Design On The Streets

With a nod to the blog, "The Sartorialist," I begin a new inspiration for this design blog: "On the Street." Check out The Sartorialist, I think you'll love it too, and hopefully be inspired. I have to add, however, that great design, beauty, color, etc...is not limited to the streets of London and/or Paris. Great design knows no boundaries! You can actually find it right here on the streets of the Twin Cities! I will post what I find, and I would love your comments. I was alerted to this woman by my friend and fellow designer, Holly, who also showed me "The Sartorialist," so, many thanks Holly. I will be out and about this afternoon, so stay tuned for the great design I find in Bloomington, Burnsville, and Apple Valley. I will be checking in for your comments!

Piping...Pipe Up!

Take a look at your sofa. Chances are, it's got some piping on it. What is piping? It's a thin strip of covered cord or material, used to edge cushions or hems. To be more thorough, piping has many meanings. Another definition is "to utter in a shrill tone; to pipe a command." which is an appropriate manner of describing why an interior designer might specify contrasting piping on a sofa or chair. Interior designers use piping a lot to get that one-of-a-kind look. Piping adds a detail that makes a tremendous difference; it even makes a sofa or chair "pipe up" in a room. Here's an example of some contrasting piping:














Why do I bring this up? Because today I noticed that "piping" is not a new idea...it's all around us. I saw that piping occurs in nature, and took this photo:

I literally walked right over this and couldn't help but notice. Don't you love the "contrasting piping" the yellow leaves made on the concrete sidewalk? It makes a statement! And so, I felt the inspiration to share the statement with you.

Take a look around you, let me know if you find some inspiration, I 'd love to hear all about it.

The Power of Red

Just read this in The St. Paul Pioneer Press, September 22, 2010:

Our hummingbirds, ourselves
Maplewood Nonna: "On September 15th, I was sitting on my deck reading, with my legs extended on the lounge chair, and my feet bare, with my toenails painted red, when a female hummingbird came along and tested every one of my toes."

See? Red is a powerful accent color. Try it somewhere...you never know what will happen!

On a recent trip to Philadelphia, I spotted this tree, all dressed up! Is it a trend? Or a work of art? I haven't seen any other trees (or bushes) dressed up at all. Let me know if you spot any.

A Settee for The Sidelines!

It's been a month since I last blogged! I've been busy... I just found this adorable settee--its new to one of my favorite lines--wish I had it on the soccer sidelines, it would have been a much more comfortable seat. It's only 55.5" wide! Such comfortable and good looking seating and fits in a small space. It's got a complementary chair too.

Here's a lovely new sofa. I'm seeing more and more in white, off white, cream and especially linen. Best news on this one, it's totally customizable! Need it shorter? Longer? One cushion? It's all doable. Even better, this company has its own forest; for every tree harvested, a new one is planted. AND, the forest is in the USA and the manufacturing is done in the USA. I think I'll start searching and posting more sofas...let me know what you think, what you want, what you find!

Addison Interiors recently participated in a sale, and while I was in the space helping set things up I spotted the sign below, posted on a mirror. I totally agree with its message. What are your thoughts?