Luxury Interior Design Journal » Decorating Ideas

Italian Flower Arrangements and Luxury Lighting

Laura Bielecki — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 01:46:19 +0000

VG NEWTREND Lighting

I am still head over heels for the stunning artistry of Vincenzo and Marllena of VG NEW TREND. Their products are so refined and sophisticated. Unlike most Italian companies I find these products are very well presented with rich photography and backdrops, and from what I have seen of images of their stores every last detail of presentation has been considered. The VG of VG NEWTREND stands for Vanin Giancarlo Spa, an Italian company with years of experience and discernment in interior decor. The company is well known in national and international markets for the attention it pays to detail. The VG NEWTREND collection includes furnishing, luxury accessories, lighting and objects made of fine metals, resins, glasses, ceramics and exotic woods. VGNEWTRENDS’ aim is to create visually striking environments which incorporate influences and hints of different worlds and cultures.

I would love to see these light fixtures and chandeliers in luxury hotels, retail stores and restaurants… the mood and quality they exude would perfectly showcase a high end brand. I can imagine a hallway with the hanging wall sconces as the only lighting with rich materials and textures. the amoebic forms of these sea creature like floor lamps would be stunning in a lobby or even under a grand staircase.

Art direction for the company has come from Vincenzo Antonuccio and Marllena Calbini who started up the Scuola d’Arte Floreal Laboratorio Idee a school that teaches the art of flower arranging.

Here are some amazing examples of their floral arrangements that I could imagine in high profile spaces, luxury getaways and dramatic weddings. I love the way they present each flower and use the vase or base as a creative element that goes with the flowers rather than being a separate element. The photography of their products is truly gorgeous!

This image is of one of their shops- high end finishing, dramatic lighting and creative displays showing off all of their home decor, floral and illumination objects.

Herringbone Pattern Interior Design

Laura Bielecki — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 06:06:28 +0000

Grey Herringbone Interior

Herringbone, Chevron, ZigZag call it what you want. That fabulous signature pattern of Missoni Home (and even Charlie Browns shirt) is back in a big way. I have always been obsessed with herringbone wood floors for the extra dynamic and luxury touch it can give a room of any style. Herringbone has been used in fabric for ages as a classic mens suit and womens skirt fabric. Pair a grey herringbone with a rich tawny leather and you have a chic style that will fit right in to the Sunday racetrack crowd. The great thing about this fabulous pattern is that you can make many moods with it depending on how much contrast you express the pattern with. For permanent applications such as flooring, backsplashes and millwork details its best to keep the pattern in a one color application where the cut lines, wood grain or grout lines are what forms the pattern. When it comes to accessories go bold and demand contrast between each row of stripes- play with color, tones, varying stripe thicknesses, scale etc to add more texture and visual interest to a room. This look can go from bold and exciting colors in a child’s bedroom to soft and subdued tones for a neutral palette living room. The herringbone pattern is a beloved favorite of the Interior Design profession, use it with creativity!

Charlie Brown and his Zig Zag shirt

Here is what I am showing in the Grey color scheme above :

