Archive for the ‘Design’ Category
Happy New Year!
by Kelly Edwards | December 30th, 2009
Happy New Year!! I have certainly been off the grid for a few weeks. I recently flew to Chicago to shoot with Jesse Palmer on the ABC special, “Holiday of Stars”. If you havent seen it, check it out HERE. I had such a blast giving Jesse’s Pad a little holiday bling! I’m also (as if the holidays arent stressful enough) in the middle of a move. Im officially 6 blocks from the beach! Growing up in the Chicago winters made me want to try beach living for a year or two and Im loving it. Plus I think I was born to move. Im not joking when I tell you that Ive moved 9 times in the past 8 years. So…Ive been in #9 for only a week or two and I’ve already painted the kitchen cabinets and ripped off the bathroom mirrors. My poor kitchen counters may have to take a hike here soon too, but I have to take one thing at a time which is really going to be hard for me considering patience is not my best virtue. We actually downsized so I’ve been spending some of my time trying to make sense of all this furniture in my place. My apartment looks VERY VERY eclectic to say the least. Anyway, I hope everyone has a safe and happy new year and I’ll catch ya in 2010! xoxo
What do I have in common with one of the Bachelor contestants and football pro Jesse Palmer?
by Kelly Edwards | November 30th, 2009
The holidays of course! This Sunday on ABC I will be on “Holiday of Stars” giving Jesse Palmer’s condo a holiday makeover. For those of you who don’t know who Jesse is…well…let me just show you his pic….
Jesse was one of the Bachelor contestants, Ex-Gator, Giant and current ESPN sports correspondent in need of a holiday makeover. Luckily, I was the chosen one who worked my magic. Tune in this Sunday 5/4c to watch me turn this bachelor pad into a total touchdown (I had to say it).
Tracy Kendall Wallpaper
by Kelly Edwards | November 3rd, 2009
Check out this wallpaper by designer Tracy Kendall. Love love love. I must have at least one spoon!~
Walt Disney Concert Hall
by Kelly Edwards | November 2nd, 2009
Last night my boyfriend surprised me with tickets to see singer/song writer Kris Kristofferson at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Just to go to the Disney Hall was worth peeling myself out of bed after a late night of Halloween parties. This building truly is an architectural marvel and listening to the acoustic version of “Me and Bobby McGee” was priceless. Here is a picture I took from the balcony.
The Whirlwind that is Chicago
by Kelly Edwards | October 27th, 2009
A few weeks ago I went back home to Chicago to visit. In one week I celebrated my birthday, my dad’s birthday and my niece’s birthday, appeared on ABC Channel 7 News, WGN Channel 9 News, spoke at my niece’s school, did a fundraiser for a woman who was recently hit by a drunk driver and spoke at the Chicago Historic Bungalow Association and Green Home Expo at the Merchandise Mart. What a whirlwind! Here are a few pic’s from my trip….Chicago I miss you!
At WGN Channel 9 getting ready for my segment with the vendors from the Chicago Bungalow Association and Green Home Expo.
Visiting Lukancic Middle School to speak to the kids in the Fuel up to Play 60 club. They are focusing on eating healthy, being active and making a difference for themselves and their community. These guys rock!
Hanging out with some of the volunteers at Nancy Hund’s Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser. These women graciously donated their time to create a memorable night for everyone. Nancy was hit by a drunk driver in August and is still in the hospital recovering.
Speaking at the Chicago Bungalow Association and Green Home Expo.
Inexpensive Halloween Decorating Ideas
by Kelly Edwards | October 21st, 2009
Its Halloween decorating time again my little ghouls and ghosts. This year you don’t have to spend a lot to celebrate in a spooky fashion. Here are a few simple and easy holiday decorating tricks that will certainly get you in the spirit.
Buy inexpensive artwork from the thrift store, take out the existing picture and leave the glass. Give the frame a coat of black paint and use Looking Glass Spray Paint by Krylon to spray the glass. Or you can also go to http://vintageprintable.com/wordpress/and print up free art to insert into frame (they have some for Halloween or choose one of black crows). Another option is to purchase a piece of mylar (mirrored film) to insert into the frame for a spooky mirrored effect.
Go to the dollar store to pick up skulls, crows, and spider rings. Use as table décor by placing them around the food.
Go batty! Go out to your yard and pick up a branch or two and spray paint them silver. Using the free templates online, print out a bat and copy onto black construction paper. After you’ve cut out the bats, tie them to branches with fishing line to make a scary tree or simply just hang them from your ceiling at different heights.
