Facebook Pick of the Week

My good friend Carly of CarlyBird.com is a fancy Blitizen over at Blitz in the 3rd Street Promenade. She's all about social media and every day I'm impressed by how much she knows as well as how much there is to know, as she continuously gives me tips for virally growing my business.

The other day I tweeted, "social media is a full time job." At first I thought, I shouldn't tweet that, people are going to think I don't know what I'm doing or that I'm not cool enough to hire a staff to do it for me. But it's the honest truth; it's a struggle for me to design for my clients as well as find time to get the word out about what I'm doing, but I truly believe that both are vital parts to running a successful business these days.

I'm making tiny steps in the right direction and one thing I decided to do this week was to make my Facebook fan page special. I underestimate Facebook. It can be a major time vacuum so I try to steer clear most days, but I have to admit, when I want to know what's going on, I log in to Facebook.

For the past year or so that I've had my fan page, I never really posted anything on it except for links to my blog posts. Super lame, I know, so I wanted to make my FB page special and separate from my blog to try and reach new users who aren't interested in reading my sometimes lengthy ramblings, but are more interested in a quick photo or design tip.

I have started by featuring my favorite wallpaper and favorite fabric of the week. This is going to extend to paint colors, tile and stone, furniture and artwork. I'll also try to throw in some quick design tips and recommended reading, all with one pretty picture and a quick caption of why I love it.

If you don't like my Facebook fan page yet, you can head on over here and check it out. Also, everything is posted to my Twitter feed here.

Online Magazines

How do we feel about them? I can't really decide. Of course I'd rather have an online magazine than no magazine at all, and over the past two years I've had to say good bye to House & Garden, Domino, Southern Accents, and Metropolitan Home. Here are a couple of online magazines that I've checked out recently...

Lonny



Rue



They both have beautiful photos and some great resources and stories, but there's still just something about holding the magazine in your hands and physically flipping through its pages. Not to mention that my little laptop doesn't have the largest screen, so it's not optimal for drooling over interior photos in an online publication.

Some of the plus' are that Lonny has a view setting where you can flip through the magazine with hyperlinks for all of the resources and websites mentioned in the pages. It makes research and design stalking a lot quicker and easier. And both of the magazines have "photo galleries" where they compile all of the fabulous images into neatly organized categories that are easy to search and view. Not to mention, both of these online publications are free :)

At the end of the day, I hope there's room for both online and print magazines in the design world, as they both have their benefits, and I hope that I won't be saying good bye to any more of my printed shelter mags any time soon.

www.BrittanyStiles.com

West Elm

I know it's not necessarily high class or high style design, but I must admit, I love West Elm. I would never recommend decking out an entire room with West Elm furnishings, but when working on a budget, they have some really cool stuff that you can throw into the mix. And things at West Elm just got a lot more exciting, they now offer most of their sofas in a variety of 26 new fabrics - velvets, cottons, suedes, and prints. Check it out here.



www.BrittanyStiles.com

Spring Awakening

I'm going to be camping in Pismo this weekend so I'm a little sad I'll be missing 40%off at Jonathan Adler, but you should head over to Fashion Island and check it out!

Speaking of Jonathan, my new friend and occassional design cohort, Maile Zoller works at the Fashion Island store and just posted this Jonathan Adler video on her blog. Mr. Adler gives a few pointers on taking your decor from "Drab to Fab".

Design in a Bag

I got a call from a potential client this morning inquiring about help with her kitchen remodel. She said she had a good start already because she had purchased a "Design in a Bag" that she saw in Better Homes and Gardens. Now she just needed a little guidance and direction in terms of construction, functionality, and implementing the design.

The second I heard "Design in a Bag" my ears perked up because it was an idea my mother had suggested to me about 3 years ago. At the time, my design business was just beginning, which gave me enough to worry about, so I didn't do anything with her idea. But perhaps I should have...

Thanks to google I found Design in a Bag within a couple of minutes of hanging up the phone. Certified kitchen and bath designer, Rebekah Zaveloff, offers several designs in a bag sorted by color scheme or style (classic, vintage, or modern) which you can view and purchase straight from her website, Designinabag.com.

{style: Grayling}
Your Design in a Bag will cost your around $75-$100, and will come complete with specifications for paint color, countertop material, cabinetry finish, and backspash tile, along with 3-D architectural drawings, and a purchasing guide.

