Action Abstraction

I am loving the holidays and time spent with my family. My daughter Audrey (20 yr) is home from college. My son Alex (17 yr)has planned many of our family activities including a wonderful visit to the St. Louis Art Museum to see the special exhibit Action Abstraction. If you live in St. Louis you have until January 11 to see it. It's traveling around the country, so look for it in a city near you.

I love studies in color...and especially abstract art. I can't put in words what it means to me, but it elicits reactions in my soul like when I listen to inspiring music.

I was most moved by Grace Hartigan's work, her story and her art.

Like most women and blacks in the 50s, she had to fight hard for recognition of her work. Hartigan ran in circles of those better known Abstract Expressionists like Pollock and de Kooning. She broke through a glass ceiling in the art world as the only woman represented among 17 artists in the prestigious exhibit "New American Painting" sent by MOMA to Europe to communicate that New York had trumped Paris as the capital of modern art.

I am drawn to Hartigan's use of bold brush strokes and saturated splashes of color.

Bold, abstract, vivid and color infused...I can't get enough of it!

My favorite Hartigan painting is Summer Street (above). Can you make out the woman from the 50s shopping in the street? It took me a bit, but I found her. And do you see the watermelon? What else do you see in the busy summer street? What color and light of summer do you recognize? What time of day does it look like? Are there buildings around and if so, how are they recognized in the painting? Do you see yourself in a street like this?

I wish I could pluck Summer Street off the exhibit wall and place it in Heather's home! Perfect for her piano room (you'll see the reveal of Heather's piano room later on my blog). It would also look great in the 10th Street Lobby (also stay tuned for that reveal.)

I also loved New England in October (below).


Grace Hartigan quietly passed away in November this year. Though she faded from prominence years ago, I am grateful her work lives on in this exhibit.

More Designing Haven of Grace -- shop for shape

Our Haven of Grave project relied on the generous donations of our sponsors. Ashley Furniture HomeStore in Kirkwood, Missouri, where I work part-time, let me search the 75% off accessories for items we needed. Problem was, not all the items met the design goals for our color palette.

Never fear when spray paint is near.

We just painted the items. The brass candle sticks in the bedroom became white. The planters and obelisks in the kitchen were painted to complement our kitchen colors.

Lesson learned: You can often find good deals on accessories if you are not picky about color. Color on most accessory items can be changed with some paint. So shop for shape!

The items in the pictures below were muted grey and green before we aimed the spray can to change them into a vibrant rainbow of color.

More Designing Haven of Grace -- Flower Power

There is so much to share about the Haven of Grace project. I showed you the children's space. Here is the bathroom (above).

Gina and I did not have any grand plans for the bathroom. We were focused on finding donations and decorating the other spaces. The bathroom just lost our attention.

But thanks to Laura n , the bathroom, once an afterthought, became a highlight. She put in some extra time at my urging and created a dynamic wall mural of a Calla Lily. I found a silk Calla Lily to put in a beautiful turquoise vase that was donated by Ashley Furniture Home Store in Kirkwood, Missouri.

I love this mural because it is not a cutesy wimpy mural of a flower or flowers, but bold and graphic...it really makes a statement. To create a similar look, go big and bold.

That's Flower Power!

Festive and Frugal

Another great idea found on Laura's site -- Paint in my Hair.

Laura's friends, Patti and Kim, decorated a party in a gymnasium for a church women's organization. They spent a total of $29. Using paper, they made over-sized confetti. Center pieces were cakes that guests were invited to decorate with sprinkles. Paper lanterns hung above added to the festive atmosphere.

Consider how you can be festive and fugal for your next party by using over-sized confetti.

Haven of Grace

My, time flies when you haven't blogged. There are several excuses and several projects taking my time.

Topping the list: Haven of Grace.

Haven of Grace is a special organization to help young homeless mothers and is championed by Editor, Christy Marshall of St. Louis Magazine AT HOME. She invited eight designers to decorate eight apartments for Haven of Grace.

I am lucky to be one of the designers working on the project. I am especially fortunate to have enlisted designer and friend, Gina Adolphson, to work with me. She has taken the lead in collecting fabrics and brainstorming the design.


This is not your typical project. Our inspiration is limited by what donations come in. So our color palette is not inspired by our favorite fabric on the bolt, but rather by what is given to us by kind retailers.


Gina made the rounds collecting miscellaneous items. We selected a few to create our palette.

