Happy Friday! I love spend the time in my backyard garden on Friday afternoon simply enjoying some warm late-afternoon sunshines and catching up the readings from design magazine. Specially, at this season, with our lemon tree producing a lot of fruits and roses in full bloom, it is just one of the most beautiful moments when summer just starts. How about you? Do you also enjoy your backyard on this beautiful Friday afternoon.
Then, of course, we want to bring all of these beautiful flowers and greeneries indoor to create an indoor oasis. If you are like me and obsessed with indoor-outdoor living, here are 5 ways to create an indoor garden:
Yes, hang a flower wreath right in your front door.
2. Pick up blooms and greeneries from your backyard and casually put them everywhere–in the dining room, on the counter, by the bed, yes, everywhere and a lot of them.
Sweet roses by the bed guarantee a sweet nap.Roses in the bath light up the mood.fresh roses with a lot of vintage piev=ves on the fireplace.greeneries in the dining areafresh cream roses in the library
3. Intently create a separate garden space for a group of potted plants by the stairs or under the skylights.
4. Bring outdoor garden in by using floor-to-ceiling windows.
5. Grow herbs in your kitchen.
a WallyGro greens wall with automatic watering and lighting integration. The family uses the greens and herbs in their meals. Click here to learn this kitchen
Today we have so many upholstery fabric choices for our furniture. And often, it is a piece of leather furniture that stays timeless, ages beautifully and tell the story of the home. But of course, we are not talking about those bulky grandma’s leather couches. leather upholstery may look its best in a club sofa, or on a very unique occasional chair.
Without question, a piece of good quality leather furniture can instantly enhance your home.
Just in case you are in a process of looking for quality leather upholstery, here are 6 tips you may find helpful for you to make a decision.
Types of leather: Top-grain and full-grain leathers are the highest quality; they’re made from the outermost layer of the hide, which is the strongest part. Top-grain leather is smoothed to remove imperfections, while full-grain is not smoothed and features a natural grain with imperfections.
Split leather. Split leather is the term used for the lower layer of leather left after the top or full grain is removed. (Suede is split leather.) This product is still genuine leather, but it’s not as strong as top-grain or full-grain leather and may tear or stretch.
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Leather upholstery adds a touch of warmth to any space.
2. Finished leathers are practical for active households with children and pets. Finished leathers are more resistant to fading and discoloration when exposed to light, heat, moisture, dust and body oils. These types of leathers also offer the most overall color consistency. Compared to other leather types, finished leathers generally require much lower maintenance, as spills and stains should clean easily unless they penetrate the surface coating of the leather.
classic club couch
3. Aniline-plus leathers are quite simply Aniline leathers plus a slight protective coating. This protective coating may include light pigmentation and/or a clear top coat. Offering similar feels to those of aniline leathers with the added benefit of a protective coating, these leathers are more child and pet friendly than their Aniline counterparts. They may, however, still fade or discolor when exposed to sunlight and temperature extremes.
4. Aniline. Pure-aniline or full-aniline leathers show the natural surface of the leather, imperfections and all. They do not have any additional pigments or protectants on the surface, so you’ll probably see variations in color. Because there’s no protective coating, this type of leather has the softest feel. But it’s also more susceptible to scratching, staining and fading.
5 Semi-aniline. Semi-anline or aniline plus pigments have a protective topcoat. There may also be additional pigments added on the surface of the leather, giving the piece a more uniform look. This type of leather is more durable than pure aniline, but not as soft.
6. Nubuck. Nubuck leather is made by buffing or sanding aniline leather. The result is a leather that has a soft, velvety feel and suede-like appearance. It’s stronger than suede (which, remember, is made from split leather), but it’s susceptible to fading and stains and will develop a patina over time. If you can embrace imperfections, this is the softest leather option.
Often, we like to start an interior design project from a rug the client falls in love with. We pick up the textures, colors and patterns in the rug design for the rest of the house. Therefore, choosing a right rug plays such an important role in defining any room style. Here are 3 trends of high-end rugs:
Unique design. More and more people nowadays don’t really want those products served for the mass market–same design, same technique… Rather they prefer something different and has wow factors.
Design inspired by artworks.Design inspired by architecture
From the beginning of 2019, we have been constantly studying the decor trends by going to all sorts of trade events. It is true that you should always choose what speaks to you. However by understanding what’s going on in the market, you can always find some better ways to express yourself. Since spring is here, it is a perfect time to fresh up your home. Here are 4 trends we have observed so far and love to share them here in our blog. Hope you find them useful for your projects.
Chinossorie.
A touch of oriental decor, it doesn’t matter it is a vase, a fabric print, a painting, always adds a touch of whimsical to any space. Just remember, a little bit is just enough. after all, you are not an antique store.
I love this bluish modernized chinoiserie wallpaper.Orientalchinoiserie vase
2. Remember it is still the year of pig.
A small piggy sculpture, or a jar always adds an interest to any space and they will always remind you that —it is a year of prosperity and keep you positive.
