Charming Chalk | via Desire*Design*Delight
There’s a new fashion and interior design inspiration blog out there that we’re loving – Desire*Design*Delight. We may be a bit partial because we had the pleasure of working with the blogger Allie, but she has a great eye and we’re sure you’ll enjoy what she has to share.
A couple weeks ago Allie blogged about the use of blackboard paint in the home. This inspired us to do our own round-up of spaces that incorporated charming chalk.
Bored with your room…
…follow the advice of Cococozy and cut up a large map, or poster, and frame it!
Recessed Lighting 101
When helping customers design spaces in newly constructed homes, or places undergoing a renovation, we often get questions about lighting plans – especially recessed lighting plans. We stumbled across a great blog post that offers some recessed lighting basics. Click here to read the post in its entirety, but we’ve included a few highlights below…
The Basics
- Recessed lighting is one of the most versatile ways to light a room
- Recessed lighting is available in a number of sizes and lamp combinations
- Recess lighting is available in compact fluorescent, which means significant energy savings
- A good recess lighting plan will provide general lighting in living rooms, family rooms, bedrooms and hallways, task lighting in the kitchen, and accent lighting for artwork
Designer spotlight: Charles and Ray Eames
Charles Eames (1907-1978) and Ray Eames (1912-1988)
Birthplace: Missouri and California (respectively)
Herman Miller Products: Eames molded plywood chairs, wire chair, molded plastic chairs, chaise, executive chair, lounge chair and ottoman, aluminum chairs, walnut stools, molded plywood coffee table, desk, wire-base table, elliptical table, dining and low table
With a grand sense of adventure, Charles and Ray Eames turned their curiosity and boundless enthusiasm into creations that established them as a truly great husband-and-wife design team. Their unique synergy led to a whole new look in furniture. Lean and modern. Playful and functional. Sleek, sophisticated, and beautifully simple. That was and is the “Eames look.” That look and their relationship with Herman Miller started with molded plywood chairs in the late 1940s and includes the world-renowned Eames lounge chair, now in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Their own concepts evolved over time, not overnight. As Charles noted about the development of the Molded Plywood Chairs, “Yes, it was a flash of inspiration,” he said, “a kind of 30-year flash.” With these two, one thing always seemed to lead to another. Their revolutionary work in molded plywood led to their breakthrough work in molded fiberglass seating. A magazine contest led to their highly innovative “Case Study” house. Their love of photography led to film making, including a huge seven-screen presentation at the Moscow World’s Fair in 1959, in a dome designed by their friend and colleague, Buckminster Fuller. Graphic design led to showroom design, toy collecting to toy inventing. And a wooden plank contraption, rigged up by their friend, director Billy Wilder for taking naps, led to their acclaimed chaise design. A design critic once said that this extraordinary couple “just wanted to make the world a better place.” That they did. They also made it a lot more interesting.
(image and bio via hermanmiller.com)
Wallpaper Remnants For Sale!
We finally had to part ways with our beloved “Deck the walls” holiday window display. We featured 5 stunning, gold wallpapers from Designers Guild and had a few customers ask if they could purchase some of wallpaper when the window display came down. Well, the answer is yes! We have one partial roll of each of the 5 Designers Guild wallpaper designs still available. We’ll be selling the partial rolls, measuring 20.5″ W by about 21′ L, for $75 per partial roll. These are a perfect buy for a small room or accent wall. We do have some even smaller remnant pieces available. Please contact us for details on those. Here’s a closer look at what we have…
Vastu upholstery in 7 steps: Steps 5, 6, and 7
We’re in the home stretch! We talked about the first two steps in the Vastu personalized upholstery process here, and then went on to share steps 3 and 4 in the process here. So you know that first you choose a style, then you determine dimensions, then you select a fabric (or leather), and then you choose a leg style and finish. Now, we’re going to share the final three steps you take to create your unique upholstered piece made by Steven Anthony.
Step 5: Seat and Back Cushions
You may choose how many cushions you would like for both the seat and back of your sofa or sectional assuming the style you choose has loose cushions. All of our loose seat cushion sofas are made standard with down-wrapped foam cushions. Watch this video for a closer look at how Steven Anthony constructs his sofa, sectional, and chair cushions:
Step 6: Cushion Firmness
Vastu upholstery in 7 steps: Steps 3 & 4
Well, we covered steps 1 and 2 yesterday, so now we can move on to steps 3 and 4 of the Vastu personalized upholstery process.
Step 3: Fabric or Leather
You can choose from hundreds of different fabric and leather swatches located throughout our store for your Steven Anthony upholstered piece. We’ve got some amazing choices – everything from incredibly durable microsuedes, top grain leathers, velvets, gorgeous woven upholstery, and more. We carry well recognized names in the world of upholstery like Maharam and Designer’s Guild. And while we’re confident most customers will find a fabric or leather they like from our numerous options, you do also have the option of providing your own upholstery. We want to ensure you’re getting exactly what you want!
Step 4: Legs and Frame
Wood legs and wood trim details are available in 16 different stains and finishes. Legs are also available in varying heights and a few different shapes. If you prefer your sofa, sectional, bench, ottoman, chair or bed had metal legs, no problem! You can choose from metal post legs, L-bracket legs and metal trim details – all available in a brushed or polished finishes in varying heights.
Vastu upholstery in 7 steps: Steps 1 & 2
Here at Vastu we’ve tried to streamline the upholstery ordering process. Since our Steven Anthony upholstered pieces can be made any way you like, we’ve developed 7 easy steps to help you create the beautiful, personalized furniture you’ve always wanted and we’d like to take a closer look at those steps here on the blog.
To get started, you must decide if you are planning to personalize a sofa, sectional, lounge chair, dining chair, bench, ottoman, or bed.
Step 1: Style
You can choose from a number of standard Steven Anthony styles either shown in our showroom or on our online catalog, or personalize a style all your own with our design staff. And keep in mind, our standard styles are just guides. You can change any of the styles in a number of ways.
Step 2: Dimensions
Designer spotlight: George Nakashima
George Nakashima, 1905-1990
Birthplace: USA
Knoll Products: dining table, coffee table and side chair
George Nakashima, wood craftsman and poet, studied architecture at the University of Washington, Seattle, the Ecole Americaine des Beaux-Arts Fontainebleau in France and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He worked for Antonin Raymond. Nakashima received the gold medal for craftsmanship from the American Institute of Architects and the Hazlett Award. The subject of several one-man exhibitions, Nakashima also authored The Soul of a Tree: A Woodworker’s Reflections.
(image via selectism.com, bio via knoll.com)
A Century of Saarinen: Form and Innovation
Brian Lutz, Author, “Knoll: A Modernist Universe,” and Deyan Sudjic, Director, London Design Museum, discuss Eero Saarinen’s groundbreaking work for Knoll.
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