We were given a fabric panel of leaves and fruits in an unusual mix of chartreuse, plum, slate blue, turquoise, burnt orange and bright orange and rosy reds. We decided to pull a palette of mostly blues and oranges from this piece for the living and dining rooms.


Gina told me today that she has enjoyed the challenge of creating a design around a fabric that was not of her choosing. "It has made me consider other possibilities with color I never imagined", she says. "I really love this palette."


Gina also loves the idea of a graphic bird mural painted above the dining nook. She picked birds just because she likes the shape of the template she was given. She doesn't know why, but it just appeals to her.

I like it too.


Please tell us how you've found design inspiration by something that was given to you.

See related blog: Take a Chance on that Sofa

Creative Cousin Craig

I was born with the right side of my brain, that I know for sure. I can't say what has happened to my left side, atrophy most likely. I don't take to math or science.

I have to create, make and forge new paths.

Many of my kin were born like me -- a heavy branch of artsy folks weights down the family tree.

Let me introduce you to one of them, my cousin Craig. Though his imagination is more wild than mine, I claim him anyway.

When Craig is not composing music or blowing up cars (for real) in the desert, he is making furniture, sculpture, paintings and redesigning his home.

I love his niche display (pictured below) in his living room wall that features prisms in the style of his hero, Frank Lloyd Wright. I think it is stunning.


See more of his work at http://www.craigsibley.com/

In my dreams, it would be so fun to collaborate with Craig on a project.

Love you Cousin. It's been too long, let's get together.

Chalkboard Dresser

Here is another idea for using chalkboard paint. I love this!

Take an old dresser and paint the drawer fronts with chalkboard paint! Look how this young boy decorates his drawer fronts for organization.

Learn the how-tos at Familyfun.com by clicking here.

Valentine Vase

A fun idea from UMA ( Urban Materials and Accessories ) -- chalkboard vases. What a fun way to write your loved one a special message.

This gave me an idea. Why not take chalkboard paint and make your own DIY vase.

What other items can get the chalkboard treatment? How about a chunky picture frame or a decorative plate -- write a message on the rim and place treats in the middle.

What ideas do you have for using chalkboard paint?

Something Old is New Again!

I get so excited when I see things transformed with paint. Design*Sponge put out a call for people to submit their DIY projects. Look at these great examples of items bought from Craig's list or yard sales.




I would love the challenge of creating a whole home using only items found by dumpster-diving or yard sales. Just imagine how that can stretch a dollar, but even more amazing is how it can personalize a space. This is something for anyone to consider whether or not they find themselves on a tight budget.


Please share with me any examples you have.

Take a Chance on that Sofa!

HGTV has a hilarious addicting game called "Drop and Design" that deals with interior design realities for many of us:

Limited Budget, Unlimited Style.

The game pokes fun at the fact that we can't always control our circumstances when creating the room or home of our dreams.

A woman in one of my classes asked me, "How do you know when you have found the right sofa?" She looked at me with the same deep emotion as if she were asking, "How will I know I have found my true love?"

Buying furniture and accessories, for most people, is a very emotional experience. It is risky because a lot is on the line. Will it look right in our room? Will our family love it? Did we pay too much for something we won't love a year from now?

In creating your "perfect" room you will take some risks.

I know from personal experience.

I bought a sofa eight years ago, that after a year I wish I had bought another color instead. However, in my new home and with new pillows, I am seeing it in a whole new light and loving it again.

I don't know anyone who has not regretted a design purchase or inherited items that are not their style.

We make the most of our circumstances when we look at our things with new eyes. You have opportunities to make it a good marriage. OK, sometimes you just have to divorce that ugly sofa; but in most cases, there are no mistakes, only opportunities.

I really believe that.

Take a chance. Play the game. Now is it the room of your dreams? Maybe not. What would you do to make the most of it with your limited budget and resources?

If you find you are stuck and can't move forward, it may be time to take some chances!

Mirror, Mirror Re-visited

I am now a featured blog in Delightful blogs. You are free to cast your vote for my blog.



Find it here: http://www.delightfulblogs.com/dana-s-design-studio-link-7040.html It is a 10 point rating scale with "10" being "great" and "1" being "not-so-great".

You be the judge.

Delightful Blogs is a great place to become familiar with the different blogs out there. Through this blog community I am finding blogs I will eventually list, but I do have a day job and it takes time.

So don't wait for me, go bookmark your favorites that inspire you. And feel free to share them with me. I especially want to find the budget-decorating tips out there.

