Going to Market?

 I won't be heading down to the winter market in Las Vegas next week since I know I have to go in the summer.  I am also planning to attend KBIS in Vegas in April.  However I took a look and the style file on their website just to see what trends are happening right now.  You can read the style file for yourself here to discover what is happening with the lively colors, bold damasks, subtle yet exotic hues and shining silver accents.

You can also check out some of the featured exhibitors here.  They have many inspiring photos such as these:

Linon Home Decor Products, Inc.

Star International Furniture

Asian Art Imports

Midwest-CBK

Are any of my readers planning to attend Market next week?

Images from www.lasvegasmarket.com

Attention Downtown Sacramento

I was alerted yesterday that the downtown Sacramento store of Z Gallerie is closing.  Boohoo!  Fortunately, we have another store close by in Roseville, but it is always sad to see a favorite leave.  As a consequence, everything in the the store is 30% off.  So local readers, please go down and take advantage of this great sale!  Here is a sampling of some great things from Z Gallerie's website: 

Over-sized jacks make an interesting decor piece on any table

I love leaning mirrors!

I still have a thing for this pillow!

This is a fun version of the Union Jack in an area rug!

Z Gallerie is definitely one of my favorites so I plan to take a look myself to see what I absolutely can't live without.

Images from Z Gallerie

I Could Get Used To This

I had a great time this weekend discovering my new camera!  We celebrated my dad's 65th birthday so it gave me a great opportunity to try it out. It takes great pictures without me even trying.  Take a look:

I'm just barely scratching the surface.  Can't wait to use it on my next job!

Photos by Rebecca Ward

Stepping It Up

 I made a great purchase today for my business.  I took advantage of some rebates going on and got the Canon T2i SLR to take photos with instead of my little Nikon coolpix.  The kit came with a 18-135 lens.  It will be great to have a decent camera for at least the before pictures of my clients' projects.  I plan to get professional pictures done for the "after" photos but this camera will at least keep me satisfied in the meantime.  It will also be a big benefit to you readers since I will also be using it for my blog photos.

I'm not saying that I'll never use my Nikon, (I used it to take the above photo and it is tiny and fits in my purse easily) but I desperately needed to improve the quality of my photos.  Looking forward to getting to know my new camera this weekend!  Happy Friday!

Photo by Rebecca Ward

Starting Fresh

I always enjoy beginning of January.  It's a new year so many people are freshly motivated to achieve new goals.  The air is usually fresh and crisp and on a sunny day, it is nearly blinding since there are no leaves on the trees to filter the sun.  I'm very much looking forward to this year.  My business is growing, I'll be involved in many activities for my local chapter of ASID and, of course, will be blogging about all of these adventures.

Here is one of my projects that is starting the new year looking fresh and crisp as the weather.  You may remember my Victorian project where I selected the exterior paints.  I stopped by to take some quick photos today of how it turned out:

 

It's not far off from the overlay in my computer program;

And it's a big improvement over the original paint:

 

I hope you are having a fresh start to the new year!  Happy New Year!

What's in Store for 2011

We are ending 2010 with a guest post from Design Shuffle.  They are going to give a look into what is in store for 2011 in the world of design!
____________

Predicting interior design trends and what the public will embrace has long been the main focus of IMM Cologne’s expert committee of the international trend board. Each year the committee researches and assesses what consumers are up to and what is on their minds. When predicting trends for 2011, the experts determined people were doing a little questioning of their own when it came to interior design ideas. SO just what is on the buying public’s minds? They’re figuring out what it takes to live comfortably, looking for innovation and personalization in products, and finding a localized balance in an increasingly globalized world. So how does this translate into the interior design trends headed our way for 2011?
Jackie Jordan, Sherwin-William's director of color marketing, sums it up.  "We're celebrating our individuality, embracing what has personal meaning and shedding what doesn't." So with Jordan’s translation in mind, these are the top interior design trends of 2011—a few new, and few brought with us from 2010.
Bold Design Decisions
The strong interest in all things ethnic, handmade and meaningful finds interiors with bolder designs such as heavy texture, geometric and nature prints, and natural materials on window treatments and home décor accessories. Artisan pieces, such as those made by National Geographic’s Novica artists are found for every room of the home. Colors are bold and natural with Pantone’s Honeysuckle in the forefront, its reddish base and pink finish the exact match for the flower. Designers are totally on board for the new trends, with New York interior designers helping their clients find their own style.

Coxy Interior/ Bold Design (Credit)

Mixing It Up
Simplicity is at the forefront as the formal and traditional are stripped down and replaced by mixing pattern, texture and layering materials. Casual feel good prints and fabrics paired with warm distressed woods and finishes mix it up and basically, eclectic rules as we get to choose what goes where. Design that is personalized and reflects individual character is tops for 2011.

High Fashion Home/ Mixing It Up (Credit)

Natural Materials & Texture
Hyper-sensitivity to the environment continues as we look to natural materials in all aspects of the home. Organic and natural fabrics, non-toxic paints and finishes are resplendent. Furniture shows natural aging distressed by usage with rust, water marks, nicks and dings. With use of natural materials comes texture and lots of it, everywhere. Heavy woven and nubby fabrics, rough metals and distressed wood are all sources of the abundant texture.

Luxury Culture/Natural Materials (Credit)

Living Etc. (Credit)

Layering

The Telegraph (Credit)

Overlapping flooring and wallpapers make for wonderful layers of color, texture and bold design. Putting a vividly woven rug atop an existing printed carpet or using differing wallpapers in the same room are examples of the layering being seen. Some are even putting printed wallpaper on the ceiling while having an entirely different, even clashing, print on the walls. Modern colors, bold geometrics and large florals are all part of the layering movement. San Francisco interior designers in particular are embracing this trend in particular with many layered designs being seen in the shelter magazines.
Content provided by Design Shuffle which is a social media site filled with interior design ideas from top tier design talent around the world. Best of all, registration is completely free.
__________________

Thank you Design Shuffle for all the great information!  Don't forget to link your inspiration boards for 2011 in the 2011 inspiration post.  I want to see what YOU think is in store for 2011.

2011 Inspiration

Here is what is inspiring me for the upcoming year:

I noticed that I have a little more drama going on from my last inspiration board.  Grays and peacock colors have been replaced for deep chocolates and glossy blacks with bright splashes of pinks and purples A combination of modern and old world mixed with a bit of glitz.  And as far as the "peace love and chocolate", how can one imagine a future without some yummy chocolate in it?  Well, I guess it could apply to chocolate colors as well.

So now it's your turn to show your inspiration for the next year.  It may turn out to be inspiring to others as well as yourself.  Please provide a link to your posting of your inspiration board below.  If you don't have a blog where you posted it on, I think it will work for linking to a image on facebook or any site you can post an image.  I can't wait to see them!