2014 Pantone Color: Radiant Orchid

Happy New Year!  With a new year comes a new Pantone color and for 2014 it’s Radiant Orchid.  This rich hue is full of fuchsias, purples,  and pinks undertones.  Radiant Orchid sparks imagination and creativity.  Since fashion is normally around one year ahead of interiors when it comes to trends, we can expect to see elegance come back in to popularity.  I look forward to using this color in design projects for 2014! Enjoy!

2014 Pantone Color of the Year: Radiant Orchid 

 

A Crayon Box : Dining Room Chairs

The warmer, sunny weather is putting me in a cheerful and colorful mood. My mood is working its way into researching colorful dining room chairs. Here’s a crayon box full of dining room chairs, covering the entire spectrum! Enjoy the sunshine!

Dining Room by Su Casa Designs

Mediterranean Dining Room by Jessica Helgerson Interior Design

Dining Room by Diego Alejandro Design

Dining Room by Optimise Design

Dining Room by TruexCullins Architecture + Interior Design

Dining Room by Martha Angus Inc.

Contemporary Dining Room by Sabal Homes

Dining Room by Cheryl Burke Interior Design

Dining Room by London Interior Designer Design-OD

Click on the above images to learn more about the designs!

April showers bring May flowers: Floral Decor

Well, April is drawing to a close and May is almost here!  I can’t believe it!  Soon flowers will be in full bloom.  Floral artwork and accessories are quite popular and can really add that pop of color to your space.  And for those of us lacking a green thumb it’s a way to bring nature indoors.  Sometimes a floral upholstered piece looks great too!  Let’s take a look at a few examples:

Contemporary Kids by Mexico City Interior Designer Silvia Garcia Interior’s

Contemporary Dining Room by Los Angeles Interior Designer Sara Ingrassia Interiors

I love how these floral chairs add just the right touch of whimsy!

Contemporary Dining Room by Kelowna Interior Designer Begrand Fast Design Inc.

Notice how the artwork ties in several colors in the space.  Sometimes starting with the artwork and working backwards will give you a great color palate.

Traditional Family Room by San Francisco Interior Designer RANERE DESIGN GROUP

The vibrant colors in the rug really add life to this room.  I love the dark walls!

Traditional Dining Room by Boston Architect Jan Gleysteen Architects, Inc

Check out this funky room! The floral wallpaper becomes the rooms artwork.

Happy May Day tomorrow!  Perhaps some flowers will brighten your day!

Focus : Lighting

Lighting is a key element to design. It could arguably be one of the more critical and functional elements to design. So, since you HAVE to have lighting… make it worthwhile and take time to select the right fixture for your space. Here are some examples of fixtures that might inspire you to reconsider lighting in your home!

Cage Pendant – Regina Andrew

Sewing Thread Pendant Light – Filagree Creations Etsy Shop

Industrial Pendant Light in Clear or Mercury Glass – West Elm

Rustica – Studio Jota

Denley 6 Light Pendant – Ballard Design

Bluff City Pendant – Design Within Reach

Capiz Pendant Light – Pottery Barn

Jeeves Pendant Light – YLighting

Click on the above photos to learn more about the products!

Planning the Ideal Home Office

A home office is a space to escape from a chaotic home, become inspired and focused. Right now, I’m dreaming of my next home office. Currently, my home office is a bunch of studs and sub floor. I’m starting with a blank slate. My creativity is running wild with possibilities to transform a bare, newly constructed room into a productive, functional and inspiring space.

Home Office by Dana Lauren Designs

Storage

Aside from being charming, I admire the cabinets and they’re ample storage! Keeping the ugly office supplies concealed in refreshing white cabinets would keep the desk space clutter free. There is plenty of daylight, but the space does need more lighting for evening and night-time use.

Home Office by Armsden Architects

Office Chair

Spending quite a bit of time working at a desk, a comfortable chair is a must! As I always say – sit in the furniture before you make a purchase. Lean on it. Lounge in it.  Do what you would do if you were sitting it in for a few hours. You may feel silly slouching and lounging on a chair in public, but it will help you determine if the chair is right for you! Every person is portioned different and has different preferences on seating.

Home Office by Lindsay von Hagel

Desk

The style of desk needs to reflect your level of usage. Don’t use a desk often or have much to store? You could probably get by with minimal storage in the desk. Keeping the desk organized and tidy this well all the time is unrealistic for everyday use. Desk selection should be planned according to your usage level. Side note: This wall map is repurposed as wall art – just as Laura wrote about in a past Hepburn Interiors blog post here!

Home Office by Collaborative Design Group-Architects & Interiors

Lighting

Talk about a crafters dream room! This office space offers multiple types of lighting. The under cabinet lighting works as task lighting. This helps illuminate the spaces where the user is creating or making something. The incredible chandelier provides excellent overall ambient lighting. It illuminates the entire space with an even light. The recessed light above the computer area provides accent lighting directly over the computer work space.

Click on the above images to learn more about the designs!

