The Tastemaker Diaries » Home

Wake up to Spring!

Julieann — Tue, 05 May 2009 18:24:46 +0000

Hooray! Spring has finally arrived! A quick and easy way to bring spring into your home is to switch out your bedding. Whether it is a duvet cover you place right over your existing comforter (yes, I am a year round comforter girl!) or a lightweight coverlet, there is a style for every room scheme!

For major impact, try white-based bedding – a fresh, crisp and clean background really sets off a punch of color!

Target Watercolor Floral Quilt

Pottery Barn Suzani Embroidered Duvet (on sale now!)

Bright and Happy! An array of spring colors!

The Company Store Newbury Plaid Quilt

Garnet Hill Zinnia

Geometric Prints

Dwell Studio Collage Duvet

Add a bit of sunshiny yellow and it’s also the “it” color for 2009

Gala by Wildcat Territory

Combine two trends with the gray and citron duvet from Bliss Living Home:

Have you purchased Spring bedding this year?

Tattoos for your walls

Viil — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:00:08 +0000

The quickest, easiest, and cheapest way to give your room a new and bold look is adding decals to your walls. They have been around for a while, and you can find them in ever-increasing variations of shapes and colors.

Below are some ideas for your next quick and easy redecoration.

Wall decals work best on smooth surfaces, and are very easy to use and apply. They are virtually foolproof. If you mess up, they are easily removed and reapplied.

Wall decals do not harm your walls when you take them off, so they are great for people who are renting and want to be able to remove decoration easily with no damages.

If you would like a customized wall decal in a particular shape, size, or color there are several Etsy stores that are willing to help you with making your wall decal idea come through. Check out Singlestonestudios and Shanon1972.

Pull up a work chair

Julieann — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:06:54 +0000

It’s the start of a new year, which means its time to get working and organize our office! I have compiled a few good-looking desk chairs, after all, we want to be stylish even while working, right?

To begin we have the ever popular Herman Miller Aeron Chair, sold at Design Within Reach. Sleek and super comfy, it is now available in the Titanium Weave. I just love the cool gray look!

West Elm highlights the Tubular Desk Chair in a soft gray felt. Its understated, clean lines have a bit of a retro feel that I appreciate. I could see this contrasting with a cottage-y, curved, wooden desk. It would be unexpected, but that makes it fun!

The Milan Chair from Ballard Designs looks incredibly comfy, it even has a tension tilt mechanism which allows you to rock in the chair! Sounds like a winner to me!

Ikea offers the Patrik Chair which I love in the Fagrabo Red! How fun would it be to pair this vibrant red chair with a black metal sawhorse desk? Fabulous!

Simple, clean lined and classic the Ada Swivel Chair is available at Chiasso. It’s ideal for many desk sizes and at $128 it is a bargain!

Another Herman Miller favorite (could you tell I use to work for a HM Dealer?!) is a “fun” chair, the Caper! This is a small, light weight, easy to move chair which can be used in many different applications. It is ergonomically correct (so there will be no back aches…) and is available in 14 colors.

What type of chair do you sit in? Do you chose style over comfort?

Gift ideas for design lovers

Julieann — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:08:36 +0000

Are you one of those people who can go into a book store and literally get lost for hours? If you are, welcome to the club! My weakness is the Design/Architecture aisle; there is so much inspiration I can easily pass hours there. This seems like the perfect time of year to share a few of my favorite books, since I’m sure some of you have some design lovers on your list. What could be better than an inspiring book as the ultimate present…if your giftee is anything like me, you know they will continue to look at your gift for years to come!

Don’t forget there is still another fantastic option for any design lover on your gift list! A magazine subscription is really the perfect gift, at least for me. I love running to the post to pick up the latest Living Etc, Domino or even W (as we know home decor follows fashion). Below are a few of my monthly reads!

Do you have a favorite design book or magazine? If there are books on your list this year, what are they?

Cover up with a designer, on a discount

Julieann — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 02:44:32 +0000

We can’t all afford items from our favorite designers. And some of us just change our home so often we don’t necessarily want to spend the money on one particular item. In searching for yet another new bedding ensemble, I decided to check out some of my favorite designers and, man, what they are doing at a discounted price!

First, we have Dwell Studio’s new line for Target. This ensemble just looks crisp, clean and completely refreshing…talk about coming out of winter hibernation into the spring breeze!

Then there’s the fabulous Angela Adams designing for Bed Bath and Beyond. The Lulu bedding collection features her signature oval pattern. The ever popular teal and brown combo is shown here and creates a warm, comfortable haven.

Bed Bath & Beyond also showcases the “Hollywood” line by Jonathan Adler, a handsome mix of deep navy and clean white.

As a grade schooler, I remember those who wore the “gator” were known as the preppy kids. Now, all those preppy kids are rejoicing with Lacoste’s incredibly colorful sheet sets. They have even tacked on their classic alligator for the Crocod’elle collection, available at Macy’s! I love the deep purple option.

Nate Berkus of Oprah fame has created an India-inspired pattern in this chocolate/white option, available at Linens and Things. Again, I like the clean look of this ensemble and after seeing it in person, I like it even better. It has great movement and as a pattern, it could be the highlight of any bedroom!

As you can see, there are many affordable options out there for the budget-conscious design lover! I am not sure my search has ended, but at least I know what is available. Where do you find designer items at discounted prices?