http://youtu.be/MOF-l0wDOaE

Check out Forbes.com and click on the slideshow to learn how top decorators such as  McDonald, Barry, Redd, Kelly Wearstler, Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Charlotte Moss, Timothy Corrigan, Thom Filicia, Nathan Turner and Jonathan Adler are decking their homes for the holidays.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/bluecarreon/2012/12/04/top-decorators-share-their-holiday-decorating-tips/

As someone whose clients prefer neutral color palettes, it’s refreshing to work on a job that requires colors that remind you of the South Pacific.  So, you can imagine my excitement when the client’s “must haves” were vibrant colors for their Florida home. From fuchsia and cotton candy pink to orange – these intense colors brought back memories from my travels to Southeast Asia’s colorful street markets. When using color, remember that location of your home dictates what color palettes you should consider using. Consider cool grays and light blues if you live near mountains or yellows and greens if the property is costal. Do you have any methods that you use when working with bright colors?

Receiving my Honorary Doctorate from the Boston Architectural College in Interior Design was the start to an amazing weekend. Now I can really call myself a serious professional! After that, I arrived in Montauk where I was welcomed with pink champagne and applause from friends and family. The weekend ended with me in my garden – digging, pulling and planting. That was followed by walks on the beach.  Life is good!

I was so honored to be a judge at the Pratt + Paper & Ralph Pucci Design Competition and so thrilled to see this piece on it.  It is very rare that I have to break my brain when picking the best, but I sure had to for this contest. Every single design was mind blowing and each one was so different and so intricate that it was almost impossible to judge.  The experience was incredible, I hope you all enjoy the article.

Students: 27. Disciplines: four. Material: one. They all added up in “Pratt + Paper & Ralph Pucci.” Pratt Institute president Thomas F. Schutte initiated the competition and exhibition, for which undergrads and graduates studying interior, industrial, and fashion design or the fine arts were asked to use sheets of plain white paper, in any size, to create a garment or a sculpture. Fasteners were allowed, but the construction method had to be evident. As explained by the dean of the school of art and design, Concetta Stewart, the idea was to help students “understand the power of parameters as a catalyst for innovation.”

via

I was at an industry event the other night having a conversation with couple of designers about blogging.  The general question was, what does one get from blogging and more so does anyone get work from it?

For myself I believe that most of my readers are designers ( I could be wrong) for me that makes it about sharing ideas, experiences and knowledge.  Do any of you out there have a different experience with blogging? Have you ever received any work as a direct result from it?

Last night I went to see Rachel Brown perform and I was blown away, she has the sweetest, most haunting voice, she also writes her own songs. She performed with a quartet; three of the men are from Mali, the other one is from Senegal, the play a combination of electric guitar, talking drums, and other native instruments.

Talent & beauty run strong in this family, Rachel’s mother is the renowned wedding dress designer Amsale.

**For some reason we are having trouble uploading videos, so for now please see Rachel here**

We had to be there by 7:30am to be seated in the bleachers that thankfully had shelter from the weather. The morning was very cold and it got increasingly colder and colder as the day went on.  But it was nothing because we got the see the Rockets, hundreds of kids from all over country dancing and banging on their instruments ( sometimes huddled in groups to stay warm),  Broadway performances, and of course the floats and the balloons.  

The Rockettes

Keeping Warm

There is nothing like seeing Spiderman floating down the street with The Empire State Building in the background.   The day was a great send off to my trip to Florence.

Spiderman

Kermit

Hello Kitty

Kung Fu Panda

Confetti