Room in the Hotel de Rome in Berlin as seen in InStyle magazine

Speaking of which, I found inspiration from the Turquoise Chic blog. Well, it is probably high-end because a room in the Hotel de Rome in Berlin does not sound like a room done on a budget.


Ahhhhh, but we can find inspiration everywhere and these mirrors hung horizontally remind me of the dinning room I designed with three inexpensive wardrobe mirrors hung vertically.

I love both ways.

Take a look at wardrobe mirrors at your local big box. They come in a variety of styles that I have not seen in the past.

With design tips like this, and a little imagination, your room can mimic the appointments of a first class hotel!

Real People; Real Homes

This photo and the following photos are the home of Phyllis Johansen and Ivan Torres-Ubillus, of Town and Country, Missouri, as seen in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Lifestyle section. Pictured above are masks collected from around the world by Phyllis and Ivan.

Have you ever driven by a home and wondered what it looks like on the inside?

Sometimes I just want to open the door and take a tour.

Lucky Susan Fadem gets to do that each week. She writes the At Home With series where, each Saturday, in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Lifestyle section, she explores how people make their house a home, with decor and lifestyle.

These homeowners are not necessarily the rich and famous, though some are. They are people of different backgrounds who live in homes and apartments of varying sizes and styles. Not all have had the help of a professional designer, but all are appointed with special touches – the history -- that reflect the people in the home.


These are real people, in real homes.





Seeing people enjoy their spaces with their style, in their way, affirms that style is personal, and can be made fit you and your lifestyle.

Our things reflect what we value, how we spend our time and how we view the world.

And while my neighbor’s whatnots and bric-a-brac may not be what I would have in my home, I can celebrate what they love and learn more about what is important to them.

Style communicates something very deep and personal.

Style is a snapshot revealing our hearts and minds.

Often people say to me, “I don’t know my style, I can’t decide what I like.” It seems to be a common concern, the second most expressed concern right after: “What color do I paint those walls!”

You might feel like Phyllis Johansen, featured in last week’s At Home With, who expressed a concern to a friend that she liked too many styles. Her friend advised Phyllis to get over it and to buy what she liked and it would all work out.

Taking her friend’s advice, Phyllis and her husband, Ivan, have created a home that reflects their backgrounds, passions and travels. She calls their style: eclectic-bohemian-global.

People who have found their style focus, as did Phyllis, on their very basic needs and desires and are not driven by the latest trends or what their neighbor likes.



If you feel that you are trying to find your style, ask yourself these questions:

What do you want your home to DO for you?


What story do you want the home to tell about you and your family?

Remember, as Susan Fadem shows us each week, style is personal and it starts with the heart and your stories.

Not Grandma's Wallpaper, part 3

Well, I am still stuck on wallpaper.

Here is something from MIO, a company based in Philadephia that is dedicated to creating sustainable and innovative design.




What MIO provides for wallpaper is green, easy on the wallet, and easy to install. But best of all, it’s unique in its dimensional form.

This paper doesn’t come in a roll, instead it comes in 12 by 12 inch squares, called “paper forms”, that you can adhere with tape.

Simply peel and stick.

Paper forms can be painted, so you can customize your look.

Besides the obvious use as wall coverings in a contemporary space, I can see these being used as an inexpensive and unique substitute for a headboard.

I also see them on a ceiling; wouldn’t that be interesting – now, that’s not your Grandma’s ceiling tiles!

You can see the MIO paper forms in St. Louis at UMA.

Or if you live elsewhere, you can order online.

Party Angels

I am recovering from a big weekend helping decorate and host the fourth annual St. Louis’ Crèches and Carols. Displayed in themed rooms were over 500 nativities from around the world.

Each year the exhibit has a theme. This year “Angels” were the theme. So each room, in addition to nativities, also featured angels.

In the modern-themed room angels were made, of all things, party hats. The women designing the room said they got the idea from Macy’s department store.




What an inexpensive and fun way to create angels! It’s easy: just take a decorative party hat, add a Christmas ball to the top, fashion wings from netting, form pipe cleaners for the halo, hot glue all the parts in place and voila! You have an angel.

You can create a whole host of these party-hat angels and hang in a corner with ribbons or place them as center pieces for your holiday table. They would be especially fun on a children’s table. Or how about using one as an inexpensive tree-topper?

Throws 101

It’s getting colder here in St. Louis, so I am thinking about throws – also called sofa throws or throw blankets. It’s basically a blanket that you can throw or toss over something. They are not meant to be fitted, like a bed sheet or bed blanket.

