the search is over

for over a year now i have been searching for the perfect work bag.  i'm guilty of being incredibly picky and decided to wait for "the one" to present itself instead of settling on something that would later end up in the goodwill pile at the end of the month.  today the search was over... "the batchel" from the cambridge satchel company is all that and more!  they even emboss!  can we say 'alisha gwen' :) and while most would consider black or brown an appropriate color for a work bag i would beg to differ... can we say bor-ing and unoriginal! pink it is!

on any given day you will find the following items rolling around in my bag: a hammer, 25' tape measure, laser measuring tool, pocket knife, paint deck, notepad, files, and my planner... not including non work related items such as pepper spray, makeup bag, wallet, iphone, and sunnies. needless to say i need a big (pink) bag! here's hoping santa gets the memo!

and if santa thought i was an extra special good girl this here he could bring me an ipad with a croc case... just throwing that out there! 

quote of the day...

“the details are not the details. they make the design.”

~charles eames

i spy: honeycomb

before beginning any project i always start by pulling anything i can get my hands on for inspiration. sometimes its a page ripped from a magazine, a patterned swatch of fabric, or even a dress hanging in my closet.  over the last few months i keep coming back to the same piece of trim - honeycomb by kelly wearstler from groundworks. the trim comes in seven beautiful colorways and although it retails for $188.00 per yard it is well worth the splurge! whether the trim is wrapped around the base of an ottoman, banded on the skirt of a chair, lined down the edge of a window panel or bordered around a pillow, it provides a little something special for clients who can appreciate that beauty in found in the details! 

via katie ridder

via massucco warner miller

via massucco warner miller

via brian dittmar

 do you love it as much as i do?!

what is your go-to "inspiration" these days?

morsel mineral magnets

via leif

suddenly those tacky pictures and invitations adorning the refrigerator seems appealing!

quote of the day...

“i need contrast - the old and the new, the rough and the soft. the clash of it all is very sexy.”

~catherine malandrino

dear mom,

while i appreciate you choosing your one and only designer daughter to remodel the basement (like you had a choice) i'm going to have to disagree with your choice to be "economical" and reuse the leather sofa you bought 10 years ago... and on sale i might add!  the leather sofa is oversized, has arms that are conducive to bruising, looks like one ginormous blob of brown, and has no style to speak of.  i have taken the liberty of collecting examples of my choice for the sofa: navy blue velvet.  if after viewing the photos below you still have not changed your mind, remind yourself that i am your daughter, and just like you i won't back down until i get my way!

via jonathan adler

via phillips deveer

via vanessa de vargas

via atmosphere interior design

via lydia marks

via vintage scout

honestly, how could you say no now... navy velvet sofa it is?! 

with love, 

your designer daughter who knows best

and now we wait.....

first off, happy friday! tgif :)

secondly, i have good/bad news... which do you want first?

let's start with the bad news, shall we? as i previously revealed, i was chosen as one of two designers to be featured on an upcoming episode of showhouse showdown! my episode was set to air on october 24th but the remaining episodes have been postponed... 

hgtv says stiff competition in the monday night television lineup is the reason it has decided to delay further episodes.  the issue, producers said, is competing shows on competing networks... folks are tuning into mnf, two and a half men, and dancing with the stars (damn you, football/ashton/dancers) and hgtv just isn't getting the numbers of viewers it needs right now to justify airing its new lineup.  hgtv says it has invested a lot of money into showhouse showdown and still believes it will draw viewers.  hgtv will air the remaining episodes once the network determines a more favorable and fabulous time slot... my sources tell me the first of the year!

i have a compiled a list of why you should still tune in... and perhaps why the show would still be around had they aired my episode prior to the disappointing numbers... i kid! ;) 

let's talk about why:

1. we had the largest turnout of all the shows with more than 800 people... 

pittsburgh people, you rock! 

2. our houses were also valued the highest at around 750,000!

3. i was without a doubt the only female designer brave (stupid) enough to rock 6" platforms all week... this alone is worth seeing? yes?

4. because he "didn't like the colors in the house... they didn't go."

was he wearing his tinted eye glasses indoors?

5. bob and i take a shower together... or wait, is it bob and marty?!

6.  because she thinks "the kitchen is fantastic... i could move in today"

7. my competition, joe berkowitz, fearlessly rocks a ponytail...

 and facial hair that is designed to perfection... a work of art in itself!

