Archive for the ‘Design’ Category

Posted on October 18, 2009 - by Estate Manager

Fall Decorating on the Cheap

This week at Hearthstone House we have been very busy in preparations for fall. We made or reused items around the house and spent $5.00 total on supplies. I bought a wheat bundle and some small ornamental pumpkins from the grocery store.  I wanted to decorate for both Halloween and Thanksgiving with out breaking the bank. So I went through closets, cabinets and the basement looking for items and supplies that had a fall feel to them. One easy project that I came up with was making pumpkin lanterns out of strips orange construction paper, metal brads and green ribbon.  The Bird and I simply cut long strips of paper then punched a hole on each end of the strips and secured them with the metal brads or fasteners to create a sphere. Then we added the ribbon to create a stem, that also acts as a loop to hang the pumpkin from. We are hanging ours from a thin gauge floral wire, gently secured to our drapery rod in our family room windows.

Another project we worked on was decorating our mantel. I removed some white vases and candlesticks and made room for a fall vignette of a wheat bundle, small pumpkins, a decorative tray and Publix collectible salt and pepper shakers from my mother-in-law. The finishing touch is a K & Company glittered letter banner, I bought last year on clearance for 50 cents.

Our front entry table was the next spot that we took on, usually I have two frames with family photos and a small candlestick lamp. I replaced the photos and found a large round woven tray from my kitchen and used it as the anchor for this this vignette. Then by The Bird’s suggestion I moved the candlesticks from the living room, added an orange art glass bowl from the upstairs bathroom and placed an animated Halloween stuffed animal from the girls room. The result is cute and not creepy.

Finally we spent some time in the kitchen creating charming monsters out of Rice Krispies Treats, Fruit Flavored Twizzlers, M&M’s, and Trail Mix. We added our food coloring before mixing the Rice Krispies and marshmallow mixture together, then made clumps with our hands, and finally created the faces with the candy.

Here are all the images of the fun we had, the step by step process and the results.

Posted on September 30, 2009 - by Estate Manager

Design Candy- Where the Wild Things Are

After searching around the other day for party ideas for Where the Wild Things Are I was inspired to find and create a sample board based on the art direction from the new film. I wanted to try and capture the different elements of the story by using texture and color. Specifically I wanted to find objects that represented Max’s crown, the wild things fur, and the forest.

1. Twig Lamp Collection from Z Gallerie

2. Sunburst Wood Mirror from Ballard Designs

3. Lotus Wall Covering from Farrow and Ball

4. Where The Wild Things Are Movie Poster

5. Woods Wall Covering from Cole and Son

6. 2 x 3 Rag Shag Rug from Urban Outfitters

7. Angelica Pillow from Crate and Barrel

8. Driftwood Table by Pieces

9. Cornell Tufted Wing Chair from Horchow

10. African Printed Sheer Window Panel from West Elm

11. Where The Wild Things Are Book get at Amazon.com

12. Rustic Leaf Hurricane from Crate and Barrel

13. Green Glass Vase from Crate and Barrel

14. Porcupine Quill Mirror from Horchow

15. Mongolian Lamb Pillow Cover from West Elm

16. White Twig Chandelier from Pieces

17. Driftwood Mirror from Pieces

Posted on September 19, 2009 - by Estate Manager

House Beautiful at ADAC

On Thursday this week, I was invited to attend House Beautiful’s Color Institute at the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center (ADAC). The event was open to local interior designers and magazine subscribers and the day was devoted to discussions on color trends, historical aspects of color and whats next. I wanted to share some of my findings with you and give you a sneak peak for 2010.

Interior Design Color Preview for 2009-2010

Another aspect of color and design is always looking to the past to reinvent colors for the future. One discussion I enjoyed and found compelling was the idea of classicism. If it worked in centuries past, it will work today. Historical colors, design forms and design movements are always in style and can be interchanged using the principles of scale, balance, and proportion. For example a Coco Chanel jacket from the 1920’s was an instant classic back then and today the same jacket is just as relevant with skinny jeans, ballet flats and a menswear tank.

