Thoughts on home....

My apologies for not posting much about my house revamp. I sort of needed a financial and mental break from it all this summer. I have however been dreaming up a ton of ideas and have a "to do" check list a mile long. I would love to finish out one space and have decided to finish off my children's bedrooms. My son's room is almost complete but I have an empty wall and he has a ton of books! He has always loved to learn and have books read to him. I've been keeping my eye out for some kind of shelving system to both organize and display his rotating and growing book collection. (his current obsession is Sharks) These shelving units become a beautiful art wall in a sense.

I've included the resources below for two different options. I'm going with the "card display" shelves, the price can't be beat. The more expensive version appears a bit more substantial.

Second source

For The Kiddies - Wall of Books

I love the idea of creating a wall of books for children! Here are some perfect examples of what I'm talking about.  The shelves don't look difficult to make at all.  I read to my children all the time. The comfy nook pictured above would be ideal, it's located in a second floor hallway. 

Images: House Beautiful, Pinterest - my account, Pinterest, KWID,  Lonny

color me pretty

I spent forty five minutes on Saturday choosing frames for an array of photos and artwork for a client! I love planning my client's designs down to the last detail! Mixing mat colors is a fun way to enliven an art wall. It works well with vintage and children's art because the end result is light-hearted!!

Another option is to keep the mat color consistent but mix the frame choices and colors!

1. Andy and Kate Spade, via Effortless Style blog, Martha Stewart, House Beautiful

Think Vertically

My life has been a whirlwind this month..for reasons I can't even begin to get into I may be moving within the next year. I actually want to move in next year, to a smaller, cozier home. I will need to refine my belongings, {my kids toys}, and get creative with storage. Thinking vertically is key to using space efficiently. I love how tall bookshelves can house most of your books, magazines, beautiful art and objects. I prefer to mix all of these. Built in books shelves are even better then free standing shelves but if you're living in a temporary space or renting you can still mount free standing tall bookshelves to the wall for the same effect/storage.

Images: I Suwanee, ?, ?, Elle Decor, I Suwanee, Domino, 

Loving..

This custom bamboo and raffia {two favorites really}framed bulletin board {for  all your daily inspirations} by LG. Purchase here

Because I love a transformation!

One (two) of my favorite aspects of being a designer is transforming your ideas into a reality {and of course my thrilled clients'}. Here's a recent transformation I just read about in the New York Times magazine. Photographer Rachel Hudgins {whose work is amazing btw. see below and her website for more details} downsized from an 2,000 sq foot home in L.A. to an 800 sq foot condo in New Jersey.. In order to display her artwork and photographs Rachel needed to get creative so she employed the help of  David Kassel a professional artist, installer, and owner of NYC based Ilevel. Scroll down for the before and after.

and the stairway before.....

All images: New York Times Magazine.

Working on {personally}

a picture wall in my entry-way! It's almost done..I'll be sure to post it soon!

images: Jonny Valiant, via white and wander blog, lonny mag

Just a thought!

Vintage suitcases/chests lying around? Why not use them for display, storage or a side table?

images: Tria Giovan, Canadian House and Home, ?

Spring Fever!

Every spring I vow to purge and reorganize my home..if I can steal away for a few hours I'd like to start with my closet and move onto to bigger things like toys, books and "kitchen stuff". Here are some inspiring images..I love all of these built in ideas and they're organized so beautifully aren't they?

images: mdesign, martha stewart, Elle Decor, MDEsign

I drink tea daily, and just finished up a tea that came in a tin...I was going to recycle it and use the container for "generic" tea bags..then I happened upon this photo. I like this idea much better. Have a wonderful weekend.

image: Martha Stewart

Glass front cabinets for curiosities....

Display and store your everyday and unique found objects in a glass front cabinet, you won't be dissapointed! Adding mirror, paint or a wallcovering to the inside adds even more dimension!

Images: City Sage, The Bella Cottage, Country Living, Elle Decor, C. Bell

Photo Wall...finished...

You may recall a couple of weeks ago I posted the process steps for a client photo wall. click here for a recap.

I began this project with a pile of small, old photographs. I had them professionally touched up in photoshop, re sized, copied and framed. The next logical step was to devise a layout using templates. An important process if you'd like a balanced wall, it's also a great way for the client to get a feel for the overall layout. I'm also drawn to random salon style walls but this client was looking for something more neat and orderly. I was pleased with the final results...

And Don't you just love the colorful vintage poster at the end of the hall? This poster is available through the International Poster Gallery in Boston. {see below for details}

Gevaert Film, Donald Brun 1950.

Photography: Molly Ferguson

Hallway Niche..You can NEVER have enough storage..

Being a scrupulous space planner myself, I love to see a functional use of dead space.

Happy Monday!

Image: Chloe Warner