Kelly Wearstler's Fern Tree for $28 a yard!

Last Friday I made a quick trip out to the amazing fabric store Haute in Marshall, VA (www.hauteonline.com) hoping to find fabric for the family room couch I'm having reupholstered. JACKPOT - Kelly Wearstler's Fern Tree for Schumacher in charcoal grey/ivory at $28 a yard. (Later I read on Pink Wallpaper that this fabric retails for over $200 a yd)

I had a brief moment of hestitation so I'm so glad my friend Anne was there to encourage me to get it - especially since a number of other shoppers started eyeing my prize. Now the only question was would there be at least 12+ yards? I wasn't sure as the bolt didn't seem that large. After 5 yards we found the fabric was cut. My heart started pounding a bit (I know - it's "only" fabric) Well we got to 12 yards and I saw there was more so I kinda shouted out "I'll take it all!" I felt like I was in a casino putting all my chips on Red. My winnings - 18 3/8 yards. Although my husband reminded me it technically wasn't a "winning" but a purchase. Don't quite agree with that...

So now, here's my dilemma. Which way do I run the fabric? Vertical or Horizontal??
( Horizontal Repeat - 3.5", Vertical Repeat - 18.875")


This is not my couch (mine is more straight lined) but it gives an idea. So, what do you think?

(image of couch via Pink Wallpaper. Sorry for the lack of links. I'm posting from my ipad and forgot how to do this)

Elegant Courtyard Stunner Home Designs

house plans designs

Distinguished Eye Candy

In a recent blog post about her love for white, Canadian House & Home Design Editor Kathryn Bala posted a picture of her loft that appeared in House & Home's January 2010 issue. I'm noticing how a few elements, such as the leather bound books, worn wing back chair, period portrait and ticking stripe pillows take this space in a formal, distinguished direction. Also love how she paired the round, modern bulbs with the zinc finish chandelier. Photography by Donna Griffith.

Patterned Floors in Mary Douglas Drysdale's Living Room

I'm still thinking about the patterned floors in Mary Douglas Drysdale's living room at the Richmond Symphony Designer House. Here's some close-up pics of the floor that Tom Hickey and his staff at Rising Tide Inc created based on Mary's design. Beautiful work.

Love this floor too! Hope you're having a good weekend. I'm off to San Francisco later in the week.

Barn Sale in Vienna

Sharon Hayden of Fabulous Finds is holding one of her well known Barn Sales this Saturday September 25th from 8 am - 4 pm, 1870 Hunter Mill Road Vienna, VA. I went to the last one and came home with some beautiful vintage Italian sconces. A portion of the sales will be given to the Susan G. Komen Foundation in honor of her friend Lucy, a cancer survivor. Go here to see more of the vintage items that will be available. (If you can't make this barn sale, Sharon also offers her finds via her website between sales)

Colored Intaglios

Have you ever seen framed, colored intaglios? I recently saw them for the first time in the dining room of The Jefferson. Makes me wonder - are these colored plaster, Coral or Carnelian?

These two images are from a French blog here - the first image is a collection of both cameo and itaglios. These were noted as coming from the collection of the late Yves Saint Laurent.
Have you seen intaglios that aren't the typical white?

NH Architects: New Hire

Welcome to Jessica Cook, Bonin Architects' new Intern Architect!  Jessica grew up in Danbury, NH and comes back to the Lake Sunapee region from Martha's Vineyard where she worked at a prestigious architectural firm for the past four years.

Jessica received her Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Studies and her Masters degree in Architecture from Norwich University and has a background in graphic design and conceptual art.  She has a well rounded knowledge of architectural science and practice and takes a sustainable design approach to every project. Jessica is comfortable working independently and with the Bonin Architects team in every phase of design and construction.

NOTE:  An "intern architect" is a graduate who is working toward licensure (which includes seven exams).

Tricia Huntley's Lake Geneva Transformation

A few months ago DC based interior designer Tricia Huntley of Huntley and Company mentioned on her blog, Luxe and Lucid, that she had a project in Lake Geneva, Switzerland. Recently she posted the results of this Montreax apartment transformation and it is luxe and gorgeous. This bedroom is a beautiful mix of patterns and textures with various stripes repeated throughout. I love the textile hanging behind the bed.
Here's just one peek into the living room. Love this chair! Along with the furniture, Huntley and Company installed the wallcoverings, lighting, textiles and accessories. The 1970's faux tortoise multi-faceted table is from Georgetown's Darrel Dean's Antiques which Tricia blogged about.
I've never seen this tie treatment for a bedspread - love this detail. Notice the zig zag pattern in the stitching of the spread and in the pillows.
Here's Tricia gazing out at the incredible view of Lake Geneva from the apartment. For more images of the interior and a fun, behind-the-scenes looks at the installation go here.

