Punch! Home Design Architectural Series 18 [Old Version]

$ 129.99

PUNCH! HOME DESIGN ARCHITECTURA SERIES 18 SM BOX-US VERSIONFrom layout to landscaping, Home Design Architectural Series 18 from Punch! Software delivers a complete home-design solution. Flexible and easy to use, this software integrates 18 programs and adds more than 60 new features and enhancements. Explore easy-to-use wall tools, robust text and dimension tools, additional 2-D geometric creation tools, photo-realistic lighting, enhanced framing and estimating, and much more. Help text and vide
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HomeDesigns for Energy Efficient Living

$ 51.92

Over 250 exciting plans of one-and two-story homes with energy-saving features. Includes designs with energy-efficient exterior walls, earth-sheltered homes, homes with sun rooms or solariums and much more! Complete construction blueprints available.
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Home Design Brushed Nickel Table Lamp with Fabric Shade (Grey)

$ 14.95

This sleek table lamp is perfect for any room in the house. It has a simple yet sophisticated look that's complimented by a fabric shade and brushed nickel steel base. This beautiful lamp stands 14.25 inches tall and has a shade diameter of 5.5 inches. It requires a 40 watt candelabra base bulb
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• Brushed Nickel Finish
• Fabric Shade
• Metal construction, on/off switch on 5' cord
• Height: 14.25" Diameter: 5.5"
• Uses 1x40 Watt Candelabra Base Bulb (Not Included)

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3D Home Architect Home Design Deluxe Version 9 [Old Version]

$ 24.11

Are you longing for a bigger, better, or brand-new home. Stop dreaming and start designing! Featuring professional grade drafting tools in an easy, intuitive interface, 3D Home Architect Home Designer 9 is the jump-start you've been looking for. Convenient wizards help you create basic plans fast, while 3D walk through tours guarantee a flawless finished project. It's easier to get started, easier to access and use your tools and easier than ever to design the home of your dreams -- down to the
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• Intuitive interface provides you with tools to plan, visualize and execute your home design ideas
• Choose from thousands of furnishings, textures, and color combinations
• When your home design is complete, take a 3D walk-through tour
• View various remodeling options using the wide variety of material templates
• Includes ready-made home plans and rooms and a large library of appliances, furnishings, and more

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Sabrina Soto Home Design: A Layer-by-Layer Approach to Turning Your Ideas into the Home of Your Dreams

$ 9.55

A simple, step-by-step design process from popular HGTV personality and Target style expert Sabrina SotoPeople want their homes to look the way they do in their imaginations—beautiful colors, stylish furniture, and attractive lighting, with ample storage for all their stuff. The thing that stands between most homeowners and the home design they dream of is the lack of a simple, effective decorating process. They have the ideas, but they're hungry for the "how." In this accessible design manual
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Design Organized

Believe it or not, Interior Designers have to be extremely well organized to be able to handle all of the little details that go into doing a good job. You have to be able to keep track of your entire inventory, while keeping on top of other things also like, materials, tracking orders, employees, and making sure that you stay on or below the budget that your client set out for you.

It is no easy feat to try and keep track of all the things that have to be done; especially when you’ve got people constantly surrounding you. You must monitor what everyone is doing and still manage to keep up on what you should be doing. Do not forget that you also have to appear calm because your clients will likely be asking you a great deal of questions. If you are scattered and panicked, it will be difficult to answer all the questions and look cool at the same time.

The ability to know where everything is at, and where every person is at is another aspect of organization. It is very hard to keep jobs if you are constantly wondering where things, and employees are.

You will need to be very well organized if your design projects lead you to having to add or remove a room and/or wall. This type of work requires the use of blueprints. You must be able to read them as well as draw them up; you cannot do this without a great sense of organization. More Info

creative design

Creativity is a subtle, but important quality to have when considering interior design as a profession. Much of your advancement will depend on your ability to be original in your creative efforts to design any space. Clients will always want to keep a designer that can offer them something that nobody else has.

