Dallas Blog | Material Girls | Dallas Interior Design

I’m ALWAYS reaching for a notepad- especially during this crazy time of year.  My daily to-do lists seem to be getting longer as the holidays approach.  Most of my clients want their homes spruced up before they host their annual holiday parties and prior to family coming in.  To put it simply, the last few weeks and the next few weeks are hectic!

So of course, to keep organized I have my to-do lists all kept in a nice notebook- well maybe not that nice- a Mead Five Star from Walgreens.  I know, I’m out of college, so what I am doing still using these?

Today my notepad ran out of pages (gasp!) and to save myself from writing another item on my to-do list- “make a trip to Walgreens for to-do list notepad”, I saved myself a trip and found a fun notepad that someone from Archie Grand had kindly sent me a while back that I had been just waiting for the perfect opportunity to break out!  This is not just your average notepad…it’s actually stylish!  To be exact, it’s an adorable chartreuse notepad that caters to my profession.  I’m pretty sure that while Walgreens has everything else on the planet (god love ‘em), they don’t have one of these babies-

The “Designers I met and Liked” notepad by Archie Grand is awesome!  I love how it looks like a miniature book and is a lot less floppy than those $2 Walgreens pads with the metal spiral bound spine.  I really am a notepad’s worst critic, as I am attached at the hip to mine.

I had to post about Archie’s because I think it would make an adorable holiday gift.  Sure, not everyone’s a designer..but I bet you know some-

Secret Agents

Chefs

Actors

Husbands (from the past)

And if not, you can find a description of someone you know from their massive collection! They are all pretty comical! A+ Archie!

The past few nights, after shutting down my computer and retiring for the night, I’ve been rewarding myself by curling up in bed, relaxing, and reading Suzanne Kasler’s Inspired Interiors.  I received this book as a Christmas present a few months ago, and it’s been sitting on the bench at the end of my bed since then, looking so crisp and unused.  I am just now finding the time to open it and completely delve in!  I never like to read these design books hastily.  I need ample time to study the images, read, and re-read the text.

I am now about halfway done with her book and do not want it to ever come to an end!  (however, if it does end, it’s not the end of the world, since I have Kelly W’s Hue as next up on my reading list!)

The only downside to her book is the fact that I can’t rip out all of these gorgeous images and put them in my “inspiration” binders.  Well, technically I could…hmmm tempting!

Suzanne is a design genius!  I’m sure you will agree after viewing these images below.

It has been such a treat to read this book.  I’m like a kid in an “eye candy” store!  So many wonderful images and such great design advice from Suzanne.  I guess I will just have to wait patiently for her next book to come out!

What if I told you that a notable interior designer (who was named one of House Beautiful’s Top 100 designers in the country) was willing to share all of her deepest design secrets with the public?

I imagine you would be pretty excited (as would I!!)

Well, that notable designer is Elaine Griffin and she did recently share her deepest design secrets with the public.   All 238 pages of them!  Her new book, Design Rules: The Insider’s Guide to Becoming Your Own Decorator, comes out November 3rd and we couldn’t be more excited.  I was sent a sneak preview of it (ok, it wasn’t really a preview, I read the whole thing in two days!) and I was so thrilled that someone so credible FINALLY came up with a “step-by-step practical approach” (in the words of Colin Cowie) to home decorating.  It is SUCH a great reference.  I had always wondered why someone hadn’t written a book like this sooner.

Yes, we all have the book, The Time Savers Standards for Interior Design and Space Planning, and don’t get me wrong, it’s a classic, but that book is like lifing weights (on a good day!)  It’s not easy to tote around and almost has too much detailed information in it that it makes my head spin.  And not to mention the fact, that Time Savers doesn’t address the reader with terms of endearment such as “honey”, “sugar”, and “baby” (like Elaine does).  Elaine makes the reader feel very comfortable.  Reading this book is like having coffee with your best friend (ok, your very talented and knowledgeable best friend).

Not only is it entertaining, Elaine’s book ”demystifies the process with a smart and savvy, no-nonsense decorating primer” (in the words of Margaret Russell)

So why am I telling you all this?  Because one lucky reader will win a copy of Design Rules!

To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post (between now and Sunday November 8th at 11:59 pm), stating a design question that you have ALWAYS wanted to know the answer to.

One reader will be chosen at random and the winner will receive a copy of Design Rules through the mail.

**Even more exciting, Elaine will answer each question that was posted and we will be featuring the answers in an upcoming blog post!**

(When leaving a comment, please leave your email address or a way for us to contact you in case you win)

{Images from Elaine Griffin Interior Design}

Jackie Von Tobel, of the Jackie Blue Home blog, is definitely one of the hardest working designers/bloggers that I know.  If it’s not one project, it’s another.  I don’t know how she keeps up with it all- I am really in awe of her talent and dedication.

Most recently, she has written a design book entitled The Design Directory of Bedding (and no, it’s not her first book either! This woman is on a roll!)