THE OSTOURE MOtor Konsep Super-Telanjang...Motor Konsep MASA DEPAN!!!

konsep desain motor tersebut adalah Mohammad Reza Shojaie. Dengan teknologi tinggi dimana akan digunakan two-wheel drive dimana teknologi tersebut akan membuat pengendara seperti mengendarai pesawat terbang...(beneran nggak yah ini). Motor tersebut juga dipaparas habis dari bemper depan dan samping sehingga akan terlihat seperti telanjang.

"THE OSTOURE" yang dalam bahasa persia berarti LEGENDA. Desaind dari motor tersebut diilhami dari ukuran batu persepolis kuno. Motor tersebut juga di desain sehingga terlihat agresif dan garang

rancangan motor dari Mohammad Reza Shojaie membuatnya mendapatkan beasiswa dari Istituto Europeo pada jurusan desain di italia.

Untuk melihat gambarnya silahkan cekidot gan...... [http://kask.us/5008023]

Mukjizat Nabi Musa

Memang mukjizat yang diberikan kepada para nabi luar biasa hebatnya bahkan diluar nalar manusia. Masih ingatkah teman-teman dengan kisah mukjizat Nabi Musa yang membelah laut merah dengan tongkatnya? Jika salah satu diantara teman-teman yang menganggap kisah tersebut hanya merupakan dongeng belaka, sekarang mari kita simak tulisan yang saya uraikan dibawah ini.

Seorang Arkeolog bernama Ron Wyatt pada ahir tahun 1988 silam mengklaim bahwa dirinya telah menemukan beberapa bangkai roda kereta tempur kuno didasar laut merah. Menurutnya, mungkin ini merupakan bangkai kereta tempur Pharaoh yang tenggelam dilautan tsb saat digunakan untuk mengejar Musa bersama para pengikutnya.

Menurut pengakuannya, selain menemukan beberapa bangkai roda kereta tempur berkuda, Wyatt bersama para krunya juga menemukan beberapa tulang manusia dan tulang kuda ditempat yang sama.

Temuan ini tentunya semakin memperkuat dugaan bahwa sisa2 tulang belulang itu merupakan bagian dari kerangka para bala tentara Pharaoh yang tenggelam di laut Merah. Apalagi dari hasil pengujian yang dilakukan di Stockhlom University terhadap beberapa sisa tulang belulang yang berhasil ditemukan,memang benar adanya bahwa struktur dan kandungan beberapa tulang telah berusia sekitar 3500 tahun silam, dimana menurut sejarah,kejadian pengejaran itu juga terjadi dalam kurun waktu yang sama.

poros roda dari salah satu kereta kuda

Selain itu, ada suatu benda menarik yang juga berhasil ditemukan, yaitu poros roda dari salah satu kereta kuda yang kini keseluruhannya telah tertutup oleh batu karang, sehingga untuk saat ini bentuk aslinya sangat sulit untuk dilihat secara jelas. Mungkin Allah sengaja melindungi benda ini untuk menunjukkan kepada kita semua bahwa mukjizat yang diturunkan kepada Nabi2-Nya merupakan suatu hal yang nyata dan bukan merupakan cerita karangan belaka. Diantara beberapa bangkai kereta tadi, ditemukan pula sebuah roda dengan 4 buah jeruji yang terbuat dari emas. Sepertinya, inilah sisa dari roda kereta kuda yang ditunggangi oleh Pharaoh sang raja.

Sekarang mari kita perhatikan gambar diatas, Pada bagian peta yang dilingkari (lingkaran merah), menurut para ahli kira-kira disitulah lokasi dimana Nabi Musa bersama para kaumnya menyebrangi laut Merah. Lokasi penyeberangan diperkirakan berada di Teluk Aqaba di Nuweiba. Kedalaman maksimum perairan di sekitar lokasi penyeberangan adalah 800 meter di sisi ke arah Mesir dan 900 meter di sisi ke arah Arab. Sementara itu di sisi utara dan selatan lintasan penyeberangan (garis merah) kedalamannya mencapai 1500 meter. Kemiringan laut dari Nuweiba ke arah Teluk Aqaba sekitar 1/14 atau 4 derajat, sementara itu dari Teluk Nuweiba ke arah daratan Arab sekitar 1/10 atau 6 derajat

Diperkirakan jarak antara Nuweiba ke Arab sekitar 1800 meter.Lebar lintasan Laut Merah yang terbelah diperkirakan 900 meter. Dapatkah kita membayangkan berapa gaya yang diperlukan untuk dapat membelah air laut hingga memiliki lebar lintasan 900 meter dengan jarak 1800 meter pada kedalaman perairan yang rata2 mencapai ratusan meter untuk waktu yang cukup lama, mengingat pengikut Nabi Musa yang menurut sejarah berjumlah ribuan? (menurut tulisan lain diperkirakan jaraknya mencapai 7 km, dengan jumlah pengikut Nabi Musa sekitar 600.000 orang dan waktu yang ditempuh untuk menyeberang sekitar 4 jam).

