Off to the Punkin Chunkin

Happy Halloween! Today I'm off to the 23rd Annual World Championship Punkin Chunkin! My husband, Dan, and our kids have been going for years - you see, Dan is a high school Physics teacher, and he likes building catapults. This year they've also entered the Theatrical Division and will be re-creating the battle scene in Braveheart. Should be fun!




Love this countertop. image via Bolig magazine

Thank you Washington Post

Thank you to The Washington Post and Terry Sapienza for choosing my post on Round Rugs: When? for "Our Pick to Click This Week" in the Blog Watch of the Home section.

If you're looking for that post it's just below the one on the NSO Showhouse.

NSO Design Show Pics!

This past Sunday I had a chance to head over for the last day of the 2008 National Symphony Orchestra's annual design event, NSO Celebrations. This year it was held at the Women's Club of Chevy Chase and the theme was Beyond Dragons: An East-West Fusion of Interior Design.

Thank you to the Chairs of the event for letting me take pictures. All the designs were wonderful - I've focused on just a few of the rooms for this post.

This first one is called Singapore Sling and was created by the talented Liz Levin of Liz Levin Interiors. I think her description of the room really fits it - "It's clubby, deco, and very atmospheric; think Asian Noir."

Love the vibrant colors - the aqua wall color is Farrow & Ball's Blue Ground and was listed in the event's guide book. (it's more vibrant than my photos show) Don't you love it when a designer reveals her color choice? The black and white striped rug is by Madeline Weinrib Atelier.

Bird cage/candle holder as an anchor for this chair. Would you care for a drink?

Shannon Munn of Ambi Design Studio created this elegant drawing room. The designers had to work with the Club's existing wood interior and I think Shanon does an excellent job at that. Besides, she happened to be at the show and was quite nice and willing to talk about the room and the furnishings.
This gorgeous wing chair is from Victoria Hagan.

Love, love, love this chair. Below is a view of the detail from the back.



Sally Steponkus of Sally Steponkus Interiors created this perfectly delightful dining room. I lingered here for quite awhile. **I just found out Homer's Odd Isn't He posted a great interview with Sally, along with more pics of her designs. Check it out here.





This curtain was both sheer and sturdy. Not quite sure of the fabric but it was striking.


Tracy L. Morris of Tracy Morris Design, LLC created "Kyoto Calm - A Restful Reading Space." Everyone who walked by was drawn to the two lanterns on either side of the fireplace.

This shallow vase fits perfectly on this narrow mantle.

Love the contrast of the blue gray with the orange toned knotty pine.

Great couch! Covered in a deep, gray velvet it's from Edward Ferrell + Lewis Mittman.
This table is wood but finished to look like stone.

I so wanted to pat this little guy on the head.

Laura Mackey of Cottage & Castle Design, Silver Spring, MD created the "Washington Sitting Room." I was drawn to the Ralph Lauren fabric covering the antique swedish sofa. Back in 1988 I purchased drawer liner paper of the same design. Laura's room featured a number of fine antiques.

The outdoor room by Smith & Hawken. The table looks like stone; the chairs look like wood; but both are made of aluminum.

Isn't this the cutest entry - especially for the "town hall" of the Village of Chevy Chase, MD? It's a few miles down the street from the Women's Club. I noticed it because I ended up parking there thinking it was where the show was!

Round Rugs - when?

This eye-catching round rug with the peacock motif has me contemplating when round rugs make the best sense?

At first what came to mind was the image of a round braided rag rug in front of a roaring fireplace with a sleeping cat...

However it looks like circular rugs may be having a resurgence. Round rugs may be just the thing to:

(1) define an intimate living space, such as furniture grouped for conversation

(2) to break up all the rectangular lines of a room

(3) to add interest to a room, possibly layered over a rectangular rug or a wall-to-wall treatment and

(4) to echo a round shape in either a piece of furniture or the architecture of a room.

Image via New York Social Diary, Carlos Aparicio, architect and fine furniture dealer. The rug echos the shape of the table and you can see from the following picture of this very large room it adds interest and defines the seating areas. (photography by Jeffrey Hirsh)


Images via Katrina of PuglyFeet the Blog - The round rug breaks up the rectangular entry space and the circular rugs make this hideaway reading corner even more special.

image from House Beautiful via Desire to Inspire. This round rug plays off the bay shape of the windows and curved banquet seating.
This 30" round printed rug from Urban Outfitters is $14! I could picture it in a bathroom over black & white tile. Below is a full shot of the 60" Peacock rug priced at $48.

Anthropologie's Dream Menagerie rug. 2.5' diameter $78, 5' diameter $298. Wouldn't this be adorable in a baby's room in front of the crib?

Flor's Fuzzy Button in Fuchsia, 39.5" diameter, $54.99 for this 4 tile rug. Also available in orange, blue and green.

Round Braided rug from West Elm, 8' diameter, $249

Interior Design for Your Car & Design House Pics

This past week I received an intriguing invitation...to hear Sharon Gauci, Director of Design of General Motor's North America design studio, speak about interior car design, color and trim. For Australian readers you might be interested to know that Sharon was invited to serve on the core judging panel for the 2006 Australian Design Awards. This experience was a personal highlight for Sharon as she was the first female to be part of the core judging panel in 50 years of the award.

I was uncertain about attending but fortunately Annie of Bossy Color sent me an encouraging email. I'm happy that I went as Sharon's presentation was extremely interesting. Thank you! Plus, it was great fun to meet Annie too.

I had never given much thought to the process behind the interior design of cars but it was apparent after hearing Sharon speak that it is both a technical and artistic endeavor. Just as designers in fashion and interior decor forecast the new color and finish trends, so do forward thinking car designers. Each year GM introduces 22 new exterior colors and right now Sharon said they're creating the interior color and finish schemes for 2012! In tightening markets, color can can be a critical factor for a customer' s experience of the car. Let's just say after viewing GM's cocoa color scheme it left me feeling a bit sad for my own car's interior. At least there was a small bright spot - when I returned to my car the "check engine" light didn't turn on again as it had earlier in the week. (Maybe my car sensed my sadness and was trying to show some love?)

A perk of attending the GM event was the opportunity to take pics of The Washington Design Center's Fall 2008 Design House. The theme is Casa Couture and it's open through Dec. 13th.

Gentleman's Retreat by Wayne Breeden of E.Wayne Breeden

Love the detail and personalization this initial brings to the metal table. This is definitely a do-it-yourself possibility.

Entry foyer by Yveette Piaggio of Piaggio's Loft

Kitchen by Todd Martz of Todd Martz Interiors


Study by Pattie Gunter and Tami Hatch, Gunter-Hatch Design Group, LLC

Outside the Design House is a screen with running video featuring interviews with all the designers.



Living Room by Emily Bishop of Emily Bishop Interior Design, Inc.



Dining Room by Michelle Pilon of Michelle Pilon Interiors, Inc.



Bedroom by Michelle Miller of Jenkins Baer Associates


Blogspot why are my pics so small and why can't I enlarge them the way I used to?

Gentleman's Retreat by Wayne Breeden of E.Wayne Breeden


Another close-up of the table initial. Really like this.