Monthly Archives March 2007

Brocade Home Spring 2007

What’s there not to like? Brocade Home’s Spring 2007 collection is feminine, hip, chic, modern but not overly so – the furniture is soft with clean lines and tinted with delicious pastels. You can actually imagine yourself sitting comfortably in the tufted sofas and chairs which honestly speaking I can’t say the same about many of the very masculine contemporary designs one see’s at every design turn. But this home furnishings collection definitely isn’t your grandmother’s tufted sofas or overly complicated chandliers. It’s been processed and turned out into the divine style of today’s modern woman who desires simplicity, elegance and comfort. Make sure you request the catalog – as lovely as the website is it fails to capture the colors and textures that come alive in the print catalog. Visit brocadehome.com.

On a personal note, a few years ago I reupholstered and refinished an antique sofa (image on left) to bring it more in line with my version of modern feminine design – this was years prior to brocade home so I had to spend quite a few hours to create what can now (thankfully) be purchased in a click of a mouse I think I spent about 19 hours transforming the sofa from hideous to lovely yet it took me little more than a paragraph below to describe what I did. I guess it’s true when they say “it’s easier said than done“!

I painted the old dark wood a distressed white. Tore off the old (and very ugly) upholstery which was a dingy yellow. I chose a pink damask upholstery fabric for the cushions and a golden taupe damask for the rest of the sofa. I then created the custom pillows using a lighter golden taupe damask fabric to coordinate with the primary fabrics.

Room for Color A Different Store

I happened across RoomforColor.com by accident while researching products for a client. RoomforColor.com is an online furniture and home decor store that (primarily)sells decor by color palette. I love the idea and their website makes it appear so easy that even the most timid home decor shopper will be able to find what she is looking for with regards to color and style.

I haven’t shopped there personally so I can’t attest to their service or quality of products but I must say that I am quite impressed with their user friendly colorful online store. If you’ve shopped their in the past let me know about your experience – email me at thedecorating (AT symbol) thedecoratingdiva (.)com.

New Generation of Hardwood Floors

Wood floors are incredibly beautiful but they can also be incredibly fragile. They are susceptible to gouges if furniture is dragged (without protection), scratches from your playful cat or dog and of course there are the inevitable accidents such as dropping nail polish or other wood damaging chemicals.

Now you can set aside your fear of damaging your expensive wood floors if you choose to install hardwood flooring from Mohawk Industries. According to a recent press release:

Two trusted brands, Mohawk Industries and 3M, have teamed up to offer hardwood flooring featuring Scotchgard Protector Advanced Repel Technology, which boasts easy stain clean-up, durable protection, and superior repellency to help keep your floor looking newer longer.

[...]The stain protection in Mohawk Hardwood Flooring featuring Scotchgard Protector Advanced Repel Technology will last the entire life of the floor’s finish. It will not wear or wash off because it’s engineered into the product, not sprayed on.

It definitely captured my attention. Over the last five years I have recommended wood flooring to many of my clients because of its enduring beauty and quality – now I will also be able to tell them that there is an extremely easy to care for wood flooring available.

Many parents will also be interested in the Mohawk/3M product because it seems like it was designed with them in mind, for example imagine that your kids just created an awe inspiring masterpiece on your Mohawk hardwood floors – in marker! No, need to worry according to Mohawk Industries – just grab a dry tissue and wipe it off. That simple and your floors are good as new.

Becoming a Decorator

I’ve received half a dozen emails lately asking me how to become an interior decorator. Typically I reply privately to the individual requesting the information but I thought it would be a good idea to also share some of the general tips and advice with all of my blog readers. The decorating career tips below are what has helped me develop and grow my business:

1. If you’re new to decorating or design then it’s best if you have a mentor to learn from and possibly work with. The important thing is to grow a base of happy customers who sing your praises. When you are ready you can branch out on your own – hopefully bringing your client base with you as well as a nice portfolio you can show potential clients.
2. I always suggest that any new (or even experienced) business person take advantage of the local Small Business Development Council (SBDC) resources at their local college or chamber of commerce. They offer networking events, business workshops and provide assistance in obtaining business funding.
3. Another idea to get your name out in decorating circles is to donate your time and decorating talent to events such as The Festival of Trees or other design based charity fund-raisers.
4. If you don’t have a formal design background then you should read as many design and decorating books as possible and start applying what you learn from them.
5. In addition to industry specific books you will find that design and architectural magazines are wonderful sources for acquiring decorating knowledge and inspiration. They help you see how different designers and architects interpret any given style and what it was that inspired them.
6. In addition to the above, I personally like to study design store displays and home decor catalogs such as West Elm and the very new Brocade Home among others to see how the set designers created their vignettes.
7. There are many online sites that I review and find inspiration from – I will be compiling a list of my top five favorites and posting them in the near future.
8. Finally, I derive a great deal of my inspiration from the runways (haute couture drives the upcoming trends in home decor), nature, art, design shows and common every day items.

Bathroom Design Trends – Sinks

NEW Read our  2009 Bathroom Design Trends – What’s Hot Now.

Sinks – Bathroom Design Trends continues below:

Before you swipe your credit card for that glorious glass over-the-top sink think about this…bathroom designers are predicting that contemporary artsy sinks are on the way out.I’ve got the latest information on what’s “in” and what’s on the way out with respect to bathroom remodeling or bath redesign. But please keep in mind – as you read my report – unless you plan on selling your home in the very near future you shouldn’t tie your design to raising or falling trends. The only trend curve you should worry about is the one your lips make when you smile. Your happiness with your home design, even if it’s not the latest trend, is all that matters. With that little caveat out of the way – let’s begin.

Vessel sinks, a super-hot trend in edgy modern decor that started about 10 years ago has quickly saturated the home market over the last three to four years. The previously pricey contemporary bath sinks have become so affordable that you can now buy them at home improvement stores for about $100. So why are they on the way out? They are beautiful to look at and now they are incredibly affordable – so why?

It’s all about usability and practicality. The popular glass models became a cleaning nightmare as they showed fingerprints, stray hair stands, bits of toothpaste and well just about all the residues associated with using a sink. The deeper sink vessels were difficult to clean while the shallower vessels were easier to clean but they were notorious for allowing water splash-out.

So what’s on the home design horizon for bathroom sinks? Farm sinks, classic sinks embedded in stunning antique or contemporary furniture and an interesting artsy addition called a “wet surface”.