Throws are usually smaller and more decorative than your regular blanket. They are typically 3X5 feet, but they can vary in size. Unlike your typical blanket, they are often edged with fringe.

Throws can provide interest to your room. They are a perfect way to add more color to a sofa or chair. They can be displayed decoratively as wall hangings.

They have a sculptural quality: you can mold throws to the back of a sofa, tucked behind the back and under the seat; form them to make a Christmas tree skirt; shape them around potted plants to disguise an ugly pot; or drape them above a window to create a valance...the possibilities are endless.

Typically I see throws across the end of a bed. Or consider this interesting twist: placing the throw on the diagonal (see above photo).

In addition to their aesthetic qualities, throws are functional. Besides the obvious use for warming your toes, throws are a great way to cover that chair or sofa that needs to be cleaned or that you want to keep clean.

When kids or grandkids eat at the dining table for the holidays, a throw used over the dining chair can keep the seat free from messes, not to mention how the kids love the soft feel.

You can tell the children they get to sit in the special seat – the “throw throne”!

What can you do with a throw this winter and holiday season?

CB2 for the Holidays

As I stare at my bowl of candy and anticipate trick ‘o treaters tonight it is hard to think about Thanksgiving or Christmas. But CB2 is making me think about the holidays.

CBWhat?

CBWow!

CB2, the new store and catalog, by our Crate and Barrel friends, is just two years old and gaining in popularity.

Stylish and affordable - my two favorite words together! – is the way I would describe CB2.

The furnishings are contemporary and trendy and target the loft or apartment dweller. But I see items that can work in every home.

For instance, I love their beautiful Christmas ornaments with a twist -- a candle in the middle!

Christmas ornaments are not just for your tree! Look how beautiful they look over a dining room table.

If you are lucky enough to live in Chicago or New York, you’ll find a CB2 store. Otherwise order your catalog today!

Families on the Wall

Photo as seen on Melanie Mauer's blog.

Whitney Johnson brought to my attention a blog by photographer, Melanie Mauer in Lexington, Kentucky. Melanie discusses the use of family photos to build a montage or collection on the wall, rather than the ubiquitous large and very posed family portrait hung over the mantle. Her ideas are worthy of our consideration as we think about filling our walls with family memories.

I personally enjoy the trend away from the posed and predictable family portraits of the past to the more natural and fun photos I am seeing done today. Seems that is how I really see families. Won’t our posterity enjoy seeing us how we really are? Notice the family photo on Melanie’s blog (also above). What do you think when you see this family?

This reminds me of a photo shoot Katherine Bish did with our Habitat for Humanity family. I asked Katherine to take photos of the children (see below photo) and to catch them in their normal surroundings doing their normal kid-thing. The photos turned out darling. But mom, Ursalon, was not sure at first: “If I’d known you were taking their photos I would have combed their hair!”

Photo courtesy of Katherine Bish photography in St. Louis, Missouri

We hung the photos in the entryway and encouraged Ursalon to give it some time. If after some time Ursalon still wanted different photos, then we would help her to replace them. Neighbors and family members loved the photos and begged her to keep them. After a week, Ursalon said, “I love the photos, they are the favorite thing in my home!”

Gina Adolphson hangs photos in the Berry-Crawford home with the help of Jacobi.

And here is a budget-saving tip: the frames you see in Ursalon’s home were bought at the Habitat for Humanity Restore (on Forest Park Parkway in St. Louis Missouri). All three wood 11 X 14 frames with mats and glass were bought for just $5 each (see above photo). Gina Adolphson, interior designer and my partner for the project, painted the frames with a black gloss spray paint to give them a contemporary look.

Consider catching your family on film just being a family. What spirit and fun can these photos bring to your walls? What conversations might result from looking at fun family photos?

Show us your family on the wall!

Julie's Bedroom - a study in color and design

Yesterday I met Brad, Julie’s carpenter, to go over the moldings we will use for Julie’s bedroom that will be a hybrid of "cottage style" or "English Country Style" , including wainscoting and decorative moldings and other fun details that say: "cozy".

We are working with an existing 2 ½ inch crown molding, just fine for the eight foot high ceilings in Julie’s bedroom. But we are now putting in new floors and beefing-up the wainscoting and baseboard, so the small crown molding would look wimpy by comparison.

