A NYC kitchen

Heather Clawson is a talented young interior designer, living and working in New York City.  Her blog, Habitually Chic,  is one I subscribe to.  Click here so you can read it, too.  She works tirelessly at it--I believe there's a new post every day (amazing).  Heather writes about both interior and fashion design.  Just a little blurb that's interesting and informative, accompanied by great pictures!

Anywho, Heather recently wrote about moving from one apartment to another in the big city, and she showed us a picture of her new kitchen.  Made quite the impression on me.  Let's see what you think:

This is the After shot.  She's done a great job of polishing it up and making the most of the space.  Nice colors,  good organization, homey touches, orginal art that has meaning to her (my kind of girl).  This is the WHOLE kitchen!    

Ciao,

Anne

Want a peek inside a trade only fabric showroom?

There are many reasons to hire a trained interior designer.  Oh, the things we can help you with!  We  have access to some really special places, and one of my favorites are the "trade only" fabric showrooms.  The selection is completely and totally awesome and the staff is knowledgeable and helpful. There are thousands upon thousands of choices, so their help is important.  Otherwise I'd have to spend much more time (at an hourly rate to my clients mind you), tracking down that perfect pattern in just the right colorway.

Karen Saks is one of our showrooms and A. Hoke is the other.  And they're right across the street from each other, which is very helpful, except that the road is super busy and crossing it is life threatening, but I'll save that rant for another day.

Would you like to get a peek inside the Karen Saks showroom? I just happened to take a few pictures last week to show you!

Rows and rows of fabric manufacturers, organized by vendor, type and color.

 

Here's an example of one row.  Nicely organized.

Fabrics, trimmings, wallpapers, furnishings and rugs are scattered throughout.

Tables down the center aisle to hold our bags, notebooks, laptops, etc.  My table is always piled high with "stuff."   I'll bring my camera to A. Hoke this week.  Same business, super nice people, very different kind of floor plan.

Ciao,

Anne

DeCocco Design is dispensing advice!

Houzz- Kitchen Design, Bathroom Design and More»

Browse Bath Products on Houzz- For Example:

Bathroom Vanities And Sink Consoles · Bathroom Faucets · Bathroom Storage · Bath And Spa Accessories · Showers · Bathroom Tile · Towels · Bathtubs ·

A couple of months ago, the editor at Houzz.com asked if I'd like to join their panel of experts who answer design questions on their stunning website.  Of course I said "YES!" because I like nothing better than telling other people what to do.  Have you taken a look at Houzz.com yet?  Please do, you will LOVE it!  I found this little blurb about it at shopsmartmag.org:

Houzz.com helps you design with pros

I love flipping through shelter magazines, and peering at gorgeously decorated rooms. It’s a great way to spend downtime and get ideas. But now one of my new guilty pleasures is Houzz.com (pronounced howz).


Hop on this site, where design pros download photos of their work and you’ll find thousands of drool-worthy room settings in all sorts of styles, including trad, mod, eclectic. Plus, when you see little green tags on items pictured in the rooms, you’ll find out where to get it and how much it cost.


And if you have a design question or need remodeling advice, just send in the photo of the room (or even outside area of your house) in question and you can pick up some free advice. The site also offers a new free app for iPads and iPhone."  by Sue Perry, 6/28/11

When you go to Houzz, you'll see a search box.  Put in something like "hardwood floors" and then click on "Ideabooks" or "Photos" or even "Products."  You'll be amazed at the results.  It's like a personalized magazine.

modern living room design by san francisco architect John Lum Architecture, Inc. AIA

You can gather photos that you want to keep and remember into your own Ideabooks.  It's very simple.  If I can do it, you can do it for sure.  Put  DeCocco Design in that search box and then click "Users," and you'll see my growing collection of ideabooks  Here's an example of one:  http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/306398/list/great-ideas  It shows photos that people have posted that I think are worth remembering for my next design dilemna.

Have fun with it.

