Warm days, blue skies and cool water…
March 24, 2012
can easily become the catalyst for your next interior design project, as this lake side residence illustrates. Pulling the outdoor colors in visually expands this space, blurring the confines of walls and windows. Crucial editing of furniture and accessories keeps the room’s design lean and modern…even when occupied by family and friends, the dog and that growing pile of mail.
Rocky start, breezy finish
March 19, 2012
Once I got used to the idea of knitting an eyelash with dental floss my GRAPHITE scarf was like “knitting yoga”…an almost Zen experience. Using HABU silk wrapped stainless steel knit together with their root sizing silk ( http://habutextiles.com/N-6B) and a triangular scarf pattern for inspiration ( http://www.pickles.no/simple-luxury-scarf/ ) I was deep into it…and more than once. The result was as interesting as I had imagined…light, airy and sophisticated. Over a turtleneck, with a white shirt or to fill in the neckline of a blazer or jacket…Graphite is an accessory scarf to transition to the warmer months ahead. And, as always…the best in simple, quiet and modern.
Naturally green
March 15, 2012
If you look a little closer you may find tucked behind the buckets of hideously dyed green carnations, that seem to be everywhere for St. Patrick’s Day, a small yet natural surprise…miniature carnations in natural green. A simpler, softer green…a fresh green. For a couple of dollars you can take home a bunch to salute your Irish kin and still have them around to usher you into April while enjoying their spicy fragrance. Simply cut them short and mass them in a glass of fresh water. 
It’s not what goes in-
March 14, 2012
to a design that makes it good…it’s what’s left out.
” The camel is a horse made by committee” * is a maxim that can be applied to any creative endeavor you may undertake, from a complete re-design of your environment to getting dressed in the morning. Stop, take a deep breath, reel it in…then remove something. Now you’re on your way to a result that is simple and quiet…and that makes it modern.
*Vogue 1956
White’s the new Black
March 11, 2012
With the change of time to Daylight Savings, it’s a great opportunity to shed some new light on things at home. While most people agree that a shot of black in an interior is simply great punctuation, I can’t help myself from shaking it up. Do a 180 and you land at white, the color that your eyes recognize first. White accessories bring a new freshness home while presenting everyday items in an elegant new way. White will highlight both the simplicity of the design as well as the most complex detail. My favorite whites can be matte, satin or high gloss on everything from picture frames to pottery. As you set the clocks ahead use the opportunity to see where something white could breathe new life into your space. 
http://www.heathceramics.com/go/heath/ for these simple cups and the Neutra house numbers.
Hey Bud…where’ve you been?
March 9, 2012
Daffodils…even after a mild winter, there is nothing quite like the arrival of daffoldils with their promise of rebirth and new beginnings. Can there be a more perfect yellow? The birth flower for March, they dot the near black and white late winter landscape with their electricity. Share a bunch with a friend to ensure happiness and good fortune. A hot cross bun or two couldn’t hurt either…it is Lent after all.
…and the skies are gray
March 4, 2012
Still. But, California Dreamin is off the sticks. Done and done. Ready to take the chill off those cool desert evenings. This newest blanket is near exactly as I had anticipated while gathering the yarns…a definite woven look like some of the earliest Knoll and Herman Miller textiles. And, the hand is wonderful…softer than I expected considering the mix of recycled fibers, cashmere, cotton, linen, merino and hemp( even a touch of nylon )… the colorations are complex at close range while receding to neutral from a distance. I like it.
Just the ticket
March 3, 2012
Nothing says Simple…Quiet…or Modern quite like this. The best (and my personal favorite) fabric…Linen…for it’s color, texture and durablity combined with the simplest of design. Who couldn’t use a stack of these in their linen drawer? Even the identifying mark stamped on each item keeps it simple, insuring against someone wiping the corner of their mouth with the tablecloth. Hey, I’m just saying…http://shophorne.com/shop-designer-fog-linen-c-55_77.html?view_all=1&sort=2a
In like a lion…
March 1, 2012
March. We are nearly out of the woods of winter anticipating the new beginings that spring brings. Yet, oddly enough, among the gray skies and melting snow you can find the perfect inspiration for a new project. Mother Nature again providing a creative nudge through a small piece of birch bark blowing across the yard…which leads to the selection of a terrazzo vessel…which then leads to a new backsplash? Bath renovation? OK, let’s not get nuts…maybe a few new towels is the simplest solution. http://www.target.com/s/bathroom+home+spa+towels
Well…it ain’t beige
February 20, 2012
Pantone’s 2012 Color of the Year…Tangerine Tango. If a dose of this injected into your neutral interior doesn’t shake things up, well…it’s time to start checking pulses. Don’t know where to start? Should the tangy Womb chair and ottoman ( Eero Saarinen 1948)at http://hivemodern.com/ make too much of a statement then maybe a Tangerine Tango Journal http://www.pantone.com/pages/products/product.aspx?pid=1270&ca=33 is just the ticket. Me, I’ll take one of each please.
simplequietmodern 