Sabtu, 17 Desember 2011

Barbie Calendar Makes Great Art

I recently found and reblogged the following picture on my tumblr (http://be-mine-interior-design.tumblr.com):

Of course, this room is gorgeous for many reasons. The bubblegum pink tufted bed...the chocolatey grass cloth walls...but for me the ARTWORK takes center stage. I was drawn to this art because it's fashion inspired, and reminded me of the work by Dior Beauty's resident artist Bil Donovan. Here is a sample of his fabulous work:

 Isn't that piece on the wall amazing?! It's a whopping 9'x5' watercolor painting, and an original...I can hear the $$$ adding up, but one can wish right?

So naturally I assumed that the art in the first picture were some original fashion sketches also out of the budget, until an amazing follower (http://ehmihleezee.tumblr.com/), informed me that the prints are actually out of the BARBIE CALENDAR. I couldn't believe it! But it's true, See for yourself:

^2011 Calendar
^ Barbie Fashion Model Collection 2012 Calendar

Illustrator Robert Best does one or more editions of these calendars every year, and for under $20 you can call one your very own. Grab some frames and you've got instant high end art.

Image via

I know I added a Barbie Calendar on my Christmas wish list!!
Will you? If not, many calendars have great prints for hanging as wall art. Do you have a favourite?

Jumat, 16 Desember 2011

Decorating with glass

 As it is Christmas time, I love to put some time in decorating my home not only with typical Christmas ornaments but also with decorative accessories which are placed around the rooms of my house since no time. So maybe I will regroup them or rearrange them or put them together with other decorative stuff in another room of the house.

That is what I plan to do this weekend.

The pictures here below show some of my favorite decorations with glass candlesticks, vases and bowls, grouped together.

Maybe these images will inspire you to get your candlesticks, vases and carafes out of the closet and to regroup them in a decorative way.

 

The first picture is my favorite. And it is taken by my favorite Belgian photographer Claude Smekens. Be sure to visit his website to discover the most wonderful pictures of interiors and gardens!

5 Source : Magazine Landelijk Wonen Dec-Jan 2012  Photo credit Fotografie Claude Smekens

I do love glass candlesticks and carafes grouped together this way.

 

6 Source : Magazine Landelijk Wonen Dec-Jan 2012  Photo credit Fotografie Claude Smekens

A candle holder and a glass sphere.

 

4 Source : The Essence of The Good Life blog

Beautiful glass for the tablesetting.

 

2 Source : unknown

Group of glass pots.

 

18 Walda Pairon  source unknown

Gorgeous candlesticks.

 

10 Source : unknown

Group different hights of candlesticks together.

 

12 Source : unknown

Glass bottles as candleholders!

 

1 Brigitte & Alain Garnier Antiques  source www.garnier.be

Beautiful wine carafe and glasses.

 

17  Photo credit Efie De Grande

  My living room.

 3 Source : La Maison Charmante blog

Glass everywhere!

 

8 Source : unknown

Good idea!

 

15 Photo credit Efie De Grande

Picture taken in my living room.

 

19Photo credit Fotografie Claude Smekens

  Group of candleholder, wine carafe and sphere in my living room.

 

Happy weekend to you all!

xx

Signature

TOP 5's with Sheridan & Nicole



Today is Friday, which wraps up my Top 5's for December. 


You lovers all seem to enjoy it so let me know if you think I should make this a bi-monthly series..?

I enjoy it, so you might not have a choice!

Today I have invited Sheridan and Nicole on over to share some Fave Fives.

First Up I have Mrs. French talking bout Kitchens!


If you are unfamiliar with the Southern Eclectic blog, well your missing out. 
Sheridan is a fashion designer extraordinaire as well as a Super Mom of two babies with number 3 on the way.... 
She is super entertaining and I LOVE her "what I wore" posts. 

Talk about HOT Mama!
Anywhooo

Lets see what she fancies to be the cat's pajamas of Kitchens...

***********
OK so clearly I have a thing for lacquer, a thing for color, and I'm especially smitten when the two are combined. Most people see kitchens as safe zones in the house - as in, let's keep it clean and simple...but that doesn't have to mean only white! Kitchens should, in my opinion, be one of the most passionately decorated rooms of your home. I don't know about you, but we pretty much LIVE in our kitchen. Why spend family time in a stark and cold environment? Make them warm. Welcoming. And above all, full of love. 