You will also need to be able to turn whatever items that they already have into works of art. Sometimes clients do not want to change everything, or buy new furnishings and draperies; they simply want to make whatever they do have look and feel different. Creative thinking is the only thing that is going to help here. More Info

Dining Room

Your dining room may be the perfect size for your immediate family, but what happens at the holidays when you need to accommodate larger groups of people? Depending on your family size you can figure out temporary and permanent solutions. If you are small family then renting chairs and tables may be an option. While if you have a large family that continues to grow, you will need a long term solution. Here are tips for helping your dining room accommodate more people.

• Assess your current dining needs: How large your family is, how often you entertain, and if you have more than one dining area will help you assess how much seating you actually need. For those that don’t entertain often, renting chairs/tables or buying inexpensive folding ones may be a solution. If you have a formal and informal dining room, your problem may be solved by using both dining areas when large parties come to your home. Assess if you have other areas to use as well: outdoors, adjacent spaces, etc..

• Group seating: One solution to fitting more people at the table is to use group seating. Benches whether they are fixed or movable are good way of maximizing space as opposed to individual seats. Benches are especially good for children who are smaller and can sit closer together without feeling uncomfortable.
  
• Share seating from adjacent rooms: If you have an open floor plan, sharing seating with and adjacent room like a kitchen island or living room can be a viable option. This concept works well when entertaining a large group of people that are all involved in different activities, such as mingling, eating, and small conversation areas. If you do entertain a lot, consider buying sectional seating that can accommodate more people as opposed to only single chairs.

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New Minimalist Swimming Pool

Is your dream would be to have a children’s Minimalist Swimming Pool Design 2011 with your backyard but you possess a space problem? This design is manufactured particularly for small backyards and even terraces to make you take advantage of the amazing & relaxing a sense the pool but in a mini-version.

It is a Minimalist Swimming Pool Design 2011 with a space of only 120 square meters so that it can be established inside your terrace without occupying all space. It features a beautiful oasis design taking a minimalist rectangular form with the extended waterway; the mini-spa is surrounding by wooden floors all around the terrace which make a great harmony with water and produce a delightful a feeling of nature.swimming pool supplies

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Cool Kids Room Interior Decorating

These modern children room decor displays how to make a very happy, clean minimalist and comfortable kids room which your children would proud of. They are creative and quite enjoyable so they would awake imagination in your kid and inspire them. This kids room designed with contemporary furniture and functional home accessories which presented by Italian famous company called Colombini. What do you think about this children room design idea?

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Boys Bedroom Furniture

Buying a boys bedroom furniture and deciding on a plan for decorating his room can be an exciting event. Once their interest is known, it is not difficult to follow through with appropriate products that will help carry out the chosen theme.Boys bedroom furniture on the market today for this very purpose.

Whether you choose Harry Potter, sports, outer space or some other theme, decorating a bedroom and fills it with appropriate furniture can give the boy a sense of really living in this situation. As appropriate posters and other items, plus brightly colored walls will assist in the illusion. Banners and flags are also suitable for boys bedroom furniture.

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contrasting or complementary

Decorating is always more of a challenge if you are on a budget. On a budget you won’t have as many choices as when you have money to spend. However, if you are willing to be a little flexible in what you are looking for you can usually decorate for quite a lot cheaper. Here are some tips on how to decorate on a budget.

Instead of replacing cabinets reuse what you can out of the cabinets you have. If the doors are in decent shape but the paint is peeling or you are sick of the color, think about sanding them down and staining or painting them. If the doors are shot but the cabinet frames are good reuse just the frames and only buy new cabinet doors. The new doors most likely will not match the frames and boxes, but you can paint the frames and boxes either the same color, or a contrasting or complementary color to make sure they look exactly the same or different on purpose in a good way.

Remove curtains from windows that have nice views. Windows without curtains will have a cleaner more elegant look to them. Although, curtains can add more personality to a home and they can also help to add a seasonal feel. Gauzy curtains feel summery, while heavy curtains give a room a more cozy winter feel.

Check back soon for the next blog post which will be about decorating on a budget using wallpaper, mirrors, or by covering up imperfections strategically.

