celebrity interior desinger: thom filicia

thom filicia has been designing for the stars for quite some time. he was on queer eye for the straight guy and oprah. the latter being my personal goal. he's also educated and trained in the design industry, which also makes him a personal design icon. i was glancing at his website last week and fell in love with many of his projects, so i decided he would be the perfect designer post for today. then, on my favorite blog, the sartorialist, i noticed thom's designs matched many outfits perfectly...so i decided to pair up his designs to some great fashion finds. though rather challenging, i found it extremely fun. it's like a game. i like games, but only if i win. so i hope i scored a homerun today with this post. jolene.

Maximising The Potential Of Small Spaces

If your living space is small and restrictive you will need to adopt the tricks of the interior design world to give the illusion of more space!

White is a classical example of maximising space by tricking the eye into thinking the space is larger than reality. Brushed steel and reflective surfaces are another trick used as the light is bounced around the room which again provides the illusion of more space.

Many people place a mirror on a chimney breast as older houses typically have the window directly opposite the fireplace! Maximising the light by placing a mirror to catch as much natural light as possible has been adopted for many years!

White is also an ideal choice for kitchens and bathrooms as bright white has a clean, crisp look, especially when new! Be careful though otherwise your home could become an uninviting steely icy place which makes you feel cold! The easiest route and key is to add subtle touches of a vibrant warm colour such as red or orange.

Just select a few carefully placed objects of interest and add the finishing touches such as either a white or coloured roller blind to the window which will allow the maximum amount of light to enter the room when pulled or rolled up to the top of the window. Roller blinds are also ideal for lowering to a height which prevent glare from sunlight when working in the sink area, because just like older styled houses have windows opposite the fireplaces, they also have kitchen windows above the sink!

Image: AtticMag

Everything Is Going To Be All White!

Among the latest interior design styles is to have rooms which are completely white from ceiling to floor and everything in between! Whilst this design style may provide sleek clean lines is it a style which really suits most people's lifestyles?

Don't misunderstand, I adore white and yet I realistically know that even one scuff mark or grubby fingerprint can make the whole scheme look marred! This in itself does not lend to family ways of living and yet having white does have its own distinct and unique advantages.

Firstly if kept well maintained it does always provide you with a crisp, clean look every time you enter the room. It is also one of the most cost effective ways to decorate and dress a room. White emulsion paint is the least expensive on the market along with white Venetian PVC blinds which are available in a wide range of different widths and lengths to suit windows of all sizes. These are also easy to keep clean as the latest designs have an anti-dust coating which reduces the amount of dust build up!

Using large mirrors has always been an effective way to brighten a room and give the illusion of more space. Whilst painting floor boards is the in-trend thing to do rather than just having stripped pine.

Bedding is always available in white, with many people preferring to use white sheets irrespective of the colour of their duvets, and like blinds are among the low cost bedding options.

So rather than viewing an all white room with trepidations think of the stunning looks which can be achieved on the smallest of budgets and you may just change your mind!

Image: AtticMag

The Hollywood Broadway Residence Lobby

this just in courtesy of this months vogue and apartment therapy. the highly anticipated sneak peak into the newest personal residence by wearstler. i've been dying to see inside the house for years now and finally today is the day. so what do we think? did she let oliver and elliot design the stairwell...?
in love with these chairs.

love this floor it's similar to the one we did for the hollywood/ broadway residence lobby.

80s to the max...this is what i definitely love to hate...only because i'm a product of the 80s myself. so if feel like i get it.
i feel like this may be more beautiful if seen in person. like the mater bathroom in the last residence the walls are some fantastic book matched stone.
hi versace leopard? love those tall doors with the matching pediments seen though out the home.

An excerpt from the Vogue October feature:

In the new house, even the shoes and vintage hats in her enviably appointed closet are scrupulously color coded—and so are her sons' bedrooms. Elliott's room is burnt apricot, with a bird's-eye maple four-poster bed and faux-crocodile wallpaper, while his brother, Oliver, has Memphis chairs in his cerulean-blue bathroom and a Tiffany-blue tufted sofa. (Wearstler has claimed that her proudest decorating moment was when "my sons told me how much they loved their bedrooms.")

