Beautiful Project in the Works

Look at the detail on this leather upholstered table.  Gorgeous!  I'm so excited to be working on this beautiful project where we have some exquisite pieces and striking combinations.  You've seen various leather upholstered pieces recently becoming rather popular, but none were in the size and color we wanted so I went custom.

Here it is at my upholstery shop.

Using this Haute Turquoise leather from Kravet, the table will fit perfectly in front of this Kravet sofa.

The Medley sofa from Kravet.  It's on the showroom floor in Houston if you want to see it in person!  It's so sophisticated and we did it in one of their finely woven Soleil fabrics, light color like above, so all that white upholstery can be easily maintained.

They will be sitting on top of this wool zebra rug for a bold graphic look.

Very plush!

Pillows will be done in this printed linen from Schumacher.  It isn't as strong of a pattern so it doesn't compete with the rug and also ties in with the subtle, more traditional style of the home.

Just waiting for the thick glass top that will rest on the leather table.  I can't wait!

For help creating a sophisticated, custom look for your home, contact Aston Design Studio. 



Window Treatments - Part 2, Blending with the Walls

Back to discussing window treatments! Window treatments that blend with the walls have a softening effect on a room.  Whether it's panels, valances, or shades, treatments of the same color or tone as the walls don't call attention to themselves.  Particularly in a light room, I think they have a way of attracting your eye to the view and not stopping your eye at the window.

The space above was a butler's pantry I did in a Showhouse in 2008 here in The Woodlands.  This home was located in the Garden District of this area and I wanted to relate it to the gardens outside. You see how the walls and Roman shade blend together to create a soft look and the lush garden is quite apparent.  The window treatment doesn't compete with the view.

Here's another project of mine where the sheer panels blend with the walls and envelope of the room, softening the bedroom and not competing with that beautiful view.  Your eye looks right through those window treatments.

These beautiful patterned sheers with a rope trim provide a gauzy, romantic softness at the French doors in my recent Showhouse room. They're kind of like an invitation to step out on to the balcony.

There are many other designers who also use this tool very successfully.

Martin Lawrence Bullard - Elle Decor

Ellen O'Neill - House Beautiful

Emily Robison - Elle Decor

Tracery Interiors - House Beautiful

Tobi Fairley

Kate McIntyer and Brad Huntzinger - Traditional Home

Elle Decor

Jason Bell - House Beautiful

Ginger Barber - House Beautiful

Frank Delledonne - House Beautiful

In dark rooms, same color window treatments also give a romantic, soft feel.  They sort of turn the room in on itself and have a cocooning affect.

Elle Decor

Nancy Price - House Beautiful

Alessandra Branca - House Beautiful

David Mann - House Beautiful

This is a great NYC view. Imagine if the designer had used some contrasting, colorful panels at the window instead of the same smoky gray.  It would've stopped your eye and not felt nearly as romantic.

Window treatments can add such personality to a room.  Next window treatment post will be about pattern at the windows!  Have a great weekend everyone.  I'm moving my daughter back to her college apartment.  Fun!

Pretty Vintage Porches

I worked on the design of this cute, vintage home located in a historic area of Houston a few years ago.  It had been damaged by fire and water, the fire having been caused by old electrical wiring.  The home was over 100 years old, so lots of work had to be done to update it as well as correct problems like leveling the floors, new wiring and plumbing, etc.  Finally finished for a young family, it has a cheery facade and adds value to the neighborhood.

Part of the appeal of this home are the porches.  It was so much fun to work on an exterior, something I don't do every day, but as part of being the resident aesthetician (see previous post), I became involved. 

When the homeowners came to me about this project, they showed me their exterior paint color selections and said they were happy with them. They were basically much brighter versions of what we finally did.  Think school bus yellow and baby blue. We had so much to do and since painting the exterior was about the last thing in the process, I let that slide and we forged ahead to work on kitchen, bathrooms, etc. When we finally got to the exterior, I was excited to be able have input on mouldings, trim, railings, door and window selections, and paint! 

They wanted a yellow house and I thought it was very appropriate for this type of home and this neighborhood, but we had to tone down the schoolbus color.  Then we added some punctuation and seriousness with the dark blue/gray for the trim and lighter blue/gray for the porch.  It was quite an involved process placing just the right paint colors on just the right features or mouldings. 

