Hopsack chic

March 16, 2010 in Decorating, Design, Design memes | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 comments

There’s something very satisfying about using natural materials and textures in design.

Take this room, via Kika Reichart, for instance. A simple color scheme and sparse furnishing leap into life with the use of tactile surfaces and fabrics made from linen, wool, plywood, sisal and hessian. I’ve always loved this look and longed to have the discipline to carry off an all-neutral space dressed with with scrubbed wooden tables and white linen upholstery.

No surprise then that the trend toward using burlap in the home has had me intrigued for a while. Of course, designers, and the more adventurous amateurs among you, have used burlap, linen, hessian, rope and similar materials in all sorts of unusual ways for some time. But now it seems that even the major home stores are going wild for the look. And it’s not just plain linen drapes that they’re pushing. I’m talking straight-from-the-flour-mill, shake-out-the-sawdust, sackcloth-turned-decor here. Welcome to the era of Hopsack Chic.

Take these pillows from Restoration Hardware, for example. Now this is a store that is known for polished fixtures and sumptuous leather sofas. But here we have what appear to be converted (wool?) sacks?

Pottery Barn continues its love affair with numbers and text, this time with a distinctly agricultural feel.

And even more so with these pillows, seemingly made from coffee sacks (also Pottery Barn).

Anthropologie keeps it feminine with these pillows which, despite the floral emblem, still look like they were made from something altogether more utilitarian.

So, if you like the look of Hopsack Chic, what else can you do to apply it at home?

Some simple linen tablecloths would be a good start (via Katy Elliott).

Or, if you want to push the boat out – an elegant chair recovered in coffee sacks, anyone? Via Sumner Design.

A stamped burlap headboard might be more your taste. Via Poppytalk.

Personally, I’d opt for a less literal interpretation and fill my place with beautiful linen tufted sofas like this one from Anthropologie.

Then I’d go for some tree stump side tables, like these from West Elm.

And a twine lamp from Anthropologie to complete the look. And there you go – Hopsack Chic!

What do you think? Chic or eek?

Beach house gem

March 4, 2010 in Decorating, Design, Houses | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 6 comments

Just thought I’d share a few images of our little beach house…

Just kidding, of course. While I wish with all my heart that this place was ours, it is actually a home from the portfolio of designer Kara Mann.

If I did have a stunning ocean-front villa, though, I’d want the combination of Moroccan shapes, ethnic textiles and rough-hewn textures Mann uses in this home.

And a bedroom with an ocean view, like this.

And a sense of light, space and charm as soon as you set foot through the door…

And I’d be very happy if it combined elegant neutrals with eccentric splashes of color, like this.

I doubt my guests would complain if they had to sleep here.

I came across Kara Mann’s portfolio in a rather circuitous way. I was browsing The Inside Source, a new blogazine from eBay, and read about Kara in a post by Marni Katz, who also runs one of my favorite blogs, Style Carrot. Off I went to Kara’s web site, where I was instantly smitten. Not that I’m claiming to have discovered a little-known designer. On the contrary, Kara is one of the most lauded designers out there – having won awards from InStyle, Vogue, Met Home and numerous others, as well as having her work featured in most of the top design publications.

It’s not hard to see why. Kara’s portfolio is full of the kind of upmarket homes most people can only dream of. But there’s nothing sterile about these places: each has its own unique personality combining texture in a way that is reminiscent of Amy Lau with the glamor of a Kelly Wearstler creation.

Despite the aspirational quality of her spaces, they all have ideas that us mere mortals can apply in our own homes: from the styling to the color palettes. So, although this is not our beach house and it’s unlikely ever to be, I can still hold onto the hope that, some day, I’ll incorporate some of this style into my own place. We can all dream, can’t we?