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Decorate on a Budget

The previous post on this blog talked about decorating on a budget by recovering furniture, replacing lampshades, and repainting.

Make sure you are taking advantage of used furniture stores, thrift stores, dollar stores, and used shopping websites such as craigslist and ebay. These are places where you can find wonderful deals on home decorating items, new furniture or accent items. You might have a hard time finding something very specific, but if you look through these places with an open mind you can usually find some killer deals that you can make work with your décor in a great creative way.

If you are planning a large redesign that you think will cost quite a bit and be something you will have to really plan for, make sure you make a budget for the project. List everything you will need to consider, and take time to consider how much you can spend in each category. This way you can rest assured that you will not end up in debt over your redesign.

Unfinished wooden products are usually much cheaper than the finished versions.

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Finding Large Scale Botanical Prints

So, as you may have noticed, I have a thing for botanicals.  Small-scale botanicals are fairly easy to find- in books, on etsy, ebay, calendars, flea markets, antique shops, etc. (they're usually all bookplates or copies of bookplates so the size is no larger than the book) but large-scale botanicals aren't always as easy to come by. 

 

 

{Reproduction Cowslip & anemone botanical charts in our family room by The Evolution Store}

 

I've managed to get my hands on a few & when Erin @ The Impatient Gardener asked me where I'd found them, I thought I'd share some of my sources in a post.   (I hope you won't think I'm a one-trick pony when you see how many botanicals I've used in projects!!  I just have a serious passion for them!! ;)   The reproduction German education charts in my family room (above) are from The Evolution Store.    They have a wide (and gorgeous!)selection of botanicals, and in particular, a lot with black backgrounds, which are higher-contrast and feel bolder and more modern than those with light backgrounds.   I wanted my charts quickly & I needed a  pair, so going vintage wasn't really an option for me this time.  When I got the charts, I spent some time beating them up- I roughed up the edges a little and rolled and unrolled them a bunch, wrinkling them- so they'd more resemble my vintage ones.  I also splurged for the wooden dowels vs. the plastic dowels.  (ps- it's ridiculous that I spent all of this time making my new charts look old when I'm so careful & gentle with my old ones. hahaha  irony.)

 

The charts can be hung on nails like mine (above) or framed like these:

 

 {Room by S. Gambrel and the botanicals look like framed charts to me....  The Evolution Store carries all of these exact prints.}

 

The vintage botanical chart that sparked this post (below) is in my laundry room.  I found it at an antique store.  Any time I see rolled up vintage educational charts in a store, I go digging.  I unroll every single one and buy all of the ones that I love.  I keep them until the right project comes along. 

 

 

 

...And it always does. 

 

I found the mushroom chart in my middle son's nursery (below) at German Favorite Antiques, a local antique store in Leesburg, Virginia.  They have a nice selection of charts, though most that I've seen in the past are industrial / machine parts charts. 

 

 

 

Some of my favorite overscale botanicals are actual pressed botanicals or copies of actual pressed botanicals.  If you plan on buying actual pressed overscale botanicals, then get your wallet ready for it because they're not cheap (but OH MY GOSH THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL & I looooooooove them & do think it's worth the splurge if it's something you're passionate about...  Did you just hear me give myself an excuse to get one some day?? ;) ;))  BUT, there are a few posters around of overscale pressed botanicals.  Allposters.com carries these ginko leaves and they are so perfect:

 

 

 

 

Actual pressed plants will eventually fade over time whereas copies of the plants won't.

 

I wanted to do something similar but a little more personal for some clients of ours so, their kids & I went outside & found some pretty leaves from their back yard (from tulip trees.)  I took the leaves home and laid them out on my scanner and scanned them in.  Then I sent the images to an online company to have them blown up and printed on stretched canvas.  (below)

 

 

 

I came across this botanical (below) out at the Old Lucketts Store in Leesburg and I think it's a framed chart of a marsh marigold.