White marble tile: Ann Sacks Carrara marble tile small herringbone 10 1/8″ x 11″ netted sheet AS2393-10 This beautiful stone would love great as a floor pattern insert, backsplash, washroom floor or wall tile or if you want to do something different you could use it as a bedside table top, a fine for a barrel ceiling or a craft project for trivets, coasters, high end and chic DIY planters etc.
I found this space on Apartment Therapy. This beautiful bedroom could have been ultra drab and boring had it not been for this stunning paint job with a loud and vibrant edge from Farrow and Ball paint in London Clay 244, Railings 31, Hardwick White 5, Mahogany 36 and over Shaded White 201
Pillow: Madeline Weinrib Steel ZigZag. You can find zigzag pillows everywhere these days, this one has a great shade of grey and could be mixed up with any color, texture or pattern in any room.
Mug: Mikasa Grey/Platinum zigzag mug set of 4 for $39.99. These mugs are gorgeous and crisp. I can see them with a pastel or white dainty dinnerware set with silver flatware great for an inspiring shot of coffee in the morning solo or to accompany a great dessert at a dinner party…. can you see it with some bold silver charger plates?!
Stainless Steel Mosaic Tile: You can find these masculine and slick backplash tiles at almost any tile store these days for anywhere from $15-$25/sq.ft. I recommend getting them in a brushed stainless finish to reduce fingerprints and cleaning marks. Great for smaller scale areas like backsplashes, bathroom wall details etc. I woul avoid doing full walls or floors with this as it can be a bit much in larger quantities.
This is a photo of Canadian Interior Designer Emily Walker who works for Canadian House and Home. This is her beautiful and simple kitchen. Her use of the Zigzag pattern is ideal as it shows up in one location and pulls the colors from the room to ground the floor and add texture and pattern to the space.
Fur area rug: Kyle Bunting Basketweave pattern in charcoal color. Im a sucker for anythign in hide and Kyle Bunting is a kind of his domain, his hide art rugs are each so stunning and add volumes of interest, class and value to a space. Need I say more?
Area Rug: Madeline Weinrib Steel ZigZag. Get a rug just like Emily Walkers to spice up your boot room or kitchen!

Traditional and classic Herringbone

Here is a completely different look. Masculine, dark, rich and crisp.

Dark Rough hardwood: LV Wood Floors Antique Oak Herringbone. This is a fabulous floor that I would LOVE to personally use in my whole home, the richness of colors, texture and grain are all fascinating, historic and beautiful. I could easily see this product for retail flooring in a mens store.
Dress: Principles black and White Zig Zag Dress cute, fun and graphic this dress could spice up any cocktail hour.
Wood and Stianless Steel mosaic tile: Mosaico+ DL.0364 Misura op. 3 in Canada you can get this Luxe tile from Julian Tile
Black Marble mosaic tile: Ann Sacks Herringbone Obsidian. This is a gorgeous mosaic great for any wall space or floor detail.
Pouf: Missoni Home in black and white. great as extra seating for company and to add fun pops of color or tecture to any room. All kids love Poufs!
Black leather floor: source unknow but this is one sexy product! Come out reps wherever you are.
Ottoman: Madeline Weinrib Mid Century ottoman

Herringbone Floors

Colorful herringbone rooms

Colorful bold zig zag pattern

Top 10 Interior Design Trends of 2010 – Black walls

Laura Bielecki — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 06:16:59 +0000

One of my favorite Interior Design Trends of 2010 was black painted walls. The dark look came around in 2010 in the form of chalkboard paint, wallcovering, paint, wood and fabric. Black paint is a sexy and sophisticated way to upgrade a space. It is bold, crisp and able to transform a room for ordinary to extrordinary! It can be used as an accent wall to showcase artwork, glassware, dishes, frames, furniture or lighting…. basically anything with texture or visual interest. This color is especially great at showing off delicate textural items in white or bright colors.

Black is about high contrast and making a statement. Ultra glossy paint, matte paint and textural wallpaper are great options but they play up very different feels. Remember they are just walls and you can always repaint or recover the walls if you get tired or overwhelmed with a color.

Dining rooms and bathrooms do very well with darker colors as deeper tones can provide a far more cozy and sensual experience, particularily in candlelight. Consider mixing the noir walls with warm gold, orange or red tones for a warm intimate feel.

Black and white are the perfect pairing. White trim can define a space and add the contrast required to freshen the intensity of black. Large scale white furniture, lighting, picture frames or mirrors can be used instead of trim to achieve the same balance of dark and light in a space and can make the room feel bright and clean.

Versace fashioned a fabulous set of residences at the Park Plaza in New York with dramatic black and white interiors. This photo is what sold me on black walls for good. Very clean and chic for a contemporary twist to traditional moldings and trim work.

Bathrooms and powder rooms can have a higher class feel, sense of mystery and refinement simply by adding black to the walls and/or tiles. This bathroom I found on Contemporist from the Vine Hotel in Madeira Portugal. Consider using high gloss finishes like Thermofoil, glass mosaics, ceramics or waxed or foil wall coverings to achieve a reflective and super glossy shine for your high profile space.

