Grant K Gibson Designs
As I was perusing through pinterest this past weekend I came across this delightful portfolio pic from Grant Gibson. His work is a fine example of tasteful design without fear of using color. This kitchen of classic lines and everyday sophistication mixed with whimsy clearly shows the two can co-exisit in beautiful harmony. What do you think?
Better Homes and Gardens
There is nothing I love more than color in an interior. Color speaks to all of us in different ways, but it never fails to make us feel happy! How can you look at this space and not smile? Some of the easiest ways to add color to your life:
1) Pillows-Super easy to change out and add to any space.
2) Art-Whether you like custom high-end art or inexpensive pieces from the flea market the effect is all the same. Use it to add that pop!
3) Accessories-Sprinkle them around the house in fun unexpected colors. Even if you think they don’t go with the color scheme, use it anyways. It’s always nice to have that added surprise!
What are your favorite ways to add color to your life?
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Photo: Better Homes and Gardens
Its no surprise that I love rooms with pink. And if you are one of my clients, you know my love affair with this amazing color because I somehow finagled it into your home. It is one of the most versatile colors and it goes with everything! While I have not posted in a while, here is a lovely inspiration shot to get your week started off right! And yes pink makes everything better, I promise.
Chartreuse is such a lovely color. It can easily be paired with Navy, fuchsia, gray, or even orange and look fresh. It is also one of those unexpected colors…you know what I am talking about…the one you see in the store and think you could never pull it off. But when you take the risk it’s likely to be the most favored piece in the house.
Every home has a point of entry to welcome its guests. Some are small and require creative ways for big impact and others vast demanding key pieces to cement style and grace. No matter which you possess both require five key ingredients to command order for good reception.
AB HOME Interiors entrance
1) Color- Every home should have flow and your entry sets the stage for what’s to come. Wow your guests with an enticing backdrop that shows you and your personality off. Are you calm and elegant or bold and eclectic? What ever your style it all starts with color!
2) Art- I’m a huge advocate for art. It is what I consider to be the “wild card”. It can be abstract, traditional or somewhere in between. Choose pieces that you love and create conversation. If ever you invest in art this is one place that calls for quality.
3) Console-If you have an entry that is plentiful in space, always include a console or side table. It is a great place to dress up your entry with my next suggestion: lighting. It is also a great place to set keys or mail should you need it along with other favorable decorative items.
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I have written about doors before on this blog and even shared my love affair with my own doors at the AB HOME office. Here is just another example of why using a door to incorporate a pop of color into your space is an excellent idea…true story!
Purple like pink is one of those colors that goes with everything. Take a door in your space and throw a few coats of high gloss plum on it to instantly add some fun color! What do you think? Could you live with purple? How about yellow or pink? I say yes, yes, and more yes!
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Have you ever walked into a space and it just felt good? Color has a huge effect on our mood and how we behave in that space. Color combos that are unexpected but soft always steal the show, especially ones with pink! Here are some fantastic rooms with pink that are not only pretty, but easy on the eyes.
Adding pink is sophisticated, often unexpected, and always updates a space instantly. That is why I used it in the showhouse last fall! What are your thoughts on pink, and why it works?
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Chinoiserie Chic, House Beautiful, conspicuous style, Slim Paley
A few months back I received an email from a gal who found me on houzz.com. She was in need of a designer and Houzz has featured me numerous times because the writers love me….seriously what’s not to love? Actually, I think it was just one of those things where she needed a designer, I fit the bill and everything just fell into place smashingly. However, she was hiring me on her dad’s behalf. He is a builder here in Nashville and likes to do things….let’s say at the speed of light, possibly faster. Well I am a busy gal so in order for me to work at a high rate a speed it’ll cost you. My team and I can do anything and make anything happen…anything, but we charge accordingly.
Well Dad wasn’t so sure about this policy. He wanted fast but wasn’t sure he wanted to pay for it. Luckily, the one making the final decision was his daughter and she pushed him into hiring me. I was hired to redo the exteriors of an old farm house that is over 100 years old. Along with exteriors I was also hired to select paint, create flow for the interiors and design a new kitchen from scratch. This is what I had to start with:
This is a terrific example of why hiring a designer makes the difference. Mr. K (AKA: Builder) wanted to just repaint the exteriors and call it a day. He also wanted to do dark kitchen cabinets and faux paint the cabinets with glaze….something that is very, very out of style! Here was my vision:
I wanted to create direction for the entrance. With so many open columns your guests need to know where the front door is. By creating a winding path, painted columns and beautiful landscaping it gives the house beautiful curb appeal and directs the guests straight to the front door. Also terrific feng shui! The results:
Still a few things to be added but a superb improvement. Exterior colors used:
Tune in next week and I will show you the kitchen! Another improvement that turned out very well! Need your exteriors updated? Need some curb appeal? Call me to set up an appointment.