We could pull out the old molding and replace it with expensive 5 inch crown molding, but I have a creative solution that is less expensive and intrusive and gives a more dramatic look:

We will place a 1 ½ inch base cap molding three inches from the bottom of the crown molding on the wall. Base cap is sometimes called wainscoting cap or wainscoting molding. It looks like the old picture molding, but with a flat, not rounded, edge at the top. If you are unfamiliar with types of moldings, it has a profile similar to most traditional picture frames.

Now here is where I get crazy. We will turn it upside down. Yep, that’s right.

Brad, the carpenter, asked me about three times yesterday, “Are you sure you want to turn it upside down?”

“Yes, why not,” I said.

“Well, then you can’t hang pictures from it!”

Julie and I responded, “But we don’t want to hang pictures from it!”

This is not the first time a carpenter has looked at me in unbelief.

Our goal here is to beef-up the crown molding, to fool the eye into thinking it is one large crown molding. Brad will paint the molding and the wall in between the same color - white, in this case - to make it look like one continuous molding. And by turning the base cap molding upside down, we give the edge a nice definition and finish.

You can see an example in Judy’s home:

Before (above photo), the 2 1/2 inch crown molding.

After (above photo), the beefed-up moldings and painted walls provide definition and character to the room.

See how before (above photo) the crown molding almost disappeared, providing little contrast or interest.

See (above photo) the difference beefed-up molding and paint can make! It really complements the other details in this older home, like the arch entries and niches.

You can also beef-up your baseboards this way. Many older homes have the typical 3 inch colonial baseboards. You can add about 2 to 3 inches up from the baseboard a 1 inch trim molding of your choosing, then paint the wall between the baseboard and molding to match.

Voila! You have instant beefed-up moldings that didn’t cost you an arm and a leg and are simple enough to qualify for a weekend DIY project.

What can you do with decorative molding?

John Beck - a favorite!

I play favorites. Every designer has them.

One of mine is John Beck, owner and chief creative director of John Beck Steel and Paper – handmade and custom steel furniture. He’s in my home town, St. Louis, Missouri, but makes his furnishings available to the world.

John proves that steel is not just for skyscrapers!

I love him not only for his designs and the fact he lives in St. Louis - though those are good reasons enough - but also for his unstudied and unassuming approach, lacking any stuffiness, he’s confident without being cocky about his popular work.

He says, “Some folks like to call me an artist because of the things I create. But I don’t think so. I’m a regular guy, just any random guy you’d see walking down the street. The only difference is I got lucky and I’m able to do the things I love for a living and I’m actually pretty good at it.”

And he practices what I call “contrarian creativity”. He even says it in his tag lines: “Rule Breakin” and “Hand Makin”.

I love his pendant lights, a new product introduced last week. For $90 this is a great price for custom lighting. Each is hand distressed and can be customized to reflect your color scheme.

His work is mostly contemporary in feel, but can complement just about any décor. I can see his furnishings working well in: a cabin, farmhouse or a loft; any room with an eclectic mix of traditional and contemporary furnishings; also in a room with transitional furnishings (contemporary furnishings that lean traditional – think “Pottery Barn”).

Consider one of these pendant lights for over a sink in your bathroom or in your kitchen.

For more on pendant lighting see my blog: Pendant Lighting.

Mirror, Mirror...– found it at the Big Box

Photo courtesy of Katherine Bish Photography.

Looking for an inexpensive mirror that won’t break your budget?

Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who has the least expensive mirror of them all?

Look no further than your local Big Box.

I created a dramatic look with the use of wardrobe mirrors in a dining room of all places. Wardrobe mirrors are not just for the bedroom or bath! I placed them side by side on a buffet and leaned them against the wall. The cost for each mirror was $20 for a total of $60. Notice how the mirrors fill the space. I’d say that is a lot of bang for the buck.

Most people are surprised to learn that I found these mirrors at Wal-Mart.

And look what I found at Wal-Mart this week. Good sized (33 in by 45 in) mirrors for under $50.

While you might not find solid wood mirrors at the Big Box, it is hard to tell the difference. And a benefit to the faux wood alternative is that it is usually lighter weight and less apt to fall or break.

Check out your local Big Box for mirrors. You might be surprised at what you will find!

The dining room (pictured) can be seen at Coachlight Town Homes, by Town and Country Builders – 4390 Olive St., St. Louis, MO 63108, in the Central West End. They are open Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Let me know if you are interested in a tour for you or a group of friends and I can meet you to share other design tips we used in the home. Call me at 314-652-1759 to arrange your tour.