Robert Allen and Dwell Studio

I received news from Robert Allen. Their partnering with Dwell Studio. The fabrics they created look wonderful. Take a look at this video. You really can see how fabulous they seem because they are shown on furniture versus a flat picture of a sample.



I really like what I'm seeing. I think I'll go to the Robert Allen Showroom in DC to see how they feel.

What do you think? Do you like them?

Monday's Method ~

Isn't this an interesting window treatment? This is Cuff Links panels with Haviana sheers. These pictures came right from Robert Allen's Facebook page. I have used Cuff Links before. It is quite elegant actually. This Monday Method I am featuring Larry Laslo's recent addition in Destinations for Robert Allen ~ these creations were inspired by South Florida and Aspen. You can go to Robert Allen and check out the entire line.

What I like about Mr. Laslo's colorways that many are timeless but he gives them new life. Here's a pic with the neutrals I love and one with orange and green, hues that many of my clients have requested...


Here's a few more pics...



Love the sophistication of these chairs.


These fabrics have a freshness about them ~ happy colors to me.

I do use Larry's fabric quite a bit and these are all good examples of why.

See you tomorrow for Timeless Tuesday ~

Thursday's Room(s) ~ A Couple of My Own

For this Thursday's Room, I thought it would be fun to show you a project I am working on. The designs are done ~ they loved them. Furnishing and fabrics are either here or on their way. The work has begun! Remember the tweens rooms I wrote about? I wrote about it on Facebook and twitter for sure. I love doing kids' rooms (although, if I call a tween a kid, they may roll their eyes:) I'll show you a bit of each room's design. The reveal won't be for a bit as we are waiting on wallpaper and one piece of furniture (boo hoo). Both rooms will complete in June and I'll post before and after pictures.

The first room is for a chic young lady. She told me her color palette ~ turquoise and red ~ I added ivory and a pinch of chocolate. The Robert Allen fabric at the top is in her room. Here are a couple more also from Robert Allen...



Here is her furnishings plan...


And a couple pieces going in her elegant, sleek room...



Both from Worlds Away.

Right now ~ the room looks like this...

At least someone is enjoying the mess...


The color palette the other tween chose is vibrant ~ I love it too! The girls are very different, which their rooms will reflect. The ceiling will be purple. She also likes landscapes so naturally I turned to Byron Jorjorian for inspiration. Here is a piece of art from Byron that will be in the room (among others)...


Here is her furnishings plan...


She was very clear about wanting a comfortable seating area. Well my dear ~ you have one ~ a very comfortable chaise. Here are some of her fabrics...



The first two are from Robert Allen ~ the flower one is from Silk Loom.

Now for a couple of furnishings...



The lamp is from Arteriors; the etagere ~ Worlds Away.

And here is the room now ~ yikes...

You have a glimpse of the purple ceiling.

Truthfully, I had so much fun doing these rooms that I am as excited to see them done as the tweens are. I love that part of what I do! The anticipation of the full reveal ~ I get excited every time.

Same ol', same ol' ~ NOT!

My head is spinning a bit as many new projects have come my way. When writing this brief post, I was practically walking out the door to my latest ~ two tween bedrooms. I am so looking forward to it too! These are ongoing clients whom I adore. So far I have done their kitchen, family room, sun room, powder room, porch and deck. The next room was to be the dining room (I actually already found the table in my other travels) but a call from the lady of the home reported that plans have changed ~ its the tweens turn. It's interesting these client have a similar color palette to the one above but the end results are so different. I posted on them ~ just the powder room ~ so far.

A while back, I showed you the Robert Allen Larry Laslo fabric above as the inspiration fabric for one of my latest projects. I have done this color palette many times. Folks just love it. Why? It's classic. At the top is the inspiration fabric with it's family. These will be in the family and keeping rooms (see furniture plan below). The Laslo fabric will be pillows; the wide silk stripe is the drapes. The solid neutral fabrics and leather are large furniture pieces; the solid green and other patterned ones (herringbone and coral-like) are accents. This palette will never retire as there are so many fabrics to select from. Each design remains fresh and unique.So what do you think of the palette? What other favorite classic palettes come to mind for you?

