One of our favorite design projects is being featured on Design Shuffle, one of the top sources for designers and design junkies. We couldn't be more thrilled.
Interestingly enough, what we considered a very demure room - yellows and greys - has drawn quite the mixed reaction from the Design Shuffle readers. Who knew yellow could evoke such strong feelings?
Check out the feature, and the fiery discussions on their Facebook page, and be sure to share your thoughts as well.
You'll also learn more about our client, the design process and discover what a great resource Design Shuffle is as well.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Florally Inspired
Today we're bucking the Monday blues. We're inspired by florals, by their obnoxious bursts of color, their bad-ass, bold, in-your-face attitude.
Enough words. Take a look for yourself.
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I'm definitely a fan of the last photo, just the right amount of floral whimsy for me. What's your pick?
Friday, July 27, 2012
Let The Games Begin!!!!
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for all the 5AM practices
the soar muscles and broken bones
the sacrifices of family and friends
we know that getting here is only the beginning
so, may you finally earn your place in the history books
and never take a moment for granted
this moment is yours.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Front Row Seats To The Olympics
Come this Friday, my DVR will be working overtime to make sure I don't miss any of the Olympics must-see events...like King James leading Team USA to another gold medal, Phelps and Lochte battling to reign as the Poseidon of this year's games. And the events that are foremost on the minds of most Jamaicans - will lighting strike twice causing Bolt to break even more world records or will Blake steal his thunder? We're cheering too for all the other athletes set to make history at Olympics 2012.
Sigh, we know we can't be there in person, but that doesn't mean we can't have front row seats. Take a look at these Olympics worthy media rooms.
Be warned, I call dibs on the Barcelona chair in the first image...lol.
The others are just as delightful, take a gander.
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Is it just me or doesn't the room just scream Hugh and the The Girls Next Door? Didn't he have a spinning circular bed? Don't ask me how I know that...yes, I'm addicted to Reality TV. How did you think I knew about the bed?...LOL
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I would gladly accept an invite that includes a chance to hang out in any these rooms. Which one is your favorite? What event are you most pumped to see at this year's Summer Games?
Sigh, we know we can't be there in person, but that doesn't mean we can't have front row seats. Take a look at these Olympics worthy media rooms.
Be warned, I call dibs on the Barcelona chair in the first image...lol.
The others are just as delightful, take a gander.
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Is it just me or doesn't the room just scream Hugh and the The Girls Next Door? Didn't he have a spinning circular bed? Don't ask me how I know that...yes, I'm addicted to Reality TV. How did you think I knew about the bed?...LOL
Contemporary Media Room design by Milwaukee Architect Deep River Partners
And who says you can't mix an Olympics watching party with a pool party? Talk about killing two birds with one stone...lol
And who says you can't mix an Olympics watching party with a pool party? Talk about killing two birds with one stone...lol
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I would gladly accept an invite that includes a chance to hang out in any these rooms. Which one is your favorite? What event are you most pumped to see at this year's Summer Games?
xoxo
Debbie. B
Monday, July 23, 2012
A Black, Green and Yellow Frenzy
It's Olympic week and we are seriously hot and bothered about the amazing colors of the Jamaican team - black, green and gold.
In the interest of full disclosure, Debbie and I are American citizens, but we were both born in Jamaica and kinda have some serious loyalties to our country of birth. Let's just say we'll be cheering for Usain Bolt and company throughout these games. No hard feelings team USA.
We're not the only ones in love with the colors of the Jamaica flag, which inspired the team's Olympic gear. The outfits, designed by Cedella Marley, daughter of Bob Marley was voted #1 by Time magazine readers. Nabbed a whopping 60% of the votes to boot. So, to pay homage to the Jamaican team and their colorful gear, we've found some amazing rooms, events and fashion that draw their inspiration from these colors. Enjoy.
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I rarely use these color combinations, but I suspect that the Olympics, and the Jamaican team's expected victory, (hehe) may see us turning to this color palette for a room or two.
Would you use these bold colors? Have you?
Let us know.
'Til then, Jamaica to da World!
Friday, July 20, 2012
Dreaming of London Town Part 2
TGIF!!!!!!!!
