Monday, April 30, 2012

Ocean Breeze Anyone?

Before my obsession with greys and yellows and the wonderful orange, I had a thing for ocean breeze.


I'm an island girl, so it reminded me always of the ocean, of summer breezes and relaxation, and I've used a variation of that color in at least three projects over the years. 
Here's a version of said color, used on the last project I completed while pregnant with the little munchkin, Xavier. I was eight months pregnant when I closed this job. A bit of a workaholic can't ya'll tell?   








Have you gone through various color stages? What have been some of your favorites? Or Regrets?

Friday, April 27, 2012

Our Contemporary Home Design Project Revealed


It's been an intense few months to say the least. We wrapped not one, but three major design projects, redesigned the blog, had a slew of consultations and are now negotiating new deals, all while working full-time jobs, and with moi being a new mommy to the yummy little munchkin named Xavier. Whew!
Here's a look at the finished project of phase 1 of our client Jina's new home. This project is being done in phases because, well, it's pretty darn massive - six bedrooms to boot.
Jina is the dream client of all clients. Why? Because she is not bothered by much, in fact the things I agonized and lost sleep over, barely caused her to raise an eyebrow. Her favorite phrase: Whatever.
To the designers among us, that is an awesome trait because it meant I had A LOT of creative license, with very little interference, and I LOVED it. Now, that also means Jina is not the excitable type, so there were no squeals on the day of final reveal. But we know she loves her new home because she sent the most wonderful thank you note, beamed with delight as she did the house tour with guests at her housewarming party, and because she gave us some major shout-outs on her Facebook page. We'll take all that over a squeal any day.


The entryway mixes soft greys with bold pops of orange and white. Family is number 1 to Jina, so framed family photos were also a must. And we thought the affirmative artwork had some  great words to see every time she leaves and returns home.  

Believe it or not, all these items were sourced at the very budget friendly HomeGoods, Ikea and West Elm.

The powder room design was a birthday gift from Jina's parents. She had no clue about any of the finishes so I took liberties and went for a striking grass cloth wallpaper, zebra print side tables and vessel sink.

The family loves red so we had to slip a pop of said color here. And since Jina is also a shoeholic, we had to represent with the red heels and a throwback stamp - 10 cents? No way.


We added a personal touch in the powder room with hand towels that bear Jina's initials -a great find at West Elm, graced atop a bamboo ladder.



This amazing pendant light from Z Gallerie that we placed in the stairway, is the perfect preview to what awaits upstairs in the master bedroom




Ooh, wee, we love this master bedroom and so does Jina. We used greys and yellows, whites and blacks and created different zones for her to chill in. And isn't that pendant light a dream? Another steal of a find - half off from a local design store, Floridian Furniture.

That mirrored nightstand steals the show - another great find from HomeGoods. I loves that place! Our curtains too were from HomeGoods though we customized them by adding an amazing striped fabric we found from our favorite local fabric store, Designer Discount Fabric.


A dressing area next to the chaise. All sourced from budget friendly shops - Ikea, Target, HomeGoods and Z Gallerie.

I think she'll enjoy chillin atop these pillows and chaise.

All photos by Circle Ten Media


So there you have it. Phase one: Foyer, master bedroom and powder room. 
Psst....Here's a secret. We went a tad over budget. But that's mainly because the master bedroom (22 x 16) is as massive as a NYC apartment and took a LOT to furnish, But all was forgiven because we also saved a LOT by re- purposing her kitchen and vanity cabinets. I'll have a separate post on that next week. So how did we do? Please drop us a comment or two. We'd love to hear from you. Here's to a fab weekend!

