Special Delivery: A chic, tasteful baby! (Part 2)

It's not everyday you get to pick the brain of an interior designer, and get truly inspired design solutions from a professional in the industry. Well, not for free anyways. And since you all probably need a break from my ramblings and how my brain relates the twisted adventures of my dating life to interior design, I figured I would enlist the help of New York interior designer Lindsay Macrae to walk us through part two of this "Special Delivery" edition of homeboy.

 
                                                              Lindsay Macrae (www.lindsaymacraeinteriordesign.com),


Lindsay seen here, being fabulous.

a veteran designer with experience in both high-end residential design as well as commercial applications has worked for some of the most renowned design firms in the country, including Marc Michaels Interior Design and Gensler. I was lucky enough to snag a walk through of a recent nurseryproject she completed, to give you a professional perspective of how a soon-to-be bedroom comes to life. This particular project, located in a shoebox-sized nursery in Manhattan, is a perfect prototype for space saving solutions as well as overall scheme inspiration. Tres Chic!

 



What is the name, location and s/f of the project? A nursery for Bailey, New York City, 105 SF

 



What types of wants and needs, if any, did the clients have pertaining to this particular room?  Bailey was my clients’ first born so they did not know what they needed for their nursery.  I had no clue myself.  I did some nursery research online and interviewed several new mothers to get an idea of what we needed.  My clients were my dream clients.  They did not have any preconceived ideas for the overall design scheme.  They only told me that their daughter was going to be very sophisticated and they wanted the room to be calm.  I used that info to develop a couple of design schemes for them to choose from. 

Where do you normally take your inspiration from when you approach a design project, and where did it come from for this one?  My inspiration depends on the type of project.  For a retail project, for example, I may be inspired by the location of the store or the merchandise itself.  For a workplace project, my inspiration might be the heritage of the company.  For this nursery project, we wanted to create a calm and elegant space.  I was inspired by the softness of clouds and the muted blues and lavenders of an evening sky. (<-- Love that)

What considerations did you specifically have to focus on for this project (Colors? Storage? Etc)  This project was in a true Manhattan apartment so space and storage was a big concern.  I needed to make sure that I didn’t fill the room with anything that wasn’t functional.  I searched high and low to find a glider that wasn’t oversized.  This room did not have a closet so I used a towel bar mounted on the underside of a wall shelf to create a clothing rod.

 

What was your overall goal for the project? My main goal was to have a happy client and relieve some of the stress associated with preparing for a new baby.  As an Etsy shop owner, I also wanted to support fellow shop owners by furnishing as much of the nursery as possible with items from Etsy.com.

 If you could colonize and design any of the planets in our solar system, which one would it be? What would be the design concept be? Venus – because it’s warmer there!  I would juxtapose futuristic furniture with old paintings of the Greek goddess, Venus. (<-- Obvi.)

Were there any challenges to this project?  The room was small, there was no closet, and there was a large free-standing air conditioning unit in the corner.  The A/C unit had to stay so I had to find a way to disguise it without blocking the flow of air.  I ended up using a folding screen/room divider which added to the charm of the room.  Also, My client’s due date got pushed up by 3 weeks so time was a concern.  I was in a mad rush at the end to get everything installed by the time my client returned home from the hospital. 

What tips do you have, as a professional, when it comes to clients who would like to design their own spaces like this one?  Don’t limit yourselves to standard children’s furniture and furnishings.  Think outside of the box.  Turn to local flea markets, antiques stores, and sites like etsy.com for one-of-a-kind furnishings.  If you’re on a budget, check ebay.com and craigslist.com first for nursery items – there’s a lot out there. (So true! Design is accessible, people!) Don’t limit yourself to a blue scheme for a boy or a pink scheme for a girl.  This is your baby’s first impression on the world.  Don’t be afraid to make a sophisticated, artsy, or wacky room.  Chose whatever colors and inspiration you like and have fun with your project!  (I love her.)
 