Before and After : Home Staging

Home staging is an excellent way to showcase features or important rooms of a home. Whether or not you are selling your home, we can help you use furniture you already own to make your space inviting to guests or potential buyers. Below is a before and after of a family room in a single-family home. The Before photo was the family room while on the market in 2010. The After photo was the family room as it was staged, on the market in 2013. Keep in mind, this was the first impression of the home to everyone who entered. What is YOUR first impression?

BEFORE: The home was occupied by a single renter, leaving most of the space unfurnished. The windows had vertical blinds for window coverings, which left them visually unbalanced. The wall color was a pale yellow which continued into the adjacent kitchen. The light flooring and remaining white walls washed out the space. As shown, the home was on the market for almost 6 months.

AFTER: Obviously, the homeowner occupied the home while on the market in this case. Floor length curtains replaced the vertical blinds. This made the ceiling look taller and balance the windows much better. The walls were painted a warm khaki color. A collection of  world maps framed in a collection helped fill out the space on the largest wall. Lastly, I recommended the homeowner to remove clutter, dog bed pillows, personal photos, etc. As shown, the home was on the market for 20 days.

Even if you are selling a home without furniture (due to immediate relocation, vacancy, etc.) you can still improve the appearance of an empty room with window coverings or paint.

Let us help you with these updates that make major difference! It will greatly improve showings of the home!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day Weekend! This year, I am spending St. Patrick’s Day among the crowds at the Flower & Garden Show at Navy Pier in Chicago. Laura will be celebrating in downtown Indianapolis. What a busy weekend it’ll be…

So, we’re starting the celebration now with the Pantone 2013 Color of the Year : Emerald (Or similar shades!). With an appropriate splash of gold!

Living Room design by Tobi Fairley Interior Design

Contemporary Bedroom design by Dallas General Contractor Rosewood Custom Builders

Living Room by Sally Wheat Interiors

Contemporary Bedroom design by Atlanta Interior Designer Cristi Holcombe

Geometric Yellow and Green Pillow – The Classy Cottage

Modern Bedroom design by New York Interior Designer Amy Lau Design

Trend : Coral

Coral is a charming color, inspired by tranquil seas. I think by now, we’re all looking forward to warmer weather. Seems like today is a good day to warm up and see how the coral trend crosses over from bedrooms to living rooms to patios! As you can see, it is versatile : pairing nicely with other warm neutrals, white, teal and navy. A simple foot stool, pillow or an entire chair in coral can warm things up!

Bedroom design by Blue Sky Building Company

Living Room design by Charmean Neithart Interiors

Bedroom Design by Interior Designer Meredith Heron

Home Office design by REFINED LLC

Love the coral on the back of the white shelves. I received that teal and coral vase as a Christmas gift this past year! It’s from Anthropologie!

Dining Room design by Sara Tuttle Interiors

Bedroom design by Lisa Benbow – Garnish Designs

This color is more orange, but I love that octopus!!

Patio design by Calico Corners

Bring trends to the outdoor living spaces!

Click on the above images to learn more about the designs!

Closets: Mess or Magnificence?

I trust you all had a great weekend!  I know I did.  But at the end of the day on Sunday it seems I am always cleaning up from fun times with family and friends.  Which got me thinking… can you use design principles in a storage space?  Sure!  Color, layout, and texture are just a few examples.  Let’s take a look at some closets ranging from everyone’s dream to the closets found in a typical home.

Traditional Closet design by Houston Interior Designer Munger Interiors

Contemporary Closet design by Los Angeles Closets And Organization Lisa Adams, LA Closet Design

I’d be in shoe heaven!

Contemporary Closet design by Detroit Kitchen And Bath EuroCraft Interiors Custom Cabinetry

Traditional Closet design by Raleigh Design-build Will Johnson Building Company

Closet design by Other Metro Closets And Organization The Stow Company

Contemporary Closet design by New York Closets And Organization transFORM | The Art of Custom Storage

Happy organizing everyone!  And if you need any helpful hints drop us a line!  We’d be more than happy to assist!

Mirror, mirror, on the wall

Happy Thursday!  I hope you all had a lovely week thus far.  While reflecting back on my week I got to thinking about mirrors.  How great they can look in a space, the light they can add to a room, and that special finishing touch a mirror can add!  So let’s take a look at a few!

Photo by Stacy Vazquez-Abrams: Photographer. See more transitional dining room designs

Photo by Jarlath Mellett. See more contemporary hall designs

Photo by Dreamy Whites. See more shabby-chic style living room designs

Photo by Pepe Calderin Design- Modern Interior Design. See more modern bedroom designs

Photo by Lindsay von Hagel. See more eclectic bathroom designs

Photo by Peg Berens Interior Design LLC. See more contemporary bedroom designs

Photo by Charmean Neithart Interiors. See more traditional living room designs

Photo by Craig Denis. See more traditional dining room designs

See more contemporary bedroom designs

See more contemporary living room designs

Photo by Kerrie Kelly Design Lab. See more contemporary dining room designs