lovender

Maybe it's the spring flora with the lilacs and wisteria and other various purpley hued flowers all around, or this photo from Lonny Mag, but I am loving some lavender.

I've started a new pinterest board that is all about lavender, and the common theme that I'm finding is that I'm digging the cool lavender from the blue family.  Pair this with white, or cream and some sparkly, shimmery accents of gold or silver, and this lavender goes from little girl's room to sophisticated glam!  

ooh la la, c'est super chic!

warming lavender up with some warmer pinks and creams, and of course, a lovely open fireplace.

Add a punch of acidic chartreuse or mustard yellow to spice things up!

Lavender and turquoise also look quite nice side by side!

 And I do like some of the more red violets especially when mixed with reds and oranges.

Here are a few more of my favorite lavender rooms or accents.

Swedish modern lavender glam!  Love that print on the wall!

This yummy lavender oversized chair, or undersized sofa-- I think it could go either way, but whatever it is, it. is. lovely!

 Wham, Bam, thank you Glam!

What do you think?  Would you choose lavender for a room, and if so, how would you use it?

Scratch

In my Principles of Interior Design class we had a fun project concept for a cupcake shop in Charlotte, NC.  Our "client," Matthew Dwyer, is in his mid-40's and wanted to open a cupcake shop in Charlotte that featured interesting architectural details, in a modern style that avoided the typical juvenile or overly feminine colors of pink and purple.  He wanted something that would appeal to both sexes and that would age well.  I immediately thought of cognac and leather and chesterfield sofas, not just a manly man's space, but a space for a renaissance man with warm woods, a play of soft and hard, but adding a bit of industrial chic.  The color scheme we came up with was rich navy, white, gold, bronze and pops of chartreuse and a sprinkling of hot pink!

Mr. Dwyer stated that he loved the look and feel of old mills and had originally hoped to move his shop into the Johnston Mill in Charlotte's hip and trendy NoDa, but the cost of getting the mill restored has been too prohibitive and he's ready to open his shop now.  I grew up in a textile town right outside of Charlotte, and I definitely have an appreciation (bordering on obsession) with textiles mills, so I thought it would be nice to try to bring some of that character to Mr. Dwyer's new space.

At our first meeting, I mentioned the chesterfield sofa idea, and Matthew mentioned that he had just come back from London where he stayed at the W hotel, and that he had seen these beautiful oversized chesterfield sofas.  Right then, I knew that we were both on the same page!

Matthew also mentioned that one of his all time favorite restaurant/bars is the Pump Room  at PUBLIC in Chicago.  PUBLIC and the Pump Room are both projects commissioned by the jet-setting hotelier and entrepreneur, Ian Schrager, who was first known for co-founding Studio 54.  The Pump Room was once frequented by Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Bette Davis, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, and many others who were always looking for the hottest seat in the house, Booth One.  I had just seen some photos of the newly renovated Pump Room as it had just won an architectural design award, and commented on the beautiful light installment.  Matthew said that was one of his favorites too!  We decided that we would try to commission a much smaller piece for his shop.

The name of the cupcake shop is "Scratch," and I thought it would be fun to play off of the whole flour mill theme to add a bit more architectural detail, and give this new space a presence of history.  And so we started from the ground up.  The floors are a combination of wood and tile from Granada tile that overlap and merge almost seamlessly from one substrate to the other.  The feeling it conveys is almost like that of an archeological dig or perhaps that of a time worn mill floor.

To add a bit more "newly discovered character," we covered the long wall on the right side with a thin brick veneer typical of old mills and factories, and painted it in a creamy white to give it an updated look.  We built the cashwrap and counter out of reclaimed hardwoods in a variety of woods and finishes that gives it a rustic and well-worn feel, and topped it with a carrerra marble with white and cream and grey veining.  

We dropped the ceiling down over the counter area to enclose the space, and give it a sense of warmth and intimacy.  The walls behind are a mix of navy and the middle piece is a solid wood panel in a rich dark, deep finish that highlights the shop's logo.  The soffit is a bold chartreuse green that is repeated in some of the seating of the shop.  To the right of the counter is the cupcake display case and the special of the day board that features cupcakes like the Irish Car Bomb, Chocolate Walnut Brownie with Maple uttercream and a Bacon Bite, Chocolate Stout with Bailey's Buttercream Frosting, and Bourbon and Gingerbread!  For the lighter fare, or smaller fry, there's also Lemon with a Twist, and Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri with a Creamcheese Frosting!