Guest bedroom dilemmas

February 28, 2010 in Decorating, Design, My house | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 3 comments

As you know, we’re redecorating our guest bedroom at the moment. Well, to be precise, we’re in the midst of a pre-baby decorating frenzy which involves swapping the functions of three different rooms. It’s proving to be a bit of a nightmare as we have to shuffle pieces of furniture, stepladders and tools from one room to another so we can get tasks done as the required items arrive through the mail (as I have zero time for furniture shopping everything has to be ordered online). Anyway, the guestroom is now where the study once was and, in fact, will serve a dual purpose as both office and bedroom.

It’s not ready to show yet, but I thought I’d share some of the bedroom images that have provided inspiration (or caused design confusion, as the case may be – read on and you’ll see why!)

First, let’s talk about color. If you recall, when I blogged about it here, this room has four windows on three walls so, although it’s lovely and light, can be subject to extremes of temperature, depending on the time of year. I needed to choose a color that wouldn’t exaggerate the heat or cold. So, a while ago we painted it green and I decided to leave it that way since it really is the best shade for such a space.

This is almost the exact same shade (via Decorology) and, like this room, I’m mixing it with a lot of white (except for the roman shades which arrived yesterday and turned out to be more cream than white. Disaster. They’re up and I’m trying not to get upset every time I look at them because they’re really very nice otherwise, honestly. And also because I made my husband paint the ceiling from cream to white so it would work better with the supposedly white blinds…. say no more).

Here’s another green and white bedroom, this time via This is Glamorous. We have bedside tables a bit like this and I really like the contrast of crisp white bedding with more sumptuous wallpaper.

On the other hand, I also like the vibrancy of this room. The greens are much fresher and more modern – perhaps more in keeping with the rest of our house. Photo by Polly Wreford, Sarah Kaye Represents.

I also have a ‘thing’ for white bedrooms so am trying to keep as much of the room color-free as possible. This also helps to unify the two functions of office and bedroom. I still need to find something to anchor the space, like the pearl-inlaid trunk does in this room. Via Decorology.

Ok, now moving on from color, let’s talk about pattern. Although the room is small, I really like the idea of introducing some pattern that echoes the views outside. With so many windows, the room really does feel like it’s up in the treetops, so I want to reflect some of that in the design. I immediately thought of adding some floral or trailing wallpaper to one wall, and then remembered this stunning bedroom by Miles Redd featured in Domino. Via Style Redux.

A chinoiserie-style floral would also work beautifully and I love this turquoise wallpaper because it’s so vibrant and modern, despite its very traditional pattern. Via Automatism.

More traditional chinoiserie, like the example here via Apartment Therapy, would also work well. Unfortunately an original De Gournay is out of budget!

Although I’d like to introduce some pattern, I don’t want the space to be too traditional or girly. I like the way the rooms above and below balance feminine textiles or wallpapers with much more utilitarian and industrial elements such as task lights. Via Fondly Seen.

And this one from stylist Lucyina Moodie’s portfolio.

Then again, I am attracted to the tailored elegance of a bedroom like this one from Canadian House and Home. A simple, calming color scheme, glammed up with the chandelier and plush bedlinens is so inviting.

So, as you can see, this one little room has a lot to achieve! It’s starting to take shape but has a long way to go before I feel it meets all these criteria. But, we’ll get there eventually!

Fresh interiors from Anita Kaushal

February 16, 2010 in Decorating, Design, Inspiration | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 5 comments

The days are getting longer and warmer and I’m finding myself looking for fresh, bright interiors to usher in the spring. Anita Kaushal is a UK-based interior designer and writer whose aesthetic fits the bill perfectly. These airy spaces, from Anita’s own home, have all the airy appeal of a spring morning. Take a look and get inspired to swap your brights for white, fling open the windows and bring in some fresh flowers…

I love how these spaces are both casual and somehow also pulled-together. This looks like a great place for kids as well as a chilled grown-up hang-out. You can see more at Anita’s web site.

