This Isn't Your Grandmother's China

Our days move so fast.  To think of the luxury of slowing things down to appreciate each moment in your day is almost unfathomeable.  But there are certain things that I have started to aquire in my life that make me slow down and appreciate them.  When you surround your self with the things you love, crafted beautiful sculptural art pieces, you begin to appreciate them and what they give to you.  I recently decided that I was old enough to have my own "china" collection.  This is very different from the china my nana was given at her wedding, but to me it is just as special.  I have started to aquire my own heath collection and everytime I use a plate, or drink my coffee I really appreciate that moment.  I open my cabinet and love seeing the treasures behind the doors.  Owning beautiful things makes moments special.  Take the time to surround yourself with the art that you love, fill your home with it and enjoy it to its fullest capacity. Invest in some art for your life weather it is a framed peice, a sculpture, or handcrafter pottery that you integrate into the dinner table.  It brings designs together and fills the nooks of your days with beauty and appreciation, which is something we can never have enough of.

images and pottery can all be found at:

http://www.raedunn.com/gallery . http://www.heathceramics.com/ . http://www.kaatra.com/

Light Sculptures

We have a natural emotional connection to light.  Our survival is based on light; it has signified warmth and food for thousands of years.  We like warm light.  We like glowing light that resembles fire.  Our natural affinity for warm glowing light allows us an opportunity to create beautiful vessels and sculptures to contain that light.  So don't have ugly lamps.  There are so many amazing, crafted lights out there.  Use light in sculpture form, think of it as an opportunity to create really interesting focal points in a space.  Soft or bright, light can be the most comforting part of a room and make or break designs.

A STURDY COMPANION

Chairs are by far my favorite pieces of furniture.  Angular, structural, supportive, functional and a beautiful reminder to be still for a few moments of the day.  In design chairs are iconic and always  associated with specific decades or trends.  Mixing chairs is completely acceptable.  Mixing contemporary or modern chairs with a farm table is also acceptable.  That's the best part about chairs.  They are accepted as individual pieces of work.  The can be mixed and matched with old or new stuff.  When I am choosing places to pop color into design, chairs are really one of the best places to do that.  Painting your dining room chairs lemon yellow will change your life.  Its liberating to add color, especially in such a beautiful format as a chair.  Sit in your favorite chair.  Enjoy it.  Love it.  It will love you back.

Brass

Brass is in.  Applying old tarnished brass faucets to your sink actually give it a really updated old world turned new look.  Brass was really popular mid century, it took a weird over polished turn in the 90's, but its back and tarnished as ever.  It looks great with white porcelain, medium brown wood, on light fixtures next to glass and in small accent applications.  Perhaps its the mad men movement and the look to those early midcentury modern designs that we are falling in love with all over again.  One day I'll have my Eichler.  Until then im just changing out my faucets.

Paint it Brick

I have noticed an uprising in painted brick.  I have a feeling people are growing tired of the brick wall, reclaimed wood paneling trend.  We love brick!  We love the story it tells, the way it smells, the fact it seems real, alive and changing.  We love the texture and the variety of color, we love the contrast it creates against any other buidling material.  Brick is the new black, it looks good with everything.  My nana painted all the brick in her house white when I was little.  I couldn't believe it.  I was actually offended by it as a kid.  I thought it was so great the way it was, why would you paint it?  Now painted brick is back.  Are we tired of the dusty red color?  Are we back to loving white walls?  Whatever we are, I am digging the painted brick.  Paint it blue, stripes, black.  Do whatever you want with it and don't think twice about it.  Painted brick is the new black!