Favorite Resources for Designing a Baby's Nursery

Today I am guest blogging at Averill's Odi et Amo as part of a “Shop Like a Design Blogger” series. For over a year, I have enjoyed  reading her thoughtful, inspiring blog and I am sure you will too. 

 

As many of you know, I love designing baby nursery rooms and the post {here} shares  some my favorite resources for crib bedding, nursery furnishings, lighting, rugs, wall art and of course storage. So if you are decorating a nursery or heading to a baby shower soon, you may find it helpful.

Wishing you a fabulous day!

 

*images courtesy of Rikshaw Design {top} and Rosenberry Rooms {bottom}

Guest Post at Journey Chic.... Candlelight Entertaining Ideas

Yes, I still have summer on my mind. And today I am thrilled to be guest blogging at the darling Journey Chic where I am talking about Candlelight Entertaining Ideas.

 

*image from Martha Stewart

Celebrating Summer.... Garden Accessories

No kidding, the other day I noticed a website promoting Halloween costumes and decorating items. Retailers, take note: please don't push us into fall just yet. It seems as if summer just arrived. In fact, I am still enjoying tending to my summer garden.

So, to celebrate summer and gardening, here are a few of my current favorite accessories... 

1. Garden Pruners {Daisy}, GardenArt.com
2. Heirloom Seed Collection, Terrain
3. Early Edibles, Jayson Home & Garden
4. French Plant Stand, Terrain
5. Strawberry Pot, Crate and Barrel
6. Zinc Outdoor Thermometer, Terrain
7. Frog Prince, Gump’s
8. Stone Squirrel Bench, Terrain

Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.

~ Sam Keen

Happy Summer Day!

Simplified Bee Buzz...

It has been hopping busy here at Simplified Bee this summer. As you can see from the  fresh new header, the blog has received a little face-lift. 

In the header, there are now tabs for readers to find more information about Simplified Bee. I am most excited about the "shop" tab which links to the newly launched online Simplified Bee store at Etsy. {I have always dreamed of having a retail store and this is my baby step! I 'm just sorry I can't thank you for dropping by personally and offer you a cup of tea while you shop.} The store offers hand-picked vintage tabletop and home decor items such as the fuzzy bunny coin banks {above} and horse bookends {below}. All pieces are carefully selected and there will be more items added frequently.

 

Thank you too for reading my blog and  feel free to drop me an email if there is something in particular you'd like me to write about. I love hearing from readers! Have a wonderful weekend. 

xo,

Darling Boys' Nautical Bedroom Design

With summer in full swing, I have seaside inspired interiors on my mind.

Designed by Toronto-based Anne Hepfer, this red, white and blue nautical boys’ bedroom was featured in House & Home July 2009 issue. With crisp white walls as a backdrop, the colorful elements in the room pop. The caned headboards by Robert Lighton are timeless and add wonderful texture. For bedding Hepfer mixes a variety of red and blue stripes. The red quilts and blue striped bedding are from The Land of Nod. The bed is layered further with  zigzag pillows by Madeline Weinrib and rope pillows by Williams Sonoma Home. The navy rug also by Madeline Weinrib introduces yet another pattern that coordinates beautifully in the room.  A tripod, sailboat bookends and nautical flags add to the coastal style. It also reminds me so much of Ralph Lauren. I just love this look... do you?

Still in a beachy mood? Drop by House and Home to see more seaside inspired interiors.

 

* photography by Michael Graydon and via House and Home

A Peek at John Robshaw's Fall 2010 Collection

Textile designer, John Robshaw is known for his fresh, worldly and colorful prints. Inspired by a trip to Pushkar, India, Robshaw's Fall 2010 Collection is beautiful. It offers a wide variety of styles and designs. Earthy shades of brown, green and gray and jewel tones in shades of blue, red and yellow make up the collection's color palette. Below are some of my favorites. 

Many of Robshaw's prints and accessories feature our elephant friend. Love the cotton/linen luggage tags {above}. Check out John Robshaw's new catalog here - do you have a favorite?

Have a wonderful week!

Cheery California Beach Bungalow by Designer Krista Ewart

This cheery beach house designed by Southern California-based, Krista Ewart was recently featured in House Beautiful and captures the relaxed SoCal beach vibe perfectly. Although the 1938 cottage located on Balboa Island is small in size {1,200 square feet}, the interior design is bold and bright.

Ewart brilliantly mixes patterns, color and texture throughout. It all really pops against the all white walls and ceiling. In the living room {above}, flowers are everywhere - in the vibrant artwork, sofa print and fresh blooms from vases. The green and white zebra rug is a playful, unexpected element.

   

 

Scallop shapes are also seen throughout the cottage including in the living room bookshelves, mirror above the fireplace and guest-kitchen countertop {above}. "Scallops are feminine, but not overly feminine, a great old-fashioned smiley shape. They're young and happy — like polka dots" says Ewart in her House Beautiful interview. The pink Smeg fridge says nothing but "happy" too.

 

Ewart add personality to the space by adding animal objects and figurines. One such animal is the elephant seen above beside the sunny window seat.

The refreshing  little girl's bedroom is darling with crisp white walls, turquoise vintage bed and "Bubble Up: side table in red from PB Teen. The rickrack details in the Roman shade and bedding give the room some feminine touches.

