New York Design Blog | Material Girls | New York Interior Design

It’s here!  The new LuLu DK line for your child has arrived at F. Schumacher and it will be flying out of stock.  From adorable animal prints to simple stars and sailboats she’s created a colorful and smashing collection that will brighten any kids room.  I’m already showing them to clients and can’t wait to see the rooms once they’re finished.  Check out the complete collection here and see below for my top picks.  Warning: the images are very small so you’ll have to visit F. Schumacher to get a good look!

 

Ode to Matisse

Jelly Bean

Macaroni

Star

Cha-Cha

Love

Skittles

One Kings Lane has launched their first ever online marketplace for Vintage & Market Finds selected by the country’s top collectors and dealers.  The site feature will offer sales up to 70% off the retail value for premium antique furniture, decor, accessories, art and more.  It’s the perfect spot to find those rare pieces that you can’t quite afford in the antique shop.  Take a look today and see for yourself how OKL has done it again!  There’s a reason they’re the leading flash sale site for the home market

Check out some of my favorite  OKL Vintage & Market Finds

Amazing South African tapestry

Mixed media artwork

Antique horns

Red lacquered tabouret

White opaline table lamps

Asian inspired teak console table

Chinoiserie hall chairs

What are you waiting for?  Head to OKL now and start shopping for your one of kind vintage finds.

There are so many amazing fabrics out there it’s hard to decide how exactly you want your bed dressed every day.  Do you choose a fun and colorful fabric for your headboard and keep the bedding on the simpler side?  Or do you keep the headboard simple and solid so you can mix and match with your bedding and easily swap it out when you need a change?  This is a battle that a lot of my clients have until one day they make the decision to just go with what they love.  Which way would you go?

This bold and colorful headboard is that of Michelle Adams from Lonny Magazine and I think it was a great choice!

photo via effortless style

The shape can sometimes speak for itself so the simpler the fabric, the better

While the headboard has some flare, this room is still very soothing

It’s almost like a puzzle piece

A whole lot of bold thrown in one bedroom for the daring

The height on this headboard adds an element

Simple headboard, splashes everywhere else

Whatever you decide, i hope your bed allows you to sleep well at night!

I spent most of my afternoon at the Soho House visiting with the Merida girls who gave us the inside scoop on the textile design process from concept to creation.   The creativity and detail that goes into each design convinced me that I need to take a trip to Boston to see their design studio and get a tour of the weaving mill – so that’s the plan.  I’m hoping to make my way up this Fall with my friends from Tilton Fenwick who are both former Boston girls (BC and Tufts), as am I.  Until then, I leave you with this; some beautiful images from Merida’s website so you can see a glimpse of their beautiful collection.

A design by Barclay Butera via Merida Meridian

Another Design by Barclay

The viewpoint wool collection

Celerie Kemble’s collection which there will be more of this summer!

Waffle Weave

Felted Cable design

Diamond sisal from their Broadway collection

Thanks again to the team (Catherine, Roxanne, Nicola, Maegan, Siobhan, Whitney) at Merida for having us today and showing us such a beautiful collection.  Each and every member of the team was so welcoming and talented.  I can’t wait to see you all in Boston soon!

It’s been one of those weeks where I’ve been stretching myself so thin, I feel as though there’s got to be a more efficient way to get things done.  I’m meeting with clients, painters, contractors, architects, shopping, returning, cleaning up after a painter (i’m not above it), pinning, blogging, creating contracts, putting out fires (not literally), billing, creating, scheming and the list goes on.  Wouldn’t it be nice to hire some help to get you through the busier weeks but not pay for full-time help?  Well, wake up NYC – Designer Attache has arrived and they’re here to help only when you need them.  I like to call them designer 911 but their real names are Brittany and Nicole.  These two design extraoidinaires have started a business that offers assistant design services to interior designers by the hour or for a flat fee by project.  If you’re like me and you can use an extra hand or two, give them a call.  They’re ready to save you!

Brittany and Nicole

Your house is never fully complete until you have a dining room (casual or formal) where you, your friends and family can sit down and enjoy good food and good company.  It’s the one place in your home that brings everyone together so why not make it the one place that everyone enjoys and wants to spend time in.  Take the time to think about the style and design of the space.  Should it be cozy and comfortable, bold and colorful, a mixture of old and new?  Whatever look you’re trying to accomplish, make sure it’s well lit and there’s plenty of space for everyone to gather around.

This is a great blend of old and new

Perfect contrast between the table and chairs

A beautiful airy room in Malibu

A modern square is the perfect table to include everyone in the same conversation

Light and bright by the sea

Traditional with a twist of modern

A smaller, city friendly scene

Is it true that Lonny magazine has closed it’s digital doors or will it live on under the supervision of Meredith Corporation?  Check out Curbed.com for the full story and see what the talk around town is.. . I, for one, want the real 411.  Michelle Adams, editor in chief of Lonny Magazine, has an exciting announcement to make.  Let’s just hope it means Lonny will stay afloat in some form – we need these younger, fresher, hipper magazines to thrive so that we can continue to gather inspiration from innovative ideas and sources.  Plus, it’s much better for us decorators to have more places to display our work once we’ve completed a project.  wink.

I’m back on the art hunt – this time I’m looking for something colorful and bold for a nursery and as I’m browsing through, what feels like the entire world wide web, I came across this print gallery that caught my attention.  Cozamia has a variety of art filled with beauty and energy and it’s sure to brighten up your space.

Out with the old, in with the new.  Just as in fashion, where we see trends come and go, (and sometimes come full circle decades later) decorating has its trends that move with the colors of the year(s).  For quite sometime now (i’d say over the past 2 years), gray has become the new beige and it’s making a statement like no other.  Gray is such a calming color but it can be bright, light, dark, subtle…no matter what, it’s always soothing to the eye.  This is the very reason I’ve been convincing my clients to use so much gray lately, especially on the walls!  It’s the perfect neutral that will cohesively tie any room together.  Take a look at these gray rooms and see how well it works in different spaces:

I’m loving these lanterns and chairs in this country gray kitchen!

Don’t be afraid to mix your grays and beiges – just make sure that gray is the more dominant color in the room.  It will freshen up your space instantly and keep you on trend!

There’s always something out there that will inspire us, whether it’s where we’re standing, what we’re watching, the people and colors around us and most importantly the great compositions created by the masters in design.   It’s almost a new year which means it’s time for new trends, new colors and new designers but before we move on from 2011 we need to look at the 10 best interior design books of the year.  If you’ve got champagne taste and you’re looking for fabulous inspiration and ideas,  these books are a MUST in your collection.  They also make great and easy gifts for those last minute shoppers who try to get it all done at the 11th hour.

Jeffrey Billhuber ‘Design Basics’

Thomas O’Brien ‘American Modern’

Charlotte Moss ‘Decorates’

Michael S. Smith ‘Elements of Style’

Kelly Wearstler ‘Hue’

Suzanne Kasler ‘Inspired Interiors’

Victoria Hagen ‘Interior Portraits’

Vincent Wolf ‘Lifting the Curtain on Design’

Bunny Williams ‘Point of View’

Darryl Carter ‘The New Traditional’

What a great year in design!  I look forward to seeing what 2012 will bring