new home for designerbean!

hello all! due to technical difficulties, designerbean has officially moved! the new home of designerbean is: thedesignerbean.blogspot.com
i will be updating the blog more often and i hope y'all are all able to enjoy it as much if not more than the original designerbean. the first post has pictures of a few of my favorite new fabrics, so enjoy!!

home staging

hello and welcome back to designerbean! summer has whooshed by, and now fall is at the doorstep. i can't wait to get back into my routine and share some of the wonderful things i've found this summer! so sit back, grab a cup of cider, and enjoy :)
recently i gave a talk on home staging, and since it is a popular topic right now i wanted to share some of the basic information and how to's of home staging. for those of y'all who aren't familiar with home staging, it is essentially prepping your home to be sold by making it look as attractive as possible to a large number of potential buyers... and the great thing about is that there are easy fixes which don't have to be expensive or time/labor intensive!

there are five key concepts of home staging...
1. simplify the space. this means taking out extra furniture, using soft, neutral colors throughout the house, and clearing up your walls.

2. eliminate clutter. dirty houses don't sell! clean up your home and clear off your tabletops and counters .

3. show the home's potential. give purpose to each room, but keep them flexible, show buyers what they can do with the space. give your house a facelift!

4. help buyers connect with the space by... removing personal touches such as family portraits, and don't forget about simple comforts (like rugs and towels). you want the buyers to feel like they're walking into their new home, not yours!

5. make the home feel bigger, brighter, cleaner... and therefore more inviting! some simple ways to do this: check your lighting, emphasize the space in your home, bring nature in, and accessorize properly.

even if you're not planning on selling your home in the near future, these tips can help your clean up your house and make it a better place for you to live in now!

**images provided by designed to sold realty

restaurant fabbrica

hello again my lovely bloggers! i know it's been a while since i've last posted something, i've been busy graduating and job hunting... but now i'm back and i have some VERY cool things to share with y'all! i was looking on pinterest today (always a wonderful way to kill some time) and i stumbled across some incredible restaurants that i just had to share... this one is the restaurant fabbrica in bergen, norway and really has a creative approach to the dining area of the restaurant. it truly is a visual feast, so enjoy!

check out the booths in this restaurant... definitely one of the most unique ideas for a booth i've ever seen!

this view shows more detail of the interior of the booths. love the chandelier and natural textures!

the long skylights above the dining room of the restaurant are breathtaking. the combination of rustic and modern design elements make this space very unique.

zoomed view of the wood wall and table. the logs are stored here on this wall until they become fuel for the fireplace! (see below)

mosaic firepit to cook all the food in, love the pattern on this!

proximity hotel

hello bloggers! in preparation for graduation i have been researching different commercial firms in the south, and i am especially interested in the hotels and restaurants that these firms have designed. one of these such hotels is the proximity hotel in greensboro, north carolina. this hotel was the first LEED certified platinum hotel in the united states and has many different sustainabilty initiaves in place.

some of these sustainability initiatives are as follows... the elevators use the energy created while they descend to power back up and ascend. this is an innovative design practice that saves the hotel a LOT of money on energy each year. geothermal energy is used to power the refrigerators and freezers in print works, the restaurant located next door to the hotel. solar panels on the roof heat up all of the water used in the hotel. there are also low-emitting paints, wallcoverings, fabrics, and other finishes used in the hotel which reduce the amount of air pollution produced by the hotel. all of these initiatives make this hotel a pioneer in green design.

for more information on this incredible building, check out this link to the proximity hotel website: http://www.proximityhotel.com/index.html

and here are some additional pictures of the hotel... enjoy!

hello bloggers and welcome to monday! this past week has been insane with projects, presentations, exams, and lots of other wonderful things, but i always try and find something good in every day, and since design always cheers me up i have found some beautiful and unexpected rooms (with a little bit of  funkiness) that have picked me right back up again... and hopefully it will do the same for you! :)

this image comes from a reconstructed barn that was remodeled into a beautiful home for a very lucky family in connecticut. i am absolutely IN LOVE with the giant disco ball. it's just unexpected enough to make you think twice, but actually blends in nicely with the "old meets new" design theme of the home.

