Inpired beyond belief!

While looking for blog inspiration, I stumbled onto this Swedish site that is UNBELIEVABLE! All of the text is in Swedish, so I don't know what the captions say, but the pictures are worth a thousand... wait, a MILLION WORDS! I hope you enjoy these inspiring shots as much as I do. There were so many that I loved that I couldn't possibly post them all. But, here's a samplin' of my favorites. We all know I am a SUCKER for all white, minimal design, topped off with RUSTIC elements! Enjoy!

To see more photos like this, click on the link!

Have a wonderful weekend. Make sure to watch Emily Henderson's TV Premier of "Secrets from a Stylist" Sunday night @ 10/9 C on HGTV.

Congratulations Emily!

It's a wrap! Emily Starke Henderson is the very deserving winner of Design Star Season 5!

Emily is a sweet, fun-loving, humble person who can sew pillows faster than any seamstress on the Lower East Side! Her personality it contagious, her sarcasm hilarious, and her self-deprecation unnecessary. Her eclectic style is uniquely warm and inviting: a culmination of "found things", refinished-furniture mixed with bold patterns and textures and newer more modern elements. She hangs her hat on rooms that are aesthetically pleasing and seem to tell a story all their own.

I'm already excited to see her new show. The title embodies everything I would expect from Emily. As a stylist, Emily has an eye for the minor details that put the finishing touches on any space. In design it is easy to get bogged down with the "big picture" and forget to pay attention to the "final details" that make a space unique and make it personal to the client.

It was clear, in the short time I spent with her on the show, that Emily has a real talent for picking out and pairing beautiful things. She knows how to combine crazy patterns, vibrant colors, and wonderful textures in a effortless way to make a space feel comfortable and lived in. Every detail matters and it is evident in Emily's style. Her favorite color, blue, also always finds a way to sneak into her design and it's fitting that her show title also would be BLUE! HAHA





Anyways, congratulations Emily! You are a very talented and humble stylist and designer. I am anxious to see your show provide a fresh new sense of eclectic style and inspiration to HGTV!

If you haven't seen Emily's blog, check out The Brass Petal when you get a chance, it's AMAZING!

Living in a Glass House

Design Star Season 5: final 3 - Michael, Emily, and Casey

Challenge #9: Design a glass room in the middle of New York City! Awesomeness!

I will briefly re-cap each room and then give you my thoughts on the concept of living with crystal clear walls.

Room 1: Casey

Casey's room I like, but I don't love. Her show concept makes it difficult to design a room like this; especially with limited shopping options. I am proud of her for building the back wall and I absolutely love the color she chose for it. I also think her ceiling treatment was a great idea.I feel her biggest problems were filling the space, providing a WOW pop and addressing the floor better.

Room 2: Michael

I loved Michael's room. Comfy and quirky, I could totally see myself plopping down in here and drinking a beer. I also like his show idea because it is fitting for a lot of transitional young people like myself. Proud of his murphy bed and absolutely love the decal idea and the "hub" coffee table! Things I am not so crazy about: the desk, the window treatments, and pillows on the sofa. I think the sofa color is perfect; a bold and very brave choice that pulls the whole space together.

Room 3: Emily

The deserving winner of this challenge, although I thought Michael's room was great for different reasons. Emily might be the best stylist on the face! Her rooms always feel lived in, and are always SO CLOSE to being too busy, yet somehow everything makes sense. Her furniture selections were spot on. I'm not crazy about the finish on the bookcase, but the concept is very cool. I'm also not a big fan of the random frames propped up against the one wall. The drapes are basic, but add a nice airy texture. The overlay of the two carpets is something I would never think to do and it amazingly works so well. The balance of the space as a whole seems perfectly asymmetrical, the pattern and concept of the fabric wall I like, and the room's overall essence feels lived-in and completely relaxing. Emily's show idea made her design relatively easy to execute and her glass room wreaks of her Bohemian style, no doubt!

I would have enjoyed doing this challenge, but unfortunately I was eliminated! haha Michael, Casey, and Emily all deserved to be in the top 3 and I'm sad to see Casey go, but am excited to see what Michael and Emily come up with next week!

Since we're on the subject: Have you ever "really" considered living in a glass house?

I remember as a child that some of my favorite rooms in "fancy homes" were sunrooms. I also remember admiring the greenhouse attached to the Agee home. They had a full shower out there and a plethora of amazing tropical plants. I often wondered if anyone seriously ever showered out there. And, if so, what the neighbors thought!

With the advances in engineering and architecture, the idea of "living in a glass house" seems not so far fetched. The use of glass curtain wall systems (i.e. exterior walls made of glass that are supported by a steel infrastructure) in modern day construction is becoming a standard. This is mostly used for high-rise buildings in major metropolitan areas. (I understand that having floor to ceiling windows in a few rooms of a brand new condominium in the city is not the same as having an entire house made out of glass, but conceptually it's the same idea!) The technology is there, the production is there, the cost is still high, but living in a glass house is now a reality we can all consider.

Personally, as a child I always dreamed of turning a full-sized green house into a home. I think my adolescent inspirations were mostly driven by the idea of living in an environment where plants could thrive and I could live amongst them. Now, as an adult, I treasure my privacy, but the thought of living transparently is still intriguing.

I hope the following pictures are as inspirational for you as they were for me.

The following "glass house" is inspiring and very attainable for anyone with basic construction skills. However, it does not afford the same efficiencies and amenities that come in most modern day homes.

This "glass house" I initially thought was a log cabin on fire! What an amazing concept, though, with all the modern day conveniences and even the shape of a typical residential home!

All this daydreaming about glass houses got me thinking about how I would want to design the inside of my own glass home. Now, all of these photos don't directly correlate, but you'll get an idea of the general aesthetic you might see "from my front porch looking in"!

Entry/foyer: Evan Sklar

Kitchen: Apartment Therapy (just because the outside walls are glass doesn't mean I can't have a rustic brick INTERIOR wall in my kitchen! Love the pavers too!)

Oh, and while we're talking about interior walls, and since there will be plenty of sunlight, I think this Virginia creeper would be right at home climbing up ever interior wall in the house!

Dining room: House Beautiful

Living 1: Moodboard

Living 2: Heather Garrett

Living 3: Coastal Living

Bathroom: Momoy

Bedroom: Countryliving

It's fun to dream, especially when you wake up inside a glass house!

Have a great weekend and enjoy the Design Star Finale this Sunday @ 10/9 Central on HGTV .

Re-designing Jessie James Hoboken

The transformation is over and what a JOY it was to make-over Jessie James in Hoboken. Everyone associated with this store made me feel like part of the family and I enjoyed the hugs, smiling faces, and sheer happiness revolving around this store everyday! The four year anniversary of Jessie James Hoboken is coming up soon and I believe the simple morale surrounding the place is one of the many reasons why Jessica Caulfield's store has been so successful. Jessica surrounds herself with positive people and wants every customer who enters her store to be part of "an experience that will inspire them to come back." Her clothing speaks for itself, but Jessica wanted the environment surrounding her customer to match the experience and the vision she foresaw. Hence the MAJOR TRANSFORMATION!

Here are the before shots of Jessie James Hoboken:

Now, please enjoy the after shots courtesy of Rachel Luyster Photography and let us know what you think! To contact Rachel about doing a shoot, please e-mail her: rluyster.art@gmail.com

This first picture is an action shot of Jessica and I discussing when she wants to re-do her other store in the West Village of New York! haha

For more information about Jessie James click here!