home design interior singapore

Kamis, 15 Desember 2011

house guest || mimi & meg

today's house guest is another real life house guest from time to time, the ever stylish megan of mimi+meg. at least, she was before her big move to D.C.! megan is basically the epitome of style, and i'm beyond happy to have her hooking me up with some fitting picks for the new house!

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Since Tobe is going to be decorating her new home, I thought I'd put together some decor items that remind me of her!

1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7

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eerie how well you know me, meg. i would eat every single one of those items up in a second.
especially those lamps!

Rabu, 14 Desember 2011

house guest || ampersand design studio

this week's guesters are actually occasional real life guesters! i'm excited to introduce you to design super talents morgan and carrie of ampersand design studio. i had the pleasure of working with this design duo for several years and i have to say, these girls got skillz. as friendly as they are talented and stylish, you'll be hooked after one visit to their little corner of the web, i promise!

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Hi everyone! It's Morgan & Carrie from Ampersand Design Studio and we are totally thrilled to be guest-posting on Because It's Awesome for our dear friend, Tobe! As you all know, Tobe is in the midst of a big move to a new house, so we thought it would be fun to round up some fun ways to turn any new house into a home! We think it's about surrounding yourself with things that are uniquely yours and that make you happy every time you walk in the door. We searched high and low for some old favorites and brand new inspiration:

Displaying art, curiosities, photos of loved ones and books that you have collected over time.

Finding a cool way to tie in one of your intials. (We thought this would be a great one for Tobe since she is typography-obsessed.)

We always feel like we're in a "home" when there are personalized accents!

Another way to make things personal is to keep a map of your travels! We both have always wanted to do this but never took the time to search for a really cool one....until now! Isn't this great?!

And what other way to truly own your new digits (address digits, that is) than custom mailing labels?

And customizing your front door with new address numbers! (and a cute bike parked out from wouldn't hurt either)

Thanks so much, Tobe, for hosting us here on your blog! We can't wait until you host girls' dinner so we can see the new digs! (even if we're sitting on the dining room floor for starters). Congrats again on your new house!

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thanks, girls! can't wait to furnish this beast so we can resume girls night. ox

Selasa, 13 Desember 2011

house guest || savvy home

visiting today is the very chic gabrielle from savvy home. if you've ever visited her blog (and i think you should), you will know why i don't miss a post. she very simply has the best eye for amazing spaces (you know, the ones that you stare at so you can dissect every last detail. every. time.) and she curates a mean round up. quite thrilled to have her stop by BIA with her fabulousness!

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Hello fellow Awesomites, Gabrielle from Savvy Home here. I was over the moon when Tobe asked me to fill in while she's settling into her new home. Moving is always exciting, but it's also a truckload of work!

We settled into our house about a year ago with NADA. Decorating has definitely been a process. One that is still in motion! Starting with a blank canvas can be hard, so I thought I'd help Tobe by sharing a few tips and giving her some ideas for her new house.

(please excuse my poor typography skills!)

1. Find inspiration: In Tobe's case, this was easy. Her blog is filled to the brim with beautiful interiors.

2. Find the common thread in the inspiration images: there's always a few common threads between the inspiration images. Compile a list of things that appear in more than one (see left).

3. Consider space and budget. Invest in good-quality larger items like sofas. Make sure they are timeless and will last you a lifetime. Allow yourself to splurge on 1-2 items you absolutely couldn't live without. They will set the tone for your home. Accessories can often be found on a budget and can be swapped easily.

4. Here comes the fun part: sourcing materials (more casually known as shopping)! I always work from the ground up. Rugs and large furniture first, then paint or wallpaper. It's easier to match paint to a rug than the other way around. Then comes smaller accessories, lighting, art, etc.

Here's what I came up with for Tobe. The best part is that all the accessories are under $200! Art can be mixed high and low (from original to prints) and arranged into a gallery wall.

Paint

Fairview Taupe - Benjamin Moore for West Elm

Rugs

Savafieh Bohemian Black Rug | Overdyed Ombre Light Pink Rug

Furniture

Keaton Leather Sofa | Peking Chinoiserie | Bonaparte Chair | Zebra Hilary Bench

Accessories

Under $100

1. Dot Bowl | 3. Tortoise Shell High Balls | 4. Velvet Orchid Cushion | 5. Copper Tree Sculpture

Under $200

2. Hand-Painted Porcelain Lamp | 6. Kuba Cloth Pillows | 7. Light Wood Table | 8. Side Mirror Table

Art

Black and White Print by Manjuzaka | Nude Painting by Jenna Snyder-Phillips

Thanks for having me Tobe. Hope you are settling well into your new home!