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Want more designer tricks, tips and trade secrets, delivered to your inbox, all for FREE? Click here for our monthly newsletter, and receive our top tips on “How to accessorize and where to shop!” And be sure to register for my powerful FREE teleclass, 3 Design steps to a more Productive and Profitable Office.
We all love color, but often my clients are fearful to make the leap…..it’s much safer to stay in a sea of beige, right? Here are some terrific examples of taking that leap for the bold to let your interiors shine!
Color is such an amazing thing that can we all respond to. It uplifts our mood, makes us happy and oddly enough is unexpected. Few people take the plunge, but aren’t the results glorious?
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Want more designer tricks, tips and trade secrets, delivered to your inbox, all for FREE? Click here for our monthly newsletter, and receive our top tips on “How to accessorize and where to shop!” And be sure to register for my powerful FREE teleclass, 3 Design steps to a more Productive and Profitable Office.
images: Hampton show house, I suwannee, cococozy, lilyunique
Gone are the days of dark dreary interiors. When I first got into the design business fifteen years ago, everything was dark, oversized and glazed. The look was considered to be Mediterranean or European. That translated into a lot of dark reds, deep browns, heavy golds and fabrics with just as little buoyancy. I never thought I would dislike green until I painted so many sage walls that I wanted to puke. Lucky for us, that trend is gone. Todays interiors are bright, fresh and full of personality thanks to pops of crisp color. If you are slowly making your way out of the nineties and not sure where to start, here are some terrific examples of ways to brighten up your space with just a few easy steps.
Chairs around the house, or dining room are a great way to add that punch of fruit flavors to your space.
This photo above is from Better Homes and Gardens. A very traditional space with oak table, original built-ins, and simple chandelier but painting it a crisp white adds the perfect backdrop for a sunkist orange fabric on the dining chairs. Instantly this space is transformed.
Another great example from Better Homes and Gardens of an updated traditional space. Here the room houses a very traditional bedroom set, and soft robins egg blue walls.
But add an accent of complimentary orange and peach and the room perks up immediately. A very inexpensive and quick fix that can be done to any room.
This is by far the hardest decision to make for most clients…and often those are the risks with the biggest rewards!
When it comes to large furniture pieces take a risk and upholster them in something bold. Like this sofa above from House and Home, yellow completely makes the space, and dare I say makes you smile? Yellow is rarely a color used. It is typically gold or worse beige! Take that risk and you will be surprised at how happy it makes you! Perhaps your favorite color is Mint Green? Use it and uphoslter accordingly!
Don’t forget to visit us online at www.abhomeinteriors.com Find us on facebook or Twitter!
Want more designer tricks, tips and trade secrets, delivered to your inbox, all for FREE? Click here for our monthly newsletter, and receive our top tips on “How to accessorize and where to shop!” And be sure to register for my powerful FREE teleclass, 3 Design steps to a more Productive and Profitable Office.
Clever tricks from harley the guru
We all love good tips. And we all love clever tricks that make our lives easier….so here are some random things I found that I think you humans will love.
Easy DIY for the laundry room. Hang a ladder upside down for an easy place to hang delicate’s.
Paint sticks
Hanging ladder
Use stir sticks to recall your paint colors. Write paint name and number on the end of the stick, along with what you painted. Bundle the sticks with twine and store in a utility closet. By Martha Stewart.
Chalk wall with inspirational quotes. For those of you who read my blog frequently, you know how much I believe in a positive and inspirational home. A home that supports you, uplifts you. Having a wall with inspirational quotes like “Don’t worry everything is going to be amazing!” is a great way to start and end your day.
Photo runner
Chalk wall
Great for a family reunion or anniversary, a table runner made of photos is a great way to decorate for the festivities and get the conversations started.
What are some randow but clever tricks you use around the home?
Ready to get your room started? Contact us. We offer an array of services to meet your design needs whether you live in our area, or out of state. Click here for more info!
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images: unknown, Martha Stewart, sweet home style, rizy bee
When it comes to style decorating, sometimes homeowners get overwhelmed.(OK a lot overwhelmed!) They obsess trying to make their homes look like the magazines, or that TV show. But the warmest, most charming homes, are those with personal mementos that show your personal style off. (Won’t find that in a magazine.) In fact, I attended a magazine staging for Better homes and gardens last December and the entire shoot focuses on how the room looks through the camera lens. Flowers adjusted, lamps tweaked, and furniture placed just right. Literally everything is just so! Now I am a huge fan and reader of BHG. Their style is relaxed, easy and accessible to the everyday homeowner, however, remember that people don’t live in those pages.
