Floored by Inspiration: Beautiful Flooring Gives Birth to Divine Design
Shaw Floors invited a group of ten design writers and bloggers to North Carolina for the launch of the new HGTV HOME Flooring by Shaw collection. As part of the launch event, Shaw asked us to design a room from the floor up using products from the HGTV HOME collection.
The HGTV flooring collection has been in the making for over five years, when Shaw approached HGTV to collaborate on a product line. The environmentally friendly flooring collection ranges from: laminate floors that look so good that many mistook them,upon visual review, for hardwood; beautiful hardwoods that are so easy to install (click installation) DIYers will swoon; carpets in a gorgeous spectrum of textures, colors, designs and piles; and area rugs that can easily and affordably transform a room from blah to amazing.
My design partner, Ethan Hagan of One Project Closer, picked the flooring selections for our design project prior to my arrival. He selected a warm and visually rich laminate wood flooring and a multi-colored and multi-patterned area rug. Our design challenge was to create a design concept incorporating those two elements. We had a little over two and a half hours, while we traveled from Asheville to Greensboro, to create a mood board to communicate our design vision. We were provided with a plastic bin filled to the top with fabric, trim, an HGTV HOME for Sherwin Williams paint deck, and magazines ranging from design to fashion to beauty. Ethan and I quickly decided we wanted a contemporary, sophisticated, livable, elegant and subtlety glamorous design that was also soothing and calming. We wanted to design a room that was beautiful and inviting, and that would allow the homeowner to immediately decompress and quickly forget the stresses of the outside world as soon as they entered through the door. Our vision was a sophisticated sanctuary-all the comforts, glamour and luxury of a five-star hotel-at home. 
When we arrived at Tribuzio-Hilliard Studio, Ethan and I were assigned Loura ‘Lou’ Lockwood to assist us to bring our design vision to life. We couldn’t have been more thrilled to have her on our design team. She took one look at our design board and immediately knew what we wanted to create.
We were also ecstatic that HGTV design celebrity Lisa LaPorta really liked our design concept. Neither Ethan nor I are trained design professionals, we both come to the design and DIY fields from very different backgrounds. Ethan was a surgical videographer and is now the founder of the very popular DIY blog, “One Project Closer”. As for me, I’m a former software engineer with an incredible passion for beautiful design, and I’ve now made covering that industry for this publication my career. So to say it was a bit daunting to take on this challenge would be an understatement. Thankfully, Ethan and I both love a good challenge as much as we love design and DIY, so it was fun. And with Lou’s guidance I think we brought to life the sophisticated sanctuary we had envisioned. 
Decor Resource: HGTV HOME Flooring by Shaw area rug (Oleander Breeze) and laminate (Crystalline Oregon Trail).
Next: Behind the Scenes at the HGTV HOME Flooring by Shaw Design Challenge.
Read More »Sachin + Babi for Ankasa: It’s All About the Embellishments
Design Trends Spotted at HD Boutique 2010: Gorgeous beads, delicate lace, and sculptured textiles set against sumptuous linens were front and center at the Sachin + Babin for Ankasa booth.
Art Glass International is Bringing Back Sexy Glam
Design Trends Spotted at HD Boutique 2010: Shimmering elegance, voluptuous silhouettes, and luxurious leathers and silks. Perfect design elements for the gal who likes touches of glam.
Jonathan Adler: Colorful Geometry & Fun Decor
Design Trends Spotted at HD Boutique 2010: Strong pop inspired colors, black and white, and geometric shapes were on display at Adler’s booth.
Loving these Adler table lamps.
Furniture sporting contemporary infused Asian style – reminiscent of Chinoiserie styling seen in Hollywood Regency.
Bold, fun and colorful tea towels, and whimsical salt and pepper shakers (those elephants are too cute).
Elegant, yet not stuffy (nor pretentious) sculpture from Alder. Can see these pieces working in a variety of interior environments.
Spanish Modern Design: SALON at Tribeca Grand Hotel
The SALON lounge at Tribeca Grand Hotel was birthed from a simple desire to bring much deserved attention to modern Spanish design and architecture. SALON was the collaborative effort of Winka Dubbeldam principal at Archi-Tectonics, Richard Klein of Surface magazine, RED (represents Spanish design companies) and the Spanish Trade Commission. SALON lounge and bar, debuting during New York Design Week last May, now serves as a permanent exhibit showcasing furniture, lighting, rugs, and decor from 16 of Spain’s top designers.
Winka’s vision for SALON was to create an atmosphere of mystique and allure. Her goal was to design an interior environment that could seamlessly transform from light-filled meeting room by day, to a thriving social venue by night.
She explains that her design, “approach was to create an environment that speaks to Spanish modern 
design, drawing from the country’s deep-rooted history.” In part, her homage to Spanish cultural history includes a sophisticated nod to surreal artist Salvador Dali in the form of Dali Lip sofas (Note: Dali created an “object portrait” of Mae West-known as the Mae West room- using custom designed furniture, and the voluptuous red lip sofa was his interpretation of West’s pout) .
Richard explains that, “For the large part, Spanish design has remained ‘under the radar’ historically speaking, Our vision for SALON is to tell the story of these creative individuals and companies, who don’t usually have the level of exposure stateside, that say Italian design does. The result is a permanent, three-dimensional environment, that will bring their work to life.” And as you can see from these photos, the design of SALON captures and communicates the essence of Spanish modern design in a vibrant global setting.
Design Notes: Pair of Dali’s Lip sofas by BD Barcelona; Colorful rugs by Nani Marquina; Red link suspension lights designed by Ray Power for LZF Lamps.
