Recap of a Grateful Week!

It's Friday, yay! Though I will not complain this was a great week for Jace Interiors & CreateGirl. The week started with my tip on staying organized featured in The Boston Globe, than my guest post went live on the New England Home Magazine's blog and if that was not enough I was also included in the premiere issue of New England Finery online magazine. I am feeling so grateful for all this great press and want to thank each one of these amazing publications!

 

My guest post on New England Home Magazine's blog was all about my latest obsession, Grasscloth.

A funny thing happened, just after my Mom read the post she emailed saying when I was very little we had grasscloth in the living room to cover the horse hair walls. Such a coincidence as I don't remember this & never heard this story but wrote almost exactly this in my post!

 

In the premiere issue of New England Finery Magazine I was asked to describe why I love designing in New England. Click here to see my answer and no I don't reference the cold weather in any way!

In the Globe Luke O'Neil asked a few busy Bostonians to share our best "Time Saving Tips". My tip had to do with keeping a busy house organized but still looking home decor chic!

Next week I am off to The Design Blogger Conference in California. I am so excited to meet new blogger friends and to hang out with many of the friends I already know!!

Thanks again for all the comments and emails you send me daily, you make writing CreateGirl so much fun. Enjoy your weekends,

Jul

(image from Coastal Living)

Going Green with Circle Furniture

You might have noticed just over there to the right I have a new sponsor, Circle Furniture! They are a fabulous local furniture company and when I approached them for a sponsorship to the Design Blogger Conference in California they said no problem! How awesome is that? I love a company who sees the benefits of supporting local interior designers in both their work and in social media. So let me tell you why I enjoy working with the folks over at Circle Furniture.

The main reason is their furniture can work with many different styles whether I am designing a modern city loft or a Cape Cod beach house I know I will always find something in their store! Another reason I like working with them is because 90%, let's say that again 90% of their casegoods are made in the U.S. and a high percentage of that made in New England. In this day of supporting our community and shopping locally this makes me feel good!

 

Their focus on being green is evident in the eco-friendly upholstery lines they choose to sell. For their eco-living upholstery, the woods used in the manufacturing come from sustainable harvested forests. The frames are made of engineered wood and soy based resins to reduce the use of old growth timber. The soy based cushions are made of BIOH™ Polyols, to reduce the amount of petroleum based chemicals used in the making of polyurethane foam, a commonly used product in furniture cushions.

 Isn't this Catalina Bed fantastic? It is just one of the many beautiful beds Circle carries!

Circle furniture is a proud member of the Sustainable Furniture Council, a non-profit coalition of industry players created to promote sustainable practices among manufacturers, retailers and consumers. Careful research goes into every new manufacturer before Circle Furniture puts their stamp on it. Concern for the environment and the local economy matters a lot to the folks at Circle Furniture.

Thank you to Sarah and Richard over at Circle Furniture for sponsoring my trip! Please jump over to Twitter and Facebook to follow them there. Check back in next week as I blog and tweet from the Designer Blog Conference in California! 

(this is a sponsor post)

Home Typography Tuesday

If you are new to CreateGirl here's a little something about me, Home Decor + Typography makes me very happy! Today's room comes via Pinterest, do you know this website? It is a place to store and organize all the images you find and love around the web. I recently joined and have been "pinning" away and "repinning" which is where I found this lovely photo!

Sometimes a very simple headboard can be the most effective! Start out every morning with a bit of "love"!

If you would like to follow my "pins" just click!

(image from House Tweaking)

Monday Morning Happy!

I hope many of you are enjoying an extra long weekend! Doesn't one extra day feel like you got a free pass to stay home from school?

On Saturday I packed up most of my office and moved my most prized possessions to the new office.

Yes this would be it, well one of my prized possessions but as many of you can understand these Domino Magazines are like pure GOLD!

We had brunch at this wonderful downtown spot. Look at this view, isn't it just gorgeous? Views like this are what make me truly love my city..... the fireplace right next to our table didn't hurt either! Later in the day I popped into MGBW to have a quick client appointment!

 

We are loving the clean lines of the Louisa Sofa paired with the Major Chair! I can't wait to show you the finished results of this room. The client is traditional and modern at the same time and loves whimsical pieces (I call these a little off center pieces)! Above you can see our palette though in real life the colors are much richer and actually brighter! The purple sofa is going to play off her gray wall gorgeously & the blue is an accent color. As soon as I saw Dwell's Soft Scroll pattern, I knew it was perfect for this project. I will reveal later how we will use it!

So all in all it was a productive weekend and I am hoping it flows right into this new week!

Packing up the Office

This weekend I will be sorting out, throwing out and packing up my home office. Yes it is as daunting as it sounds after 6 years of business there are files, catalogs, fabric books and wallpaper samples everywhere! Though I am sad to be leaving the place where Jace Interiors came to life I am excited for a new home office. There will be more posts next week on the "big move" from the city to the burbs but today I am gathering inspiration photos for my new home office, which thankfully will be MUCH bigger than the one I have now!!

I love the look of this desk with it's open storage space and light feel it could be a great option for the new office. My goal is to "float" the desk in the room so more than one person can use it at the same time!

 

 The Hendrix Desk from Crate and Barrel could be an interesting option though might be a bit too rustic for Mr. Vog!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

(image from Sunset Magazine)

Putting on the Rivets

Yes we know interiors follow fashion so when you see those fabulous sandals covered in studs and think how cool would that be in my house? Well now Phillip Jeffries has the answer in the newly released "Rivet Collection" of wallpapers!

The pattern is offered in 9 colorways including the above bronze on jute, doesn't it just feel so glam?!

This is a room from the Elle Decor Kips Bay House last year, the black on black is very dramatic!

