Kerrie Kelly Design Lab Wins Jason Wu for Brizo Blogger 19 Design Challenge

The Kerrie Kelly Design Lab is proud to announce that they are new winner of the Jason Wu for Brizo Blogger 19 Design Challenge. Inspired by Jason Wu’s Spring 2012 runway collection, the KKDL team created a stunning bathroom design that incorporates Jason Wu’s new luxury line of powder room products. The Design Lab’s award winning sketch designs will soon be brought to life in a photography set and featured in Jason Wu for Brizo advertisements.

Timeless styling paired with functional ease creates an irresistible experience. Inspired by Jason’s 2012 Spring Fashion Week Collection, simplicity, whimsy, pops of color and bold contrast all contribute to this bathroom design. Dark eco-friendly wood flooring anchors the space while a lacquered yellow floating vanity cabinet provides a vibrant and youthful elegance. Sitting atop a white seamless solid surface with integrated rectangular sink, Jason’s Odin faucet gets the contrast and presence it deserves. And so do the accessories–just like the Spring 2012 show’s slick strappy stilettos and spiky leather hair clips–when placed against a simple white wall covering. As an added inspiration, a black and white Brizo scarf from Kerrie’s Fashion Week visit serves as the room’s mirror detail inspiration. Thank you for the opportunity Brizo!  And to the new Blogger 19, enjoy New York Fashion Week this week with Jason Wu and team!

Design Find: Icaro Suspension Lamp

Our recent lighting find has us in “suspension!” It seems to coordinate with any scheme—urban, contemporary or even a little country. It’s called the Icaro Suspension Lamp and comes swinging in painted transparent, matte white or black steel wire. The lamp’s light bulb can be in plain sight or protected by a strip of removable material.

It is available for both indoor and outdoor, in four different sizes {in both table and swinging lamp} and four different finishes.

What Happens in Vegas Comes Back to the Design Lab!‏

Kerrie Kelly Design Lab is back from two great days at the Las Vegas World Market– Winter 2012 Show. From lighting and furnishings to textiles, rugs, and décor, we found a bit of everything for our clients! We have categorized some of our finds below to see what strikes your fancy, too.

Lucky Strike—How can we resist? Just as discussed in our trends presentation, chevron patterns are here to stay. We love the chevron for its clean modern appeal and eye-popping graphic attitude. From lamps to pillows, fabrics and accessories, brights versions are the way to go for a playful look!

Mary McDonald Chevron Stripe Table Lamp.

Thomas Paul’s vivid pillows flip from clean geometric chevron to effusive Mexican-inspired prints.

Rough Luxe—Highly textural mirrors shine bright this season, reflecting a certain purity of form and function. We even plan on using one of these goodies on our HGTV designs!

Grace Feyock for Uttermost designed this wood frame with a light walnut stain with burnished details. The interior mirror is beveled.

The Baum Mirror from Bunglow5 mingles elements both rustic and sophisticated with silvered faux bois design crafted to resemble a wreath.

Outdoor Traditional Brights— Bright colors and traditional shapes featuring a modern twist on what one would consider outdoor furniture surely stopped us in our tracks as we walked through the outdoor market.

Re-proposing classic furniture and giving them  a vibrant contemporary look is something that PolArt has mastered.

Resto Remix—Lighting and furniture categories have found their way to reclaim, repurpose and even borrow a few ideas from Restoration Hardware. The great news is they have priced pieces affordably and proportioned them appropriately too!

Stay tuned for a few more finds and understand which pieces we will be bringing back to the Design Lab!

Shimmering Mercury Glass Accents

Hi everyone! I’m Jessica, a writer for Arcadian Lighting, a blog and website with a really cool selection of affordable light fixtures in all different sizes and styles. Every day I get to research the latest interior design trends and then share them on lovely, inspiring blogs like Kerrie Kelly. One very popular trend I’d like to share with you today is decorating with shimmering mercury glass accents. The brilliant shine and sparkle of mercury glass, whether it be a vase, a paperweight or a lamp, instantly adds a chic flare to any room. I hope you enjoy!

