A few months ago, I finally joined Instagram (you can follow me at rachelhulan).  At first I felt pretty silly holding up my big ol’ iPad to take images with, but I quickly realized how great it was for capturing design inspirations, like the scene above.

I was waiting to head off to a morning meeting and had some time to kill, so I walked out on the Newport Pier and took this shot.  You could recapture everything in the image as a design: reclaimed wood, smooth blue glass tile, concrete floor, and a saturated red chair.  Sounds fun, no?

I’m working on figuring out a more efficient way to post these images and share my design ideas with you (aka, bombard you with my design geekiness).

Meanwhile, thanks for visiting and have a great weekend!

Rachel

All that glitters may or may not be gold (in fact, it is usually polished brass), but it certainly is a hot design trend right now.

Mind you, this isn’t your mother’s 1980′s era brass.  You know, the kind that was used for overly ornate faucets and accessories to go with the Laura Ashley wallpaper and the little pink soaps in the guest bath?    <shudder>

Instead, gold is now the accent of choice to warm up that other trending “color” – crisp white.  Although gold can also be used to great effect with navy blue, chartreuse, and blush pinks, it is white that really begs for it.

If you want to try out this design trend, try accessorizing with brass planters or bowls you find at a flea market or thrift shop.  Just be sure that they have simple, modern forms, and can be polished up to a high shine.  Or find some silly ceramic figurines that could be improved with a solid coat of gold paint, then group 3-5 of them together on your mantel for a fun and trendy look.

For more ideas and inspirations, check out my All That Glitters board on Pinterest.

Thanks for visiting!

The sources and credits for the images above can also be found on Pinterest.

Sometimes trends are so strong, they get their own names.  Names that are likely to get this blog some odd traffic, but hey, I gotta call ‘em like I see ‘em.  So, today’s trending topic is,… book porn.

Now, mind you, I’m not talking about books ON porn.  No, I’m talking about a sensual love for books that borders on the obsessive.  That passion for the smell, texture, history, and intellectual contents of a stack of bound paper with a title.

In quantities great…

and small…

books have a unique place in our interiors.

Sometimes a fairly unique place, but a place nonetheless.

Of course, you are probably wondering why on earth I consider books to be a trending design element.  After all, they have been around for centuries, and larger houses have had entire rooms devoted to maintaining private libraries.  Why do I think books are an emerging design trend?

One word – e-reader.

Have you been to a book store lately?  A Barnes & Noble perhaps, or one of the few independent shops that managed to survive the rise of Amazon?   What did you see when you were there?   I’ll tell you what I saw, the ever increasing creep of games, toys, and other non-book paraphernalia into the space once occupied by books.   Sales of books in their physical form are tanking.  Between the relative cost of purchasing a new book vs. downloading it, and the ability for e-readers to contain entire libraries in a very small “container”, the era of the printed page is fading.

Mind you, I think there will always be a desire for books, but I foresee a return of the boutique bookstore (yay!), filled with the works of smaller, artisan presses.  Books created for the enjoyment of the physical form, not so much the need for the information contained within.

So now books are becoming a bit nostalgic.  A reminder of a time when we could sit still for awhile and enjoy the words without the beeping, and the blinking images, and the distraction.  That sensory experience of musty, glue bound paper, crinkling in your hands as you turn the page.  Books give atmosphere to a room, and pleasure to the reader.

Want to indulge in a bit of book sensuality yourself?  Check out my Book Porn Pinterest board for ideas and images to inspire.

Thanks for visiting!

Rachel

image sources and credits can be found on Pinterest

It’s almost spring!

And while the overall trend in fashion for Spring 2012 is definitely pastels, there is one retro color that really stands out – mint green.

Ralph Lauren’s Spring collection was only one of many where mint green experienced a sort of “revival”.   Once a staple of 1950′s interiors, it had largely fallen out of favor, along with it’s perfect companion – pink.  But not anymore!

Look, mint even made an appearance at the Oscars last night!

When was the last time you can remember seeing this color on the Red Carpet?!?  Love Berenice Bejo’s Elie Saab dress or not (and this dress had a very mixed reaction), the French definitely know their trends.

So how do you pull this color into a room? Read the rest of this entry »

I don’t know about you, but I could definitely go for a bedroom like this…

I probably have an acute case of biophilia I guess.

With so many articles pointing to the positive effects spending time in nature provides us, it makes sense to get outdoors as much as we can.  However, for many of us (yours truly included), time outside is at a premium.  So why not bring some of the great outdoors in?

You can start small, with a terrarium or two.

Or go big and grand, like this living wallpaper. Read the rest of this entry »

Off to the Emerald City we go…

Whether ancient…

or modern, a bright green wall really pops. Read the rest of this entry »

I traveled to North Carolina last week and, as I always do, I stocked up on fashion magazines for the flights.  It’s my little “hey, I’m going to be stuck in a cramped seat on a crowded flight for way too long” indulgence.

Valentino Spring 2012

As I flipped through magazine after magazine, a particular trend caught my eye.

Louis Vuitton Spring 2012

Designers were embracing lace.

Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2012

A LOT of lace.

Which means that the current trend for vintage lace in interiors is only going to get stronger.  But how do you embrace the look without going full on frilly?  Here are some suggestions….

Read the rest of this entry »

If you haven’t heard about the explosion of interest in big, flouncy red dresses in the last few days, read this and then come back here….

Did you read the whole thing?  Good, because I think The Bloggess has touched on something really important.

Namely, we have to indulge ourselves from time to time with something that is true to our nature, no matter how ridiculous or silly others may find it to be.  For me it was painting my nails a bright, sparkly blue – just in time to have my photo session for new publicity shots.  Three hours of me, posing like a (not terribly good) model, all with a celestial blue manicure.  I almost talked myself out of it beforehand, reasoning that it might look a bit to silly for someone of my age (which my son always tells me is 29 – bless his wonderful soul!), and instead I should stick to a more conservative “arty” color like beige or gray.  But then I realized that silly is really who I am, so why hide it?

Really, why should any of us hide it?  Why should any of us live with beige nails if we feel like having blue ones instead.  Or buy a beige sofa because a red one just seems like such a commitment, even though it’s always been your dream?

And that’s the trick to all of this when it comes to our homes.  It has to be your dream – an expression of who you are deep down.  Although the purchase can be impulsive, the desire has to live inside you for a long time.  That is how you know you won’t regret it, because it is who you really are.

So what is your “red sofa”?  What is the thing you really wish you had the guts to do, but haven’t taken that leap of faith yet?

Image by allyaubry

If you got buried in 2011, is 2012 your year to dig yourself out and get a fresh start?  Why not pick a room, get rid of what you’ve never loved or needed, and then make it the way you’ve always wanted?

For me, it’s my kitchen I’m most itchin’ to update.  Might just have to make that a project to share with you – if I’m brave enough!

Thanks for visiting!

Rachel

I seriously want one of these!

Unfortunately, this is still just a concept, and not in production (yet).  Still, the potential this sort of technology has for reducing the number of physical color samples necessary in design is wonderful.  Besides, it looks like fun!

Here is a little more about it from the Yanko Design site: Read the rest of this entry »