Product of the Week: Suzani Ceramic!!

Just when you think things couldn’t get any cooler, Boston-based ceramicist Jill Rosenwald created this ultra-cool suzani-inspired ceramic bowl.

The piece measures 10"wide by 10.25" high and it is dishwasher safe and meant to be used all the time.

Jill has many other very cool ceramic designs at her etsy site here.

 

There are more products of the week in store.  Stay tuned!

Becky

Room Re-Do’s

I’ve been busy busy with this staging business.  And let me tell you… it’s hard work!  I come home exhausted from my jobs!  Staging requires a lot of physical work.  And while I consider myself in good shape, it’s a different thing to haul boxes and go up and down stairs all day long.   It’s a good thing that I like design and decorating, otherwise, this would be torture!  Luckily I love the people/friends that I work with and I show up everyday with a smile on my face, grateful for the work.

I just finished up a beautiful $1.75 million home in beautiful Los Gatos, California.  I thought I would share the pictures with you.

This is the entry into the home.  It has a beautiful courtyard to sit and read your morning paper.  This picture is the before and unfortunately I didn’t take a picture of the after, which included a cute lantern and flowers in the hanging baskets.

This is the living room before the staging…

and after…   The cut-outs on the wall matched perfectly with the pillows.  We didn’t plan it, it just happened to come together.

The other side of the room.  The contemporary chairs are a fun metallic silvery blue.

Dining room before…

Dining room after.  It’s hard to see from this angle, but the base of this table was very intricate and went very well with the chandelier.  I was so tempted to sit down and open that bottle of wine after spending the day staging the home!

Another angle of the dining room.

Kitchen before….

Kitchen after.  With the lighting you can’t see the asian barstools, which looked very cute at the counter.

Family room before…

Family room after.  The sisal rug didn’t want to lay down flat for us yet.  With a few hours we are hoping it will cooperate!   So much more homey, don’t you think?

Master bedroom before…

Master bedroom after!  We have a little “under the sea” theme going in here.

Master bathroom before…

Master bathroom after.   Cute accessories make all the difference.

Hope you enjoyed my little tour.  If you are in the Silicon Valley area and want to see the home, there is an open house this weekend.  Feel free to contact realtor Gaylene Wyatt at (408) 741-8237 for more information.  Or you can email her at gwyatt@serenogroup.com.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Becky

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is the test to find whether your mission on earth is finished. If you’re alive, it isn’t.

~Richard Bach

NKBA 2011: Design Finalists for Bathrooms

Have you checked out the National Kitchen and Baths design finalists in the bathroom category?  If not, swing on over to this link now and check them out!
There are a couple of really inspiring bathroom designs like these;

Designer Holly Rickert got it right on the money with this bathroom.  River rock surrounds the free-standing tub giving this bathroom a relaxing spa feel.  Coupled with the dark cabinetry and flooring, this space feels modern and timeless.


Designer Christine Salas also had a hit with this tiny, but uber-chic bathroom.  Cool bathtub + cool fireplace right next to it is a winning combination for me!  The color of the tile works in the room, the sconces are unassuming and perfect and the artwork right on.
But there are also a few that I just don’t get!

Designer Ellie Baker can put a bathroom together, but I am not so fond of the color scheme in here (the white tile is too stark for those warm cabinets), the bowl glass sink (are they even still in style anymore?) and that hardware on the cabinets!    Sorry… this one misses the mark in my book.

Designer Lori Carroll did some things right here.  The oil-rubbed bronze faucet is trendy and in style right now and the pendant lighting adds a cool vibe to the space as well, but overall, it feels very 80’s to me for some reason?   I think it is the color of the floating cast stone sink as well as the corrugation tiles on the wall.  She tried something unique and different with marble slabs embedded with fossils behind the sink, but again, this one misses for me as well.  What’s your opinion?
Becky
---------------------------------------------------------------
It isn’t the size of the gift that matters, it’s the size of the heart…

Super Cute Homegoods

Soft Surroundings, which is mainly a clothing catalog, has their Spring line out.  And, with it, they have featured a couple really cute home goods that I have to show you! 

Fountainbleu Quilt.

From $189 to $269, this super romantic, fluffy quilt is so dreamy, I just want to plop down in it and sleep in!

The Fountainbleu Euro Shams.

dreamy.lovely.renoir-ish…..  $59.00.

Marrakesh Express Quilt

From $139 to $199, this Indian-inspired quilt is very zen-like.  The blues and greens are calming and the pattern is beautiful.

 

Haiku Garden Stool

$251.00.  This garden stool/side table is so unique.  I love to put different pieces into rooms.  What I don’t like is cookie-cutter décor.  So, when something like this comes along and screams “original!”, “beautiful!” and “unique!”… I’m all over it!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enjoy!

Becky

Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.

~Aristotle

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

~ Aristotle