this wallpaper is incredible! the nook is so simple, and the cubbies under the bench make for a clever storage idea. i love how the mirror extends to the ceiling... broadening the space and making the nook a creative little corner. the feminine style perfectly matches the pink pillows with the patterned wall, and attracts all of us girly girls to cozy up in it :)

how cool is this?? i have never really thought about owning a swinging bed before, but just looking at this one makes me want one! i love porch swings, and this looks like one dreamy step above that :) this bed would be especially fun in a lakehouse or somewhere away from your normal routine... sleeping in a boat bed definitely sounds like a vacation to me!

clearly i am a fan of all things cozy and this under-the-stairs nook is one of the most inventive ideas i've seen in a while! the cubbies allow for organized storage, and the nook is a perfect reading place (especially on rainy days) :) this would also be a huge hit if you have small kids in your house... they love to hide :)

okay y'all, tell the truth... is this not one of the coolest tubs you have ever seen? i am obsessed with how rustic it is, and how it looks like old wine barrels. perfect for a long bath :) y'all should invest in one of these to properly pamper yourselves :) enjoy the rest of your weeks, bloggers! keep your eyes peeled for cool designs and products, i'd love to hear all about them!

hello lovely bloggers and happy humpday! i hope that wherever y'all are the weather is as beautiful as it is here in north cackalacky! (that's north carolina for those of you that don't travel down south much) :)  graduation is in one month exactly (where has the time gone??), and like most seniors i am in the middle of job-hunting. trying to find the perfect place to live and work is a big task to take on, so i figured i'd share some of of my favorite places... just in case y'all are looking for jobs like me :)  being born and raised in the south i absolutely love all things southern, so it should come as no surprise that charleston is one of my favorite cities! the historic buildings are beautiful, and honestly there's no place quite like it. here's a few pictures for your viewing pleasure :)

now, i can't leave out the north... after all my parents are yankees through and through so i included one of the most charming places up north (in my opinion at least!)... cape cod! my grandparents lived there for almost 20 years so i have been up to the "cape," as the locals call it, quite a lot over the years. the houses are very distinct, i love how cozy they feel! a cape cod-styled interior would be a fun way to dress up your home for the summer!

i am blessed to have traveled all over this great big, gorgeous world of ours, and i have fallen in love with so many different places that i couldn't possibly fit them all on this page... but i'll leave you with some fun eye-candy from espannna! i went there a few years ago, and i am dying to go back but until i have the time (and money) to do so, this little photo montage will suffice. hope y'all have an amazing rest of your week, and as always, if there are any comments you have, or if i can help you with a design dilemma... just let me know!

 

 

happy spring bloggers! hope y'all have all had a great week and weekend! if y'all are anything like me, you love finding inspiration for interiors from everything around you... and this weekend i was inspired by colors. color is one of the most inspiring and dramatic parts about interiors, so i have found some fun patterns and colors to inspire you this spring :)

i love this room... the bright colors and funky chevron rug don't overwhelm the room, which balances out all the white in the space. blue and white are classic together but the yellow adds a modern feel, making the room cheery and welcoming.

these chairs are so much fun! being the neutral color-lover i am, i surprised myself that i was drawn to the orange patterned chair the most :) the big pattern is eye-catching and the cozy style makes me want to curl up in it an read a book!

bright accent walls are an easy way to add color to any room. i especially love that this wall is pink- sometimes it's hard to use pink on walls without it looking too girly. this room is sophisticated looking and feminine, but not over-the-top.

i recently started seeing this trend of colored ceilings... they won't work in every room but if you have neutral furniture and walls, and high ceilings, then painted ceilings can be really fun! use a bold color in a room to add an unexpected pop of color!

