nest egg

Hoppen

Let's play catch-up.

REWIND: to my Highpoint market trip back in... November!

One of the highlights of my trip was meeting the famous London based interior designer- Kelly Hoppen.

 

(Here I am at Highpoint with my designer friends! Kelly in the middle- with the effortlessly gorgeous hair.)

She's a total bad*ss. Like- the Queen of England awarded her an MBE for her contributions in the field of design- THAT kind of woman.

She started her own design business at the ripe age of 16- i repeat- SIX.TEEN. And is now designer to the stars, has her own home furniture line, lighting line, several published books and has even started Kelly Hoppen School of Design in London. (My friend went- she said it changed her life.)

 Anyway, we went to hear her speak at Highpoint and I took notes... And sketched her hair. 

(Not sure if the "really listen" message was intended for myself or part of her message ???)

Here are some of her quotes (with photographs of her work)-

"Home has finally become what it really ought to be."

"You don't need so many overhead lights. Consider the reflection and shadows. Light up textures, surfaces, art…"

Only ONE STAR piece per room.

"Trends are all a bit bubble-gum. Great designers stick to who they are."

"It's all about compromise."

(All of my couple clients: NOD your heads. :)

"Get involved with the spirit of the home before you start work on it."

One of my favorite comments she made was when she was talking about the influence of growing up and going in her grandmother's home- 

"It wasn't the way it looked- it was the way it felt."

Love that. She's speaking my language.

I could hear her talk about design all night-- preferably on her London rooftop terrace...

 

…maybe with The Queen?

To see more of her work visit Kelly Hoppen online. Her books are great too! 

Wallpaper & Cool Kids

Join the wallpaper club. "All the cool kids are doin' it."

If you haven't caught on already- wallpaper has come a LONG way. It's not what it used to be. Although some designs stand the test of time most of your grandmother's wallpaper is, in fact, outdated. Exhibit A:

(via flickr)

Wallpaper NOW ? Exhibit B: 

<Also refer to Exhibit B for current hairstyle and fashion trends.>

 

Still not convinced?

Feast your eyes on these new collections…

Installed...

 

Galbraith & Paul. They have the most fabulous, energetic fabrics and {now} wallcoverings! Used in small doses these patterns could update any room.

 

Phillip Jeffries- one of my faves. I'm a huge fan of grasscloth and he has the best selections out there. Classy with a capital C.

Their new collection features seagrass with a little bling in it. The one to the right and below is his new Rivet collection- looks like nailheads from afar but actually is just little blobs of paint. (Sorry- I couldn't think of a technical term for it. But they do remind me of those stick-on earrings I used to wear as a {cool} kid)

They also have a graphics collection that's SO pretty and sophisticated.

I just ordered this grasscloth to put on an accent wall in my clients new home. I love how masculine it is- I can't wait to see it installed!

Several years ago Lori Weitzner out of NYC came up with a genius wallcovering….magnetic wallpaper. 

Why didn't I think of that?

I also love her more classic line…

 And last but not least, her denim design… 
 

Anyone? Cool kids?

*All wallcoverings are sold to the trade but are available through RH Designs- contact us for more info

Boys Room- Winner!

And you thought I forgot… :)

Just to recap: Two months ago (wow, that's scary) I posted a bunch of pictures of boys rooms.  If you missed it- click here. Y'all voted for your favorite(s). The judges deliberated. (my mom volunteered to count up the votes. Thanks Mom. I think she got the hint when she asked me nicely one day while I was up to my eyeballs moving the house, scheduling subs, answering millions of phone calls,TOTAL chaos-

 "Have you counted the blog votes yet?"-Mom

<insert jaw-dropping death glare>

"….. Hmmm… Ok.-Why don't I just do it."

Anyway, back to the game. If you're not familiar- I basically piece the winning room together on a budget. Yay! Game for me. Treat for you.

THE RESULTS:

  A tie!!  between #6 and #17

six.

seventeen.

  

Nice choices!

I've noticed from past voting contests that y'all always choose the room with the best view and the most amount of built-ins. Either y'all are trying to torture me or y'all just have good taste. I'm thinking the latter… :) Obviously the #6 room is more difficult to recreate without a big window and a trim carpenter (unfortunately neither are on sale at Pottery Barn).

So, with that being said, I recreated a hybrid of the two rooms… a room that would last a while. Not too "baby boy" but still youthful and cute at the same time.

1. Slipcovered Twin Headboards in Espresso French Stripe from Pottery Barn {on sale now}

2. Garnet Hill skier sheets (Apparently these aren't available anymore? I'm not surprised considering I started this post months ago. Darn! But Garnet Hill always has really cute sheets for kids. Sheets are also the place where you can do whatever THEY want. Let the boys pick them out. If they are heinous you can cover them up!)

3. Quilted Pillows from West Elm

4. Wool coverlet from Ralph Lauren Home {on sale now}

5. Ceramic table lamp from Pottery Barn

6. Hand Embroidered Turkish Pillow by sukan on Etsy

7. Tribal prints from Panteek

8. Woven basket from Pottery Barn

9. Kilim rug from West Elm

10. Benjamin Moore HC-80 Bleeker Beige

GiRLs… coming soon.

Pack. Move. Unpack.

This is what I've been doing.

The bulk of my days have been spent doing the following...

• Unnecessary trips to Target
• Necessary trips to Good Will
• Shifting around boxes instead of unpacking them
• Make a "fix it" list, that continues to grow
• Figuring out where switches are and stumbling across dark rooms
• Sweeping the floors (repeat)

• Getting to know my neighbors-  They are the type that bring you dinner and wine.. Oh yes, these neighborhoods still exist.
• Wine drinking (survival)
• Speaking of survival!: We have NO internet, phone or cable. (OK-we have our cell phones but it just sounded more dramatic) I know some of you might not need these things on a daily basis (if you are one of those people, I salute you. And please speak up.) It scares me how much I depend on these things... What's a girl to do when she's tired of unpacking and can't watch The Bachelor or read blogs????? 

Several things, actually: 

• act like a 10-year old and find ways to entertain myself. Numerous times I have popped out of big moving boxes and scared the bejesus out of Hoyt. 
• Then I draw pictures of the re-enactment:

• Then I sketch million-dollar renovation plans for our tiny new home and leave them on Hoyt's bedside table. Hint, Hint.? 
• Dreaming about all the things I would do if I had a bigger budget. 
• Thinking of all the things I need to do, and all the emails I need to respond to.
• Blogging at work.
• I'll be back soon with something more substantial
• .... Just wanted to say hey.