Design Notes: Winka employed a sultry, sophisticated color palette that evokes the rich cultural influence of Spanish art and design, consisting of purples, olive, green, matte black, gold and low sheen metals. Winka chose this color recipe “to create mood and drama. By day, the colors and textures are more apparent, where as by night, the lighting shifts the space and infuses it with more seduction and dynamism.” ( Chair on right designed by Jaime Hayon.)
Design Notes: BD Barcelona’s Showtime Multi-leg Cabinet; Black Mercer suspension lights designed by Joan Gaspar and Javier M. Borras for Marset; LLadro Naturofantastic Figurines and Candleholders by various Spanish designers; Tres Tintas Madagascar wallpaper; in nook- Lladro’s black Rococo style mirror; and Glass Nim wall lights by Arturo Alvarez (mounted on Tres Tintas wallpapered wall).
Design Notes: Lladro Sculptural Vases and figurines designed by various Spanish designers and artists, including Jaime Hayon’s ‘The Lover II’ (on right: from his Fantasy Collection: ).
Design Notes: Plum-colored leather Camelot chairs designed by Eduard Climent for Koo International.
Design Notes: Silver Lurex mesh curtains by Naturex; Arik Levy mirrors; Santa & Cole Tripode lamps for Nani Marquina; LLadro’s Naturofantastic vase; Organically shaped Levitt modular seating designed by Roberto & Ludovica Palomba for Viccarbe; Yoshi round sidetable, and Plat coffee table from Kendo Mobiliario; and geometrically shaped mirrors Corbina from Inbani.
Design Notes: Seating by Sancal; LLadro vases; and Marset’s Standing lights.
Design Resources:
- Tribeca Grand Hotel Information: SALON is located at The Tribeca Grand Hotel, 2 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013-2401. For further information, please contact Tribeca Grand Hotel, (212) 965-2080 or visit Tribeca Grand Hotel.
David Francis: Pretty in Pink
Spotted at HD Boutique 2010, Miami Beach: Months before Pantone trumpeted to the world its 2011 Color of the Year, ‘Honeysuckle’, David Francis was already bewitched with a shade of pink that exudes confidence, sexiness and vibrancy. This David Francis rattan chair is upholstered in a bold shade of pink that breathes new (modern) life into a traditional material and design.
Hot orchid pink squares beckon the eye to the sexy, tapered legs of the David Francis console/desk.
The combination of the sensuous, yet minimalistic lines and curves of this bench coupled with the flirtatious pink upholstery creates a fun and youthful vibe.
La Source 60 Second Fix for Hands from Crabtree & Evelyn
I’m quite the fan of spa manicures; not so much for the polish portion, but for the resulting silky soft feeling my hands get after an exfoliation and deep moisturizing treatment. The entire effort chews up about an hour of my day which is not such a bad thing once or twice a month. But I would love to have that after-spa hand softness and smoothness more often, say every day if possible. My hands tend to suffer from moderate dryness due to my having to constantly wash them to keep them clean after engaging in many of my favorite activities: gardening, baking and working with various (very messy) art mediums. I love my hobbies, but hate the resulting dried out hands.
Happily, I recently had the opportunity to experience Crabtree & Evelyn’s La Source 60 Second Fix for Hands and was rewarded with softer, smoother hands after the first use. The first step Hand Recovery entails a luxurious exfoliating process that delights the senses while removing unflattering dry skin to reveal younger looking skin. The second step Hand Therapy is a rich, emollient treatment that glides on easy, quenches the dryness and doesn’t leave behind a greasy residue. In case you’re wondering, the fragrance I tried was Drawn from Nature which is a remarkably light, fresh and uplifting scent.
Hand Care for the Cause 2010
Throughout the month of October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Crabtree & Evelyn will donate $1 to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure for each pink 60 Second Fix Kit sold.
Palladio Bedding Collection by Anichini
The Anichini Palladio bedding collection is a 200 Thread count percale fabric with a very, nice tailored, crisp white with black trim ensemble that coordinates perfectly with modern, minimalist interiors.
Images copyright of respective companies.
Home Decor Buyer Resource: Anichini
Read More »White Gold Tile Flooring from Trend Aureo Collection
We LOVE Trend tiles and will be featuring several of their breathtakingly BEAUTIFUL tile flooring and walls tiles at The Decorating Diva.com. Trend captures the very essence of luxury living as illustrated in the above image. This gorgeous room located in the17th century Villa alle Scalette (Trend headquarters) in Vicenza, Italy features luxurious floor and wall tiles from Trend’s Aureo Collection.
The Aureo Collection tiles for floor (F) and walls (W) are hand-cut , glass mosaics hand-crafted from delicate 24 karat gold leaf (shown above in white gold).
The glass tile product names are listed below:
- aureo 004/F
- aureo 003/W
- aureo Gray
- Strass Swarovski Cristal
Photo Credits: photos by Trend.
Home Decor Buyer Resource: Trend USA Ltd. (Trend also has a showroom near the famous Design District in Miami, Florida)
Read More »Lapiz Ceramic Wall Tiles by Artisan Natalie Blake
Natalie Blake is an artistic genius and we fell in love with her incredible, beautiful and moving sculptural ceramic tile artwork displayed at the Ann Sacks booth (for Kohler ) at the recent Kitchen & Bath Industry Show.
We’ve selected a few of our favorites (it was hard to narrow them down – so many beautiful tiles to choose from) from Natalie’s unique and inspiring ceramic sculptural wall tile collections to feature on The Decorating Diva.com over the next few weeks. We hope you enjoy her creations as much as we do.
Our first pick – Natalie Blake sculptural ceramic wall tile featured above: Lapiz.
Photo courtesy of Natalie Blake Studios.
Home Decor Buyer Resource: Natalie Blake Studios
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