Chicago Design Blog | Material Girls | Chicago Interior Design

While perusing the cosmetic department of Bloomingdale’s SoHo the other day, a friend of mine spotted possibly the hottest, coolest most exciting pairing since Brad and Angelina: Jo Malone + Farrow & Ball.  Well…maybe not quite to that extent.  Nevertheless, I can’t stress enough how much I love the sophisticated and classic look of Farrow & Ball paint and wall coverings as well as the fresh, intoxicating, sexy scents of Jo Malone.  Both self proclaimed “British lifestyle brands,” the two joined forces to bring F&B’s signature colors to Jo Malone’s signature scents in the form of scented candles.  Don’t they compliment each other perfectly?  Both the scents and colors of these respective brands are classic, timeless and sophisticated.

Find the Farrow & Ball Jo Malone collection at Farrow & Ball showrooms as well as Jo Malone stores. (And perhaps some Bloomingdales too?)

{Buckingham ID}

Have you noticed oversized wall decor popping up all over magazines, website, magazines, designer’s projects, the blogsphere…etc?  This trend seems to indicate that larger is better at the moment, or at least the customer/client favors the big and the bold.  From paintings to mirrors to series of framed photographs and unique pieces of wall art, oversized wall decor is very chic without being too trendy.  I think this decor may stick around for a while, and even if you hop on the bandwagon now, it won’t likely be passe by this time next year.  It seems to be especially popular in the dining room.  Is there that one wall adjacent to your table that just doesn’t seem to get it right?  Try out a larger than life piece of decor…it just might be the solution to your wall problem!

{Elle Decor…Ellen Pompeo’s home!}

{CS Interiors}

{Casa Sugar}

{Blu Label Bungalow}

{Katie Did Blog}

{Angelino Interiors}

{House Beautiful}

{Elle Decor}

{Decor Pad}

{Buckingham ID}

If you think maps are only hung on the wall of your 6th grade geography classroom, think again.  This month’s Elle Decor features a great article about using maps as inexpensive wall art, and I couldn’t agree more.  Hanging a map (or a collection of maps) on a wall or using map wallpaper in virtually any room adds a sense of sophistication and instantly makes the room feel more personal.  I would love to dedicate a wall to vintage maps of all of the various cities I’ve lived, locations of my children’s colleges, and countries of ancestral origin. I have used an historic map of all of Paris as the backdrop of an entire living room wall- and just installed a vintage 1950’s school map of the United States in a young pair of brothers playroom.  Both made a huge impact and sparked a yearning for more information- and travel

There are so many websites devoted to vintage maps as well as reproductions, not to mention the endless selection to be found by simply typing “maps” into the search on eBay.  Check out the gallery of Elle Decor’s map art.

Here are some great resources for map art given in the article:

Ward Maps

Natural Curiosities

Argosy Bookstore

V & J Duncan

Rand McNally

National Geographic

Gleaming, glowing, glossy and bright… These walls are anything but understated and I’m infatuated with every inch…

Never afraid to color outside the lines, Miles Redd allows sapphire to shine…

Where was this room when I wrote Purple Rain? Check out these glossy, bold boundaries… Yum!

Jonathan Berger gave this late-19th-century Brooklyn home one jaw-dropping entrance with Benjamin Moore’s Razzle Dazzle… Wowza!

Laquered loveliness… This space couldn’t be more fab if it tried.  Loving this high-gloss blue amid black, white and yellow…  Fierce.

{Images gathered from Architectural Digest, House Beautiful and Head Over Heels.}

As you know, I’m quite partial to brights, lights and whites… of neutrals and heather grays… but must admit, these slate-inspired spaces have me going to the dark side…

Mario Buatta adds depth and elegance with his brilliant selection amid feminine, delicate decor…

Loving this seamless blend of ebony walls and glistening black flooring…

Crisp white linens set off soot-like surroundings oh so beautifully in this Domino bedroom…

Drama and glamour filled walls house this chic ebony and ivory tub just right…

This sleek backdrop is the perfect compliment to Vueve Clicquot hues and rustic wood floors…

Natural elements and fresh whites pair perfectly atop pitch-black boundaries…

What do you think? Time to turn in those pale walls for a little dose of drama?

