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Tiny Gallery For A Tiny Person

17 Mar

Today’s SNOW DAY Morning Mission: creating a gallery wall in my son’s bedroom!

2014-03-17 02.00.54 pm

As almost all parents-of-preschoolers do, we usually have about 600 pieces of kid art laying around the house. It just so happens that this weekend we went through and culled that down to about 100 pieces, which we put in a desk organizer on a bookshelf with the intent to work through it monthly and keep, scan, purge, or mail to grandparents. So naturally, this morning after a marathon game of Chutes and Ladders (did you KNOW how long that game can go on???) I grabbed the art organizer, called over my artist and assistant curator, and we got to work.

First we picked out about 20 things my son wanted to see up on the wall. We also found and printed some photographs. I let him choose about six rolls of washi tape for the “frames” (I love this Etsy shop for fantastic, fairly inexpensive tape). We also used a few existing frames and mats; by the way, I love these 2-pack NYTTJA frames from IKEA for kids’ rooms.

After about half an hour of “curating” we started the assembly. I’d love to say this was carefully thought out (as a client’s wall would be)  but we just started tacking things up and filling in the holes. I was careful to hang the actual frames a little higher than I thought he’d reach or hit while playing.

This is what we got:

IMG_9407  2014-03-17 02.05.45 pm

A few of the highlights are the origami dinosaur and crane, which are essentially “seat-belted” the the wall…

2014-03-17 02.26.57 pm

 

Some of his early writings…2014-03-17 02.27.06 pm

 

And this ice cream cutout, which is paired with a “menu” he recently gave me as breakfast suggestions (nice try). 2014-03-17 02.27.24 pm

If the tape doesn’t stick very well or comes unglued, you can hit it with a hot hairdryer to gum it onto the wall a little bit more. But don’t worry, it won’t damage your wall (that’s the beauty of washi-tape). It will also keep your paper free of rips if you remove it (just pull slowly and carefully).

Now if tomorrow’s another snow day, I have NO IDEA what we’re going to do!

 

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

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Happy Monday: The Inherited Wall Mural Edition

4 Nov

I work with a lot of new homeowners who hire me to select paint colors and wall treatments. Usually, we are just switching up colors to suit the new owners’ tastes. Sometimes we’re trying to get rid of dated wallpaper, faux finishes, or wood paneling. And sometimes, if we are lucky, we uncover awesome surprises in the form of murals. One of those times was this morning at an early color consultation meeting.

Here are two murals that I can’t resist sharing. I’ll withhold telling you whether or not we covered them up…to each her own.

The first comes from a bedroom in a house that is, inexplicably, not near the White Flint metro station. If the scale is not clear, let me clarify: it was pretty large. 10 points for a realistic ceiling depiction.

Happy Monday: Inherited Mural Edition

The second is a stunningly accurate depiction of the Beatles in their Yellow Submarine period. It is AMAZING.

Happy Monday: Inherited Mural Edition

The details!

Happy Monday: Inherited Mural Edition

I have to say that the people who commissioned these must have been fun loving and artistic people. They certainly make my job more interesting.

Happy Monday!

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

Tabarka Studio Terracotta Tiles

29 Oct

I think I’ve mentioned Tabarka Studio and their gorgeous, geometric, contemporary, terracotta tiles on the blog before, but I feel compelled to mention them again since I’m seeing so many of their tiles on Pinterest. …and rightfully so – they’re spectacular!

Tabarka Studio

Tabarka Studio

Tabarka Studio

Tabarka tiles are handcrafted in Arizona from terracotta, come in a ton of geometric, ethnically inspired shapes (heavy on the Moroccan influences), and a bevy of colors. I recently used them in a bathroom project and the results were breathtaking; so breathtaking in fact, that we installed a pocket door so we’d never have to obscure the view for the client!

Bath_Studio1

 

Check them out here. I dare you to tell me you don’t LOVE them too!

 

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

Great Gallery Walls!