Advice Column ~ Tranquil, Modern Bedroom

Many of you know that I do an interior design column. Since I have limited room in the column, I write an abbreviated version there and expand here. The sky is the limit here! Here's the picture the writer sent....


Here is her email....

Dear Paula Grace,

I enjoy your column and wonder if you can give me a tip on how to jump start my stalled master bedroom makeover. I want a peaceful, tranquil, more modern room that is bathed in light during the day and cozy at night.

Unlike the client you mentioned that wanted to get away from white, I am drawn to it. But now I have a lot of white and ivory including a beautiful new bed and new silk curtains. All three large windows have ivory solar panels which satisfied my desire for a clean and contemporary look (and lots of light) but the shades do not provide privacy at night or insulation when it is cold outside. Hence, the silk curtains. But I only have silk curtains on one large window leaving the two neighboring windows looking exceptionally bare.

How would you suggest I even out the look of the windows and maybe begin to introduce color? I am attaching a photo so you can have a better idea of what the room looks like today.

Any advice you can give is much appreciated!

Sincerely,

Vikki P.

My response.....

Dear Vikki,

Thank you for writing in. First of all, your bedroom is lovely. Stylish furniture; plenty of natural light and sumptuous silk drapes. You have the foundation of a magnificent room. I’m glad we had a chance to email regarding colors as it is important to add a color(s) that you enjoy. Green and brown are excellent choices ~ natures hues are always soothing. Since you would like peaceful, tranquil and more modern, I would add a soft green and a chocolate brown. The dark hue is neutral thus has staying power and will ground the design nicely ~ and a direct connection with the earth; the soft green is for the tranquility. I would not add any more color than that. Mix textures and use a combination of pattern. Use motifs you would see in nature plus a subtle plaid and stripe to compliment the curves. Here are some examples from Robert Allen / Beacon Hill.


RA: Statosky-Java, BH: Blanket Stitch-Citrine, BH: Fossil Dig-Citrine, BH: Wikipedia-Canary Green, BH: Summer Sonata-Peridot, BH: Woods Creek-Peridot, RA:Velvet Pipes-Terrain

For the specific window issue, I would suggest roman shades to be used in conjunction with your solar panels for the windows flanking your bed. Hang them at the same height as your drapes for a uniform line. The Beacon Hill: Woods Creek – Peridot would be an excellent choice. It is a soft pattern and incorporates the ivory hue connecting them with your ivory silk drapes. The shades may be lined and interlined for the privacy and coziness you seek. An important fact about fabric roman shades ~ they must be well-made or you may run into functional problems. They are notorious for being difficult to pull up straight and it sounds like you’ll be doing that to let in the natural light and have them down at night. If they are well made, you won’t have issues, if not ~ well….. Try The Shade Store. Robert Allen has a partnership with them so you may be able to use a fabric such as the Beacon Hill: Woods Creek – Peridot. If not, use the Robert Allen linen on The Shade Store site and add a band of the same fabric to the bottom of your silk drapes. You may use all of the other fabrics for throw pillows and upholstery noted as they relate nicely to the linen hue.

An alternative to the fabric roman shades is a roman woven shade. I have never run into problems with well-made wovens and since they have developed into sophisticated patterns, they could be easily used with the lush drapes. Select one that matches your ivory drapes and that has a close and consistent weave. An example from Horizons is below. This alone will not bring in color but it will bring in texture. If you would like color on the woven, simply have them banded in the green. If you decide to band them, add a band of the same fabric to the bottom of your existing drapes to further connect the window treatments.

Horizons: Holland Mesh-Timid White

Caveat ~ if you use Beacon Hill: Woods Creek – Peridot for roman shades, do not place a band of it on the drapes. There is a relationship with the drape’s ivory hue and the motif on the shade fabric. Adding a band on the drapes may be too much of a good thing.

