JHA is currently working on a rather large design project and the hot item of the day has been the budget - how much over our original number we are and what can we cut.. Jessica and I had a conversation last night where we both exhaled a huge sigh of relief in that we did the lighting first and some would say out of order.

It’s interesting to think about the order of design elements in the building/purchasing process… so often some of the most important elements get left out in the cold becasue there just isn’t any money left at the end of the day for them.  One of the hardest hit design elements is Lighting. There are two rationals one can take.. either adopting the notion that a contractor puts in generic lighting so that the home-owner can replace fixtures personalizing their space or more often and probably more true, proper allowences were not made in most areas of the building process and so money gets borrowed from one catagory leaving the last men standing with no budget to speak of..

The Lunaria storefront for us was a revelation!  In this project i speak of, the lights will be fabulous, they will make the rooms and the home unique and wonderful! We reversed the order and considered the lights part of the architecture and so thankfully we wont have the problem many large project do!

And so we thought, jessica and I, that we should share this notion… We encourage you as a designer or a homeowner to put appropriate weight on lighting! get it right and make is special! becasue if you don’t do it when you are in the design process it’s highly unlikely you will change things up once you move in any time soon.

it’s all over the television right now.. Main stream retailers are offering lay away for the christmas gift giving season and so we thought… lighting on layaway… sure why not! Lunaria is now able to offer you a 6 month plan to furnish your home with the best lights ever! call us for more details.

Part of being in the “know” as a designer is keeping your eyes on both the high-end showrooms and main stay retail fronts like “West Elm” & “Pottery Barn”. Rooms can be successful if all levels of furnishings and accessories are on display as long as a proper balance is maintained and care is taken to making things fit. That said i noticed a current trend while shopping at West Elm the other day….something I’m calling.. “the big switcharoo”….

Okay maybe i’m giving them credit for a merchandising maneuver that is just that, a way to sell more.. Throw pillows priced as the cover and the insert but who has a 12″ x 12″ insert just sitting around at home? or an ottoman “slipcover” priced without the shell to fit inside.. what’s next a table without legs or a sofa without the cushions ot sit on..

In the Custom Interiors industry when you work with an Interior Designer this is common policy, everything is based around the idea of custom so sure you will have the goods separated out to make personalization an easy process and so In my mind i saw it as being able to easily switch out one’s pillows without throwing the dishes out with the dishwater, REUSE YOUR FILLS…but i’m an interior designer of 14 years…

And so I say,  BUYER BEWARE! the Main Stay retail fronts now want to have their cake and eat it too! They are expecting the consumer to understand this process, “it’s clearly marked” i heard one salesperson say… but some might feel that they are being tricked as they shop. The game has changed! So the next time you go shopping take special note of those pesky price tags… so that when you reach the register after having fallen in love with what you’ve decided to buy you WONT be surprised to find out that shopping is now like renting a car, the true cost is only divulged when you go to pay.

We get at least 2 product mailings a day here at the shop and so it’s easy to go bleary eyed and loose your ability to see. This table by John Houshmand on the other hand caught my eye so much so that the post card sits behind my monitor so that i can look at it again and again to have just a taste of my first reaction… Material Tension!!

In the design world that i try to create  I’m always looking for tension, the charge of energy that putting things of opposites together generates. Years ago Jessica said something that has stuck with me… the gist of it being … sucessful design is when Modern and Traditional aesthetics look at each other in surprise… what a great graphic image.. Perhaps one of the staples of how i look at a space and create longevity; is when i’m able to impart something human into a space, like ourselves, our quirky personalities, our contradictions…. Material Tension!!

John Houshmand Furniture

Check out this beauty – “Chèrie” was design by Luca Ferretto for a fabulous company called De Majo. It is crafted out of Borosilicate glass with a crystal effect; Borosilicate glass is a highly durable alternative to traditional glass. It is chemical and heat resistant which makes it an excellent choice for use in chemical laboratory equipment, cookware and lighting. Chèrie is available in wall mountable or suspension versions with multiple sizing options creating endless design possibilities. I am all about the glistening, waterfall aspect of this fixture and I love the images shown using it from floor to ceiling as a divider. Lovely.

I can’t tell you how many times during the design process people, well clients, have a strong reaction to something they have decided upon as it takes fruition in their home and it dawned on me just how hard it is to visualize what something will look like from a few pictures and memo samples. So who can blame anyone for an OMG reaction.

Just a few days ago i got one of those phone calls from a JHA design client and spent the day forgetting just how common this scenario is…. then i remembered and the rocks in my stomach dissolved… i guess the purpose of this blog entry is to reiterate to all those people out there pursing a design project, have heart, if you have not yet experienced an “OMG” reaction, be ready, one will hit you soon, and when it does… relax it’s part of the process… with a little tweaking anything can be made right… and if it is your case that you’re looking at something only half complete… well then wait for what is to come.

create a decorative still life with a collection of different table lamps on top of your dining table. use a canvas table cloth that you can cut a hole in the center to hide the cords.  Play with volume, colour and form. Choose varying sizes as well as curvy shapes and contrasting textures, from smooth porcelain to beaten metal and even glass. Add a few vases into the mix with one or two floral stems that are graphic, not sweetly pretty, to complete the look. Done

keeping up with other design blogs is a full time gig. In my morning read i discovered an interesting peice from Apartament Therapy about this great source for silk flowers a company called Sia.  You read something online and then the investigation begins… and then only ends when you actually track down the source. Sia Home Decoration a French company pulls their products primarily from Hong Kong where technology is innovating itself every day with renditions of flowers and plants so close to reality most people have a hard time telling the real from the fake.  And taken from their book of flower trends:

“This autumn the look is all about intense colour - rich reds, hot, sexy crimsons, the deep shades of a Bordeaux vintage plus the full spectrum of dusky pinks and purples. Flowers of the season include roses, dahlias - the neat Pom Poms to the more flamboyant Majestics - as well as wild asters. Red is the starting point of any display and for this you can’t ignore anthurium, Vanda and Phalaenopsis orchids as well as banksia and protea for exotic luxury.
To these add a more rustic element with branches of berries and even rhubarb leaves. This season’s love of contrasts can be seen with flowers too, with the mixing of the delicate and the tough, the local with the exotic. Fabulous!”

Sia

We recently started carrying this beautiful commercial grade wood flooring in multiple metallic finishes! The product draws on the antique Venetian decorative art of plating paintings, doors, moldings and pieces of furniture with gold or silver varnish. This combination between wood and metal has a very old origin in the Italian art and the idea is to take this tradition and apply it to wood floors. Since these floors are commercial grade (meaning ultra durable) they can be used anywhere from restaurants and hotels to your kitchen or workout room at home. This image does not do the sample justice so you’ve got to stop by the St. Helena store to check them out in person!