Thursday, February 18, 2010

And the Oscar goes to...




In The Last Words section of the November 2009 "House Beautiful", designers were asked about movies that have inspired some of their creations. I too think movies are great for inspiration. I will never forget the red foyer in the drama/thriller with Kevin Spacey, "Consenting Adults". Then of course my fondness/obsession for the set design from the early Bond movies, but other movie favorites include Hitchcock. There is no denying that the costume design for the Hitchcock heroines was amazing, I would give anything to be Lisa Carol Fremont for a day, Grace Kelly's character from "Rear Window." But the Hitchcock movie that wins my set design award is hands down "Rope."

"Rope", like "Rear Window", took place in an apartment, but unlike "RW", there are no street or court yard scenes, Hitchcock was truly brilliant. I will not tell you the plot of "Rope" because you have to see the movie, definitely one of my favorites, but I will tell you about the design. The movie takes place in the 60's, so the design is Mid-Century Modern. There is a great mix of styles, ornate Louis type side chairs, a grand piano, an old Old Italian sarcophagus and my favorite piece, the contemporary sofa.

Not only is the color an amazing classy mint green, but the fact that this thing goes the length of the wall of windows, I freaking love it! The style is so simple yet glam and it looks comfortable. I realize it isn't the best design for a conversation grouping, but it definitely works for a one on one Tet e Tet. Probably the best feature is the view one gets when sitting in it, sideways of course, but it just oozes cool. I just love the simple, laid back, mid-century glam that this room evokes.

A little tid bit I never knew until I downloaded this pic...Alfred Hitchcock had a cameo in all his movies, except this one? Wrong, that his is famous caricature in red neon, to the right of the horse. Cool huh!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Good Design Takes TIME


I recently read "10 Interior Design Trends for 2010", online from SFGate.com. It echoed the same fact that I and others in the design world feel is not always understood, GOOD DESIGN TAKES TIME. I do enjoy the shows on HGTV, there are some great ideas to absorb, but...changing a house structurally or adding paint, changing furniture, etc., does NOT happen within a week, let alone days, in the real world. Oh yeah, and it costs money too!

I am a one person team. I do all the research and shopping myself. When a client hires me, they have an idea of what style they want, and that's what I do, I create the style THEY want. Yes, this does take time. I research and shop until I find the perfect color, the perfect chair, the perfect lamp, etc. Not only does an item have to be perfect for the style of interior, but it has to fit my clients budget as well, this is when editing comes into play.

I will keep watching HGTV, and so should you, just keep in mind that you; nor I or any other designer, decorator or stylist, are not Samantha Stevens. We cannot wiggle our noses and poof, produce a fabulous room, plus it would get boring after a while. Half the fun, not to mention the pride, of creating an interior is the research and shopping, it is what makes a home unique. Patience my friends, patience.

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