Best Outdoor Party DécorThis post is sponsored by TIKI Brand. All opinions are my own.Throwing a party is one of those things in life that no one teaches you how to do… there’s no elective “Entertaining 101” class you can sign up for. It is kind o . . . . From Inspiration to ExecutionSo you know you have a project ahead of you, but not a clue as to where you start… No worries, there are a ton of places out there to help guide you along like Pinterest, Houzz and resources like ideas.kohler.com, which takes you . . . . NYC Design Student MixerI am excited to announce the 1st Annual Student Mixer “Design Connext” on September 8th! This was the brainchild of the NY Chapters of AIA, IIDA & ASID. This gives the students studying Interior Design, Architecture, . . . . For The Love Of LeatherOkay, we all know that leather is simply amazing and a wonderful material to use on furniture. It cleans up easy, gets better with age, always looks chic and is pretty much timeless…BUT, you can run the risk of overdoing it. . . . . Presentation Is EVERYTHING!So it’s definitely that time of the year when we all are going crazy trying to figure out, who wants what… What are teenagers actually into?… What is the new “it” gift?… Why am I always rushing and running around till the bitter en . . . . Adrian’s Pound CakeMy husband doesn’t come from a long line of remarkable chefs or bakers, but what did trickle down is freaking awesome! One of the things that he makes very well is pound cake. This is a revamped recipe from his grandmother that he’ . . . . Holiday Gifts well under $100I don’t know about you guys but I completely dread the Holidays… It’s like instant anxiety and frustration trying to figure out what people want, what they are currently into, or what style of whatever it is you need to understand . . . . The Well-Worn SofaAs a designer, one of the most agonizing pieces to decide on is the sofa, and it’s completely understandable, as in most spaces, it is the focal point of the room. There are countless numbers of styles, sizes and textiles that can . . . . My Secret Source for Custom Holiday Gifts…Well folks, it’s officially the start of the Holiday season! Halloween is now in the past, and we look forward to the chaos that is the next 8 weeks! Shopping and agonizing over the perfect presents will be our mode of thinking and . . . . Great Q&A with Terrys Blinds…I love doing a fun interview with a new source, and here’s a fun one I just did with Terrys Blinds in the UK, title Designer Insights! Check it out! . . . . Interior Design sourcing on eBay?!… Yeah! Who knew?A few months back I was contacted by eBay to help them out with putting together “Collections” and “Guides”… I had no idea what that meant or why I would even consider doing something like this as an Interior Designer. eBay was not . . . . Super Saturated SpacesI love Pinterest, as many of you already know; I think it’s one of the most power design tools out there! As a designer, I can just get lost in all of the amazing inspiration taken from around the world… I’ve noticed that on my A . . . . Leather belts + nails and/or glue = Awesome!We all have leather belts that have seen their better days, you know it’s true… Whether it’s because they don’t fit, too worn, or just out of style… Try to do some easy recycling and creative tricks with . . . . Repost-Sunday, September 16, 2012 “Never too early for Pumpkin Decorating!…”Okay, so we haven’t officially even hit Fall yet, but the kid in me can’t help but want to get a hold of those orange gourds we all love to decorate this time of year and get creative! Now last year I did my pumpkins covered in tac . . . . Repost-Sunday, October 16, 2011 “It’s pumpkin decorating time!…”So the family and I took a little drive to a farm not too far away to go pumpkin picking today… Boy, do these “farms” have quite a cash cow of a business… Between the Hay Ride, Pumpkin Catapult, and horrible food we dropped about $ . . . .Housing Works “Design on a Dime”For the past few years I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of one of the best design charity events in all of NYC… The reason I give it such high praise is really because it’s one of the few events that is truly interactive betwe . . . . Dreaming of furniture, fixtures and gorgeous things…Interior Design is a funny industry… As a designer, my job is to steer people in a direction that best expresses each client’s personal aesthetic, but not necessarily reflecting my own, all the while trying to interject some person . . . . The bigger, the bolder, the better!