How Haunted is your House?

So I can't believe it but Halloween is right around the corner!

If you haven't decked your halls with ghosts and ghouls yet you are running out of time, but to those who have creatively taken the initiative to transform their house into the haunted mansion on the street...Kudos to you!

As I was driving the other day I came across this awesome house which inspired this blog. I love the attention to detail from the wooden fence, the hearses, and overall theme!

For your enjoyment and maybe inspiration for next year, here are some "Haunted Houses" that are absolutely spook-tacular! :)

This idea is so ingenious and totally CREEPY! The huge spiders and their web cover this entire building!

"Nature is a Haunted House - 

but Art - a House that tries to be haunted." 

—Emily Dickinson

Reclaimed Wood Flooring

If you're looking to add some charm into your home installing a reclaimed wood floor is definitely the way to go.  This awesome little beauty is being installed in my clients home today.


Flooring sample of the finished reclaimed walnut wood

 I'm currently designing a full kitchen remodel and I'm so glad my clients agreed to these gorgeous reclaimed walnut floors to go throughout the main level of their home.  Reclaimed wood floors come from lumber that has been rescued from old buildings like barns and warehouses.  On top of being beautiful antique wood they are an excellent way to stay "green" and recycle.  I just swung by to take a peek at the first day of installation and couldn't have been more pleased and my clients as well! I specified three varied widths: a 4", 6", and 8" wide plank to be randomly installed.  By doing this it adds even more character to the space which adds to that "reclaimed" look..  Here are the pictures I took today of the install. 


Future Kitchen Space




I just love this floor




Fun little knots showing the character

I absolutely love the look of  walnut with the light and dark variations due to the light sapwood and dark heart wood.  And because it is softer than say red oak, I chose a wood that was circle-sawn.  This is the distressing grooves on the top surface of the wood that you can see easiest in the sample picture up top.  By choosing the circle-sawn effect it allows those nicks and dings caused from everyday life to add warmth and age to this gorgeous wood and blend right in with the reclaimed holes and knots. 

After the wood is laid, the holes will be filled and then it will be sanded and finished with a top coat which will pull out the gorgeous brown coffee and caramel tones and look like the sample picture above.

This will definitely be a one of a kind floor and I can't wait for the remodel to be done with all of the other elements so I can show you the "After" pictures, stay tuned!

Architecture and Shoe Laces?

Architect group, Kadawittfeldarchitektur, brought these two elements together with the Research and Development building for Adidas.

The new research facility for Adidas appropriately named "Adidas Laces" is the final building addition to the shoe brand's sprawling corporate headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany.

It is designed to accommodate 1,700 designers, developers, scientists, etc. The offices are arranged around the ring of a skewed, pinched rectangle.

In the middle there is an incredible atrium, employees get tons of natural light whether their desks face the outdoors or the atrium.

The only issue with the design is the long walk you would have to take to get to one side of the building to the other; this is where the "laces" come in.

Throughout the atrium, employees can travel quickly and easily by use of waving skywalks, the appearance of these skywalks are like strung shoe laces that "tie the built volume together" to quote the architects' press release.  What a genius concept for the design.

See more photos and info at:  http://www.bustler.net/index.php/article/new_adidas_research_and_development_building_laces/  and http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665084/in-germany-adidas-shows-what-shoelaces-would-look-like-as-architecture.  Images by Werner Huthmacher and courtesty of Kadawittfeldarchitektur.

“Truly Smashing Pumpkins” from Country Living Magazine

I absolutely love Fall and there's nothing better than getting togethr with some friends and having craft night.  If you haven’t seen the October issue for Country Living I suggest that you pick one up. It has the most fabulous idea for tuning up the classic pumpkin décor using fabrics, patterns, words and images that fit your style.