 

One luxury of living in California is being able to entertain outside most of the year. Ewart designed a colorful, approachable patio for guests to unwind. The 1960s patio furniture is the perfect form and scale for the space. Love the preppy, green surf board as a backdrop.

 

Parked outside the front gate {notice it too is scalloped!}, is a darling and of course colorful beach crusher bike by Liberty of London... available at Target! I want one and am talking about the beach cottage! Be sure to drop by House Beautiful to see more lovely pictures of this darling home.

xo,

 

 

*photos by Victoria Pearson and from House Beautiful

Art.Style.Innovation Palm Springs Store - Re-invented Vintage

While soaking up the sun poolside in Palm Springs this past spring, I planned an afternoon of furniture and home accessory shopping on North Palm Canyon Drive. Many vintage, retro and mid-century shops are located on North Palm Canyon Drive's uptown design district located between Alejo and Tachevah Streets.

 {Via Odi et Amo; Designer: David Jimenez; Photo: Stephanie Diani for The New York Times}

Not far from Trina Turk's home store, is a delightful and unique furniture store called  Art Style Innovation or ASI.  Just as it's name suggests, it's filled with re-invented vintage pieces updated using materials such as  acrylic, bold fabrics and high gloss lacquer paint. Many of the whimsical pieces are one-of-a-kind.

{image via Oprah.com}

ASI was created by Larry Abel and Raymond McCallister. The talented duo also owns larry abel / de-signs, vb., LLC a successful event production company with offices in Los Angeles and New York City. Their A-list clients include People Magazine, Elle and Bravo TV. Larry and Raymond have been swarming busy this year after designing Oprah's first edible set, made from pure Godiva Chocolate.  Yum. The details are simply spectacular, take a look here.

In addition to planning lavish productions, Larry & Raymond are  busy designing and putting an ASI twist on statement home furnishings and accessories. In the vignette above, ASI took a traditional shape of a bombay chest and added some fun and whimsy to it by making the shelves out of neon green acrylic. Atop the chest are clear candelabras inspired by the large candelabras Raymond's Grandmother displayed in her entry hallway. The pair of vintage chairs are a re-invention by ASI and were painted a high-gloss orange, reupholstered the seats with fun fabric and  removed the wooden back  replacing it with a hand carved back to mimic the original. The giant clock was originally a numbers panel , but  with the ASI touch it now makes a great piece of art that is also functional. 

ASI designs are inspired by just about anything. The legs of the long acrylic coffee table above were inspired by an urn found at an estate sale. The red sofa in the image above, was also re-invented by ASI. The arms of the sofa were streamlined, the legs were lacquered and it was reupholstered in a cherry red crocodile vinyl. The vintage chairs were also updated with an ASI point of view. The frames were painted in a modern high-gloss white, the seats were reupholstered with black patent leather, while frosted acrylic was an added detail to the back. The art above the sofa is by a local artist and also available at ASI.

 

ASI designed a series of playful and functional silhouette bookends that include roosters, sexy legs, and a pair of stilettos. The shadow images really pop on the bookshelf that was given an updated ASI look with white lacquer paint.

If you are looking for a touch of whimsy in your space, be sure to drop by ASI 's online  store or visit them in sunny Palm Springs.

xo,

 

*all photos used with permission from ASI or otherwise mentioned.

Simplified Bee Houzz Idea Book: Kitchen Backsplash Ideas

Have you dropped by Houzz yet? It is a wonderful place where you can find inspiration, information and advice from other home design fanatics. Browse photos from hundreds of architects and interior designers from around the world and save the images you like in virtual idea books.  Janell of Isabella & Max recently added a wonderful ideabook featuring beautiful outdoor living spaces. Go here to see Janell's ideabook.

Here is a sampling of pictures from an ideabook I created showcasing kitchen backsplash ideas. Go here to see more of this Houzz ideabook.

by schristen.com

by Amoroso Design

Gorgeous, wouldn't you agree?

xoxo,

*all images courtesy of Houzz

Friday Find: Sweden's Barnvänligt

First it was this set of ABC paper cups (made from recycled paper) that caught my eye on Cool Mom Picks. But when I visited Sweden's Barnvänligt I fell in love with so much more. 

Barnvänligts is a common Swedish word that means "Kid Friendly" and you know I'm a fan  of that. The store features stylish, yet functional and fun products for children aged 0-7 years. Lifestyle stuff for trendy kids - love it! Here's a small sampling of my favorite products available at Barnvänligt.

If you see something you like, live outside of Europe and would like to make a purchase - send Barnvänligt an email and they will help you!

Happy Shopping, Happy Friday!

Stella & Dot Jewelry Winner...

Sorry about the delay in announcing the winner of the Stella & Dot Jasmine Filigree Earrings. Comment number one {yes, number one} was selected out of 73 eligible comments by random.org.

Christine editor of the darling blog, Design Esquire was lucky number one. Congrats!

Be sure to drop by Design Esquire to take a stroll through Christine's garden, check out her updated Craig's List chairs and get inspired by her many sewing projects.

Thank you Stella & Dot stylist and Simplified Bee sponsor, Lynda for hosting this giveaway. Please drop by her online Stella & Dot store to browse and purchase some fashion-forawrd, beautiful jewelry.

Thank you all for reading Simplified Bee!