We have returned! We had a great holiday break with family & friends and are happy to be back to work, creating unique designs with our clients in mind for the year 2008. Be sure to read about our resolves and resolutions for the new year in blogs to follow. My numero uno goal? Keeping up with this blog!
Our Christmas Card Photo (we found ourselves suprisingly photogenic this year) comes from Blinson Photography.
Aesthetic of the Weekend: Cozy
My Grandmother’s old house in Idaho, where I’ll be spending the holidays…
Winter 2006 (no joke)
One can yet again dream of thier own state of cozy when laying their eyes upon this gorgeous ‘Maya’ Chest from Amy Howard Furniture that greets you upon entry of the Design Lines doors.
We think it’s antiquated finish and it’s bold scale at 56 3/4″ W x 27.5D x 44.5H would make a great statement in a mountain, lake, or beach house. The piece would be excellent for storing additional fresh linens and blankets, too.
And indulge us as we speak of the cozy aesthetic just one more time: we can’t wait for one of our clients to snatch up this beautiful Studio Collection floor lamp from Visual Comfort. We think the au natural Irish Pine wood adds a fresh element to a classic columnar shape. Why not warm up a space with wood and lighting?
To sum up my thoughts, I think Design Lines’ Designers Judy Pickett and Molly Simmons have become especially fluent in the language of cozy so far as it relates to interiors. Place your eyes on the coziest pictures I could round up from our Portfolio.
Living Room by Judy Pickett
Dining Room by Molly Simmons
How to Make Pictures: Part 2
Inspiration, M & Ms, and Candy Shoppe Silks
How to Make Pictures: A Creative Juice Collaborative
Like Pola and her friend Roid, Judy and I assisted local photographer Ray Barbour as well as Master Photographer John Stanton on a photoshoot of our work at 1322 Queensferry Road in Cary. We’re anxious to see the results of the shoot, but thought that we’d share our “behind the scenes” experience…
John Stanton, perfecting the amount of light for the photograph
Ray sets the shot, while John perfects the lighting levels
Judy and Ray review the process
Ray finding an angle
Noontime Sun: Part 2 of the shoot. There’s a story behind that painting, as there are stories to be told about many of the objects we incorporated into the design. In the end our arrangement of the details, composed into a photograph, tries to capture a moment perhaps better left for one to experience in person.
The New Blue
Say so long to the pale robin’s egg blue and soft sky blue. . . the new blues of the season are richer and more luxurious than ever. And here at Design Lines, we LOVE them! Traditional navy hues are being paired with fresh, contemporary patterns to bring blue back in a way that has never been done before. Not only are we seeing a resurgence of navy hues in fabrics, but in other aspects of design as well. This cool mediterranean color is popping up in porcelain, fine china, and, yes, even washing machines. LG has just introduced a front load washer and dryer in a delightful shade of blueberry. Who couldn’t look at this exquisite color and feel anything but blue?!
The Olive Knuckle Hinge
All five DLL Designers (now that’s a number for the record books) enjoyed a class at one of our favorite showrooms Tuesday evening—Raleigh Decorative Hardware & Plumbing. While snacking on beautiful cupcakes, we perused the expansive showroom. We love being able to see and experience the variety of knob, after knob, after knob.
The Baldwin Hardware-sponsored class discussed the specification of door hardware. Though already fans of Baldwin’s offerings, we were informed and inspired, as the class generated even more enthusiasm (and multiple opportunities for us to drool over their product). Our favorite? The most memorable was the rarely-seen-in-this-market-due-to-the-required-amount-of-beforehand-thinking, olive knuckle hinge. They whispered unceasingly to each of us, “specify me on your next project!” and we can’t wait.
To Market…
IS TO
IS TO
It doesn’t take high scores on an IQ test full of relational equations to realize how much DLL loves going to Market. We arrived at the High Point Furniture Market again with wider eyes, eager to take in all the Season had to offer. Howard, Judy’s husband, joined us this year, adding a new dynamic, a stopwatch, & a whole lot of fun.
We visitied some tried and true vendors’ showrooms; namely Pearson, Baker, & CTH Sherrill-Ocassionals.
We also fell in love with the showrooms of our new vendors, as well. Century Furniture , Stanford Furniture, Emeson et cie, and Global Views just to name a few.
Our observations:
Birds (we knew this was coming)
Blue
Black and White
Faux Bois and Petrified Wood
Bold patterns
Great chairs
At the end of the day we realized that Design Lines has been setting a design pace in our own right. As we saw the crop of new things we were reminded of the words of great Architect and Designer Mies Van Der Rohe, in a variety of circumstances “Less (really) is more” and some things (and by that we mean not specifically a painted porcelain foo dog or a gold lamé footstool) should just be kept in the closet.
The End.