As Seen on T.V.-Democratic Presidential Debate

I often don't include my opinion on this site because it's really about design and I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable, but I can't help myself....O B A M A, I'm team Obama all the way!

Now that I have that out of my system, on to design. If you watched the debate tonight you may have noticed the chairs that both the members of the panel and candidates sat in...stylish don't you think?

I thought so.....so much that I grabbed my camera and took a picture while I was watching!

These chairs are courtesy of one of the most prolific modern design teams, yielding classic contemporary pieces I constantly reference...Charles and Ray Eames. The chair was designed in 1958 as part of the eames aluminum group and is called the "management chair".

Now if you want an original eames chair it will cost you $1,129.00, but the shipping may be free!

For those who are "balling" on a budget (me included) check out this much more cost-effective Lider chair found at Eurway for $259.00. (shown below)

Although not shown on my portfolio page, this was the chair I envisioned in my design plan for a modern office space.(shown below)

Allright donkeys smart and stylish!

Tribal Textiles

I don't know how on earth I could have forgotten; there is one place that we need to acknowledge, that has been with us along all of our travels through Africa, and that place is Tribal Textiles in Zambia, Africa.



All of the textiles from my post about Africa were courtesy of Tribal Textiles, and they were absolutely beautiful! All of their products are handmade by their staff of over 150 and they pride themselves on their lack of mass production, you really get unique pieces when you purchase them through Tribal Textiles.

Do yourselves a favor and lay your eyes upon all the wonderful items they have to offer by clicking here.

Bidding Africa Farewell

We've reached our last stop on our tour through Africa, and we've found ourselves in Ghana and Cote d'Ivorie (The Ivory Coast). The reason I stopped here was because I found the pattern in this space reminded me a lot of Adrinka symbols which are used by the Akan people of this region. It also reminded me of the terra-cotta clay statues and once again the red sunsets.



I've enjoyed our journey through Africa, I'm sure we'll revisit one day, it's a continent rich in culture but for now we'll bid it adieu.

Next stop...you gotta stay tuned to find out, but I will stay were heading East.

Sands and Water from East to West

The Sahara desert cover the entire gray area shown to the left...it's almost as big as the United States and bigger than Australia. I've chosen this region to inspire the next color scheme of blue and tan.

From the M'Hamid dunes in Morroco (furthest Northeastern country in Africa) to the only standing ancient "Seven Wonder of the World" the Pyramid of Giza in Egypt (furthest Northwestern country in Africa); the Sahara desert and it's surroundings make for some breathtaking scenes. In some places you can't even tell where the seas stop and the sky begins! While in other places there is desert as far as the eye can see. Watch the sunset over the Sahara and be inspired!

One of the seven Wonders of the Ancient World "Pyramids of Giza"

Going up yonder...

Yes I can count, and according to my initial post we still have two places to visit in Africa! We're heading north, and before the day is out you'll see where we end up...sorry about the delay!

Let's take a dive

Don't pack you're things quite yet...were not done. We just left South Africa ,looking for our African daises, but now were diving off the coast of Mozambique which is between South Africa and Tanzania, where we toured the Serengeti.

Here we'll visit the Two Mile Reef at Benguerra, where we can dive and spot some pink coral for inspiration. Not into diving...that's okay, because you don't even have to leave South Africa to view the beautiful coral sky as the sun sets over The Greater St.Lucia Wetland Park, which was declared a World Heritage site in 1999. The park is in Zululand, South Africa which has been made famous by one of the most popular kings, Chaka Zulu, who created the Zulu nation.

I found these scenes and colors to be one of the most relaxing, and it's definitely shown through the decor it inspires.

The soft side of Africa

When I think of pinks and corals I think about the soft side of things...I've said long before I'm not a pink kinda girl but I find myself falling deeper and deeper in love with the color. While were in the area of Kenya we may not want to bring the wild safari into our space but we can be just as inspired by the soft side of Africa.

Let's travel deeper south to central Kenya and Lake Nakuru where the greatest bird spectacle on earth occurs as millions of flamingos descend upon the lake's shores. Borrow from the scheme of the pink birds, the blue waters and the tan shores that are seen as you look upon this amazing sight...can you even imagine millions of flamingos, so many that you can't even recognize the surface of the shallow lake due the mass of pink!

The colors of the textiles shown also reminds me of the African Daisy(shown below in pink and orange), you'll have to travel even lower to South Africa to pick these beauties but they are some gorgeous flowers; don't you agree?

I'm loving the softer, and quite vibrant side of Africa!

Serengeti Safari

When on a safari through the Serengeti (A word that the natives of the area, Masai people, call Siringitu interpreted as "where the land moves forever") you are bound to see many of the two million plus large mammals that migrate the area over the coarse of one year.

