Spectacular Spaces Blog, "Home Inspirations"

Blogfest in NYC: Design and the City

2012-05-28T18:18:00Z

Confession: In one of my many fantasy lives, I live in a glamorous New York penthouse with views of the Hudson River, perfectly decorated spaces done by top designers, luxurious fabrics and furnishings to die for.

I met my dream this week at Kravet’s fabulous Blogfest 2012.

It was the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse which is celebrating its 40th year for Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club. Considered the hot ticket in New York, it takes place through June 14 at the Aldyn, a luxury building on Manhattan’s West Side at Riverside Blvd. and 63rd St. Here, I found not one, but two adjacent duplex residences with views of the Hudson, beautiful terraces. And one even has a large pool and spa. The good news, they are both for sale: $16.9 million and $15 million. If I can scrape up the $$$ I would like to purchase both and link them together. The bad news: I have along way to go.

But for now, I am content to dream about the wonderful things that I heard and saw. Blogfest designers had exclusive access for the evening and we were hosted by Architectural Digest Editor in Chief, Margaret Russell. Highlight was mingling with the designers in each room.

As a southwest Florida interior decorator who works with homeowners who mostly want a contemporary, Florida-style home that combines old and new, I am always looking for new ways to combine color and textures for indoor and outdoor spaces. The showcase was a virtual feast.

Because the Aldyn is a modern highrise (each apartment is on two levels: 20th and 21st floors), there are no fancy architectural details in the structure so the 31 designers used amazing creativity in creating these masterpieces from basic, plain rooms.

Noted throughout the house: heavy use of beautiful grasscloth, lacquered walls and ceilings, mixtures of old and new pieces.

And while Tangerine Tango may be the color of the year, Green is the color at Kips Bay. Jade, emerald, grass shades...in paint, fabric and accessories. Beautiful.

My favorites...well there were so many. But I could not get past the “Gallery” designed by Thom Filicia (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, major designer, charming, cute and latest design crush!). The open gallery connects to the living room, dining room and library and is lacquered in an amazing green that I am told is Benjamin Moore’s Cat’s Eye 2036-10. The color is stunning and shows what can be done in a very simple space.

"Purple Haze" rug" by Thom Filica for Safavieh. Photo: Edgar Pineda

Thom Filicia's Gallery with eagle console from his home collection.

Thom Filicia at Kips Bay with Blogfest. Photo: Kravet

With Pamela O'Brien of Pamela Hope Design in the dining room designed by Todd Alexander Romano. Apple green French directoriere chairs with chair fabric by Brunschwig & Fils and a folk art Terra Cotta pineapple.

This beautiful "dream" library (see above and photo below )is by Jamie Drake of Drake Design Associates and features custom sofa and pillow fabric under an Andy Harper painting, "Winter Gate." Custom built-in bookcases showcased by the gorgeous grasswcloth wallpaper and paint.

Even on a misty NY day, the views are spectacular from the terrace!

Must go now. I am trying to figure out how I can live in this gorgeous penthouse without anyone noticing! More yummy designs tomorrow!

My thanks to Kravet for including me in this fabulous three day Blogfest 2012 tour designed exclusively for interior design bloggers featuring the industry's top shelter magazines, A-list design celebrities and breathtaking venues. There were surprises around every turn and I truly experienced the very best of interior design in NYC!

Want to turn plain rooms into Spectacular Spaces? I can help. Contact me!

9/11 Memorial: Beautiful and forever sad

2012-05-21T17:25:46Z

This week I am in New York City for Blogfest 2012 with designers, photographers and writers from around the country for a whirlwind three-day design event.

But when I arrived yesterday, my first stop was Ground Zero and the 9/11 Memorial.

It was almost full circle for me.

On September 11, 2001, I stepped out of a cab at the Newark airport on the most beautiful of New York mornings. The two towers sparkled across the river. In two hours they would both be gone.

Inspiration: Heading to NYC and Blogfest 2012!

2012-05-17T11:50:00Z

It doesn’t get any better than a trip to New York in the Spring. My favorite thing to do: Long walks in Central Park. Beautiful. And shopping. Museums. Just being in NYC.

But this coming week (May 21-23) will be an exciting, extra-special NYC adventure and I am counting the days! I am so fortunate to have been included in Blogfest 2012, a three-day tour planned exclusively for interior design bloggers that features the industry's top shelter magazines, A-list design celebrities and breathtaking venues. Sponsored by Kravet, Lee Jofa, and Brunschwig Fils, it is jam-packed from morning until night with design events that have my head spinning!

