The Marriage of Luxury and Performance

Chella is a brand of textiles that seems to truly provide Luxury and Performance.  They claim that they cater to Pool, Spa and Active Living.  This would include households with pets and children who can cause a lot of wear and tear on your fine fabrics.  They hold up equally as well under the hot sun and in the pouring rain for hotel guest or in you own backyard.  Next time I am near one of their showrooms, I look forward to feeling the luxury of these performance fabrics.  Meanwhile, here are some photos to exemplify their diversity:

Rain or shine

For all of those "oops" moments- like a sticky sucker!

Able to withstand some puppy love

All photos provided by Chella

A Bright New Year

My new clients that I presented to today are fast becoming favorites.  I proposed a neutral palette for their Living Room, Dining Room and Study with splashes of bright berry colors.  The scheme actually goes along well with the new Pantone Color of the Year, Honeysuckle. 

These clients made my job easy; gushing over every fabric and piece of furniture I showed them, not wanting to change a thing.  They can't wait to get started, and neither can I!  This refreshing project will be a great way to start the new year!

Ruby Splash and Orange Crush

Today I'm in the land of bright fabrics.  I'm surrounded by names like Volcano, Tobasco, Poppy and Red Pepper while narrowing down my choices for the project I'm working on.  So many options and great fabrics, so little things to apply them to.  Thanks goodness for throw pillows since they allow me to keep a few more of the fun fabrics in the loop. 

My current project is bringing together contemporary and old world, antique furniture and modern color and patterns.  It's been really fun bringing it all together.  These two books have a been a great source of inspiration:

Glamour from Met Home

and New Classic Style from Better Homes and Garden. 

(You can find these in my amazon bookstore).

I'll be presenting the project next week to the client so I'm sure you will be getting a glimpse of the presentation board when it's done.  Have a great weekend!

Photos by Rebecca Ward

Advice You Need to Have

I notice that I am quite often bringing to light the great inspirations that can be found in House Beautiful Magazine.  I really recommend you should just go out and subscribe, if you haven't already. At the very least, pick up the May issue!  It's titled "The Big Advice Issue", which you know must be loaded with some gems.  I have provided some as proof!

To start off with, we have this yummy room from the cover.  The greys and cream upholstery peices (LOVE the sofa!) are kept fresh with orage, tourquoise, green and dark pink accents.

The advice being mentioned for this room is to double up on the accent pillows and make sure they are contrasting in color and texture or patterns.  Also, put some skirts on your upholstery to avoid too many legs in the room.  Skirts help to "ground" the room instead of making it appear "nervous"

Here's some creative advice to wallpaper you sliding closet doors!  Presto chango you have an exciting feature wall for very little effort.

This photo shows how unlimited we can be in our outdoor spaces thanks to new fabrics and finishes.

This photo is highlighting a common misconception that my clients find hard to believe when I tell them: Dark walls will make the room feel bigger! The edges of the room will get lost in the shadows.

Really, just go pick up this issue and discover all of the other great tips that House Beautiful Magazine has so wonderfully compiled.

Some Good Advice

While I was at Borders recently, I picked up a book from the bargain section (I love getting a bargain!)  I think this one is worth the small sum and will be sure to fit into any budget.  The book is called The Healthy Home Workbook: easy Steps for Eco-Friendly Living.

 Inside, you will find the book full of great advice for making your house a healthier place to live from paint and carpet to buying local and organic foods and having an organic garden.  There's even instructions for making your own "Healthy Pillow."  The photographs are inspiring and perfectly emanating the essence of healthy living.

I am finding some very valuable tips in this book that I can incorporate into my life.  I've made the book available on my bookstore (it really costs only a few dollars or used for a few cents!) if you don't have a chance to run to your local Borders.

Here is a parting quote from the book on the subject of furniture and fabrics:
       Begin replacing synthetic soft goods (pillos, curtains, rugs) with natural materials and fabrics such as organically grown cotton, linen, and hemp.

Organic materials are becoming more available as the demand increases, as I mentioned in a past post about West Elm now having organic bedding available.

And for some random knowledge about natural fibers, did you know wool is the most flame resistant of natural fabrics? 
         

Fun Fabrics

In flipping through magazines, I noticed the add by Duralee fabrics introducing Thomaspaul prints. It was so yummy and spring like I had to share. Look at these bold patterns! (including the wallpaper)

These photos also sing of spring!