Bay windows are a designer favorite

The Raleigh News & Observer was so nice to ask me to write an article for their "Ask A Designer" series.  It appeared in today's Home section--here's the link: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/03/31/1964910/ask-a-designer-what-will-make.html.

The whole section was packed with lots of designer tips as well as gardening info, which I love to read while eating my Saturday morning blackberry pancakes.

However, the layout of my article was unfortunate, as they did not include a picture that I repeatedly referred to!  Readers must have been a bit puzzled.  So, taking matters into my own hands, I'm showing the correct picture in this post.  How handy to have a blog!

Here's the "before" picture that the reader provided, showing her design dilemma:

It's a bay window area in her master bedroom and she doesn't know how to finish it.  Nice problem to have, right?  It's a lovely space, looking out at a wooded area. The reader and her hub want a spot to sit with their coffee and newspaper.

This is the "after" picture that I created:

I used a neat design softeware to build the room right on top of her picture.  Clients love to have as much help as possible to visualize what their space could look like.  The drapes in this picture are based on one of the fabrics that DeCocco Design is using in our new line of semi-custom window treatments.  The chaise is from West Elm, but folks in the Raleigh area can get the same look and shop local at Dexter Furniture on Glenwood Ave.  They've got a great selection of fabrics, so customizing the chaise to the space would be easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Hub is painting a new wall color in the Library, in preparation for installation of lovely drapes (again, using one of our fabulous fabrics--I cannot wait to show them all to you!).   Stay tuned for how that turns out!

Ciao,

Anne

Home decor items that caught my interest

This is the Gould Cocktail Table by Harbinger. Look at that orange lacquer finish and those brass corners and legs.  It would look fantastic in my house and definitely bring a smile to my face!  But it's almost $5,000.  Wow.  I've going to have to think about how I could get this look for a little less (a little?).

Then I saw this:

It's the Matter Lamp from Schoolhouse Electric, a favorite lighting source.  I like it a lot.  Not sure I'd buy it--it's $239, 22" high and the base is made of cast concrete.  Their description calls it "elegant."  Can't agree with that, but  it is kinda groovy.

At DeCocco Design we're getting closer to unveiling our fabrics for the new drapery line. My impatience knows  no bounds.  Every step of the online retailing process moves at a glacial pace.  Well, it feels like that to me. But we're almost there!

Have a great day--it's Friday!

Ciao,
Anne

Spring is here!

The first day of Spring is somehow always a bit of a relief, isn't it?   Maybe it's my New England roots, thinking "we made it through another winter."  Here in NC, making it through winter isn't nearly so hard!

Snapped this photo this morning right before Grandboy headed off to school.

This time I moved the camera over to the left a smidge to show you the redbud in bloom (the purple) and the beginnings of flowers on a dogwood.  You can also see a bit of the red sky we had this morning.  And now it is raining and thundering.  Give it a minute, it will change.

Ciao,

Anne

Flipping through this month's Traditional Home magazine

I've been reading Traditional Home for centuries and just about always find a room that I love within it's pages.  The April issue is no exception.  Here's the room:

Oops!  This is the "Before" shot.

Here's the "After."

And this.

The color on the walls is brave and perfect.  I looked for the name of that orange in the Resource pages, but it was a custom color.  However, Sherwin Williams' Robust Orange/6628, is a similar rich hue.  Benjamin Moore's Corlsbud Canyon/076 is another delicious, saturated orange.  Blue is the complementary color to orange, so the huge vase of delphiniums on the table was a brilliant stroke.  The chandelier, the window treatments, the clean lines on the upholstered pieces--so well done.  This room is filled with many details that add up to great design and a space that I'd feel very comfortable and downright happy in.  While this is a very traditional room, the use of color and fabric give it a gorgeous update.  Gerald Pomeroy of Boston did the interior design and the photographer is Francesco Lagnese.  

There was another good "before" and "after" in the magazine.

The bathroom before

Lots of good ideas in this photo, don't you think?  Also by Gerald Pomeroy Design Group.  

I hope you all enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Ciao,

Anne

DeCocco Design Drapes are special--want to know why?

Do you want to know what makes our drapery panels different from any others that you see online or in the big retailers/catalogs?  Let me count the ways;

      The fabrics and trims - ours are beautiful, versatile and of high quality. We've got textures, patterns and
                                   colors that you will not find with ordinary, off-the-shelf products.
                                                 
     The workmanship - custom-made upon order in a professional workroom that has been chosen because
                                   of the spectacular quality of their work, right here in the U.S.

