Pottery Barn Photos

Pottery Barn Photos








Colors Bedrooms

West Elm

West Elm








Divan Beds

Entryways & Michael Smith's New Products

I'm excited to post that Michael Smith has new products out for his Jasper Line, which includes furniture and fabric. In addition, his new book, Michael S. Smith Houses is available October 21, 2008. I have a link below where you can go check it out or pre-order if you want.

Here is Michael's Deauville Fabric. It is so understated and beautiful. It reminds me of linens that I grew up with.

This is the Lyon Biblioteque. Wouldn't this be wonderful next to your favorite reading spot?

The Treviso Armchair or the Italian Gilt Dining Arm Chair. The website lists it under both names. This is classic styling at its best. I love the pattern on the back rest of the chair, the acanthus leaf detail and the gilting. For a closer look, go to his website http://www.michaelsmithinc.com/ and look under "tearsheets".

Medici Console Table. Perfect for an formal entryway with its Louis XVI styling and gilting.

Close-up of Medici Console.

What makes a good entryway? Should it be functional or fantastic? Should it be designed just for a great first impression or should that go by the wayside in lieu of a place to set your wet boots and hang up your coat?

I believe the function of your entryway depends on the style of your home and what your family needs are. Obviously, a family with children may need something a little more functional than a young New York couple who entertains a lot.

Below are some fantastic examples of entryways that I have found.

Designer Jennifer Nilsen for Designer's Challenge. I love the colors of this space. The robins egg blue and the lime green are so fresh and inviting. The table legs are fabulous as well in different colors. This looks like an artist's home.




Designer Erinn Valencich for Light It Up. The combination of this whimsical wallpaper, with the contemporary styling of the dark wood mirror, bench and side table work well together. The pillows pull in the subtle colors from the wallpaper. Nicely done.


To accessorize with pillows, there are a few tricks of the trade that may help you in your decorating. Pillows can be a unifying element in a room. These pillows can be square, round, or rectangular and average in size between 12 and 18 inches in diameter. Be careful not to add too many decorative pillows, however. Though the look is luxurious, it may overwhelm the space. One beautiful accent pillows is enough. Smaller than the other pillows on your bed, they are often made of more expensive fabrics and are sometimes embellished with beading, sequins or other trim. Choose your favorite shapes or go with boudoir pillows or neck roll styles.







Another design by Erinn Valencich for Light It Up. Love her styling. She has a knack with accessories. Here she keeps the accessories colorless so the beautiful wall color is highlighted.






Designer Jackie Glisson for Designer's Challenge. The ironwork in this space is the main attraction. The built-in cabinetry with the faux-painted stone walls give this space a very luxurious, rich feel.





Designer Kristin Hannah for Designer's Challenge. This hallway's beautiful Spanish tile and faux painting on the adobe walls gives this space a very welcoming feel. The large wood table and spanish styled wood mirror above it add to the warmth. Photo by Dino Tonn.

Designer Lori Dennis for Designer's Challenge. Open, light and airy. The wall-mounted cabinet give this entrance hallway a more open feel and the niche above it gives the room the illusion of having more space.

Designer Simon Temprell for Designers Challenge. The iron in this entryway is the main attraction. The cream and parchment walls offers a nice backdrop for the ironwork.

Interior Designer Victoria Hagan. She incorporates into this entryway a few of my favorite things... dark floors, white walls, and over-sized lantern fixtures. Simplicity is key here, but the bones of the space are good to start with. The parquet floor, the columns, the greek key motif ceiling border and the Swedish-styled x-frame armchair give this room it's classical styling.




This photo is from a Pottery Barn ad. But, what I like about it for an entryway is that it is stylish, comfortable and functional. The kids can come in from school, sit down, take their shoes off and store them in the bench cubby, throw their jacket up on a hook and they are off running. And Mom gets to keep the area stylish with the glass vases and all the natural elements of the space; including the reed grasses, the woven baskets, a starfish from the beach and to tie it all together, the map wallpaper.



Interior Designer Thomas Pheasant. Fabulous entryway with the marble-topped console table and urn atop. These chairs are what Barbara Barry uses often with her decor, with a greek key motif added. The mirror with the meandering twigs looks wonderful against the marble wall.



Interior Designer Thomas Pheasant. I love his subtle color use in this space. The long narrow bench is the perfect compliment to the wonderful art on the wall. Although, my favorite two things about these spaces are the wonderful birdcage light fixture and chest and mirror in the back space. I want them both!



