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Monday, April 16, 2012

Architectural Art Glass To Suit Any Decor

Have you ever considered incorporating architectural decorative glass in your decor? Glass that has been creatively etched, stained, frosted or carved to suit your style of decor?  

Today I am happy to welcome Shahab Shokouhi of Dulles Glass and Mirror with a fascinating guest post on glass art.

Read on...







Once again, here is the link to the source for all images above, Sans Soucie Art Glass and  they can also be contacted for details and pricing on their products.

Other links,
Dulles Glass - tempered glass
Dulles Glass - glass table tops
Dulles Glass - vanity mirrors


Thank you, Shahab, for sharing with us some very interesting art glass options.

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.
Lisa
Please Note: I have not been compensated in any way for this post.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Spring Into Action - My Desk - Week 2

This is week 2 of 3 of the Spring Into Action project party where 12 blogs have joined forces to motivate each other, and hopefully those who visit, to complete a project that we need to see through to completion. 


I chose to share my desk make over and am excited to show with you the pieces and colors that I am incorporating in this space to make it more functional, organized and pretty.

This clipboard is the color inspiration I shared with you last week. I had talked about the desk being the place from which I manage bills and other paperwork as well as kids' school papers; the place from which I blog, work and study.


 

This is the desk as it was until a few days ago. I had begun contemplating ideas to organize and beautify this space back in the Fall as I was heading into a hectic holiday season.


I thought the back panel was a great spot to make over and a great place to start - I looked at the 56" x 18" as a blank canvas. It has been begging for some color and I would not be me if I did not put something colorful up there and so I decided to add fabric - a soft furnishing to a room with a lot of wood.

For the past couple of months I had these pinned to the board from a selection of swatches I had ordered from Fabric.com. I narrowed the fabrics down to these two because I liked the colors against the Mountain Lane by Benjamin Moore on the walls.



Then I picked the one I liked best because of the off-white background which would lighten the space - I found the one on the right a little too busy so I picked this one and I liked how it looked in the room with the paint on the walls.





It is Premier Prints Traditions in Natural/Sweet Potato.

Here are the fun desktop/hutch items I have put together - some already owned, some purchased.



 
1. Edible Arrangements vase in quirky shape in turquoise, from Goodwill - new
2. Toast rack from Etsy shop, Bluebell
3. Floral fun little bowl from Goodwill - new
4. Premier Prints Traditions Natural/Sweet Potato fabric - new
5. Two's Company clipboard
6. Hollywood Regency mini waste bin from Divine Orders - new
7. Task clips from The Container Store - with 'Send', 'File' 'Do' and 'Read' on them
8. Bejeweled letter opener from a local gift store
9. Green basket on sale from The Container Store

I am sure you can guess what the toast rack will be used for!

This week I picked up this double pocket from Staples. It is part of the Martha Stewart - Home Office with Avery - line, in white.


About 10 days ago I pinned the fabric to the panel with nailhead trim purchased here. It comes in a long strip - 10 yards - with every fifth nailhead requiring a nail (included in the pack).



It was not too difficult to get this installed.

 I first pinned the fabric to the back panel using pushpins..




...and then began to fasten the strip to the fabric with the nails. I did not need a tool to cut the metal when I reached a corner. I just bent the strip back-and-forth until it snapped apart.



And that is my project update. So far so great!

I hope you like what you see. I am excited!

If you missed last week's post on the introduction to this project party go here.

Now it would not be a party if it were not for these other lovely ladies so please head on over and check out their wonderful projects.

1. Suzy – Saved by Suzy

2. Tiffany– Living Savvy

3. Kerry– Design du Monde


5. Cathy– Room Rx

6. Carrie– Hazardous Design

7. Sam– The Junk House


9. Jean– Flower Hill Design

10. Nancy– Powell Brower Home

11. Linda - My Crafty Home Life
 
 
If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.
Lisa

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Oversized Artwork - Are You A Fan?

Are you a fan of oversized artwork? Sometimes these could be larger than the furniture in a space or in some cases take up almost an entire wall.

The following are great examples of how such pieces can work whether on an entire wall, above a mantle, to the side of a mantle, centered on a wall or not, or anywhere one might choose to place one.

And these could work in any style of decor, too.

 




via House & Home photo Francois Halard


 


Retro modern-style living room





 




 I am definitely a fan. The artwork can be the main focus in a space, can add much-needed color, be thought-provoking, set a mood or can enhance the furniture already in place.

If you have been following my blog for a while you will already know that I do not abide by any rules when it comes to decorating. Any space should reflect one's lifestyle and one's personality and, at the end of the day, make one happy. Therefore, there should be no rules in terms of size of artwork if it is what one wants.

