Happy Valentines Day

Just popping in to wish you a happy Valentines Day!

Sping trends

The periphery of spring is coming more to the forefront (especially here in NC where I'm already seeing daffodils blooming!)  And for those who might still be buried under mounds of snow, you can at least bring some of these spring trends inside to add a little cheer and color .

Pantone named Emerald Green as its 2013 color of the year.  We've already seen this color popping up in clothing and apparel, and it's going to be big in home decor as well.  Used in small doses or totally saturating the room, emerald green is lively, lush and luxurious!

 

Another trend for spring is bright, bold graphics and florals for fabrics.  Big bursts of blooms and multicolor stripes and geometrics will be wrapping their way around furnishings and finding their way into our living spaces.  

And just as we have peeled down old wallpaper and decreed to banish wallpaper forever, these beautiful prints will steal our hearts and our wall spaces.

Much like wallpaper's triumphant return after being banished into exile, brass is making a comeback too.  We'll see brass in metal finishes like lamps and mirrors and knickknacks, but we're also going to see it in hardware such as door knobs, drawer pulls and handles.  

Art will also make its way into homes like never before.  Not just for museums and galleries and homes of nobility, art has become much more accessible.  Etsy lead the way with its 7,000,000 users who helped to bring Etsy's revenue to over 314 million dollars in 2010!  Shoppers can buy originals or prints for $50.00 or less and they can even commission their own pieces. Stores like Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and even Target are featuring artists who got their start on Etsy.  Here are a few of my favorite pieces.  

Former Greensboro, NC resident, Jordan Grace Owens

Ashley G

Urban Outfitters

Alyson Fox

So, there you have it-- my top 5 predictions for Spring 2013 trends.  Do you have any favorites, and what other trends are you projecting will be hot for this coming Spring?

Monday blues

I'm back from a cold but glorious weekend of snowboarding (well, actually it was more like mountain rolling) in Snowshoe, W.V.  The thermometer bottomed out at -1 which actually felt like -25 with the windchill.  Despite the cold, it was a great time.  But here I sit on Sunday night with a little case of the Monday Blues.  So in honor (or is it in spite of) those Monday bluesy blahs, I bring to you the most beautiful hues of blues I can find!

TURQUOISE

I'm totally obsessed with the color turquoise, and if I had my way, I would most likely paint every room in my house some shade or tint of that color. But as it is, I share this lovely place with 4 others who also have a say.  I've never met a turquoise that I didn't like, and I think this color is so universal.  It's used on southern porch ceilings to replicate the sky, it's perfect for a child's room, and it works so well in so many combos (turquoise and yellow, turquoise and coral, turquoise and hot pink, turquoise and orange, turquoise and chartreuse or lime or emerald green-- you get the picture.)  When I think of turquoise, I immediately feel warm and peaceful, as if I'm looking out over the calm Turquoise sea in Sardinia, Italy.

If you like turquoise as much as I do, you might enjoy one of my favorite blogs, house of turquoise that runs the gamut of all things turquoise.

COBALT

Cobalt is another beautiful and sea drenched blue.  This color is much deeper and richer and brings to mind old architectural blueprints or vintage glass bottles.  I once painted a bedroom this color and loved it.  This color is so strong and beautiful when mixed with white (and look at that blueprint!)

NAVY

This color is so sophisticated and structured and handsome.  Right out of the academy this color says it's in charge.  Navy is the disciplined brother of black.  Not nearly as rebellious, but serious and sexy.  Rooms in this color are classic, and preppy, like a wool blazer or a peacoat, which is probably why it looks so good with a bit of gold accent (the buttons) and white (the oxford underneath.)  Try mixing in some woods and rich leathers for a little more sophisticated elegance.  

