Houston Design Blog | Material Girls | Houston Interior Design

{Sorry for the poorly scanned image – Elle Decor December/Jan 2010 photo by Simon Upton}

The top right vignette in this spread about a London flat designed by Alex Papachristidis for a chic divorcee had me at Highland Court Leopard.  DYING to make throw pillows for my sofa out of this fabric.  The image pretty much sums up the formula for my personal aesthetic…great vintage furniture with a pop of gold, fabulous art, a dash of animal print, a little pink and lots of books.

{Southern Living}

Hello, color!  This cheerful Southern Home belongs to Interior Designer Megan Young and her husband, Erik.  Though grounded in Traditional roots, the punchy colors freshen up their one-level home in North Carolina. 

Between the turquoise chair and chartreuse lamp shade, the most formal room of the home still manages to “pop.”

The brown “Chivari” chairs upholstered in a turquoise and lime green toile around the modern Ikea table is like a shot of adrenaline to the white kitchen.

You don’t see a lot of white formal dining room tables, but this one is a great contrast against the orange walls.  Time to have Grandma’s table lacquered! 

Master Bedroom vignette.

When is doubt – create your own artwork!  That’s what Megan did here.  The canvas reiterates the turquoise and teal hues throughout the home.   

For the complete article, visit here.

The home of Toronto designer Jennifer Ferreira is chock full of inspiration.  I would love to have the restraint to do my entire home in a black and white palette…maybe I’ll save that for my dream Paris pied-a-terre (someday, someday).  So for now I’ve pulled together lots of black and white pieces that would pull together fabulous spaces.  

Wisteria’s Sleek and Simple Sofa

French Mid Century Coffee Table

Chevron pillow by Madeline Weinrib

Vintage Arm Chair

Blackened Brass Pedestal Table

Relic Gold Bowl

Kulla Floor Lamp

Parchment Books from Pieces

Pottery Barn Bedding

Craig’s List Houston find - I’d paint it black

Faceted Crystal Lamp

King George Bench from PlexiCraft

I’m loving the subdued colors in this Rosemary Beach home designed by Atlanta designer, Melanie Turner.  It’s a nice change from the “sea” colors you typically see in a home by the water.  All the white slipcovered furniture keeps it light, but the grey tones give it an unexpected moodiness.  I’m liking moodiness right now…and I’d like a beach vacation!

I adore this compact kitchen.  Stainless steel hoods with a strong horizontal element like this one are in crazy demand these days.  The driftwood lamp reminds you that you’re still at the beach!

That’s a lot of seating!  I love the detail over the hallway openings on either side of the hood. 

Comfy couches for a raining day at the beach.

I love this landscape!

I still love white bedding…the black shades on the lamp provides a crisp contrast.

For more of Melanie’s work make sure to visit her website.  The living room of the “Chatham” House is one of my all time favorites!

Attention all you design-obsessed Houstonians!   Three of the city’s top Designers are competing for your vote in the, “Redesigning Downtown,” Style Competition at One Park Place, Downtown’s newest luxury apartments.

Renea Abbott, Michael Stribling, and Chandos Dodson have each designed an apartment, and YOU get to decide which one you like the best!  Tickets are $10 and benefit Discovery Green.  I, for one, can’t wait to check it out! 

I will just never, ever tire of this color palette.  McGill Design Group via Desire to Inspire.

 You MUST go over to one of my favorite blogs, Things that Inspire, and check out this completely drool inducing post on the FABULOUS Atlanta home of Stan Benecki and his wife, designer, Melanie Turner Benecki.  The kitchen is in my top 5 ever.  I’m pretty much obsessed with style in Atlanta, between Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Magazine to Pieces…this city has it going on!   

I found some additional shots of the the home here.

Do you love this home as much as I do??

{photo by Kim Myers Robertson}

As I was making my way through this month’s Lucky Magazine, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw this photo.  It wasn’t necessarily the clothing that caught my eye (though I do love that clutch), it was the door!  Lucite handle, ribbon trim detailed with a nail head in each corner –  perfection!  Here are a few of some of my favorite glamorous doors…

{photo from here}

{above three photos – Miles Redd}

I’m just loving this soft living room designed by Anne Coyle.  Plus, it’s making me feel better about my single Pagoda Pillow (no, still haven’t found another one). 

Here is the entire room as seen in CS Living.