Of course it would not be a CreateGirl post if I didn't give you an affordable option! If you want to add just a weee bit of rivet or stud to your home consider these pillows from West Elm!

What do you say? Would you use the Rivet Wallpaper in your house?

(Image from West Elm, Philip Jeffries/Robert Verdi Elle Decor Room)

Home Typography Tuesday

Hope everyone had an "ooh la la" Valentine's Day! This could be so much more than an accent pillow, if needed it could be a subtle hint to your luvie especially if placed in the bedroom!

(image from Alexandra Ferguson on Etsy)

The Perfect Love Day!

To be honest I have never been one to really celebrate Valentine's Day but this year I am feeling a bit more luvie! If I were to celebrate (or if a special someone was to plan a day for me...hint hint) this would be my dream!!

Waking up in a cozy, serene nook like this would be pure bliss and if there was a stack of magazine next to the bed it would be even more fabulous!

I am not a flashy kind of girl and prefer more simple heartfelt gifts! This necklace from Jess LC and a beautiful hand drawn card of my favorite city from Art Shark Designs would be a just enough!

Ending the day with a photo montage of pictures from the last year together would put me in a tizzy of happiness! Especially if it was arranged in a creative way like the photo above! 

(top image from Coastal Living, last image looking for source, if you know please let me know!)

Quick Share - It's a Major Chair

This new chair from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams is seriously Major (everytime I say this I hear Rachel Zoe in my head!!) and it's aptly named Major. I was so excited to find this chair as it is the perfect fit for my Jace Interiors client's living room! We needed an armless piece but one with sleek lines, the space we are working in is very narrow! The small scale of 29"w x 33"d makes it a great solution for a reading nook or a bedroom chair.

 

This Elle Decor image of Peter Som's living room gives you an idea of how a chair like Major would look in a room!

Do you like the Major Chair?

Let's Talk - Kitchen Design and Interior Designer Chat

Last night on twitter I participated in the #IntDesignerChat tweetchat and the topic was kitchen design. A few trends came out of this conversation that I wanted to share with you today!

A trend in kitchen designs I just love is using decor items in the kitchen. How much warmer does a kitchen feel when there is artwork hanging and sconces in the space? 

A big topic had to do with the use of kitchen islands and whether to have a range in the island or not. This picture is a great example of a safe way to have a range in your island by using a two tiered counter top. This way little hands can stay on one side while you cook on the other!

Many designers on the chat tweeted in unison as the conversation turned to cabinets. Open shelves are preferred as are stacking cabinets! Two trends to watch in the next year!

What's you opinion on current kitchen trends? Do you like the look of open shelves? Do you hang artwork in your kitchen now? What about islands with ranges in them? I would love to hear your thoughts!

To participate in the next Interior Designer Chat pop onto twitter every Tuesday night at 6pm est and search #IntDesignerChat it is always a great conversation!

(images from Coastal Living J Savage Gibson, Sunset Thomas J Story Photographer, Southern Living)

Monday Morning Happy

Well as you can see from the time of this post it's not exactly Monday morning but I still wanted to send out a hello and ask how your weekend was! Did you do any fun home projects over the last few days?

Just before watching the Super Bowl with the boys I had some down time to catch up on my magazines and at the very top of my pile was my brand new Living Etc! Remember how over the moon I was on my birthday weekend when I won the subscription contest over at Bright Bazaar? Well you can imagine how excited I was when the magazine actually arrived in the mail, the neighbors didn't actually come out of their house from my screams but the mailman did give me a strange glance. Doesn't everyone yell when they get a magazine in the mail? No? Well they should!

This image from Living Etc has been pinned up on my inspiration board all winter. It's to remind me there are some great things about these chilly, gray days...fireplaces and gorgeous bed covers!
Thank you Will and Living Etc for making my weekend just a weee bit brighter!

Sunday Serenity

Thank you Coastal Living for taking me away from the igloo I currently live in to this gorgeous hillside in Greece. Want to join me on this visual daydream? Click here to see who lives in this village!

 

(image from Coastal Living)

A Closet Cubby

When I came across this little coat hide away I thought what a fabulous idea! Continuing the flow of wallpaper makes this part of the room but tucked enough away that it has it's own space. How delightful and efficient right? A secret place to stash coats in a way that is still so presentable without having that overbearing door. The only drawback, you have to keep it neat, no throwing it behind closed doors!

What do you say about this Closet Cubby? Do you like this space saving look?

(image from Red Online/ Camera Press)

NYC + Rue Magazine Issue 3

Morning All! I apologize for the delay in posting but I jetted down to NYC for a quick trip to see my favorite girls! The RUE magazine Girls that is! They all made the trek from the west coast for a fabulous party to launch their RUE issue 3!

Making friends through twitter and our blogs is amazing but seeing a good friend in person, well there is nothing better! Here I am with Crystal the EIC of RUE!

The party was held over at the New Traditionalist Showroom in Soho it is a stunning space! Have you seen their furniture? It is beyond amazing not only are the designs timeless, the furniture is all made in New England! Two incredible reasons to support this company.

RUE issue 3 is packed with inspirational photos. If you are looking to bring a little spring into your home check out the above photo. It is perfectly styled and would be great to duplicate on your own sideboard.

This room is just so cozy, perfect for these long winter days! Check out that trunk, how fabulous is the accent of animal print on the side. When walking into the side of any piece of furniture  it is nice to see something unique like this!

The party was even more fun because I was able to connect with so many of my Twitter friends! Tomorrow I will be posting on who those fabulous friends are and a few of their blogs and products. In the meantime pop on over and read the current issue of RUE here!

Thanks to New Traditionalists, Leslie of the Kaleidoscope Partnership and the RUE Team for a fabulous night!

(image from New Traditionalists, RUE Magazine)