 

I found these two prints for a client's dining room (below) at Natural Curiosities, whose art work I love.  They purchase & acquire the rights to antique & vintage prints and reproduce them, often in large scale.  Everything from Natural Curiosities is even better in person than in photos because they "age" their papers and try to painstakingly replicate the originals. 

 

{Natural Curiosities}

...Another great source for overscale botanicals (mostly charts) is etsy.  There are sellers selling actual vintage charts & there are a bunch selling new charts in the vintage style.  (Many of the new educational charts are actually being made on the very same machines that the originals were made on...  they are just 2012 versions of the originals, kind of like reprinting of books.  The vintage charts found online are typically more expensive than the new ones.)  It's sometimes hard to tell if a seller is selling vintage charts or reproductions so be sure to ask if  you're unsure. 

Anyway, I'm off for the day, but have a great one!!


 ps- My blog was recently redone by my blog friend Carolyn V of Life in Graz Pittsburg & she is amazing!!!!  I've had such a great experience with her and you need to check out her adorable nursery!!!  (for her brand new baby, Alexander!!!)  Also, my other talented blog friend, Emily Thompson of Indie Shopography, did my online store (www.purestylehome.co) and she is awesome too!!  I can't recommend both of them enough!!

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Our Laundry Room & Some Goodness

Since we're leaving so soon (we close in 8 days & move soon after!) I thought I'd share a few before & afters of some of the few spaces in my house that I haven't taken a million photos of.  Today it's the laundry room & I've never taken "after" photos of it because it's never been neat enough to take pics of.  oh well. 

Enter staging your home to sell and it gets there.  (We left our house with laundry the day of our open house!!)  SO I've been enjoying it for the past few weeks :)

Here's what it looked like when we moved in 3 years ago...

We didn't really change much at all.  I added curtains & a jute rug & some storage pieces.  I was proud of myself for making the little cafe curtains out of a ferny fabric.  They remind me of something my Grandma Maestranzi would have made for her lake cottage.

  I hung a botanical chart over the washer & dryer to hide the electrical box, which made the bggest difference to me:

Before the open house I had a glass collection on the countertop but I packed it all up and switched it with a laundry basket.

{My little bird print left too}

The shelves are filled with random things...

{wrapping paper & potting stuff}

My laundry is pretty much caught up (but it's the FOLDING OF CLEAN LAUNDRY (!!!)  that we're behind on.)

{see how empty this thing is??  You should see my bedroom though!! argggg}

... About a week ago I received a beautiful package in the mail from Gracious Style full of laundry goodies by Le Blanc & The Laundress.  Let me start by saying I don't like doing laundry. 

At all. 

 I have the strongest sense of smell though & I am for real when I say that I've actually kind of enjoyed doing laundry since I've gotten my goodies. 

The packaging is so pretty and the SMELLS-  OH MY!!!!!!!!

{LeBlanc Linenpress...  haven't used it yet.  Sadly, I rarely iron.}

The SMELL of the LeBlanc stuff is HEAVEN!!!!! Just sooooo good!!!! It's crazy.

They sent the Blue Violet scent and I am totally loving it!!!  The dryer sachet (not sure if that's the right name!!  good for 16 washes) is CRAZY.  My laundry smells sooooo good & I can't stop going in there to take whiffs!!!  (It's right near my office) 

I also sprayed some of this (below) on the things that I'd hung to dry for more goodness:

And I poured some of this in with my regular detergent:

  I can't believe what a difference all the goodies have made so far in my once-dreaded chore!!!  I am not just saying this...  This stuff is crazy good.  I'm scared I'm addicted and won't be able to go back to the regular stuff.  I think it's going to have to go on my Christmas wishlist. Thanks so much to Gracious Style for letting me try out these yummy products!!  To get some of your own, go here.   ...But I still need a little elf to come fold at night while we're sleeping...  
ps-  I normally shy away from doing any sort of product reviews because it usually feels like homework and I don't want to have to worry about writing a review of something I don't like, but I'd been wanting to try some different laundry products for a while now so I said yes.  So glad I did!!   
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under construction: 2 Southern Living showcase homes in Austin

Two Austin custom home builders are building a Southern Living magazine showcase home on Lake Travis that ultimately will be sold for $1.5 million.

