Updated website

Stop by my updated website to see new projects listed under "Redesign Projects on my portfolio page. You can access them quickly by clicking here.

Great things, great cause

This year, I did a lot of my Christmas shopping at a fantastic website called The Hunger Site. They sell all sorts of beautiful items from housewares to jewelry to clothing. The site offers a large selection of fair trade items (which means the person who made that item was paid a sustainable wage--no sweatshop labor) at very reasonable prices. In addition to bettering the lives of the communities that produce these products, most purchases also include a donation of food. If you're looking for a special accent for your home, this is a great site to check out. It would also be a fantastic place to find a hostess gift for those of you visiting friends this summer. Here are a few favorites I found while browsing online.

Thumbs down-Ikat fabric

There's a phrase used to describe TV shows that are past their prime known as "jumping the shark". It's a reference to a Happy Days episode where Fonzie jumps over a shark tank on waterskiis wearing his de rigeur leather jacket. Sometimes people take a good idea and push it just a bit too far.

That's how I feel about ikat--it has jumped the shark. I liked it well enough on outdoor furniture. It was fine on a pillow or two. But now I see sofas like the one above in full on ikat and my reaction is not, "oohhh, ikat" but more like, "ewwww, ick."

I know, it's the height of fashion right now. And while it makes sense on this season's ubiquitous maxi dress, I would not recommend investing $2000 in a Bergere chair with fuschia and purple ikat fabric, as seen in this month's House Beautiful. I wouldn't recommend the $200 maxi dress either.

Chair makeover-update

How exciting! The chair makeover I recently did (scroll down for pictures) was featured on a favorite website of mine, www.apartmenttherapy.com.
Here's a link to the post.

Get on it-lacquer accents

When I worked in Queens it was not uncommon to have customers come in looking for lacquer furniture. And I don't mean some funky little accent table, I mean a full dining room in black lacquer. With gold trim. And sometimes mirrors. I still shudder at the thought.

Unfortunately, this put me off lacquer as a category for a while. But I've found some very fun accents that are the perfect foil for just about any room. Designers tend to use the phrase "a pop of color" a bit too much, but these trays and vases provide just that. It's the same idea as adding a necklace or purse in the season's "it" color--you're fashion forward without going bankrupt. I found these items on www.pearlrivermart.com and www.target.com.

Who doesn't love a good makeover?

I've always been a bit suspicious when I read stories about people finding these great furniture pieces "just sitting on the curb" that they've managed to scoop up and work into their homes beautifully. Where do these people live? And are there available apartments there? Yes, I was a doubter until sometime last October when, after leaving my friends' apartment one night, I found this chair sitting on the curb.

I heard a voice in my head that sounded a lot like Linus' in A Charlie Brown Christmas saying, "all it needed was a little love." I put the chair in the back of my car and brought it home. And there is sat, looking at me forlornly, until last weekend when I finally made good on my promise to make the chair cool again.



The best part? This chair cost me under $5 to redo. The fabric was left over from a client's project and they graciously let me keep it. The cushion was actually from an old sofa cushion sample we had at the store that I cut down. The only thing I actually paid for was the stain to redo the finish.

Identity crisis

I've been working recently on the logo for my website. I am trying to create something sharp and fun that captures my personality. It's a tiny snapshot of me that will be on every page and all of my paperwork. This is proving to be quite difficult.

I imagine that many of you face the same challenge while trying to put together your home. You want something that makes you smile when you see it but also showcases your style in the best way possible to those that visit.

What I've figured out so far is that simple, crisp and a little playful is probably the way I'll go for the logo. I like to think that's a good reflection of me. Those of you working on your home, focus on what makes you smile. You're not marketing your home (well, unless you're selling....that's a whole different ballgame). Focus on what makes you smile when you walk in the door and you're already on the right track.