This has been one crazy week with the website relaunch, juggling all our design projects, sending out last minute proposals in addition to full time jobs. I think we could sleep for two days straight...lol. But since there's no rest for the weary, we'll gladly take the two days off from our full time gigs.
As the count down continues to the Summer Olympics in London, I thought it would be only fitting to stalk another fabulous London pad. Today, it's the penthouse of interior designer Peter Mikic and TV producer Sebastian Scott. The moment I saw photos of Mikic and Scott's London penthouse in Elle Decor I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I know it was featured in the April issue, so I'm little late to the party, but heck, better late than never. Take a gander and you'll see what I mean.
If I had this bathroom I'd be late for work everyday.....and a massive water bill. Hello....hour long showers. Ain't it just too perfect for words.
That fire place is insane...right?
I'm trying to figure out which wall I could knock down in my house so I too can fit a couch in my bathroom...hehe
Which room is your favorite? I wish they would establish a sport that was all about house stalking for this year's Summer Olympics. I would definitely get more gold medals than Phelps and Bolt combined....lol.
Have a safe and adventurous weekend. See you on the flip side.
This has been one crazy week with the website relaunch, juggling all our design projects, sending out last minute proposals in addition to full time jobs. I think we could sleep for two days straight...lol. But since there's no rest for the weary, we'll gladly take the two days off from our full time gigs.
As the count down continues to the Summer Olympics in London, I thought it would be only fitting to stalk another fabulous London pad. Today, it's the penthouse of interior designer Peter Mikic and TV producer Sebastian Scott. The moment I saw photos of Mikic and Scott's London penthouse in Elle Decor I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I know it was featured in the April issue, so I'm little late to the party, but heck, better late than never. Take a gander and you'll see what I mean.
That fire place is insane...right?
I'm trying to figure out which wall I could knock down in my house so I too can fit a couch in my bathroom...hehe
Which room is your favorite? I wish they would establish a sport that was all about house stalking for this year's Summer Olympics. I would definitely get more gold medals than Phelps and Bolt combined....lol.
Have a safe and adventurous weekend. See you on the flip side.
xoxo
Debbie B.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
A New Kitchen, 25 Years In The Making
For 25 years, our client Debbie stared at dropped ceilings, outdated wooden cabinets and tiles, wood paneling - everywhere; a broken dishwasher and a general mix of not-so-fun items.
This year she threw in the towel. No more. Recently retired, she decided this would be the time to finally remodel her kitchen and family room. The project later grew to include the living and dining rooms and hallways which we'll reveal in a later post.
Debbie, her husband Ralph, her daughter Chiante, son Chris and her adorable granddaughters Xya and Lailah (love those kids!), lived through the renovation and never once complained. That's a LOT of dust, so my hats off to them for being such amazing troopers and sticking through this with such aplomb.
I have to say that I'm not sure I've ever been more happy for a client. To see the look on her face as she watched her home go through such a dramatic transformation after 25 years of longing, was an amazing thing to witness. I'm extremely happy/honored to have been a part of that and to see how much she beams as she now walks through her home. Without further ado we present:
I'm pretty torn, but these bar stools, the granite and those amazing pendant lights from Lowes may be my favorite items. What's yours?
This year she threw in the towel. No more. Recently retired, she decided this would be the time to finally remodel her kitchen and family room. The project later grew to include the living and dining rooms and hallways which we'll reveal in a later post.
Debbie, her husband Ralph, her daughter Chiante, son Chris and her adorable granddaughters Xya and Lailah (love those kids!), lived through the renovation and never once complained. That's a LOT of dust, so my hats off to them for being such amazing troopers and sticking through this with such aplomb.
