Baby Time!

I must apologize for being offline for so long.  For those of you who know me personally, I took some much needed time off.  However, I'm back and refreshed!

Seems like everyone is having babies this summer.  I am dedicating this posting to my dear friends, Michelle and Jack.  They are expecting their first child and also just bought their first home.  Hopefully, this will give them some ideas as to how to decorate the baby's room in their brand new house.

Art for Kids

This look isn't for everyone.  However, if you want your nursery to scream Old World Elegance rather than something more conventional say...Winnie the Pooh, then the over the top custom cribs and heavy silk dust ruffles could work for you.  I do love the double faced silk canopies hanging over the cribs!!

via DecorPad

I love this modern room with oversize lettering on the wall.  How chic!

via Flickr

Not all cribs have to be black, white or brown.  This yellow crib gives such a nice and sunny contrast to the sea foam walls.

via Flickr

Neutral doesn't have to be boring.  Make sure you make up for the lack of color by layering on different textures to add interest.  Having a crystal chandelier definitely adds bling to this room!

via Flickr

What I like about this room is the wainscoting.  Not only is it aesthetically pleasing, it is also highly practical.  Once your baby starts crawling or walking, there will be palm prints everywhere!  A wainscoting painted in a satin finish makes cleaning a breeze.  It also makes this small room look a bit roomier, don't you think?

Pottery Barn

Pink can easily look washed out after a while.  Brown is my favorite color to anchor baby pinks and baby blues.

Sarah Richardson Design

A comfy, plush chair for feeding and reading is a must in every nursery!  Why go for a solid fabric when you can have so much fun with polka dots?

Upholstered Headboards - Trend du Jour

Wow, upholstered headboards are popping up everywhere, aren't they?  Don't fret, they are no longer the dingy green 80s fabric complete with the flower and vine look your grandmother had.

With distinctive shapes and eye popping fabric, a headboard not only dresses up a room, it may very well be the focal point of your bedroom.

I am definitely using an upholstered headboard for the master bedroom I am decorating (see my last posting).  I have my eye on a tall curvy headboard that screams old Hollywood Regency! 

Here are some of my favorites:

via Decorpad

via Decorpad

via Decorpad

from Room Service Store

Jonathan Adler

Tell me, what types of headboards would you want in your room?

Now on to my designs...

The first weekend for the Decorator Showcase was a big success.  The weather was so terrific!  You can see the Golden Gate Bridge AND the clear blue water from multiple rooms within the property.  I can't think of a better way to spend a beautiful weekend than to soak myself in the warm (and rare) SF weather in a $ 19.5 million mansion surrounded by 19th century antiques.  If you haven't visited the Showcase, you must must must check it out before the end of the month!!!

Anyhoo, from chatting with each of the room's designer, my brain is now bulging with fantastic ideas for my own projects...

To start, I am working on a master bedroom.  It's a small space, but a jewel of a space.  The room is about 12'x15' with a tiny closet.  The room was much darker than depicted in this first picture.  The french doors and windows were drafty and it is obvious there is no insulation behind the wood paneling.  We had to start fresh and make it right.  So out went the doors and paneling and everything stripped to the studs!

Before my magic touch, see the awful track lighting in the corner of the pic?

Right away you can see the room is so much brighter without the paneling.  I was right!  No insulation

My contractor, hard at work.

Insulation and drywall

Brand new 12' double paned Anderson doors

This is what I call a clean slate

SF Decorator Showcase Details!

The 2010 SF Decorator Showcase is set to open its door at 3450 Washington Street starting tomorrow May 1st through May 31st!  Check out the sfdecoratorshowcase.org for more information.
The mansion boasts a whopping 8,000 plus square feet of living space and I am sure all the wonderful design would give you great inspiration if you are looking to re-doing your own place.

I attended the preview and here is a sneak peek!
P.S. I will be a docent on May 1st from 10am-1pm, May 2nd and 31st from 11am-2pm.  I hope to see you!

SF DECORATOR SHOWCASE

The annual SF Decorator Showcase is here!  This year, the featured home is located in the lovely Presidio Heights area.

If you are unfamiliar with the Showcase, it has been featuring luxurious homes designed by top SF interior designers since 1977 and the proceeds from the Showcase benefit the SF University High School's financial aid program.

I am very excited that this year I will be serving as a docent with the Decorator Showcase and I will be providing you more information soon!

NEW BLOG

Hello!!

I am so excited you have joined me on my blog.  My name is Carolyn and I live in the San Francisco Bay Area.  I have been following prominent interior designers' work for years and track the trends in residential interior and garden design.  There are many wonderful design blogs out there and I thought to myself, why not start my own blog?!  I have been known to be opinionated (just a little) and if you care to hear my two cents on designs, then this is the place to be!

I will be posting designs that are inspirational to me.  French traditional is my calling, but I love almost everything really: Hollywood art deco, casual elegance, country, beachy...you get the picture.  I will also post some of my own designs as well.

I would love to hear your feedback on what you would like to see on my blog.  Also, please send me an email if you want me help you look for designs with certain color schemes or style for your own design.