Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Some Family Time


A rare thing happened last weekend. I took some time off to be with my men.
If you own your own business, then you know that a day off can be a rarity. You are after all, head cook, bottle washer, CFO and HR all rolled into one, which is a LOT of freaking titles. 
While I'm usually pretty good about shutting off the work valve on Sundays, my Saturdays are usually spent meeting with clients, shopping for projects, checking out what's new at the fabric store and design centers etc., often times with Xavier in tow. 
I've had a lot of guilt about that recently, guilt that he spends so much time schlepping around with either the hubs or I, who also often works on Saturdays, when he should be running wild in a park with other kids. So after a manic few weeks of back-to-back project installations and renovations, my brain froze. It had had enough. I cancelled my Saturday appointments and we took Xavier to the park.
 

He of course had a blast, zipping around pretending to be a soccer star, marveling at the birds, at the clouds, at a water fountain and making friends with everyone he came in contact with. The kid is a natural charmer. Be warned little ladies.
The hubby, who got a fancy camera for Christmas, took the photos - with a lot of sprinting back and forth no less. 
A simple, simple thing some time off, but what a gift it was.
All photos by PFQ Photography.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Creating Bathrooms in Color - Guest Post

If you've followed this blog for a while then you know we do our fair share of bathroom renovations, and love every inch of transforming such a key areas of the home into a client's dream space. Today's sponsored guest post is from DecorPlanet, a leading retailer of luxury bathroom furniture, bathroom vanities, toilets, tubs, shower panels, bathroom accessories, and other bathroom and kitchen products.

Take a look around you – the world is rich in colors, so why not to add some color to your home in order to create right atmosphere.
The choice of color in design is always very subjective and usually rely on our personal preferences. This is natural, since we are eager to please our eye and thrill our soul. But there is one thing that should not go unnoticed – colors affect human emotions and state of mind. In fact, there is a color theory as such.
Let`s apply general knowledge of how we perceive colors and create balance between “what color we like” and “how we feel about it” at our homes by coloring a bathroom.


BLACK
Black color is mostly associated with elegance, sophistication and glamour. It usually gives the feeling of perspective and depth and is perfect for making other colors to stand out. Black also contrasts well – the black-and-white combination always looks daring!
Black piece of bathroom furniture seems to have a grace of a black cat, while black surface allows to create a sense of sophistication and mystery in your bathroom design.


 












WHITE
White is often associated with purity and virtue. It is a color of fresh snow, thus it can help to evoke feelings of cleanliness and light. Bathrooms designed completely in white can seem spacious, however a little empty and cold. In that case color the surface of bathroom or add colorful accents to your design. A white background will help other colors to look more favorably. White is very popular in minimalist designs as well.


BROWN
Brown is mostly the color of wood and earth, and basically represents the natural world. It has much of the same seriousness as black, but creates warmer and softer feeling. You can commonly see brown in wood surfaces and finish materials. Brown color furniture usually looks solid and helps to bring a feeling of warmth and stability to bathroom design. 





GREY. SILVER
Gray is a neutral color, generally considered to be conservative and formal. However it is a modern color and very common in designs. It can be very sophisticated in case you add notes of silver.

Red is a very strong and hot color most commonly associated with energy, strength and power as well as love, passion and desire. It is also an emotionally intense color and can actually have a physical effect on human: it enhances metabolism and raises blood pressure.
Choose bathroom furniture or other design elements in red, in case you wish to make a powerful accent, however be careful with the amount of it. It`s not the color to overdo with, since it can stimulate aggression and feelings of danger.

If you`ll “play” with red, you`ll get a variety of beautiful shades, such as pink, coral, salmon, ruby, maroon and other. Just be creative!


YELLOW. ORANGE. GOLDEN
Yellow and orange colors are quite alike in the way we perceive them. They both are vibrant and energetic and are most commonly associated with happiness, creativity and excitement. Both stimulate mental activity and arouse feeling of cheerfulness, as well as give a sensation of warmth.
These two colors are attention getters: they`ll help you to highlight some elements of your design without excelling them too much as it happens in case with red color.
As for golden color: it is usually associated with wealth and prestige. Thus, use golden tones to bring feeling of luxury to your bathroom design.



BLUE. GREEN
Blue is the color of clear sky and sea. It is most commonly associated with harmony, confidence and stability, as well as calls to mind feelings of calmness and serenity.
Blue affects our mind and body favorably. Light blue shades are usually refreshing and can calm your mind and strengthen concentration, while dark blues are considered to be strong and reliable colors, which can stimulate clear thoughts.
Color your bathroom surface in light blue or choose deep blue bathroom furniture and you`ll practically feel the breath of sea air.
Green is the color of nature that symbolizes balance, harmony and freshness. It has a great healing power, since green is the most restful color for the human eye. With its calming effect it resembles blue color, though green additionally can have a balancing and harmonizing effect.
Color your bathroom into dark green if you lack sense of stability and safety, since this particular shade is often associated with money, or add brighter green in order to evoke vibrant emotions.
“Colors are the smiles of nature”. – Leigh Hunt

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www.decorplanet.com

Thanks so much to DecorPlanet for showing us how the many ways to add personality to any bathroom. I'm smitten with the red curves of that vanity, and with the gold vanity and faucet. What's your fave? Be sure to check out their full bathroom and kitchen selections online. 



Monday, March 3, 2014

Nairobi Blue and White and a Link Up Party


lupita nyongo
Huffington Post
Lupita Nyong'o stole our hearts all award season and took our breaths away at the Oscar's last night in her "Nairobi" blue gown and white headband.
Lupita Nyong'o 2014 Oscars Prada
Pop Crush


So happy to have her represent in all her splendor for today's Blue and White Link Up party over on the Pink Pagoda

 

Swing by and show some love to all the bloggers who are linking up today. 

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