Juxtapose

First of all, how delicious is that quilted chair!? Who would have thought that it lived next door to a barcelona chair. And how about that 19th century secretary!? Yum. Yum. and Yum

New England Home

Drive By

Remember in college, when one of your friends liked a boy and you knew where he lived, you would do the occassional drive by to see if he was home. Wait! are my crazy friends the only ones who did that? I remember being a part of a drive by or two in my college days. My favorite involved actually egging the boy of interest's house (because that's how you get a man), wearing full camo, with the get away car being a topless convertable. I believe the driver is actually now a lawyer. Ohhhhh, those were the days.

Well, designer's and architects do the same thing with our projects. Of course there are scheduled site visits, but if we're in the area and there is something that's been on our mind, a drive by may occur.{sidenote: new construction only! residential clients, I promise I'm not peeping in your windows} I moved last year right before the ground breaking for an elementary school that I was the interior designer for. Any of my Memphis readers live in Midtown? While working with HBG I designed the interior for the new Grace St. Luke's building.

I am dying to know how it all turned out. I think.  Another major problem with moving before a project is complete is you are not around to make sure your design is executed as you intended. I actually think a little birdie told me that my large, graphic wallpaper idea, with the children on it, did not happen. But I am dying to know what did. Anyone up for a drive by?

It's a Keeper

I love when clients send me random iPhone progress shots.

I think he likes it.

And look! the neighbors replaced the trees they burned down.

Corporate!

To the surprise of most, I LOVE designing corporate interiors. Love it. There is such a formula. It's so methodical and organized, but still lends itself to very fun and creative design opportunities. I love it because I get it. I get the process. I know all the parts and pieces. I can somewhat accurately estimate the duration of the project. Since establishing Sabbe Interior Design, corporate interiors was one thing I have greatly missed. Don't get me wrong, I am loving residential as well. I love getting into people's minds and helping them create their own perfect space. But corporate and residential could not be more opposite. I have always said this is so because people don't (typically) sleep in their office, they don't raise a family there, they don't photograph their holiday card in the reception lobby, and therefore corporate interiors tend to be a little more cut and dry. It removes the personal factor. It's somewhat of a machine. It's efficient as well as aesthetically pleasing and it's very, very fun to design.

So this week I was very excited to officially land my first commercial interiors project since starting my own firm. I will be spending the next couple of months helping the Harvard Stem Cell Institute design their new administrative office space. The client is great and I am very excited for the opportunity.

Our ceiling is very low in this space, so we will not have the opportunity to do a lot with ceiling plane changes, which is one of my favorite corporate design elements. But we are going to have some fun with carpet tile.

Stay tuned for more about this project.

Painted Floor Galore

Painting floors would be a last resort for me. Whether it be wood or concrete, I love good, old, weathered floors. Tile would be the exception in my love for old, hardsurface flooring. New tile is almost always better. There is nothing charming about old grout. And I am also still not convinced that a painted tile floor can win the battle against a stiletto heel.

Mr. Sabbe and I's former home in Memphis had a wood floor in the sun room that had been painted burnt orange. That floor was also not so charming. We painted it a chocolate brown and it really made the room feel 100% better. If I had the patience, I would have done something fun like this...

images: lonny, my photo, luxurious housing trends, bedzine, elle decor, sfgate, the hamptons

What Came First?

What came first, the conduit or the name?

Either way I like it. 

I love when designers use materials in different ways. 

When I walk through Home Depot, the wheels in my head are on overdrive. 

Good job Natoma Architects, good job.

Couples Retreat

I like this place. We are trying to plan a vacation in June with some of our best friends. We all like to cook big meals when we are together. I think this kitchen and dining room would be perfect. Mr. Sabbe and I would call dibs on the bedroom above.

images unknown

The Conference Room is Out

Impromptu meeting spaces along corridors, under stairs, and in basically any otherwise useless space are in.

This is good for designers, if you find yourself with a little hole in your plan here or there, you put a couple of lounge chairs in a circle and call it a "break out area." I have never worked anywhere that has break out areas. Have you? They make corporate spaces feel a lot more fun.

Have a good weekend

Hotel Monaco and Grand Canal, Venice

I love mixing old and new. I think Hotel Monaco and Grand Canal in Venice is a wonderful example of how much drama can be added to a space by mixing it up a bit.

Mr. Sabbe and I went to Venice in what seems like a million years ago. (2004) Although we didn't stay in any fancy hotels. We were backpackers. And you will see by my extra wild, curly hair, luxuries such as blow dryers and flat irons were not a part of our trip. most. fun. summer. ever

Thank God for flat irons.

Window Film

Makes glass so much more fun, don't you think?

To explore window films that would work well in a residential setting visit the 3M website.

Rockwell takes Boston

After working for a hospitality design firm for three years, I became very familiar with the work of the David Rockwell.  The Rockwell Group is up there on the list of hospitality design greats. Recently they completed their first Beantown project with Ames Boston and I was pleased to open up the new online version of Hospitality Design magazine this afternoon (thank you for going online HD magazine) and find a wonderful article on the project.

The concept was to mix the old with new, the modern-minimalist with the traditional Bostonian. The cloud-like light fixture in the first image is made of hundreds on mirrored Mylar disks. The furniture in the guestrooms is intended to reflect Federal-style furniture. I love the three commemorative plates on the headboard wall, such an unexpected twist on mixing old and new. The shelves in the dining area are filled with flea market finds found by design team. How fun is that!? Why haven't any of my commercial projects ever include a trip to the flea market?

Here is a video interview with David Rockwell describing his design concept for the 2009 Academy Awards. I always think it's interesting to hear about design from the designers themselves. If I experience 10% of the success this man has had, in my own design career, I would be a happy, happy woman.