28 Oct

I’ve had a lot of questions about gallery walls lately: how to start them, what goes in (or is it on?) them, and are there any “rules” when creating them. Well, if you’ve worked with me or been in one of my classes before, you probably know my stance on “rules”: I don’t really do rules. Which isn’t to say everything goes – it doesn’t – but rather, I mean that there are so many conceivable ways to create a lovely gallery wall that I can’t even possible begin to list the process or tell you what elements you absolutely need. I can, however, give you a few suggestions and point out what makes a nice grouping. Below are some examples of great gallery walls, and some notes about how to emulate these looks. Enjoy!

 

Contrast is Key. I like the punch of a gallery wall that is white on black, or black on white, or white on white with bursts of color within the frames. Here are some examples of gallery walls that emphasize contrast effectively.

Great Gallery WallsWhite on Black. (via Eclair)

 

Great Gallery Walls!Color on White. (via Pinterest, source unknown)

Variation AND Repetition Go Hand in Hand. Got an interesting gold frame to incorporate? Great! Include a few additional gold touches. Have a bunch of thin frames in a single color? Great! Add more thin frames in additional colors. Get it?

Gallery WallMostly black and white with small, subtle bursts of color. (via Pinterest, source unknown)

Great Gallery WallsJust the right amount of gold. (via just bella blog)

Size Doesn’t Matter. Really. You have big and small pictures? Ok. Want to mix them? Fine. Want to keep them consistent? Not a problem. Let it be what you want it to be: no rules.

Gallery WallBig frames, small frames, tiny clipboards – all fine. (via Design Traveler)

Gallery WallThis one has both varying object sizes AND is small in scope. (via Pinterest, source unknown)

Start With Something Specific or Functional and Let it Grow. I often start gallery walls with a single piece of art or photography or utility that is important to the end-user. You don’t have to complete it in a day or even a week. Just hang that mirror or tv or piece of art (at eye level, preferably, as it’s the most important piece) and let other pieces spawn off of it. 

Gallery WallBegin with a mirror and let the other elements fall where they may… (via The Fashion Medley)

gallery-wall4…or begin with a television – BRILLIANT! I’ve used this a few times myself. (also via The Fashion Medley)

What Do You Do With A Stair Wall? GALLERY WALL! Enough said.

Gallery WallSimple, cool. (via Pinterest, source unknown)

Gallery WallLove this. (via Elle Decor via Pinterest)

Oh, you’re  wondering about spacing? Well, I do have a simple rule for that. If you use all the same frames, you can space them equally but the look will be less “Anthropologie” and more traditional . If you use different, differently sized frames, space them HOWEVER YOU WANT, whether it’s super organized or more crafty and uneven.

Gallery WallDifferent frames = varied spacing. (via Pinterest, source unknown)

Gallery WallsDifferent frames = varied spacing. I love the leaning art on the ground here. (via Euro Style Lighting)

Gallery WallDifferent frames = same-ish spacing. (via Arkpad)

That’s a lot of gallery walls! Which is your favorite? I’m not sure I can choose!

 

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

Wallpaper Magic!

7 Jun

I posted this photo to my Facebook page yesterday, and it got a pretty big response so I’ve decided to blog it as well.

Wallpaper Magic

THIS is what you want to see when you have wallpaper installed. See how perfectly the seams match up? What an awesome job on a fairly complicated repeat. Such a cool detail.

If you’re interested in the wallpaper it can be found here at Farrow and Ball. But the red I used is no longer available.

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

Splashes of RED!

29 Mar

This week I was looking at two previous projects I’ve worked on that feature bold, graphic, red elements at the forefront of the design. In sharing the photographs with some friends and my students I got quite a few “Oooh”s and “Ahhh”s for these two projects, which both showcase the color red but in two dramatically different ways.

The first is a bathroom that was completed back at the end of last year. It features an exquisite Farrow and Ball wallpaper that, when paired with gold finishes and a graphic black and white aesthetic, makes for a super dramatic and moody space. Here are some instagram shots I took when visiting the site yesterday. I love this room. LOVE IT. (You can click to see the image in a larger format).