The bulbous shape of these mercury glass vases and their reflective surfaces add a magical quality to the room. The pair of spotlights are a very unique touch that makes this living room more attractive and original.

I love the combination of sea green wall color in the shelves and seashells and coral scattered throughout this beautiful living room. The few mercury glass accents add brilliant reflective pops of light.

The inverted pendant lights in this kitchen contrast beautifully against the rustic, matte surfaces throughout the room. I love the expansive windows that let in so much natural light, making the mercury glass shades a fun decoration when the light fixtures are not in use.

A rich lavender and black color palette throughout this room is at once chic and serene. The glass coffee table and reflective mercury glass cup help the room feel more light and spacious. I love the unique detailing on the floor lamp in the corner.

Mercury glass accents are perfect for decorating for a party or the holidays. The vintage mercury glass, disco ball and ornaments are positively radiant on this holiday table.

Layering a mercury glass frame over an ordinary bathroom mirror plays with the contrast between old and new. The subtle floral detailing on the Venetian mirror and the exaggerated length of these types of wall lamps are quirky, pretty details that make this room more interesting.

The monochromatic color palette in this bedroom is anything but boring thanks to swirling patterns and an elegant tufted headboard. A regal shaped lamp fits in well with the bedding.

A wall of antique mercury mirrors is a wonderful idea for making a stunning accent wall. The leopard print pillows are a fun contrast to the vintage appearance of the mirrors and the sofa. Images 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

If you love these inspiring interiors, be sure to stop by Arcadian Lighting for a mercury glass lighting fixture or two for your own home!

Travel Chic: Louis Vuitton’s Beyond the Luggage

Louis Vuitton doesn’t just carry your luggage; the fashion house also tells you where to take it. In the label’s newest collection of City Guides ($33 each), follow L.V. through 40 cities’ vintage boutiques and gourmet feasts, hidden gardens and ancient trattorias. For the 2012 edition, journalists and authors travel along the Pearl River Delta, visiting expansive casinos and novel galleries in Hong Kong and Macau, and introduce travelers to the unexpected luxuries of five new European cities, including Birmingham and Zagreb. Each softback booklet features the wisdom of a local legend and playful illustrations from Cuban artist Ruben Toledo. After spending the past 14 years inking the City Guides’ lush artwork, Toledo’s drawings are memorialized in a 100-postcard retrospective ($78) he describes as a “treasure box of memories” —and a perfect chronicle of your travels. louisvuitton.com.

Design for Life: The Ageless Home

For our second day at the Northern California Home & Landscape Show, we met even more new friends where we chatted about the livable home. To share in our presentation, we asked Erin Clay of Livable Design by Eskaton to join us with her expertise. In case you missed it, here is what we shared!

Livable Design is creating beautiful home environments by blending style, function and convenience. To achieve this, several areas of the home are addressed. One can start by:

Creating Living Spaces

-Entries and Thresholds: Level with main living spaces; well-lit and free of area rugs and obstructions.
-Doors: Remove doors that aren’t necessary; use pocket doors.
-Pathways: Keep them wide and define floor changes with visual contrast.
-Seating: Specify arms that come to the front of seat cushion; make sure they don’t sit too low.
-Lighting: Watch for glare and layer light to provide a variety of levels.
-A space for all: Include media areas, technology and entertainment so a variety of people can interact.

Creating Private Places

-Separate sleeping spaces: Useful for illness, snoring, privacy
-Doors: Minimum of 32”, ideally 36” for wheelchair
-Hallways: Minimum of 42”, ideally 48” for wheelchair
-Windows: Situate to view nature and for ventilation and escape in case of emergency.
-Window coverings: Specify to provide natural light during day and privacy at night. Put on remote.
-Flooring: Carpet provides an insulated feel and spacious look. Use commercial pad for wheelchairs.
-Multi-functional: Murphy bed, sofa bed for caregivers.

