Beautiful neutral living room

I know I'm always trashing beige so I thought I would show a room that is primarily beige and it's beautiful.

The owners of this home just finished a major renovation. They basically gutted the whole house to make more space for their family of four.

They wanted to keep the palate neutral. In other words: beige. We made the drapes and Roman Shades in a beautiful beige linen. They added a few key pops of color to make it un-boring.

This is how you do beige. In my humble opinion, anyway.

This area is my favorite. I love that they chose this bold blue for the fireplace.

The sparkle of the chandelier adds texture and drama.

Notice the colorful tea cups on the coffee table.

The fabric on the chairs and ottoman have a nice tone-on-tone pattern.

The room has style and sophistication.

The dark walnut floors and lighting are a nice contrast to the beige. And the royal blue paint above the fireplace ,with the custom artwork, make the fireplace a beautiful focal point. Of course the gorgeous stone tile and beautiful mantle help too.

How do you do beige?

Design inspiration from Kate Spade

I was all done pushing stripes until yesterday.

I got an email from Kate Spade that just screamed STRIPES! How could I not show you more? It was meant to be. The universe wants me to show you stripes. So here is part II of why you shouldn't be afraid of stripes.

You should embrace them.

Kate Spade in New York knows how to do stripes.

Wow. I wish I still lived on the East Coast.

All this color makes me want to shop.

Or eat a packet of Skittles candies.

Kate Spade Umbrella, $75

Rain or shine. They have you covered.

Folie Square Sophie, $275

The perfect tote for shopping in NYC.

Ribbon Mirabelle Dress, $595

Striped Lillith Skirt, $295

The perfect little black and white dress, or skirt,  for that summer wedding or cocktail party.

Note Cards: Live Colorfully Gift Set, $30

And the perfect little note cards to thank your hostess.

And that is today's fashion inspiration.

Thank you, Kate.

** All photos courtesy of www.katespade.com **

Try stripes for a change

Are you in a rut. Does your life, and your house feel blah and dull?

I know exactly what you need.

Stripes.

They are all the rage this season. They're bright and bold with big personalities.

Trust me. You don't need a therapist. You need some stripes.

Designers Guild. Collection Trevelyan, Pattern: Bakst - Turquoise

Trevelyan drapes. Gorgeous, right?

Colorful stripes = happiness.

The folks at Designers Guild, Osborne & Little and Cowtan and Tout know how to make fabric in beautiful colors. Let me show you.

Horizontal woven taffeta design with a chenille accent stripe. Pattern: Mazar Moss

Jacquard woven silk with a filigree design. Pattern: Benucci Moss

No boring beige here.

Osborne and Little, Pattern: Wicklow

Linen is big.

Osborne & Little, Pattern: Killarney

Roman shades made from this striped linen, with embroidered accent is really crisp and fresh on the window.

Osborne & Little, Pattern: Dingle and Galway

Think color.

Jane Churchill, Stripe Patterns: Brownlow and Deverell. Pillows: Larkin and Vita

 Color, color and more color.

Manuel Canovas, Belem Sofa with Alma, Frida and Japura pillows

You can't help but smile when you look at them. Right?

See. I told you. Way more fun then sitting in the doctor's chair.

Look, even Cole Haan is getting into stripes with this hand painted tote. Nice. But wait, it get's better. Scroll down and check out the shoes. Oh how I love those shoes.

Cole Haan Tote, $298

Cole Haan, Stephanie Air OT Clog, $328

Now you can be totally "in" head to toe.
 

All fabrics are available at Pollin's or through an interior design professional. ***Photos courtesy of Designers Guild, Osborne & Little and Cowtan and Tout and Cole Haan.***

Custom Leather and Cow-Hide Couches

We just finished two custom couches for the lounge area in the John Anthony Tasting room in Napa.

Each hide was hand selected.

A thousand nail heads were tapped in one at a time.

Everybody pitched in to get these done.

On the truck. Ready to be delivered.

Finding just the right spot to set them down.

A smile of approval.

The nail-head detail adds the finishing touch.

Kathleen Pfaff, Interior Designer, and Don Mulkey, Pollin's

All set. Now we just need to sit and enjoy a glass of wine.

Thank you!  John Anthony Sauvignon Blanc

Client: John Anthony Wine Tasting Room, 1st Street Napa
Interior Designers: Kathleen Pfaff and Elizabeth O'Rielly, West End Napa