I love this look and how it classes up the typically jack-o-lantern.  If you want to use this decoration year after year then buy a faux pumpkin (aka “Funkin”). The basic steps for creating these awesome little  pumpkins are:

Pick your design that you want to use, have is scaled and printed to fit around your Funkin perfectly. If using fabric or scrapbook paper color copy it on regular paper and it will be much easier to decoupage it on the pumpkin.

One you have your pattern, cut it out using a ¼” edge around the image.

Paint your Funkin with flat acrylic paint that matches the background color of your image. Let it dry.

Using Matte Mod Podge spread an even coat on the back of the image and press it onto your Funkin smoothing out the edges.

Once all images are applied, use a foam brush to spread a thin coat of Mod Podge on the entire Funkin. To make it easier do one half at a time.

Let it dry and Voilà a beautiful, fall decoration.

Step by step instructions and examples are in the article along with lots of other great Halloween ideas.  Go buy the magazine and get crafting!

Photo's courtesy of Country Living

Fabulous Fall Decor and a Coupon Code!

Head on over to my boutique http://www.thedesignhouseboutique.com/ and check out some of the home decor.  We're loving these fantastic natural hand-picked, painted and glazed Tutomo fruit gourds. What a perfect addition to your fall decor!

You can use them to help dress up your mantle or make a striking centerpiece. The Tutomo fruit grows in the Caribbean and South America and are hand-picked and embelleished with the perfect little pewter leaf.  It even has the dried seeds that rattle inside. As they are surprisingly resilient they are perfect as a table center piece, above kitchen cabinets, or anywhere else you'd love to put them.

They come in various sizes (7"-12" in length) and fall colors and are priced between $29-$44 each.  Shop now and get 10% off your entire boutique purchase with the code "Fall10".

Small Tan: http://thedesignhouseboutique.com/accessories/decorative-objects.html?page=shop.product_details&category_id=42&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=94

Small Olive: http://thedesignhouseboutique.com/accessories/decorative-objects.html?page=shop.product_details&category_id=42&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=93

Large Olive: http://thedesignhouseboutique.com/accessories/decorative-objects.html?page=shop.product_details&category_id=42&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=96

Large Red: http://thedesignhouseboutique.com/accessories/decorative-objects.html?page=shop.product_details&category_id=42&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=95

Talk about Shoe Art!

An article came out in Dezeen magazine showcasing Julian Hakes, a London architect, and his fabulous Mojito Shoe.

The "Mojito"

The Mojito is a shoe that has no sole and no upper but instead supports the foot on a continuous loop! It is made of carbon fiber – to give it strength and spring – and laminated with rubber on the side that touches the floor and leather on the side next to the skin.

The "Mojito" view from behind

Hakes looked at the design of the Mojito from the same perspective he would building a bridge, he examined the forces and looked at the most simple, elegant expression of the forces to play within the materials used. Hakes said, “With a high heel providing the heel is supported, even by standing on a wooden block the foot naturally ‘spans’ the gap naturally, with bones and tendons.” This is an unbelievable design producing a
fabulous shoe! I so want a pair!



As I'm sure Rachel Zoe would put it: "Just B-a-n-a-n-a-s".

 To view the full the full Dezeen article click this link:
http://www.dezeen.com/2011/09/17/today-at-dezeen-platform-julian-hakes/

Pretty Pink Little Girl Room

We recently posted a blog about our "Fresh, Fun and Fabulous" makeover.  While working on that project our client asked us to accessorize her daughter's bedroom.  She wanted a chair that they both could use, cute rug and drapes to make it feel like a complete room without breaking the budget.

We found an adorable chair perfect for cuddling up and reading a story that both mom and daughter loved.  Finding a fluffy rug in the right size was a little tricky.  We found these adorable flower shaped rugs but they weren't the size we needed so we mixed them with squares.  Using two flowers and two squares we created a fun rug that was the perfect size.

For a few hundred dollars we added pops of pizazz to this toddler room that both mother and daughter loved. 

The Finished Room

Adorable Chair