BlogHer Topic - Design and Décor - Editor's Picks

High Point Market: Mad for Mad Men

Design Perspective — Mon, 21 May 2012 08:19:32 +0000

Mad Men has become such a sensation! It's popular 60's era style has slowly trickled down into the fashion and now the home furnishings industry...Finally!! This High Point did not disappoint with the Mad Men-inspired mod furniture. Almost every showroom had a piece, that screamed Mad Men influence, and I loved every piece I saw!!

On a side note, who would've thought that the classic drink, Old Fashioned, would make it's way back to popularity?!

French Heritage

Emerson Et Cie

French Heritage

Pearson Furniture

French Heritage

Emerson Et Cie

Vanguard

Hancock & Moore

Tomlinson Erwin Lambeth

Vanguard

Pearson Furniture

Hancock & Moore

Tomlinson Erwin Lambeth

Julian Chichester

World's Away

Tomlinson Erwin Lambeth

Julian Chichester

Mr. & Mrs. Howard for Sherill

Sonia Kashuk at Target, Beauty for Every Woman

Maegan Tintari — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:35:10 +0000

In 1999 the Sonia Kashuk beauty brand was born in partnership with Target stores. At around the very same time, while wandering around Target one day, I found a perfect little eyeshadow brush and, because it was so pretty, I bought it. It was a Sonia Kashuk product, and it was the first eyeshadow brush I bought that didn't come free with an eyeshadow compact. I remember feeling very professional about having purchased it. Though I don't use it daily, I still have the eyeshadow brush - over 10 years later, and I am now well aware of the "luxury at mass" brand that is Sonia Kashuk.

Sonia started her career as a makeup artist in the early 80s, collaborating with many of the top beauty publications (Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Allure, Elle, Glamour, etc.), fashion houses (Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta and Betsey Johnson), and celebrities (Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington). Soon after, Sonia became Aveda’s Creative Director of cosmetics, where she fine-tuned her expertise and understanding of what real women want from their makeup. Armed with this knowledge, she partnered with Target to create one of the first prestige makeup brands available to the masses.

Sonia stands behind every product in her line and thinks all women deserve access to high-quality makeup and the tools to apply it. In other words, luxury for less. Each formula is made with nourishing, enriching ingredients, comparable in quality to MAC, Burberry, Tom Ford and Chanel. Her partnership with Target eliminates expensive markups, making Sonia’s high-end, pretty products accessible for a fraction of the price.

Target sent me a handful of Sonia’s must-haves for spring: a gorgeous croc-patterned bronzer, three sleek eye shadow quads, and two hot shades of her new Satin Luxe Lip Color. Her packaging remains just as beautiful as the day it won me over thirteen years ago. I love the new Satin Luxe lipsticks, with the exact color showing through the clear section of the tube. It makes it so much easier to spot your perfect color. And you know I love a product with anti-aging qualities and nourishing ingredients to plump up lips for added firmness. The paraben- and fragrance-free formula contains Brown Seaweed Extract to preserve skin elasticity, Ceramide 2 and Palmitoyl Peptide to visibly reduce the appearance of wrinkles, and SPF 16 to protect lips. They provide complete hydration while delivering vibrant, totally wearable color.

Her eyeshadow Eye Quad palettes are perfectly matched and complementary, with two neutrals and two shimmers for high-impact. They go on lightly so you can layer them without getting too heavy-handed or dropping unwanted color onto your cheeks. I've already used the pretty Nail Colour polishes for my Mid-Century Modern Manicure and loved them, but the Illuminating Bronzer, stamped in a crocodile pattern, is by far my favorite. The ultra-soft formula hydrates and smoothes skin to protect against dryness, goes on sheer, and lasts up to 12 hours without fading, and the compact lifts up to reveal a brush and a mirror! I've already added it to my daily makeup routine.

One of Sonia’s core beliefs is that you can’t do great makeup without the right tools. This is reflected in her flawless brushes, which have won ongoing recognition and awards. And I can attest: my first Sonia Kashuk brush {seen in the first photo above} has held up marvelously over time!

Have you ever used a Sonia Kashuk product? Which one is your favorite? If you haven’t yet, check it out during your next Target haul!

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When Cleaning Out the Closet Requires Professional Help

kgseymour — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:46:39 +0000

I'm a slob. I admit it. I'm not proud of it; in fact, it drives me crazy. Clutter stresses me out, and yet ... I just let it pile up because finding the time to clean it all stresses me out, too. It's a vicious cycle.

Although my home, in general, gets a little, shall we say, out of sorts, one of my biggest pet peeves has been the fact that the master closet, which I share with my husband, is always a disaster. And that's crazy, because there's a ton of space in there -- just look at the space above that top shelf! I bought several organizational pieces, and I clean out my closet several times a year, so I really don't have much in there that I don't wear, and still. Ugh.

So finally, finally, I decided to get help. No, not for my, uhh, issues with keeping things tidy. Nope, I went to a local closet professional (Amanda from A Divine Closet, for those in the North Central Florida area) who I'd met at a networking event.