 

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Interior Design Style Influences Wedding Decor

Our fashion sense - be it eclectic, minimalistic, trendy or high fashion - is always translated in the way we decorate our personal space.  So it's understandable that on one of the most important days that we will share with family and friends, that we would lean to a decor style that represents who we really are. 
vintage outdoor wedding decor
      The Traditional Bride 


The Modern Bride 

wedding details
The Eclectic Bride
 Via

Would you get married at this altar?
The Shabby Chic Bride

More {suspended} wedding decor inspiration
The Contemporary Bride

Love the clear “ghost” chairs…
The Bride That Mixes Styles

Which bride would you be? Which design speaks to you the most and what would you add to make it your own?

Monday, April 23, 2012

A White Out!

I'm seeing white. Way too much in fact and I usually love a white room. 
Check out this morning's post over on our friends at desiretoinspire and see if you agree.
They've definitely gone way overboard with this entire house.
But wait, is that a splash of pink I see on the coffee table? Hooray for some color! 

Friday, April 20, 2012

My Love Affair With Bob Marley

I have an inexplicable connection to Bob Marley.

Magnolia Pictures
Bob Marley, as seen in Kevin Macdonald's documentary.

True, he is a fellow Jamaican and should be a national hero as far as I'm concerned. But what I mean is, growing up, I was obsessed with his music. I had every album of his saved on a cassette tape (yep, just dated myself). I skipped school on several occasions to stop by his Hope Rd., studio where they hosted birthday celebrations in his memory - thank goodness I'm too old to be punished for those transgressions!
I later learned that my mom, once a Rastafarian, served as an usher at his funeral. My obsession has spilled over into adulthood, and I scoff at those who think Legend is his only album - he released eleven albums and Legend was among the albums released posthumously. So in honor of this weekend's release of the Marley documentary, which I encourage every one to go see, we highlight images of Ghana and Zimbabwe, countries Marley loved, and often paid tribute to in his music.


Bob Marley Studio in Ghana prior to the fire of 2010
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Volta-Ghana
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Black Star Square, also known as Independence Square - Accra, Ghana
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Victoria Falls National Park – Zimbabwe
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The bridge spanning the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe
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 Zimbabwe by Bob Marley


Every man gotta right to decide his own destiny, 
And in this judgement there is no partiality. 
So arm in arms, with arms, we'll fight this little struggle, 
'Cause that's the only way we can overcome our little trouble. 

Brother, you're right, you're right, 
You're right, you're right, you're so right! 
We gon' fight (we gon' fight), we'll have to fight (we gon' fight), 
We gonna fight (we gon' fight), fight for our rights! 

Natty Dread it in-a (Zimbabwe); 
Set it up in (Zimbabwe); 
Mash it up-a in-a Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe); 
Africans a-liberate (Zimbabwe), yeah. 

No more internal power struggle; 
We come together to overcome the little trouble. 
Soon we'll find out who is the real revolutionary, 
'Cause I don't want my people to be contrary. 

And, brother, you're right, you're right, 
You're right, you're right, you're so right! 
We'll 'ave to fight (we gon' fight), we gonna fight (we gon' fight) 
We'll 'ave to fight (we gon' fight), fighting for our rights! 
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/bob+marley/zimbabwe_20021820.html ] 
Mash it up in-a (Zimbabwe); 
Natty trash it in-a (Zimbabwe); 
Africans a-liberate Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe); 
I'n'I a-liberate Zimbabwe. 

(Brother, you're right,) you're right, 
You're right, you're right, you're so right! 
We gon' fight (we gon' fight), we'll 'ave to fight (we gon' fight), 
We gonna fight (we gon' fight), fighting for our rights! 

To divide and rule could only tear us apart; 
In everyman chest, mm - there beats a heart. 
So soon we'll find out who is the real revolutionaries; 
And I don't want my people to be tricked by mercenaries. 

Brother, you're right, you're right, 
You're right, you're right, you're so right! 
We'll 'ave to fight (we gon' fight), we gonna fight (we gon' fight), 
We'll 'ave to fight (we gon' fight), fighting for our rights! 

