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Design Blogger Series: What Would You Do?

Today I am thrilled to have four more talented interior design bloggers participate in the third,  Design Blogger Series: What Would You Do?  Erika Ward of Blulabel Bungalow, Marianne Strong of Haven and Home,  Maria Killam of Colour Me Happy and Kirsten Krason of 6th Street Design School were asked to design a look around the Maynard Side Table by Worlds Away {available at Clayton Gray Home} by incorporating four or so  home décor items of their choosing.

This beautiful gold leaf side table at 18″ square x 26″ high was just the beginning as each designer created a vignette reflective of their personal style and talents. Take a look at these fabulous inspiration boards:

ericka ward interiors what would you do
Erika Ward of Blulabel Bungalow, Atlanta, GA
“2011 is all about a little spontaneity. This look is inspired by Jessica Snow’s artwork, Louis the Third, which features overlapping lines in energetic hues. Affordably priced at $200 for a 17”x 22’ print, there’s still enough money in the budget to have it framed. The Brownie Sofa [with its nailhead trim] grounds the space while adding a touch of glamour. Pulling colors from the artwork, I chose a versatile peacock blue chair and a gold Greek key rug to further the modern, funky vibe. Thom Filicia’s Citysquare fabric carries the Greek motif to the windows as drapery panels and to the sofa as accent pillows. Toss a couple of solid canary yellow pillows onto the sofa to complete the look. Hovering over the room is the most gorgeous pendant light which borrows metallic cues from the side table and its shape from the artwork. I would never have a sad day in this room.”
maria killam interior design
Maria Killam of Colour Me Happy, North Vancouver, BC
“I imagine this table paired with another one in a small guest bedroom in my future 2nd or 3rd residence in New York {smile}.  I love the green diamond pattern in the Serena & Lily headboard. Every guest room needs some fabulous, decorative toss cushions, these are by designer Trina Turk. The hot pink from the pillows would be repeated with a Robert Abbey Table Lamp from Macy’s. The white barrel back chair from Williams Sonoma Home would be perfect in a guest room because no one would ever sit on it. This mirrored dresser from ZGallerie adds the perfect Hollywood glam touch for this bedroom to go with the end table.”
marianne strong interior design
Marianne Strong of Haven and Home, Birmingham, AL
As soon as I saw this table I instantly thought of a cozy reading nook.  The first thing I would add would be the Carter Chair from Mitchell & Gold.  It is large enough to be inviting, yet the nail head detail, legs and lines keep it stylish enough to compliment the side table.  I would upholster it in either a dark leather or natural linen.  Next I would add a floor lamp to make sure there was ample reading light.  I chose the Circa Bamboo floor lamp because it is sleek and adds an additional texture against the metal.  The table has a certain refinement to it, the Peshawar rug from Williams Sonoma home shares this quality while adding softness and some pattern.  Since I see the table in a reading nook I would add the Charcoal Script pillow from South of Market and the Blue Sage Ruched Throw from West Elm for added comfort.”
kirsten krason 6th street design blog
Kirsten Krason of 6th Street Design School, Utah
“I imagine this wonderful side table next to a comfy reading chair in an intricate batik ink print. {Slope Chair at Urban Outfitters}. A beautiful pillow found on Etsy pulls out the gold in the table and then the Pottery Barn’s Star & Flower rug has accents of gold and blue. This little reading nook would be cozy, sophisticated and colorful. The industrial iron floor lamp serves as a great reading lamp. And the butterfly art, Christopher Marley’s Form & Pheromone, Lanternflies is simple enough to work with the busy chair and rug patterns.”
A big thank you to Erika, Maria, Marianne and Kirsten for participating in this series!
There are elements in each design that I think are fabulous. Which one catches your eye?
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Read full story By on January 18, 2011 in blog, design blogger series, furniture, interior design

