Design Blueprint: Kitchen Contrast

Cori is back with her second Design Blueprint.  I love love love this kitchen. Thanks for sharing Cori:

The home would be nothing without the kitchen! It is possibly one of the most important spaces in any home. Yet, when it comes to style, it's often overlooked and designed more so for function.

There is a way to achieve both, style and function in every room of your home, including the kitchen. First, think about what you need for it to function well. How do you work in your kitchen? Are there often a lot of people in your kitchen? Do they need a place to sit? Is your kitchen combined with your dining room and you need some way to differentiate the two? The list of questions might be long, but you have to ask them and then you can make the fun decisions and play with style. The kitchen should work with the rest of your home design, yet stand out like the important element that it is.

This kitchen design from Home Adore is comfortable, modern, clean and most of all functional. Open space and plenty of seating come first and then the materials, furniture and accessories were selected brilliantly.

BLUEPRINT:

Branch Pendant / Lindsey Adelman

Skygarden Pendant / Y Lighting

Table Runner / Zara Home

Eames Side Chair / Design Within Reach

Large Bowl / Room & Board

Dining Table / HD Buttercup

The two lighting fixtures are the superstars of course, but it's all the little details that bring this kitchen design together.

BLUEPRINT:

Wine Glass / CB2

White Vases

   a. Jonathan Adler Belly Vase / AHa Life

   b. Origami Vase / AHa Life

Perrier bottles / Perrier

Kettle / Hive

Glassware / Zara Home

Fruit Bowl / Hive

Glass Jars / Zinc Door

Dinnerware Set / Crate & Barrel

- Cori

Inspiration: Hardware

One of my goals in the new year is to keep my design blog a little more active. 2013 was a year of growth for me and my hardware line and there just wasn't much time to devote to blogging.  I'm hoping this year with the help of regular guest posts, some graphics folks coming to the rescue and better time management (nothing says time management like having another baby right?) that I can be a little more consistent about posting to the Nest Studio Blog. 

So I wanted to show you all is the things that inspire me in my hardware design process. I could design hardware all day.  I have so many ideas for pieces to complement just about any interior design scheme - and I generally keep track of all of these inspiration shots on my hardware pin board on Pinterest . Unfortunately execution (sourcing, manufacturing and dealing with all that technical stuff) is super difficult and a long process.  I'm hoping to introduce two new product lines this year but in the meantime here are some things that caught my eye and will no doubt inspire my designs:

A -   I love this detail from Avroko's restaurant Carnevino.  Mixing leather strapping and metals is so cool (of course any time you mix materials you get into a huge manufacturing mess!).

B -  This table is so cool.  The way the metalwork inlays into the stone reminds me a bit of a pair of fine cufflinks.  One of these days I'll do some hardware a bit like this.

C -  I love the texture on this door. Could be such a cool pattern at a much smaller scale on cast bronze or brass hardware.

D - Mid-century sculpture is such an inspiration to me. I'd love to do something more organic but still modern.

E -  And what hardware designer isn't inspired by jewelry. I could see doing some really cool 3-D printed hardware with a cage-like structure

F -   I'm not sure if this ram's head is hardware or jewelry but it's cool nonetheless. Whimsical yet traditional.  Maybe not the Nest Studio Aesthetic but would be amazing on a front door!
 

In the press lately...

Sorry for the blog silence. Things (as usual these days) have been crazy. I'm excited to share some new things with you in the coming weeks though.  Yesterday, we photographed a residential project that I completely some months ago and today the baby's room drapes went up - amazing how much higher the ceilings look.  Pablo Enriquez, who photographed our house tour for Apartment Therapy and did my shoot yesterday, mentioned that our bathroom had been selected by the AT editors as one of their favorite bathrooms of 2013. I had no idea! Here is the shot they chose.

On top of that, they had been using the photo of our entry area as the front page for the January Cure: Let's Get Organized. Very exciting!

And to top it off, I was looking at some traffic to my hardware site today and noticed that Greg and Ashley at 7th House on the Left did a whole blog post featuring our house (thanks so much for the shoutout!) and Domaine Home did a feature on their favorite hardware that features our T-03 drop pull.

It's so nice to see that people are liking what Nest Studio is putting out there.  Can't wait to share more with you.

Stylin' Mamma: Transitions, Transitions

I recently became a fan of the designer Heidi Merrick.  There is something unfussy about her designs that appeals to me, a certain California-cool.  Even her leather pants (vegan, of course) are designed with a little more room to move...these are clothes to live in.