What is so striking about this entranceway is of course, the sculpture piece on the table. But, it works because the area is simplified and not overdone, as so many people try to do in their designs. This space is cold with all the marble and iron and the organic sculpture was just what this area needed.

How I Would Design My Dream Beach House

My dream is to have a bungalow on the beach somewhere on Maui, preferably down in Wailea. I can just imagine having my nana wall fully open as the ocean breezes blow in while I am in the living room with friends having a cocktail. Ahhhhh! Life should be so sweet!

But, until that is a reality, I can at least start to plan and get ready for that day! After all, they say to visualize what you want in life, right? Well, here goes....







Entry

Tucker Robbins Waterfall Table. The gentleman who started Tucker Robbins is a former monk and his products are so unusual and zen-like, mimicking his life. The organic quality of this is spectacular.

















A table lamp by Michael Smith for Visual Comfort and Co. Simple and classic.











A few baskets to throw on top and under the entry table.











A square pendant ceiling light fixture by Restoration Hardware. I love iron in a beach house light fixture. It's simple, not overstated or fussy. I also like to have an old-world feeling with my decor. This achieves that.









Living Room

The Williams Sonoma Home sectional sofa. I normally wouldn't purchase another traditional sofa like this (I have one now and now I'm leaning toward something a little more contemporary), but when I think about the feeling that I would like my beach house to have, it is all about comfort. It must feel like you can with down with friends, have a mai tai in your hand and talk for hours! So, traditional it is! I would choose a white cotton fabric, to convey breezy and easy. This one has white muslin on it.

Flat Braided Jute Rug from Pottery Barn. Soft underfoot. Perfect in any space in a beach house.

Seagrass Wingback Chair from Pottery Barn. Beachy, comfortable and easily cleanable.

Tucker Robbins Coffee Table. Simple, Functional, Organic. Enough said! Add a few votive candles...

Instant peace, calm and serenity....

A plantation chair from . Every beach house must have one of these chairs, don't you think?

The Human Chair from Tucker Robbins. I love to have at least one conversation piece in a living space. This chair is tropical hardwood with an ebonized finish.

A display cabinet in the living area space of a home display all of your finds from your travels or just your favorite pottery or china. I don't think that dining rooms are used as much as they should be, so why not display your lovelies in the most used space of your home?

The muffin chairs from Tucker Robbins. These are so wonderful! What imaginations they have at that company! I would put a few of these around the living room and patio for extra seating.

The bean chair from Tucker Robbins. Ditto everything that I said about the muffin chair!

Dining Room

Japanese Dining Table from Tucker Robbins. The table top is one large slab of wood with natural undulations on the edges. Beautiful.

The Wave Dining Chair by Kerry Vesper for The Artful Home. These chairs are solid cherry and stack laminated Baltic birch that are handcut and pieced together. They look super comfortable and are absolutely phenomenal!

Another view of the Wave Dining Chair.

Master Bedroom

Tucker Robbins created this beautiful bed with the gigantic headboard and platform base. Very simple, just the way I like it!

Yves Delorme Etoile luxury linens. You have to have some ultra-sumptuous sheets to climb into after a day on the beach. These linens are cotton sheets adorned with half-inch hemstitching—the classic jour échelle croisé. Part of their Palace Collection. Enough to make you want to skip the sunrise and stay in bed!

Palecek's Colonialwood Club Chair. I saw a chair just like this in a Designer's Challenge show a few years ago and fell in love with it. When the Designer's Challenge book was published it had that show episode in it. It says Hawaii, plantation and beachy to me.

Master Bathroom

Restoration Hardware's Hutton Collection Double Washstand in Espresso. The shelving underneath opens up the room and allows you to display beautiful towels and baskets.

Restoration Hardware's Vintage Collection Faucet Set. The high water faucet lends itself to a vintage feel.

The Williams Sonoma Fulton burlwood mirror is beautiful and it reminds me of some of the species of woods that you would find in Hawaii.

Tucker Robbins Phillipines Ladder. Casual towel storage.

Patio

Malibu Sunbed with Cushion from http://www.teakwarehouse.com/. Fantastic with the pull-out drink holder and adjustable knee-lift and back-rest.

A couple of these by my infinity pool would do just fine, thank you!

The perfect patio dining set from http://www.frontgate.com/ that would be great for large dinner parties, but not too large! Just large enough to be able to hear what everyone has to say, share intimate jokes and pass around a great bottle of wine with dessert. I love the wooden frame with the mesh insets.

Thanks for sharing my dream house with me. Soon I will share my favorite pics of beach houses. Till then!