After warning her that I would have to stick to a much lower budget than some of her clients, we scheduled a consultation. In the meantime, I did one final (well, final until the new closet, anyway) sweep of my clothes and, what do you know? I was able to put together another pile to giveaway.

Anyway, Amanda came by, looked at our closet -- I blushed in shame -- and then we sat down and talked about our wants, needs, and concerns. I found myself coming back to wanting a specific place for everything -- that helps me stay organized and on top of putting clothes away in a timely manner. And, of course, I wanted it to be pretty, and I wanted it to fully utilize the space, including all that space up at the top. All my husband wanted was a pull-out rack for his pants. But then, of course he'd want something gadget-y, right?

It wasn't an easy process, even with a professional, but I'll tell you what -- I could never have made this happen on my own. I saw an elpha closet design from The Container Store, but, after pricing it out, we determined that we could do a fully custom closet that wouldn't require me to sacrifice anything on my list of wants for just a fraction more. I went for it.

Now, I know my clothes pretty well, but there is no way I could've looked at what was in my former closet and figured out how much space I needed to allot for dresses and tops and such. Not only was a professional closet designer able to figure that out in snap, but she even left us enough space to add (most of) our shoes, which gives us an enormous amount of elsewhere.

As far as what we actually did on our own ... there's not a lot. We painted the turquoise blue at the top (before the closet was put together -- afterward, getting in there would've been tough!), and we found fun bins at Target to keep smaller items in since we opted for shelves rather than drawers (maaaajor price difference).

Next on the list -- finding a great lighting fixture (with perfectly white light) and painting the ceiling that same turquoise. Other than that, though, I don't have changes to make. And I have never been able to say that about a closet.

In the end, we spent a little over $3000, which is a lot of money for us. But I'm thrilled with the result, and it was worth saving and sacrificing -- this was actually a Christmas present that my husband and I gave to each other. And it also helped me realize what I could do on my own. Customizing a walk-in clost = way out of my league. But, customizing a smaller closet? Yep, I can do that. And I will.

Have you ever had a professional help you organize your closet in any way? Did you think it was worth the cost?

By the way, if you're looking for tips on how to clean out your closet, as is (and for waaay less money), check out blackbird's post.

Kristen can also be found on Twitter and at jeez-o-petes.

Spring Decor Trends 2012

Design Perspective — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 19:54:16 +0000

Spring is in the air...I can just feel it! And bright colors are being seen all over the interior design and fashion world right now. And with this unseasonably warm winter the thought of cold weather makes me shudder. Cold weather is no longer welcome in my book:). I'm absolutely loving that the flowers are beginning to bloom, if they haven't bloomed already. The tulips, daffodils, azaleas, etc are creeping in.

With the weather as warm as it, all I want to do is soak up the rays and enjoy this wonderful weather. And I've got an itching to get out in the garden. Do you? I'm so excited about seeing some of my favorite flowers begin to bloom--peonies, hydrangeas, gardenias, forsythia, dogwoods, etc. What are your favorite flowers?

Since Spring is starting to say Hello, here are some gorgeous spaces with pops of Spring colors.

Better Home & Garden, March 2012

Neutral fabrics on the furniture and rug balance the blue walls, draperies, and pops of color on the accent pillows and floral arrangements.

House Beautiful, March 2012

When you think of Spring, the color green comes to mind--a color of new birth and growth. This room is tastefully done. The bookcase is beautifully accessorized. Designer: Meg Braff

House Beautiful, March 2012

Mint green is Back!! It's all over the fashion world as well as the interior design world. The soft walls are a wonderful "neutral" to the bold colors in the rug, fabrics in the drapery and furniture. The white-washed floors are spectacular with the mint green and white furniture. Designer: Fawn Galli

Interiors Magazine, Best Of

I love the pops of color in this Schumacher ad for their new collection by Martyn Lawerence Bullard. The patterns are wonderful as well--inspiration from his travels no less.

Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, March 2012

The black and white marble floors work wonderfully with the pops of red in the framed side chairs. The surrounding greenery in the landscape is so calming and relaxing. Designer: Craig Duncan

Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, March 2012

Again we are seeing the soft blue walls. I'm loving this color combination: blue, green and white. The blue walls backdrop the color palette beautifully. Wonderful way to frame the sunburst mirror with framed black and white architectural prints. Designers: Will Huff & Heather Dewberry

Grace Home Designs

What a fun rug--a blue and white chevron patterned rug--and cocktail table. And the pops of red and yellow in the sofa and chairs are energetic. What a great way to use the primary colors as the color palette. Designer: Grace Home Design

Annie Selke Home

What a bright and fun print! I think the colors in this fabric are bold and exciting! It would be fun bedding for a little/young girl's room.

Luxe Interiors + Design, Los Angeles, Vol 10, Issue 1

Lovely and feminine lavender room accented with green. This room is bright and airy with a fresh approach on traditional furniture pieces. Designer: Suzanne Rheinstein

Country Home, Spring 2012

A bright bedroom with turquoise painted paneled walls with white patterned stenciling bright turquoise and yellow patterned bedding.

Country Living, February 2012

What fun colored and patterned wraps!! I want one!