February and March are such transitional months for me, fashion-wise.  I'm totally over winter at this point, but it drags on with gray days (and in most of the country, ice and snow on a Biblical scale), even though the shop windows start to fill up with spring and resort collections.  How to bridge the gap until April?

Shoes are a good place to start.  Something floral, something playful, something to lighten up the inevitable heavy outer layer (further helped by a bright hue).  An unusual cut elevates this blouse, while pretty danglers and a conservative bag keep it all office-appropriate despite the daring fabrics.  Leather for day?  Living on the edge?  The edge of winter, the edge of spring...a gal's gotta find her fun somewhere.

- Jaime

New Series: Design Blueprint

Please welcome Cori Magee to the Nest Studio Blog. Cori is a good friend, graphic designer and fellow blogger (you can find her at her blog Pretty Haute Mess).  She will be doing a new series here at Nest Studio called Design Blueprint.  Take it away Cori:

Welcome to the first of many 'Design Blueprints' where I take a room worth coveting and break down all the design elements so you can get the look for your own home.

I love this living room by Suvi Sur le Vif. You can see the room's evolution on her blog. The space is modern eclectic, meets a bit of navajo, and there's a perfect balance of it all. The white walls, modern gallery wall and light floors beg for a bold black sofa. While the area rug and throw pillows provide softness and color to the modern space. Don't be afraid to mix patterns and colors. The key is to coordinate the right color tones and the right pattern scales. 

The simple ceiling light is perfect. Schoolhouse Electric has lots of cool fixtures like this, whether you're looking for a ceiling light, sconce, pendant, chandelier, etc.

BLUEPRINT:

Sofa / Ikea

Ceiling Light / Schoolhouse Electric

Throw Blanket / Room & Board

White Candle / Dwell Studio

Rose Candle / Pier 1

Coffee Table / Architonic

Blue Bowl / Heath Ceramics

Tan Bowl / Heath Ceramics

Tray / Hay Shop

Area Rug / Fab.

Pillows /

  a. Zinc Door

  b. CB2

  c. Toast

  d. Zinc Door

  e. Zinc Door

  f. Ferm Living

You can select any artwork you like, but keeping the frame colors basic black and white helps maintain the modern element. Also, notice that there's no super bright artwork to take the spotlight. Rather, all of the pieces work together, both in tone and vibe.

Society6 is a great place to source art. You can purchase the print, art printed on canvas, framed art or even the art on an iPhone case if you want. It's a fun place to shop and there's lots of great artists just trying to share their work.

Of course, a more organic way to put a great wall gallery together is to collect pieces over time. Maybe you found a great pice at a flea market and another at a fancy gallery. However you like to put artwork together, make sure they are true to you and are pieces you really love. If you love each piece, it will all come together somehow...

BLUEPRINT:

Mirror / CB2

Art /

  a. Isaiah K. Stephens

  b. Ruben Ireland

  c. The White Deer

  d. Britt Bass

  e. Ruben Ireland

  f. Corinne Reid

  g. Ylva Skarp

  h. Nicole Cioffe

 

- Cori

Stylin' Mamma: When Life Gives You Lemons

I cannot count how many times since having children I have stubbed a toe, stepped on a Lego, slid on a matchbox car, banged my shin on a coffee table...the list goes on and on.

Two weeks ago I went to check on the sleeping babes and, as I leaned over LittleMan, caught my toe on the leg of his bed.  There was a snap, my vision tunneled, that all-too-familiar shock nausea rose up, and I knew that this was the Stub to End All Stubs.  

And so I find myself, Stylin' Mamma that I am, facing four weeks in sartorial purgatory as I try to style my way around a cast shoe and crutches.  In other words, flats flats flats.

Weekends sitting on the couch watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with the kids with my foot elevated are no problem; work and date night (of course we have one of our big annual date nights in the middle of all this) are another issue entirely.

WORK:

What better excuse to jazz things up a little?  These boots, with their colorful accents, will make a nice transition into spring.  A cropped pant (I live in California, after all) shows them off nicely. Lately I'm wearing my shirts buttoned all the way up, with a big statement necklace peeking out from under the collar.  And skip the work bag; crutches demand a backpack...which are (surprisingly? mercifully?) making their way back into the fashion mainstream (or at least the hipster-stream).