A new toddler bedroom

February 8, 2010 in Decorating, Design, My house | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 comments

We’ve finally finished our son’s new bedroom and I can show you some pictures. It didn’t actually take that long to do – most of the room was finished in the first weekend because we’d planned it all out. But we had a few issues with the light fitting so I haven’t been able to take any photos. At last it’s sorted out so here’s the finished (well, almost) result.

If you’ll recall, this room is for an energetic three-year-old who absolutely loves red. I didn’t think an entirely red room would be wise given the energy levels we’re talking about here! So I went for this deep turquoise blue on one wall and white on the rest. The blue is Benjamin Moore’s Electric Blue. It’s really warm and looks lovely at night by lamplight too. Then we added red accents like the chair and IKEA cabinet (just seen on the left) to satisfy the client, so to speak (!)

I must confess to there being a high number of IKEA items in this room. The chair and bookshelves are both IKEA, but who can resist their pricing? I got my son to help sort the books into colors, which he enjoyed – and the effect is rather pleasing. I’ve been dying to try out a ‘rainbow of books’ but have had to hold off in other rooms because my other half isn’t keen (makes it hard to find the one you want apparently – I can’t sympathize because I remember the color of books before I remember their title). The pillow on the chair is from PierOne Imports.

The notice board is made from a $4 IKEA frame and some Japanese wrapping paper. It has little goldfish against a blue background.

The bed and bedding we already had (the truck bedding was from Target last year). But we added the two decals – chosen by our construction-crazy son – from Decomodwalls on Etsy.

The cabinet is one I’m sure everyone will recognize as the PS Cabinet from IKEA.

It’s probably not that suitable for a child as it only closes and opens if you can master the key mechanism. But, we billed it as a cabinet where he can keep secret things and that incentivized him to get the hang of it pretty quickly!

I love this little corner of the room. The lion and blue rabbit were both baby gifts and the dog was the first item we bought after finding out I was pregnant the first time. The painting of our son is by my mother-in-law and was a gift this Christmas. We just had it framed and it totally makes the room. We’re very lucky to have an artist in the family. I just love this painting because it captures our son’s expression so well.

I’ve been dying to get these kid-sized Ant chairs from Room and Board for ages. They come in orange, lime and white too but the aqua works perfectly here. The table is IKEA (again).

The cute Humpty Dumpty clock was a gift from my parents.

On the other wall there’s a dresser and closet. I’m thinking of adding wallpaper to the closet door – or at least a paper or fabric-covered panel with hooks – just to add interest to this corner. I also need to frame the poster of The Little Prince properly. But, you have to leave some things unfinished otherwise, where’s the fun?

The light fixture (the one we had issues with) is from Urban Outfitters. It’s called the Dreamcatcher light. I love the look of it, but unfortunately it only comes with a cord kit that allows you to plug it into a wall. Very odd seeing as it’s billed as a ceiling pendant. We looked for a replacement ceiling cord kit for ages but it seems they don’t exist. So we had to buy another (cheap) ceiling fixture and use part of that.

The curtains were here already – we had them made at The Shade Store when this room was a guest room. I’ve ordered woven wood blinds too, which will help block out more light and prevent early morning wake-ups in the summer. The rug is the one we had in the nursery and it has stood the test of time pretty well, so we probably won’t change it for a while. But when we do, I’d like a Zapotec rug like this one.

So that’s it. Our son loves his new room and now has plenty of space for his toys, books and clothes. He can spread out on the floor and play and then everything gets easily tidied away at the end of the day. And I get pleasure out of seeing that splash of bright blue every time I come up the stairs.

Next stop, the nursery and then the guest room – and only eight weeks to go before baby number two arrives! Will we make it?

Patterned ethnic rugs

February 6, 2010 in Decorating, Design, Inspiration | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 7 comments

I’ve been drawn to a lot of spaces with stunning ethnic rugs recently. I’ve never been into the ‘global’ style but I’m beginning to think I could change my mind. There are so many options, from Mexican to Turkish to Asian rugs, and they give a room such a sense of character and history. Of course the major obstacle to buying one has been price. But now that more stores are carrying affordable versions, it’s starting to become an option.

