/wallpaper

Design Find | Mural Wallpapers from A-New-Wall {anewall}

Given my passion for art, vintage etchings and wallpaper, today’s Design Find had me at hello. I love the idea of being able to craft an environment that feels like an utter escape into another world, another time. I particularly love doing so in powder rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms: Dining rooms, because they create a context for you and your guests to explore fascinating subject matter in a way that unleashes the imagination. Powder rooms because it is one of the few rooms in the house where you are left alone with your own thoughts, so what a perfect opportunity to dream of far away places for a few lovely moments? Bedrooms because they are the perfect place to create a sense of escape and sanctuary as the context for very sweet dreams.

The beauty of Anewall‘s products is that they offer total customization, so you can take the dimensions of your room, lay out where the doors and windows are located to ensure that the most interesting elements of your mural wallpaper get the best real estate, and then envelope your space in a scene that truly transports the imagination.

Images available range from historic paintings and etchings to more conceptual images, and Anewall will also work with your photographs and images to totally customize any wallpaper or mural your creative little heart could desire.

Stunning, right? The possibilities are truly endless. I so love stumbling upon product design innovators like this! Thank you to the brilliant design team at Anewall for stirring our imaginations into worlds of wonder. Now to find a project where I can use your beautiful product!

xo
s.

By |September 19th, 2013|1 Comment

Update 2 | Project Debonaire Young Sir

OK, so you may remember me mentioning that Noah has a fondness for a somewhat Scandinavian aesthetic. This likely conjures images of mid-century modern teak furniture and lots of white. Well, the white would be right – he’s already sophisticated enough to love white walls {that’s my boy!} – but the rest of Noah’s Scandinavian reference is different from what you might think. Think Scandinavian lifestyle – animal skin rugs, rugged outdoor activities and the like. That is the Scandinavian influence he loves! Fun, right?

As you may remember, just before Christmas I had an unbelievable, pinch me if this is real opportunity to take a whirlwind two day trip to Copenhagen with a lovely and very generous friend. With Noah in mind, I picked up a beautiful reindeer skin rug similar to the one pictured below while I was there. {The rugs were the by-product of animals that were naturally raised for organic meat}.

{Image source}

Despite the rug shedding terribly recently {apparently this is normal and will cease shortly}, this will be the anchor for his otherwise bare hardwood floors. I just love the natural colour palette, and he loves the soft landing when climbing out of bed in the morning! I’d call that a win-win.

The next hit of “Noah’s Scandinavia” is super fun and will be the focal point above his headboard. I love that it creates the feeling of a hunter’s cottage without any actual animals being harmed in the making of this particular feature. You may have seen him in magazines. I just love his whimsy and modern simplicity. Friends, meet Bucky.

Noah had a blast assembling his new cardboard forest friend, and we can’t wait to see Bucky proudly standing guard with his stoic, gentle silence over Noah’s sweet and sophisticated little nest.

Next on our list? Finishing Project Ugly Duckling. These two rooms are connected and we’d really like to get the bathroom done first. Drywall sanding {the messiest part} should hopefully happen in the next week as the drywaller fits us in between other bigger jobs, and then we can get to installing baseboards and crown, etc and then painting in prep for that glorious Fornasetti wallpaper!

The truth is that the sanding would already be done if we hadn’t tagged along on one of Graham’s work trips to Boston this week. After he had already been in California for two weeks for work, we decided we needed to eat dinner together more than one night in a row…so…Airmiles for flights and an already paid-for hotel room led to an easy decision to just go with him! Even though he was still working like a madman most of the time, it was really nice to consistently eat dinner together each night. Noah and I enjoyed exploring a bit of Boston {including some very patient tagging along on his part to the Boston Design Center}, we took a very inspiring tour of Harvard {Noah is now seriously fired up about the dream of studying architecture there – yahoo! for inspiration!} and most of all we were just grateful to all be together.

Now that we are back I am actually busily working on a fast-paced decorating project for my favourite client’s new lake house/cottage. It’s a beautiful post-and-beam structure that simply needs some furnishing as the previous owner’s choices were…well…a little too rustic cottage-y for this client’s tastes.  Let’s just say there was a lot of hunter green and tapestry going on. Not so fabulous. We are trying to get it done quickly so that they can start enjoying it as soon as possible with their large family. Here’s a sneak peak at the place…

The view of the lake is total serenity now. Just gorgeous! I’ll try to share some of the details on Project Lake House with you next week. Much of the furniture has already been ordered, so we’re going full steam ahead! Think calm and modern shades of grey mixed with neutrals and naturals, some texture and some gorgeous custom wood pieces. Knowing that custom furniture orders take time, there’s still lots to get done in order to have this family sitting around their new dining table in their new cottage for Thanksgiving this year! It’s so gratifying to work towards creating a beautiful environment for this family to connect with each other and make new memories! Makes the job much more meaningful.

That’s it from me for now…I hope you are having a thoroughly inspiring Thursday!

xo
s.

By |July 25th, 2013|0 Comments

Design Find | Eskayel

I recently stumbled upon a Brooklyn-based design studio that has me seriously swooning. Their aesthetic is both fresh and unexpected – edgy and sexy yet soft with a modern classic sensibility. I think it is their uniquely artistic, hand-painted patterns that have me most a-flutter. Add to that their environmentally responsible approach to interior surface design and I’m hooked. From fabrics to wallpaper and rugs to a collaborative furniture collection with ABC Carpet + Home, ESKAYEL totally has my number. Just take a peek at some of their designs. {*bites palm with excitement*}

It’s a watercolour, ink-blot damask wallpaper with allusions to Ikat patterns! Could it be any more GORGeous? I think not.

So delicate, so modern. One could transpose a thousand dreams onto these patterns, like finding shapes in the clouds on a perfect summer’s day.

The furniture collection in collaboration with ABC Carpet + Home is totally boho-modern chic.

How fabulous to infuse a space with some carefree, artistic brushstrokes with these incredible ottomans? Love.

By reproducing their hand painted patterns locally in the northeastern United States on natural and recycled grounds, Eskayel’s made to order fabrics and wall-coverings are as eco friendly as they are visually inspiring. Eskayel offers six major collections with 159 patterns and colourways available in PRIMA vinyl free residential and commercial wallpaper, CLASSIC clay coated wallpaper, recycled type II contract wallcovering, natural linen and organic denim fabric and more. Eskayel’s made to order fabrication methods accommodate almost any kind of customization. Colour and scale of existing patterns can be transformed or they can work with designers to create an entirely new design to fit in within your creative vision with virtually no minimums. Can anyone say “designer’s dream?” Yes please.

I think their rug collection may have wowed me the most. Crafted of 100% silk, these rugs are nothing short of spectacular.

I seriously just want to roll around on the rug pictured above. Not sure what that says about what I’m reading into the ink blot for this one…or about me in general!

Eskayel was founded in 2008 by artist and designer Shanan Campanaro. The Central St Martin’s graduate has worked in both graphic design and fashion, but has always been interested in interiors believing that the atmosphere and vibe of a room can transform ones mood. Having lived in many different spaces and more than a few countries before the age of 30, the importance of building an environment of true self expression and comfort in each of her homes became a huge priority and obsession.

Campanaro began by turning that passion into wallpaper and now with her partner, Nick Chacona, Eskayel continues to bring to the market innovative products of the highest quality that are luxurious, natural and beautiful.

I am going to be dreaming in watercolour and delicate pattern, longing for the day when I can use one of Eskayel’s fabrics on an upcoming project. Thanks so much for the inspiration, Shanan and Nick!

xo
s.

By |July 2nd, 2013|0 Comments