Designing the Kitchen

-Cabinetry: Allow easy access with large drawers and base cabinets with roll outs and lazy-susans. Consider knee-spaces.
-Lighting: Illuminate overhead, in task areas and with accents such as pendants and dimmers.
-Plan: Keep it as open as possible to allow flow and interaction, allow 42” between counters.
-Counter tops: Use solid surfaces and specify at varying heights.
-Faucets: Specify ones with lever handles and pull outs.
-Appliances: Lower the microwave and raise the dishwasher.

Designing the Bathroom

-Safety: Provide grab bars and skid resistance flooring.
-Showers: Eliminate thresholds, add texture and benches.
-Cabinetry: Specify multiple heights (30”-36”) and consider knee-spaces.
-Toilets: Consider a hi-line style that sits 18”-21”H
-Tubs: Allow an area to sit and swing legs into tub instead of stepping over edge.
-Shower curtains: Eliminate them.
-Accessories: Hand held shower, shampoo niche, sconces for added light

Rest of the House

-Indoor/outdoor connections: Windows and doorway with visibility to outdoors
-Safety and security: Paved areas and adequate lighting
-Comfort and accessibility: Sun and shade with public and private areas
-Freedom, choice and variety: Versatile seating arrangements
-Contact with nature: Color, foliage and fragrance
-Support for activities: Front loading washers and dryers

Trend Watch 2012: To Trend or Not to Trend?

It was great to see our clients, friends and family at the Northern California Home & Landscape Show today! We also really enjoyed meeting new friends, too. In case you missed us, here is what we chatted about at the To Trend or Not to Trend presentation! See you tomorrow at the show where we present The Ageless Home with Erin Clay from Livable Design by Eskaton to noon in the Pavilion.

Tangerine Tango: This year, it’s all about tangerine. Pantone, the design world’s authority on color identification, announced its much-anticipated color of the year for 2012 —Tangerine Tango, a dramatic reddish orange with a positive energy and warmth. Although it can be intimidating at first, this attention-grabbing orange is a surprisingly flexible hue. Whether you’re a tangerine addict and can’t wait to outfit a room in all-orange, or if you’re still getting used to this bold color, there are plenty of simple tips to incorporate the color into your space. You may even consider playing with the same color in different tones.

Add unexpected pops of color with paint. Not sure if you’re ready to go all tangerine? Take a tip from Kerrie Kelly Design Lab and use it on just one wall or accent on a cabinet. It goes with warm and cool colors, and is easy to paint over if you get tired of it.

Create a subtle tangerine theme with accessories. If you love tangerine but would rather keep your walls and ceilings neutral, tie in the color with products. It’s surprising how many color palettes this color goes with. The orange accessories in this room warm up the blue, green and browns in this space.

Keep it simple with accessories. Still need more convincing to get on the tangerine train? Using a few basic accessories in the bright orange color can still integrate this warm, energizing hue into your home. A few tangerine towels and a paper crane keep this blue-striped bathroom from looking too cold. It’s amazing how much a simple throw can change the look of a room. Neatly folded blankets tucked into chairs can immediately take them from boring to inviting.

Eco-Chic: Sustainability is a state of awareness about your surroundings and how they affect your family’s health and the health of the planet.  Therefore, each of us has a role to play in considering how energy-efficient and sustainable our homes should be. Not everyone is in the market to build a new house, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make positive changes to the house you have. Whether you’re thinking of painting a few rooms, embarking on a full kitchen remodel, decorating a nursery, buying some new furniture, or re-landscaping, we can suggest the most eco-friendly way to go.

Flooring: There are so many factors to consider when you are choosing a new floor. Beyond the level of anticipated use, location, and installation issues, there are style and aesthetics to consider. Luckily, many Eco-friendly flooring options are available today, so finding one that you like the look of and that serves your purposes should be easy—cork, concrete, bamboo and reclaimed woods that are endorsed by the Forest Stewardship Council is a great place to start .