A few key tips:
- Color is most powerful when taken to the max. Don't go the pastel route here. Knock it out of the park with bold hues.
- Floor to ceiling is most effective. Occasionally lower cabinets in blue or one wall in pink looks great, but more often than not, they look like after thoughts. Don't be scared. Just go for it!
- Don't be afraid to have fun. Is there a color you've always loved? Drench your kitchen in it and never look back. You can thank me later, but be warned that you might soon become the most popular dinner party host in town. 
Cheers!

If you want to just dabble with some color and are afraid of going overboard, hit the floor first. Combine your chosen color with the main hue in your kitchen already to make it flow seamlessly.


Talk about bold. Who wouldn't want to cook in here?! Is it red? Is it pink? I don't even care. It makes a statement, and that's all that matters.


Soothing. Cozy. Pour me a good Cab and let's sit and talk for hours. I would have done the ceiling navy as well, like the green kitchen below. Contrary to popular belief, dark ceilings along with walls OPEN a room up and raise the ceiling rather than lower it. The darkness almost makes it go away. Just a little tip! 

What a great solution for a small kitchen. I am green with envy!


And my all time favorite. Crazy colors. Animal prints. Modern and traditional. I'm home. 

Thanks for having me Amber! 
Send your followers to my Pinterest to check out more great interior decor ideas. 

Muchas smoochas!



And last but certainly not least I have Nicole, author of So Haute blog. 
I have had the fortune of hanging with Nicole when she came to interview me in my pad. She is every bit as lovely as you would imagine. Talented AND nice is always great qualities to possess.. Throw in some amazing fashion sense and a great eye for all things chic and you have Nicole!

She has rounded up her top 5 Sexy Bedrooms!!!
Tadaaah!

**************
Hey guys! It's Nicole from So Haute! When Amber asked me to round up my top 5 rooms I knew I wanted to focus on bedrooms but there are so many beautiful bedrooms to choose from I thought I'd put a fun little twist on it and round up the top 5 sexiest bedrooms! 
Here goes...


Martyn Lawrence Bullard knows how to create a room with sex appeal and this bedroom designed for Jimmy Choo CEO Tamara Mellon is a perfect example. The plush white flokati rug, the metallic embroidered textiles, lacquered side tables and shiny mercury glass lamps lend an exotic and romantic feel to the room. As Martyn would say...it's totally delicious!


This room designed by Ryan Korban is also quite sexy. I think the fur pillows do it for me here. (Hopefully I won't get a pie in the face for saying this but) Fur is always kinda sexy! 


Another sexy Ryan Korban space...the black accents, cowhide rug, chrome lamp, black velvet side chair, antler and hide side table and fur bedspread are a great combo and together help this space ooze sex appeal. 


Lots of sensual textures going on in this room particularly in the silk headboard and other luscious fabrics. This looks like the kind of room where  a forbidden affair might go down...


There's something so alluring about a four poster bed and that come-hither canopy with the pagoda detailing is titillating all by itself! I also think the dark chocloate brown walls and silk pillows scream seductive!


Finally, I leave you with a bonus room...Because I couldn't pick just 5! This room is another sexy creation by Martyn Lawrence Bullard. Why? First, the bed is elevated on a platform. Secondly, it is full of exotic elements and that bone inlaid headboard is to die for. Thirdly - it features a white fur bedspread and pillows. Nuff said.

Hope you enjoyed this roundup of sexy bedrooms and thanks Amber for inviting me to join in on this fun feature! xoxo


Ok Folks, so there ya go 
Two more fab blogger and there 5 faves.

Have a happy weekend and back here on Monday....

Love Ya. Mean It

Kamis, 15 Desember 2011

Bijou & Boheme Top 5 Living Rooms



Next up in my "TOP 5" Series is the lovely and talented Christine from 


It is quite possibly the SEXIEST blog in the sphere, and for certain the most feminine...
wouldn't you say??

Christine is showing us her favorite Living Rooms..
prepare to pant...

**************

Hi there Amber Interior lovers.

I know you're enjoying this look into every one's favourite spaces just as much as I am.

Who doesn't love a one stop shop for pretty decor shots?

That would be nobody.

And so, I'm taking part and showing you a little living room gorge.

All of my top 5 pics are truly old school favourites of mine....well minus one that's a newbie.

Anyhoo...

There SO many I could have picked and even as I'm typing this, I keep rethinking my choices.

At the moment I'm obsessing about two Architectural Digest covers that I know are definitely in my top 5 but I can't for the life of me remember the designer's name so I'm shit out of luck on those two:(

I'm also wishing there were more photos of Nanette Lapore's living room- if there were, it would also be totes in my top 5...