3. Modern classic.
Yes, we still love minimalism but in a different way. We like clean-lines but with curved forms and a lot of classic details. Yes, we are in love with modern decor with sophistication.
simple yet eleganttuftting detailsglamouralways love lucile furniture—light, airy and glamours.the beautiful shapes of this dining table set.love how they add the metal design on this sofa.
4. A touch of vintage.
We hope you enjoy the above information and if you plan a make-over and need some help, you are welcome to contact us.
One of the most exciting elements in the design world is lighting thanks to the fast-growing LED technologies. Only couple of years ago, I still had difficulty to find really cool design-oriented LED chandeliers. But, obviously not now. With advanced LED technologies, we have more freedom to design whatever forms and shapes we want in a non-traditional way. Here are 5 trends for high-end lighting fixtures I summarized after attending several trade shows recently:
LED lighting with different temperature colors.
Sculptural pieces to make a statement;
Large size with multi-materials;
Hand-made;
Details, details, details
Check out the following video to find out what’s cool in high-end lighting by yourself
It’s middle of the week again. I hope you are all doing very well. I have couple of design projects going on simultaneously. I feel a little bit overwhelming and look for some inspiration to just keep myself going. I started to organize the photos for the events I have been to recently. I found something that really lights up my day—yes, a beautiful tabletop. I guess color and fresh flowers always stimulate my brain to release more endorphin and make me feel happy. I hope you feel the same way too.
A cheerful welcoming. Orange, red and dark pink with greenery gives every space a upscale look.Green hydrogen—it’s Spring time!Eye-candy!Eye-candy!
Couple of days ago, i wrote about Lee Radzwill’s (March 3rd 1933–Feb. 15th 2019)New York apartment. You can click here to read the story. Lee Radzwill is a former European princess and actress, socialite, interior decorator, sister of the late Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (1994). She owned properties in New York, London and Paris. Each home really reflects her personalities as a style icon. Today, I am going to show you her Paris pied-à-terre, her love at first sight. Overlooking Avenue Montaigne with a view of the Eiffel Tower, the home was originally decorated by Christian Liaigre, it is perhaps one of the most iconic Parisian abodes of the 20th century. Her Paris home was featured three times on magazines, Vogue in 2003, ELLE Decor in 2009 and Times in 2013 and it had being evolved each time.
Lee Radziwill in her Paris apartment. Photographed by Mario Testino, Vogue, August 2003Elle Decor, 2009
We can see the style in her Paris apartment is very different from her New York home. As herself said of her New York apartment :” but it’s extremely full. So it’s wonderful to have the contrast [in Paris] of having it totally Zen, totally peaceful. In what other city do you find doves outside your window…” All of the furniture in her Paris home is clean-lined, yet there are gilded antique mirrors, gilded coffee tables, floral upholstery ,tons of artworks and books and a lot of detailed soft touches. Her interiors are just like the way she dressed—modern , elegant and chic, yes American chic.
Elle Decor 2013. Don’t you love these chinoiserie patterned fabric? This is her favorite Chinoiserie Le Manach fabric which brings the soul, feminity and elegance to the room.This is the real-estate photo when the house was put on sale several years ago.Another real-estate photo when the house was put on sale several years ago.Obviously, pink is her favorite color. With a large amount of creams and whites in the back ground, mixed patterns of stripes, chinoiserie played off with pink on the sofa.. It is just such an elegant and peaceful place you want to wind down.Again, pink, stripe pattern, plant artworks, florals, neutrals for the background and the sunshines… I would love to just sit here for the whole day watching doves flying by.Chic, chic, chic…A true style icon.
Guys, Happy valentine’s Day! It has been raining whole day here in Los Angeles. It’s a perfect day to enjoy my little world of romance on this raining day. Yet I wish everyone out there safe and stay out of the rain.
I am still in the process to work out our spring collections in fashion, home and art. It has been a a fun journey so far. Spring is all about hope, freshness, flowers, greenery, everything beautiful in mother nature. I have been inspired by nature and by all of the new designs in 2019 everyday. For the vignette I created for Valentine’s Day, it is about all of these—fun, romantic and boho chic:
I am always looking for inspiration from my surroundings, nature, tech, art… And , of course, the fashion. I am so so fascinated by this week’s Paris Couture Fashion Show. It is the best time to stretch one’s imagination. Don’t you agree with me?
One of my favorites is Valentino Couture. The house designer Pierpaolo Piccioli truely took ‘ Florals for Spring’ to a new level. It is beyond ordinary beautiful. From the fresh color palettes to romantic dreamy floral patterns, these designs are such joyful eye candies. It looks like the designer brought a spring garden to runway. I couldn’t wait to share them with you:
Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. We’d been busy traveling and making keto cookies for the holiday season and here are some memories I would love to share from our holidays. Enjoy!
Home-made keto ginger man cookiesChristmas tabletop with red roses and fine china.SoCal CanalChristmasI am so obsessed by this little red door with a Christmas wreathWinter by the Canal