Spray pumpkins with glitter spray paint. Go for green, orange, black or cream.
Cover your furniture, mantel or accessories with cheesecloth then sprinkle a few leaves or spiders on it. Or simply just cover furniture with white sheets.
Orange and red light bulbs will really creep the place out.
Make table centerpieces with black vases filled with orange roses or kale and don’t forget the candelabras.
- Using glow in the dark spray paint, spray various inexpensive items that you picked up from a thrift store. When the lights are off, the room will glow.
- Using a drill, drill your design into a pumpkin instead of carving it. For instance instead of carving a bat, why not drill the outline in.
Invest in plastic silver serving trays that you can find at the dollar store and then place them on top of pumpkins as your table décor(see the Martha pic above). Cut the top off of a pumpkin wide enough for the serving platter to sit on top of it.
The Perfect “Pieces”
by Kelly Edwards | October 20th, 2009
Since this month is occupied by my ”favorites” on my blog, let me introduce you to Pieces. If you are a designer, homeowner , stylist or lover of vintage items with a sophisticated and modern twist, then Pieces in Atlanta is a must see. Lee Kleinhelter, an interior designer, opened Pieces in the Buckhead district in 2004 as a way to offer clean lined furnishings with a twist. With a desire to inspire, Lee also has an amazing talent to bring vintage items back to life. Her love of interesting and one-of-a kind pieces that she meticulously rejuvenates and pairs with other pieces in her store, turns what she does into a work of art. Below she talks about being inspired by fashion and architecture, how to mix pieces together and her number one rule of design. For more info you must check out their website which is pure eye candy for the designers soul. www.piecesinc.com
What or who inspires you?
I’m inspired by architecture, geometric patterns, color, fashion, magazines, everything……
As an interior designer, what’s your favorite room to design?
My favorite room to design always depends on the situation & project. Normally, my most favorite are the rooms you, originally, think are going to be the most difficult then you push the envelope to try something really different and it all just comes together. That’s the most fun! The obvious rooms to design aren’t always the most interesting to tackle.
Your store carries a combination of eclectic, modern, vintage, and quirky pieces. What do you think is the trick to combining all these different styles in one’s home?
The key is to mix items and keep it interesting with unexpected elements. The ‘less is more’ approach. This will keep the eye moving and makes the space interesting by using different design elements. An example is….rustic natural wood pieces mixed with clean modern lined upholstery and well edited accessories.
What was the vision behind your store?
Offering unique pieces and mixing them in a way that is unexpected that inspires the regular consumer, the stylist and the designer.
Do you have a best seller? Or what’s your favorite piece?
I’m in love with the vintage mirrored pieces. They add so much character to a space.
Do you work with local artists and designers?
Yes, we work with all types in the industry – designers, stylists, architects – working on all different types of projects. We truly enjoying working with everyone, not just those in the industry. We have such a broad range of customers.
Events at your store? Classes?
We occasionally will have events at the store. Our most favorite was a Domino magazine launch party. We loved Domino & wish they were still in distribution. We hosted a party for Tara Guerard of Soiree by Tara Guerard, who was doing of book signing of her book “Southern Weddings.”
What’s one rule of design you always like to follow?
Keep it simple & clean.
If you weren’t an interior designer with a successful store, what would you be doing?
I would probably be a professional organizer. I love label makers & the Container Store, I was born this way.
All warm and cozy for your home
by Kelly Edwards | October 18th, 2009
Check out these cozy finds that have FALL written all over them.
West Elm Lutz & Patmos Honeycomb Pillows
Crate & Barrel Birch Votive
Viva Terra Slate Cheese Board Set
Sciroccoh Towel Warmer
Blood Orange Sydney Harbour Paints
Everywhere I look I see this beautiful color
by Kelly Edwards | October 15th, 2009
Color, color, color…you hear every designer talk about color on a daily basis. Well today, while perusing around I found my girl Martha’s post about red. Surprisingly enough, if you asked me if I loved red I’d automatically revert to saying, “no”, but in all reality I think I am a closet lover. Looking at this pic, I think it will convert anyone! Even the display of radishes as an accessory on the gorgeous wood table is super cute and adds in the organic feel.
Evolution-One of my favorite stores in NYC!!
by Kelly Edwards | October 13th, 2009
Every time I visit New York City I always stop into one of my favorite stores in SoHo, Evolution. This store is unlike any other. As a valuable resource for museums, educators, nature enthusiasts, interior designers, photographers and collectors, they carry natural history collectables. From replica skulls, skeletons, beetles and butterflies, this place is a natural wonder. Next time you are in NYC you must check it out or at the very least, click on their site www.evolutionstore.com. Currently, I had the pleasure of interviewing with Mason from Evolution. See our interview below. I can’t thank them enough for their time!!!
