Textured Coverings Are Ready to Climb Your Walls

(Squares wallcover from Graham and Brown)

Janet Ramin - Are you tired of looking at wall paint? Do you wish your walls could be livelier, more exciting, more in your face? If you’re not afraid of shaking things up, then take a look at these paintable, textured wall coverings.

Graham and Brown offers their paintable Squares and Pure wallpapers. Squares shows off a dynamic geometric pattern that can be left white or painted in fun colors as seen behind the bookcase above. Pure wallpaper is a curvaceous choice that creates an elegant background. 

(Pure wallcover from Graham and Brown)(Architect Wall Flat from Inhabit)For an even more dimensional wallcover, we have the wall flat series from Inhabit. Above is the Architect wallcover which is made from bagasse, a fibrous matter left over after sugarcane stalks have been crushed. It's lightweight and recyclable. Below is the Drift wallcover, a design that hints at slender tree limbs. 

(Drift Wall Flat from Inhabit)Besides providing visual punch to your walls, these wallcovers are perfect for covering flawed walls. If you have uneven walls and you don't want to replaster them – a process that can take several days of application – then these textured wallcovers will hide the imperfections. 

 

Reprinted with permission of Sheffield School. Are you interested in learning more about furniture and home design? Take a look at Sheffield School's Complete Course in Interior Design. At Sheffield, you'll learn how to transform a space, create color schemes, and select furniture, lighting, and accessories.  

4 Mirror-Clad Furniture Favorites

Perth Mirrored Chest from HayneedleJanet Ramin - Mirror, Mirror, on the design floor ... which furniture is the fairest of them all? All right, it’s not Snow White, but since Hollywood has been churning out endless remakes of this fairytale, I thought I’d jump on the bandwagon and transform it to an interior design fairytale – my kind of bedtime story!

My client, Miss Dina Dithering, (not her real name, of course) can’t decide on the style of furniture she wants in her home. First she wants contemporary then she wants classic. Last week she loved the silver colors; this week it’s only true blue. Do you have one of these clients - or are you that kind of indecisive homeowner? We can’t move forward; we’re stuck in a murky, sticky swamp.

I offered her some tempting styles: how about Scandinavian? Georgian? Arts and Crafts? "NO!" she said. “That style is too cold; that one is too expensive; the other is too heavy!” And down the line, she crossed them all off.

Mirrored Chest from Elizabeth AustinOy vey, help me. And then, like a fairy godmother on speed dial, my vendors came to the rescue! I was showered with some glorious photos of mirrored furniture.

Click to read more ...

NYC Hotel Puts Art Installations in the Spotlight

(47th Street View of "Billowing Beauty" Photo: Nova Colette Bronstein) 

Nova Bronstein - The Lab Gallery of The Roger Smith Hotel, located in the center of the hustle and bustle of midtown Manhattan, is a rotating candy store for the eyes.

(Photo: Nova Colette Bronstein)

(Photo: Nova Colette Bronsein)Standing on the corner of 47th and Lexington and peering through the windows at this brightly colored and compelling beauty, I was confronted with a locked door. I felt like a small child eagerly looking up at a glass jar of cookies high on a shelf, visible, but clearly not within reach.  It's almost painful to ONLY watch the mixed concoction of Dr. Seuss meets Parisian whimsy in this aerated dreamscape - the pieces lift and fall, swell and sway, beckoning you to touch. 

These playful animated works are the creation of French artist Anne Ferrer. The self-proclaimed, "frustrated sculptress" finds solace only once having completed her sensuous forms. These earthy, root-like behemoths are hand-stitched out of fabric and breathed into life with pumps of air.  

What is her goal? To instill in all of us the feeling of "ravishment!" And she does. Oh, she does! 

For those of you who are like me - jewelry inclined -imagine those luscious forms broken down to outlines, silhouettes, or combinations of color. Anything you're drawn to can serve as inspiration for the next creation. Let the "ravishment" prevail! 

The Lab hosts 20 or more installations per year, which equates to something new on view about every three weeks. Swing by the gallery to witness an ever-rotating mix of creativity on display - and enjoy the following video portrait of Ferrer's installation.   

Article reprinted with permission of the Sheffield School in New York. Design2Share encourages you to explore your creative side; check out the newly-launched Jewelry Design Course offered at the Sheffield School. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any other school in the world.

• Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing their distance education courses.
• Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.

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Update on June 24, 2011 by Design2Share

Super King Size Leather Beds: We just found a great collection of sleek leather bed designs. They add sophistication, whether your bedroom decor is traditional or modern. 

Featured Project: DIY Painted Headboard 

Now is the perfect time to think about freshening up your interior space. With a splash of color here and a new piece of furniture there, it's easy to redecorate. Here's a quick, budget-conscious DIY design idea to help get you started.

Paint Your Own Headboard

Chances are if you if you purchased your bed frame as part of a bedroom set, the headboard is already included. If you don't want to put forth the extra cash, especially after paying for a pricey mattress, no problem! Painted headboards are a great way to add a pop of color to your bedroom.

Step 1: Measure the width of the head of your bed and mark it with blue painter's tape from floor to ceiling. Now, choose your color based on your desired color scheme. You obviously don't want it to be the same shade as your walls, but it should complement that color.

Step 2: Once you have your color, paint the wall, staying within the blue painters tape. Once the paint dries, if you choose to do so, you can detail with paint or with some removable wall decals from a company like Blik. For as little as $40, Blik makes easily removable wall decals in fun shapes like bookshelves, chandeliers, birds, etc. If this sounds like too much work, don't worry and leave your wall a solid color.

Step 3: Simply position your bed up against the painted wall, prop up some decorative Euro pillows in coordinating colors and patterns, and you have yourself a headboard. You might want to take this opportunity to invest in a new comforter or duvet in fun, light, spring colors. You'd be surprised at what a little bit of paint and some new bedding can do for your space!

Contemporary vanities and more at Decor Planet for your bathroom needs.