Splashes of Red!

The other instance of red is in much smaller quantities, and it comes from a dining room. This was a project that I just consulted on and specified furniture for, so the image is a board and not a finished-photo. The client had a great blank slate to work with: an eclectic, colorful space with a fun rustic table, and she wanted ideas for interesting chairs. My idea was to curate a collection of several different chairs in the current palette (aqua/turquoise with a splash of red) to maximize the eclecticism and highlight the fun of the space. I’ve just always liked this board, and wanted to share it:

Splashes of Red!

 

Important functionality tip: if you ever do this (mismatching chairs) just be sure that the seat height is relatively consistent. I wouldn’t recommend deviating more than an inch from one to the other.

Hope you enjoy these splashy projects! I’m off to stuff plastic easter eggs for a while…

 

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.

24 Oct

This post is actually about interiors…so bear with me.

Really. It is. You’ll see…

 

Sometimes I try to be a supermom and selectively arrange my son’s books on a shelf to highlight the season. Just like a librarian. This means I choose a few for display that have themes which reflect the current holiday or time of year. Now, that’s pumpkins and Halloween. But my favorite time to do this is when it gets really cold and I can put The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats on his special shelf. You must know this book, right?

 

 

 

Any parent knows reading to your child can be amazing and calming and often times fun; but with a bad book, it’s torture. This book is one of the ones that is always a joy to read, partially because the story is simple (and short!) and flowing, and also because the illustrations are just gorgeous. I am particularly fond of cut paper, collage-type illustrations in childrens’ books, and this one is no exception.

I love the patchy, boldly colored collages that make snow look anything but ordinary and white. It almost glows. And the composition reminds me very much of the photographs of Matthias Heiderich, whom I wrote about a few years ago; I wonder if he knows the book?

 

 

The one page that I always stop and marvel at is at is the one with the little boy sitting on his bed looking out the window. Why? Because I LOVE THE WALLPAPER. And by that I mean so many things beyond superficially liking the wallpaper: I like the way it looks, I like how it reminds me of something my grandparents may have had, and I like the sense of coziness and home and warmth it conveys. I feel like I’ve been in that room (and through reading, I have…many many times). It’s the kind of experience that I love to help create or re-create for my clients; a space that feels like home, that you never want to stop looking at. If I could find a wallpaper like it, I would buy it instantly. But I can’t find it!

 

 

Farrow and Ball’s Vermicelli Papers come sort of close…but aren’t quite right.

 

 

Guess I’ll have to keep searching…

 

P.S. – it feels GREAT to write a thoughtful blog post for the first time in, oh, about two months!

 

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

 

Color Friday is: Dove Gray!

30 Mar

Dove Gray. This is a TOUGH one.

Lovely, rich shades of gray, with the red and pink accessories highlighting warmth. (image via Elle Decor)

 

So tough in fact, that I actually looked it up. Sometimes, we designers are so intimately acquainted with colors that we can “think” them backwards and forwards, but to put them into words is a challenge. Both Wikipedia and Google’s image search say that Dove Gray is gray with a hint of pink or blue in it. So…umm…there goes my easy explanation about whether it’s warm or cool (pink is warm, blue is cool). Color temperature is tricky, and this color pretty much embodies why that’s the case. Though red/orange/yellow are typically the warmer shades and green/blue/purple are typically cool, that’s not a hard and fast rule. Blues can feel warm to me, and there are certainly cool reds (ever try on lipstick?).

What Dove Gray is to me, and you’re going to think I’m crazy here, is almost iridescent or luminescent. It kind of switches back an forth from warm to cool like an evening sky does, and to me, that reads much like a moon rock or a mood ring does. Iridescent. Luminescent. So there; are you with me now?

Gorgeous tile installation from one of my favorites: New Ravenna Mosaics (image source unknown, but it is likely NRM)

 

It’s such a sophisticated color that plays nicely with many other hues. It’s masculine and feminine, playful and serious, and richly infused with pigment. You can incorporate it into a monochrome room with other neutrals, or, you can pair it with vibrant shades like lime, magenta, or tangerine. Try it: it works with all of them (though maybe not together…).

