“The Aerie” by Benjamin Dhong

Ooh la la! This sitting room designed by Benjamin Dhong is a meditation on winged flight. Located in the tower attic of the 2010 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, the room was inspired by a romantic Parisian garret. I love the serene vibe of the space, it really feels like a cozy nest (albeit an incredibly chic one!) The fabrics on the pillows are scrumptious and add the perfect pop of color to the room!

Amie Weitzman + Fun news!

I love how cheerful and fresh, not to mention functional, this bathroom is designed by Amie Weitzman. As soon as I saw it, I put it in my own inspiration file. I'm so excited you guys because as I'm writing this, I'm finally moving out of my apartment! Chris and I are moving in together and I couldn't be more thrilled. Obviously to live with him and take that next step, but also to have my own HOUSE. There's still a ton of work ahead, it looks like a tornado went through right now, but I'm so excited. We have a lot of great ideas (and he likes turquoise!) As my facebook peeps have already seen, my new office is painted...but I can't wait to share the end result with you. Hopefully sooner rather than later! :)

Lisa Teague

I'm so excited to share this delightful home belonging to New Hampshire-based designer Lisa Teague, and photographed so beautifully by none other than James Salomon. Lisa is known for her keen sense of color and custom wall finishes, which are clearly demonstrated in her amazing home! Her neighborhood of brick homes, known as Atlantic Heights, was architect-designed and built in 1917 for shipyard workers. (And is currently one of the best neighborhoods in the North East to buy a home, according to This Old House.) Her home boasts a view of the Picataqua River, and I thought it was cute that Lisa said she kept pretending it was a boat and outfitted it as such. She said that even though it's only 700 sq ft, it functions beautifully. If you live around Portsmouth, you should be aware that Lisa teaches classes in color concepts and organic plasters and finishes. So cool! She also has a blog filled with inspiration and great photos! For more of her work, view her website here, and for more from James, head here!

Art inspired landscape art. Sculptures by J. Seward Johnson

Between work, the fantastic summer were having so far and of course the world cup, I have had very little time for blogging in resent weeks. So this again will be a quick little post of something that caught my interest recently.

When flicking through a book recently I came across this first picture, and for a split second I thought that there was something a bit funny about this famous painting by Edouard Manet. I quickly realised that this was of course not Manet’s ‘Déjeuner sur l’herbe’ but in fact a sculpture by American artist J. Seward Johnson.

‘Dejeuner Déjà vu’ by J. Seward Johnson

‘Déjeuner sur l’herbe’ (1863) by Édouard Manet.

To be quite honest, my history of art is not quite as good as it should be as much of my time in art college was spent drinking large quantities of alcohol, and perusing women, however one era of art that did really stand out to me was the impressionist era, and it is quite obvious that this era has also had an effect on Seward Johnson, as much of his works are inspired by many impressionist artists.

Here are more examples of a large series of works he made titled ‘Beyond the frame’, most of which are recreations of some of the most famous paintings from the impressionist era. Most of these works can be found in the sculpture park founded by J. Seward Johnson in 1992 ‘Grounds for Sculpture’. This 35-acre public sculpture park is located in Hamilton, New Jersey.

‘On Poppied Hill’ by J. Seward Johnson

‘Woman with a Parasol, Madame Monet with her Son’ (1875) by Claude Monet.

‘Were you invited?’ by J. Seward Johnson

‘Le déjeuner des canotiers’ (1881) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

‘If it were time’ by J. Seward Johnson

‘Terrasse à Sainte-Adresse’ (1867) by Claude Monet

‘Sailing the seine’ by J. Seward Johnson

‘Argenteuil’ (1874) by Édouard Manet.

‘God Bless America’ by J. Seward Johnson

‘American Gothic’ (1930) by Grant Wood.

Outdoor LED Lighting Installation Guides

Enhance the nighttime curb appeal of your home—and add a measure of safety and security—with low-voltage Outdoor lighting. These exterior-grade fixtures are typically placed along walkways and driveways, but they’re also ideal for illuminating steps, trees, stonewalls, fences and other prominent landscape features. Here are several guidance in how to installing an outdoor lighting with led lighting.

The first thing should considering before installation is the allow the basic rules for outdoor lighting installations, include checking local code regarding outdoor lighting. Don't forget to always use type UF cable for underground wiring. The UF implies that there must be a fuse breaker inside the house at the starting point of the underground wiring installation.

Weatherproof switches are another important thing that are required, its a good idea to prepare an outlet boxes in both flush-mount or surface mount styles. Before you begin, shut off the electrical current at the main switch box, mount a breaker or a fuse box in a location similar to the underground wiring installation.

Dig a hole about 2" deep with an ordinary post hole digger or tiling spade, run cable up trough the lamppost, then fill the hole with about 12" of concrete mix. Insert the lamppost into the concrete mix in an upright, plumb position. every outdoor lighting lamp part exposed to the touch must also be grounded.

Many of the newer outdoor lights come equipped with photoelectric eyes or motion sensors or both. If your light does not have this type of control built in, you may wish add a timer, permanent timer switches are readily available and can be pre-set for any on/off times.

Holly Dyment

There is one very apparent thing when you look at the website of Toronto interior decorator Holly Dyment: her love of color. And not just pops of it here and there, but full-blown technicolor rooms that scream fun! Holly actually has a fine art background combined with graphic design training that gives her a unique approach that I'm not used to seeing every day. It takes serious talent to combine patterns and vibrant color the way she does! And I could eat it all up with a spoon! Mmmmm. And with that, have a super fun weekend everyone! :)


Love turquoise? Visit my shopping blog Everything Turquoise...updated several times throughout the day! Check out Decor by Color for even more color-themed shopping!

Brian Andriola

When this room styled by the talented Brian Andriola was featured on Desire to Inspire last week, I was immediately charmed by its beauty. It really doesn't get much prettier than this! The claw-foot tub looks heavenly surrounded by that shower curtain (anyone know anything about it? It's so pretty!) I love the touches of green, the cool tile and neat light fixture! So much more beauty awaits...head here!