Currently under construction in Lago Vista at Waterford on Lake Travis, the 4,400-square-foot house will be finished around the holidays and will be shown to the public as a fundraiser for several weeks in February 2013.

The Austin showcase home features wood beams, limestone rock and panoramic windows that create a strong sense of the outdoors, Grimm said.

Henley hopes the Southern Living showcase home draws about 15,000 people when it’s open Feb. 8-24, 2013. Though ticket prices have to be set, the proceeds from the home tour will benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Austin and Operation Finally Home.

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Vines Indoors

{Rose Tarlow's home, featured in Architectural Digest in 1991, via Cote de Texas}

I've always had a love for plants despite the fact that I've killed (way!!) more of them than I can count.  I'm especially drawn to plants that go wild & take over.  (i.e. ivy-covered houses)  As a little girl, I was fascinated by the mysterious thorns ensnaring Sleeping Beauty's castle:

{ http://abookwithoutpages.blogspot.com/2010/12/sleeping-beauty.html  }

...and I've been known to fall in love with rooms just because there's a gorgeous green plant in the photograph of the room. 

I dream about a conservatory one day where I can kill beautiful plants one by one.. hahah no seriously, I'm going to get better with plants & one day hope to have a semi-green thumb!!

My best friend texted me this photo this Spring (taken on her phone) of a provate residence in Richmond on a home tour:

{and those laneterns too!!!}

There's just something about vines....

It reminded me of the conservatory at Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown that I'm obessed with:

{The walls are being seriously accosted by the various vines & I'm in looooooooove...  I desperately wanted to take our wedding photos here but it didn't work out.. rain & I'm not sure its allowed :(  I still regret not having those pics...}  The photo above is from the anthology of ms. emily & mr.ben.

Anyway, since we're moving into a new house &because my houses are my design labs, I really want to try to experiment with it & do some things I've been wanting to do for a while now, namely, attempting to grow vines indoors.  Like up-my-walls-indoors...

 {I think there's a planter up there with the vines cascading down...}

I cannot get over the fact that some people have been able to get vines (!!)  to grow inside their homes & up their walls!!!  I want it!!!!  so bad!!!!!!!!

In the photo below, it looks like the vines are growing from the large pots around...

{image via gardenista.com}

...But in some of the other photos I'm seeing, it looks like the vines are coming in through the windows:

My favorite parts of the vines are where they've attacked the walls & ceilings:

{Garden and Gun Magazine}

In the kitchen above & below, I've seen the vines tagged on pinterest as "wild fig" vines...  Anyone know anything about them??  I loooooove them!!!!

{Garden and Gun magazine}

Are they coming through the windows??

The room below looks like a conservatory:

{love.. would go apey to have this!!}

And some of my absolute favorite vines are in Rose Tarlow's home (published in Architectural Digest in 1991).  All of the following images are via Cote de Texas and it's worth clicking here to read all about the home & Rose Tarlow.  (I would move right in if I could!)

isn't this amazing?!!!:

It looks like the vines are coming in through the doors!!!   ahhhhhh so good!!!

If you read a lot of blog, you've probably seen this image before:

perfection.

Here (below) you can really see the vines coming down from the ceiling:

{This one looks like ivy}

ANd in some of the photos you can even see how the leaves are golden/ orangey:

Here, they look green:

{I love the recessed bookshelves}

...So.. does anyone know anything about this?  Many of the walls featuring vines look like plaster...  Is this a requirement?  How do the vines "stick?"  Do they just start cracking into the drywall/ plaster?  How can I do this?  I'm guessing the pot method?  Or could I grow them through a door without keeping it cracked?  I have a huge slider in my new living room...  What  type of vines can I grow??  I really love the ones with the smaller looking leaves...  Anyone have any experience or kow how to grow these?? 

S.O.S.!!! :)

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

ps- I will tell you all about the new look on the blog as soon as the blog links are totally ready to rock.  More Info