  What is your favorite color, pattern or feature you like to try and implement into a space to give it your signature?  A Louis Ghost Chair (by Philppe Starck for Kartell).  It’s the perfect mix of historical style and modern materials. (Fab.)  For this project I got to use a child-sized Louis Ghost Chair. (Baby fab.)

 What is your favorite candy? Chewy Nerds.  Hands down. (Bet you didn't see that one coming.)
 
By using cool greys, whites and touches of antique shimmer, Lindsay has concieved a really sophisticated baby room, hands down. This is also a great example of how you may think that your space doesnt have the square footage you need to properly execute a design this flawless, but it's all about proper planning. Good luck on your new adventures future mommies and daddies, and make sure to check out Lindsay Macrae's website at www.lindsaymacraeinteriordesign.com for a more detailed glimpse into her portfolio!

homeboy.
 

Special Delivery: A chic, tasteful baby! (Part 1)

So here you are, 8 months pregnant. Your feet hurt, your back hurts and even your boobs hurt. You can’t put your rings on, your ankles resemble a freshly fed pet python and o top it all off, you can’t even dye your roots for some reason. If dealing with daily phone calls from your mother in-law wasn’t enough, the constant pressure of finally getting around to the baby’s new room is looming overhead like some generic pink or blue cloud. It’s easy, right? Depending on whether the stork drops off a little Jane or John, simply dump is much cute princess or baseball junk in a small room, make it as obnoxious as possible and live with it for the next 3+ years.  Well I’m here to tell you, Mommy or Daddy, that it doesn’t have to end like this! Let me break it down for you: A baby room doesn’t have to be some expectation or cookie cutter version of what Grandma wants it to be. Designing for babies is perhaps your only chance to design a pure fantasy room. This room will serve as your new addition’s portal to another world, full of personality and fun. That being said, there are ways to incorporate baby’s room as a part of the parent-pad in a chic and sophisticated way.



 

 

 Let’s start with some inspiration rooms I’ve found for you. Notice the muted color schemes and the graphic nature of each space. By incorporating a large graphic or pattern along one (and I mean ONE) wall, you get all that bang for your buck in one sitting. Also, in little Aiden’s case, an amazing light fixture serves as the feature of his muted room. What do I mean by muted? Here’s the deal: Color selection is really imperative when it comes to baby rooms. The days of Pepto pink and Smurf blue are over. You want to make sure that the colors selected are toned down, so baby can find his or her new out-of-womb digs relaxing and comfortable. Infusing more saturated tones of greens and yellows is fine, but keep it to a minimum as these hues have proven to be irritating and unsettling to our little ones.

 

Speaking of that ONE wall, perhaps the most chic and trendy way to put your bundle of joy above the rest is to apply a large scale pattern, print or graphic to the space. Let your imagination run wild here, with chevrons (tres chic), polka dots, tribals or even large-scale prints of old fairy tale illustrations. A wall treatment like this is super easy and instantly sets the tone for the room.

 

For your Jane:

 

For this little Princess, we’re putting her up in the perfect princess tower. Start off with some classically lined furniture like this crib and changing table from Pottery Barn Kids. These pieces give off a traditionally girly feeling. Keeping them white makes things light and airy, and compliments the overall Color palette of lavender, White and cream. Another piece of important furniture is the comfy chair for mom or dad. This is another piece that can stand on its own and really make a statement. In this case, I’ve selected a Horchow piece with beautiful feminine arms and a contemporary scroll pattern in shades of cream and ivory. These pieces are all set against a lilac chevron wall pattern and a large art piece from an antique Grimm’s fairy tale book. The piece I’ve chosen is a beautifully chic portrait of Sleeping Beauty, a perfect fit for your little Sleeping Beauty (see what I did there?). Top it all off with a fabulous light fixture made of glass flower blossoms, like this one from Eurofase, and she’ll be dripping in sophistication before she can even say “feed me”.

