We're baaaack!!!

So we're finally back from our long blog holiday. We decided to take the months of August and September off, just as they do in Europe. We needed to get back to basics, to refresh, and really - well, to catch up on all of our work. And actually, I think they only take the month of August off in Europe, but it sounded like I knew what I was talking about, right? Anyway....back to blogging.

The beautiful Madison skyline

Some of you have heard us talking about our wonderful trip to Madison, WI in August. We were invited by the lovely ladies at Ferguson Kitchen and Bath and we cannot thank them enough. We have to admit, traveling to Wisconsin in the middle of August to learn about refrigeration and ovens did not sound too sexy. Our workload was getting to be pretty demanding and we started with the "what were we thinking, we don't have time," blah blah blah.

Look at what we saw on our morning walk around the lake!

WOW were we wrong. We were treated to first-class accommodations, met numerous lovely designers from all over the southwest and partied like rock stars in downtown Madison.

Heather pointing out the capitol building - just prior to partying like rock stars.

The best part really was the 2 days where we learned about Sub Zero and Wolf. And I am not brown nosing here - I am FOR REAL! The Jim Bakke Center was where we were headquartered for most of the time that we were there. This place was designed with gorgeous finishes and by fabulous designers. What a treat for us! So here are the pictures and the proof.

Look at this beautiful wall - just when Heather and I were just about to write a blog about our hatred for Venetian plaster - we were treated to this. What a great, modern use of Venetian plaster. The Venetian plaster you see in Vegas never looks like this. It just looks Tuscan. In the desert. Blech.

The artwork was A-MAZING! Do you recognize anything in this painting?

The Jim Bakke Center, basically the educational and entertaining headquarters for SubZero/Wolf, has areas designed by Jamie Drake - as pictured above. Stay tuned for another blog on him in the future. There are a few demonstration kitchens, a large amphitheater and a couple of dining areas/bars. The people at the center were wonderful - really everyone we came into contact with was great. They fed us fabulous food, carted us around town and gave us super-fancy factory tours. They even gave us a souvenir picture book of the center to take with us.

Flowers that we can only dream of growing in Vegas - just sitting around outside the Bakke Center. JEALOUS.

Chihuly EVERYWHERE!

Seriously, I told you it was everywhere. Apparently, Chihuly first learned to blow glass in Madison. Crazy, right?

Again, we can't say enough about our wonderful trip and we are so lucky to be able to take trips like this - and it's our job! If you are in the market for a kitchen redesign, SubZero/Wolf really are the Mercedes of kitchen appliances. Beautiful. Superbly designed. Long lasting. Did I say gorgeous? And most of all, supremely functional. That's it for my non-paid endorsement. But now we are believers.

I'd like to give a chout out...

image courtesy of Velvet and Linen

Just a couple of quick notes tonight, we'll be posting more this week on our recent trip to the Sub-Zero and Wolf factories. Sounds like a yawn? You'll be surprised, so tune in later this week.

Our new favorite blog that you must check out: Velvet and Linen. The photos are sumptuous and the designs are well-executed, luxurious and timeless. You'll love it!

While in Madison, we were in a building with some incredible artwork. Like I said, we'll be sharing more about this place later in the week but I want to post this piece because I thought it was SO amazing.

This painting is called "Bus Stop" and you MUST go to the artist's website to see it in full scale - this picture is way too small and too pixelated to be appreciated. His name is Paul Giovanopoulos and he has some wonderful pieces. According to the handout we were given regarding this canvas, "Bus Stop" is an acrylic on canvas painting of artists, people painted in the style of famous artists or geographical influences in art history. How many artists can you identify? This piece was chosen by Jamie Drake, a super fabulous and super famous interior designer. You can see his work here. Enjoy!

We love you, we really love you

image courtesy of the mogg blogg

Today while I was looking through my Google reader, trying to get some inspiration, I caught up on one of my favorite blogs and wanted to share. Please go here immediately and laugh out loud like we do. xoxo, Inhabit.

Domo Arigato

One of our most recent challenges was to design a Japanes- themed room for one of our client's teenage daughters. Their house is Spanish influenced and Mom and Dad do NOT like anything remotely Asian influenced. They had come to the conclusion that this was not a stage that their daughter was going through; it was something she expressed interest in for the last five years. Mom and Dad finally gave in and decided to give her the room that she wanted, but with some strict parameters for us. They asked for a subtle Japanese look and we told them we could definitely deliver. Easy for us to say.

After hitting a few design stumbling blocks, this is what we came up with:

We had her desk chair custom embroidered with her name in Japanese on the back

This is the view across from her desk - we designed an art installation above

the bed composed of parasols of different colors and arranged at different depths. It truly is striking in person and makes the room come to life. It accomplished the Japanese-light look we were trying to create.


Here are some of the pieces that we used in the room:

A platinum-finished etagere from Arteriors

A white lacquered jewelry box from West Elm

Some nightstands from Pottery Barn. These are very versatile and can work with so many different design styles

These lamps are from one of our favorite sources - Worlds Away.

We chose this mirror as her floor-length dressing mirror, also from Arteriors

Mom, Dad and teenager were all extremely happy with the end result. Look for more professional pictures of the finished product on our website in the not-so-distant future!

Something Old Is New Again

Image courtesy of alkemie.blogspot.com

Today we wanted to write a quick post to brag about our new chairs to illustrate how dramatically you can change a piece of furniture with just a little bit of fabric and imagination. Throw in a fabulous upholsterer and you have the recipe for some fantastic "new" furniture.

This is one of two chairs that I inherited from my Grandmother when she passed away. The fabric definitely doesn't go with any of my decor, but fit perfectly in her living room, where noone was really allowed to sit unless it was a special occasion. Needless to say, the chairs were in almost perfect condition.

I wanted to do something a little bit funky and somewhat bold. I chose three different fabrics: one for the outside and sides of the chair, a varying-width stripe for the inside back and cushion, and a turquoise snakeskin for the stripe down the middle and the welt.

Here are the after pictures:

I also asked my upholsterer to paint the wood more of an espresso color







The texture of the snakeskin doesn't really translate in the photo, but trust me - it is DELICIOUS in person. Doesn't it look like a completely different chair? I'm so excited that I was actually able to reinvent these chairs - everytime I look at them I think of my darling Grandmother and how happy she would be to see that I'm actually using them.

It's a lovefest in here....

We wanted to send a big kiss and a shout out to LMS Design Group this week and thank them for naming us their "Design Divas" for the month of June. For those of you that don't know, LMS is one of the trade-only design showrooms in Las Vegas. We love to use their showroom and they treat us like gold. We LOVE you ladies and are honored that you thought of us.

Check out their blog here:

http://lmsdesigngroup.blogspot.com/

Vegas Has Perks

One of the great things about living in Vegas are the fantastic trade shows and award ceremonies that are held here. The CLIO Awards is one of the world’s most recognized award competitions for advertising.The Hard Rock hosted this swanky 3 day event with hip and edgy style.

Inhabit was lucky enough to win an all-access pass to the CLIOs and it was a fun break from interiors for a day. Check out some of our favorite ads.

Can you imagine the sale!?!

Campaign for Harvey Nichols Winter Sale

"When did you know?"

Campaign for Fuel brand sportsware

"Uncomfortable clothes can make a baby ugly"

Campaign for Helianthus babywear