I have to say that I'm not sure I've ever been more happy for a client. To see the look on her face as she watched her home go through such a dramatic transformation after 25 years of longing, was an amazing thing to witness. I'm extremely happy/honored to have been a part of that and to see how much she beams as she now walks through her home. Without further ado we present:
A Kitchen That Was
Sure there as a pass through to the family room but the rooms still felt disconnected. Ralph is an artist/graphic designer and painted those wall murals in an effort to cheer up the space, and Debbie while she cooked. Lol. At least he tried. The need for a larger gathering space for the family was also pretty evident. We ripped the room apart. Literally. See details here. And then a miracle happened. |
A Kitchen Reborn
I believe wholeheartedly in lighting. I install as much as I can on projects because they make the world of a difference. We installed recessed lights throughout all the rooms, under cabinet lighting, inside cabinet lighting, above the sink lighting and pendant lights above the island. All on different switches to control as they see fit. How cool is it to see what you're actually cooking or what's tucked away in those corners? |
Okay. Hold your horses. There's more. Let's take a peak at the adjoining family room, where there was wood paneling for miles. Dated furniture and an awkward layout made for uncomfortable seating for the family.
We removed the wall between the family room and kitchen. And you guessed it, the wood paneling was also removed as was the crazy plastering technique on the walls. Ditto for the fake flowers. Ya'll know how I feel about that.
Ah, let there be light! We went with a soothing Bunny Gray from Sherwin Williams. |
The legs on this media unit are to die for! I'll tell you a secret about them towards the end of this post. Go on. Keep reading. |
Since Debbie wanted a different tile in the kitchen than in the rest of the house, we needed to transition well between the two rooms. I used the back splash tile to connect the two rooms. The kitchen tiles are a linen look with an insane shimmer. It is as sexy as a tile can get. These amazing tiles we sourced at the very budget-friendly Floor Decor.
This pub table, and a new bar we'll eventually install, creates yet another seating zone in the family room and will get lots of use when the family entertains. |
An over sized sectional was mandatory and we found this budget-friendly and very comfortable one at City Furniture. With the television now anchored on this wall, the family can watch television from the kitchen and family room with ease. |
And there you have it. Good things come to those who wait, even if it comes a quarter century later.
Some insider details:
- We were hired in February to do the kitchen and family room. The living/dining and hallway were added later. We finished the entire project in June but made some final tweaks last week.
- The kitchen plans were revised a few times. Most kitchen designs go through several revisions.
- We had some hiccups. The pantry paneling was not deep enough to house the new refrigerator. I found this out while I was en route to St. Maarten for the day job. It was a mini panic moment since I had to scramble to have the pantry dismantled and redone while not driving up the cost. Let's just say the flight attendant nearly confiscated my phone as I tried to make the changes before we took off. It was quite a moment. Huge thanks to Panda Kitchen for waiving the hefty charges on that.
- While cabinets, counter tops and appliances accounted for the bulk of the planned budget, we saved where we could.Curtains in the family room are from Target, but were customized (two different panels were used to create that design). Thanks to the talented designer Asanyah at Circa24 for her amazing skills and work she's done for moi over the years.
- Accessories, throw pillows etc..were sourced from the budget friendly Target, Home Goods/Marshalls and we used a boatload of coupons from Bed Bath and Beyond (love that those 20 percent coupons never expire).
- Tricks: The media unit is actually a buffet. We loved the legs on it and that it mimicked the legs on the pub table, so we simply made a hole in the back to accommodate all the wiring.
- Those amazing stools at the kitchen island were cut to size. The standard 24" was too short and the bar height of 30" was too tall. We ordered 30" and cut them down to a perfect 27".
And there you have it. It was quite a project (I think my arms still hurt from that demolition) but we're thrilled to the hills with the outcome.
Thanks again to Debbie and Ralph for trusting us with this massive project and for being so gracious to the team. Yes, Ralph (who's also a DJ) even played lots of reggae music for us to jam to while we worked - and burned us CDs. Too cool for school that dude.
Kudos to my team, Roy, Dennis, Debbie, Shaggy, Vinton and my brother Shomari who flew in from Jamaica to help for a few weeks, and who became BFFs with the clients, as he always does.
Thanks again to Debbie and Ralph for trusting us with this massive project and for being so gracious to the team. Yes, Ralph (who's also a DJ) even played lots of reggae music for us to jam to while we worked - and burned us CDs. Too cool for school that dude.
Kudos to my team, Roy, Dennis, Debbie, Shaggy, Vinton and my brother Shomari who flew in from Jamaica to help for a few weeks, and who became BFFs with the clients, as he always does.
Holla back. We'd love to hear your thoughts.