But Wearstler's palette can be subtler, too. In the den that resembles a pickled-oak humidor, she has created a setting for a Roger Moore-era James Bond, complete with horn-legged tables, black-lacquer-and-brass furnishings and objects, ebony leather Chesterfield sofas, and an alarmingly over scaled nude sculpture (torsos, busts, and other statuary abound in the house; "There are a lot of other people living here!" she says, laughing).

so i know i posted this book as book of the week before, but...i just couldn't resist posting again. amanda

Modern Nursery Style Alternatives

Decorating a nursery has become much easier now that people have the opportunity to know which sex there baby has before its born! No more yellow or middle ground colours, if people so choose they can paint a nursery the traditional blue for a boy and pink for girl. However, many modern parents don't like these stereotypical approaches and still prefer to opt for middle ground colours which suit either gender.

Of course there are many parents who make the decision not to be told the sex of their child as they still like the surprise element after the birth! Which ever you chose is of course up to each individual. Those who prefer to use the middle ground have a whole host of wonderful colours which they can decorate a nursery to choose from.

Teal blue and biscuit beige are great colour combinations for a nursery. Blinds are a great alternative to curtains, however be sure to use the child friendly operating version to reduce the risk of accidents.

Adding touches of white provides a clean and 'new' look as well as a clean feel without making a room feel or look to clinical! You should be looking for options which are easy to achieve and simple to keep clean. Polished wooden floors are perfect for nurseries as there is no risk of spoiling carpets when little accidents occur!

If you feel the need for something warm under your feet a fluffy shag pile rug is the ideal solution as these can be cleaned or changed for a different colour or style as the baby starts crawling and walking.

Image: AtticMag

Vintage Revivals In Kitchens

Fitted kitchens are in many ways becoming a thing of the past as interior designers or those who stamp their own unique identity on their home as realising that to be unique you have to inject your own personality into your rooms!

Country cottage inspired kitchens are in-trend with the return of large white enamel sinks and units and wall cupboards which are not all identical, each brings it's own touch of flair to the design. Shelving to display treasures and 'finds' are also back in-vogue, along with shelving and storage spaces having fabric curtain style coverings rather than doors.

Bring a room together by using identical fabric for the window dressing is a great way to keep individualism and yet bring a room's style together quite effortlessly. The colour and pattern of the fabric use use is a matter of personal taste and that's why this style of interior will create a completely unique look irrespective if every house in a street had the same layout.

Opting for vertical stripes is a great way to give the illusion of more height as it naturally draws the eye upwards. The latest roll up blinds give a window an ideal window treatment for kitchens as they fir snugly inside the window recess and don't interfere with worktop or sink areas, as well as being ideal for adjusting to different levels depending on how much strong sunlight is entering the room along with be easy to drop down at night or if you need some privacy from neighbours or passers by!

Image: Absolutely Beatutiful Things

jsb: living room

so in an earlier post, i showed some inspiration photos of my 'ralph lauren' bedroom. it's almost there...a little more diy love, and i'll have pictures up on the blog and website. now, on to the living room. i love to look at inspiration photos on other blogs, which allows me to file them away in my 'jsb living room inspiration' folder (i also have one for the bathroom, kitchen, office, dining room...i know i'm not alone). i am probably 50% there on the living room, i cannot wait to see it finished! oh, and for the record, the drapes are salmon, not pink, husband. jolene.

tufted ottoman, mine is more rectangular

inspiration for the tufted sofa. mmm.

ideas for textured solid pillows...not for color.

neutral color palette and tufting.

pillows on sofa. check.

and my favorite of all...the color palette!!! burnt sienna (salmon, not pink) for drapery, neutral nomad colorway for walls, honey yellow for pillows and rug, iron pantone for tufted ottoman. love love love it!

Match Blinds And Curtains To Create Stunning Contemporary Interiors

Today's interior design focus on maximising space by having only the barest of furniture without any nik-naks on display, everything neat, tidy and in it's place. Do most people's homes look like that in reality or is it just a pipe dream for most?

If most people were honest it's how they would like to live and it may be possible for singles and couples, however once a family starts to grow homes take on a a new lease of life in many different ways! If you really adore the sleek, clean lines of contemporary design styles keeping them completely clutter free is virtually impossible once babies and children arrive!

The master bedroom may be one place where you can keep true to your favoured design style, which just help you struggle your way through sleepless nights and crack of dawn awakenings! However, the chances of it remaining entirely child free is somewhat remote as you won't be able to resist the temptation to have a least one photograph either on the dressing table or wall!