…this coming year is going to be all about the BIG BOLD Patterned Wallpaper! I’m obsessed with some of these ridiculously large scale images! They are so amazing, and create movement that a simple paint job could never replicate. I’ . . . . Not your grandfather’s recliner…i can’t even tell you how many times a client inevitably asks when designing their space, “Is there room for a La-Z-Boy somewhere?” This is almost like fingernails on a chalkboard! I’m not saying that those ubiquitous ultra-cushy, . . . . A good year for food…This has been a wonderful year for good eats, and here are just a dozen of the best bites I completely devoured over the past 12 months! If I could go back and do it all again, I totally would!From Cochon’s famous Fried Boudin, to . . . . Memphis, the city that once was…earlier this year I traveled to Memphis, Tennessee to tour the manufacturing facilities of Delta and Brizo Faucets… It was a trip I had no expectations of, as I knew very little of the city. You can read about the pristine manufact . . . . The Black Leather Sofa… Is it ever okay?!…I will be the first to admit that I am not a huge fan of the oh-so-popular black leather sofa, beloved friend of every male, who is coming of age, getting his first real job, in his first place, making his first major furniture pur . . . . The magic of paper and printing… That’s MINTED.every year, without a doubt, my heart starts to beat a bit faster and harder when the calendar hits that eleventh month and I realize that I need to get my a$$ in gear and get my Holiday Cards churned out! I’ve explored most of the . . . . Lighting up Holiday House NYC…once again the Holiday House NYC showhouse is preparing for the crowds of design aficionados and admirers, to gaze upon the creations of some of the industries leading designers. . . . . Black Windows & Doors… One of my favorite design features.black is an essential color for any interior in my book. I think it grounds a space, and adds depth, that can’t be achieved with other color substitutes. In addition, one of the most important features in any room are the windows a . . . . Holiday Gift Ideas…can you even handle the fact that the Holidays are literally upon us AGAIN!!! I feel like they just keep looping around quicker and quicker every year! I swear to you, I also still have cards from last year that I literally never g . . . . Transitions… Designing for a Difference, the Makeover!…The Design For A Difference team was in place! Leslie Ann, Deanna, Lisa, Vivian and I were ready to work with Mark Brunetz to get this space looking like a million bucks! We had 48 hours to transform awful into awesome!Day . . . . Man Bun… Obsessed.I completely admit I probably think about and obsessed way too much about hair… My hair, your hair, random lady on the train’s hair, that guy who just passed me on the street’s hair, but it’s a sickness, and I’m fessing up to it, s . . . . Transitions… Designing for a Difference, and the winner is…My entry was submitted to IDG for my Design For A Difference nominee, and I was sure that I was going to win for the Hetrick-Martin Institute… A few months passed and I hadn’t heard anything back, and to be quite honest forgot abou . . . . Transitions… Designing for a Difference, the starting point.Rarely do I get the opportunity to do work for a charity where you see the immediate results and reactions from those whom you have helped; which is why the makeover for Transitions is so near and dear to my heart.Let’s start back at . . . . Long Live Camo!…Iself admittedly wear far too much camouflage, but I can’t help it! I equate it to the way a lot of women feel about leopard print, and the way it is treated as a neutral fabric. I feel like it’s a non-print that can be paired with . . . . A ceiling does NOT have to be white…Give me a good reason why you can’t paint your ceiling anything other than white, or the unheard of (How Could You) BLACK, and I will provide you all the visual evidence of why it is so right!… It’s so sexy, and gives any space a d . . . . Poka-yoke: Striving for perfection!Back in July, Brizo, the faucet manufacturing innovator flew more than 80 bloggers to Memphis for fun, food and festivities! We were treated to amazing accommodations at the historic Peabody Hotel, and toured the inspiring facilities . . . . My sudden obsession with the Pink Sofa…okay, I’m totally NOT that guy who deals a lot with Pink, but suddenly those shades of Rose, Blush and Fuchsia are kind of turning me on!