DC's Raji Radhakrishan Luxe Covers - Local & National!

DC designer Raji Radhakrishnan's home is gracing the cover of both the national and local issue of Luxe Spring 2014!   Not only is Raji incredibly talented, with a unique and creative eye for transforming rooms, she's incredibly nice and gracious as well.  

A few years ago I had the pleasure of visiting Raji in her home.  Here is her dining room in a former incarnation, as well as her kitchen, below.

Above is Raji's kitchen and below is one designed for a client.

A few more images from her site.  Luxe and beautiful.

To see more of Raji's beautiful work, including her 2012 room for the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse, head here.

High End Design Book - Now a Bargain!

When Inspired Styles came out in 2007 I wanted to buy it so badly but the $60 price tag always had be putting it back on the shelf and choosing another one in the $30 - $40 range.  Well, last month I thought about it again and was thrilled to find used copies on Amazon starting at 15.99!  

Inspired Styles features the work of 15 top-notch designers with large, luscious photography and pages devoted (like the book cover shot) to places and objects that inspire their work.  The designs are classic and 7 years after its publication date, I'm happy to finally add it to my collection.  Here's just a few images from the book:

Suzanne Rheinstein

Alexa Hampton

Eric Cohler

And, speaking of Eric Cohler, I thumbed through a friend's copy of Cohler on Design the other day and I'm adding it to my must-get-soon list.    So, any design books currently on your list or any book bargains you've found lately?  Hope you have a great weekend!  Michele 

Et Tu, Landsend?

Et tu, Brute Landsend?   Is that a photoshopped thigh gap I see? 

 Is it?

The Return of the One Room Challenge!

Next week it's all about the One Room Challenge and I'm very excited to announce that I'll be joining in for another round. Can't wait to show you the neglected room I need to tackle next Wednesday!   Thursday April 3rd  the ORC Linking Party starts.  I know that will be  full of terrific inspiration too.  So, here's the line-up of fabulous bloggers Linda has pulled together.  Hope to see you on the 2nd!

Abby M. Interiors 

Because it’s Awesome 

Bijou & Boheme 

Calling It Home 

Chez V 

Chinoiserie Chic 

Copy Cat Chic 

The Decorista 

Design Crisis 

Design Indulgence 

Design Manifest 

The English Room

The Glam Pad 

Little Black Door 

Mimosa Lane 

My Notting Hill 

The Pink Pagoda 

Simple Details 

My Sweet Savannah 

Verandah House

BIG Shipment at Haute Fabrics!!

Roxene of Haute Fabrics in Arlington had given me a heads-up that a big shipment of fabric was coming in so I wanted to be sure to share the news with you asap!

As always, there's fabulous yardage stacked in those pallets.  Love the striped chartreuse velvet and the patterned diamond cut blue velvet just above it.

Another really interested grey velvet stripe with sheerer fabric and an amazing pattern-stitched vinyl just waiting to transform a piece of furniture into something with a high-end look.

Here's a beautiful blue fabric from Holland and Sherry.

Charles Faudree - Fleur Exotique

Need radiant orchid?

Faux Ostrich 

This shipment also  included fabrics from Belgium and a number of hides as well.   

Haute Fabrics730 North Glebe Road, Arlington, Virginia 22203

(540) 364-1221
Monday - Saturday

10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Inspiration for a Big Spring Cleaning

It's been a long, long winter and I know my house is in need of a good old fashioned spring cleaning.  This book Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House was given to me many years ago and I love it; the perfect balance of practical tips for cleaning pretty much everything with inspiration and a bit of philosophy thrown in. My favorite part is when she compares her Italian and Anglo-American grandmothers and their different approaches to caring for their homes. (right now Amazon has used copies for 83 cents!)

The other thing motivating me this new scent of Method spray - Method All Purpose Natural Surface Cleaning Spray Ginger Yuzu -- 28 fl oz .  I like it even better than their grapefruit version.

So I'm curious, do you do a big spring cleaning?

 

DC Design House Bare Bones Part 2

A few weeks ago it was the downstairs of the DC Design House Bare Bones tour - now for the upstairs where it's still all about fresh color.

C2 paints, one of the Design House sponsors, is creating a fun pet hang-out as part of their transformation of the back stairs.  Love the planned mix of patterns.

Designer Nancy Colbert of Design Partners has a pretty master bedroom planned with pops of juicy orange, including in this beautiful abstract painting. 

Dennese Guadeloupe-Rojas of Interiors by Design and Diane Taitt of DeSpace Designs are joining forces for the Master Sitting Room.  Check out the planned pattern for the ceiling - it's designed to be removable.

Fresh, pretty colors and details will be featured in the guest room of Susan Donelson and Sharon Bubenhofer of Cleveland Hall Design.  

Here's the 3rd floor bathroom before.  The original tile is absolutely stunning in my book and I think, not sure, it is a part of the vibrant, new design that Anne Wenzel has planned.

Melissa McLay has a fun, chic design ready for the third floor guest room that features a fabric by Annapolis based Victoria Larson.

Now for this not so nice bathroom that lost its vintage beauty after a few bad attempts at upgrading over the decades.

To the rescue is TJ Monahan of ibby - a division of Case/Design Remodeling.  TJ is an architect who knows the challenges of cost-effective, bathroom remodeling with houses built during various decades.  He's created an amazing service that lets you design and price your bathroom remodel using custom software that gives a cost estimate as you add in elements.  One of the interesting features is that you choose when your home was built, which lets them factor in the type of remodeling you'll need.  After you design it, you can order free samples, buy the design, or schedule a consultation to have the space built.   I had a little fun with it myself and converted my 1954 hall bath to have a walk-in shower.

Finally, Chad Allen will be taking this tiny, former sewing room and creating an office with fabulous pieces and interesting lines.  Case in point, this amazing bookshelf.

So, that's just a few of the spaces planned for the second and third levels of the DC Design House, April 13 - May 11.  All the info here. 

Second Floor

Guest Bedroom 1 – Susan Donelson and Sharon Bubenhofer of Cleveland Hall Design, Alexandria, VA
Guest Bathroom 1 – Allie Mann of Case Design/Remodeling, Inc., Bethesda, MD and Falls Church, VA
Second Floor Family Room – Dennese Guadeloupe-Rojas of Interiors by Design, Silver Spring, MD and Diane S. Taitt of DeSpace Designs, Washington DC
Guest Bathroom 2 – Cindy McClure of Grossmueller’s Design Consultants, Washington DC
Master Bedroom – Nancy Colbert of Design Partners, McLean, VA
Master Walk-In Closet – Deborah Broockerd of Closet Factory of Waldorf, MD
Master Bathroom – Cindy McClure of Grossmueller’s Design Consultants, Washington DC
Office – Chad Alan of Chad Alan Designs, Washington DC

Third Floor

Guest Bedroom 3 – Melissa McLay of Melissa McLay Interiors, Severna Park, MD
Guest Bathroom 3 – TJ Monahan of ibby/Case Design/Remodeling, Inc., Bethesda, MD/Falls Church, VA
Guest Bedroom 4 – Cheryl Lynn Doyle of Doyle Interiors, Washington DC
Guest Bathroom 4 – Anne Wenzel of ADW Design, Gaithersburg, MD
Back Stairhall – Beth Boggs of C2 Paint, Potomac Paint, Alexandria, Arlington, Chantilly, VA

ALSO - If you're a Polyvore fan there's only four more days left to enter The Pink Pagoda's  Project Decorate contest for a chance to win a $500 gift card to Horchow.