Shoe String Chic

One of my favorite bloggers is Vicki Archer. I tune in everyday to her blog French Essence and learn about all things French from interior design to fashion. Today Vicki shares a book - "Shoe String Chic, by Paris based Australian Kerrie Hess, is all about finding style for less. Her Parisian themed illustrations are a delight, and her fashion and style tips excellent....Kerrie's astute and witty commentary reflects her keen observations on French women.
Shoe String Chic has recently been released in the US and Australia and you can find it on Amazon...it's adorable, it's cute...I think we all want one."

One of my favorite design sites is Contract Furniture Trends I get the latest news on cutting edge designers telling me what they are up to...
Forest by Arik Levy for Bernhardt Design
Recently exhibited at NeoCon 2011, Forest is a barstool designed by the multi-disciplinary artist Arik Levy, who works in mediums as varied as photography, sculpture, film, and furniture. Born in Israel and transplanted to Europe, Levy is recognized for his furniture design for global companies, although he claims that “the world is about people, not tables and chairs.”





One of my favorite things about the delectable duo of the Ray and Jean Armchairs by Antonio Citterio for B&B Italia is its decided gender ambiguity. Not that Citterio—or B&B for that matter—had this in mind when they named these perfectly plush yet manifestly modern and wonderfully roomy pair of chairs. Yet again, perhaps they did.

Sophisticated, understated restful...a retreat from the outside world.

I really enjoyed working with this client because she let me do my job. I brought her all of the ingredients and even though she could not picture the finished product she trusted me to make it all work.

The cement pilaster was an obtrusive design obstacle in the bedroom before I started the redesign. In the after photo you hardly notice the intrusion. I used a wall paper with a metallic-cement like quality. The walls are painted in a metallic creamy paper bag color and the ceiling is painted in gray blue. This is a bedroom you don't want to leave....



Before

Downsizing and moving to the Pearl District

I had the pleasure of working with a couple that decided to down size from their big home in Washington to a beautiful condo in the Metropolitan. They decided to get rid of everything and start fresh. As you can see from the before and after photos the condo is not huge but every room had exactly what they needed. The extra room is an office/guest bedroom with a stylish pull out bed. The handloomed wool area rugs from Tufenkian carpets lay the foundation and he artwork from Butters Gallery transforms this condo into a colorful home with personality. Below is a letter from DAlene and JD about their experience with the process.

Dear Kim,

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you very much for the beautiful home you created for us. It was such a pleasure working with you and so much fun!! When we hired you we had a short time-frame to work within and you kept us focused and on track to completion. Your eye for style and listening skills are remarkable. The biggest compliment we could give you is that our new home reflects us and our personalities. When we have friends over they always say how different the décor is from our previous home but how it is so us. That is exactly what we wanted!

As you know, we had definite ideas of what we liked, but were at a loss as to where to begin furnishing our new home. We were moving from a 3,100 sq. ft. house to a 1,300 sq. ft. condo and sold almost every piece of furniture we owned. We began with a clean slate, with no idea where to start regarding style, scale, proportion or layout. We interviewed several designers but were immediately drawn to you, not only for your fantastic expertise, but especially the passion and enthusiasm you have for your work. You really took the time to get to know us and developed a plan to fit our style and tastes.

Once you understood what we were looking for…wow...we took off! You knew exactly where to go, what to look for and what we needed. The relationships and quality contacts you’ve built over your years in business also turned out to be an incredible asset.

Thanks again Kim for all your help and guidance in creating a very special home for us. Not a day goes by that we don’t feel incredibly thankful and blessed for our very comfortable and stylish new home. We couldn’t have done it without you.

DAlene and JD White

The perfect pillow can perform a miracle!

Want to get a new look without dipping into your 401k? Add a layer of patterned pillows to the living room, bedroom any room and get an instant face lift. You can find everything from tribal patterns to graphic lettered English trolley car line patterned pillows to animal heads! I hope these pillows from Lillie and Ivy in Cannon Beach wet your appetite!

Debra Van Tuinen's Encaustic work makes her debut at Urban id

Urban i.d.,partnering with Butters Gallery features NW artist Debra Van Tuinen’s artwork in a unique Pearl District interior design studio!

Located in the Pearl at 319 NW 9th Ave. Stop by a meet artist Debra Van Tuinen and enjoy a glass of wine on First Thursdays July 7th and August 4th.

What is Encaustic?

Encaustic is a wax based paint (composed of beeswax, resin and pigment), that is kept molten on a heated palette. It is applied to a porous surface and then reheated in order to fuse the paint. The word ‘encaustic’ has no connection to the word caustic; it comes from the Greek word enkaiein, meaning to burn in, referring to the process of fusing the paint.

Encaustic is perhaps the most beautiful of all artists’ paints, and it is as versatile as any 21st century medium. It can be polished to a high gloss, carved, scraped, layered, collaged, dipped, cast, modeled, sculpted, textured, and combined with oil. It cools immediately, so that there is no drying time, yet it can always be reworked.

Encaustic is also the most durable artists’ paint. This is due to the fact that beeswax is impervious to moisture. Because of this, it will not deteriorate, it will not yellow, and it will not darken. Encaustic paintings do not have to be varnished or protected by glass.
Encaustic paint does not require the use of solvents. As a result, a number of health hazards are reduced or eliminated.

Is encaustic archival?

Collectors want to know… Is encaustic archival? Is it durable? Will it last? The answer, if the painting is made correctly and handled gently as you’d handle any other piece of art, is a big, resounding YES! Encaustic is archival, and in most cases, will outlast paintings made with oil.

The Fayum portraits are a beautiful testament to the medium’s durability. They date from the late first century B.C. to about 300 A.D. and “are the only large body of art from that tradition to have survived.”

Examples of encaustic paintings have survived from the Greek and Roman empires and are still as vibrant and colorful today as they were when they were painted.

Encaustic paintings survive, in part, because the wooden surfaces they’re painted on are preserved/impregnated with beeswax, rendering them resistant to moisture and mold. Also, encaustic paint doesn’t just sit on the surface it’s painted on. It’s bonded on with heat, literally melted into whatever lies beneath, making it less likely to flake off with age.