Checking in...

Greetings friends!

 I hope you are having a great summer.  We are spending alot of family time in the pool and really have no vacation plans this summer.  We hope to get to the beach before summer's end. The best way to survive these hot, humid Virginia summers is to stay wet!

Alot is happening at PB Interiors.  We are busy with projects as you may have seen on my Instagram account. We have a basement remodel project, a wallpaper/paint kitchen and family room refresh, and a new condo to design from scratch (the clients sold their last house furnished, so they have very little to bring to the new 4 level house!) 

 Our fabulous 'three-peat' client is having their basement remodeled and turning it into a game room, entertainment area, workout room, in-law suite and bathroom.  It will be coming together in the next month and I will get some professional photos taken to show you.  In the mean time, here are the plans and the sneak peaks so far:

The planning phase involves these design boards to paint a picture of the overall feeling of the room. Often a few substitutions are made due to client changes, sale items, or product availability.

The actual sofa, rug and pillow install...

(My iphone photo of installation progress.  I love these West Elm velvet pillows!)

The in-law suite is about 3/4 completed. We're waiting on custom draperies and a few finishing touches.

The game room has been fun to plan.  The wall unit is in place and I am framing their own vintage childhood game boards for a fun and personal touch.

There are assorted backorder and custom items we are waiting on.  This project will take about 3.5 months to complete.

Another project is a new condominium we are helping a couple plan.  I will post that next, so stay tuned.

Take good care!

Market Day at the Washington Design Center

Greetings friends,

I feel like Spring is almost here, which is so refreshing! I hope you all are enjoying warm temps this week as we are here in the DC area.  I am so done with gray skies, and not being able to soak up some sunshine!

During my recent trip to the Washington Design Center for it's first annual Market Day, March 3rd, I was especially inspired by talks by Celerie Kembel and Tilton Fenwick, among others.

Of course a day wrapped in beautiful textiles, furnishings and brilliant designers, (& champagne and hors d'oeuvres) is a dream day in my book.

I loved hearing how Celerie Kemball's current design project of homes in the Dominican Republic has given her style a new dimension.  She has been spending the last two years traveling the world buying unique things for these homes. 

 How refreshing...nothing from a catalog or Home Goods.  I am itching to travel lately.

Celerie, her mother Mimi, and sister Phoebe (a world renown chef) make up the family business and have locations in Palm Beach and New York.  Celerie is vivacious, comical and very approachable.

The two designers Anne Foster and Suysel Cunningham that make up Tilton Fenwick are genuinely warm, sincere and generous in sharing their ideas.  I loved hearing how they got started (a bit unrealistic getting a showhouse in their first few months of business and a feature in a magazine when they had no client portfolio, just their own homes, a great brand and website! - lots to learn here). In just one year of business they were voted as one of the Top 20 "New Traditionalists"!  I crave learning from professionals and as I grow our business I want to see how other successful designers run their businesses.  Here is Ann, Suysel and my friend Ruth Olbrych, Antiques by Zaar. 

Their use of pattern and color with unpredictable elements is amazing.  The have a textile line with Duralee, an upholstery line with Target and a rug line with StudioFourNYC.  They are on fire!

Another highlight of my day was meeting Sophie Donelson, the Editor in Chief of House Beautiful. I read that magazine cover to cover and enjoy her knowledge and passion for design.  She brings youth, change and fun to the magazine, and is also very approachable; a darling (but brilliant) girl-next-door!

There is so much to learn! Starting our 4th year with design clients, I am excited that our referrals are generating consistent business.  I  can't wait until High Point Market next month to see all the new products in the industry, but especially to network with other designers and learn from the pros!

Have a great spring, and happy decorating!

Inspired by Art

One of my go-to sources of inspiration is an art gallery.  I am fortunate to live 30 miles from Washington, DC and a trek to the city is always the shot-in-the-arm I need. During my latest trip downtown I had the pleasure of visiting the Renwick Gallery on Pennsylvania Avenue, a few doors down from the Blair House and the White House.  I have only been there once before, some 30 years ago, and this is now on the top of my list!

The Renwick Gallery, which opened in 1874, was Washington's first art gallery and was referred to as the American Louvre.  It is part of the Smithsonian's American Art Museum and houses a collection of contemporary craft and decorative art.  It has recently undergone a two year renovation bringing it up to more contemporary standards.  

The current exhibit "WONDER" runs through May 2016.  Parts of it will remain open through July while some of the art will be added to the Renwick's permanent collection.  Nine artists have created large scale installations which beg the visitor to experience each artwork in three dimensional space; walking around it, almost touching it, experiencing the sights and smells (yes the giant rubber tire sculpture by Chakaia Booker emanates a smell I have an aversion to). 

 Here is a preview of some of the beautiful installations:

Tara Donovan's pillars made from paper products:

Gabriel Dawe's string installation:

Patrick Dougherty's woven sticks:

Mya Lin's clear glass marble installation:

John Grade's beautifully recreated wooden tree:

Leo Villereale's moving light display:

For a great view of the exhibit through Instagram, follow "#renwickgallery". 

 The photos above are courtesy of The Renwick Gallery. 

 [Sadly, my photos were lost in a technical glitch.]

I hope you get to see this fun, tactile and inspirational exhibit if you are in the DC area and that it inspires you as much as it did me!

Monday jumpstart

This is so true.  I have been proclaiming my intent daily and owning my goals, and it is coming to fruition! If you are not getting anywhere with your goals, practice daily affirmation and visualize where you want to be...it works!

Here's some Monday inspiration to kick off your week.  How about this door?  WOW.

regram from @jasmineandwill

 This room:

regram from @katherinelande

Have a great week and here's to staying inspired and focused!

Be elegant!

P.S.  Our prayers to all of you faced with Winter Storm Juno- we hope you stay warm and safe!

Artful Friday

Some beautiful art for this Friday's inspiration..enjoy!

             Regard XIV by Benedicte Gele

             L’aquarium by Georges Braque

 At the Beach by Martha Walker

     Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida En la yola (Zarauz), 1910

              Four Boys on a Beach by Winslow Homer

  by Jeremy Lipking

Have a wonderful weekend!

Inspiration Boost

Everything about this room is so right:

texture, pattern, contrast, light, layers, balance, functionality, greenery...

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Have a great week friends!

A bit of Whimsy

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I'm not sure if you know this about me, but I am made up of part whimsy.  Something like this artistic, whimsical vignette provided just the giggle I needed today.  I really enjoy the blog Japanese Trash (where I found this) - Dave's one picture-a-post inspires me!

 Have an inspired day!

Inspiration-to-plan

I'm searching online for inspiration for our next client which we can't wait to share with you and I am dying over these horn sconces from One King's Lane today and this pair of chairs from World Market!

 I've come up with this so far:

As you can see inspiration for a design can come from:

favorite art pieces,

a beautiful vintage rug or chair,

or one-of-a-kind sconces!

The leather and wood chair is called the Falcon chair and is in my own collection (from the 70's), but we saw it on 1st dibs as well.

I love to look at tumblr blogs, they have great art!

sconces/chairs/table/mirror/rug/chandelier/collage/oil/art

Pinspiration

Mom's had this magazine clipping hanging up over her desk for a while now.  She asked me to look at it and tell her my favorite parts.  My eye, uncontrollably, gravitates to the opaline glass - the pretty.  Mom explained that she is in love with the artwork on the back wall.  Apparently John Robshaw took a big ream of denim and used bleach to 'paint' it.  People can be such geniuses just by doing something a little different.

Happy weekend!