Ciao,
Anne

The Company Men

Last night Hub and I watched "The Company Men" on demand (I love on demand).  As a family experiencing this very subject matter, we were amazed at how well they nailed it.  Every character and situation was well played. Each person who goes through the loss of a job experiences it in a very personal and unique way, but there are (obviously) common threads,  reactions and realities.  The movie has a great cast--including Kevin Costner (still a hunk of a man).   Not my favorite subject, that's for sure, but a very good movie.  You should see it!

Ciao,

Anne

Interior design in the summer, NC style.

It was SO great to take a little break and head to the beach for a long holiday weekend.  To say that we had fun is an understatement.  I kayaked for the first time and am officially in love with a boat.  Is "kayaked" a word?  I've been telling Hub for a long time that I want a boat, but had no idea what kind of boat I could manage on my own if necessary.  Now I know!

Here's a picture of Grandboy in the kayak with Mr. Bill.  I think he's squinting with manly exertion.

We also canoed, tubed, swam, ate ice cream and strawberry shortcake (that Claudia made--REAL biscuit shortcake), saw some fireworks,  bought fish right off the dock, oh yeah, that reminds me, Grandboy caught a lovely striped bass:

I know, he's upside down.  That's how I took the picture in all the excitement and it looks weird if I turn it around.  Not to worry, he went right back into the sound seconds later.  Everything we caught was sent right back.  Twice the hook popped right out of their mouths, which was a bonus.

Seeing some of the bog fires on the way to the Outer Banks was really weird .  Lots of damage.  Miles and miles of blackened trees and brush.

More to come very soon.  I worked like a crazy woman to be able to go to the beach--some wonderful clients have come my way this year and I had to find a point where I could freeze everything in place for just a bit.  Summer is usually a slow time in my business, but so far that's not the case.  I hope you're having some fun this summer.  Life is short.  Go to Dairy Queen.

Ciao,
Anne

Small changes add up in interior design

Here's our sofa in the window.  I love to sit there, especially on sunny winter days.  The light makes the room sparkle and I get to see who might be driving down the road or coming down our driveway.  But in the Spring, that window is filled with Annabelle hydrangeas and I want them to be the focus.  So....

I moved the sofa over to the side and flanked the window with a club chair.  Lovin' it, but then came up with one more change...

I took the grids out of the lower half of the windows.  Now those hydrangeas are on stage the moment I enter the room  Bravo hydrangeas, such a great show!  When they die back, I'll probably move the sofa again.  I hope you can see how small changes like these can give you a home that always makes you smile.

Ciao,

Anne





Will there be paparazzi?

I've been contacted by 2 reporters for different print media in the last 24 hours.  They want a designer's perspective on light bulbs and color.  The word is out--I talk a lot!  Did you know that when a reporter calls you and says "do you have a minute?" they don't mean they want to schedule a time to talk about their subject matter?  Oh no.  They ask a question, and as you answer you can hear furious typing on the other end!  No time to formulate something wise or witty.  You are ON.

This picture has nothing to do with anything, it's just from the yard last year and I thought you'd like to see it--kind of a break from me blabbing about my (non existent) rapport with the media.

 I've had this happen several times now and should be better prepared.  Couldn't I at least ask what the topic is and then say I'll call them right back?  Nope.  Not me.  So I spout off and then wonder what the heck I'm going to sound like when it's in the paper.  Luckily (I think), they don't really quote you exactly.  So if I said something dumb, I have the comfort of knowing that it's not exactly what I said.  Ok, small help.

If I sound wise in the article, I'll let you know about it.  Otherwise, this will be our last discussion on this topic.

Ciao,
Anne

Let's Catch Up!

I am determined to have some balance in my life, but it would really help if there were a couple more hours in the day.  Or perhaps there are plenty of hours, but if I could stay awake for more of them--maybe that would help?  That's not going to happen.

Lots of interior design work lately.  The Design Direction option  offered by DeCocco Design works well for many people.  Sometimes it morphs into more, so then I'm on a bigger job.  Sometimes clients don't need that much help and it shrinks into an hourly job.  All are good by me.  I continue to meet the nicest people, who love their homes and families and want their spaces to work well for them.  So I've been choosing colors, cabinets, tiles, light fixtures, etc. all over town, as well as sourcing online and writing endless reports.   Oh!  And now DeCocco Design takes credit cards and Paypal.  Very handy!