what inspires you in interiors? do y'all have pops of color in your homes, and if so where? i'd love to hear all about it! hope y'all enjoy the rest of your week, and get outside to enjoy the spring season!

happy monday bloggers! i hope y'all all had a great weekend (and for the rest of you college kiddies out there, a great spring break!) so to start of this week i've found some gorgeous hallways that i love (with the help of pinterest!) to inspire you and help you get through the rest of your week :) enjoy!

i love the colors and the amount of light in this hallway! while this is definitely on the more formal side, but the double doors with the rounded transom window elongates the hall, and the soft colors make the entryway welcoming without being overly dramatic.

 this hallway is much more casual and fun with the light colors and striped paint. the light floor, in combination with the striped walls make this space so fun, yet keeps the interior elegant with the simplicity of the space. gorgeous!

the rustic charm of this hallway is what caught my eye. the extra-wide hallway balances the wall filled with picture frames, and muted tones make the entryway seem less busy. this space feels organic, and i like the natural feel of all the elements used within this room.

this hallway exudes warmth and comfort. the greenery even brings in a little bit of the outdoors, to compliment the wooden elements in the space. i love how cozy this space feels, even without seating, i still want to curl up in a corner of the room and read a book .


well that's all the inspiration i have for tonight, but i hope y'all have a wonderful rest of the evening and a great week ahead of you! as always, let me know if y'all have any questions about design!

hello again bloggers! i hope y'all have all had a wonderful week... mine has been very busy but also very productive, i love when that happens :) and i figured i'd continue with my productivity and share a little weekend diy project for y'all to do!

before i start explaining it, y'all should know that my father is a very creative and productive man himself (this must be where i get it from!) and came up with this idea a few weeks ago. like most families, our attic can get pretty messy, and after ten years in this house it was definitely time for some attic spring cleaning! my dad came up with the idea of putting shelves in our attic to help clear up space, and boy did it ever! the last time he was working i snuck up into the attic and took a few pictures so y'all could do this in your attics! so sit back, browse through the pictures, and enjoy!!

i'm sure many of y'all are familiar with this kind of sight... a crowded, unorganized attic. this was the "before" image, and just wait till you see what it looked like after :)

start off by clearing out an area where you want the frame of the shelves to be.... it can be as small or as large as you want (ours are about 3' x 7') and create uprights that are fastened to the floor and roof of the attic. horizontal supports were added to stabilize the vertical pieces and create a resting place for the shelves.

after you measure out how large you want your shelves to be and secure the frame of the shelf, put a board (or whatever you want- we used a spare door we had laying around) across the horizontal supports.depending on how many levels of shelves you want, you can put in several horizontal supports in.

all done!! don't they look great? :) i love how organized it makes the space and you can keep everything together in one place! this shelf is now our christmas storage shelf... which is great because now we don't have to wander around trying to find everything cause it's in one place!

try out these easy attic shelves, and get ready for how great your attic is going to look!! let me know what kind of home projects you're working on, and i hope y'all have an absolutely wonderful rest of your weekends :)

well, it's the weekend again! time to share a little inspiration with all of y'all :)

a couple weeks ago i received a post about a living room in need of some help... there are pitchers, rocks, shells, and antlers in this room & a couch and rug that do not match.in any renovation design project it's usually a good idea to first identify what function or purpose the room will serve in your house. for this example, the room in question is a living room and serves as an entertainment room for the house. the living room is a little more formal than the other rooms in the house so the challenge is to dress up the room while keeping it comfortable and within the family's personal style. 

sometimes with projects like this, it's easiest to start with something manageable. let's take the couch and the rug... find a solid-color couch that suits your personal style. leather can be a nice option since it adds a level of sophistication to the space, but is comfortable. it is also much easier to match rugs and furniture when there aren't clashing patterns to work with.