     Quality Control - everything is chosen and supervised by Gail and I.  We are experienced, knowledgeable
                                   and extremely picky.

More another day. In the meantime, enjoy the day.  The trees here in NC are blooming and green leaves are appearing.  The season is changing and springtime in NC is so pretty it can bring tears to my eyes.

Below are more lovely photos from my friends at Houzz.com  that show how window treatments bring beauty and balance into the space.  Picture any of these rooms without the drapes and you'll see that the result will be a little colder, a little less inviting and not quite so interesting.

Ciao,
Anne

Dinner with friends at Mez

Last night we met a group of friends at Mez in Morrisville, NC.  It's a great place!



Love the exterior, but the interior is even more beautifully done.  Only have this picture from Hub's phone, but it gives you an idea:

Great lighting, fabulous artwork, beautiful paint colors--and the food is wonderful.  It's upscale Mexican--I had the spinach enchiladas with red rice and black beans and it was amazing.  Shows how easy it can be to eat vegetarian, that's for sure.  We were a very noisy table because one couple was visiting from Charlottesville and we had a lot of catching up to do and we all make each other laugh--a lot.  Great fun.

Ciao,
Anne

Find of the week

Want to share a Find with you before getting back on the topic of our beautiful new drapery line at DeCocco Design!

Google Chrome.  Are you using it?  It's fantastic.  My I.T. slave brother-in-law got me to try it when he was rescuing my laptop and pulling me into the world of Outlook.  Google Chrome is MUCH faster than Internet Explorer!  When you spend much of your day on the computer, speed is what you crave.  Chrome makes my computer go zing.

Ciao,

Anne

Semi-custom window treatments BY DeCocco Design!

Small blast of the trumpet please.  Finally ready to make this exciting announcement about a new venture for DeCocco Design.  We're getting ready to launch our very own line of semi-custom window treatments, sold right on the website! And they're going to look amazing in your home!

I've long wished for a choice between the blah, low quality, ready-made options offered by the big catalog/stores and the high price point of truly custom products.  That choice has never appeared to my satisfaction, so I'm going to do what any pioneer woman would--do it myself.  Of course, that's with the help of Gail, my hard working partner in this project, and a cast of amazing suppliers, all found right here in the U.S.A.

Our launch date is sometime this Spring, so I'll tell you more as the days go by. There's SO much to do, including a full reswizzle of the website.   In the meantime, look at these photos from Houzz.com.  They all show how beautiful draperies can polish, warm and finish a space.

Ciao,
Anne

This is more a test than a post

Tough couple of weeks for the computer.  Good thing my brother in law is a genius.  I'm just making sure this post works and will be back with BIG news later in the week.  I know, you've heard that one before.  You'll see.  It's very exciting and I want to tell you about it properly.  Good things come to those who wait....

Jane--will there be computer problems in the future?

Ciao,
Anne

Find of the Week!

To be truthful, the Find of the Week for this past week was found in the cold and flu aisle. Totally unfair to get both!  But I'm going to shake it all off and move on because I did come across 2 finds to share with you.

We're doing a photo shoot this weekend on an interior project that's not quite finished.  Design projects can take a very long time to really be  photo ready because these are people's homes and there's no rush to be "finished."  We all need to take our time and keep our eyes peeled for those pieces that truly personalize our spaces.  We find some things while travelling while other items reveal themselves when we least expect it and in places we would never have thought to look.  That's a long way of saying that when I'm ready to shoot some pictures, it's not unusual to have to run out and get a few things to fill a nook here, a cranny there.  In that spirit, I found this table at Target:

I love it!  Nice size, made of metal, very, very useful.  Could be an end table or an extra seat in the room.  And it would work indoors or out.  $70!  I tried to find a picture online, but could not.  Target often carries these "global bazaar"items for a short period of time.  If the client doesn't decide to keep it, I may not be able to bring myself to return it because it's just too good.

Here's my other Find for this week.  The Naturalizer Granola sneaker.  A girl should never be too sick to order a pair of shoes.  I love this Converse/Chuck Taylor look, but cannot wear those super-flat sneaks.  These may look flat, but they're not.  AND they have those "gellin" pads inside.  I've never tried those pads and now know that they're awesome!  My feet weren't just fine by mid-day, they were happy feet.

So a good end to the week.  Wash your hands a lot.  Get your rest, take your vitamins and watch what you eat.  Don't get sick.  My Hub took great care of me, but he can't take care of everyone and now he needs a rest.

Ciao,

Anne