Gorgeous and Fun

Buzz of the Week: Tricia Guild Pattern

 

 

 

This week's buzz of the week is the Tricia Guild Pattern book. This book is a must see for anyone who is interested in pattern. But it is not just the patterns; the colors, the interiors, the flowers are all gorgeous! The contents are divided into sections like living pattern, botanical, geometric, Indian inspiration and more. The velveteen cover begs to be caressed. If you want to be inspired or dazzled, this book is for you. It is a must for any creative collection. The pictures above are from the botanical section; the pattern designs are based on cherry blossom and magnolia. I have to thank Karen Harvey Cox for mentioning Tricia Guild to me.

Blue And White

 

 

"A Passion for Blue & White" by Carolyne Roehm is absolutely delicious. It is a feast for the eyes and grist for the creative mill. The theme, as the title suggests, is about all things blue and white. Inside the book there is something for everyone - interior designs, flowers, tablescapes, linens, papers, ceramics, china and more.

I chose a couple of floral pictures to feature this book. With summer around the corner flowers are on my mind. And changing your interior or starting a blue and white china collection may take some time. But setting up a floral design, inspired by such a book, can provide instant gratification. Quoting some advice from the book "When you want a particular flower to be the star of an arrangement, blue and white acts as a fitting backdrop".

This book is a delightful addition to any creative collector's library. In fact, I think it is almost impossible to resist owning this book.

Country Living, Art Journaling

 

Ever since I saw the article on art made from old books in the Country Living magazine, I have been keeping an eye out for this magazine. They have gorgeous pictures and beautiful, doable design ideas. The picture above is from the May 2009 issue. The photograph taken by Tim Street-Porter is of interior designer Annie Kelly's Connecticut farmhouse. The room, of course, looks gorgeous. But look at the color palette, it could be an inspiration for just about any design project! The article has been written by Liesl Schillinger. If you can get your hands on it you should see the rest of the pictures in this article and the rest of the magazine. Country Living covers a variety of topics including some crafts and recipes.

While on the subject of magazines, I have to explain that they are dangerous, at least for me. I bet you are wondering what I mean by dangerous. What's dangerous is that it is very difficult to discard magazines that have such gorgeous pictures. And then I have only so much space to store them. That's when the idea of art journals struck a chord. Making art journal pages could let you do something creative with the pictures and papers that you can't part with. Of course, if you like photos on both side of the page, that's a different problem. Maybe attach it with brads? What do you think?

A Story Book Room - Literally!

 

If you are upto cutting up old books, here are more things you can do. Create a story book room! Decal or stencil some kind of story book theme on the door. Paper the walls with sheet music or pages from a book. These lovely ideas are from the Country Living, September 2008. So you could take this idea and create wallpaper from any theme that inspires you - decorating books, cooking books or comic books. Just make sure that you don't stay up all night reading the walls :-).

Absolutely Gorgeous Decorative Stenciling!

 

This week I was catching up on one of my favorite blogs - Maryam's My Marrakesh. I am an armchair traveller in exotic Morocco, thanks to Maryam. She has a delicious writing style and posts the most colorful pictures of life and times in Marrakesh. I came across a blog post of hers about the Modello designers, who came to Morocco to paint murals for her. Their work is absolutely, positively stunning!  Here is the link with more pictures of this mural - Designamour. If you browse Maryam's blog you will see more of the other decorative work by these immensely talented decorative designers/painters. I call this work extreme stenciling. It shows how people can take a known technique and make it their own. They push the boundaries. And they inspire!

I will come back to the altered book conversation and promise more goodies. But I have a hectic week this week. So my posting will get steadier next week.

The Holiday

 

 

 

 

While I was on my blogging holiday, I watched "The Holiday" featuring Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jack Black and Jude Law. It is a fun movie. Lovely houses, fun story, great actors and delightful music, what more can a girl ask for? Some may call it a chic flick but I absolutely enjoy upbeatfeel-good movies. The first two pictures are of Kate's cosy English cottage and the next two of Cameron's contemporary LA digs. I adored this movie.

A minor note, I am going to blog about four times a week. The current plan is Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday and maybe sneak in a post or two here or there. I have loads of stuff coming up at work, so need more time for research.

Images are from Daisy Pink Cupcake.

Simple, Elegant and Chic Space

 

 

These are pictures of the house of Ina Garten, better known as the Barefoot Contessa, from House Beautiful, November 2008. I am shifting gears from bright colors to the quiet colors in this post. This earthy, neutral palette makes such an elegant interior. The style, though not minimalistic, makes the spaces seem light and airy. Simple but chic. There is something to be said for the uncrowded space, it exudes a spirit of calm and ease.

The architect is Frank Greenwald, interior designer is Robert Stilin and photos by Simon Upton.

An Icy Blue Color Palette

 

I really like this color palette. The shades of blues, creams and whites make for a very calm and serene setting. Interior design by Christopher Maya, photograph by Eric Piasecki, picture from House Beautiful, June 2008.

Another Lovely Reading Nook

 

Another reading nook where one can curl up with a book, a cup of cocoa and a quilt, when it is snowing outside. Photograph by Douglas Friedman, interior design by Healing Barsanti, picture from House Beautiful, June 2008.

Wishing a Happy Birthday to another friend, I will be posting her birthday card in the coming week. I didn't get a chance to photograph it.

Beautiful Spaces, Beautiful Colors: Part 2

 

 

More beautiful spaces and color combinations from the "Color With Confidence" by Meredith Publications. The red and chocolate colors would look especially great in a big room or a room with good height. The lovely yellow sunroom seems like a great place to curl up and read, to have some tea and encourage an indoor garden.

About some decorating books: a lot of blogs have mentioned the "Domino: The Book of Decorating". A lovely book for decorating ideas. While I was browsing this book on the bookshelves, I also discovered the book "Apartment Therapy Presents". It is fun to see spaces decorated by real people. Another great source for design ideas.