Her new book consists of so much great information in the bedding department.  It is a serious must-have for any designer or homeowner’s library.

And can we just talk about the 1,000 + illustrations that Jackie hand drew herself?  Quite amazing!  You will be so blown away by all of the detail in this book.  It is incredibly organized too which is a plus- sections are divided into bedding components such as decorative pillows, pillow shams, pillowcases, bed skirts, bed covers…you get the idea!

{Illustration pictures from The Decorating Diva and The Design Directory of Bedding}

There are just too many lovely bedding ideas in here to count.  Jackie is truly an inspiration to all of us other designers. I love how creative she is AND am so jealous she can hand draw all of her ideas out.  What a great visual tool for clients to get to see what is brewing in that mind of hers!

As most of you can probably tell, I love to read (books OR magazines)- anything I can get my hands on really.  I am always wanting to learn more and soak up as much design information that I can- so up next for me is reading Jackie’s The Design Directory of Window Treatments!

If the information in here is just as extensive as that in her bedding book, I’m surely in for a treat!

with Jan Showers’ new book, Glamorous Rooms!  I read it all in one sitting.  It is 206 pages of fabulous eye candy and noteworthy design advice from the Dallas based interior designer.

With a foreword by her friend, Michael Kors, and a book case created to look like one of her favorite fabrics, Hinson and Company’s Snow Leopard, this book goes down in history as one of my favorite coffee table reads!

There are so many jaw dropping images throughout her book.  I gathered my favorite Jan Showers’ rooms to share with you (as well as quotes), until you can go out and buy a copy of the book for yourself!  It’s too bad this book wasn’t a magazine or I would have torn out a bunch of pages to keep on hand in my Style Book!

“Create an aura of glamour with some or all of these classic design elements: warm silver-leaf tea paper on the walls, a fabulous Murano-glass lamp, gilded mirrors, a pair of eighteenth-century painted Italian slipper chairs, and a graphic animal skin on the floor”- Jan Showers

“Rugs should be kept understated and elegant.  Though it’s not a hard-and-fast rule, low-contrast rugs typically work best.  However, you may opt for a high-contrast black and white graphic rug to mitigate the vastness created by a double-height ceiling.”

“Mix textures and styles liberally.  Cashmeres, low-sheen satins, linens, silks, velvets, mohair, and wonderfully ironed and waxed leathers are favored textures in living rooms.”

“Mixing silver and gold is always a good idea”

“Never be afraid to mix patterns, periods, and wood finishes.”

“Too much upholstery is one of the most prevalent mistakes made in present-day design, because it lacks detail and interest.  Detail is critical to establishing the singularity and quality of any piece.”

“Two lighting elements are central to all my dining room designs: chandeliers and lamps.  Frequently people are surprised when I suggest that lamps be placed on buffets.  They create a luscious glow in a room that can be quite challenging to illuminate.”

“One shortcut to an atmosphere of warms is the use of dining chairs with upholstered backs.  At a rectangular or oval table, have the host and hostess chairs upholstered in a different fabric than the other chairs if they are a different style.”

“The opulence of bedrooms should extend to the walls themselves.  Soothing colors such as soft greens and French blues are just right.  Ivories and pale peaches complement skin tones, which is a very good idea in the bedroom.”

Her first book definitely aims to please!

Nina Campbell proved that even bookcases can be dramatic!

I’ve always loved this idea (featured in Veranda)…it’s hard to imagine the bookcase without the mirrored divider.  The mirror serves to break up the stacks and stacks of books and takes the built in from simple…to stunning!

I loooove to read in general but I especially love reading and collecting new design books! I got word of a new one coming out on April 28th called Downtown Chic.

This book was co-written by husband and wife team Robert and Courtney Novogratz of the world renowned NYC based firm, Sixx Design. It is in fact their first book- how exciting!

Ever since their first design project in Chelsea, the duo has developed and designed gorgeous living spaces in Great Barrington, Massachusettes, Soho, and Trancoso, Brazil. Not to mention, they also have SEVEN kids! Wow- what a hard-working pair!

Their book is coming soon but you can pre-order it now on Amazon.

My favorite section in House Beautiful is their article they put out monthly on designer’s favorite paint colors- one month, the topic will be “paint colors that flatter brunettes”, the next month will be “colors that calm”. You just never know what’s coming next with them! I have a new topic suggestion- paint colors that flatter really pale people? I could be their guinea pig!

And even better than the article each month, they’ve expanded with a book! I just received it in the mail, it’s called Colors for your Home- it encompasses 300 paint color suggestions from well known designers…I can’t wait to start experimenting with these on my wall!

You can get it here at Barnes and Noble. Great Christmas gift for that friend who needs some paint suggestions for her new home!

There are two books that came out recently about Frank Lloyd Wright- seems the architect had more than just houses on his mind! Both books explore FLW’s well known philandering.

The ideas they have don’t stop here…it’s a weekly column discussing alternate ways to spend money and making your House…well, beautiful.