Archive for August, 2011
Monday, August 22nd, 2011
It’s time for many students to head off to college. For many, this means leaving home for the first time to live in a dorm. Scary, exciting, overwhelming, and ecstatic are some of the feelings I had as I left for my freshman college year so long ago. If you’re about to send your kids (i.e. young adults) off to college, Dorm Delicious has some great ideas to help them personalize their dorm rooms. Dorm rooms are often uninspired and lacking in important things like storage and lighting. Encouraging your kids to add their own personality to their rooms will help them to feel comfortable in an unfamiliar place. Be sure to encourage them to bring things that are important to them to display in their rooms – family photographs, posters, a favorite pillow or stuffed animal – all of these things can bring comfort when the intensity of classes and studying starts to overwhelm.
One of the best and worst things about going to college is the dorms. On one hand, college students have acquired an entirely new sense of freedom, they meet hundreds of new people, and every night is a slumber party. On the other hand, dorms are a far cry from what most students are used to, which is their own room, with plenty of closet space, and a semi-private bathroom. Moving away to college removes a lot of the comforts of living at home, such as home cooked meals, too. Read More
And for you moms and dads, I’ve been there. My two sons both lived in college dorms. I never thought I’d enjoy being an empty nester, but it only took me a few weeks to enjoy the new freedom, and to really appreciate them when they’d come home to visit. Take heart, it’s part of the circle of life. Before you know it you’ll be planning their weddings. I’ve done that, too. It just keeps getting better.
Until next time,
Pamela
Tags: decorating, dorm rooms, interior design, lighting, personalize, storage
Posted in Blog | No Comments »
Thursday, August 18th, 2011
While at the World Market Center in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago I saw so many beautiful, unique home accessory pieces that I can’t wait to put on our online Home Accessories & Accent Furniture Online Boutique. I’ve selected pieces that I’ve personally seen and fallen in love with. I can’t wait to share them with you. We’ll be adding gorgeous lamps, colorful permanent florals, whimsical sculptures, lovely candleholders, unique art and wall decor, great looking accent furniture, and many other unique and wonderful pieces.
I’ll let you know as soon as we’ve added them to the site, hopefully by next week. In the meantime, take a look at some of the pieces currently on our site. Enjoy a 25% savings until the end of summer by entering SUMMERTIME in the coupon code area when you check out. Hope you find something perfect to brighten up your home!
Tags: accent furiture, art, candleholders, decorating, florals, home accessories, interior desgin, lamps, sculptures, wall decor
Posted in Blog | No Comments »
Monday, August 8th, 2011
While at the Las Vegas World Market Center last week, it was obvious that eco-friendly design is a trend in interior design that is only getting stronger. With 5 million square feet of showroom space, there was so much to see and explore. In almost every showroom I saw examples of eco-friendly design, also referred to as sustainable, green, environmental, and recycled design. It’s clear that manufacturers are attempting to leave a smaller environmental footprint by using recycled materials. The trend is toward more natural materials that are made from reclaimed woods, recycled metals, and even recycled fabrics.
I saw lots of furniture made from reclaimed woods. These are woods that were previously used for other purposes. The woods have a rustic, weathered look, which has become very popular. Many of the manufacturers who don’t use reclaimed woods are creating furniture that has the same rustic look and finish.
This reclaimed wood table is one example of the many I saw. Note the grayed, rustic look of the wood. This finish creates a warm, inviting feeling, as if the table had been in your family for generations. The wicker chairs are also made from natural materials.
These natural wood lamps caught my eye in one showroom. Their rustic, natural shapes create lots of personality. And they’re not just for a rustic home. These lamps would look fabulous in an eclectic living room that blends contemporary and rustic pieces.
I really enjoyed seeing the designs in one of my favorite area rug showrooms. Their new introductions included area rugs made from recycled denim jeans. Four by four inch squares of denim were sewn together to create a fun, one-of-a-kind area rug – perfect for your favorite teen’s room. They also had an area rug created from recycled men’s ties. The ties were sewn together to create a unique rug that is also a piece of art. In another showroom I saw throw pillows sewn from recycled clothing. Now that’s something I’d never seen before!
Anything we can do to minimize our carbon footprint improves our environment and helps save the earth. Watch for more and more options in eco-friendly design. Let me know what you find! If you missed my post on Fall Color Trends Direct from the Las Vegas Market, just click here.
Until next time,
Pamela
Tags: area rugs, decorating, eco-friendly design, environmental design, furniture, green design, interior design, interior design trends, interior design trends fall 2011, lamps, reclaimed furniture, recycled design
Posted in Blog | No Comments »
Thursday, August 4th, 2011
We just got back last night from the Las Vegas World Market Center, the largest home furnishings market west of the Mississippi. It’s always exciting to see all of the new furniture and accessories and the newest color trends. The question I get asked most is, “What are the new colors?” Well, it’s been a long time coming, but we’re seeing lots of blue-greens, aquas, teals, and turquoise. I’ve been waiting for years for these colors to come back because they’re some of my favorites.
These beautiful lamps and accessory pieces caught my eye in one of the many showrooms we visited. The colors are vibrant and luscious. Definitely a nod to the green movement that is coming on very, very strong. I’ll be talking more about that in my next post.
I was drawn to this vignette – the rich teal blue on the lampshade and bench cushion are striking. I love the butterfly motif on the back of the bench. This showroom was one of our favorites, and we’ll be adding this line to our designer home accessories online boutique very soon.
Blue-greens weren’t the only colors we saw. This wall of colorful glass lamps gives you an idea of the colors we saw everywhere. Lots of blue greens and teals, but also lots of rich caramels, luscious browns, bright yellows, beautiful yellow-greens, and vibrant reds and oranges. Color is saturated, warm, and bright. And don’t forget the neutrals. We saw lots of black and white and beautiful beiges and taupes.
In my next post I’ll talk about the increasing green trend – toward recycled materials of all kinds. Some will surprise you!
Until next time,
Pamela
Tags: accessories, aqua, blue-green, color, color trends, colors, decorating, green design, home accessories, home decor, interior design, lamps, saturated, teal, trends, turquoise
Posted in Blog | 2 Comments »
|
|
|
