Comfortable Fabric

When it comes to creating a more rustic look and feel to a room, I personally like to add a dash of
color to create a spark of interest somewhere in the room. In this particular case the orange wing
chairs combined with the natural light pouring in from the windows behind them tend to draw
interest to the back of the room and give it depth.

The large windows bring ample amounts of natural into the room and the fireplace adds a homely touch. Two attributes that shed light onto the conversation areas quite nicely. In response to the existing features of the room, like the Victorian plastering over the fireplace and the open ceilings I decided to go with more comfortable fabrics to compliment the rustic accents, the whole idea behind that is to create a sense of balance in the room.

All in all, the whole room almost gives you a step back in time while giving you that hint of
modernism. Just another contrast that help create enough interest to make the room pleasing to the eyes.

Inspiration for Tile Designs

I am always a fan of the slightly out of the norm, and unexpected. That's why, when I design bathrooms, I am always looking for something a bit out of the ordinary. One place I look for inspiration is fabric designs. The way fabric is made (with weft and warp) makes it a great resource for creating patterns for tile.

In the children's bathroom above, I used Gingham fabric as my source, when you study the design it is actually pretty easy to recreate in tile. A bit more complicated, but just as interesting would be a plaid design, or if you are a bit less, ambitious, a stripe would be great too.

I think it would be cool to use the real fabric as the shower curtain, and then recreate the same design in tile....now that will impress your friends!

Resource Day: Kismet

I always like to look at things that I come across, and think about other ways that I can use them, other than the way they were intended. Todays resource is one of those things. I used to go regularly to the Santa Monica Antiques Market, and there was a woman there, Anne Driver who had this spectacular stand that sold Antique sari's from India. She sold them whole and also items that were made from them, such as small bags etc. But it was the whole cloth that interested me, the attention to detail and the workmanship was inspiring, not to mention the intense colors, so it was only a matter of time till I changed from a fan to a loyal client.

Anne's company is called Kismet, and she has grown it almost single-handedly into a socially responsible company that now provides work and income for women in India, that helps to support their independence as well as honors their skills.

But back to ways that you can use this incredible resource. In the images above, you can see that I love to use them as window treatments, whether it's as drapery or shades. Anne has literally every shade of the rainbow, so is capable of doing pretty much anything. Also, if she doesn't have the shade you need, she is a master of Dying, so might be able to create the shade that you need. I have also used these for lining lampshades, pillows, and even table runners. Some of the saris are woven with precious metals, while others have beading, but they all have a breathtaking quality of workmanship, so let your mind go wild.

I hope that you find something here to capture your imagination.