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i don't know . . . that board doesn't look anything like my style.

except that it looks an awful lot like the family room i've been dreaming up!

gab, you've done it again. many thanks for stopping by!

Senin, 12 Desember 2011

Make-A-Wish Offices

Wayne and Ryan had the opportunity to design the office space for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan. Check out these photos of the finished office from their recent open house!

the new diggs

finally, right? today i'm super excited (and only a little bit nervous) to finally show some pics of the new house! i snapped these the day of inspections, so there's some misc equipment here and there, and i only took them to fill the gaps of what we already had from the listing photos, so it's not an extensive tour, but you can at least get a sense of what we're workin with . . .

first, the formal living room:

which is open to the kitchen (where i'm standing for these shots) and on the opposite side of the entry from the family room:

the room just past it with the drapes is the formal dining, which takes you right back around to the kitchen:

and just for kicks (and because it's apparently award-winning), the master bath:

and a peek at the backyard:

all those leaves are still there.

there you have it, party people. it is absolutely not a bit what i was expecting to buy. we'd been shopping the late 70s/early 80s fixers with a vengeance. so many that had amazing potential, but needed lots of cosmetic love. the moment i saw the listing for this beauty, i said, why not? maybe someone in this city didn't choose completely vanilla upgrades and we can have that older home with gobs of charm and a price tag we can afford? and so it was.

half of those spaces are still totally empty. there's a bit of furnishing to do. and it is not without existing cosmetic elements i'd like to change (i must note that, overall, i'm quite happy). all of which, naturally, you'll be subjected to, likely even complete with solicitations for your ever-awesome advice. i already have a million ideas swirling around in my head! it's going to be
so.
much.
fun.

more amazing guesters this week while i continue to dismantle boxes for a few more days.

i tell you, they multiply.

Jumat, 09 Desember 2011

house guest || in a state of luxe

today we are in for a treat. we're being whisked away by my favorite wanderlust go-to, kim of in a state of luxe. if you're the type that likes to take a few minutes for yourself in the middle of the afternoon (not guilty at all), i say you do like i do and pay her a visit. i tell you, every locale she posts is exactly where i'd like to be. she finds the most amazing spots in the world. turns out, she also has a talent for interior design as well! double whammy.

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Hi! Kim here from South African interiors & wanderlust blog In a State of Luxe . I know that Tobe has had a chaotic time of late what with the move and plenty else on the go. No time screams for a holiday quite like when you're surrounded by piles of boxes that seem to never diminish no matter how much unpacking you do. So I thought that we'd take Tobe and her family on a fantasy holiday. Tropical island, clear blue waters, first class service and perfectly warm sunny days….let's go!

We know she's pretty exhausted so let's not make the journey even more tiring (see left).

It makes so much more sense to fly private, no?

Once they've settled into their over-the-water oasis and explored the island, it's time to dive straight into that deep blue sea….

…followed by a lot of lolling about both in and over the water...

There's no shortage of something refreshing to quench any thirst…

..and lunch would be a languid affair…fresh seafood, crunchy salads and a feast of flavors

For a change in routine, the occasional day out on the island's private boat would be fun

And as the sun sets and the moon rises there'd be plenty of time to reflect on another day in paradise

So by the day it's time to hop onto the seaplane back to the mainland to catch her private flight home,

she'll be on top of the world…

Tobe, I hope at least this imaginary escape has allowed you to transport yourself momentarily into another world...just enough to give you that burst of energy you need to finish the unpacking and start on the fun stuff...the interiors. Good luck and we can't wait to see the results!

Sleeping in Airport

Private Plane

Hut Over Water - unknown

Evening Dress on a Sea Plane

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just the right way to get your weekend off to a great start, no?

huge thanks, kim, for stopping by!

i feel like i should pinch myself for getting to say it, but i have even more guests for you next week.

and a house update. might as well get those before pics going :)

Kamis, 08 Desember 2011

house guest || josephine kimberling

today i am super thrilled to feature one of the sweetest and most genuine people i've ever had the pleasure to know. and one of the greatest talents i've ever had the honor of working with. lucky me! i have been in awe of josephine since the day we met, and i am constantly inspired by her creative talent and determination to be and have exactly what she wants in life. knowing josephine, i can tell you that this is just the tiniest glimpse of how her amazing mind works.

happily, this time the inspiration is all about me :)

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I absolutely LOVE wallpaper and am NOT afraid to use it! The more color and pattern the better in my eyes! And the more intricate and artistic the better. Flocking? Metallic? Sign me up! In addition to the home solution of an accent wall of color, give me an accent wall of wallpaper and surrounding walls in a color that makes the wallpaper 'sing'. I've included quite an array of different papers here, from slightly subtle to in your face beautiful! Photographic, digital & murals from my favorite companies.