First up, this stunning pink, blue and gray rug spotted on Slipcover Your Life.

My sister sent me this picture. I don’t know the source but I love the colors and the impact of this pink and orange rug.

Patterned rugs don’t have to be bright colors either. I love the soft blue-grays in this image. Photo by Patric Johansson.

Every stone floor should have a rug like this. Via House of Turquoise.

This one looks bang up to date with crisp black and white. Via Desire to Inspire.

Neutral room + amazing rug = effortless style. Via Design Evolution.

Even in a small room, a tiny patterned rug adds character, without being crowded. Via Smart Alec.

Now all I have to do is find one I can afford!

The power of purple

January 31, 2010 in Color palette, Decorating, Design, Inspiration | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 comments

Purple is supposed to be one of the hot colors of 2010 – and, as such, has been the center of some discussion in the blogosphere. It’s one of those colors that inspires strong feelings: people either love it or hate it. Personally, it’s one of my favorites. Whether aubergine, plum or lilac, I’m a huge fan. Unfortunately, I rather over-used purple in my student and rental days so have steered clear of it in interiors ever since. But this year’s resurgence of the color has me thinking again…

This French home, via Vintage + Chic, has contributed to my revived interest in purple in a major way. Against the backdrop of muted grays, this lilac tablecloth looks pretty but unpretentious. Photos are by Jordi Canosa.

The palest lavender and gray-toned purple create a restful, vintage feel.

Even the bathroom is all purple.

This next home uses purple to completely different effect. The combination of aubergine and gold is almost ecclesiastical, but the space still manages to be comfortable and eclectic. Via Automatism.

Used with pinks and reds, purple is also the perfect hue for giving your home that English country appeal. Via Peacock Feathers.

Or, mix it with metallics for the sugar plum fairy look. From Living Etc via Beauty Comma.

It even works with earth tones and natural textures like wood and hide rugs. Via Little Green Notebook.

This is one of my all-time favorite images, via Decor8, and shows how great pale lavender looks in a mostly white scheme.

More lilac and gray, this time combined with a sophisticated chinoiserie. If you’re going to indulge in a fanciful wallpaper like this, you may as well go the whole hog and choose an other-worldly purple for your colors. Via Simplified Bee, via Laura Casey Interiors.

Or, just to show that purple can be completely modern too, how about combining it with a fresh turquoise? Via My Scandinavian Retreat.

Still not sure about purple? Well consider some of its benefits: purple is meant to encourage creativity, flatter most skin tones and is also a perfect transitional color because it works in winter and summer. Or just take some inspiration from nature and see just how stunning and powerful purple can be…

Via this Flickr feed.

Wallpaper for boys

January 19, 2010 in Color palette, Decorating, Design, My house | Tags: , , , , , , , | 9 comments

Plans for the new nursery are taking shape. But, in terms of execution, we’ve yet to so much as dampen a paintbrush. I’m stalling because I want to wallpaper one wall but, as ever, I’m lingering over the choice of wallpaper.

We’re going for pale blue, not because I’m a traditionalist, but because the walls are already the most gorgeous shade of summer sky blue (bizarrely, the shade is actually called Polar Sky). It’s the color our first son had and I can’t bring myself to get rid of it yet even though he’s graduated to more grown-up tones (which will be revealed soon, I promise).

But I still want to switch things up a bit with the addition of wallpaper on a single wall. The goal is to keep the look simple and sweet, but to get away from the bland and traditional. Basically, I want a cross between the purity of this scheme:

(Photo by Chris Everard via Sarah Kaye Represents)

And the quirky vibe of this room (minus the skull of course):

(Via Houzz)

Yes, I know, hard to imagine. But trust me, it’s going to work (I hope).

