Interior Design Archives
March 12th, 2010 | Interior Design | 2 Comments
Wow, it's been a month since I posted. The last I blogged I was off to Fashion Week courtesy of Brizo faucets, where a small group of designers were invited to attend the Jason Wu show and after party. And from there it was a flight straight to San Francisco where I finished-up this super-small (700 teeny square feet!) urban loft in the Financial District:
Interiors Photography by Greg West
And these two events: Fashion Week and the Urban Apartment had much in common. Both were examples of fashion emulating home interiors.
Fashion dictates what trends become popular in the home.
There once was a two year lag, now the gap is closing. Now we’ll specify finishes for a project and later that day, I’ll open a magazine to see the current month is featuring the same hue that I just specked for the wall finishes.
Fashion is dictated to us through industry insiders and if you’re unsure of what this means, just click here to see how fellow designer Paul Anater brilliantly described this very same process.
In last month’s issue of InStyle magazine, there is a spread with over-the-top, fabulously high heels with the brightest color we have seen in shoes in a long time. (I snuck the spread right in with the interiors-to show the correlation). The Jimmy Choo and Versace platforms knock you over with their color; fiery oranges, egg-yolk-yellows, and electric blues, and all paired with black; to give us this great contrast.
This very same contrast is what we are seeing in the home, and what I brought into-our short on space, but big on color-Leather District apartment.
Blog authored by Andie Day & Sabrina Velandry
January 30th, 2010 | GALAS, Interior Design
Interior Design Ideas for the New Year
Deja-Vu, All Over Again
With many of us looking back to the good ol' days before the recession, it is no surprise that items from the past are resurfacing. Refinishing rather than discarding old furniture can give your house an updated look for less money, and is a nod to the past in a creative and innovative way.
The Home Office
In an economy that lacks exciting job opportunities, many people are drawing upon their entrepreneurial spirits and starting their own businesses. For those entrepreneurs or even telecommuters, converting an unused room into a home office gives you a convenient place to escape the family and get down to business for a while. Being in an office setting, even one located within the house or apartment, makes it easier to focus on the job at hand (read: away from the TV and potato chips).
Loft-Style Living
Young urban professionals (yuppies) and retired urban professionals (ruppies) alike have abandoned the suburbs for the convenience and excitement of city-living. Loft-style living boasts spacious floor-plans, high ceilings, and large windows; which are especially attractive for urban apartments where every square foot of living space makes a visible difference. The need for space and an abundance of light is by no means limited to city-living though; loft-style living is just as desirable in suburban and rural settings.
Bacteria Resistant Countertops
Out with the porous, bacteria-ridden, high maintenance food surfaces, in with the quartz! A great way to eliminate potential health hazards for you and family is to use non-porous, non-absorbent materials such as Cambria, a natural quartz surface, for your countertops. Cambria is mold, mildew, stain and bacteria resistant, along with being extremely durable. It can used in both kitchens and bathrooms and unlike granite does not need to be sealed or polished.
Hands-free faucets
These faucets are becoming increasingly popular in our fast-paced, germ-conscious society. Hands-free faucets, such as this one by Brizo, can quell the spread of germs in your household, conserve water, and can make using the kitchen or bathroom sink easier for all.
Stay tuned for more Twenty Ten design trend updates next week!
November 25th, 2009 | GALAS, Interior Design, New England Design Hall of Fame
The Clarke Luxury Show Room Crew
Kyle Hoepner on the Jumbo Screen...doesn't this look like the Academy Awards!
Jim Raftus of Clarke Corp, Andie & Rob Day
Rosemary Porto of Poggenpohl, Deb Grillo of Clarke, and Andie Day of Andie Day, LLC
My dear friend Deb Burke and I pose for a photo.
Sitting atop of the world, check out the view!
New England Home's Stacy Kunstel with inductees.
NEW ENGLAND DESIGN HALL OF FAME®
Earlier this month my husband and I attended The New England Hall of Fame sponsored by New England Home Magazine. The venue was the Longwood Events' State Room, which is an urban event space offering breathtaking views of the harbor and city. Located atop Sixty State Street, this chic and modern venue offers a genuine sense of being on top of the world. It is ideal for wedding receptions, corporate events and grand galas. It is the only independently-owned special event venue that can accommodate more than 850 guests in downtown Boston.