 

For your John:

 

 

This space ranger is going to be the envy of all of his friends, as soon as they learn to understand what’s going on. Muted tones of teal and grass provided a fun alternative to powder blue. Colors like these give a fun punch to a boy’s room along with a large wall graphic of the rings of Saturn. Along with the wall graphic, add a fun UFO-meets-ice cream print, like this one from Love, Ashley Designs. The crib and changing table, both from Kalon Studios, are a mixture of natural wood tones and a hint of lime green. These piece also have some mid-century modern lines that give a space-age feel. Add in a fluid armchair, like this one from Horchow, to class it up a bit. This is all going to look amazing underneath the neato, spacey light fixture which emits light shapes like stars and suns. What a perfect alternative to a traditional mobile, right? I got your back.

 All in all it's not too hard to prep your soon to be kid for design greatness. Don't forget to think outside of the box when it comes to the whimsically chic world of Bay room design, and make sure to check out part 2 of my Special Delivery design study next week, where we get an exclusive walk through or a recent nursery project from New York based Interior Designer, Lindsay Bishop Macrae!

 

Homeboy.

 

 

To check out more fun prints from Love, Ashley Designs, check out the Etsy Shop here: (http://www.etsy.com/shop/LoveAshleyDesigns).

 



15 Minutes of Fame

Admit it: Just like me, you’ve fantasized about sitting in the kitchen with Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia, eating cheesecake and reminiscing on time gone by with the aid of whirly flashbacks. In your mind, you’ve taken an imaginary tour of their matriarchal beehive, checking out the terra cotta entryway and sipping iced tea on the lanai. Thanks to the silver screen, the living spaces of our favorite TGIF characters have become commonplace in our minds. Over the years we’ve become so familiar with these pads that it’s totally normal to picture yourself strumming the guitar with Uncle Jessie in his basement apartment… Or was that just me? But before you decide to bust out your Dynasty décor, tread lightly. Remember: it’s totally cool to use eclectic inspiration from the Friends pad; after all, these interiors are strategically designed to reflect the inner psyche of our favorite characters. But if your friends, family or other half all of a sudden walk over your threshold and onto the set of Star Trek, we may have a problem.

 Either way if you’re feeling a bit nostalgic these days and looking to infuse some TV magic into your space, here’s your chance. For you, homies, I have amassed four famous floor plans from artist Iñaki Aliste Lizarralde, and put together a few things to help you evoke the feeling of these super-cool TV interiors.

 

Who doesn’t love the bachelorette pad of Carrie Bradshaw? If those walls could talk, right? The sort of amazing thing about Carrie’s apartment is the balance between masculine and feminine.  Soft greys and blues wash the walls, while masculine leather furniture sits in the living area. Add some gallery frames above your plush bedding and maybe even take the doors off of your closet for an exposed look. Before you know it, you’ll be living in an unrealistically large apartment, rent free, in the middle of Manhattan!

 

 

Remember the zany antics of our old friends Will & Grace? How about their fabulous upper-east side apartment? This 2/1 split boasted an eclectic yet sleek aesthetic, showing off a lived-in and styled living space. Obviously, the place was the brainchild of Will (again, obviously) and wouldn’t be too hard for you to emulate, granted you include a few design keystones. A tailored sofa, mimicking a men’s suit, set next to a hearty leather lounge chair sets the mood. Putting those pieces with a collection of décor like an antique telescope or a bust of some philosopher and the addition of a subtle paint mixed with a vibrant one makes you a compulsive gay man and a manic straight woman all rolled into one.

 

So you feel a little dangerous. But at the same time you love the tropics. You’re also a serial killer. OK maybe not the serial killer part, but you love Dexter! Invoke the vibes of this hit show (sans the sharp objects and bloody tarps) by taking it to Miami. Use fresh, minty greens and blues along with some mid-century modern furniture to start. Add in a cool, geometric bookcase and a masculine, modern office chair with your desk and you’re really giving that old-school casual Miami feel that Dexter’s murder mansion is known for.

 

Let’s take it way back with some I Love Lucy styling! This doesn’t mean that you need to put your partner in a separate twin bed, it just means that you need some traditional vintage furniture, a muted paint scheme and an exposed brick wall. The Ricardo household was somewhat minimal, but that doesn’t meant that you couldn’t jazz up that Frank Lloyd Wright inspired chair with a funky plaid upholstery to give your space a kick.

