I had to pass this gorgeous idea for mantel decor on. In the summer when the fireplace is no longer the focus of your space, try this great seasonal idea to bring a fresh and fragrant beauty to your mantel. I can’t wait to try this on my outdoor fireplace mantel this summer to give an evening gathering a special look! This photo was taken at the newly remodeled Michael Taylor showroom at Pacific Design Center, Los Angeles during West Week festivities.

I couldn’t resist showing you another gorgeous bedroom. This beauty was created by the oh-so-talented Madeline Stuart of Los Angeles.
Madeline’s work is never trendy, always intriguing, and focuses on the dreams and desires of the client first. I have long admired her work and this bedroom demonstrates why. The use of color, texture, and the mix of furniture styles make this room so very appealing! That peacock/turquoise is so great in the space. What do you love about this room?

Plenty!
As a designer I have been a little hesitant to fully explore green building material options. I had this idea that many sustainable/green materials weren’t as beautiful as the materials I was used to specifying for projects. It’s not that I didn’t want to choose the green option, I just felt the options were too limited and too costly. As a result, I stopped paying attention.

My recent exploration of eco-friendly building materials has presented me with a new, unique, interesting, and yes beautiful group of resources to specify for design jobs. There are wonderful materials and products available now at very competitive prices. You know how they say “don’t buy the latest electronic gadget the first year, wait until the price drops”. Green design is now reasonable.

The fabric choices, tile choices, counter top options, flooring options (great reclaimed woods), to name a few are extraordinary and often come with a great story. For example, this gorgeous Oceanside Glasstile is partly made from glass bottles that would otherwise end up in our landfills.

For more invaluable information visit www.livingreen.com

Have fun with sustainable design and learn as I did.

WE DO NOT INHERIT THE EARTH FROM OUR ANCESTORS, WE BORROW IT FROM OUR CHILDREN (Native American proverb)

The elegant, intuitive designs of the very talented Vincente Wolf are some of my favorite. He has a beautiful way of bringing a peace and balance to a space that draws you in and invites you to stay. Vincente plays by his own rules, has his way with color, and mixes furniture styles and accessories with a confident ease. His rooms have so much meaning and depth. His latest book, Crossing Boundaries, A Global Vision of Design, gives the reader a glimpse of how Vincente uses travel to inform his designs. Ideas and inspirations from his vast, exotic travel make their way into the spaces he designs in a most beautiful way.

I am particularly drawn to this glorious bedroom. The bed has a light, and unobtrusive air about it. The comfort offered by the upholstered headboard and the lush, simple linens make this space function for the most important duty of a bedroom, to induce sleep. The color palette is soft, soothing, and unique. I looove it! I can’t tell you how much I love the way the eighteenth-century French painted table and the Twentieth-century steel and glass table work together. The intrigue of the art work hung over the bed, and meaningful accessories pared with the natural beauty of the fresh flowers create a visual perfection.

When you decide to remodel a room in your home, thoroughly exam details of great rooms like this and use what you see and learn to create a space of your own filled with that unexpected peace and balance.