The railings were designed, scaled, and detailed for the contractor.

We made some decisions on site.  (See the paint samples on the wall?)

Before photo of the back porch balcony.

Back screened porch - Before

My details of the back screened porch.

Back screened porch - After

It was a long process, (there was a hurricane in the middle of all this!) but I think it turned out to be a happy looking house with some nice vintage appeal.  I think we brought the house to the place it should be. It was really a unique project for my portfolio and one I am very proud to have been involved with.

"After" photos by Miro Dvorscak.


Linking to:

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Flokati Give Away!

I'm giving away this 8 ft. round wool flokati rug that I used in my Showhouse space this past spring.  Premium quality, Greek, 3000 grams/m2, my cost was $765.00. Color: Natural.  Shipping is free in the lower 48 states.

Flokati rugs have an interesting history, dating back to the 5th century AD.  Originally from a village in Greece, where shepherds wove the wool from their sheep for blankets to keep them warm.  The story goes that one day, the shepherds left a blanket in the waters of a stream and when they went back to get it, they found the backing had felted together and the wool had unraveled to create the pile.  Word spread across Greece and the Flokati became a popular product, used in all kinds of ways.

Flokati rugs gained popularity in America in the 70's when shag rugs and carpets were in style.  Now it has become popular again, bringing a luxurious, retro feel to modern interiors.  To get more information on flokati rugs, see flokati.com.

It was so funny to see the reaction to the flokati in my Showhouse room.  Some people had no idea what it was and then there were people who commented that their mother or grandmother or aunt had one years ago.  One middle aged man commented that he took his mom's flokati to college with him for his dorm room/bachelor pad.  He said that rug saw some great times!  

Flokati rugs come in varying pile heights or weights.  You may find an 8 ft. rd. flokati at a much cheaper price, but if you look at the weight, you will see the difference.  There are also a lot of imitation wool rugs out there too, but a real flokati is 100% wool.  It does not have a stiff backing, they are actually quite lightweight, and fold up like a bath mat. 

Here's an example of the pile height/weight difference in quality levels.

 1400

 2000

 3000 - (This rug is 3000!)

4000

You can't vaccuum them, you just shake them out. For a deeper cleaning, wash them in the tub and then hang to dry. You can even comb them with a dog brush to separate the fibers and fluff them up. More details on cleaning a flokati can be found here.

To Enter,

FOLLOW this blog publicly with Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs

LEAVE A COMMENT that you are a follower.

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Drawing will be done on  Friday 7/15/11 at noon, central time.

I'm looking forward to meeting some new followers and having this luxurious rug go to a happy home!

Patterns of Light

Zamzam Riad Boutique Hotel

It's not really about that orb floating inside the groin vault in this hotel in Marakech, is it?  It's about that exquisite pattern of light that the orb creates.  Magical.

Circa Lighting Blog - the shadows here align with the vaults in the ceiling

Selecting lighting for a space involves so many considerations.  How much wattage needs to come from a fixture? What type of bulbs?  What direction does it need to illuminate? How does it scale in the room?  What material and finish is best for the space? What about style?  These are just a few of the things designers have to consider when selecting lighting for a project. 

Zamzam Riad Boutique Hotel

Sometimes the pattern of light created by the fixture is an afterthought.....a reward after the fixture is installed.  Many times there is no way to see the fixture lit beforehand. There may not be a photograph of it lit and choosing one that is in stock and installed in a local showroom for a client to see live and in person is rare. So, when the fixture is flicked on just after it's installed and we're all looking up with an expectant smile, hoping it will do everything it's supposed to, and then.....

My bathroom fixture - Circa Lighting

I LOVE this moment.  The pattern of light created in that particular environment is always unique.  Color, texture, and objects in the room are all affected in a different way.

Zamzam Riad Boutique Hotel

Sconce by Two Hills Studio, Austin, TX

Sorry for the glare here, my job site photo!  Love the pattern on the ceiling though.

Very blurry shot of one of my master bath remodels in progress.  Moroccan fixture installed. I'll post the final shot soon!

Another Zamzam Riad photo - beautiful!

Patterns of light in a room add another layer to the overall depth and richness of a space.  It's not always about the beautiful fixture, but about the way it brings everything to life!