So, back to the wallpapers. The perfect choice has to be right for a child’s room but also for a grown-up space as we might turn the nursery back into a guest room one day. So no trucks, trains, planes, dinosaurs, ducks etc. It has to work for a boy, not just a baby, which means erring on the masculine side. It has to be fun, but not hectic. And it has to be blue! I started with this: Cloud Bay by Rapture and Wright, in powder.

Problem is, when I got the sample it just looked, well, dull. Plus, the blue was too green. It’s also very tricky to source this in the US – there’s one distributor and it costs a fortune to have it shipped all the way from the UK. So then I considered this: Daydream in China blue and orange, by Wallpaper Collective.

I still love this one and might come back to it. But it might be just a little too childish for our needs. I can imagine getting cheesed off with the birds in a few years. Then I hit on the idea of a more geometric design. I have loved Vivienne Westwood’s Squiggle pattern for ages and now it’s available in wallpaper from Cole and Son. But unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be available in the US and UK suppliers won’t ship it here.

So, finally, I’ve arrived at what is hopefully the perfect solution: Hick’s Hexagon in blue by Cole and Son.

I’m excited about this one and hope that the sample lives up to expectations when it arrives. What do you think? Any other options I’ve missed?

With any luck, we’ll have the decision made and will be flexing our paintbrushes very soon, so watch this space…

Where we blog from

January 18, 2010 in Decorating, Design, Personal | Tags: , , , , | 3 comments

Today I’m guest blogging over at Ill Seen, Ill Said. Jane invited me to participate in her ‘Where We Blog From’ series and you can see pics of my office space here. I have to confess to being a little embarrassed about the space since it’s the room in our house which has had least thought put into it. But I blame that entirely on the fact that it has four windows and a cool view so who cares about the inside!

Anyway, thanks to Jane for hosting me. It’s an inspired series: I always enjoy seeing where other bloggers spend their time. It was fun to be a part of it. Hope you like the post.

A cool and quirky architect-designed home

January 17, 2010 in Decorating, Design, Houses, San Francisco Design | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 3 comments

I find architects’ web sites to be a great form of escapism. Who wouldn’t appreciate the fabulous images of pristine homes, just ready for the owners to move in and make their mark? But, despite all the soaring ceilings and glossy kitchens, the images are often rather soulless. Just that little bit too perfect, perhaps. That’s why it’s such a delight to explore the portfolio of Feldman Architecture, a San Francisco-based firm which consistently delivers sustainable, beautiful, yet personal homes. Its pages are filled with images of furnished houses that display the interests and styles of their owners. At the moment, I’m particularly captivated by this gorgeous home in the hilly neighborhood of Bernal Heights.

The house was a dark, near-derelict 1860’s cottage. The challenge was to maintain the rustic charm, while opening up the space and injecting it with light.

I love the use of rough stone and wood, with more polished glass and metal – and those enormous sliding doors opening directly onto a deck.

The house is filled with quirky art and furnishings – those chairs are a surprising combination with the modern sofa.

The house seems to have two office spaces. This light-filled area would provide plenty of inspiration for working.

More skillful combinations of materials: rough-hewn wood, slate and lucite.

I love the red, gray and white of the master bedroom. The shelf above the bed is a really simple way to add interest – something I think I might do in our guest room. I must also make it a life mission to track down those lamps!

To my mind, this is the perfect chill-out bathroom.

The nursery is, as you’d expect, a departure from the rest of the house aesthetically-speaking. But it still has a cool vibe and clear sense of personality. Having nurseries on my mind, I’m appreciating the child-friendly storage ideas and the way the brown puts a grown-up twist on baby pink. Shame I’m having a boy, otherwise I’d pinch some of these ideas!

And just to prove this house has everything – a fabulous double-height library!

This home is a wonderful combination of old and new, inside and outside, cool and quirky. You can see more of Feldman Architecture’s work here.

The design discoveries and dilemmas of a Brit in San Francisco as she turns a house into a home.

Follow me on Twitter

 Subscribe in a reader

Get updates by email

Subscribe to four walls and a roof by Email

Archive

Pages