Dream homes are brilliant ways to be inspired and re-focus. It is even most to imitate the styles you see without having to have the designer price tag attached. Look for blinds and curtains made from the same fabrics and in the same colour. Have subtle hints of the same colour on your pillow slips and your room can be simply and affordably transformed.

The one saving grace for these contemporary interiors is they actually take far less time to clean and tidy, which in itself is an inspirational reason for creating them!

Image: Freshome

Don't Restrict The Use Of Blinds Just For Windows!

The humble blind has more uses than purely window treatments. With a little ingenuity and the necessity to either keep the sun light out along with prying eyes, blinds of all types can be used throughout your home.

Roller or Roman blinds are ideal to use on back doors which are half glass. Wonderful country cottage looks can be achieved using either a plain neutral colour or a beautiful floral fabric, whilst modern homes look equally stunning with bold stripes or patterned blinds.

Blinds are also a great way to cover shelving in alcoves in older styles of home as they are easy to operate along with giving full exposure to the space when it needs to be utilised. Venetian blinds can work equally as well to give a contemporary look when the latest mirrored or perforated designs are used.

Swag and tail curtains typically are used in conjunction with a roller or vertical blinds as this enables privacy at night without having to disrupt the glorious chic look of the curtains. Homes which have pristine window dressing, such as swags and tails, which always look immaculate are created by always leaving the curtains exactly in place! This 'trick of the trade' can also be used to have stunning window dressings without having to have the usual amounts of curtain fabric, however once you have made the choice just to have swags and tails for show only, you will not be able to close them completely even if you wanted to, so give careful consideration as to the disadvantages this may have particularly during the winter months when you need to reduce heat loss through your windows by closing the curtains at night.

Image: My Notting Hill

Inexpensive Bathroom Makeovers To Beat The Winter Blues!

One of the latest design trends is 'colour clashing' or choosing colours which are not usually recognised as being compatible. An excellent example of this is lime green coordinated with plum or aubergine or burnt orange teamed with ochre. Therefore if you have an old style bathroom suite colour of sage green coordinating with white tiles along with stripped floorboards, also painted white, and replacing your current window dressing with a white blind will provide a striking style which will not appear so out of fashion!

Likewise if you have a powder blue bath opt for a contemporary look by decorating the room with a vibrant contrasting colours such as post box red for a trendy and fun look. Of course you can always opt for a vintage look by coordinating powder blue with candy floss pink, along with a floral theme which provides a country cottage style with touches of pale green or cream.

Change the blinds for styles with spotty fabric in sherbet shades and add a chair with the seat recovered in a candy coloured stripes. Include vintage pieces such as large jugs and bowls to add focal points to the room, along with subtle touches of cohesion by having towels edged with the same fabric as the chair seat or blinds.

Above all have fun mixing colours and rather than be depressed by your old bathroom suite turn it to your advantage by simply adding new aspects which will lift your morale and beat the winter blues!

Image: Belle Maison

The 4 C's ! Create Colour Coordinated Chic!

You have probably heard of the three R's in the UK, but have you ever heard of the 4 C's?
* Create
* Colour
* Coordinated
* Chic

Interior design styles which are easy to achieve and inexpensive can easily be put together if you think of the 4 C's!

Create: How you create your interior design style reflects your personality and shows people more than you may expect about yourself and your preferred lifestyle! Therefore think wisely about your choices, don't merely opt for the latest fashion fad in interior design, create styles which you enjoy and love being in!

Colour: The colours you choose says a lot about you! And whilst you may not be one for old wives tales and past folklore, colour therapists will beg to differ as the colour used in your home has hidden meanings whether you are aware of them or not!

Coordinated: Coordinating does not necessarily mean everything has to match. What it does mean it that to create a coordinated look to your home you should choose colours which compliment each other, along with a strong accent colour. The term 'strong' does not have to be taken literally, meaning you have to have at least one controlling shade or tone! Soft pastels such as soft candy pink or duck egg blue can be excellent accent colours for white or ivory rooms. Use accent colours for blinds, curtains, cushions and rugs and you will pull the room together to give a sense of balance and cohesion.

Chic: This term may be open to debate and misinterpretation as one person's perception of chic may be miles apart from someone else's! The basic principle here is to keep rooms purposeful and meaning full. You can mix colours and designs to create a chic interiors which ooze stunning style, as long as they work well for you and you are comfortable living with them!

Images: Habitually Chic