Should I be showing you this?  When I've collected all kinds of samples for a job and am ready to make decisions, I lay it out on the floor in my office, in front of a big window.  What a mess!  But that way I can see how everything relates and, in the end, it all comes together nicely.  But it has to start out looking like this!  I'm not even showing you all of it.  Personally, I love this part.  The pieces all meet each other and definitely start to form cliques.  Sometimes I have to step in to make everyone behave and introduce new possibilites. 

I haven't done a Find of the Week lately, so here's one I found weeks ago.  It's in Ecko on Glenwood Ave., here in Raleigh.  See those 3D flowers?  They're made of some sort of plasticy material, with a matte finish (looks good).  You get all the flowers you see here for $30 and what a FUN idea for so many spots in a house!  Kids room, for sure.  High on the wall and onto the ceiling in a powder room.  Behind a chair with a lamp shining up on them, as you see here, etc.  I'll bet you could embellish them if you wanted to, but I like the simple color.  They could look rather sophisticated or they can just be fun.  Love them!  I also like that lamp, but that's another topic for another day.

One more little piece of catch-up.  A couple of weeks ago, on a cloudy morning, I was sitting in a club chair in our living room, being very quiet, starting my day with some silence as life was feeling stressful and I wanted to let go of useless anxiety.  I looked out a front window and saw this:

The sun had broken through and was just shining down in one spot in our yard--on this bench.  My mom gave us this bench as a housewarming gift for our very first house, over 25 years ago and it has followed us to every subsequent house (and there have been quite a few).  The bench is now very fragile and covered with great, crusty, growing stuff and Mom has been gone for over 7 years.  Seeing the sun shine on that bench felt like a message from her that all was well.  It felt great. 

Oh my gosh, I have been rambling!  Will try to get back to more regular, shorter posts.  I hope you know that in your life, too, all is well.

Ciao,

Anne

This House is Beatiful!

I started flicking through the June issue of House Beautiful last night--it's a good one!  Page after page of great ideas and sources and some really nice examples of stellar interior design.  The resource theme of this month is the hardware store.  Places like Ace, Lowe's Home Depot, etc.  I am a lover of hardware stores--much more comfortable there than at the mall.  The imagination can really soar in a hardware store and all kinds of wonderful solutions can be found.

So I went on the HB website to grab a few pix to show you.  Please remember that you don't have to be a fan of the particular style of an interior to get great ideas out of it.   Designer Ann Wolf  is featured for a home she worked on in Houston. She did a spectacular job and here are some ideas for you to enjoy:

It's the ceiling I want you to notice.  Love that blue!

That stone fireplace on the screened porch, with the super simple mantel is fabulous.  It's the artwork of the room.

Looky here.  She made a children's reading nook out of an unused space in the house.  Love how the grommet curtains are hung from the ceiling.  Kids space, but grown up fabric on those curtains--that's how we all coexist with each other.  And don't kids just love cozy spaces where they can hide away from us?

This picture really looks better in the magazine.  Look at the ceiling--isn't it a beauty?  Why do we ignore ceilings?  And this is a great use of gray, my least favorite color, unless you get it really right, which she did.  Not cold, not depressing.  Soothing, neutral and providing a great backdrop for the daffodils on the nightstands (which, you notice, do NOT MATCH).

One more.  Nice office space. Roman shade on the window is gorgeous to gaze upon, cobalt blue lamp reminds me of the water, hardware on the built-in cabinetry is just lovely. And the peacock wallpaper lining the back of the bookshelves is a wonderful, deluxe look, but, if it's the wallpaper I think it is, then it's just for show and won't really stand up to books being shoved back and forth.  But I love it all!

Ciao,
Anne

Really?

Just saw this ad from Restoration Hardware.  I'm speechless. Confused.  Maybe I should just back away slowly...

We've got lots of catching up to do.  This week for sure. 

Ciao,

Anne