Welcome to part two of Carmen Natschke’s 25 top finds from Maison et Objet in Paris. And if you missed the first five finds from The Decorating Diva you had best get hunting for part one!
Interesting use of materials was another trend on show at Maison. This Now’s Home coffee table sports a tiled look of leather strips combined with diamond shaped metal inlays. Continue Reading…
Rebbecca Ward is one of Sacramento’s foremost interior designers and when one of her clients bought a home and wasn’t sure what to do with the formal living room, well, who else would they turn to?
Rebecca’s solution was to turn the room into a study complete with built in shelving and file cabinets, wood flooring a writing desk and plenty of places to lounge.
The publications Gail Shields-Miller’s work has been featured in read like a who’s who in shelter mags with projects of her New York City based company Shields and Company Interiors in Architectural Digest, Veranda, New York Spaces, Interior Design and many others. Gail’s work caught our eye for the eclecticism and fearlessness with which she creates her stylish compositions. Her designs are warm, inviting and comfortable but never predictable.
When I spoke to her recently I started by asking Gail about how she blends surprising elements with otherwise traditional pieces. “I do get clients to mix it up.” she says. “Furniture should be comfortable and pleasing to the eyes but there should be things of interest, things that make a room stand out. It becomes a theater for me, a place to create a feeling. And every little thing counts.” As she speaks her enthusiasm is apparent. “When I see things I know if they will work, my brain works like that. I am always looking for something new.” For the last year many of her finds can bee seen on her successful blog Dezignlicious. Started because she wanted the stimulation of a new challenge, the blog tends to feature 21st century furniture and new design, of which Gail considers herself to be a supporter. “It is just a baby blog right now” says Gail, “But I love the feedback I’ve been getting and its going to get a lot bigger.” Continue Reading…
“You know how Justin Timberlake brought ‘sexy’ back to music? Well I want to bring ‘sexy and intimate’ back to interior design.” So says Jeffrey Brooks of Jeffrey Brooks Interior Design. And then he laughs. And throughout the interview we keep finding things to laugh and to smile about.
Jeffrey Brooks is a man who understands emotions and the role of art and, indeed, interior design in eliciting emotions. It is, perhaps, no surprise that Jeffrey is a practiced artist. He comes from an artsy family with a father who worked as a designer for an ornamental hardware company and an aunt who worked for Balenciaga and who would take the young Jeffrey to see, and appreciate, their fabric collections. He was happiest at school when he had the opportunity to use his hands to make something. Indeed as a child every empty box presented a challenge to transform into whatever his fertile imagination demanded. Continue Reading…
ReDesign of London, Ontario say that when they first set foot in the Markland House they half expected a machine gun wielding Tony Montana of Scarface fame to appear, yelling, “Say hello to my little friend!” And yes, there is more than a touch of 1980′s Miami to the before shots in this feature. No offense intended to Miami, of course, but we suspect you know what we mean.
We have featured ReDesign before and hope to feature them again before long. There are many very good things about this design group, not least their valiant crusade against waste. If something can be reused or re-purposed then that is what they do. The kitchen above is transformed despite keeping the existing cabinetry, installed five years ago, but adding new work surfaces, furniture, lighting, faucets.
This transformation, of the orange nightmare that called itself The Beechwood house, is by London, Ontario, based ReDesign and we shall be forever in their debt for sharing it with us. All credit to them for spotting the well hidden mid century features and, indeed, charm beyond the wood paneling and general gloom that pervaded every corner of this 1000 foot dwelling. The crisp living space has been achieved on a minimal budget with imaginative use of inexpensive materials and reusing whatever could be re-purposed. But not, apparently, the shag pile. Go on, click ‘more’ to see the shag pile. Continue Reading…
(Lori Andrews Photography)
Nyla Free is a designer who gets the details right. When you look at her work there is a sense of nothing being left to be done. Her mastery of finishing touches combines with a sense of balance and a love of light that make her designs sparkle with life.
Nyla has worked her way up through the interior design industry. She started at age 17 by attending a local college. From there she joined a local retail store as a design assistant. The store offered an interior design service to its clients some of whom remained loyal to Nyla when, while expecting her first child, she set up her own business from home.
She tells us that her hometown of Calgary, weathered the recession well. She describes it as – “very sophisticated and quite modern – full of well traveled people – a good source of clients”. Continue Reading…
Guest Blogger Tabitha Teuma, Editor of of Midcentury a new UK-based biannual publication which Modenus believes to be an essential read for lovers of modern retro, meets Cherrill Scheer – a Modern Icon. (Photograph Ben Anders www.benanders.com)
Hille are one of the great British furniture manufacturers of the 20th century. With a catalogue of design classics to their name and a tradition of bringing the work of young British designers to prominence, we were excited to spend the day with Cherrill Scheer, granddaughter of the company’s founder, and her husband Ian. And what a day it was. This vibrant couple gave us a tour of their architect-designed home as well as an insight into some truly unique pieces. Then, over an iced coffee in their luxurious living room, we learned how the Hille story is every bit as interesting as the furniture they produced. Continue Reading…
There is something very distinctive about interiors designed by Donna Grace McAlear. It is instantly apparent but it took me a while to define. Her rooms have a remarkable confidence; the space is balanced, comfortable and functions well. In her own words, Donna “allows space to breathe”. It is as if the furniture is set out like art exhibits in a very well thought out, user friendly gallery. And that makes sense because, before she became a design consultant and opened a business as New Mood Design Donna was, indeed, a fine art museum curator. The picture above is the family room of the Peak 8 Ski House – 6,000 square feet on three levels designed by Breckenridge architect Michael F. Gallagher. Continue Reading…
An interesting an important discussion is being launched here by our kitchen design expert and regular contributor Darren Morgan. Please feel free to leave a comment below or on our Facebook page. For more information about Darren, his work as kitchen designer, writer and speaker, please contact him through his website.
I like many understand the power of hope and the bitterness of disappointment. The everyday exchanges that make up our lives are potentially loaded with both these emotions. But no matter how proactive we are in trying to protect our hope from disappointment, inevitably sometimes our valiant efforts are unsuccessful!
The funny thing about hope is that you only experience it when looking forward while disappointment always occurs in the present or past. It therefore seems appropriate as we approach the end of 2011 to consider the impact of both disappointment and hope upon the kitchen industry. Continue Reading…