Interiors By Francesca....

I love designers who LIKE to do "affordable luxury" - such as New York designer, Francesca Herrera. 

Let's face it...not everyone can afford to hire a designer - so it's always nice to know that if we CAN, we may not have to spend a million dollars to have our home look good! 
 

Francesca is a native New Yorker, so for all you New York people, she's ready to design for you!!

I like how she says on her site, " I don't follow trends. I let my clients’ passions and interests dictate the emotion and feel of the home. Ultimately, I design homes that progress over time and reflect my clients’ ever- evolving lifestyles.” 

That's something I wish I could do more often, NOT follow TRENDS in my own home! You see, as good as it looks at the moment, the problem with trends in the home is you HAVE to keep changing things out! 

So, using items that are classic & timeless is a BIG plus! Wish I could afford more of those TIMELESS items!!

Anyhow, Francesca's portfolio is gorgeous - and the minute I saw it, I knew I wanted to share it with all of you! My FAVORITE is of the entryway....the large photograph of the white horse, the built in cabinets against the white walls looks flawless. The entryway is so calming....I can imagine entering this home & just wanting to stay awhile. 

Again, please check out Francesca's full portfolio on her site, Interiors By Francesca.

 

Cool Stuff at Restoration Hardware...

It's finally Friday & I received my Restoration Hardware catalog in the mail today....what did I see??  A chandelier in a birdcage...have you seen it yet?!?  I immediately thought this type of lighting would look AMAZING in a home with high ceilings - similar to a loft. Aaaaah if only....

 

It was by far my favorite piece in the entire catalog....so if anyone gets to see it in person, please let me know what you think! Enjoy!

INK: Innovation at the Workplace

INK, one of Southern California's top advertising agencies, recently expanded their offices & created a work environment suitable for creative people! As I've said before, working in an office that is NEAT & well put together, inspires CREATIVITY! 
 

In my opinion offices should invest their BIG $ money into the items they use daily.....& leave the smaller budget for everything else. IKEA is a great place to shop for this type of project. They have a ton of desks in several different finishes as well as counter stools for office kitchen areas! 

From the looks of it it seems INK got some of their items from IKEA, which is fantastic! 

The conference chairs however are probably not from IKEA....however similar style chairs can be found on sites like ZGallerie for under $300 each! Not bad? 

Investing in good conference room chairs should be a must for any company.....especially to impress (& make comfortable) out of town guests coming in to visit the company! 

Employee rec rooms are a big part of the MODERN office these days, at INK you'll notice they have a PING PONG  - perfect to get rid of any workday STRESS right?!? 
 

In my opinion, in order to really create INNOVATION in a workspace - you have to go against the grain!
 

Basically, think out of the box when designing your new offices. Do what MOST people are NOT doing. Get the picture?!? 

For example if you notice the INK office has a BAR in the conference room, more than likely for parties & so on...but STILL, different! Also, the SHAG RUG in the office- that isn't something you see ALL the time right?!? But in this case, it works.

And seriously...an office without cool ARTWORK would be VERY BORING to me! INK has simple pieces - probably from local designers or even employees themselves. Great idea! This company is a perfect example of what the MODERN office (away from home) will look like! Enjoy!

 -images via INK

Nadia's Hallway Makeover...

Love, love, love getting pictures from customers who buy my artwork! Even though I'm not able to post all the photos I get from people showing off my designs, I try to post a few here & there!  

One particular reader & fellow blogger, Nadia who I wrote about here sent over these cute pics. She did a hallway makeover....which also included my Love & Hello Languages prints! 

Pretty amazing when you look at the before & after pics. She explains the entire process on her blog from choosing the paint color to that cute little vintage cabinet!  

So, what do you think of the after pics??

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

Thanks Nadia! 

Do you have some great before & after pics you'd like to submit? 

Please email me here. Not all submissions will be posted, but don't let that stop you. Photos must be shot in DAYLIGHT and no flash please !!