Now I am telling… these beauties are from Salvation Jane, a homewares company in Melbourne, Australia that is owned by Jane Hall who is an actor with a design background. Other cutie cases with hearts and crosses are available too and are shown below. I love how modern and crisp they are.
First, a little about the lovely ladies behind the firm. “Lisa Martensen and Jan Jones have each worked in the advertising, editorial, and retail industry for over 25 years as make-up, fashion, and interior stylists. Lisa has a degree in Interior Design and Jan has a BFA in Art History.”
I recently spotted Massucco Warner Miller Design and had to give you a glimpse of their portfolio as they have such swanky (yet warm and livable) rooms that I’m really liking… If you’re keen on color and pattern, you may enjoy these spaces too. I have a feeling that this firm has a real love affair with one of my favorite color combos – orange and blue!
Interior designers Julie Massucco, Melissa Warner, and Carrie Miller make up the firm of Massucco Warner Miller which has three locations on the west coast — in LA, Seattle and San Francisco. They are popping up on lots of blogs and magazines lately and for good reason — these three ladies are a talented triple threat. I love seeing talented woman working together and making a difference and even though some may call interior design shallow or materialistic I call it essential — a great home that reflects your tastes and passions, one that supports your health and well-being, well this is not a vain pursuit and does make a huge impact on your life. I find their designs welcoming, whimsical and fresh. It’s hard to not feel happy in rooms like these!
Today I was reading One Kings Lane and noticed that these three ladies gave some very valuable tips on decorating that I think you may find helpful.
I first found out about Gary Spain in House Beautiful magazine — he is an interior designer based in San Francisco who has some lovely homes in his portfolio that you and I can peek in on today. His work gives a fresh twist to more traditional furnishings and I like how well he layers textures, patterns and colors because the results are welcoming and cozy but also a bit decadent and luxurious.
What elements in these rooms do you appreciate? I like the brown bathroom with that old-fashioned toilet (I know, right — of all things to pick out I like the toilet! LOL) and the round white coffee table with the black base along with all of that pink and black — pretty!
(images: gary spain)
Designer Donna Wilson in London is no stranger to this blog, I’ve talked about her work twice before (first in 2006!) though it’s been awhile… Let’s check in on this talented lady for a moment to see what she has been up, shall we? Yes, we shall.
Donna has lots of quirky home accessories in her collection but my favorites include the girl pillow, house blanket, trays, and most of all the hand painted pups! Playful, tactile, colorful… her work covers everything from art to knitted monsters and ceramics so I encourage you to check out her site as there is truly something for everyone. You can see more of her work in-situ along with some of the shows she has been in by following her blog, Leaves and Twigs.
I had a chat with interior designer Kristen Hutchins recently, she’s been on her own a little over two years but also spent two years working with Kelly Wearstler and another two years with Ruthie Sommers. Imagine working with Ruthie and Kelly! Kristen’s portfolio reflects that pulled-together California-chic aesthetic that we all know and like so much. Here are some of my favorites…
Kristen was born in Miami and grew up in Florida, then traveled to California when she was 18 to study Business and fell in love with the west coast lifestyle. While in college she had the honor of working in fashion at Barneys New York and the exposure to such inspiring designers and clothing helped surface her long time love of interior design.
After completing her Business degree, she decided to pursue a formal design education at UCLA and then went on to work with designer Ruthie Sommers and then, more recently, Kelly Wearstler where she worked as a senior designer. After a few years with Kelly she felt ready to go out on her own and launched Kristen Hutchins Design.
What a wonderful story of a strong, talented woman determined to pursue her passions with beautiful results!
(images: kristen hutchins design)
Have you visited the online portfolio of New York Interior Designer Amanda Nisbet? No, you say? Time to change this and peek into her perfectly designed rooms along with me. I spotted her in a recent issue of Elle Decor and well all I can say is don’t expect minimalistic, Plain Jane, or mostly neutrals with Ms. Nisbet. Oh no. She goes big, bold and all fancy-like and you most certainly won’t be catalog shopping with her at West Elm. She’ll introduce you to fabric lines you can’t pronounce. She may paint your crown moldings purple. And if given the chance, Nisbet will deck out your daughter’s bedroom so exquisitely that your little princess just may stop texting long enough to thank you. And your fear of mixing patterns or how to make purple look grown up? Gone, abracadabra… poof!
If I could rewind and be a purple-loving one eye one horned tweenster again, I’d surely want this room to be my own. Okay, maybe part of me wants this room now.
Check this out… monogrammed towel perfectly placed, gorgeous silver leather pouf for resting fashion mags, ledge for a glass of wine, gorgeous soaking tub surrounded by lush pink floral wallpaper. Yes, please. I’ll be over at 7:00 with lavender balt salts and a bottle of Riesling.
(images: amanda nisbet design)