11 Design Trends for 2011

Yesterday I was over the moon to be included in a San Francisco Chronicle article by Anh-Minh Le titled, 11 Top Trends for 2011. Eleven design bloggers {most from the San Francisco Bay Area} were asked to discuss their top decorating ideas for 2011. Small homes, nostalgia for books and cultural layering were some trends that made the list. Here’s mine {and you may have guessed it would have an organizing slant!}:
organizing design trends for 2011
1. A magnetic board with a bold geometric print {Jonathan Adler}, 2. French vintage basket {1st Dibs}, 3. Kuta tin boxes {Serena & Lily}, 4. IKat mini bowls {Athropologie}
double duty decor ideas“Controlling clutter has never been more chic. With organizing products from trend-setting brands like Jonathan Adler and Serena & Lily, our homes can be functional and look fabulous at the same time. Organization is not just about file folders or plain boxes and baskets. Items that do double duty – high function and beautiful form – are in high demand. For 2011, it’s all about bold patterns, worldly pieces and vintage finds. Finding everyday decorative items to help stay organized is also trending. For example, a handful of small decorative bowls in a drawer can be used to organize jewelry, craft items or office supplies.”
To find out what other design bloggers’ are trending for 2011, visit the full article at SFGate here.
 
Happy New Year!
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Read full story By on January 3, 2011 in blog, home organization, interior design

My Favorite Design Blog Posts of 2010

It’s hard to believe 2010 is coming to an end soon. Seems like just yesterday I wrote a post about my favorite blog posts of 2009. With more and more beautiful design blogs, it was very difficult to narrow down my favorites for 2010, but here goes {in no particular order}…
2010 fav post holding court
Holding Court’s How to Find Inspiration Shopping.  The design blogging community continues to morn the loss of Marija who was killed in a car accident returning from an antiquing trip to Atlanta on July 10, 2010. My heart goes out to her family and friends this holiday season.

thanksgiving table pure style home
Pure Style Home’s Our Thanksgiving Table. This fun post by Lauren represents her wonderful whimsical, eclectic style to a T.

custom drum pendant how to
Isabella & Max Rooms’ Kitchen Island Pendant Project. In this post, the multi-talented Janell shows us how to make a custom drum shade for a pendant fixture. Aren’t this beautiful?

Candida Hofer photography in town and country
Cote de Texas’ The Hottest Photographer Going. Joni’s posts are always informative and beautiful. This is no exception. She walks through who Candida Hofer {the hottest photographer} and why she has attracted the attention of so many of the finest interior designers and art collectors. {image above from Town & Country via Cote de Texas}
tufted blue sofa house beautiful

Emily A. Clark’s Where to Start. This is a great article where Emily gives her design advice on where to start first when decorating your home. {image from House Beautiful via Emily A. Clark}

laundry room fresh design white
Centsational Girl’s Laundry Room Project Breakdown. Well, it was hard to pick just one post of Kate’s. She has some many great ones this year. However, her laundry room face-lift is a favorite of mine.

colorful glass ornament holiday wreath
Bright.Bazaar’s Rue Magazine: My Holiday Column. Will’s column for Rue Magazine is always a treat. I especially like his holiday where he captured three different Christmas looks in the same room … all in one day!

parsons desk home office
6th Street Design School’s Office Details. Kirsten’s pretty and functional home office was designed with items from all different sources – many at deep discounts. Love that!

mail station organization entry
A Brooklyn Limestone in Progress’ Mail Call! DIY Mail Center. Stephani has tons of inspirational DIY projects on her blog, but the organizer side of me loved this incoming mail sorting center she made using picture frames and radiator grill. Brilliant!
black kitchen sink
Things That Inspire’s Kitchen Sinks and Sink Tips from Readers. Holly is in the midst of building her dream home in Atlanta. She blogs about all the big and little decisions that she is making throughout the process. In these posts she walks through images of kitchen sinks and highlights readers’ advice regarding a variety of sink designs. Great ones to bookmark!
little girls blue room fun
Velvet & Linen’s Leila’s Room. Brooke’s daughter, Leila’s new “big” girl room is eclectic, colorful and inviting. Starting with an floral rug from Anthropologie, Brooke & Leila created a beautiful bedroom retreat.
There are so many other posts I enjoyed reading in 2010. The lovely blogs listed under “buzzing blogs” are my daily reads. Please check them out when you have the time!

