Moss carpet for your bathroom

A moss bathmat. This just seems like a horrible idea. You can't clean it and moss bits would stick to wet feet. Seems like it would be better mounted to the wall. Better yet, just leave it outside.

Inspiring White Walls

From Desire to Inspire, all I can say is wow.

The 10 Best Ways To Green Your Apartment Rental | Apartment Therapy Re-Nest

Image by *caramimi* via Flickr

Apartment Therapy is one of my favorite places to stumble around on (not to mention stumbleupon.com, but that's another post) and I've come across many posts on the nuts and bolts of being green. This particular post gives great information and links geared to renters, but the information is also perfect for home owners. If you need a little guidance on where to begin being green at home, this is a good place to start.

Herman Miller Online Store and Lifework

Well, I love me some Herman Miller. I'm very fortunate to have a couple of vintage rosewood Eames Lounge Chairs, one of which I sit in every day. They're from the early '70's and still the most comfortable lounge chairs I've ever experienced.

I know that many of the classic mid-century items produced by Herman Miller have been somewhat overexposed (OK, VERY overexposed) in the media, lifestyle magazines and blogs like mine, but they've never really been out of style. The interior design version of  the "little back dress" or the "navy blazer"...simple and timeless.

Recently Herman Miller has wisely decided to sell its iconic designs online at the Herman Miller Store. If there is anything for me that could be classified as "design porn", this is it!

Herman Miller also has a great blog called Lifework, which profiles various designers, their workspaces and what music they find inspiring. Always thoughtful and interesting, it's definitely worth a look

Natural Modern

With the theme of  "Natural Modern", a new conceptual space plan has been developed with the goal to create a modern environment that was minimal in concept but included a nod to nature. The space needs to serve different functions from entertaining to casual eating to watching TV, with the goal of warming up what could have been a rather cold small space.

Dark bamboo flooring anchors the space and is broken up with a zig-zag rug defining the living/media room. A sectional sofa is used for TV viewing while the two lounge chairs are used when entertaining for overflow seating. The sectional is intentionally large in scale for this small space, helping to balance the visual weight of the mural wall.  Ironically, large pieces often serve to make a small space feel bigger just by visually being able to accommodate a larger item.

Clean contemporary lines have been contrasted with some unexpected natural elements such as a driftwood side table and cowhide ottoman. Small spaces benefit from furniture that can be used for multiple purposes, and the ottoman can be pressed into duty as needed for extra seating. Dramatic visual impact has been created with the rock photo mural which is immediately seen from the front door and serves as a backdrop to the wall mounted TV.

Just off of the front door is a narrow steel table creating a landing pad for keys and mail. A mirror above allows for a last look before going out.

The modern look continues into the small dining area with a round wooden pedestal table maximizing the space for simple upholstered chairs.

Pared-down shapes combined with natural elements create an environment that is interesting, warm and modern.

Art for Autumn

I was stumbling around some art websites and came upon this beautiful photo by Raymond Gehman at Art.com.

Not only is it a beautiful visual, but it helps reinforce the idea of autumn in not-so-autumn-like Southern California. What's also great about it is that it comes in many different sizes from 16" x 12" to absolutely monumental at 64" x 48". Any of the larger sizes would be especially effective at creating a singular dramatic impact on a focal wall.

Art.com is a great place to begin any search for art prints and photos.

Balcony Redesign

I was asked to take a look at a city balcony that the owner felt needed a little help. A small space just off of the living room, the balcony was cluttered, but only needed a little editing and a fresh eye to figure out the best way to show it off. The space functions as an extension of the living room and is used year round. Its also used to spend warm summer mornings sipping coffee while reading the paper (and spying on the neighbors). He'd like to do all of this in a nicer, more modern space.

He already had the tall round glazed pots as well as the square terracotta pots...none of which were planted. He also had a large sansevieria that had outgrown and busted out of its pot that was long overdue for dividing. I suggested using the sansevieria and splitting it between the two square terracotta pots. For the tall glazed pots, new grass-like liriope and purple lobelia would look great. For seating, I recommended upgrading from the existing plastic chairs to a pair of teak and aluminum patio chairs and a sleek round powder-coated steel dining table. The floor needed attention to cover the existing faux terracotta tiles. Interlocking teak tiles would be a great solution.

The final conceptual design. All that needed to be done was editing, making the best of what remained and spending money on some creature comforts. Simple and minimal while remaining warm and functional, this design give the client stylish outdoor coffee sipping (and neighbor spying) for years to come. 

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