… Yeah, I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ve been noticing a lot of my Pinterest pins involv . . . . Where do they live?… John Varvatos Spring 2014 editionI haven’t done this series of post in a while and I thought in celebration of John Varvatos showing off his Spring 2014 Collection today it was perfect timing!… Let’s play make believe, and fantasize where these well . . . . Steampunk, Defined by the Master…A couple weeks ago Sherwin-Williams reached out to me asking if I wanted to do a follow up Q&A with the genius Bruce Rosenbaum, the Steampunk Guru, as a complement to an article they were going to run in their printed magazine STIR . . . . One “hat” that a lot of designers love…This has always been one of my all time favorite accessories to bring both beauty and texture into a room, that appeals to basically all generations and genders… It’s the Cameroon Juju Hat… What is a Cameroon Juju Hat . . . . Brimfield in InstagramAlways such a good time going up to Brimfield, and this year was no different! I traveled up with the team from Robert Allen and Novita PR who of course did not disappoint… I’m a bit spoiled in the fact that we got to chill out in . . . . The Ubiquitous Combo of Black & GoldOkay, my normal routine of a quick scan of Twitter, to a quick scan of Instagram, to a quick scan of Facebook, lead to a “quick” scan of Pinterest and I noticed myself pinning what was somewhat reminiscent of my Design on a Dime vi . . . . Design on a Dime 2013 RecapWell, once again the Housing Works organization pulled it off!… A whopping $1.1 MILLION dollars was raised for this charity through the generosity of so many individuals… This exceeds the amounts tallied in the past years, and I co . . . . 9 Gorgeous Mirrors Under $200Mirrors are an essential part of room design, but can often be over looked, or just very costly… It’s the perfect way to dress any wall, and visually enlarges any space, which we love! So I did a little homework for you and found 9 . . . . Housing Works “Design on a Dime”I believe with all my being that we can all help out in our own ways to make this world we live in a better place… It’s more so a duty to those who are fortunate enough to be given a platform to speak, advocate and cultivate awaren . . . . Meg, well of course she’s doing well, but what’s she up to?…Meg Caswell ended up triumphant on Season Six of Design Star, winning the title and her own show… Of course she’s awesome, but what’s it really been like, and what is she currently up to? We managed to work together on 2 challenges . . . . Don’t forget to look up!…Ceilings are usually one of the last surfaces to be addressed when designing, which is unfortunate, because it can really make an impact in a room. It’s not appropriate for every interior, I’ll admit, and might be out of some clien . . . . Another talent, dismissed too soon! What’s J been up to?…JAllen is just one of those people that I was just instantly attracted to… Don’t ask me why, but when all the finalists were revealed to each other, I looked at this tall gorgeous girl, and thought, “I like her, I want to know her” . . . . Let go too soon!… Blanche, where are you now?!…Remember that hot Latina chick on Design Star? Yup, that was Blanche, a sweetheart that was dismissed from the competition too soon! I often wonder how things would have played out had she remained longer, considering her level of . . . . “Dr. Kellie, Paging Dr. Kellie…”We were just a crazy bunch during our time living, working and laughing together, all the while competing against each other on Design Star. Sometimes we had to fill our time with utter silliness, and one line that came out early o . . . . What’s Karl been up to?… Design Star follow ups!Next up in the roster, of “Where are they now?” is the uber talented Karl Sponholtz. Karl always managed to pull out something spectacular at the end of each challenge, much of which is due to his sheer talent as a working architec . . . . New Beginnings!…Over the past couple of years, my life has changed in so many ways… I’m grateful for everyday that I’m able to get up and do what I love. It’s a blessing that I’ve had the opportunities and talents to be a creative for a living. Th . . . .