DATE NIGHT:

I have lately become somewhat obsessed with this shoe.  For a pretty but comfortable drinks-and-dinner look, pair it with these joyful harem pants and a tuxedo-inspired blouse.  Fingerless opera gloves add a touch of glamour -- and protect against callouses. And of course these deco earrings add a touch of sparkle. 

Form meets function.  Fantastic, for four weeks and counting.

- Jaime

Hardware Installed: Built-in Wardrobe

Last week I showed you a beautiful bar that Dalliance Design used my hardware on.  Well, this week Sally Homan of Robertson-Lindsay Interiors in the UK sent me some photos of my F-01 pull used on a beautiful antique-mirrored wardrobe.  Thank you Sally!  Not only does the wardrobe look amazing but I love how serene and refined the whole room is. 

photography by www.interiorsphotographyscotland.co.uk

Progress around the house

I posted about the baby's room a few days ago and showed you the concept board that I'd created. Well, I took the plunge and ordered the rug and it's here. It's great.  There were so many photos from different angles and zoomed in close on the Esale Rugs site that I knew exactly what I was getting. It's soft underfoot and I think will be very versatile in the future. Here's a little instagram pic.

As I'd mentioned previously, the basement and guest room were sort of all cast off items but I'm determined this year to make the spaces look more designed and deliberate.  I'd found this photo on pinterest from photographer Ida Lindhag that I thought would make a great starting off point for the guest room.

So I went really bold on the teal walls but knew I wanted to throw in some burgundies to balance it - similar to the pillow in the photo (although I can't say I like the Marimekko bedding).   I also stopped by Homegoods today and scored these great pillows which I think start giving the guest room some personality.

Now what to do about the nightstands, art and what sort of DIY to do to dress up the IKEA armoire.  Suggestions?

Hardware Installed: Built-in bar

Nicole and Stephanie over at Dalliance Design purchased some of my hardware for a bar they were working on. They just sent me this photo of the bar fully installed. Of course I think the hardware (pieces F-01 and F-03 from my Facets collection) look fabulous, but I also love the styling.  Wish there were room in my house for a bar like this!

Thanks for sharing ladies!

If you have any install photos of hardware from the Nest Studio Collection that you would like to share please email us at info@nesteaglerock.com

Happy New Year: The Baby's Room

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a nice holiday season.  We were in Key West with my family for a week and home with friends for the new year.  All in all a very nice holiday.  As many of you who follow me on facebook or see me in my daily life already know, we are expecting Baby #2, due May 14 (the day before our 10th anniversary).  This means a lot of changes on both the home and business fronts

We've been busy preparing our house for Baby #2's arrival.  Since we only have 3 bedrooms on our second floor and one of them is used as my office, we had to do a bit of reconfiguring.  Our massive basement guest room (literally the same size as our living room) was split in two and a new door was added to the rec room to accommodate a basement office (more convenient anyways since I do all my hardware fulfillment in the basement) and the former office got a closet door switcharoo so that we can put a changing table in a more convenient location.  We still haven't migrated everything downstairs for the new office but I'm excited about what we have planned and about my new shipping station (it's amazing how much a little organization helps the stress level and amount of time it takes to do something).  I'm also excited to make a cozy and efficient guest room out of the smaller space and really do some decorating down there - as with most people our basement was sort of the space where all of our cast off furniture went to live.  More on all of that later and on to the fun decorating stuff!

We are excited to announce that Baby #2 is a girl.  While we wouldn't have minded another boy (and it certainly would have made for a more convenient clothing and toy situation) I'm really happy to be designing a little girl's room.  The former office already had a cool light fixture and our Eames lounger which we will keep for the baby's room. We hope that by May Bryan will have moved to a big boy's bed and we can transfer his crib to the baby's room as well.  And I plan to keep the same pale grey on the walls. So from a decorating standpoint it's really a dresser/changing table (hello, craigslist), rug, artwork, bedding, and window coveringss that have to be decided on.  We already own two Charley Harper prints that I plan to incorporate into a gallery wall and just purchased a fun ladies swimming print at IKEA the other day for above the changing table.  Here is my concept board so far:

The rug is really the deciding piece. I'm loving the idea of using a pale peachy pink and mint green as accents and not taking the room in an overly juvenile direction by keeping it eclectic.  That said, the rug has been really challenging!  I love the vintage rug that I found on Esalerugs.com but it's a bit pricey so we will have to see what else gives.  There are a few other contenders as well but I'm just not sure of them and love the way this one ties everything together.  What are your thoughts?

More sources and other ideas and options for baby's room on my pinterest board here.