Menurut sebuah perhitungan, diperkirakan diperlukan tekanan (gaya per satuan luas) sebesar 2.800.000 Newton/m2 atau setara dengan tekanan yang kita terima Jika menyelam di laut hingga kedalaman 280 meter. Jika kita kaitkan dengan kecepatan angin,menurut beberapa perhitungan, setidaknya diperlukan hembusan angin dengan kecepatan konstan 30 meter/detik (108 km/jam) sepanjang malam untuk dapat membelah dan mempertahankan belahan air laut tersebut dalam jangka waktu 4 jam!!! sungguh luar biasa, Allah Maha Besar. [blogneforfree.blogspot.com]

Nice Interior Kitchen Design

Nice Interior Kitchen Design

Phuket Bird House ( Nam Kam City )

Mary Douglas Drysdale at the Richmond Symphony Designer House

An opportunity to experience a room by Mary Douglas Drysdale is not to be missed. Last Friday I had the chance to do just that at the Richmond Symphony Designer Showhouse. Mary designed the living room with a nod to America's past and an eye to the future. It is an unparalled combination of bold pieces and subtle, meaningful details. The result is an elegant, seamless room that is both welcoming and stunning.
A Great Dane sculpture by Mark Perry is the focal point above the fireplace - unexpected and enjoyable all at once.
A curved settee is paired with a monochromatic graphic pillow. The seating in the room was enveloped in Sandra Jordan's alpaca and curved and straight lines were balanced throughout the space. Artwork subtly referenced our nation's past and its future direction.
Here's Mary with the uber talented Tobi Fairley who created a stunning Stair Hall with traditional furniture treated with modern painted finishes and fabrics. I loved the color palette too - light blues with accents of red. Go here to see a rendering of the space.
My dear friend Anne with Mary - who was the epitome of graciousness. You may have noticed the bare feet. Depending on the shoes you had, the protective foot coverings could be a bit slippery. But this brings me to another element of Mary's design - pattern. The gorgeous patterned cognac floor with light and dark accents (hard to see in my photos) and the pattern on the curtains were designed by Mary. Tom Hickey of Rising Tide Inc. is the decorative artist that beautifully executed the floor design.

Is this all the photos?

Yes, I'm to say. When I attended the Gala, it was unclear if any photos could be used so I limited myself to photos of the designers (although as you see here I couldn't resist taking a few photos of Mary's room.) For bloggers attending Press Day, the only room allowed to be photographed was Mary's. Be sure to visit Jeanette's A Passion for Home in the next few days as she will likely have more images of the room to share.

Is it worth the drive if you live in DC?

Yes, many of the designers in this showhouse created fabulous, creative and inspiring spaces! Set on 8 acres on the James River, the gardens and landscaping are a treat unto themselves. The Designer House remains open through Oct. 11 - details here.

Italian Stringing

When Joni of Cote de Texas wrote about curtains as her #4 Top Ten Design Element, she mentioned a term I had never heard before: Italian Stringing. It's a method of holding back curtains without any obvious visual means. Well, while at The Jefferson this past weekend I noticed that the curtains in their recently redesigned dining room were just that - held back but without a tieback.
Here's the behind-the-scenes look showing the string and metal rings. Yes, the waitress thought I was a bit strange...

Back next post with more from Richmond, including Mary Douglas Drysdale and Tobi Fairley.

Perfection in White

John Jacob Zwiegelaar of John Jacob Interiors is one of my all time favorite designers. Only in his early 30's, he opened his Cape Town firm in 2005 and already has an impressive portfolio. This home appeared in the May 2006 issue of House & Garden South Africa. I hope you enjoy looking at it as much as I do. It's almost Friday!

All images via the site John Jacob Interiors here.

The Future of Green Building

For leaders of the green building industry, standards are weaved throughout the mission of the company. The leaders in green building and sustainable construction have been incorporating green components into their designs for years, before the green building movement emerged on the scene.

Construction Digital spoke with experts from McCarthy Building Companies, GreenStreet and Bonin Architects and Associates to discover the latest trends in green building, the factors driving sustainability and the effect that green building has on the overall construction industry.



Read the full article here:


The Leaders Shaping the Expansion of Green Building

Open Plan House Design : Bowen Residence by CplusC Architecture

This time, we are pleased to presents a beautiful house design named Bowen Residence to show and inspire you how to create open house design as weekend home in mountain like this. This fascinating residence was designed by CplusC Architecture and is nestled in New South Wales, Australia.

The house features beautiful scenery while being well integrated within its surrounding landscape. The balconies and floor to ceiling windows invite its guests to contemplate the beautiful garden outside and the exotic pool. Come on the living room design. It is a comfortable square enclave 3 steps lower than the ground floor, guarded by a heavy cast iron fireplace. The sectional roof of the Bowen Mountain House is part of its allure, with a pavilion-style design that creates an open living space below. What is so brilliant about this home is the look and feel of its design, and that it is intimately immersed into its natural environment. The exterior and interior design is diverse and this time we’ve posted lots of photos for you to check out and get inspired.