Best Outdoor Party DécorThis post is sponsored by TIKI Brand. All opinions are my own.Throwing a party is one of those things in life that no one teaches you how to do… there’s no elective “Entertaining 101” class you can sign up for. It is kind o . . . .
From Inspiration to ExecutionSo you know you have a project ahead of you, but not a clue as to where you start… No worries, there are a ton of places out there to help guide you along like Pinterest, Houzz and resources like ideas.kohler.com, which takes you . . . .
NYC Design Student MixerI am excited to announce the 1st Annual Student Mixer “Design Connext” on September 8th! This was the brainchild of the NY Chapters of AIA, IIDA & ASID. This gives the students studying Interior Design, Architecture, . . . .
For The Love Of LeatherOkay, we all know that leather is simply amazing and a wonderful material to use on furniture. It cleans up easy, gets better with age, always looks chic and is pretty much timeless…BUT, you can run the risk of overdoing it. . . . .
Presentation Is EVERYTHING!So it’s definitely that time of the year when we all are going crazy trying to figure out, who wants what… What are teenagers actually into?… What is the new “it” gift?… Why am I always rushing and running around till the bitter en . . . .
Adrian’s Pound CakeMy husband doesn’t come from a long line of remarkable chefs or bakers, but what did trickle down is freaking awesome! One of the things that he makes very well is pound cake. This is a revamped recipe from his grandmother that he’ . . . .
Holiday Gifts well under $100I don’t know about you guys but I completely dread the Holidays… It’s like instant anxiety and frustration trying to figure out what people want, what they are currently into, or what style of whatever it is you need to understand . . . .
The Well-Worn SofaAs a designer, one of the most agonizing pieces to decide on is the sofa, and it’s completely understandable, as in most spaces, it is the focal point of the room. There are countless numbers of styles, sizes and textiles that can . . . .
My Secret Source for Custom Holiday Gifts…Well folks, it’s officially the start of the Holiday season! Halloween is now in the past, and we look forward to the chaos that is the next 8 weeks! Shopping and agonizing over the perfect presents will be our mode of thinking and . . . .
Great Q&A with Terrys Blinds…I love doing a fun interview with a new source, and here’s a fun one I just did with Terrys Blinds in the UK, title Designer Insights! Check it out! . . . .
Interior Design sourcing on eBay?!… Yeah! Who knew?A few months back I was contacted by eBay to help them out with putting together “Collections” and “Guides”… I had no idea what that meant or why I would even consider doing something like this as an Interior Designer. eBay was not . . . .
Super Saturated SpacesI love Pinterest, as many of you already know; I think it’s one of the most power design tools out there! As a designer, I can just get lost in all of the amazing inspiration taken from around the world… I’ve noticed that on my A . . . .
Leather belts + nails and/or glue = Awesome!We all have leather belts that have seen their better days, you know it’s true… Whether it’s because they don’t fit, too worn, or just out of style… Try to do some easy recycling and creative tricks with . . . .
Repost-Sunday, September 16, 2012 “Never too early for Pumpkin Decorating!…”Okay, so we haven’t officially even hit Fall yet, but the kid in me can’t help but want to get a hold of those orange gourds we all love to decorate this time of year and get creative! Now last year I did my pumpkins covered in tac . . . .
Repost-Sunday, October 16, 2011 “It’s pumpkin decorating time!…”So the family and I took a little drive to a farm not too far away to go pumpkin picking today… Boy, do these “farms” have quite a cash cow of a business… Between the Hay Ride, Pumpkin Catapult, and horrible food we dropped about $ . . . .
Housing Works “Design on a Dime”For the past few years I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of one of the best design charity events in all of NYC… The reason I give it such high praise is really because it’s one of the few events that is truly interactive betwe . . . .
Dreaming of furniture, fixtures and gorgeous things…Interior Design is a funny industry… As a designer, my job is to steer people in a direction that best expresses each client’s personal aesthetic, but not necessarily reflecting my own, all the while trying to interject some person . . . .