Plumbing: Several plumbing manufacturers have incorporated feature to earn the WaterSense lable. The WaterSense label program seeks to help consumers make smart water choices that save money and maintain high environmental standards without compromising performance. Products and services that have earned the WaterSense label have been certified to be at least 20 percent more efficient without sacrificing performance. Beyond that, consumers can choose recycled glass or metal products that can be used for sinks and tubs.

Surfaces: Think of your walls as the backdrop for the design of your room. Depending on the look you’re going for, you may want something bold like stark white, a highly saturated color, or a funky pattern. Or you may want a soft neutral that plays a supporting role. There are eco-friendly options for all of the standard wall treatments, including paint, plaster, wainscot, wallpaper, and tile.

Tile: Look for ceramic tiles that include recycled content, and tiles made from post-consumer recycled glass. Metals, glass and recycled clay currently make for some of the most interesting and chic backdrops for spaces.

Lighting: Efficient lighting is a science as well as an art. And yet, most of us still use the incandescent bulb, which is basically the same technology invented by Thomas Edison over 100 years ago. Since lighting represents as much as 25 percent of your home’s electrical use, increasing your lighting efficiency is one of the easiest and fastest ways to lower your energy bills—you can start with compact fluorescents or LED technology.

Reclaimed Materials: Anytime you use something that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill, it’s a good thing. Reusing what already exists is almost always better for the environment than making something from virgin materials, whether it means buying a table at a garage sale, gathering waste from one manufacturing process to use as an ingredient in something else, or re-milling beams from a torn-down building into tongue-and-groove flooring. Products that incorporate post-consumer recycled content (such as used bottles) are generally considered more eco-friendly than those incorporating pre-consumer recycled content (such as manufacturing waste).

Re-purposed Finds: Furniture that’s no longer needed for its original use can have a second life serving an entirely new function. Experts call this “repurposing” furniture. Use repurposed furniture to add an element of the unexpected to a room. Don’t be afraid of breaking an unspoken design rule or to remove the name of the furniture from its purpose. Just because it’s called a dining room hutch doesn’t mean it needs to reside in a dining room—use it in the library for books.

Sacramento Treasure Trove: Cottage Girls

The crew at Kerrie Kelly Design Lab has been working on a fast track project. A wonderful new homeowner had five days flat to turn her empty home into a spot that was visitor-ready. And these weren’t just any visitors, these were the in-laws! In situations like this we need to pull our resources to find items that are available for purchase off the sales floor or in our own designer storage. With a successful visit to our favorite staging company, Restoration Hardware, Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn exhausted, we had a few more gaps to fill prior to our client’s in-law arrival. Luckily, a store that I have always wanted to visit, but had missed due to their weekend hours, had caught the eye and fancy of our new client. So last Friday, we final got to dig into a treasure trove called Cottage Girls.

Cottage Girls on Palm Drive and Fair Oaks in Carmichael, CA is owned by our talented friend Jana. She has been the proprietor of this charming shop for several years and is constantly on the hunt for antique goodies in storage lockers, estate sales and flea markets.

This cottage is brimming with beautifully edited pieces. You’ll find vignettes of whimsical, curious and stunning antique and vintage items. We purchased hide covered ottomans, a map cabinet, a French chair and Valentine goodies just to name a few.

This spot is the perfect place for “pick up gifts” too—you know, when you want something more special than wine, but not terribly expensive.

See the hide ottoman we purchased tucked in the corner here?

You can spend hours looking through the layers of wonder, so beautiful! I especially love Jana’s neutral color palette.

I already own these books and they seem to look better in Jana’s darling shop!

The other gals on our team bought apothecary items such as glass jars and cloches since they were so unique and affordably priced.

We can always go for a little zebra pattern! So the next time you want a little something off the beaten path, visit Jana at Cottage Girls and let her know the gals at Kerrie Kelly Design Lab sent ya.