Beautiful beings of nature that are translated into design. The black and white stripes of the zebra, the golden hue of the fearless "king of the jungle" lion, the spots of the leopard and giraffe; all make for an exotic setting may take you to a place far away.

The Serengeti is located in the north-western region of Tanzania and extends up through South Western Kenya. The migration that takes place on the stretch is known as one of the seven tourists wonders of the world. There are several safari excursions that can be booked along this path and if you ever have the opportunity to visit it seems highly recommended . Whether you visit or not you can still do the next best thing and bring the plains of the Serengeti to you, through decor and design!

Now we are no where near done, so stay with me...we have four more stops in Africa!

Fantastic Voyage

I'm constantly saying "Design is all around you" and I firmly believe that, so as I was browsing through photos the other day I began to notice how much design borrows from the things that are present in the environment, nature, and culture. Depending on what country you live, and even what area you live, the things that make you feel comfortable and at home can vary greatly. This is also true in terms of what inspires you or what your preference is, you may take a trip somewhere and it makes you feel so good that you want to bring some of those elements into your home; that's what designing and decorating is all about...it's all about what YOU LIKE!

So here begins our trip around the world, will you join me as we voyage across oceans, climb mountains, meet natives, ride through a a safari, explore different languages, visit wonders of the world and so much more!

First stop....AFRICA

It's getting hot in here

I'm well aware that it's February and in the South that means you might be able to walk outside in a tank top and some shorts, but I couldn't help but post these hot (no pun intended) freestanding Plaza fireplaces.

They are a great solution for those of you who want a fireplace but don't want the headache of a real wood burning fireplace. These units are mobile, they can be used free-standing, or mounted to a wall, they come in varying colors and styles and they start at $1350.00 plus shipping. (See you have time to save some money and have a new fireplace for the winter!)

Couldn't you just imagine one of these in your living room...or better yet your bedroom; now that's what I"m talking about!

I like the units above because of the color, but if they don't tickle your fancy, you may like one of the units below available from Chiasso. Just click the pictures if you're interested in purchasing.

Subway Sign

I love this Subway sign from Pottery Barn; I've had my eye on it for weeks and at $79.00 I would buy it, if only I had a wall left to hang it on!

As Seen on TV..."Say my Name"

While I was doing my post last night I started thinking about something I'd said; I can't tell you how many times I've been watching some random movie, show, or video and I take notice of the great design and classic furniture pieces that I spot. I thought it would be fun to share these things, so today I introduce to you the first of many posts that I'd like to call "As Seen on TV".

We're going all out for our first edition so I'm going to highlight 5 iconic pieces of furniture all featured in one of my favorite song's from high school ( I can't believe it's been eight years, geesh)..."Say My Name" by Destiny's Child. One other thing I must add is how I immediately fell in love with the video because of the contemporary room settings and bold colors, enjoy!

Planter coffee table, Warren Planter, 1966

Case Study Day Bed, John Entenza, 1945

Eileen Gray side table, Eileen Gray, 1927

Eames Sofa Compact, Charles and Ray Eames, 1954

Eames Molded Plastic Side Chair (Eiffel Chairs), Charles and Ray Eames, 1948

And as always for your viewing pleasure...check out the video in motion and the great design it encompasses!

DESTINY'S CHILD - SAY MY NAME
Video sent by hushhush112

Design Meets Entertainment...Raheem Devaughn

I often tell you how much I love music, I think it's one of the most beautiful and timeless art forms that has the ability to reach and connect the masses. Music crosses all color lines, age boundaries, language barriers and it speaks to my soul. We all have that 1...or 100 songs that takes us back to GREAT, GOOD, and even could have done without times! Raheem Devaughn has a wonderful album, well worth the $12.99 and I'd recommend any one who hasn't done so to check it out. I must admit I was on the fence about buying it at first, because although I loved his debut album I wasn't head over heels for the first single, until another single came highly recommended (shout out to KeshaJo at Hello Nobody). It's been playing in my ipod since Sunday...enough said.

If you're on the fence, like I was, take that leap, for the love of good music!

Now you know I can't do a post and not talk about design right...so let's get on with it; I love to see classic design integrated into everything (you're talking about somebody who watches a movie to see what type of furniture was used on the set) so I was all too happy to see Devaughn sitting in this chair on the cover of his album. It's a Butaca chair by Mexican architect Luis Barragan. Now the original chair was designed in 1945 and was constructed of wood and wicker, since then the piece has been replicated and altered, yielding several versions. For example the chair featured on his cover has a leather cushion with whipstitching detail and scroll armrests have been added; the result, sexy and classy much like the tracks on his album.

Original Butaca Chair also known as la butuca

It's been a long time coming...

but a change has came and I've finally got some pictures I feel are suitable to post! There are still a few changes I'd like to make, but I'm excited and I feel really productive when I come to work in this room (which was the whole point).