 

Martha Stewart likes it with orange...these grays are her "Mourning Dove Gray." (images via L - Remodelista, and R - Martha Stewart)

 

Here are some Dove Gray items that I think would be a great start to any room you want to feel cozy and calm. What’s your favorite? And what undertones do you see in them?

 

Clockwise from lamp at top: Calligaris Andromeda Collection Table Lamp, price on request (image via Calligaris); West Elm Ellery Chair in Dove Gray performance Velvet, $499 (image via West Elm); Dervish from New Ravenna Mosaics, price on request (image via New Ravenna Mosaics); Pintuck Dove Sheet Set by Dwell Studio, $230 (image via Dwell Studio); Misty Morning Giclee by Norman Wyatt, Jr. for Ballard Designs, $299 (image via Ballard Designs); Batavia Dove Sham by Dwell Studio, $90 (image via Dwell Studio); Faux Bois Mirror by Oly Studio, price on request (image via Oly Studio); Fairfax Gray Oak Side Table by Bungalow 5, $871 (image via Zinc Door); Hush fabric in Dove by Darryl Carter for Lee Jofa (image via House Beautiful)


Enjoy the Dove Gray, and have a great weekend!

 

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

Half Painted!

15 Mar

This morning as I checked my regular blogs, I woke up to a lovely image of a whimsical room that has been painted only halfway up the wall. I also woke up to a door being flung in my face, specifically my nose, but that’s just one of those perks that comes with being the parent of a little boy with lots of energy and little consideration for your vanity/pain tolerance (in all fairness, he did bring me a bandaid after the fact).

(image via Apartment Therapy via Deuce Cities Henhouse)

I love the basic white paired with bright aqua; it’s clean yet has a great pop! Normally, we see this technique all the time when there is a chair rail in place, but here, the homeowners just decided to fake the architectural elements as they went along! To see a little bit more about this room, which belongs to a little girl named Elsa, head over to Deuce Cities Henhouse.

 

Another space that I’ve been loving which applies the same “half painted” technique is this one.  It’s a version of molding, and it’s very modern and super lovely. The image is from Farrow and Ball, makers of fabulous paint and clearly purveyors of good ideas!

(image via Farrow and Ball)

 

Here’s yet another one, which uses an eggplant jewel tone that makes the room both sophisticated and irreverent. I love how they just painted over the door paneling as if it weren’t a big deal at all.

(image via Remodelista via French by Design)

 

And finally, for those of you who are truly daring, here’s a fantastic room that is basic white with a touch of color…in the form on a random rectangle that overlaps trim, window detailing, and the wall. Talk about breaking the rules!

(image via newlightredesign)

 

Do you dare try any of these techniques on your wall? Or do you prefer to just lust (or look quizzically) at them via photographs?

 

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

Zoo Weekend!

12 Mar

What a lovely weekend this was! My family and I had a great time spending much of it outside, and even managed to squeeze in a long morning trip to the National Zoo!

Are we the only family who can’t ever manage to get a photo of all three of us?

At the zoo, we saw boldly striped zebras…

Zebra Sky Papier-Mache Head, Dwell Studio, $76 (image via Dwell Studio)

 

big, gentle elephants…

Antique Art Print, $22 via Etsy seller BlackBaroque (image via Etsy)

 

and those crazy reminders of dinosaurs long gone: crocodiles!

Maison Crocodile Blue Rug by The Rug Market, staring at $800 (image via Bold Rugs)

 

We also made chocolate chip cookies (yum!), got some new soccer gear (for the boys, one of whom tried on his first pair of mini cleats!), made it through the headache of day light savings time, and (shudder…) went to Taco Bell for those new Doritos-shelled tacos (don’t judge us).

Hope your weekend was equally relaxing, and that your week is spectacular!

 

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

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