today i'm loving...

via house beautiful by allison paladino

this room! but more specifically the end of the bed bench... to die for!

quote of the day...

"the key to longevity is to keep doing what you do better than anyone else. we work real hard at that. it's about getting your message out to the consumer. it's about getting their trust, but also getting them excited, again and again."

~ralph lauren

renovating an industry

a must read in the ny times here

quote of the day...

"if you surround yourself with things you love, your home will make you happy"

~rubie green

@ home with diane bergeron

today i ran across the website of diane bergeron, an australian designer who's home was recently featured in vogue living... the below pics of her work are drool worthy for a number of reasons:

1. her inspiration board! I DIE!

(i really need to get around to making one of my own)

2. the light blue/candy apple red color combo... always, always a favorite!

3. this rug...yum!

4. the high gloss floors are amazing... and so is this rug!

quote of the day...

"truly elegant design incorporates top-notch functionality into a simple, uncluttered form"

~david lewis

yum.

via bhg

what is your style?

online quiz discovered via i suwannee

"alisha, you are a glamorous classic
You have a refined sensibility with an appreciation for history and tradition in your furniture and your rooms. You value beauty and craftsmanship. You are visually sensitive and understand how symmetry and a balanced layout give order to a room. But you definitely like to shake things up with some unabashed luxury and glamour to keep things from getting boring. You go for rich materials like velvets, one-of-a-kind objects, lady-like touches, glimmering accessories, and a sense of old-Hollywood romance that makes your home dramatic and elegant. You value creativity. You are stylish and fun loving, and can be an inspiration to others. You have a natural sense of drama, and you know you have to be willing to take risks—whether with colors, finishes, furniture choices, or ideas—for your home to stand out. Your home can be happy and lively and the place all of your friends want to be."

find out what your style is here..... ha!

introduction: happy home

as of this week i took on a new job with my cousin seve and his adorable fiance janelle. they are building their first home together and will be beginning construction in a week or so! when seve mentioned to me they found a vacant lot and needed to start on the new house asap (my uncle, seves father, is wanting to sell the home they are currently living in and want them out asap!) i immediately asked to see the plans... he pulled out a sheet of graph paper with a pencil sketch of the rooms... i of course, took it upon myself to run some interference!

while the floor plan would have certainly done the job, the house would have been just like any other "spec house" or "patio home" that builders crank out in what seems like days... and let me tell you what, they deserve better than ordinary! i asked seve to provide me with the maximum size the house could be (45' x 70') and told him i was going to get to work and come up with a better plan (thinking back, i'm not sure he really had a say in me taking over... go figure!)

.....voila!

after roughly 12 hours of obsessing over autocad... we have approved plans!

they loved the floor plan and will be taking the drawings to the bank tomorrow!

i volunteered to help coordinate everything from the furniture and lighting fixtures to the paint and flooring! i could not be more excited! as a designer, there is nothing more rewarding than being responsible for the design of a house that will turn what was once an empty lot into a happy home.....

stayed tuned... i will be documenting our adventure!

black. white. and green. i die!

while catching up on past issues of my many magazine subscriptions i ran across this home in the july 2009 issue of southern living and was immedietly captivated... as previously posted just moments ago i started working on a new project "happy home"... as it turns out the below pictures will provide a good visual to show my couple what i'm hoping to achieve in the interior of their home!