Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Sugar and Spice

and everything nice... that's what girls are made of. This looks like my kind of "tea party"... It has been a successful month of June thanks to you, and I am looking forward to exciting things to come in July! Let's celebrate with some
yummy cakes and macaroons...
Shoes and Desserts
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{via pinterest}

Black Kitchens - What Do You Think?


You know I love crisp white kitchens, but I've also seen a lot of beautiful kitchens with black cabinetry lately.  What a stunning look!  I think it can work really well when used along with lighter countertops and floors.  (I've seen black cabinets with dark tops and dark floors and dark backsplashes and, well, they're just too dark.)  

We've been tempted to paint our ugly oak cabinets black.  And I really wish we could.  However, if you've seen my kitchen, you know how off-balance it is.  Half the kitchen is full of cabinets that run all the way to the 10' ceiling.  Painting all of these cabinets black would be just too heavy.   So we decided to get our black fix by painting our Dining Room black instead.

This looks like a DIY project?  I would expect that painting old cabinetry black would be much easier than painting them white.

There's a lot of cabinetry here, but it works because of the tall ceilings and abundance of natural light.  Don't you love the chandeliers?

Gwyneth Paltrow's Kitchen

This kitchen shows a black paint on oak.  I'm not a huge fan of oak grain, but it looks great in black.

I'm curious to hear what others think!

Interior Designer Nathalie Vingot Mai

Today I would like to introduce you to talented interior designer Nathalie Vingot Mei.
Located near Aix en Provence, she takes on the whole creative process : conception, conversion and fitting out of interior spaces. She also owns a boutique in Bonnieux called Villa Médicis dedicated to antique furniture and objects. She works hard as she strips, sands down and patinates old furniture and objects. Nathalie also creates patinas and other wax coatings for wood and walls, which she enhances with ochres and off-whites, and whose uneven surface catches the light so beautifully.

This is her work.

















All images from her portfolio right here.

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Tick-Tack...

I don't know what it is but I have babies on my mind. Maybe it's the time of the year when I see all the girls having kids or my biological clock is trying to give me hints (I will be 28 years old in August) but there is something definitely going on...Hmm...Maybe, this happened to you too? Tell me all!

So, as I am in my baby mood I wanted to show you those two cute onesies...Adorable, right?

Kisses, Darlings
xoxoxox

(via:1.polarnopyretusa, 2.buggy)

Eco-friendly Woodland Birthday Party Supplies & Acme Discount

 

There is something so special and innocent about this delightful woodland themed birthday party by Acme Party Box Company. Perhaps it's because there are no mass marketed cartoon characters? {sorry Mickey!} When I found out it was eco-friendly too, I loved it even more.


Based here in the San Francisco Bay Area, Acme Party Box Company was born out of the desire to create unique parties for loved ones while while honoring both guests and the environment. 


Acme Party Box comes with custom designed letterpress invitations are printed with soy based ink on 100% recycled paper and include coordinating envelopes made from post consumer recycled paper.


Designed to be used again and again, the party kit also includes washable 100% cotton fabric table linens and decorations designed and manufactured in San Francisco. The biodegradable tableware and beeswax candles are made from renewable materials with sustainable practices.



The kids' collections of heirloom quality toy centerpieces are made in Germany from sustainably managed forests and toxin free water based paints. They are intended to be played with and passed down to the next generation.


No child's birthday would be complete without a little goodie bag for guest. Acme's is filled with responsibly manufactured gifts including a puppet, pencils and tin filled with organic seeds. Bravo!


Visit Acme's website to see more darling themes for parties including circus and kingdom.

And in celebration of the launch of their new website, Acme Party Box is providing all Simplified Bee readers a 10% discount off all orders now through July 12, 2010. Simply use the code ACMEPB-SIMPBEE at checkout. Enjoy!


*photography by nicole hill gerulat

Sharing

 There is exciting news for design enthusiasts who crave gorgeous photos and information about well-designed spaces!   First, I learned from Ally's blog that the Domino archives have been purchased by Brides.com and they will have these issues available on their website!  Domino was my favorite shelter mag and is still sorely missed.  They introduced me to this gal




And her amazing style!








And there is even more good news!  Over at Crystal's blog I learned that she and some other very talented folks are launching a new online shelter magazine called Rue! The premiere issue is scheduled for September 2010.



Can't wait - promises to be a good one! Now if we could get both of these in print...




Do you need help pulling your style together?  Let The Green Room Interiors help make your home a beautiful place to be!  Call Kim at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com






Feeling relaxed and boheimian




Comfort in soft colors..

image via miguel flores vianna

Beautiful Inspiration Boards

... so much inspiration, you cannot help but want to be creative and make something! The first image is my board in my studio. As you know, I love butterflies. The center print is from my friend, Katie Daisy! I just love the vibrant colors flowing into each other in such a graceful way... and the two prints on either side are from my friend Colette over at Raw Art Letterpress. I am in awe of the process of letterpress and I was so thrilled to receive my custom Bright, Bold, and Beautiful piece of art!
Check out some more beautiful inspiration boards to get you kick started today!
Bright, Bold, and Beautiful
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{images via flickr, pinterest}

Lakefront House in Seattle

Architect Gregory J. Bader was in charge of renovating this shingle style house in Seattle. The interiors were decorated by Axel Vervoordt. Warm colours and elegant lines define this home with stunning views of Lake Washington. Let's take the tour.





Comfortable sofas and chairs are mixed with European antiques in the great room. An 18th-century French chest and a 1740s Italian settee flank the fireplace.


A banquette in the bay window with a stunning view of Lake Washington. An 18th-century beechwood-and-leather roundabout chair and a late-Victorian red leather barrel chair are grouped near a Regency center table.


Nineteenth-century equine paintings from the stables of a castle in Germany hang in the formal stair hall, which connects the entrance gallery with the library on the top floor. The 18th-century walnut chairs are French.


French doors open onto a terrace in the dining area on the main floor. An eclectic mix of antique seating surrounds the table. The chandelier, from the late 19th century, is Dutch.


A painting by Charles Joseph Watelet hangs above an 18th-century Venetian burl walnut desk in the library. The circa 1720 side chair is English.


A canopy bed made with circa 1780 English bedposts, a Louis XV chaise longue and a chest of drawers decorate the master bedroom on the top floor.


In the master bath, the floor and countertop are Carrara marble.


The rear elevation. The two angled wings are tied together by a terrace and broad staircases that lead down to the lawn.


Photography by Mary E. Nichols

All images and information from Architectural Digest.

Yummy...

Do you think cupcakes are cool? I do!!... Are they cool enough to have their own t-shirt for you to rock?....That tee totally made my day!...And now I am in such a cupcake mood....I am off to get some bluberry cupcakes with lemon icing...Yum...
What's your favourite?

Muah,
xoxoxo

Ps: Here is a very adorable, "sweet as a pie" tee! For those of you who are not too crazy about cupcakes:)

Paint by Numbers Wallpaper

I think this wallpaper, on clearance for around $20 a roll (27 in x 27 ft) at Target, could be a fun project.



It's from Jenny Wilkinson's Wallpaper-By-Number's Series. The background is a pretty aqua blue, but the flowers and leaves are white and meant to be colored in by you with your choice of paint, colored pencils or markers.



The possibilities are endless! I like the idea of a fun fuchsia/orange/teal/black combo for the inside of my girls' closet.


And floral wallpaper inside girlie closets always reminds me of Ruthie Sommers...


image via Domino - which, I'm sure you've heard by now, can be viewed online at Brides.com
My Ping in TotalPing.com