like 3 seasons late) but does anyone else watch Walking Dead? OMG I am so freaked out by this show but I cannot stop watching it. Hubs and I are only about halfway through season 1 (thanks Netflix!) but I am hooked.

I am not usually freaked out by scary movies or horror films but something about this show really gets to me. I have a hard time watching it but I need to know what is going to happen to them! Do they ever figure out how to stop the zombies? How did all this happen in the first place? Wait- don't tell me! 

Modern Masculine Office Loft

Hey Friends! I'm back with another design mood board- hope I'm not boring you too much with these lately. I haven't had time for much DIY with my work load suddenly picking up steam. 

I am enjoying the ride though. It's nice to be doing some design work again!

This client is a hotel broker who wanted to update his office. He spends a lot of time there and is hiring an assistant was is ready to spruce the place up a bit. It is a pretty cool office space with brick and big windows. (which you can't see well from the pics but oh well)

The only thing we can't change is the ceiling- the landlord won't allow it. But new flooring is an option as well as paint. The client also wanted to create a separation between him and his new assistant. So here are the floor plans:

Basically the plan is to give him some privacy by building a wall between the two rooms. We are also building out a cabinet and counter to make space for a fridge and coffee maker, and closing up the rear door.

The next step was looking at new furniture options. The client needed a new desk for his assistant, a couch and chair, and art work all to go with his existing desk.

Option 1:

Option 2:

We discussed wood flooring for the office but it doesn't look like it will be in the budget. So far the client has bought the chair and coffee table from Option 2 and all the art work!

We are still making some tweaks to the furniture selections but this project is moving right along. 

What do you think? Which option would you have gone with?