The bigger, the bolder, the better!…this coming year is going to be all about the BIG BOLD Patterned Wallpaper! I’m obsessed with some of these ridiculously large scale images! They are so amazing, and create movement that a simple paint job could never replicate. I’ . . . .
Not your grandfather’s recliner…i can’t even tell you how many times a client inevitably asks when designing their space, “Is there room for a La-Z-Boy somewhere?” This is almost like fingernails on a chalkboard! I’m not saying that those ubiquitous ultra-cushy, . . . .
A good year for food…This has been a wonderful year for good eats, and here are just a dozen of the best bites I completely devoured over the past 12 months! If I could go back and do it all again, I totally would!From Cochon’s famous Fried Boudin, to . . . .
Memphis, the city that once was…earlier this year I traveled to Memphis, Tennessee to tour the manufacturing facilities of Delta and Brizo Faucets… It was a trip I had no expectations of, as I knew very little of the city. You can read about the pristine manufact . . . .
The Black Leather Sofa… Is it ever okay?!…I will be the first to admit that I am not a huge fan of the oh-so-popular black leather sofa, beloved friend of every male, who is coming of age, getting his first real job, in his first place, making his first major furniture pur . . . .
The magic of paper and printing… That’s MINTED.every year, without a doubt, my heart starts to beat a bit faster and harder when the calendar hits that eleventh month and I realize that I need to get my a$$ in gear and get my Holiday Cards churned out! I’ve explored most of the . . . .
Lighting up Holiday House NYC…once again the Holiday House NYC showhouse is preparing for the crowds of design aficionados and admirers, to gaze upon the creations of some of the industries leading designers. . . . .
Black Windows & Doors… One of my favorite design features.black is an essential color for any interior in my book. I think it grounds a space, and adds depth, that can’t be achieved with other color substitutes. In addition, one of the most important features in any room are the windows a . . . .
Holiday Gift Ideas…can you even handle the fact that the Holidays are literally upon us AGAIN!!! I feel like they just keep looping around quicker and quicker every year! I swear to you, I also still have cards from last year that I literally never g . . . .
Transitions… Designing for a Difference, the Makeover!…The Design For A Difference team was in place! Leslie Ann, Deanna, Lisa, Vivian and I were ready to work with Mark Brunetz to get this space looking like a million bucks! We had 48 hours to transform awful into awesome!Day . . . .
Man Bun… Obsessed.I completely admit I probably think about and obsessed way too much about hair… My hair, your hair, random lady on the train’s hair, that guy who just passed me on the street’s hair, but it’s a sickness, and I’m fessing up to it, s . . . .
Transitions… Designing for a Difference, and the winner is…My entry was submitted to IDG for my Design For A Difference nominee, and I was sure that I was going to win for the Hetrick-Martin Institute… A few months passed and I hadn’t heard anything back, and to be quite honest forgot abou . . . .
Transitions… Designing for a Difference, the starting point.Rarely do I get the opportunity to do work for a charity where you see the immediate results and reactions from those whom you have helped; which is why the makeover for Transitions is so near and dear to my heart.Let’s start back at . . . .
Long Live Camo!…Iself admittedly wear far too much camouflage, but I can’t help it! I equate it to the way a lot of women feel about leopard print, and the way it is treated as a neutral fabric. I feel like it’s a non-print that can be paired with . . . .
A ceiling does NOT have to be white…Give me a good reason why you can’t paint your ceiling anything other than white, or the unheard of (How Could You) BLACK, and I will provide you all the visual evidence of why it is so right!… It’s so sexy, and gives any space a d . . . .
Poka-yoke: Striving for perfection!Back in July, Brizo, the faucet manufacturing innovator flew more than 80 bloggers to Memphis for fun, food and festivities! We were treated to amazing accommodations at the historic Peabody Hotel, and toured the inspiring facilities . . . .
