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Books As Decor Accessories

Recently I have been searching for beautiful ideas to decorate a clients vast floor to ceiling built-in bookshelf. Today it sits empty for the most part and we plan to fill it with lovely books, artwork, family pictures and stylish home accessories.

The homeowner would like to decorate the bookshelves with antique books. I found this gorgeous collection of French books available at Doxa Home that is a possibility. Biblio.com also has an incredible section of rare and antique books, but as you can imagine buying enough for a large bookshelf would cost a small fortune. So, I was thrilled to hear the gals at The Skirted Roundtable in a recent discussion on, Accessorizing – The Final Frontier found large quantities of old leather books at a low cost on eBay. I will be searching my local consignment, Goodwill and used bookstores too. Any other suggestions?

With all this commotion about books, I ran across delightful cover designs for hardback classics on the Penguin Blog UK. They are currently available at Anthropologie and here are my favorites designs:

Organizing books by color is a fun way to decorate bookshelves and add color to a room. For a simple “how to” – go here.

Do you decorate with books you have read, will read or never intend to read?

*images from Flickr

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Read full story By on November 19, 2009 in home accessories, interior design

Tia Zoldan Interiors – Sophisticated Del Mar Home

Los Angeles-based interior designer, Tia Zoldan was tasked with the challenge of transforming a traditional home into a sophisticated space that remained beach-casual and kid-friendly. And, boy did she succeed. The single-story 4,000 square foot three bedroom, four bath home located in Del Mar, California had an existing semi-open floor plan. To ensure visual flow and connectivity, Zoldan used a common color scheme of gray, white and black as a base with hints of bright color throughout the home.

In the living room, Zoldan lines the room with custom sofas by Holly Hunt in a durable, brushed white velvet (she swears it’s a kid-friendly fabric and even tested it by spilling coffee on it!). The symmetrical sofa arrangement forces our attention the the gorgeous limestone fireplace. Zoldan infuses vivid color by adding charcoal gray and bright pink throw pillows to the sofas and an avocado green tufted bench in front of the fireplace. The unifying hand-knotted wool and silk rug is Tibetan and is gorgeous over the dark walnut floors.

The dining room is a bit eclectic with modern, traditional and vintage elements, but Zoldan pulls it together brilliantly. I love the upholstered white chairs with with backs in a bold, textured orange fabric. The light fixture from Foscarini and the zigzag rug by Jonathan Adler add more whimsical elements.

Natural light floods the simple, yet stunning white kitchen. The counter-high table with wooden top serves multiple purposes – it adds visual warmth, a place for family members to gather and of course, an additional food prep area. The white backless stools are from Design Within Reach.

The media room features a large, inviting sectional sofa covered in a gray vintage velvet. Again, Zoldan adds vibrant pops of color with a collection of solid and geometric throw pillows. I am curious to know what color gray paint she used on the walls and cabinets.

The sweet, yet sophisticated girl’s room in purple, pearl and beige is certainly one that any age would love. The beautifully designed headboard is brilliant with the pearlescent wallpaper, mirrored chest and chenille rug by Madeline Weinrib. I should have featured this room in a previous post,
Interior Design Color Trends for 2010 – Purple.

The tranquil, airy master bedroom features beautiful windows with ocean views. Zoldan uses the perfect mix of colors throughout the room. The dark gray custom bench and tufted headboard contrast beautifully with milky bed linens.

The serene master bathroom is perfection. The beautiful floor-to-ceiling Calcutta marble tile was vertically set. The raspberry bench with lucite X legs and glass light fixture are fabulous!

I am loving Zoldan’s design and the down-to-earth feeling this home communicates. How about you?

*images from Luxe Magazine
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Read full story By on November 12, 2009 in bathrooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, girl's bedroom, interior design, kitchens, living rooms

Charlotte Moss and A Flair for Living Book GIVEAWAY

Last month I had the pleasure of attending an event featuring New York-based interior design legend, Charlotte Moss at Gump’s of San Francisco. In addition to designing high-end residences throughout the United States, Moss has published six books and teamed up with fine retailers such as Haylcon Days, Agraria, Brunschwig & Fils, Seibert & Rice and Pickard China. In the Fall of 2010, she will launch a new line of fabrics, wallpaper and trims with Fabricut.

Gump’s is graciously giving one lucky Simplified Bee reader Charlotte Moss’ book, A Flair for Living. In this delightful book, Moss tours every component of a home, exuberant entertaining and couture home accessories. The images are simply gorgeous and very inspirational.

Known for her traditional and opulent sense of style, Moss did not disappoint when designing a Tuscan inspired two bedroom unit at The Laurel, a luxury condominium in New York City’s Upper East Side.

With a church terracotta roof as the home’s view, Moss creates an elegant room with warm colors, rich textiles, picturesque art and hand-picked antiques. She has a brilliant way of fusing color, pattern and texture. The living room features gorgeous wallpaper by Schumacher and an antique lamp on a side table by Niermann Weeks.

