Charleston Dreaming

My lovely boyfriend & I have been talking about moving to Charleston for months now. There's something about the quaint southern charm that it has. Within the past few days we have been seriously looking for jobs and apartments. Not sure if anyone has heard of Stanley Furniture, but we sell a huge amount of it at my store because of their collaboration with Coastal Living Magazine. Stanley has just released a new line called Charleston Regency, just in time to field my dreams of moving to Charleston. The line is the perfect combination of beach and elegance. The fine details in the woodwork and the pops of color in pieces are what give this line the southern character of the beautiful city it was inspired by. Here are a few of my favs...

1. Oyster Point Double Pedestal Dining Table    2. Ashley Host Chair    3. Cooper Dining Side Chair 

4. East Battery Buffet    5. Peninsula Upholstered Bed    6. Heyward Tea Table

7. Beaufain Bachelorette's Chest    8. Palmetto Telephone Table    9. Pinckney Kidney Desk

How beautiful are these pieces? The detail is specular. A girl can dream right?

All images from Stanleyfurniture.com, go there to find the full line as well as others.

Office Design Delema

 

I am in desperate need of a home office space, an area to store paperwork I need to store, blog, and lay out design jobs I have started. Obviously in my little apartment that isn't going to be a reality but hopefully in my next place it will. I've collected the above images from Pinterest to get some ideas going. I love the idea of a metal desk to add a different surface and texture to the space. I found the perfect one at West Elm

Parsons Metal Desk $499

 
How Fabulous!!

And it would combine perfectly with these...

 Saddle Office Chair $349

Copenhagen Media Console $1,899

Granted this console is wayyy more than I'd ever spend at this moment in time, I love the way the metal desk, upholstered chair and wood console would all go together while still having such different looks. A girl can dream right?

Apartment Wish List: Dining Set

So I've been on the hunt for the perfect dining set for my tiny apartment dining area. I went from looking at at my store to finally determining that I don't want anything they had there for me. When I was in D.C. this past weekend with my family I saw a little cafe adorable french cafe chairs outside and reminded me of a house I had recently seen in Luxe. A little side note, if you're not subscribed to Luxe, do it immediately. It is my favorite interior design magazine. I love absolutely everything they do.

I mean how absolutely fabulous is this set?!

So I was on the hunt for a set that would work with the vision I have for my space. I also have been in love with a rustic x-back set since I saw this picture in Pinterest.

Which is pinned to my wedding board, but how gorge are these chairs? They're so elegant.

Soooo I ended up on Williams-Sonoma's website, which doesn't normally happen, and found BOTH!! Here they are!

So the Parisian Bistro Woven Side Chair (1) is just absolutely adorbs. I love love love that it's navy & white, such a classic color combo that can go with anything! The Balustrade Round Dining Table (2) goes perfectly with it, the tones in the chair and tones in the table work beautifully. Chair is $295 and table is $1,895. My second choice is a more rustic x-back look. The Bosquet Side Chair (3) is literally exactly what I was looking for. It comes in two different tones, driftwood and honey. I like the driftwood (shown above) but I think the honey would lend itself more to future designs. The Pyrenees Round Dining Table (4) obviously goes perfectly with the side chair and how beautiful is the basket weave design on the top?! Little extra details like that are so exciting. There are more than enough table options to go with the honey chair, but the driftwood it is only this one. The chair is $195 and the table is currently on sale for $997.99 from $1,999! Since I'm dealing with a small space a round table is the way to go. If I had the space for a rectangular table I totally would do it and do side chairs down the sides with the end chairs as armchairs.

So now I'm stuck with the decision of which I want. Next on my list is a desk & chair, blogging from my sofa or bed is a killer on the back. I am going to leave you with this gorgeous chandelier that I'm getting regardless of which set I choose.

Wood & Iron Chandelier $995

Herringbone Vs. Chevron

How fabulous is this herringbone floor?!?

I would die to have this in my living room, but unfortunately I'm a 23 year old renting an apartment, great designs like this don't' fall in my price range. Anyway, as most have noticed chevron is so hot right now in all aspects of design. I'm obsessed with it & got lucky enough to have a client recently that I convinced into doing a custom black & white chevron headboard, I'll upload pics when it's finished. I can't help but wonder how herringbone and chevron play into each other. According to Wikipedia chevron can be found in pottery designs and rock carvings dating back to 1800 BC. Since Wikipedia can't always be trusted I don't know how accurate that is, nevertheless it's interesting. Herringbone goes back just as far if not farther. I think they are both fabulous patterns that are very much a like but bring out different emotions.

For me, herringbone is more stable and solid, where as chevron is fun and quirky. I love the fact that metallic is huge in design right now as well, a good sparkle and shine adds so much into the room.

I love the different tones in floors to accent a space, the white against the gray down the hallway in the picture on the top is a great way to make it look longer. The bleached part of the floor in the picture on the bottom defines the space from the one behind it. I'm obsessed with that light fixture as well, it reminds me of a cool sea urchin.

I think that both of these designs look best in tile/bricks. The tile on the bottom is fabulous but I am head over heels for the brick. How great is that for a mudroom? It adds such a traditional charm to the space and makes you feel like you're home.

Changing up flooring is such an easy way to add more interest to a space without it being loud and in your face. Both chevron & herringbone will give you that interest with adding a nice base to start a design from.

No. 1

I told myself I was going to start a blog a long time ago, today I did. This is going to be about my life, my designs, and design trends I love. I graduated in September 2012 from The Art Institute of Philadelphia with a B.A. in Interior Design. The passion I have for design I cannot fully fulfill in my current job so I want to get it out here. One day I hope to be able to get my full creativity out through work but just entering the field you have to get your foot in the door and work your way up. That's what I'm currently trying to do. This is me trying to define myself in the professional world.