10.

I think we will still see more dark walls in Interior Design trends of 2011 but they may be more deeper shades of color rather than black. Personally I am going to keep both black and grey walls in my repertoire of paint colors for the next few years as both shades offer so much potential in a variety of styles.

Black Christmas Tree

Laura Bielecki — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 16:14:55 +0000

How to pull off a flawless and bold BLACK Christmas tree and home decor for the holidays

Are you in the Christmas spirit yet? For a stylish Christmas that is sure to wow and create a bold look try decorating this year with the most unconventional Christmas decor color… Black!

Black Christmas Decor

Start yourself off with an artificial black Christmas tree, preferably one that is big and bushy. Make sure it is covered in white Christmas lights (you may need more than an average tree due to the darkness of the tree branches). Find yourself some beautiful and unique Christmas ornaments with lots of sparkle and shine- stick with clear, white, black and silver ornaments. The less color in the decor the more dramatic the look. Keep it as black, grey, white and clear as possible! Red can be used as an accent as long as you have the self control to keep it to a minimum.

amazon.com-black and silver Christmas ornaments

Find yourself a super sparkly garland, large flowers (real or silk) with maybe a bit of silver lining and a bold uncoventional Christmas tree topper. Think of using a wide silver ribbon to create a bow for the top of the tree or sparkling tree branches or even long white flowing feathers…. get creative and be sure to stay unconventional.

At the Edmonton Festival of Trees 2010 one submission was perfectly done as a gorgeous black tree. The designers found a motor to slowly turn the tree and used a large mirror for the base of the tree to make the piece sparkle and shine.

Edmonton Festival of Trees black Christmas tree Topper

Be sure not to stop at just the tree. All of your presents should be wrapped in metallic silver foil paper or high gloss black with silver or velvet ribbons. Cover your table with ornate black ornaments (the same ones you used on the tree). Tie a black ribbon around your dining room chairs and switch out your lampshades for black ones! Be sure to add extra bling to your space with extra crystals hung off your chandelier/wall sconces and table laps and use them in your napkin rings and wine glass markers. Overflow an ornate clear glass vase with ornaments and consider an all silver wreath for the front door.

Let me know how it goes and be sure to send me photos!! (lb@laurabielecki.com)

Beach Christmas Decorations

Laura Bielecki — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 06:04:17 +0000

Christmas is a time for fun and festive celebration and giving, a time to show your heart and light up the world. What better way to express yourself than to personalize your home to your own individual tastes. Picking a theme, color or word that expresses yourself will create an astonishing decor that speaks to you and shows your true self to others.

In the next few days I want to share with you some great bold themes that are anything but ordinary and far more than just a green and red Christmas!

Beach Theme Christmas Decor ideas:

If you still can’t get summer off your mind or you are somewhere hot and tropical like California, Hawaii or even Australia this Christmas bring the seashells home! A beach theme offers a great personal decor statement at a low and DIY friendly price. Keep the decor simple and relaxed to make the decor pop.

Beach Christmas Decor

• Make a sea shell wreath for your front door, matle or window! Cover a styrofoam wreath in shells- all you need is a little hot glue and some patience. You can come up with some great designs using different colors, shapes and sizes.
• Make a seashell garland out of pre drilled shells and a fishing line,
• Wrap your presents in a light ocean blue or sea foam green handmade paper with twine or white ribbon and add a starfish, sea urchin or a cluster of shells instead of a big bow.
• Use mother of pearl or iridescent white charger plates
• Make all your accents either white, gold or silver (adding too many accents will make your theme scattered and too busy)
• Use varying heights of candles around the room for a romantic night at the beach setting
• Consider using sand, shells and white/clear and iridescent ornaments to make a grand centerpiece.
• Hang seashells and simple ornaments from your chandelier

BeachGrassCottage oranaments from Etsy

• Accentuate your mantle with a piece of driftwood, some candles and a large conch shell
• For a bit of extra bling and refinement spray paint some of your decorative starfish or larger shells in silver or gold
• Can you say mermaid tree topper?
• Mix your tree decor with large shells, water colour baubles and clear glass ornaments filled with beach finds

Decorated sea shells

• Give your gingerbread bikinis and toques and cut your shortbread into nautical shapes of stars, anchors and shells.

