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The hot trend this spring is butterflies. Delicate and beautifully colored, they flitter around us for a short time.  Take a look at them closely and you understand why they inspire designers and everyone else to capture a memory of their beauty.

Designers Guild

THG Capucine lav set

PoshTots

Are you inspired by butterflies?  [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jj2KQqqoKE[/youtube]

Love to hear your comments. Faith

Tags: butterflies, decorating, interior design
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As High Point Market enters the final days, some conclusions appear front and center.  In this post I share them and also have a request.

Please subscribe to my weekly newsletter and comment here on my blog.  Tell me what you want to know or learn about decorating or trends; what solutions I can share.  Here are some areas to consider:

• wall finishes
• furniture
• layout
• art, accessories, rugs, lamps
• fabrics
• window treatments
• floors

Now for the High Point summary. Timeless, as in ‘everything old is new again’ tells the story.  Take classic designs, either traditional or modern, that are essentially timeless and revamp them. Simple elegance, clean forms that are sophisticated endure so no obviously trendy elements.

Some bright happy colors emerge and are certainly welcome, like orange, vivid pink and blue.  Neutrals are the steady counterpart and appeal day in and out.  There are some interpretations such as: smoky, ashy gray tones with a hint of lilac. But the most trend-forward is a return to black, in itself a classic.

The downsizing trend appears in smaller, petite lamps and low to the ground seats, clean lines with new cigarette tables a recurring theme.

Tags: Accessories, decorating, High Point Market
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Today’s symbol of living well and a way to express personal style and creativity is the monogram. They are everywhere–totes, napkins, linens, towels, stemware, tableware, chairs. 

Seen as a nostalgic gesture to grandparents and family heirlooms, the revival of monograms suggests a return to acknowledging identity, our past and present.  Some contend that monograms are a Southern obsession but I see this customization as everywhere but especially appreciated in that region of the US. Monograms are a way to touch the past.  You can scour the flea markets and find a treasure or start your own collection.

Here are 5 tips to consider about monograms:

1. Select a letter style that suits the object. By this I mean linen napkins are more formal than plaid so choose accordingly. Towels, with their thickness, often are better with a single letter.
2. Restrain yourself as you add monograms to your interior. I love chair backs but not every chair; but on a simple china plate, yes.
3. Monograms make great gifts. Recently, for my daughter’s birthday, I sent monogrammed cocktail napkins. Guest towels are another option.
4. Surround a monogram in a symbol.  This is a classic detail for a throw pillow, like a wreath or outline of a house.
5. Consider monograms an investment. Remember the flea market comment and know monogrammed napkins last a long time. “Ivory hemstitched dinner napkins with a gold monogram are the little black dress of tabletop”, Jane Scott Hodges of Leontime Linens.

Tags: Accessories, decorating, Faith Sheridan, interior design, monograms, Portland, Seattle
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Utilizing both ancient and new production techniques, Maya Romanoff creates some of the most innovative and exotic surfacing materials the interior design profession has to offer-everything from glass bead and seashell encrusted papers to vinyls and inlaid wood veneers. Romanoff continues to change the face of walls, ceilings, and furnishings around the globe. More than 50% of Maya Romanoff’s wall coverings and surfacing materials are made in their Chicago studio by long-term employees. 

Sunburst Wood Veneer

The most exciting new contribution to Maya Romanoff’s legacy of invention is Sunburst, a wood veneer made of Paulownia, a fig tree that is flexible and fast renewing. Part of the company’s Ajiro collection, the product recently garnered Interior Design Magazine’s Best of Year award. With a name like Sunburst, it could have been right at home in the Woodstock era. But the veneer’s extraordinary hand-inlaid pattern and eco-conscious character make it an ideal product for today.

The company has never followed design trends, opting instead to create products that offer the timeless appeal of natural materials. With this focus, it put into place a strategy for continuing success. There can be little doubt that Maya Romanoff will be celebrating many more anniversaries in the years ahead.

Share your comments about the unique qualities of this wallcovering and the philosophy of Maya Romanoff.  Thanks to Decorati for this article.

Tags: decorating, home, maya romanoff, Portland, Seattle, unique green wallcovering
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This post is for city types who choose to live in the hustle bustle of urban life. We yearn to be close to one another and feel the rhythm of the streets. We want to be right on top of it all, close to our friends, near the energy. If anything, we want a view, we want sunlight and we want location, location, location.  Space, we are willing to give away.

Thanks to Apartment Therapy for compiling these ten tips.  Here  is the starter list for our fellow cliff dwellers.

Ten Tips for Small Spaces

1. Remove your interior doors (use curtains instead on closets and doors).

2. Replace your big refrigerator with a smaller, undercounter model. It’s more than enough room.

3. Treat yourself to a really good small vacuum (we heart Meile).

4.  Use track lighting aimed at walls to free up floor space and create an expansive feeling.

5.Install lighting inside closets so you can see what?s in there. They will be easier to maintain and you will gain the feeling of more space.

6.Clean your windows often so that more light comes in and your gaze is not blocked.

7.Buy really good cookware, tableware and linens (small luxuries go a long way).

8.Go wireless and transfer all your music to your computer. Sell all your CD’s!.

9. Use full spectrum light bulbs to energize and enliven your home.

10. Have lots of dinner parties. People socialize better in small spaces and social homes are better kept up.

Send your comments with your ideas to expand a small spaces.

Tags: decorating, Portland small spaces, Seattle small spaces
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