The picture shown above is of two frames that sit on my desk that really motivate me, they are hue's logo and a pop art picture that I made; it's FULL OF COLOR, which I feel is my biggest inspiration.

The picture above is my desk/table, I needed something large enough to have an accurate amount of workspace so we bought a cosco folding table and jazzed it up a bit! I love to recruit help so my little sister painted the surface of the table with the yellow paint used on the chairs. I'd seen these panels in a fabric store that appeared to have a print similar to damask but instead of buying them I went to the hardware store and bought three wood panels...

Painted them black...

Drew and etched out a stencil, then painted the stencil onto my boards.

I must say I was very pleased with the outcome of the boards. Next I needed plenty of storage for my sewing machine, project samples and hardware so I sewed this skirt for the table and added black satin ribbon to finish the edge and there's a TON of stuff under that table, which made it an even better buy!

Of course roomie couldn't be left out, so this is her work area shown above. We had to add more color so I dissected a picture of us that I'd changed to a black a white photo, added some pops of color and mounted it to the wall (below).


We found this great chrome hand statue that I think sums up the feel of the office...A OKAY!

Last but not least, I've said all along that the office had to function as a guest bedroom. I played with the idea of several things on the wall and ended up going with a pattern that accented the "vaulted" ceiling. We also decided instead of a traditional looking bed we would convert this day bed into a lounge sofa, it sits pretty low to the ground but it's nice and quite comfortable...we've even had a guest to sleep here already!

A couple of things that didn't make it into the photos were the window treatments (you can glimpse in the photo above) but they are three sheer panels, two of which are the black and white pattern and one yellow sheer between them. We also have a black shag rug to break up some of the blah berber carpet. All that's left now is to mount the tv to the wall, or find an eclectic television stand and maybe a couple of floor pillows.

Fashion Prints

Although interior design is my first and true love, I enjoy and appreciate all things beautiful and artistic. These prints were done by Eduard Erlikh, a fashion illustrator, that has been used by countless designers and magazines. They are gorgeous and full of life and color, so much so that I found it very difficult to narrow down which prints were my favorite, that's why I'm showing eight!

Roomie and I, before we decided to convert our extra bedroom into an office, were considering making it a huge closet; there are lots of clothes and shoes in a house with two women! I could just imagine fashion prints hung on the walls inspiring outfits and looks on a daily basis. I still think it's a great idea to use these in a dressing room setting and some of the prints shown can be purchased for $200.00, so if you've got it to spare...go for it! You could always use an idea similar to this one if you're doing this on a budget, because after all even your closet deserves to look great!

Perfect time for us to "Fade to Black"

I'm a huge music fan, so you'll often see me quote lyrics during my posts and post titles. Jay-Z happens to be one of my favorite artists but it wasn't until this picture was being painted that I found it appropriate to title the work. Initially the only goal I had in mind was to create something that would pull together the "crayon explosion" color palette that I call my living/dining area! I ended up with the picture shown below, and I LIKE IT. (I really really like it!) So as we officially end this week full of color I'd like to share with you what came to be my interpretation of "Fade to Black".

I apologize for the picture quality, light is a tricky thing and I'm far from a professional photographer, but I'll try to get another picture minus the blinding light spot!

Color Matters

Who says color doesn't matter? Of course no one who reads hue, because we all love color here, but I wanted to show you JUST how much color matters, in particular when you use colors in conjunction with one another.

Let's have a look see shall we; Which rectangle displays the lighter shade of orange?

Well if you said the one on the bottom then you're wrong, but if you said the one on top...you're wrong too!


Both rectangles are the exact same hue, but depending on the color combination the eye can be tricked.




Am I the only one who finds this amazing??? Maybe so, but it does go to show you that when combining colors EVERY COLOR MATTERS. I hope this week we've spent on color really does help those who are having a decorating dilemma, if you still haven't found the perfect scheme keep looking at the wheel, spin the wheel, ask Jesus to take the wheel (You can thank Carrie Underwood's song that often plays in my head for that); but whatever you do, make it work FOR THE LOVE OF COLOR!

Three's Company

Let's take a look at color schemes combining three colors from the wheel. First off there is the triadic color scheme; using this theory you take 3 colors that are equal distances apart on the color wheel and combine them in the space.

The living room below is so ecelectic, it features the 3 primary colors and I really love it! The room is bold and artistic, it's a melting pot of many styles but it works well; and you gotta love the classic Eames Lounge Chair by Herman Miller featured in the space. I hope you'll forgive me that the blue in the room is not a really a primary colored blue, but I couldn't pass the opportunity to share this space with you.

Below is a bedroom that also borrowed from the color wheel's triadic theory for it's scheme, using primary colors as well.

Finally there is the split-complementary color scheme which takes one color, and the colors on both sides of it's complement.

This cozy little hide away below uses red, yellow-green, and blue-green in it's split complmentary scheme.