Archives for March 2013

Mirrored Walls – Time to Reflect

Take any space and add a reflective surface and it will instantly enlarge that area and add some much needed dimension. Mirrored areas can reflect or redirect light.  When using mirrors in a space, you can essentially echo another part of the room to visually trick the eye to make a space feel larger.

 

images via House Beautiful

Mirrored walls or a large freestanding mirror in the room can open up an area instantly. This foyer has a freestanding mirror behind the console table which gives added dimension to the space. Note the floor to ceiling application emphasizes the high ceiling.

Time to Reflect  - Interior Walls Designs

Time to Relect - Interior Walls Designs

Interior Walls Designs - Time to Reflect

images via pinterest

Consider adding artwork to the mirrored wall just as you would on any wall in a room. By mirroring the side walls along with the main wall of this alcove, it then creates more reflective surfaces while adding interest to the space.

Time to Reflect - Interior Walls Designs
The mirror you see in a typical bathroom or in a framed mirror is usually a back-silvered mirror. The reflective surface applied to the back is typically aluminium or non-toxic silver that is seen through a thin layer of glass.

Time to Refelct - Mirrors

Antique mirrors have an aged or distressed quality to them. This is achieved by distressing or removing portions of the backing of the mirror.

Mirrored tiles, especially antiqued ones, can be added to an existing wall or to a back-splash area. Many applications include rosettes where the corners of the mirror meet.

Interior Walls Designs - Mirrors

source unknown

This application at the stairwell is a great addition to this space. The glass wall reflects the same design elements as the mirrored section on the wall and becomes a great architectural feature in the space.

Time to Reflect - Interior Walls Designs

image via pinterest

Why Not White?

I love nothing more than a white room, or a room done in all shades of white. It is crisp and clean and welcoming to me.

It is often asked if white is the absence or presence of all color. If you are talking about white in terms of pigment, it is the absence of color. If you are referring to white in the aspect of light, then white it is the presence of all colors.

Why Not White - Interior Walls Designs

I have found that I really have a fixation for white in many aspects of my life…and maybe more than I probably should.  I love my eggshell white walls and white tile in the bath. I find it hard to deviate from this color. Maybe because in the 80’s I had eggplant purple walls and a teal sofa and tired of it oh so quickly.

Why Not White? Interior Walls Designs

My sheet and towels have to be white. And yes, I have all white dinnerware. I love white orchards and peonies flowers. My countertops and tile selections are usually white. There is nothing more classic than a white subway tile with white grout.

Why Not White?

Why Not White - Interior Walls Designs

images via pinterest

Interior Walls Designs - Why Not White?

Designer Neal Beckstedt

I love mixing different shades of white in the same room. These shades need to play off one another in order for it to not read flat or boring.

If you have ever gone to the paint store to figure out what color white to paint your trim or walls, you will know that there are a thousand shades of white. It is a hard color to choose and will definitely require buying a quart or two for test swatches.

Why not White

 image via pinterest

 

Runway Fashion Meets Home Furnishings – Black and White

Following the looks on the fashion runways can give you a glimpse into the current trends and styles for that upcoming season. Held in New York City twice a year, Fashion Week for Spring 2013 is showing an abundance of the clothing and accessories in black and white.

 

Black and White at Fashion Week 2013

Some trends on the runway are timeless, and that includes this season’s plethora of black and white. Often times these trends coincide with what is happening in the home fashion industry. Fashion on the runway tends to change every spring and fall and have more trendy items.

 

Black and White meets Runway Fashion

image via pinterest

Interior Walls Designs - Black and White

designers Michael Kors and Marc Jacobs via realbeauty

Home furnishings, on the other hand, tend to have introductions of items that are available year after year. Each furniture market, new home accessories along with fabrics and colors trends are typically updated or added to existing lines.

 

Interior Walls- Black and White in Home Furnishings

images via pinterest

 

Designer Narcisco Rodriguez – Kate Spade & Rafe New York handbags available at Bloomingdales

 

Black and white, in my opinion, is easy to live with and can easily be updated in the home by adding pops of color. Tile or marble in these contrasting colors has been around for centuries and continues to be a classic and timeless design for the home.

 

Runway Fashion Meets Home Furnishings

 

Runway Fashion Meets Home Furnishings

Black and White - tile - Interior Walls Designs

Viceroy Anguilla – A Carribean Retreat

Perhaps it is that time of year again. With the seemingly endless cloudy and rainy days, it is no wonder I have taken the notion to look into traveling south for some sun and tranquility. Offering this and much more on the island of Anguilla is the resort Viceroy Anguilla.

 

Interior Walls Designs -Viceroy Anguilla

 

This first-class resort is nestled on 35 acres in the British West Indies. The island, approximately sixteen miles long by three miles wide, is situated five miles from St. Maarten and twenty miles from St. Barths. The Viceroy Anguilla is a tranquil and lavish retreat offering incomparable accommodations and dining in the heart of white sand beaches and endless views of the Caribbean.

 

Viceroy Anguilla

 

 

hotel viceroy anguilla

 

Designed by Kelly Wearstler, the celebrated and acclaimed interior and fashion designer, this resort presents more calm and tranquil than her typical design projects. Wearstler is one of my most favored and admired designers. Known for her unusual yet keen design-eye and incredible eye-popping style by mixing textures, patterns and colors, she never disappoints.

 

Hotel Viceroy Anguilla

The modern architecture of the property is softened by the organic style of design. Driftwood and rattan pieces along side petrified-wood accessories make the property feel warm and inviting. Travertine floors are abundant against the neutral color palette.

 

 

The accommodations range from rooms and suites in the main resort to the two- level villas and residences overlooking the coral cliffs. Three pools and three tennis courts are at your fingertips. Adding to its allure are five restaurants along with a spa and wellness center.

 

Viceroy Resort in Anguilla - Interior Walls Designs

Viceroy Resort in Anguilla - Interior Walls Designs

all images via Viceroy Hotel and Resorts

The Painted Door

There are numerous ways to enhance any room, hallway or entryway. The quickest and easiest method would be to add paint. Consider painting just the door alone, and you have added dimension and color in an instant.

The Painted Door - Interior Walls Designs

image via Designer Katie Ridder

When painting any area of the home, make sure you test that color in that space. Do not rely on the fact that your friend used this color or even that you may have used this color in another room of your house. Each area will read differently depending on the lighting in that room. Be sure test the paint on the actual door or paint a piece of white poster board with two coats of paint.

The Painted Door Interior Walls

The Painted Door Interior Walls Designs

The Painted Door

The Painted Door - Interior Walls Designs

images via pinterest

Buying new doors for your home can update your home instantly and bring value to the home. When considering a new door, look at ones with decorative trim. Painting the decorative trim a contrast color adds that extra detail. Changing out the hardware is another way to bring that door to life!

The Painted Door - Interior Walls Designs

image via pinterest

The Painted Door

Designer S.R. Gambrel