Gingerbread in Bikini's

• Serve oceanic fare for dinner
• Surprise your guests and paint a wall Sherwin Williams SW6477 Tidewater or SW6470 Waterscape as a brilliant backdrop to your Christmas tree or mantle wall.

• Keep your linens white and simple- a great backdrop to your decor.

Beach Christmas Decor in Australia via: australiaentertains.com.au

Merry Christmas!! May all your trees have Tiffany’s blue boxes under them

Tiffany Blue Christmas

Laura Bielecki — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 22:36:14 +0000

Tiffany Blue Christmas

When you are trying to come up with a color scheme for your Christmas home decorating take inspiration from your favorite things- flowers, food, nature, shoes etc. Try doing something bold and be inspired from your favorite fashion designer or boutique. Hermes orange, Valentino Red or in this particular blog articles case Tiffany & Co’s iconic blue box!

Turquoise and Teal are unconventional Christmas colors but are very in fashion is both large and small portions. This color always makes me think of the perfect shade that is Tiffany blue. Imagine turning your home into a Tiffany’s Christmas masterpiece. This color goes well with light medium and dark woods, light and dark modern or traditional homes…. there is always a great way to bring Turquoise in!

Here are some fabulous Tiffany decorating ideas:

Teal and blue Christmas decorating

My favorite combination for Turquoise or blue Christmas color schemes is white. White is the freshest way to make a color pop, as if the Christmas ornaments had been dropped in the snow. Add a hint of silver and you have instant sparkle and shine. Turquoise is very in style for Christmas 2010. Try it at home in varying shades from blue to sea foam green in both bold and pastel shades. This look is both fresh and icy! Use vintage mirrors and crisp white lace on your table, don’t forget the silverware! For a great shade of blue for your walls or invitations pick something similar to Sherwin Williams SW6464 Aloe.

Teal & Turquoise Christmas Decor

Have you created a beautiful Tiffany’s blue Christmas for yourself? I would love to see the results. Let me know how it went and how you made it extra special.

Pink Christmas Decor

Laura Bielecki — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 05:56:04 +0000

Princess Christmas Decor in PINK!

Color themes for Christmas are growing in popularity. Expressing your individuality in your Christmas decorations will impress your guests and make you feel right at home through the cold winter months. For the princess, barbie or all around pink fanatic the color can be a great bold statement to make a fresh and fun home that looks like cupcake icing and plush animals.

Pink Christmas

Keep your Christmas tree itself as either white, ivory, pink or silver for the best effect. Pick unique ornaments that are sentimental and girly. Think figure skates, cupcakes, teddy bears, unicorns, Barbie, picture frames and lollipops. Use all different shades or pink from pale to peach to rose. Play with fun, colorful and unusual items to spice it up.

Even with the bold theme of pink there are many variations to the hue. You can choose a classy mature woman dusty rose and coral or a Victoria’s Secret fun loving PINK or even a juvenile candy cane and Barbie’s pink. It’s important to stick to the vision and theme or you could make it a flush flop! Personally my favorite pink for Christmas decorating is the mature woman pink with rich tones of coral and dusty rose and accents of pearls and flowers (just like my image above).

For the fun loving Victoria’s Secret Pink decor be loud with black or deep purple and fuchsia for your color scheme. Don’t make the Xmas ornaments too dainty, with this theme you have to keep it loud and graphic. This look is ideal for a teens bedroom, dorm room, retail store or decadent Christmas party!

PINK Victorias Secret Themed Christmas

Teenage Pink and Black Christmas

For the juvenile cupcake pink Christmas add subtle pieces of other colors like turquoise, pale yellow and light purple. Fuss over details with polka dots, stripes, ribbons, bows and texture through your wreath, ornaments and nicknack’s. Make everything feel frosted with sparkled and iridescent shine for a fun and cute xmas. Christmas lights should be soft and sparkling… white is always the best and most versatile option!!