Flanking the cash counter and the outward facing counter are these cute and quirky little stools by Sparkeology  appropriately named the cupcake!

The picture below shows the floor plan that was drawn up in autoCAD.  The entire front side is floor to ceiling glass!  

Here is the elevation of the front of the space.  Underneath the cash register is a little dark, so we decided to continue the pieced-wood like the bar.  

And below is the elevation of the long side wall with the lovely inspired light fixture from the Pump Room.  The center piece is from a salvaged silo that we cut crosswise and mounted to the wall as a seat.    Matthew had seen something similar on Lifetime's Picker Sisters show!  The custom seat features two swivel arm tables.  The custom 13 foot chesterfield sofas are from a company called Distinctive Chesterfields, and the seats are covered in navy blue velvet for durability while the backs are covered in a commercial grade velvet.  The featured wall art is a custom rendering of a nearby flour mill.  

We used the below image as an inspiration for the bathrooms.  The photo reminded us of mill houses, and we thought it would be a clever way to add a little architectural interest to the space while recalling more mill history.  

And here are just a few more pieces of inspiration that we used for Scratch.  If you're ever in the Charlotte area, you should stop in and check them out, and tell Matthew that Gina says "hi!"  ;)

Saarinan executive chair with chartreuse wool boucle fabric by Knoll for the chairs facing the chesterfield sofas and tables.  

Reclaimed rustic patina table tops that sit between the Saarinan chairs and the sofas.  

West Elm Love

I know it's not very green of me, but there's just something about opening up the mailbox to find magazines and catalogs --especially home and interior design stuff (and of course the most recent Anthro catalogue!)  One of the most exciting ones that I've received as of lately is the West Elm March "In Bloom" catalogue.  The front cover features yellows and a beautiful yellow and gray ikat print chair.

Yellow and I have a thing.  We have a long history and we work well together.  Yellow makes a statement, spreads warmth and radiates energy.  Yellow can be bold or subdued, it is a harbinger of spring, and I'm so glad to see it still being featured so prominently in the home design industry.

Aside from the beautiful chair, there's this lovely dhurrie rug.  Inspired by a Moroccan trellis, this yellow and cool gray rug would be a perfect foundation piece to brighten up a living space.  

Or if you aren't quite committed to a rug, you could add a dose of it with this pouf!

Here at Chez Hicks we've been discussing the possibility of  new side table, and this little yellow shiny number might just fit the bill!  It's fun and playful, but sleek and modern.  I think it would work perfectly to round out the balance of new meets old.

West Elm has also been rocking out the yellow love on facebook. If you haven't already liked them on fb, and you're crushing as hard as I am on hues of yellow and marigold, I highly suggest you head on over and give them a "like".

They've been posting their dream house of the day with beautiful yellows like these:

                                     

West Elm also has a blog in case you want to head over and look at some of their other color crushes and dream houses of the day!

  

Pool House Cabana Completion

Today, I am wrapping up my Pool House project for Mr. and Mrs. Smith.  The Smiths are a fictional  family of four, husband Jason, wife Elizabeth, and two children, Aidan and Anna ages 8 and 10.  They live in Mount Pleasant, SC which is a modern neighborhood on the outskirts of Charleston.  The Smiths have a great house, and a beautiful swimming pool and were looking to build a poolhouse without breaking the bank.  The Smith's realized that their proximity to the Charleston port offered them an affordable opportunity by repurposing a shipping container.  The clients expressed need for:

• Covered living and dining space that could accomodate at least 4 people.
• A space for reading, and playing cards
• Views of the swimming pool
• An open and airy feel
• Additional storage

After building a 3-D model out of foam core to scale, we created a presentation board and today, we gave our presentation to the class.  Whew, I was a bit nervous (just like my paint swatch color Nervy Hue.)