The views made for an incredible evening.
Cocktails were sponsored by South Shore Millwork.
The floral arrangements were done by Winston's-and were gorgeous.
The inductees were; Peter Forbes Architects, Cheryl & Jeffrey Katz, Gary McBournie, Douglas Reed + Gary Hilderbrand, Stephen Stimson Associates, Dalia Kitchen Design and Maryann Thompson Architects.
The celebration closed-out with a toast to the inductees, given by Alexis Contant the Vice President and General Manager of the Boston Design Center.
Attendees were given gift bags provided by FBN Construction and they included:
Raving Fans – A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles-a very nice hard cover edition.
The gift bag also contained: Sweet Home Cookies by Dancing Bear Baking Co. The proceeds from the cookies go to homeless families.
As one can see from the photos, the turn-out was huge. It felt wonderful to be among so many creative individuals in the home design business. It truly was a night to remember.
October 28th, 2009 | Interior Design
Many people think that obtaining interior design services is an extravagance they can’t afford. Andie Day tells us why hiring a professional designer should not be considered a luxury purchase, but rather, a wise investment that actually saves clients money.
Get the look you want the first time.
It’s about doing it right the first time. The collaborative design process creates an environment that is reflective of each client’s individual style. Homeowners with do-it-yourself design projects rarely end up with the anticipated outcomes they hoped for. Hiring a professional with years of education and experience will give the client the look they’re trying to achieve.
Avoid dangerous mistakes.
Without the expertise, many mistakes are going to be made and some can even lead to hazardous living situations. For example, I know a woman who installed a high-polished marble tile in her home. It was so slippery that she fell and snapped her ankle. She’ll be out for months now and won’t be able to do many of her daily activities. A professional designer would have creative solutions for obtaining that high-polished look without it being a safety hazard in the home.
… And costly mistakes.
Often we meet with new clients where the entire contents of their home make them feel badly. For example, they may have purchased a dining set that doesn’t turn out to be what they really wanted. So then they might go out and buy a sideboard hoping that that piece will make it better. When it doesn’t they might buy a piece of art etc. They are hoping to marry all of the pieces together and are simply unable to do it. They are unhappy with the final outcome and feel badly that they have invested so much in furnishings that do not speak to their personal style. They don’t want to spend any more money, so they either have to live in a home that doesn’t make them happy or spend even more to get the look they were trying to achieve in the first place.
Have access to the latest trends and technology.
Designers make it their job to stay on top of the latest trends and technology. Aging-in-place and sustainable design are big trends right now, and both play critical roles in my design philosophy. If we go back to the clients with a house full of furniture they hate … what do you do with all of it? Probably either throw it away or donate it. By hiring a professional, clients’ homes can be filled with furnishings and fixtures they love that will work for them through all stages of their lives.
The same goes for the latest in technology. For example, Robern makes medicine cabinets and they have just come out with a beautiful new design where the cabinet door actually rolls up instead of swings out. This is a great safety feature as it decreases the chances of getting hit in the face with the door. They also have a cabinet that includes a cold storage shelf for medicines that must be refrigerated. These are simple advances that can make a big difference in people’s day-to-day lives. A professional would know about these things but I’m not sure the average client would.
Have a more enjoyable experience.
Attempting a do-it-yourself design project can be very time consuming and stressful. Not only does it require a lot of time and effort but it can also cause conflicts with family members who have different styles or ideas about what should happen. Hiring a professional designer allows you to continue to live your life while getting a design that you love. Designers are also equipped to work through conflicts among family members in order to find solutions that make everyone happy. These solutions could also include planning ahead for an aging parent that might live in the home or finding creative ways to help ease some stress for a family with young children.
Have expertise and a professional network at your disposal.
Designers are experts at knowing what materials and products are the best and where to go for these products. We have a network of connections for all layers of a project and can select the best quality materials that are long lasting and cost efficient.
The vast majority of people would never try to build a house on their own – they would hire an architect and a builder. The same goes for hiring electricians and plumbers – experts in their fields. Hiring a professional designer should be no different. Let us create a home that is beautiful, functional and filled with comfort.
~Blog authored by Andie Day & Sabrina Velandry of Sabrina, Inc
