| Where do I begin? Like any new project, small or large, that's the first question. Not knowing can make you put if off and put it off... A simple way to get going is start with your favorite shelter magazines and flag pages that show designs you like. Or you can do what designers do and make tearsheets. That just means tearing out the page and collecting it with others in a folder or binder. You can categorize them by style or room. Then you can go back to that binder and see all your favorites together, weed out ones that you don't want anymore and add new ones. If you are doing one room at a time, you will still have those pictures of other projects waiting for you! Click here to go to our magazine page and find that style that says YOU! |
The Studio News
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| "No Furniture so Charming as Books" Rev. Sydney Smith When looking at layouts in magazines of the latest trend, showhouse or designers' projects, you may notice a recurring design element: the coffee table book. It may seem like just a pretty accessory, but in truth it can be an invaluable tool. Interior Design books can help you define your style by showing you elements in depth and scope that a magazine can not. If Cottage style is your favorite, Cottage Style magazine or Country Living can give you inspiration, but a book devoted to it can show you room after room of variations on that style. It can show you color palettes, fabrics and furniture styles in a wide variety of presentations. You may find that one picture captures the whole of what you've been looking for or you can take elements from different looks and make something unique to you. |
The Robin Studio
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Color! Go Pink!
Where did I hear that pink was the new black?
Where did I hear that pink was the new black?
| There are times when one can be surprised by when and where a new inspiration will strike. Sometimes the "what" can jolt us too! Unexpected color in an unexpected place can cause a double-take, but sometimes shaking things up and going outside the "accepted" box is just what is needed. My current and growing fascination and (yes I'll say it!) obsession with pink has definitely caught me by surprise. I've always loved pink, but usually as an accent, whether for design or fashion. Lately I've been seeing it spring up in many places it hasn't appeared before and taking a dominant role. I even bought a pink sweater! The chairs in the room above are striking in the color and the fabric. Leather! Whoa! But it works and is still lovely and elegant and a off-center touch to a traditional setting. I say, Bring it on! |
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"There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort."
Jane Austin
Jane Austin
Clean and Simple
After the holidays, sometimes the "urge to purge"
sets in and all we want to do is start fresh for a
fresh new year. Fresh ideas sometimes need a bit
of fresh inspiration and so we turned to our design
books library. Here is a favorite of mine! So much
so that sometimes it becomes part of the display
itself. There have been three
printings of this book since it was originally printed in 1996. My
well-used and much loved copy of the first printing (shown right)
still retains all the sticky notes I've used to mark the pages I want to
go back to. The 2001 printing above, and the newest one in 2005
didn't need much updating from that first version. The ideas are timeless, the photos
are as crisp and clean as a fresh apple. The chapters each cover a basic design
element that is fundamental, but with the pure style philosophy that makes you want
toss everything out and start from scratch! Incorporating traditional and country with
the minimalism that is essential to the modern style, this book steps outside those
classifications. The author also includes some simple ways to create simple make-
overs that anyone can follow. Slipcovers and roman shades that take only a few
stitches. What could be easier! Check it out here!
After the holidays, sometimes the "urge to purge"
sets in and all we want to do is start fresh for a
fresh new year. Fresh ideas sometimes need a bit
of fresh inspiration and so we turned to our design
books library. Here is a favorite of mine! So much
so that sometimes it becomes part of the display
itself. There have been three
printings of this book since it was originally printed in 1996. My
well-used and much loved copy of the first printing (shown right)
still retains all the sticky notes I've used to mark the pages I want to
go back to. The 2001 printing above, and the newest one in 2005
didn't need much updating from that first version. The ideas are timeless, the photos
are as crisp and clean as a fresh apple. The chapters each cover a basic design
element that is fundamental, but with the pure style philosophy that makes you want
toss everything out and start from scratch! Incorporating traditional and country with
the minimalism that is essential to the modern style, this book steps outside those
classifications. The author also includes some simple ways to create simple make-
overs that anyone can follow. Slipcovers and roman shades that take only a few
stitches. What could be easier! Check it out here!
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Project Corner
New projects coming soon!
New projects coming soon!
| Let's Get Ready For Spring With March and April finally on the horizon, thoughts of green things growing and breezes through open windows fill my thoughts. This winter season has been unpredictable and seems to be dragging on longer than other years past. The shifting back and forth from snow to brown grass to gray slush to colorless views is getting old! Scouting around for inspiration to get me geared up and ready for a new season, I've been looking at Green websites to see what they're reading. Anything to do with gardening and planting is catching my eye and a few books have started off my Spring Reading List. A fresh perspective in simplifying life is my focus this year so I've also got a few new interior design books on the list as well. Check out the Mother Nature Network for the latest on what's happening that's GREEN! Check out the review for this helpful book to get you started on your planter garden. A good tool for those who have no patch of grass of their own! My porch is waiting breathlessly for a little spring life! Click here to go to the review! And while you're there, roam around a little.... |
Color! Mellow Yellow!
A new inspiration for a new season
A new inspiration for a new season
Color! Orange Me!
The Color of Fall.
The Color of Fall.
| I don't know if its the advent of spring or a change in viewpoint, but I seem to be drawn to Yellow this season. Check out Country Living for some inspired designs using yellow as the focal point or as accents to add a subtle splash of color. "Yellow increases your focus. It is known for enhancing intelligence and mental agility. It can help stimulate conversation and clarify thoughts." The House Beautiful website has an article about what colors mean. Ever wonder why you're drawn to a certain color? Check it out! I've never been a Yellow fan but now I see it everywhere and I'm excited about bringing it into not only my design but my home as well! Keep tuned here to see pictures of how I do with my new best friend: Mellow Yellow! |
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I suppose stranger things have happened than to fall in
love with a color simply from seeing it on a pair of boots. It
seems a very girlie thing to do, but I choose to blame it on
my designer mentality than my barely contained
shoe-fetish! On the cover of this month's Country Living
Magazine are a pair of not-to-be-found orange rubber
boots from Hunter and an orange plaid throw that
started this whole color episode. Now I see that shade of
orange everywhere and simply must have it in my house
somewhere. While I don't really believe I will win the
contest-throw from the cover, I take heart in the ability to
buy one just like it and transform a room around it. If you
didn't know designers did that, well, we do! As any artist
will tell you: don't questions the inspiration, just go with it!
Perfect timing for the season! Yay!
love with a color simply from seeing it on a pair of boots. It
seems a very girlie thing to do, but I choose to blame it on
my designer mentality than my barely contained
shoe-fetish! On the cover of this month's Country Living
Magazine are a pair of not-to-be-found orange rubber
boots from Hunter and an orange plaid throw that
started this whole color episode. Now I see that shade of
orange everywhere and simply must have it in my house
somewhere. While I don't really believe I will win the
contest-throw from the cover, I take heart in the ability to
buy one just like it and transform a room around it. If you
didn't know designers did that, well, we do! As any artist
will tell you: don't questions the inspiration, just go with it!
Perfect timing for the season! Yay!
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| Getting Ready for the Holiday Season No matter that we know it comes around at the same time each year, we can still be hit with the holidays unprepared. As many times as I have decorated the staircase and put up the lights, I still look forward to inspiration from my favorite magazines, catalogs and hopefully a wonderful new design book just in time to show me some- thing new or old or quirky or traditional or sweet or festive. It's a lot to ask, but I never am dis- appointed. |
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