If you have areas of design or organization you’d like me to cover in 2011, just drop me an email – simplifiedbee {@} yahoo {dot} com.
Thank you for reading Simplified Bee and wishing you a joyous 2011!
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Read full story By on December 30, 2010 in blog, DIY, interior design

New York City, Nate Berkus, ABC Home and More…

Earlier this week, I was fortunate to take a quick trip to NYC for some blogger, designer and media related events. The adventure started with a red-eye {& they don’t call it the red-eye for nothing!} with another San Francisco Bay Area blogger, Kate from Centsational Girl. Love this girl – she was great to pal around with.
With fabulous weather, that first day in the Big Apple was filled with a walk down 5th Avenue, a  blogger luncheon at HGTV {fun to meet Design Star winner, Emily Henderson} and then the Rue Magazine launch party at the NYDC. 
The trip however, was spurred by an invitation to attend the taping of a Nate Berkus Show {in case you live on the moon, he is the cutie-pie interior design for Oprah}. So flattered by “Nate Day“, he invited 90+ design bloggers to be in the audience of his new show. And yes, Nate was just as cute and charismatic in person as he appears on TV. I won’t go into too many details regarding the show because several bloggers have already given some recaps including Janell {who will appear on the show at some point!} and Lakeitha.

Some of the bloggers have been outspoken about Nate not mentioning  on air that the audience was full of bloggers and others thought that he should have highlighted specific blogs. That would have been nice, but then again it’s his show and it seems he’s still ironing out the wrinkles.  Nate responded today with this tweet…

Nate’s a very talented interior designer and I do hope his show succeeds. He has been an inspiration to me and I am sticking with him!
After the show The Nest hosted a lovely party! And Camila of High-Heeled Foot in the Door has a nice recap of the event here.
Day three was a very quick {too quick} shopping trip to ABC Home. If you love furniture, lighting and linens as much as I do, you will be blown away by this store. As put on their website, ABC Home’s mission,
is to serve by manifesting a retail paradigm shift in which we compose a revolutionary platform for offering cause related product through beauty, experience, and magic, in order to guide you to creatively express your individuality, values and to actualize home as sacred space
It’s a bit of a run-on, but it seems fitting because the massive retail store goes on and on too. The Manhattan store offers ten floors of endless collections of rugs, furniture, antiques, home textiles, accessories and sustainable furnishings. There’s something there to fit anyone’s style and taste. I have included just a few of the items that inspired me. And to see even more, visit Kate’s favorites at this post here
 
ABC Carpet is across the street, but a sampling of stunning rugs was on display near the entrance.
 
Looking for a chandelier? There were tons and sure to be one that would fit your needs.
 
Stylish storage is of course something I am always on the look out for. These vintage suitcases with rustic equestrian gear were fabulous.
 
The selection of decorative pillows & linens was amazing as well. 
 
 
If you have young ones at home, the children’s section shouldn’t be missed.  It was packed with  so much inspiration including an iron crib, child’s ghost chair and whimsical decor items. It made my head start spinning with design possibilities in a nursery room.
 
Isn’t this enormous piece of drift wood incredible?

Last but not least, I fell in love with this fretwork back ghost chair. Made in Italy they are stackable, thus easier to store. I imagined a set surrounding a round painted wood table in an eat-in kithcen. Hose them down when dirty makes them great for families with children.  Not inexpensive at $395 each, but a winner in my book.

The Nate Show, parties and shopping were of course fun, but the people I met were the highlight. So many talented designers and bloggers. In particular, I loved getting to know and  hanging with Kate, Rhoda, Emily {& her friend Katie}, Sarah, Janell, Lakeitha, Jade, and Lana. And at the end of the day, that is what is most important anyway, isn’t it?

*all photos property of Simplified Bee
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Read full story By on September 24, 2010 in blog, furniture, home accessories, lighting