The inviting living room showcases stunning oil paintings of Italy from Charlotte Moss Interior Design. The persimmon sofas, striped chair, lemon pillows and skirted table are in Schumacher fabrics.

A carved antique mirror placed above a console is perfectly centered between Vaughan lamps. A beautiful twisting urn is perched on books under the console. Loving this symmetrical look, but will have to wait until the little ones get a little older!

Moss fills shelves in the living room with gilded frames, urns and artwork depicting Italian scenes.

Here’s a view into the dining room. The chandelier from Vaughan is hung above the dining table by Niermann Weeks. The brown leather chairs, china and linens are all from Charlotte Moss Interior Design. Moss differentiates the living room from the dining space by adding a sisal carpet from Stark and antique mahogany screen.

In the master suite, Moss selects a soothing color palette of blues, turquoise and beige. The opulent canopy bed by Niermann Weeks is draped in silk toile fabric from Fabricut.

The armoire with coordinating fabric by Rogers & Goffigon is stunning – my guess is it’s hiding media equipment and the armoire’s design prevents it from overheating. It’s topped with a pair of Chinese urns and flanked by side chairs from Charlotte Moss Interior Design. The room’s aqua textured wallpaper by Phillip Jeffries is simply gorgeous next to the chairs covered in velvet by Vervain.

A pair of chairs and ottoman from Charlotte Moss Interior Design are upholstered in gorgeous Fabricut fabric. The floor lamp – wow – is by Vaughan lamp.

The study is chic, urban and cozy. The walls are painted a warm Bronze by Ralph Lauren. And you know I love the glass-top desk from Williams Sonoma Home. The wingchair, cashmere throw, sisal rug and drapery panels are also from Williams-Sonoma Home. The room’s paintings, desk accessories and custom marble-top coffee tables are from Charlotte Moss Interior Design.

To enter to win Charlotte Moss’ beautiful book, A Flair for Living:

Leave a comment (include email if you are not a blogger).

• Extra Entry – become a Follower of Simplified Bee (by adding yourself to the follower group on the sidebar)

• Extra Entry – mention this giveaway in a post with a link back and leave a comment letting me know you’ve done so.

• Please post a separate comment for each extra entry.

• Entry period closes at midnight PST, Sunday, November 15, 2009 and the winner will be announced Monday, November 16, 2009.

**Note: The winner will be drawn randomly using Random.org, notified directly via email and listed back at this post using first name only.

“What makes a room wonderful is nothing you can see. It’s something you feel.” ~Charlotte Moss, A Flair for Living

* images from Veranda
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Read full story By on November 9, 2009 in bedrooms, Giveaways, interior design, living rooms

Charming Stone Cottage in Lake Tahoe

High in the Sierra Mountain range sits breathtaking Lake Tahoe. Known for its clear, fresh water and beauty, this area attracts tourists all year around. Even though I don’t live there today, for me Tahoe is home – it’s where I grew up.

So, I am thrilled to share with you a lovely Lake Tahoe stone cottage that was recently renovated by Elise Fett & Associates Architecture and Engineering of Incline Village, Nevada.

The home, which was built in 1927, is made of beautiful gray and silver granite mined from the Cave Rock tunnel which sits on the East shore of the lake. Like many empty-nesters today, the new homeowners downsized when they purchased the charming 1,200 square foot stone cottage. They choose to expand slightly by adding 550 square feet – a bathroom, laundry room and master suite upstairs. The home’s integrity however stayed the same. In fact, the original single-paned metal windows were kept despite the freezing winter temperatures. The homeowners instead selected insulated Roman shades to keep in the heat from escaping.

The “L” shaped main living space features the beautifully remodeled open kitchen, living room and dining room. The small, yet gourmet kitchen features a center island in pine and topped with butcher block. It offers seating for guests, storage and of course, a food prep area. To the left of the island sits a simple, yet elegant custom china cabinet and refrigerator covered in red antiqued wooden paneling – both coordinate with the cabinets. In this image, the back double-dutch door is open to the backyard.

The red stove by Heartland is darling! It includes an exhaust system and therefore frees up space above the range for additional storage.

The perimeter countertops are slabs of Carrara marble with a crescent edge detail. It is a nice contrast to the red antiqued cabinets.

The hammered copper farmhouse sink by Counter Culture in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico is stunning and my favorite element in the kitchen.The faucet is Bridge by Cucina. Best yet, the kitchen window has incredible views of the lake below.

The stunning granite fireplace is original and is the focal point in the cozy living room. The natural sunlit room is open to the balcony upstairs and showcases gorgeous pine beams.

The quaint dining room sits off the the living room.

A soft leather armchair with nailhead trim sits in front of the living room’s fireplace. Above hangs a fun vintage Lake Tahoe poster.

Makes me want to pack up the family and head to Tahoe!

*images from Simplified Bee

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Read full story By on November 5, 2009 in interior design, kitchens, living rooms