as for the accessories in the room (pitchers, rocks, shells, antlers, etc.), why not go for a natural feel for the room? all of the mentioned elements evoke an organic, natural sense of style... embrace it! display pitchers in an unusual manner, hang antlers on walls, interchange rocks and shells on shelves, have fun and mix it up!

the best part about design is that you can experiment :) try new things out, leave it be for a week, get a feel for it, and then change it up if you want! interiors are constantly changing... so don't feel like one thing has to last forever. look up interiors that inspire you and try it out in your own house. let me know what you try and how you like it!!

happy friday y'all!! i love weekends because they are so relaxing, and i get inspired to work on projects that i don't have time for during the week :) this morning in one of my studios we completed a design charette by creating a "global classroom" that would serve as a prototype for the future. (fun fact: charette actually means teacart! when participants would finish their drawings a proctor would collect their designs by pushing his teacart down the aisle.)  i always get excited about new projects, and so i started thinking of fun and innovative things i could do with a global classroom :)

 

i was looking for inspiration when i came across this article in metropolis magazine. it's about a middle school in east harlem, new york that is really thinking outside the box!what inspired me was how the architects looked at schools and classrooms in innovative new ways... the challenge of any design project is figuring out what works and what what new ideas could change for the better. i love how the architects took an institution and made it into a place of learning and education. i was especially fascinated with how much open space and light was used in the designs of the classrooms. it's been proven that natural elements, such as sunlight, can help brain development so that's a major benefit of the school! the design of the east harlem school is fantastic, and it's these kinds of projects that always inspire me to be more creative in my own designs :)

here's the link to the article:
http://www.metropolismag.com/story/20100113/the-pride-of-east-103rd-street

check it out and let me know what y'all think!!

happy weekend bloggers!! so my aunt called me the other day with some questions on what she should do with her kitchen cabinets... and i thought that would be a great thing to share with y'all :) i love helping people with their design questions, especially since i can usually come up with something that they get really excited about, which makes me really excited! so here goes-

she's painting the walls in her kitchen an almond color (great choice... i love that color!) and wanted suggestions on what to do with two corner cabinets. the kitchen is pretty cozy, and so i suggested painting the cabinets white, with a fun pop of color (or even wallpaper!) on the inside/back. i love coming up with unusual or out of the ordinary ideas for ordinary home features, such as cabinets :) they add great style as well as new dimension to an area of your home. for my aunt's question i found a few pictures of some examples that she can use as inspiration :) i was also able to find a couple links to some house designer websites that have other great inspirational ideas for kitchens.

-white cabinet with green painted interior:
    this color brightens up a space, adding cheer to any room

-cream cabinet with purple painted interior:
    this color adds glamour to a room but keeps it comfortable

-white cabinet with dark painted interior:
    for a more dramatic look go darker!

-cream cabinets with painted taupe interior:
   be careful not to "wash out" your room with this simple but elegant color palette

-white cabinet with wallpapered back:
    i love this look! the pattern gives it a pop, but the muted colors keep it from being overwhelming

links to home designer websites for more inspiration:
   this old house- http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20406173,00.html
   HGTV- http://www.hgtv.com/topics/kitchen-cabinets/index.html

do y'all have any design questions?? post them to me and i'll do my best to help you out!

it's the start of a new week and i'm starting off with a big question... :) are any of y'all looking for jobs right now? being a second semester senior, and with graduation rapidly approaching, job hunting is a huge part of my life right now. i recently came across this link and thought it had some really great ideas for places to start looking for jobs and things to know and do when applying... i was so impressed with it that i wanted to share it with y'all!

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2011/03/25/11-new-websites-for-your-job-search

they list 11 different websites that are useful when starting the job application process and also give a brief  explanation of what each site does and how it can help you. how great is that?? i know for me this website was really helpful in finding out how potential employers will see me and what i can do to make myself to make myself more attractive towards them. what are y'all interested in doing after you graduate? i would love to hear all about it!