Via: canvasandcanopy.com - colorful pink christmas decor

Candy cane cakes

Send me photos of your pink Christmas. I would love to see what you have accomplished!

Merry Christmas

Top 10 Handmade Christmas Tree s 2010

Laura Bielecki — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 05:53:06 +0000

Christmas Trees are like people, they come is all different sizes shapes and colors. To me nothing is more special than a one of a kind unique christmas tree. Here are my top 10 favorite non living Christmas Trees made out of fun and fascinating materials.

Here are my top 10 favorite unique handmade Christmas trees

10. A Swarovski Christmas Tree in Austria. Beautiful, simple and sparkling crystals!

Glistening Swarovski Crystal Christmas Tree in Austria

9. Murano glass looks amazing in all forms. Here is a stunning Murano Glass Christmas tree in Venice Italy. This glass tree is 8.5m tall and 3m wide weighing in at 3 tons which makes it the world’s largest glass blown tree. It was made by local glass blowers out of 1000 glass tubes and 2000 metal rods.

Murano Glass Christmas Tree in Venice

8. Here is a cool Cardboard Christmas Tree made from 200 sheets of cardboard glued together with Starch and sprayed with fire retardant. This Innovative tree could be created in numerous different shapes as a great DIY weekend project.

Eco Friendly Cardboard Christmas Tree

7. Nothing can be richer on the senses than a tree you can eat or drink! Here are 4 favorites… Sushi, Wine, Chocolate and Beer trees! This beautiful Chocolate tree was done by Ferrero Rocher.

Food and Alcohol Christmas Trees

6. Last year my Kasian crew got together to make a stunning Wood Veneer Christmas Tree for our annual Edmonton Festival of Trees entry. Metro Wallcoverings donated all of the wood veneer wallcovering for this piece in 2 species to create the stunning wood tree.

Wood Veneer Christmas Tree

5. This ice tree sculpture made from 300 recycled water bottles suspended from the ceiling. Designed by graphic design firm Paprika it was hung in the window of Montreal furniture store Domison in 2008.

Paprika Design Ice tree made of water bottles!

4. Here is my favorite Glass Christmas Tree! Once again by by great coworkers at Kasian, this tree is our Gold medal winner from the Edmonton Festival of trees. See my full article for more about this elegant and icy creation that would fit beautifully into any decor.

Kasian Glass Christmas Tree

3. This sparkling tree is at the Swarovski Boutique at Singapore’s Landmark Tower. Elegantly crafted it has the quality and construction of a chandelier.

Swarovski Tree Landmark Tower

2. Gorgeous and festive Istanbul Christmas Tree

Outdoor Christmas Tree in Istanbul

1. Swarovski Tree in Shanghai’s Grand Gateway Shopping mall

Swarovski Christmas Tree in Shanghai

Kasian Festival of Trees entry wins GOLD!!!

Laura Bielecki — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 21:19:39 +0000

Festival of Trees Mock up in the Kasian office

Kasian has made a tradition of coming up with exciting and beautiful orginal entries for the Edmonton Festival of Trees each year. This year with aspirations of gold we took to our toughest challenge yet. The theme of this years competition was “Sparkle” and what better way to embody the theme than to make a Christmas Tree out of glass with sparkling silver oranaments! Our Kasian team joined forces with renouwned glass artists at Panache glass and ceramic to create this innovative and sparkling tree. Ewa, Marlene and Rose from panache volunteered their time and glass to create each individual glass stem a different size and shape to form the tree. On Kasian’s end we made a form for our glass filled concrete base with castors and purchased a threaded steel rod, bolts and washers to secure the glass.

The Edmonton Festival of Trees raises funds for patient care and research at the University of Alberta Hospital.