The same idea can be applied to interior design. If we take a look at a historical Louis XV oval back chair and then look at a contemporary version we see that the same form is there, it just has an updated look.

Posted on May 24, 2009 - by Estate Manager

New Lights, New Window Treatments

We added a few additions to the Hearthstone House office this weekend. We headed to IKEA and to Room and Board for some inspiration and ideas.  At IKEA we couldn’t resist these $10.00 light kits for the bookcases and these simple panels for the windows. Slade installed the kits and it made all the difference, they highlight the mahogany wood and offer ambient light rather than harsh task lighting. We opted to mount them to the top of the book case rather than use the clamp. The lights have a vintage and or industrial aesthetic and tone down the formal look of the unit while also unifying the look of Slade’s stainless steel desk. The panels have silver grommets which I prefer over tab top panels because they create an illusion of a pleat and hang neatly. We mounted the hardware as close to the crown molding as possible to visually draw the eye upward. This is a little design trick used to make the ceilings seem higher.

Posted on May 15, 2009 - by Estate Manager

Office Update

Even with everything going on we have found some time in the evenings to work on the office. Here are some updates as promised. We temporarily moved the office to the dining room and we are in the middle of putting everything back into the office. Hopefully, by next week we will back to normal. I love how it looks and can’t wait to add to it.

Posted on May 4, 2009 - by Estate Manager

Office Update Continued

Slade and I just finished painting our second coat of paint in the office. Tomorrow night we are going to paint the crown molding and the base molding. We are using Benjamin Moore  AC-31 Hot Spring Stones it is a warm gray color. Here are some before images of the office and the office empty just before painting. I’ll post some more pictures tomorrow.

Slade was able to pick up the entertainment center on Sunday. It is six boxes down in the basement. We are planning on putting it together on Wednesday night.

Posted on May 1, 2009 - by Estate Manager

Hearthstone House Office Update

Some of you may know the dirty little secret that is the Hearthstone House Office. The office has been the eye sore our home for quite some time, it was an Ikea wasteland with our apartment cast offs but thanks to last week’s garage sale all the furniture is gone. Unfortunately, now our TV, files, books, Cd’s, and DVDs are on the floor. So for the past week or so I have been on the hunt for a large bookcase- TV stand- storage thing to help get everything in one place. This was not an easy task. We wanted to get something substantial to weight the back wall and give some architecture to the space. Everything I was finding was $1800 and higher. Our budget was more like $800. We kept looking at a Crate n Barrel, Ikea, Potterybarn, and Ballard Designs. And then I came across JC Penny and found an identical unit to Potterybarn.  Orginally marked 1999.99 we got ours for 799.00 plus tax and free shipping because we are picking it up from the store. I am so excited we are picking it up on Sunday. Now this week Slade and I will be painting, installing new electrical switches and outlets and hanging new window treatments. I will keep you posted on our progress. Take a look at the two side by side.

Posted on March 5, 2009 - by Estate Manager

Design Friday- Jonathan’s Patio

Jonathan is a wonderful friend of Slade and myself. We met him through a close friend when we lived in San Diego a few years back. Jonathan’s bachelor pad (hint, hint  ladies) is a new construction town home that has cozy patio. Jonathan asked me if I could offer some suggestions in the design of his space. After looking at the photos and shopping around I came up with some ideas. I need to just say I am not an expert in gardening, but do enjoy to dabble in it. Some of the issues he needed addressed were privacy and limited space for seating.

One concept for the design is hanging outdoor drapery on either side of the railing and having one or two low maintenance hanging plants in the center to help give a sense privacy. (I am not sure if this will fly with his Home Owner’s Assoc. but it was my initial thought.) Another concept is that the furniture he has should be multi-functional/portable. Jonathan loves the beach and outdoor activities so I thought that teak folding chairs would be great for the patio and for the beach or desert. Also a simple Chinese garden stool can act as seating or side table for a drink. The easiest way to create ambiance is by lighting, I would suggest a simple candle chandelier and a votive holder for the side table. And finally texture, a sea grass or sisal rug will give the space a more room like appearance and add dimension. As for plants, the patio needs a focal point on farthest wall, I would suggest a rectangular planter with a trellis so we can create some height and dimension to the wall.  Below are some images of the types furniture and accessories that would work.