Jennifer Powell, Kravet’s social media wiz and overall amazing person, assures us that there are surprises around every turn and guarantees that we will experience the very best of interior design in NYC. I have my running shoes ready to go!!

An added bonus: I will finally have the opportunity to meet some of my favorite designer/bloggers that I have communicated with via social media. And my friend and Houston designer Pamela O’Brien of Room Redo and I will be going a day early because after all, a girl must have some fun time in NYC.

Island hopping: Kravet's Soleil Lifestyles fabric

2012-05-01T01:00:00Z

Photos: KravetLonging to escape to a tropical paradise this spring?

One of my current, fun decorating projects is a total lanai redo for a client who wanted major pops of color on her gorgeous new furniture. So, as I began planning, I discovered Kravet Soliel Lifestyles with collections from Echo Design and Windsor Smith Outdoor.

Windsor Smith Home fabrics left to right: Kanekopa in Akuatic - 31725-13, Kura Kura in Orkid - Kura Kura-17, Halua in Hibiscus - 31718-317, Kura Kura in Haze - Kura Kura-6, Mandella in Orkid - Mandella-17, Halua in Parakeet - 31718-540, Kura Kura in Veridian - Kura Kura-3, Mandella in Haze - Mandella-6, Kura Kura in Akuatik - Kura Kura-13

Decorating tips you can use: favorite designer secrets

2012-04-22T20:15:53Z

House Beautiful May issue.The May issue of House Beautiful is out and if you love having a beautiful home, run to the newsstand!

The Designer Secrets issue is jam-packed with 101 tips that you can use (many right away) in your home. I love this issue because the "secrets" that we use as decorators and designers are really practical tips that are what help to make a room come together.

Today, there really are no decorating rules. Almost anything goes. However, there are a few tried and true secrets/tips that make a room work. Take a look at some that I find especially helpful and see how you might use these in your home.

Be sure to check out the issue for the remaining 91! Let me know your favorite tip after reading this.

"Never push furniture up against the walls. By pulling your seating arrangement in (even just a few inches), you instantly warm up a space and create flow." Betsy Burnham

"If a great art collection isn't in your budget, hang a framed cutting of a beautiful fabric or wallpaper." Alexandra Angle

Beautiful decorative screen behind bed. Photo: Pottery Barn.

"A decorative folding screen can change the entire room. Standing behind a bed, filling an awkward corner, dividing a living/dining area--it adds instant impact." Nick Olsen

"Lighting is everything. It creates atmosphere, drama and intrigue in a room. The easiest way to accomplish this is with a dimmer switch. I always use dimmers, even in the powder room!" Martyn Lawrence Bullard

"The ideal height to hang your flat-screen TV is at eye level when you're in viewing position. The ideal viewing distance is 1.5 times the size of your flat screen." Jean Larette

"I love using an antique table as a kitchen island. It gives the room so much character." Chris Barrett

"Invest in lampshades, not in lamps. I can take a lamp from Christie's or Crate & Barrel and make it look glorious. Use old saris, pieces of antique Chinese paper, box-pleated silk--anything you find attractive can be made into a lampshade." Jeffrey Bilhuber

Pops of bold color. Photo: House Beautiful. "I get bored without color in a room. Interesting, strong, clear colors are easier to live with in the long run than pale colors. People always think it is the opposite, but in actuality, soft colors get boring much quicker." Richard Keith Langham

"Dining room chandeliers should hang 60" to 66" inches above the floor." Betsy Burnham

"I keep my sofas at 6'6" to 7.' Any smaller and they look dwarfed. Bigger and they look like an airport lounge." Alex Papachristidis

"Never use a sconce over a mirror in the bathroom--it will cast unflattering shadows across the face. Sconces that flank the mirror will give a more realistic and flattering light." Rob Southern

"I recommend a height of 36" for a bathroom vanity instead of the standard 30. It's much more ergonomic and comfortable all around." Jason Bell

Want to turn plain rooms into Spectacular Spaces? I can help. Contact me!

Travels: Gardens, wine, artists and a peek inside the lives (and homes) of friends made along the way

2012-04-09T14:05:00Z

The best part of traveling (for me) is having a chance to see where people live and what their daily lives are like. And along the way, meeting folks who give you a unique perspective about where you are. And I am always looking for ideas that I can bring back home.

Photo by Elise Hoogsteden-Roberts.So, when I took a train from the Wellington Railway station on a warm, sunny New Zealand morning, I knew that my day of visiting gardens and studios of local artists (and lunch at a winery) in the beautiful Wairarapa region, would be another adventure. A chance to peak into the lives of some talented artists and to take in the regions's beautiful gardens.