Anyhoo....these choices of mine have all become the stalwarts of my favourite's file.

PS, isn't stalwart a funny word?

Makes me think of warts that belong to a 16 year old that can't dive a stick shift properly....

Anyhoo #2...

Here we go on the choicskis.

{counting is in French...I just felt like it}

Numero un...


This Nate Berkus original, circa 2006.

It single handily made me want to make out with rust velvet.

The palate as a whole is just the stuff dreams are made of.

Number deux...


Nate Berkus strikes again, along with the help of Anne Coyle.

The mixture of modern and vintage...the white cowhides...the brass...the leopard..and most of all, that sexy beast patent leather sofa...well let's just say it had this girl at hello.

Numero trois...


This one from Lauren Gold is a relatively new addition to my tops list but she's a doozy.

I adore the mix of metals and how brilliantly the hard plays with the soft.

Seeing the black ballzy painting right alongside the dainty gold mirror makes my heart go all pitter patter like.

Numero quatra...


The home of cosmetics queen Christine d'Ornano was the first place that literally made me want to redecorate my house.

To be honest, the living room isn't my favourite of the apartment...the pink family room, bedroom and both dining areas are the ones I lust after most but ...I looooveee this spot too.

I highly approve of the funk factor here.

The chairs are all quirky and weird...as is the art...and yet it feels refined somehow.

It's a little left of center and as such, will always be aces in my books.

Numero cinq...


And last but not least there's this perennial favourite belonging to Milly designer Michelle Smith.

It's the nun portrait that does it for me in this room...along with the stunning architectural detail and sweet like honey chandelier.

And there you have it...my top 5 living rooms.

Thanks to awesome Amber for having me.

xo




Photobucket
See told ya!

I have another Top 5 up tomorrow so come on back now, Ya Hear

Rabu, 14 Desember 2011

TOP 5's with Meg & Erika!


Who is ready for Round 2 of "Top Fives"???

I AM!

I got Meg from Mimi & Meg 

&


indulge
*********
Hello! 
Meg here from MIMI+MEG. I have an obsession with offices so finding five spaces that I love was easy.

Enjoy!

The offices of Lonny in Lonny. Pretty much obsessed with this office.

This is the office space of the owner of the amazing Atlanta shop (and online site) Pieces, Lee Kleinhelter. Love the wallpaper. More images & article in Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles. Magazine.

Williamsburg home of illustrator Bernadette Pascua and fashion photographer Andrew Stinson. I need a smoky ghost chair! Photo via their feature on Design*Sponge.

Victoria Thompson's Greenwich Village apartment in LonnyPhotos by Patrick Cline.


Office of Eva Jeanbart-Lorenzotti founder of Vivre. 
I love how the large windows let in tons of light, and all of the fun eye candy all over the office!
 Image via Sept/Oct 2011 Lonny, photo by Patrick Cline

Thanks Meg!!! 


And now........

another ADORBS bloggin, stylin, creative queen

http://smallshopstudio.com/blog
Hey play-ahs, it's Erika from small shop! Thanks for joining me for this little Top 5 mash-up of my fave office spaces. Believe me, it was tough to select just 5! But I was able to narrow it down to these picks, all very much moi and perhaps at least one that will surprise you? Maybe?

I don't think anyone would be surprised that Kelly Wearstler's office is my all-time favorite, as it inspired me with my own office décor. The super-sized abstract, the warm pops of color, and the mix of furniture styles would spur anyone's imagination. Basically, she rocks.

Any room that combines a pair of Platner chairs with a smoked glass/brass coffee table is going to be high on my list, but adding the cowhide and Bergère chairs against a clean white backdrop is a thing of beauty.

This one might surprise some folks as it's much more traditional and girly than is typically my style. But the mustard yellow velvet upholstered chair is yummy, and who wouldn't love a big console behind a desk with a pair of pretty brass lamps? It all makes me feel warm and fuzzy (and that's a good thing).

I'm willing to bet that this den is on thousands of others' Top 5 offices. The rich black walls and Jean de Merry chandelier add so much drama that your creative juices would have to be stirred! Of course the brass etageres and Lucite desk are the best possible additions, IMHO.

This space was in Ms. Jimmy Choo's London flat and it's the perfect little home office nook in my opinion — knock-out contemporary art with a mix of furniture styles and a pop of color. But maybe it's the fact I want her life that makes this that much more appealing!

Thanks for inviting to me play, Amber!



Thanks for Playin Lovers

Come back tomorrow for some Top 5 LIVING ROOMS!!!!!