Interior Design Sense

I’m ALWAYS reaching for a notepad- especially during this crazy time of year.  My daily to-do lists seem to be getting longer as the holidays approach.  Most of my clients want their homes spruced up before they host their annual holiday parties and prior to family coming in.  To put it simply, the last few weeks and the next few weeks are hectic!

So of course, to keep organized I have my to-do lists all kept in a nice notebook- well maybe not that nice- a Mead Five Star from Walgreens.  I know, I’m out of college, so what I am doing still using these?

Today my notepad ran out of pages (gasp!) and to save myself from writing another item on my to-do list- “make a trip to Walgreens for to-do list notepad”, I saved myself a trip and found a fun notepad that someone from Archie Grand had kindly sent me a while back that I had been just waiting for the perfect opportunity to break out!  This is not just your average notepad…it’s actually stylish!  To be exact, it’s an adorable chartreuse notepad that caters to my profession.  I’m pretty sure that while Walgreens has everything else on the planet (god love ‘em), they don’t have one of these babies-

The “Designers I met and Liked” notepad by Archie Grand is awesome!  I love how it looks like a miniature book and is a lot less floppy than those $2 Walgreens pads with the metal spiral bound spine.  I really am a notepad’s worst critic, as I am attached at the hip to mine.

I had to post about Archie’s because I think it would make an adorable holiday gift.  Sure, not everyone’s a designer..but I bet you know some-

Secret Agents

Chefs

Actors

Husbands (from the past)

And if not, you can find a description of someone you know from their massive collection! They are all pretty comical! A+ Archie!

{Ikat Bowls, Anthropologie, $14…featured these back in September of 2009!}

It’s most definitely that time of year again, but doesn’t it seem like last Christmas was just yesterday? Where did 2010 go?!  Beats me!  Anyway, Elle Decor is featuring a Best of 2010 gift guide (all under $100), all great ideas for that design junkie in your life.  But what really caught my eye were the Ikat bowls from Anthropologie, a cool find that I had previously featured (all the way back in September of last year, I guess we were ahead of the curve!).  It really was the year of Ikat, wasn’t it?

Take a look at what else you might be placing under the tree this year…

{Rwandan Baskets, Trading4Treasures, $48-90}

{Nautical Print Hammer, $26, Alice Supply Co.}

Postcards from Penguin, Penguin, $25}

{Patterned Books, Victoria and Albert Museum, $13 each $48 boxed set of 4}

{Grapefruit Muguet Scented Candle, Belle Fleur, $48}

{Postcard Holder, $48, Jayson Home and Garden}

{Cream Mugs, Ancient Industries, $22}

Some pretty wreaths to inspire your holiday decorating…

{All images from Red Magazine UK}

Word on the street is that British interior designer Kelly Hoppen (and ex-step mum to Sienna Miller) will be helping William and Kate with the interior design of  their future London residence, Kensington Palace.

{Kelly Hoppen and Sienna Miller via Pop Sugar}

Apparently Will and Kate “want to create a modern quarter to live in” at Kensington (as told by Us Weekly).

I’d think that Kelly would be the perfect designer to help them achieve this.  She is apparently one of Victoria Beckham’s faves and if she is good enough for Posh and Becks…

Not only does Kelly provide interior design services, but she also has a line for Century Furniture.  Oh, and did I forget to mention the multitude of other lines that she has- including paints, candles, clothing, fabrics, shutters, and wallpaper?  She’s like the British version of Candice Olsen!

Can’t wait to see what she comes up with for Kate and Will (and let’s hope her design is featured somewhere for the public to see…hmmm I see an Architectural Digest cover in their future!)

You can never have enough reading material around the house.  Especially when it can double as decor.  These books not only bring inspiration but beauty to your coffee table, your bookshelves and your life.  Just a few must haves if you’re looking for a good gift for the design addict in your life this season! 

An Affair with a house – Bunny Williams

Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces – Apartment Therapy

The Great American Decorator – Billy Baldwin

Details – Lili Diallo

Hue – Kelly Wearstler

Happy Chic Colors – Jonathan Adler

A Perfectly Kept House is a sign of the Misspent life - Mary Randolph Carter

The Finest Rooms in America – Thomas Jayne

Vogue Living, Houses, Gardens, People – Hamish Bowles

There are certain designers that just seem to be everywhere these days, and Kelly Wearstler is definitely one of them.  From blogs to magazines to books to fabulous hotels and homes, this chic design diva is a hot commodity.  Ms. Wearstler was featured in Vanity Fair’s “My Stuff” section in the December issue, revealing her picks in shops, clothes, charities, movies and much more.  It’s always fun to get a peak into the inner workings of such a public figure, especially someone as glam as Kelly!

There’s a lot to choose from out there especially when it comes to re-decorating your home or just adding a few new pops here and there.  I’ve given it some thought and if I could have anything at all for Christmas my list would include the following:

I’m starting on the less expensive side so you don’t think I’m getting too greedy this year but I could really use some solid, clean bookshelves from Ikea (stacked with all new design books of course!)

Who doesn’t want a soft and cuddly faux fur throw for these cold winter nights?  These throws from Pottery Barn are on sale for $119

Another Pottery Barn favorite are these silver plated hurricanes for $79

Scalloped and antiqued mirror from Ballard Designs for $299

Surya Fallon 8′ x 11′ area rug from House Accents for $765

A pair of Milano gold leafed side tables

Christopher Spitzmiller lamps.  Lots of them!

My own custom shaped and upholstered headboard.  Fabric is still TBD

One of Charlotte Moss’ new rugs

Tufted slipper chair

A painting by Leah Durner

Seda France Japanese Quince diffuser

Hope you’re all enjoying the holiday season and have been able to come up with your own wish lists or new home projects for 2011.  We’ll keep the ideas coming so keep check  in regularly.  Until then, happy shopping!

A few months back, I was looking everywhere for the perfect lucite coffee table for my client, Becca.  As you know, lucite is not inexpensive and can often be difficult to find.  We searched high and low for the perfect 42″ square acrylic table (one that wouldn’t break the bank) and finally ended up going with online source, Plexi-Craft.   I hadn’t seen the table in her home until today and I absolutely LOVED it in person!  The quality was great and it looked beautiful (exactly like the inspiration photo she had shown them).

Plexi-Craft can apparently create anything that you dream up (within reason).  You can design it and order it custom….

Or go with one of their pre-made lucite pieces…

Either way, what a great, affordable acrylic source where you can get EXACTLY what you have in mind (and if you are anything like me, I always have a very specific vision in mind.  Whether or not I can find it ready-made, well, that’s a different story…)

I’m keeping Plexi-Craft on my lucite radar for sure!

Loving the white + gold tabletop selections on gilt.com right now!  You could decorate your Christmas table with finds from Kelly Wearstler, L’Object, Kim Seybert, and more! 

Awhile back, I came across the site for Parlor Textiles, a lovely collection of fabrics and pillows. I couldn’t recall where I found the site, but I know for sure it was via another blog. Then I received an email announcment just prior to Thanksgiving for Cyber Monday. As I was revisiting the site – I thought this is certainly something to feature here at Material Girls!  The fabrics and pillows are so pretty!

{It was this email that piqued my interest, once again.}

The Winter Floral fabric shown in marine.

I love the Indian Deco Floral, which comes in indigo, yellow, and red.

And the Simple Ikat, which also comes in terracotta.

BUT…what I really loved when browsing the site is when I came across Parlor Textile’s designer Angela Clinton’s blog were her unique concept / inspiration boards (many people know I love inspiration boards).

Check out Debut The Blog for even more!