How do you get that room from the magazine, but put your personal style in it? Here are three of my favorite tips.
Family
There is nothing more personal than family. And who shares the best memories of happiness, love, sadness, and humor with you? Your family does! Turn them into your best decor and show them off. Nothing uplifts and supports you like family, honor them by making them a show piece in your home.
Color
Nothing is more personal than color. Sure there are always those colors that are considered on trend. But most people have a color that they love, and while the intensity of that hue may change over the years, most homeowners stick to it. For anyone who has taken my design class, I talk about my mother and her love affair with mint green.
Mint paint. Moms FAVORITE color
Everything in our house when I was growing up centered around this color. Everything! The house trim, the tile in our kitchen, the floors…. Even today she has mint green bowls, dishes, a Kitchen Aid mixer, furniture, all of it mint green. Mom has never veered from the mint green ideology. If it’s mint, she loves it! When I SEE mint I think of her. That’s personal style! Color is intrinsic to who we are and it inspires us and our homes.
Personal art
You have heard me say it before, I love art. And nothing is more personal than art. The art that you like, may not be what I like, and vice versus. Art is one of the best ways to add personal style to your home. Art inspires you and is uniquely you. A great way to show off your style, and make your home special.
What are some of your favorite tricks?
Ready to get your room started? Contact us. We offer an array of services to meet your design needs whether you live in our area, or out of state. Click here for more info!
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images: The birds papaya, house tweaking, desire to inspire
AB HOME Interiors Pink Ribbon BM 1340
Sometimes being a designer is exhausting, especially considering that our creative minds are always fluttering like A.D.D butterfly’s and to us, it makes perfect sense to wall paper the ceiling or put headlights in the floor. And when our clients look at us like we have lost our marbles, we screech with exhilaration about how great it will be and we are certain that it IS the right thing to do! One of my favorite quotes from the ever dapper and charming Don Draper:
” A new idea is something they don’t know yet, so of course it’s not going to show up as an option!”
~ Don Draper
I’m always trying to throw in a little of the unexpected in my interiors and color is the best way to achieve serious eye candy in a room. Wake up your room with these four colors that behave a lot like neutrals but get overlooked and stereotyped before they make it off the paint chip…try it you’ll see!
The least respected color in the paint deck, and deemed a feminine color, but nothing adds sophistication like a shocking pink. One of my favorite pinks:
One of my all time favs. A scandalous green will activate and energize a room. It adds pop to any room and stimulates your senses. One of my favorites to use:
AB HOME Interiors by Gerald Tolomeo
AB HOME Interiors photo by Amanda Nisbet
This little gem of a color goes with everything and adds glamour and allure to a room. Mixed with a lovely metallic and your room feels instantly exotic. One of my favs:
Once looked upon as Royalty, this color always gets shoved to the back of the eyeballs and hardly given a chance. Regal, soft and uber chic, this color adds poise and elegance to any room.
AB HOME Interiors photo by Beckwith Interiors
AB HOME Interiors photo by Shane Reilly
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We offer an array of services to meet your design needs
whether you live in our area, or out of state. Click here for more info!
Harley the cat
Yes, yes the dog will show off his affections by greeting you and following you like an aimless fool.
I will show you my affections by ignoring you and demanding you feed me when I am hungry; and
maybe come around for attention when I feel like I have the time….
Think I am the greatest cat ever? Me too, find me on
Housewife Bliss The Art of Wrapping
There is something so enchanting and magical about a garden. Fragrant aromas, rich hues of color, and an integral part of the things we eat. Gardens are therapeutic, harmonious, and essential. While I do not possess the inherent gene necessary to step foot in a garden nor was I blessed with a blue, red, or any color thumb, I do admire and acknowledge the importance of a garden; I also swoon over every flower imaginable to man!
Home grown gardens produce the most abundant and robust flavors that no grocery store can capture. And flowers grown in rich soil loved by their owners are hands down the most fragrant and beautiful creatures I have ever met. Despite not knowing much about this category, I have been stalking it’s grandeur as if it were witchcraft for years. I have a deep appreciation for it, little understanding of how it occurs, but know full well that without good food, and beautiful flowers surrounding me my life would be incomplete.
My goal with garden and florals is to admire from afar, open the dialogue for beautiful things, and share all my treasures that fall into this category, even though I have the gardening skills of a kindergartner who lives in the middle of space ship!
As the lead Lifestyle and Entertaining Expert at OpenBrook, I like to think I’m in the know—for all things patio!
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