HOUSE HUNTING FANTASIES

Hi! I am back. I noticed that my last post was done in the Fall. Oh, My! We are in the middle of winter already. But never forgot my blog... Nooooooo! I didn't. I thought about it almost everyday. And I feel really bad abandoning it like that. I am just been out of track, trying to catch up with all in my life. Between client's projects, new classes and country house hunting in the weekends with my husband. OH! That's a lot of work... house hunting. If you have house hunted before you would know what I am talking about it. Specially if you are doing in a tight budget and want it all! Anyway, I would love to share one of my "furnishings fantasies". Below is a breakfast/dining furniture collection as a result of one of those fantasies. This last weekend I really liked an antique house that we visited. Since then I have been day dreaming about the house. The kitchen was really spacious... and it had a nice area for a table setting. There was a brick fireplace there, vaulted high ceilings with light/honey color rustic beams; and the whole kitchen was wrapped by a paneling warm wood, in a the same color as the beams. I thought I would like to create a cool palette for the floor area, for the furnishings. Here is the result of my kitchen/breakfast area wishes.

FOR THE SOURCES

 

THE MAGIC ASIAN LANTERNS

I have disappeared! Here I am, but ready to disappear again! Wait a minute I will explain. The last few weeks I have been so busy with my mom and brother in town, who came all way from Brazil to enjoy a little of the summer with us! I tell you: We were busy together and having a lot of fun! But the truth is… summer is going to become busier {for me and Mike} from today on! We are leaving to China this afternoon, going for an adventure for 21 days. I am excited, but not with big expectations. Sometimes I think I am going to be really surprised…!

We try to watch movies and documentaries about the place where we are going… I think it’s important to learn about the place where you are going to visit before you go, in that way when you are there you would experience the culture in another level. The last movie we watched was “Raise of the Red Lanterns” (a movie I watched so many times already), but I wanted to watch again to get in the “Chinese mood”… So talking about lanterns… today I would like to share the magic of the Asian Lanterns!

Well, if you are not going to Asia… and maybe is a little bit jealous of me I would like to help you to bring Asia to you, just to your backyard! To start: get inspired by these amazing indoor and outdoor spaces… table arrangements… from these images. All beautifully designed with an ancient kind of touch_ the paper or silk lanterns; creating a magical mood to your space. It’s a simple and inexpensive solution to make your party a visual delightful experience with an oriental detail.



A little of the history of the paper lanterns…

According to China Travel , the precursors to Chinese paper lanterns might have been torches carried on the eve of the Chinese New Year by Buddhist monks as early as 250 B.C. Monks carried these torches at night in hopes of spotting the ethereal figures of the Buddha and his bodhisattvas. Soon, commoners began making lanterns with frames of bamboo, redwood or wire and covering them with thin, oiled paper, gauze or silk. Today, lanterns are largely unchanged in design, though paintings of historical or heroic figures, divinities, and landscapes on the paper are popular.


Here some great new designs of paper and silk lanterns:

If you are interested in shopping for lanterns go to:

Paper Lantern Store

Just Lanterns

Allsop Home & Garden

SEE YOU IN 3 WEEKS!



GARDENING… BARBECUING… TIME TO ENJOY LIFE!

I am late with my weekly post… Sorry for those who were waiting for it! I got really busy last week, and sick this weekend. Therefore, I was forced to take a break. That’s a problem that I constantly am dealing with: pushing myself to the limits! Then, I get sick.  I am trying to learn how to relax, take time for myself and not feel guilty. Do you deal with that issue too?

Anyway, I am not here to talk about my issues… Thought it’s of part my life, part of my design process and everything else...my blog for example. But talking about relaxation… I would like to share with you the collection of furniture and accessories my client and I are planning to use in her nice outdoor space that we renovated last year. Our design concept was developed to be modern, clean and functional, with a Zen touch… The idea is to create a space that has a casual lounge mood when entertaining, with a lot of places to sit and hang out; and when by herself or with company... to be a place to relax, sunbathe, flip a magazine and have a healthly drink.



Maybe this collection can inspire you to design your own special retreat right behind your back door! There are a few ways that you can do that... Getting one of our Design Concept Packages, buying an E-Design Package, OR… you can Do-It-Yourself with our help!



DESIGN ON A DIME

This weekend Housing Works Thrift Shop/NYC had their seventh annual Design on a Dime fundraising event. On Friday I went there to support it and of course, enjoy it. Perhaps… shop! I really like this event because it mixes creative and renamed talents of the design world; with charity and good intentions… It’s rewarding to know that designers can create beautiful spaces, and at the same time “Get a Room” for homeless and low-income New Yorkers living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.
Being part of this event is one of my plans… I believe that we can produce luxurious rooms and help the less privileged people in different ways… Being part of this event is one of the ways…

I took pictures of all the rooms that were there, but here I am going to post just some of the rooms because there are a lot pictures. If you want to see all of the rooms you are invited to look at them in RG Art & Design's Facebook page _ Design on a Dime Event 2011.

However, I have one criticism about the event... I wish they didn't let people take their purchased pieces until the end of the show!