8. did i mention we had the largest crowd... :)

but all kidding aside, the good news... i will now have more time to shamelessly promote my episode in addition to an airtime with more viewers! plus, according to my sources... my episode is fabulous!

stay tuned, xoxoxo

today in the studio...

i pulled together the final look for a client's family room...

i'm not normally a "red" person. actually, i never am... i grew up with a redder than red living room as a child.  you know, that room that looked super pretty but you were never allowed to go in... i'm convinced this is why i am never drawn to the color! this marks my first red moment!

quote of the day...

"you’ve got to find what you love.  and that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers.  your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. and the only way to do great work is to love what you do.  if you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.  don’t settle.  as with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.  and, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.  so keep looking until you find it. don’t settle."

"your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. don’t be trapped by dogma -  which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.  don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.  and most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. they somehow already know what you truly want to become. everything else is secondary."

"stay hungry. stay foolish." 

~steve jobs, rip

glitter in the air

stopped in my tracks today @ home depot... martha stewart glitter paint!

what will you paint first?!

quote of the day...

“as far as i’m concerned, either you have the confidence to like what’s good, or you don’t. either you know who you are, or you’re lost."

~nathaniel krame

ss review: loads of layers vs. less is more

episode 1 of showhouse showdown did not disappoint! 

i may or may not have watched it a total of three times already... thank you dvr!

alexandria designer shazalynn cavin-winfrey took on washington, d.c. designer eric kole

shazalynn was without a doubt my choice for the winner and thankfully the people of d.c. voted accordingly! while i cannot give anything away...  let's just say we have a lot in common in terms of the choices we made! kudos to you, shazalynn... you kicked ass!  the mixture of color, pattern, and texture in combination with the attention to functionality created a livable and sophisticated space for the ideal suburban family!

eric also did a fantastic job, but i thought he played it safe and lacked a wow factor in the majority of his rooms. he also neglected to design for his target market... a suburban family! while i can appreciate his attention to the spatial relationships throughout the house and a simple approach to design i am a firm believer that less is never more, more is more!

dining room

rec room

master bedroom

living room

family room

kitchen

make sure to tune in every monday on hgtv @ 9:00 est.

and remember: my episode airs on october 24th at 9:00 est.

i'm back...

and with exciting news!

those of you who know me well know i live my life as an open book... so to say it has been a challenge not sharing this news is an understatement!  i took a hiatus from blogging this summer because i was cast on a new hgtv show called showhouse showdown!  the second i received the news i was chosen it was undoubtedly the first time in my life i was rendered speechless... of course my silence quickly wore off and my tears were uncontrollable!  at the time i remember thinking "this is a chance to make my family proud and an opportunity to show who i am as a designer."  with the house completed and the show wrapped, i am happy to report i was not only able to make them proud, but i too am proud of what i accomplished and anxious for the world to see!

in the words of hgtv... 

showhouse showdown is a competition between two professional interior designers who take over two newly-built and identical homes or townhomes with identical budgets to create a winning interior design. at the end of each episode one designer is voted the winner by members of the public who represent the developer’s target market.

although the show has wrapped and life is back to normal i still cannot believe i was lucky enough to have been chosen for such an amazing opportunity... at the ripe age of 26 i am the youngest designer featured on the show! my experience on the show was humbling, surreal, and life changing to say the least... i was fortunate enough to meet and work with an amazing group of people! once my episode airs on october 24th i will post the mother of all posts chronicling my experience and thanking all those involved! in the meantime check out a first glimpse here and here and be sure to tune in for the first episode on hgtv tonight after the design star finale at 10:00! the show will take over the prime time slot on mondays at 9:00 with my episode airing on october 24th!

me with the host of the show and former bachelor, bob guiney :)

he was absolutely amazing to work with... charming, funny and unbelievably kind!

i will be sharing my thoughts on each episode after the show airs so be sure to check back for my reviews :)

quote of the day...

"the most innovative designers consciously reject the standard option box and cultivate an appetite for thinking wrong."
~marty neumeier

fabulous finds

two of my favorite prints: cabana stripes & chevron!

i-just-can't-get-enough

super cute & super affordable duvet covers from urban outfitters!

happy shopping, xoxoxo

quote of the day...

"buy the best and you only cry once."

~miles redd

hellooo lovahs

via instyle decor

.....because you can never have enough lacquered boxes!
(or for that matter-accessories to fill them!)
happy shopping xoxoxo

quote of the day...

“i love what you might call brutal elegance. where form and function are really obvious.”

~meg ryan

today in the studio...

i started working on a very special project with no help from my very special assistant...

i will update you on why i have been mia tomorrow!

quote of the day...

"practice safe design: use a concept."

~petrula vrontikis

peace out.

i'm off to sanibel island for a week.

must needed rest and relaxation with loved ones.

have a great week! xoxoxo

quote of the day...

“your home is the backdrop of your life, whether it is a palace or a one-room apartment. it should be honestly your own- an expression of your personality.“

~dorothy draper

in the works...

three clients. two states. one big pile of samples.

bam.

via a creative mint

this collage of loveliness needs to be transformed into a room stat.

quote of the day...

“there is a conception in this country about luxurious things that we have to save them for a time that’s right. but an object is truly luxurious if you allow it to be, if you use it. when you live with beautiful things you stimulate your mind, you enjoy life a little bit more."

~ralph rucci

just another manic monday...

i spent my day unpacking boxes full of accessories, making 10 trips to load my car, making 10 more trips to unload the car at my clients house, and then two hours installing the accessories! it was all worth it to see the final outcome and a happy client! but because i would lose my head if it wasn't attached i forgot to snap a pic to go along with my already boring, half-assed post. and if that isn't enough of an eventful monday... i admittedly bawled my eyes out during tonights bachelor finale. have a good week, everyone!

considering...

via domino magazine

quote of the day...

"the essence of interior design will always be about people and how they live. it is about the realities of what makes for an attractive, civilized, meaningful environment, not about fashion or what's in or what's out. this is not an easy job."

~albert hadley

the very pink of perfection

two weeks ago i moved into a new house with two of my best friends (we are having the time of our lives... uncontrollable, non-stop laughter!) we have been up to our heads in boxes for what seems like years... but we have finally finished unpacking! now comes the fun part: styling our new space! both girls are aware of my control issues and given the fact that i do this for a living they have relinquished total control over to me for our living/dining areas. i have been brainstorming for a few weeks now and have started a list of the top 5 tasks to accomplish:

via amanda nisbet

first and foremost: our inspiration photo! we are basically starting from scratch with the exception of a large chocolate sectional... because i cannot ever make a decision when it comes to my own home i went in search of inspiration. i was completely unsure of what color palette i wanted to use before i ran across this lovely room by the oh-so-talented amanda nisbet. i knew instantly this was it... the very pink of perfection! i received approval from the roomies... pink, chocolate and caramel! 

1. arc floor lamp

we have an open floor plan, 10' ceilings and a u-shaped sectional that spans 12'... needless to say we need something grand! i decided on the knock-off version at overstock of the original design via flos lighting (i wish i had 2,500 to splurge on the real deal... someday!) 

2. shelving

the wall behind our 12' sectional is currently blank and our books/accessories are in desperate need of a home. ikea will once again save the day with their expedit bookcase... my goal is to have two of these lovely ladies put together by the end of the week... wish me luck!

3. stationary side panels

because our walls are white, the most effective way to add color to our space will be on the windows... i don't have the time or patience to pump out window panels so i'm going to enlist my lovely mother to do them pro-bono (surprise, momma!) hmmm, solid or patterned? 

4. paint console/chairs

i bought this antique console last year for 50.00! that's right, 50.00... be jealous! tiffany blue was the perfect fit for my last home but i'm undecided if i should use it as-is or go with pink? then there are the chairs (hand-me-downs from my mother) they were previously a dark cherry finish but i have since refinished them with white paint... i'm 99.9% sure i will leave them white and simply change the upholstery... 

5. stripe a wall

we were fortunate enough to be blessed with two fireplaces along one long wall of our open floor plan (i say fortunate because they are original and beautiful... not because we will ever actually build fires) the wall between the two fireplaces is screaming: stripe me, stripe me! i'm thinking 4" horizontal stripes behind my chinese chippendale server with a round mirror and side lamps... now if only i could decide on a color?

then comes accessories, art, pillows, mirrors, lamps, rugs..... stay tuned!