Long Distance Design: From Chicago to Pennsylvania

A recent client of mine moved outside of Philadelphia for her residency.  She has a great apartment with a lot of living space and needed help selecting most furniture pieces and accessories.  The living room opens up into the dining room/kitchen, which also needed to be designed.  The main living area needed to serve two functions, one for relaxing & entertaining and the other for a work/desk area, which she already had.

I love her description of style, which is modern but comfortable - definitely something that we can do!  She also likes deep plum colors with bright accents.  We achieved this by bringing in large furniture pieces with clean lines and introducing color through smaller furniture pieces and accessories.

I wanted the small dining area to feel like its own space, but we had to bring over similar color to keep the space flowing from one room to the next.  Space for dining is short, so adding in a double sided drop leaf table will allow for extra room for everyday needs & a larger table when entertaining.

If you have any questions about any of the items, just let me know.  If you're interested in Long Distance Design, click here to find out more information!

Help Choosing New Pillows (please!)

I have spent way. too. much. time. looking at pillows online.  We desperately need new pillows for our sofa & now they are all a blur in my head and I can't make a decision!  Our accent color is green, so I'd like to incorporate that color and possibly another. 

When I was sprucing up a couple of months ago, I picked up these pillows at West Elm.  The fit my green + another color criteria, but I knew in the back of my mind that they ultimately wouldn't work because they are 100% silk. I had trouble finding ones in the store that weren't snagged & figured one swipe of a Derby paw would be their demise.  Back to the store they went.

Photo by Amaris Granado - A great example of the other patterns we're working with in the room!  p.s. I plan to share more images from the photo shoot soon!

A ridiculous Etsy search led me to the following favorites.  As you can see, I have been leaning towards any and all variations of trellis, fretwork & scroll patterns.  With the rug & Derby's bed, it may be a little too much.  Which is why I need your help!

Row 1 - 1, 2, 3  Row 2 - 1, 2, 3  Row 3 - 1, 2, 3

I also love this print more than life itself, but think it may be too bright/blue/something (like the one directly above!).

I love the combination of green & blue, so I think I will stay with that color scheme.  What are your favorites?  I am open to mixing & matching and would like to make a pillow out of the Kelly Wearstler Imperial Trellis (see? Trellis. Again.) in navy remnant that I have in my little hands.  I also like the idea of a fun, not-so-serious graphic pillow to add contrast.

As you can see, I am all over the place.  Help!  Which are your favorites?  Feel free to suggest something different altogether!

Long Distance Design - From Chicago to NYC

I had so much fun working with my last client!  They live in an incredible pre-war building on the the Upper West Side of Manhattan.  Beautiful moldings, arched doorways...I loved it all!  We worked on their entry and living space, which we ended up doubling as a dining area as well.  I think it turned out great!

They wanted a bar cart and dining table in the living room.  I love that this high top table from CB2 has open shelving on the side & can serve double duty as a bar cart.  They also had 2 bar height stools, so it worked out perfectly!

What a great piece of furniture!

In other news, it is FREEZING in Chicago!  I caved and pulled out my long, bulky down jacket this morning.  I usually like to wait until after the holidays, but it is a necessity when walking Derby in the morning.

Happy December!