Natty trash it in-a Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe); 
Mash it up in-a Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe); 
Set it up in-a Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe); 
Africans a-liberate Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe); 
Africans a-liberate Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe); 
Natty dub it in-a Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe). 

Set it up in-a Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe); 
Africans a-liberate Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe); 
Every man got a right to decide his own destiny.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

A Mini Milestone!

Six months ago, a little miracle came into my life: my son Xavier.
To say he's changed my life is well, an understatement.
I have a pretty hectic schedule between a full-time job, running the design business and now blog and yet, no matter how exhausting or stressful a day I've had, it all disappears the minute I walk through the door and his face lights up with a huge smile. My heart melts with those moments and I'm grateful to have been blessed to be his mommy. Happy mini birthday Xavi!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Wedding Inspiration

Okay, as you probably already know I'm addicted to Pinterest. So with wedding season around the corner I thought I would share with you images from our "Wedding Inspiration" board on Pinterest.  Most of the images I found on Pinterest, and I added a few from some of our favorite sites.  


Source: etsy.com via Nicole on Pinterest

I think this would be a great way to greet wedding guests to the ceremony.


Source: bit.ly via Nicole on Pinterest



Look for ways to add very personal touches to the wedding






Add modern touches to an old classic.






Make larger receptions feel more intimate by adding candles.




Never cut corners on photography. This is a picture of fellow South Florida blogger Jillian of Nusophisticate on her wedding day in Jamaica.   I think this is what movie directors would call the money shot.


Were you inspired? My favorite is definitely the last one.  Visit us on Pinterest to check out some more inspiration.


xoxo
Debbie B.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Springtime

Every time I go to NYC, I fall more in love with the hustle and bustle of the city. But my love affair ends when it comes to the weather that cloaks the city at this time of the year. I kept asking myself, how bad could it be? I saw people on the subway without jackets, and a woman in flip flops. But clearly those are veterans of the cold weather and my bones need the warmth of sunny South Florida.
Let's just say it's so good to be home, where it feels and looks like Spring.
Hooray for the bright prints and vibrant colors of Spring.














Via


Via

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Bringing The Heat

So I'm a little bit of a basketball fanatic, and I get a little rowdy when our Miami Heat plays. So when our client Doris asked us to design a room for her 11-year-old son Eric, himself an avid Miami Heat fan, we knew we had to somehow feature the team's all stars - James, Wade and Bosh. We asked local artist David Rohn to dabble with their images to give the art a bit of an edge. And how's this for serendipity, we threw in that laugh pillow not knowing that the very word would one day become the centerpiece of our blog title. I'm also happy to report that this room was done almost two years ago, and it's still in tact! A major feat for the now teenage Eric.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

We've been a little busy over here on the LLD blog.
For starters, you may have noticed that we've stepped up our swag with a brand spanking and sparkling new design - man, is that an alliteration?!

Whew, took us a while to get it right, but I must say we're pretty happy with the crisp new look and feel of our site. It's been a work in progress for us in this blog world but I think we're finally on our way.
More breaking news: It will be easier to find us as well since we purchased the domain name: www.livelaughdecorate.com
We've added some new categories, so be on the look out for those new posts, and we've added some new treats to the services we offer clients.
So poke around, stay awhile, and give us some feedback.    

Monday, April 2, 2012

Spring into Color

Since we live in South Florida, it's sometimes hard to get excited about Spring, after all we're lucky enough to enjoy amazing balmy weather for much of the year. But with the colors chosen by Pantone for Spring 2012....names like Margarita, Sweet Lilac and Cockatoo, I think that's all about to change.  






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Contemporary blue bedroom | Bedroom decorating ideas | Bedroom | Livingetc | IMAGE | Housetohome.co.uk
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H&G Lilac bedroom - housetohome
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Penthouse Design by Chicago Interior Designer Jessica Lagrange
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These are some of our favorite inspirations from the Pantone Spring 2012 color palette. Which color is your favorite or favorites? Are you feeling inspried by Spring?

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