We've been working on this project since the beginning of the semester (so a little more than 2 months) and it feels good to have it under my belt.  I've definitely learned a lot about traffic patterns, fenestrations, floor plans, elevations, cutting foam core, and what kind of rubber cement works best.

Here is a photo of the inside of my model with the double-sided fireplace.  The fireplace is concrete and would be flanked by  two pairs of 5 foot sliding glass doors.  

Here is the exterior overhead shot of the shipping container

And here is the floor plan of the container.  

This is the presentation board that features almost all of the elements in the container. 

From top left you see a daybed made from pallets with a twin sized mattress covered in an indoor outdoor white twill.   The daybed uses metal pipe and flanges to create the sides and backbar, and the bed is covered in an assortment of fabrics including the blue and white stripes, the small yellow and green chevron, a blue and green woven, and these two Trina Turk for Schumacher fabrics.

To the right of the daybed, you will see the two-way fireplace inspiration that I also mentioned in a previous post.  The fireplace will be functional from both inside the poolhouse as well as outside and is one of the two key components to the pool house.

To the right of the fireplace is the custom ping-pong table that was inspired by the 2012 Coastal Living Ultimate Beach House, but the one for the pool house will be striped in white Sherwin Williams Dyanmic Blue and the bases will be Nervy Hue.  The ping-pong table does double dutu as a dining table that can acommodate 8-10 seats including these foam primary poufs in blue and green that are perfect for a group of kids, and the adults can relax in these lightweight, but comfy, Kubrick chairs.

Beside the ping-pong table are the color swatches and our lighting and mirror.  The mirror is from Roost, and has been made from old salvaged recycled scaffolding.  The light fixture is by Zuo and will be used over the daybed as well as the reading nook.

Underneath the daybed are an assortment of fabrics that will be used for the daybed and for the cushions on the daybed and in the reading nook.  The muti-striped fabric will be used as a curtain that can open and close giving the Smith children a hide-away space to read or play.  The reading nook is a custom built-in that features low cabinets with doors (for storage) and a foam cushion that spans the width of the shipping container (7'7") and is covered in a small tonal green on yellow chevron fabric.

In the center of the board, you will see a photo of the 3-D model that shows the back of the shipping container and the fireplace as well as the ping-pong table.  To the right of the photo are the fabric selections from Trina Turk.  Directly below those fabric swatches are the flooring choices which include a concrete that is stained and stamped to look like wood (both inside the poolhouse as well as outside) and a rug that is used on either side of the indoor lounge spaces.

On the bottom row right side, is the oversized Knotted Melati Hanging Chair from Anthropologie.  The design includes two of these on the exterior of the pool house so the Smith children won't argue over who gets to sit in them!  Between the two swings is a lighted solar-powered side table that can also function as a seat.  Beside the stool is another stool, the Prince Aha Stool in bright bold blue.  There are a total of 5 of these stools that can be moved around from space to space to create additional seating.  The stools are super fun and kid friendly and offer additional storage to boot! Then we have the Kubrick chair again-- a pair of these chairs are inside the poolhouse, and a pair are on the patio, but again, these chairs can be moved from zone to zone to create different seating arrangements.  Between the two Kubrick chairs on the patio is a Prince Aha Stool used as a side table.

The very last picture on the bottom row is a standing height metal table by Quovis.  We decided to customize the color of the table so we powder-coated it in Pantone's 2013 color of the year, Emerald Green.  Beneath the table are two storage ottomans on casters from Ballard Designs.  The ottomans are covered in the bold ikat print by Trina Turk.  These ottomans can be pulled over to either of the lounge areas, or can be pulled up to enjoy the fire inside the poolhouse.

Look!  Somebody else thought these Trina Turk fabrics would be perfect for a pool house!

Everyone in the class did such a great job designing, rendering and presenting their poolhouses.  I was really surprised by how differently we all approached the design.  Some poolhouses were really sophisticated, some were playful, some were eco-friendly and some people even cut their shipping containers into pieces and flipped them.  There were some neat products as well.  Tables that could be adjusted to three different heights, a storage cube that could turn into stools to seat 5 people, a cutout reading nook in the shape of an amoeba, tiles made from old skateboard decks and much, much more.