CAROLINA BLUE

It's in my blood, (it is my alma mater, and I did cheer for Carolina my freshmen year.)  It's the color of the sky, it's the color that we see when the molecules in the air scatter more blue light from the sun than red light.  Instead of asking the age old question of "why is the sky blue?" we should ask ourselves, "why wouldn't the sky be blue?"  It's beautiful, it's ethereal, it's dreamy, it's a warm sunny afternoon.  Another southern porch ceiling favorite, this color whispers as softly as a cloud.  It's quiet and understated, but yet so comforting.  

After looking at all these wonderful shades of blue, I'm feeling calm and relaxed and ready to let Monday roll in.  Hope you have a happy Monday too!

Everything is going to be allwhite

Today's adventure is brought to you by the color white!  You may be saying to yourself, "I didn't think white was a color."  Well, in my color theory class we are learning about the ways that color exists, so you may be wrong or you may be right in your thinking.  In color as light, white is a color.  In color as a pigment, white is not a color.  In color as vision and reflection, it kind of blends the two answers together, because white reflects all the colors of the visible light spectrum to the eyes, so therefore, it is a color too, and in the interior design world, we definitely refer to it as a color.

As we pack up to head out of town on a snowy adventure, I am thinking about bright and vivid white.  It's the color of ultimate purity, This color brings feelings of peace and comfort while it dispels shock and despair. White can be used to give yourself a feeling of freedom and uncluttered openness. However, too much white can give feelings of separation and can be cold and isolation.  I love white, I love how color pops against white, I love the juxtaposition of warm woods in  white rooms.  Everyone who knows me well, knows that one day, I will paint my kitchen cabinets white.  But for now, let's just look at these beautiful white rooms.  

This first room works so well because of all the wood and tone and that window!  The sofa is layered with many colors and textures of pillows that add a softness and coziness to the space.

Again, this dining room combines white walls, white furniture and rich, dark wood.  I'm totally digging the pops of yellow too!

I love that pink flower ceiling pendant, the pink throw, and the varying sizes of art and photos on the wall.  I'm also loving that washed out herringbone wood floor!  This room looks like a happy, vibrant, fun and cozy place to hang for a while.

And finally, this lovely dining room.   The round table and the vintage industrial tolix metal chairs work so well with the modern art and the traditional chandelier with the metal covering.   It seems that I'm finding a theme of white and wood floors (although, I do have to say I'm still smitten with white rooms and white floors too!)

I'll be back in a while to hopefully share some pictures of a lovely weekend in the mountains with lots of fresh snow, and maybe even take on a post about my white kitchen obsession!

In one of my classes we are working on a pool house for a fictitious client who lives right outside of Charleston, SC.  The house has a modern feel, and the pool house will be constructed from an old shipping container.  I've collected some of my inspiration onto a pinterest board and will be adding in pictures of my sketches and elevations soon.  I'm imagining a long glass wall (well actually sliding glass doors) with this beautiful two way fireplace right in the center.

I would also love to use this custom ping pong table on the outside that would convert nicely into a dining table to accommodate up to 10 people!

I would have at least 2 of these on the outsides with a table in between.  

I'll update you with some bits and pieces of the insides in the next little bit.  What would you do with your converted shipping container?  Turn it into a mountain getaway, a guest house, or just a private retreat from the daily hustle and bustle?  Feel free to check out my pinterest board for more of my inspiration sources!
http://pinterest.com/generalsew/pool-house/

hello blog world

As part of my adventures as an Interior Design student, I'm taking the dive into the blogging world.  In the course of semesters to come, I will share my design style, my sources of inspiration, and my growth and progress as an interior designer.  I hope to bring a fresh and playful approach to the world of interior design.  There is beauty in life, and as a designer, it will be my goal to find beauty in the simple, the mundane, the everyday and ordinary.

As I keep trying to come up with a name for my design company, I waffle from name to name, but for some reason, I think of birds, or chicks, of girls with ducks on their shoulders or church cupola chicken coops, and I've landed on Chickgirl Designs.   So, today, along with my first post, I'll share this example of finding something beautiful in the simple, the mundane, the everyday and the ordinary. 

Enjoy!