I call this one: "The Bad Guy Room"

This one I call: "Asia-Deco Elegance"

This one... I call: "Bold Lines & Shapes of Expressions"

Hum... for this one... "Lemon Splash"

This one I call... "The Angel's Fall"

The center table is my inspiration for the name of this room! The base is made of a pile of newspaper, so... I call this one: "Sunday Morning"

"Should I marry, should I buy a bicycle?! Should I get a bike, should I marry?!" For this one: "Free Spirit Girl"

This one... I am not so sure what name to give it... but I might call it: "The Outdoors Inside In"



What name would you give to this one?

How about this one?

I like to call this one: "The Beach Cottage of the South"

Maybe... "The Wild Side of Me"

How about for this one... "The Eclectic Fusion"?

This one? "Life is... The Sounds of Music"

..."Rustic City Paradise"



I really love the elements of this room... But I don't have a name for this room?! :-(

Do you have any suggestion?


HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL OF YOU, BEAUTIFUL!!!

GET THE LOOK SERIES: Binibeca-Menorca-Spain-A HIDDEN GEM

This week I have been really concentrating on finishing the plans for our next vacation, coming this summer. We (me and my hubby) are planning to visit Spain and Morocco this time. I am calling the trip: “The Magic of Spain & Morocco”. While creating these travel itineraries, sometimes I get so fascinated about certain places that I can almost visit these places before I really go there… It happened yesterday when I was studying one of the “stops” of the trip: Menorca Island, Spain...particularly this small town called Binibeca. The houses, which look like a colony of bees, are all white with dark wood beams, surrounded by rustic stones. I don’t know much about the concept of style… But if you know anything about it, I would appreciate it if you could share the information with me. The fact is that I got so allured by these textured and interlaced habitats that I started (in my mind) creating the interior for one of them.  By the way... if you cannot go to Binibeca, you can bring Binibeca to you! Seems to be an inspiring place… I will find out when I get there this summer. I can’t wait…!



SOURCES:
SOFA
SIDE TABLE
SISAL RUG 
Natural Wood Chair
WHITE VASES
Natural Wood Bolw
Chair
Palm Tree
PINK GRANITE STONE 
WHITE SHADES
LIGHTING PENDENT
Coffee Tables

GET THE LOOK SERIES: Urban Classic Poet

RG Art & Design, my interior design firm would like to share one of its new services, E-Design Package. We create packages of design that are customized according to the client’s taste. The contact between the client and designer is via email, and delivery of the package is done by mail. As a result, you don’t have to live in New York City, where we are located, to have a room designed by us! To learn more about the online design service visit RG Online Design Packages’s page, and you would find out what is included in the package, about prices, how it's works, etc…

I would like to share one item that comes inside the design package service: a furniture collection.  Below it is a sample of a bedroom furniture collection, which I called "Urban Classy Poet"; created by RG Art & Design.  Plus, you also can find where each item of the collection comes from... a few of some of our helpful affordable sources.

DRAPERY

FLOOR LAMP

STOOL

CHAIR

NIGHTSTAND

TABLE LAMP

CANOPY BED

THROW

PILLOWS

FLORAL PILLOW

STRIPED PILLOW

RUG

DRESSER

 

HOPE YOU LIKE IT... 

HOPE THAT GAVE YOU SOME IDEAS...

WISH TO YOU SWEET DREAMS TONIGHT...

 

 

 

SIXX DESIGN AND NOVOGRATZ FAMILY

BUY THIS BOOK AT AMAZON

Robert & Cortney Novogratz and the front cover of their book: DOWNTOWN CHIC Designing Your Home: From Wreck to Ravishing



Last week during one of my “bookstore therapy” sessions I found this book about design _ DOWNTOWN CHIC – Designing Your Dream Home: From Wreck to Ravishing by Robert and Cortney Novogratz with Elizabeth Novogratz. I pulled the book from the book shelf, flipped the pages… and the “funk hip chic style” shown in the pictures got my attention right away. The citations of famous people on almost every page were also a grabbing point for me! However, what made me buy the book was the fact that I got really curious about the stories behind each project done by this so cool couple over the past 10 years...especially the story of the house in Brazil {of course that would be a MUST for me}. The stories of the projects are not just regular interior design projects, but are gut renovations! In a few words I would say that the book is about transformation & salvation of properties, furnishings and objects… with a little bit more: it’s a story of two people who have been self teaching design and have been “building” an extensive family. REALLY, they are incredible, especially knowing that they have done these fantastic residential projects and at the same time raising 7 kids! YES, I said RAISING 7 KIDS in a mega crazy fast city like New York! For me that’s incredible! I confess that while reading the book I had mixed feelings about it all: I felt both envious and inspired. However I decided to stick with the positive feeling: they became this kind of reference of inspiration for me! In both ways: from a design point of view, and a personal side. I became a BIG fan of the Sixx Design, and the Novogratz Family! I wish all the best for them and hope one day I will meet them in person! SAVE THE WACKY HOUSES!

PROJECT: #5 CENTER MARKET

PROJECT: 400 WEST

In the picture above you can not see the whole art work unfortunatley, but it says:

FAMILY

A NOTE FROM THE FAMILY: