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!