What do you think? Is this something you would consider in your own home if you have not already?

On a side note: It has been four days since my last post as I have been busy - my kids have been on Spring break all this time and for the rest of the week but I will be back on Thursday with the next update on the Spring Into Action project party.



If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.



I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.
Lisa

Thursday, April 5, 2012

'Spring Into Action 2012' Project Party - My Desk

I have teamed up with eleven other blogs for a 'Spring Into Action - The Undaunted Dozen' project party. We will each be sharing a DIY project of some sort. This party will provide support and motivation to those who might feel overwhelmed or daunted by a DIY project or just require a little nudge to get things started and of course, to see the project to completion.


I have decided to share my desk revamp. This is a project that is more important than any other current project in my house.  The home office is where I spend a lot of time. The desk is where I tend to daily paperwork -  pay the bills, manage piles of school notices - work from, study, blog and so on, therefore the need and certainly the urgency to give it a little face-lift.


I started to evaluate the scope of this mini-project during the months of November and December last year. Life was getting busier and I needed a better organized system and a prettier space would be nice, too.

I had begun the cleaning up at that point but do not have many good 'before pictures'. Here are glimpses of when I started to tidy up.
A collection of random items - pens, pencils and scissors all in in one holder, a decorative plate made for me by my youngest daughter for Mother's Day a couple of years ago, an emptied letter holder.


I had a bunch of notices, post-its, list of recalled children's medication, something from my youngest, again - her little pencil-drawn hand with my lipstick - a little of everything, pinned to that panel. I even had neighborhood recycling information handy!



I brought in cleaning supplies.

I cleared the back panel. These pictures were taken over several days so some things were moved around during the course of the day. I had just the desk light on so this picture is dark. You can see more items used daily like my hand cream, La Source from Crabtree & Evelyn and a blue-&-white coaster for my cup of tea.



This is the color of the walls in the room, Benjamin Moore's, Mountain Lane. I had liked the effect of dark wood furniture against this olive-like green.



My desk chair is very similar to this one from Staples. It is in a smoky grey faux suede fabric.
 Office Star Mid-Back Fabric Dual Function Ergonomic Task Chair, Gray


I started to look at other colors I could incorporate in this space. I had purchased a few of these very pretty paisley clipboards to give as hostess gifts about a year ago.

I decided I could keep one for myself. I thought this would be a great jumping off point to introduce a fun color palette and to breathe life into this space.



So there you have it. My desk revamping 'Spring Into Action' project - Part I of III. Stay tuned for the next update on this which will be in a week on Thursday, April 12th.

Now please do visit the other ladies who are a part of this project party. I am sure they would love a visit from the ever-supportive blogging community.

 
 1. Suzy – Saved by Suzy
 2. Tiffany – Living Savvy
 3. Kerry – Design du Monde
 5. Cathy – Room Rx
 6. Carrie – Hazardous Design
 7. Sam – The Junk House
 9. Jean – Flower Hill Design
10. Nancy – powell brower home
11. Linda - My Crafty Home Life


Do let me know if you are also in the process of completing a DIY project. I would love to pay you a visit.


If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.
Lisa

Monday, April 2, 2012

Inspiration For The Dining Room

Do you recall this image? This is Fleming Villa in the Goldeneye Hotel & Resort, Jamaica. I had published a post about it here.

Golden Eye

There is something about the colors of this picture that made me think about my dining room which has been undergoing a transformation. This is the direction I was planning to go in  - I was considering either pops of teal/aqua or deep orange.

The colors in the picture above are cool and warm and work harmoniously with each other to give one a sense of tranquility to create an atmosphere for relaxation as well as a sense of fun and an energy which would be perfect for a space in which one can entertain.

The dark walls are in this rich color.

I had it matched in Behr's Premium Ultra Plus.

The furniture in my dining room is dark therefore I went dark with the walls so that the furniture would blend in more.




I love the pops of aqua and deep orange hues in Fleming Villa. Last week, while looking for fabric for other projects, I came across this stunning deep orange fabric on www.fabric.com. It is a microsuede called Vintage Suede Pumpkin.

Vintage Suede Pumpkin

These are my dining room chairs which require reupholstery and I am leaning toward the orange fabric. The chairs were purchased from Ethan Allen about 10 years ago and the fabric was from Calico Corners.


 
I do have a growing collection of blue-and-white pieces which ties in to the shades of cobalt in they sky as the sun sets in the picture.


 
I have to work in the aqua and some of the gold tones.

This color palette has worked its way into my dining room with perfect timing and I am so excited about it so far.

Once again, the hotel room..

Golden Eye


Dining room so far...


I know I could make it work.

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.



I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.
Lisa