On your bed, start with a clean lined ivory duvet. The Diva (love the name) from Wildcat Territory is a nice choice. Since you have a fabric headboard, the shams are optional. Place an assortment of throw pillows on your bed. Use the shade fabric as one pillow and then mix the patterns, textures, and pillow style. I like to ground the pillows with dark in the back row, then lighter in the front. I suggest one large bolster in the Robert Allen: Velvet Pipes - Terrain above as the back row. This will pop off your ivory bedding or headboard. Three 18” self-welt pillows (middle one being the window fabric) in front of the large bolster. One or two 16” self- welt pillow and two small bolsters in front of that. This may sound like a lot of pillows but here is where we have an opportunity to add lush fabrics, beautiful pattern, texture and color not mention an air of femininity given the master bedroom is for a lovely lady. Since the pillows are clean lined (no ornate trims), they will be contemporary yet lush. Add a faux fur throw to the mix and hello luxurious!

A bench at the end of the bed with in Robert Allen: Statosky – Java would be wonderful. This would connect the pillows at the head of the bed with the end of the bed. Nothing over powering ~ just a simple bench such as this one from Hickory Chair.
Hickory Chair: Farra Cocktail Ottoman

Ground the entire bed / bench area ~ the focal point of the room ~ with an area rug. The area rug that is shown in your picture is too small in scale ~ it is disproportionate to the bed. A 6’ x 9’ or 9’ round rug such as this one would be better. The rug should be placed such that it is underneath the end of your bed and the bench (see illustrations). I would recommend a chocolate rug with a tone on tone motif inspired by nature or a plain, soft, luscious rug as exampled below from Surya.

or

or
Surya: Natura NAT-7041 or Manhattan MAN-6663

Add some sparkle to the room by replacing your night stands lamps with something like these from Arteriors Home ~ clean and elegant.

Arterior Home:Clear Silveria Bottle NeckGlass Lamp 44471-371

Arteriors Home: Zola Melon Lamp, Hotel Silver 44438-146

If you have a seating area in your master, as many do, I suggest a chaise or chair with an ottoman to lounge in. The fabric ~ Beacon Hill: Fossil Dig – Citrine. It is soft with subtle color and wonderful pattern and texture. Since I don’t see this area, I cannot recommend a specific one ~ but you get the idea.

Note~ The specific furnishings named can be implemented literally or can be used as a catalyst to fill the room with similar choices.

I hope this helps!

Paula Grace ~

Wow, that was fun!

Sexy Luxury II

Once again, I have a vignette. A sexy vignette inspired by a Moroccan belly dancer ensemble I came across.
While looking for pictures to illustrate just how sensual these ensembles are, I found the pictures at the top. Red and gold versus the red and silver one I found at Epcot. I have to admit, I am partial to red and gold because I have always loved the combination of red and camel. Always. I think it is a timeless palette. It can be very traditional or it can be modernized to update the look. The vignette I came up with today is what I consider a transitional design that is cozy and hot. Check out the bed! The is the Soho Upholstered Bed from Hickory Chair. Fabulous! I would upholster it in...

A toffee colored mohair from Beacon Hill.

Next, a duvet made from....

A sumptuous fire colored silk, cotton, polyester fabric called Futurology, also from Beacon Hill.

And of course, an abundance of pillows..... first layer,

A 100% silk pile velvet in cognac......

Followed by, use guessed it, Ryan Pillows from Legacy Home, I do love them and their exceptional quality........

I added some brown hues in the pillows to further deepen the rich palette. The vignette would not be complete unless it was illuminated......

Unfortunately, this picture is not the actual chandelier I would use. I could not find a picture I could use for this blog. This is the beveled arc series from Fine Art Lamps. The one I would use is from the same series except in gold. This is one of my favorite chandelier collections. I have one in my own home. They are amazing! The link takes you to the one I would absolutely use in this vignette.

It is fun to design fantasy spaces. Naturally in my fantasies, I use high end products, rich in hue and hand. But these visions can be achieved by looking for similar items in your budget. I have the Futurology fabric in my home ~ on one pillow face! The back is another fabric in the same hue ~ a less expensive fabric. That is another way to stretch a hard earned dollar! But now it is back to reality... my daughter has swim class... will the glamour never end??!