Myself and Simon adding finishing touches to the glass tree

It took Panache a few weeks to create all of the individual glass pieces and once they were finished the Kasian team came down to test out the weight of the glass on the structure and to determine if we wanted to paint the pieces of not. We opted on leaving the natural green tint of the glass as it was classic and elegant. We also believed that the glass in its natural color would appeal to more potential buyers. Once we brought all the glass back to the Kasian studio we assembled the tree and worked on determining the best light sources, decor, skirt and tree topper. Taking the tree apart one more time we transported it over to the Shaw conference center and reassembled it within a 2 day window. The feedback we have already recieved from the event has been spectacular. Please go check it out if you have the opportunity before the afternoon of Sunday December 5th.

Christmas Tree decor closeup

Some notes about the tree: Their are 74 individual glass pieces, 8 strings of white lights, 125lbs of concrete and the overall piece weighs roughly 250lbs!

Edmonton Festival of Trees Gold Winner

Kasian Glass Christmas Tree Installed

Bird on glass tree

Hotel Inspired Design Ideas

Laura Bielecki — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 05:12:11 +0000

Armani Hotel Dubai

The Flagship Armani Hotel in Dubai opened with a grand fashion show. The Hotel features handle-less entry doors, Armani branded accessories, rare Canadian Eramosa flooring and Armani Casa Furniture among other great luxuries. The hotel took Armani 5 years to design and a series on 9 more are in the works, Milan being the next on the list.

Luxury hotels, resorts and spas can be a great inspiration for residential projects. They often have defining features to attract visitors, rich layers of texture and color and a wealth of new ideas. I love to tour hotels in each city I visit to inspire my creativity and understand different solutions to design problems. Staying in hotel rooms when you travel is a great way to test out mattresses, bathtub and shower faucets, towels, layout, lighting levels and general feelings that a room can give you. The more traveled you are I believe the better you understand what you really appreciate and love about a bedroom. Below are some of MANY inspiring hotel rooms that inspire all of my senses and create different moods in my mind. Enjoy!

La Flora Khao Lak Resort Thailand

La Flora Khao Lak resort in Thailand plays the red and gold tones up beautifully with dark woods, glossy floors and layered lighting.

The Lowry Hotel Manchester

The Lowry Hotel in Manchester is a bright and fun contemporary hotel with clean and simple rooms. The bold punches of color along with neutral tones and minimal lighting keep it casual and non-fussy. This would make a great space for someone who likes to keep their head clear and come home to a cheerful and relaxing bedroom to snuggle up with a book.

Merivale Establishment Hotel Sydney Australia

If you are ever in Sydney check out this fine Boutique Establishment Hotel. The contemporary but busy vibe is clean and young. The design is all about layers, textures and materials. Throughout the hotel they have shown off beautiful white marble. During your stay or tour be sure to visit the Establishment Bar, Gin garden and Sushi e all within the building- Gorgeous Interiors!!

Radisson Blu Media Harbour Dusseldorf Germany

Radisson Blu Media Harbour is a beautiful project with floor to ceiling windows and design by the prestigious Italian designer Matteo Thun.

Pelham Hotel London

The Pelham Hotel in London is unique in that each room is individually designed with antique furnishings, its own color palette, bold fabrics and padded headboards. When you look at any Pelham room however they all look to be in the same series and concept but each with its own personality. This is a great approach for any home. Make each room have a different color palette but keep the overall theme similar- same headboard shape, always have a footstool at the end of the bed, always use at least 2 bold fabrics etc.

The Setai South Beach Miami

The Setai is a dramatic landmark in South Beach Miami. The Art Deco building has been refurbished and Asian accents have been added to provide a rich historical and thematic feel to the hotel through the lobby and suites. All of the details feel architecturally melded into the design which provides a sense of timelessness. The craftsmanship is exquisite!

The Chedi, Muscat Oman

The Chedi Muscat is a luxury hotel with a rich simplistic Arabian design. The minimal use of materials and effect of the elegant lighting details and play with shadows make this hotel serene and tranquil. A beautiful escape to an exotic piece of luxury. To achieve this look consider using clay wall paint, crema marfil marble or limestone, dark matte woods and metal light fixtures with intricate designs.