Design

Elle Decor magazine is one of our most favorite design magazines in the world! Its features are always original, whimsical, and totally sophisticated. It also use extensive colors, which is our favorite thing to do when it comes to interior design. Neutral is nice, but color is way hotter! If you like Elle Decor's style, you'll probably like these...All can be found on the home accessories section at Inside Avenue. This lamp comes in blue (shown), pink, white and black. We just love the shade. This pendant is a nice touch of colors for your outdoor room. It is available in pink, orange, white, yellow and black. This set of print is colorful and fun. It's Asian but not overly so... We love these stools. We've seen them at Mondrian hotel in Scottsdale in white. Shown here in green, they are also available in white, black and blue. And check out this awesome table! It is also available in a longer version (this one is 30" long, the larger one is 48" long). The t...

At 4 PM today we finally got the OK from the county to have our coveted Occupancy Certificate in hand stating that we could finally move into our newly constructed home. This was the date our builder told us to plan on about four weeks ago. Of course, anything could have happened to postpone the date, but he jumped through many hoops to get it approved today, bless him! So first thing Saturday morning, we will be taking our short U-Haul move across town for the last time! Our driveway was/is ice and snow free so our PODS units were delivered without a hitch! Just last week we had quite a bit of snow accumulated that just finished melting within the past few days. Next week hopefully I can be back with an official home tour. Thanks for all the support, encouragement, and prayers for a successful move.

When it comes to wall decorating, the typical solutions are a) paint it with different colors 2) decorate with arts or 3) use wallpaper. Once in a while, though, we find a product that we just love...Check out these wall panels from B& N Industries . They are just way cool! Typically installed in commercial settings, we find these suitable for residential applications as well. Use them in a bedroom or bathroom and voila, instant chic! Shown mostly in white, these panels are available in different colors (you can see them on the B & N web site) . We love the color options. Check out this blue one: We like this white one as well: This one is quite hip... To see more of these panels, check out the company web site at www.bnind.com .

Down to the wire. Busy bees are we. (WE as in ME!) Tomorrow I'll give dh a load of stuff to take care of when he arrives around noon. Here are a few recent pictures. Photos: Newly installed banister, foyer, and a shot showing the foyer on the right and the kitchen on the left from great room. Shot taken from back entrance to kitchen (with stove still out of place) looking into the green dining room.

We have to admit, we are totally obsessed with Kelly Wearstler. We think she is a brilliant designer! It's true she gets more press in the interior design world than most, but she deserves it. If you are a fan of Kelly Wearstler, you probably see her work at the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica, Estrella in Palm Springs and others mentioned in her book "Modern Glamour". Here are few products that will help you achieve the look... All can be found at Inside Avenue home accessories section. White Temple Vase White Elephant Table White Venus Bust Yellow Hollywood Regency Lamp Asian Horse White Greyhound Kelly Wearstler offers a selected product porfolio include fabrics (available through Decorators Walk), carpet (Stark), Wallpaper (F Schumacher) and various other products. A good discount source for Kelly Wearsler fabric and wallpaper is Discount Fabric Resources.com . Kelly Wearstler fabric is made by F Schumacher.

We spend a tremendous amount of time in our beds, why not make it as beautiful as possible? Here are a few quick ideas on how to decorate your bedroom: -Buy the best linens you can afford. Nothing beats sleeping on good sheets. -Buy the best mattress you can afford. A comfortable bed helps you sleep better. -Have good reading lamps. Eye strain is the most common cause of headache. -Have some fresh flowers and scented candles on your nightstands. Both are very soothing... -If you must, have a TV, but keep it hidden if you can. -Get rid of those god-awful electronic alarm clock. There are many nice clocks out there, and did you know you can use your cell phone as an alarm too? -If your room is large enough, put a couple of comfortable sitting chairs seperated by a beautiful small table. -A chaise is a great piece of furniture for the corner. Be sure to have a small table next to it to set down a book or a drink.

We love colors, but we love neutral colors even more. There is something pleasing about coming home to a nice, quiet palette. It brings peace to the soul and gives your eyes a rest. Here are a few neutral decorating scheme that are quite nice: A nice use of black, gray and brown. Very masculine and clean-lined. We think when it comes to bedding, nothing beats nice, white, high-thread count sheets. This bedroom looks like a beautiful boutique hotel suite. Here's a good source for excellent bed sheets... Look at this scene. It's one way you can turn a hardly-used corner space into something gorgeous... With neutral colors, the key is to mix it up a bit. Use colorful accents such as flowers, artwork or home accessories to brighten up. Mix shades of colors, such as cream, beige and white--otherwise it gets monotonous. Finally, layer different textures together. Image source: Metropolitan Home

D h arrives a week from today! The new home is busy with workers til the late hours of the day. Last night I thought I'd take a little drive out there about 9:30 PM ... in my bright blue robe and jammies to walk around without all the workers in the way ... what do I find??? but workers still working! Needless to say I turned around and drove back to my rental home (hee, hee). This week my clawfoot tub got installed (still waiting to get the plumbing hooked up) ... all of the lights are working now, and more of the interior trim work got painted. Today the front steps were built leading up to the covered porch. Over the weekend a cleaning lady will begin the first phase of the clean up. She'll come back once again right before we move in. The carpet will be the last thing to get installed. Photos: bonus/guest room above garage, foyer with new lights installed