So next time you're watching the tube and you see an interior that speaks to you, Remember what the first rule of casting is: pick out key elements that stand out to you and go with it.

Homeboy. 



Swag: Not Everyone's Got It.

There are few things in life that are negotiable. Aside from the obvious clean fingernails or must-have little black dress, window treatments are also at the top the list. How hard can it be, right? Just buy whatever drapery panels are in the sale bin and molest your window with them. It’s like forcing your poor windows to wear some ill-fitting outfit, condemning them to a life of ridicule and looks that say “something just isn’t quite right in here”. Well homies, it’s high time you took a good look at your windows and asked yourself: Is this really the look I’m going for?  Any windows located in your area should be thought of as subconscious points of interest. No matter how large or small, these panels of glass break up the monotony of the wall while most times, letting in natural daylight. It’s important to dress these windows appropriately, and to understand that treating your windows like an afterthought could make you the laughing stock of your next dinner shindig. OK, maybe that’s dramatic, but you get it.

My theory on Window treatments? I’m glad you asked. Here it is: you don’t want to be that girl. You know, the girl that everyone’s met. The one who’s makeup just isn’t quite right. You know what I’m talking about. Her eyeliner is always a little wonky, her powder line is clearly visible or her eye shadow is just a little much. Your window treatments add to the cosmetic nature of your room, and when things are off, it’s like a bad makeup job. However, there are some key basics when dealing with draperies and window treatments which, if followed, can keep you ready for your close-up.

So first, let’s point out some common mistakes made when it comes to window treatments. These  design devils usually appear in the form of vertical blinds, incorrect length, dated and overdone embellishments or poor care.

 

1. When it comes to vertical blinds, enough is enough people. If possible, avoid these at all costs. They will basically add about 10 + years onto the face of your pad. I know what you’re thinking: what about privacy? Well if you don’t want your neighbor to see you vacuuming in the buff, don’t worry. A perfect alternative to vertical blinds would be trying screen panels. These panels, usually sold with track systems, offer just the right amount of opaque privacy, with a contemporary, graphic edge. Super sleek, super now.

2. Another window woe is the ever-puzzling length dilemma. Ask yourself this: would you ever intentionally walk out of the house with slacks that were 8” too short? Didn’t think so. I’ve highlighted here for you the area in which I like to refer to as “the vortex”. This expanse of baron wall, much like the Bermuda Triangle, is an area of mystery to me. For the record, your drapery panels should always hit the floor. If you think I’m being mean for saying so, just know that I had to break the news to my mother 2 weeks ago. Panels are readily available in 3 common sizes (84”, 96” or 108”) to suit standard window frame heights. In a nutshell, always think it’s better to go longer than shorter. Ideally, your panels should brush the floor, however a little pooling never hurt anyone. Pooling, or when the panels gather on the floor, offers more of a luxurious look. So ditch the highwaters and wade on over to the deep end of the design pool[ing].

 

3. Let’s say you feel like your windows need a little something extra. Or perhaps you’re just really into ancient mythology. Well before you try to dress your window up like a Greek goddess, take a moment to reconsider. The “swag” as it’s become affectionately known as, is one of my least favorites. This styling technique is dated and dreary, while in the meantime a major dust collector. Though it’s sad to say that the Dynasty days are one, if you feel the need to cap you windows off, I get it. A well-done valence can add great dimension and a hint of added architecture to any space. My advice is to try and get your hands on a piece of reclaimed wood that you can fashion into a shallow valence. Pair your new find with some fitted micro shades for an awesome rustic-contemporary combo. Can you say conversation piece?

 

4. Broken blinds? Get it together! Nothing says “dorm room” like some crack house blinds. Horizontal blinds are more often than not a stock choice and come with most houses or apartments. Furthermore, these babies are really hard to keep looking, um, nice. Take those suckers down and replace them with some luxurious, yet sleek Roman shades. Roman shades will instantly up the ante of your space.

So next time you go to address your waning windows think of this: They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, right? Well wouldn't that make windows the eyes to your living room...? *Mind Blown*

Homeboy.