What was the vision behind your store?
The basic vision comes from a fascination with the natural world: its strangeness and its beauty, coupled with a collector’s eye. I like to describe the store as a natural history museum you can take home and display in your living room.
What or who inspires you?
Natural history museums, certainly. Science classrooms and old textbooks. The aesthetics of Natural History have an evolution as well, from the curiosity cabinets of the Renaissance to an exhibition today that might have interactive media booths sprinkled in. Our own aesthetic tends (perhaps) more towards the former than the latter, but we also love the bizarre.
How did you get started?
Bill Stevens opened The Evolution Store in 1993. He had been in advertising for years, but had always had a passion for collecting the type of material we sell: natural and scientific items not often seen outside museums. At some point, he realized that perhaps he could start a business selling the type of items he loved. It worked. It seems that many people have a fascination with the beauty of odd items from the natural world. There have been a number of currents in the culture that have helped us achieve the kind of popularity we enjoy, from theJurassic Park movies (we sell dinosaur teeth and insects in amber), to the strange ubiquity of the skull motif in every imaginable aspect of design (we sell skulls and skeletons, both human and animal, both real and replica) to the controversy over the teaching of evolution in schools.
Where do your pieces come from? They are all so unique and amazing!
We deal with hundreds of different suppliers – so many, in fact, that it can be daunting to keep track of them all. We work with taxidermists, fossil preparators, mineral dealers, seashell importers, people all over the world who find or grow or raise or cast nice specimens of all kinds of assorted things. We buy antique pieces. Furthermore we strive to be certain that the items we offer are of the best quality we can sell.
What museums can we find some of your pieces in?
We have sold to several museums, but I am particularly proud to have sold a nice piece to the American Museum of Natural History right here in New York. They needed a fossil dragonfly for a traveling exhibition. They looked at their own collection and realized that most of their examples were type specimens: far too significant to go on the road. So they bought ours.
Do you have any adjectives that best describe your store or your inventory?
Our inventory is constantly changing, and constantly surprising, even to ourselves. I think our store is different things to different people. Some people come in the store and are fascinated. Some people see us as a storehouse of the spooky or bizarre. In either case, I think it is fair to say that we offer very unusual merchandise.
Whats the most unique piece you have in your store right now?
Each one is unique, so it is often extremely hard to pick a winner. We have a very crazy and bizarrely spherical two-faced calf skull, a form of conjoined twins in which one basic skull is divided at the front into two snouts. We have a very large and lovely woolly mammoth tusk in the front window right now. We have some very unusual insects. One of the /rarest/ things we have is lunar and martian meteorite, actual pieces of the surface of Mars or the Moon which were blasted off the by a meteorite impact there, then made their way to earth.
What is your best seller?
We sell a lot of hematite magnets. The hematite is quite attractive – a shiny graphite-gray color, and fun to play with. We sell a lot of nice insect keychains, beetle-wing earrings, and lollipops with bugs in them. Raccoon penis bones…freeze dried mice… People can’t seem to get enough of these things – perhaps because they are so odd. And inexpensive – we sell a lot more keychains than mammoth tusks, as you can imagine. I like to think that we have something for everyone, and every budget. We have sold items from five for a dollar to tens of thousands of dollars, and we get new things year-round.
What is the best gift for a guy/girl? (I only ask this because Id like to buy my boyfriend something, but I can never decide what!)
That totally depends on the guy/girl. We sell a lot of beautifully framed insects, which are one of our specialties, and we can do custom work and special orders, but then some people are just freaked out by bugs. A meteorite might make a great gift; it’s a piece of something which is probably older than the earth, and it comes from outer space. But then it is just a pretty piece of nickel-iron… It takes some imagination to really grasp its significance. Some people like big things for display and some people like tiny objects they can treasure. Talk to one of our salespeople. We love to help steer you towards the most incredible gift. And if it turns out that it isn’t exactly right, we can help you exchange it. We sell gift certificates, too. If you are looking for a gift for someone who seems to have everything, we probably have something fascinating that they have never heard of.
Can anyone sell you what they own, or do you have a specific group you buy from?
We buy items from all over. We are very discriminating, but we love to find interesting and unusual objects…
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Kelly Edwards, the do-it-yourself darling, offers great design tips, bargain-decorating projects, and the tools needed to turn any project into a success.