1. Cherry Cross Folding Chairs from Amazon

2. Milano Folding Chairs from Walmart.com

3. Wood Folding Cafe Table and Chairs from Urban Outfitters

4. Vista 5-Position Reclining Chair from OverStock.com

5. Oxblood Chinese Garden Stool from Legend of Asia

6. Hip Haven Retro Bullet Planter from Velocity Art and Design

7. Lerdal Ceiling Light from Ikea

8. Gallery Tall Rectangler Metal Planter from Plantcontainers.com

9. Narrow Metal Trellis from Smith and Hawken

10. All Weather Mat from Potterybarn

11. Global Pillow from CB2

12. Smart Candle Light from CB2

13. & 14. Succulent plantings for planter boxes

Posted on February 10, 2009 - by Estate Manager

Design Candy- Circus

These rich colors, bold patterns and ionic images are this week’s design candy. Each week I hope to have a new photo collage of design beauties to inspire you. Let me know if there is something you would like to see.  Your favorite movie? Your favorite color? Inspired by food? Send me an idea and I’ll come up with a design board based on your inspiration. We will call this segment design candy based on the idea of eye candy, things you can’t look away from because they are just so tasty to look at.

I hope you enjoy!

1. Circus Sign Through The View Finder Photo Print found on Etsy

2. Velour Bolster Pillows from Osborne and Little

3. Child’s Circus Tent from Restoration Hardware

4. & 8. Osborne and Little Fabric

6. Ring Master Hat found on Etsy

7. Ralph Lauren Trunk

9. Jonathon Adler Pillow

10. Marquee Light from Urban Outfitters

11. A Day at the Circus Print found on Etsy

12. Red Velvet Side Chair with Nail Trim

13. Black and Amber Chandelier from Horchow

14. Silk Striped Curtains from Horchow

15. Vintage Circus Postcard Advertisement

16. Circus Pillow

17. Red Wish Tickets from 100 Wishes

18. Mirrored Steamer Trunk from Sundance

19. Salt and Pepper Shakers from Urban Outfitters

20. Classic Thonet Bent Wood Chair

21. Circus Flea Silhouette from Etsy

22. Vintage Circus Print from Allposters.com

23. Strawberry Taffy Sticks from 100 wishes

24. Ottoman from Eastern Accents

25. Wing back with scroll arms from Horchow

26. Red Wine Glasses from PierOne

Posted on February 6, 2009 - by Estate Manager

Design Fridays- Master Bath

In an effort to keep myself current and relevant in the design world, I am going to start a design column that I will post regularly on Fridays. I would love to take your design dilemmas, questions or inspirations and write about them, offer suggestions or give advice on how-to’s. For starters I am going to show some Hearthstone House rooms that are in process. By no means is Hearthstone House a show piece, but I would like to think of it as my laboratory where I experiment and learn. It is one thing to have a great idea but another to execute it and have it look great.

This week we will take a look at Hearthstone House’s Master Bath.

Slade and I painted the bathroom last spring and hung the draperies around the garden tub. The paint color is Italian Gray 7125-1 by Porter Paints but it does read more as a blue hue in person. We also changed out the lighting fixture and added a minimal amount of accessories.

So I think we have a good start but I would love to add to it. Here is a punch list/wish list of how I would like to see it finished of once we have some more time and money. The last six images are some of my proposed ideas.

1. Towel Racks

2. Chandelier for above Garden Tub

3. Roman Shade for window

4. Large Leaning Venetian Type Mirror

5. Ottoman in front of Leaning Mirror

6. New Light Switches/Sockets

7. Frame out mirror with trim molding in front of sink

8. Artwork

Anything I forgot? Anything you would change? Let me know.