My sudden obsession with the Pink Sofa…okay, I’m totally NOT that guy who deals a lot with Pink, but suddenly those shades of Rose, Blush and Fuchsia are kind of turning me on!… Yeah, I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ve been noticing a lot of my Pinterest pins involv . . . .
Where do they live?… John Varvatos Spring 2014 editionI haven’t done this series of post in a while and I thought in celebration of John Varvatos showing off his Spring 2014 Collection today it was perfect timing!… Let’s play make believe, and fantasize where these well . . . .
Steampunk, Defined by the Master…A couple weeks ago Sherwin-Williams reached out to me asking if I wanted to do a follow up Q&A with the genius Bruce Rosenbaum, the Steampunk Guru, as a complement to an article they were going to run in their printed magazine STIR . . . .
One “hat” that a lot of designers love…This has always been one of my all time favorite accessories to bring both beauty and texture into a room, that appeals to basically all generations and genders… It’s the Cameroon Juju Hat… What is a Cameroon Juju Hat . . . .
Brimfield in InstagramAlways such a good time going up to Brimfield, and this year was no different! I traveled up with the team from Robert Allen and Novita PR who of course did not disappoint… I’m a bit spoiled in the fact that we got to chill out in . . . .
The Ubiquitous Combo of Black & GoldOkay, my normal routine of a quick scan of Twitter, to a quick scan of Instagram, to a quick scan of Facebook, lead to a “quick” scan of Pinterest and I noticed myself pinning what was somewhat reminiscent of my Design on a Dime vi . . . .
Design on a Dime 2013 RecapWell, once again the Housing Works organization pulled it off!… A whopping $1.1 MILLION dollars was raised for this charity through the generosity of so many individuals… This exceeds the amounts tallied in the past years, and I co . . . .
9 Gorgeous Mirrors Under $200Mirrors are an essential part of room design, but can often be over looked, or just very costly… It’s the perfect way to dress any wall, and visually enlarges any space, which we love! So I did a little homework for you and found 9 . . . .
Housing Works “Design on a Dime”I believe with all my being that we can all help out in our own ways to make this world we live in a better place… It’s more so a duty to those who are fortunate enough to be given a platform to speak, advocate and cultivate awaren . . . .
Meg, well of course she’s doing well, but what’s she up to?…Meg Caswell ended up triumphant on Season Six of Design Star, winning the title and her own show… Of course she’s awesome, but what’s it really been like, and what is she currently up to? We managed to work together on 2 challenges . . . .
Don’t forget to look up!…Ceilings are usually one of the last surfaces to be addressed when designing, which is unfortunate, because it can really make an impact in a room. It’s not appropriate for every interior, I’ll admit, and might be out of some clien . . . .
Another talent, dismissed too soon! What’s J been up to?…JAllen is just one of those people that I was just instantly attracted to… Don’t ask me why, but when all the finalists were revealed to each other, I looked at this tall gorgeous girl, and thought, “I like her, I want to know her” . . . .
Let go too soon!… Blanche, where are you now?!…Remember that hot Latina chick on Design Star? Yup, that was Blanche, a sweetheart that was dismissed from the competition too soon! I often wonder how things would have played out had she remained longer, considering her level of . . . .
“Dr. Kellie, Paging Dr. Kellie…”We were just a crazy bunch during our time living, working and laughing together, all the while competing against each other on Design Star. Sometimes we had to fill our time with utter silliness, and one line that came out early o . . . .
What’s Karl been up to?… Design Star follow ups!Next up in the roster, of “Where are they now?” is the uber talented Karl Sponholtz. Karl always managed to pull out something spectacular at the end of each challenge, much of which is due to his sheer talent as a working architec . . . .
New Beginnings!…Over the past couple of years, my life has changed in so many ways… I’m grateful for everyday that I’m able to get up and do what I love. It’s a blessing that I’ve had the opportunities and talents to be a creative for a living. Th . . . .