{Images gathered from Apartment Therapy, Domino, Decor Pad and Living Etc.}

I am a big fan of  the “Secret Sources” article in this month’s Met Home.  Even designers like to hear about other designers hidden gems!  One of my favorite finds is Flavor Paper, “tasty” hand-screened wall coverings.  Based in New Orleans, Flavor Paper uses only the highest quality water based ink to create vintage reproductions, contemporary and custom hand-screened wall coverings.  So incredibly unique!

Remember this room, which I featured in “Purple Rain?” You guessed it…this paper is from Flavor Paper!  This is actually the dining room in designer Cynthia Rowley’s home.

Check out these other fab papers…and many many more on their very own website!

{Ziggy Diamond}

{Fruits of Design}

{Power Plant}

{Iris}

{Tutti Frutti}

{Party Girl}

{Flower Pedal}

{Terminal}

I came across this interesting wallpaper, called Lletras i Tipos designed by artist Javier Marsical for Tres Tintas Barcelona, in the latest issue of Chicago Home + Garden.  I think it is incredibly unique and  I would love to find an application for it.  A wallpaper as unusual and unique as this definitely would require a leap of faith and a willingness to try something new and exciting on the part of the client.  This wallpaper is like saffron or truffles or a vintage bottle of wine: only to be used at the right moment in the right setting, yet when applied it creates such a statement.  I love how graphic it is, yet  when viewed as a whole it almost appears as some sort of textured wall covering.  It no doubt is incredibly fascinating and quite a work of art in itself…I can’t stop admiring it!   What are your thoughts?

Interested in this wallpaper?  Tres Tintas Barcelona is carried at Urban Source in Chicago (1432 W. Chicago Ave., 312-455-0505) www.urbansourcechicago.com

Some of my most inspired moments take place on the elliptical.  It really is the only time of my day when I am actually forced to sit, well I guess stand, still for an hour.  Therefore, to make the time pass quicker and to take my mind off my burning thighs, I comb through just about every magazine I can get my hands on.

Today’s magazine was the September issue of Town & Country.  Although not usually my first choice, I found some very fun wallpapers/wall coverings!  Well really I came across a segment about Designers Guild, and was then prompted to browse their website.  Got my work out in and found some potential materials for a new client’s home…now that’s killing two birds with one stone!

Leopold in Chartreuse

Leopold in Charcoal

Check out this fabulous pattern in a room!  So fun!

Padgett in Acacia

Padgett in Delft

Padgett in Noir

Here’s a better view of the Padgett wallpaper in a room.  Isn’t it so striking?  Especially with that pop of purple and green…wow!

I just love Padgett so much I had to show it to you in one more room!

Because I love purple…I just had to throw this one in here.

Tolmer Viola

 

This Tolmer wall covering comes in about a zillion colors.  Well, not actually a zillion…but a lot.  Here’s some more fun ones.

Tolmer Ocean

 

Tolmer Moss

Doesn’t Designer’s Guild just have the greatest papers and wall coverings?  Not to mention furniture, fabrics and floor coverings, but those are all posts for another day

I must say I am somewhat of a pack-rat when it comes to design magazines.  I have stacks and stacks of Elle Decor, Chicago Home and Garden, Traditional Home…you name it.  This collection, however, is not amassed in vain.  I frequently hark back to past articles for inspiration or reference.  I stumbled upon this article from the January 2007 issue of House and Garden magazine.  One of the cover stories, “25 Fabulous Movie Interiors, And How to Make Them Yours” caught my eye.  Even though this issue was published over two years ago, the movie interiors featured are classics.  I thought I’d show you some of my favorites!

The room below is a modern day room inspired by the interiors in the 1971 film, “A Clockwork Orange.”  (The original set is the image in the upper left corner)  Of course I had to include this one, because orange is one of my favorite colors!  This mod-70’s look becomes uber-chic with the checkerboard vinyl flooring, Beethoven shade, and orange console.  Notice the groovy wall covering in the second image!

Here are some of my other favorite movie interiors from the article.

How great is the wall covering, the lamp, THAT COAT from “Conversation Piece?” Really though the Rothko on the wall makes it for me.

What do you think?  Do you have any favorite movie interiors that jump out at you?