Elise Hoogsteden-Roberts, a photographer and artist from the Wairarapa area, shot this photo (above) that summed up my thoughts about that day. Like this porch with New Zealand summer fruits, it was just a place that you wanted to be.

Photo by Elise Hoogsteden-Roberts.As an artist, Elise makes fun and fantastic jewelry that reflect the region. Fruit Salad Gal is the perfect name for her business because...well, click here and you will see what makes her craft so unique. Her work is fun and popular and she ships to many Americans who return home and decide that they must have one of these yummy treats as a reminder of their visit. Fortunately, she has realized that she has something that visitors want and if you go to her Facebook page, you will see a great selection of photos of her work. Photo by Elise Hoogsteden-Roberts.

After gallery tours with resident and perfect guide, Julie Kidd, meeting artists at their studios and seeing their homes, walking through beautiful gardens, the day ended with a fabulous lunch and tour of Gladstone Vineyard. Salmon caught that morning, asparagus picked from the garden and wine from the Vineyard. I could have stayed there forever.

New Zealand just gets better and better.

Sweet memories of a day in the Wairarapa...

Beautiful gardens.

Spring forward with these tips to refresh your home

2012-04-07T20:02:53Z

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press• April 7, 2012

Since this is a close to spring as we get in Southwest Florida, most of us are looking for ways to give our homes a little freshening up! Some decluttering. And maybe a couple of home projects that we have been thinking about since the holidays. Something about spring, wherever we live, always gives us a nudge to shake things up a little. And even if budgets are tight, you can still do a little decorating to make an impact.

Add spring color with vintage glass pickling jars from Pottery Barn.10 tips for putting a little spring into your home:

• Say goodbye to clutter. Spring is the perfect time to get rid of anything that you don’t love. Go room by room and drawer by drawer. Closet by closet. I find that tackling one room at a time works best. Don’t aim for perfection. Just try to make a dent. And don’t forget to dump all of the piles of magazines that you have not read in the past two years. Too many collectibles? Put some away and rotate them back in the fall.

• Don’t try to redo the entire house but pick one room and give it a makeover. Maybe the family room or the bedroom. Make changes that you have been thinking about. Spend some time and plan it out like a decorator. Find photos in magazines or on the internet. Make a vision board. Establish a budget. Set some priorities. Have fun.

• Add some color for the biggest change. Try some pops of that Tangerine Tango that you have heard so much about. Pantone’s Color of the Year is cheerful and bright. Try new throw pillows, a throw, picture frames. It goes with almost anything when used as an accent and is a very happy color!

• Give the kitchen a facelift. Not a remodel but some small changes that will make you love your kitchen again. Take all appliances off the counters (you will have room in your cabinets or pantry that you have decluttered). Okay, leave the coffee maker. But seriously, remove everything else. Now you have room for a vase of beautiful spring flowers. Now…replace the drawer pulls and any other outdated hardware. Then add a fresh coat of paint.

Fort Myers News-Press: Designer featured at Miromar Design Center makes everything that's old new again

2012-02-27T22:02:00Z

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press• February 25, 2012

This living room features an antique door that was transformed into a coffee table combined with upholstered pieces and Lucite nesting tables. Photos courtesy of Sherrill Canet.Blending old with new is all the rage in decorating. And even though there are no rules about it, there is some amount of artistic talent required. A trained eye for what looks good together. And what doesn't.

Otherwise it just ends up a pile of "stuff" in a room that does not work. And making it “work” is the challenge.

That is why it is so much fun to meet a designer who has perfected the art of creating traditional interiors that retain elements of youthfulness and surprise. Combining her love of antiques and eclectic pieces with an artist-like eye for the fine details of a room, Sherrill Canet creates stunning rooms that have a gracious comfort and elegance about them.

She takes “old world” things and makes them fresh again. And her designs result in rooms that make you want to come in and stay a while.

And they are timeless. This is every designer's goal. To create rooms that never go out of style.

Canet has designed rooms in homes for high profile clients all over the world. Her designs that mix old with new have been featured in Traditional Home, Better Homes & Gardens and House Beautiful. And this week, she was in Southwest Florida to share the recipe for her creations as part of the Distinguished Speaker Series at the Miromar Design Center in Estero. She also signed her book, A La Carte, The Elements of an Elegant Home.

Garden Party: Vanilla Daisy Cupcakes

2012-02-21T15:00:53Z

Try this for your spring backyard party...from Williams-Sonoma. Click photo for recipe!

February Favorites from Spectacular Spaces

2012-02-12T17:03:23Z

Pottery Barn

Happy Valentine's Day!

Pottery Barn