{style: Le Muy}
I thought that maybe blogging about Design in a Bag would possibly send potential business elsewhere, but I actually think it's a great place to start for clients who are on a tighter budget. Kitchen design tends to be really involved and many clients will still feel they need assistance with their remodel, but the Design in a Bag can definitely save you time and money on the initial design.

{style: Sheffield}
Visit Better Homes and Gardens blog here to enter to win a free Design in a Bag.

Shine by S.H.O.

I just got back from a little weekend trip to Puerto Vallarta with some friends. We had the best time, but I'm a little sad that I decided not to pack my good camera. I'll admit that Mexico can be a little tacky at times in their decor and color selections, but this trip to Mexico really had me appreciating their bold use of color. We went to a little surf town just north of Puerto Vallarta for a day and the beautiful colors of the different buildings surrounded by the jungle trees really had me wishing I brought my camera.

Right before I left I came across a home furnishings collection by fellow O.C.er, Susan Hornbeak Ortiz. Her company, Shine by S.H.O. (based in San Juan Capistrano), embodies some really fantastic case goods, upholstery, and lighting. The avocado greens, canary yellows, and turquoise blues that she often uses reminded me of my recent trip, and since I don't have any landscape and architectural photos of my travels, I thought I'd share some of my favorites for the Shine by S.H.O. collection. Visit her website at ShineBySHO.com

Las Vegas Market

My former business partner and really good friend Nathan went to the last Las Vegas Market and he reminded me that the next one is coming up shortly and he encouraged me to go. Apparently it's a smorgasbord of home furnishings and a great place to scope out new resources and vendors. Go here for more information and to view the online directory listing the hundreds of resources available at Las Vegas Market.

See you there!

Ikat Textiles

Ikat fabrics have been a big trend for a while now and one that I'm quite fond of. Almost all of the big name fabric houses have their own versions and colors of ikat, but Uzbek - Craft is a little bit more of an authentic approach to filling your ikat needs, coming all the way from Uzbekistan. The textiles aren't as wide as a regular yard of fabric, but they are still great for making pillows or adding detail to a piece of furiture or drapery. The prices are great too, at just around $12 per textile.

La Cornue Ranges

I love La Cornue French ranges. They come with a hefty price tag, ranging from $7,000 and $40,000 depending on the size and features, but you can't deny that they make a serious statement in a kitchen. They come in a variety of colors and I've taken a liking to the aquamarine, you could design a whole kitchen around it, and how many ranges can you say that about?


Get more information about La Cornue at your local Williams Sonoma or visit www.lacornue.com
*Photos from Cote de Texas and Design-ties, and William Sonoma.

Lorely Furniture

The other day I posted about MetroSofa, a very cool upholstery line in Los Angeles. So today I thought I'd write about a line that focuses solely on case pieces...and really cute ones to boot. Lorely Furniture has some great tables that would add character to a variety of interiors. One thing I admire and love about the Lorely collection is that that owner, Laura, isn't spreading herself too thin. With just 11 pieces in the current collection, she's doing what she does best and focusing on that, which was a good reminder to me as a business owner who sometimes has a few too many ideas at once. Here are a few great pieces from the line. Check out the website here.

Andrew Morgan Bedding and Pillows

I just recommended Andrew Morgan bedding and pillows to a client and I thought it would be a fun blog post. All of the bed covers, throws, and pillows have a modern design aesthetic, but also have a cozy knit texture; sometimes a hard combination to come by. The company also prides themselves on being leaders in green and sustainable design. Check out their webpage at www.morgancollection.com to browse their entire line. Available for purchase through an interior designer, so feel free to contact me if you're interested in anything from the Andrew Morgan collection.

Urban Electric Co.

Urban Electric Co. has some really beautiful new lighting available. Below is a sampling of some of their new eye candy.



And it gets better...Urban Electric Co. is currently having a tent sale where you can find some of their lighting at up to 50% off, if you have a trade discount. Here are some of my favorites on sale now. {Feel free contact me if you're interested in any of these beauties, but don't have a trade account.}

Diamond Hanging Small, sale price: $840.50 (originally $1681), 1 available:


Markham sconce, sale price: $315 (originally $515), 30 available:


Piedmont lantern, sale price: $985 (originally $1785), 2 available:


RavenspointWall Regular, sale price: $515 (originally $810), 10 available:

Flock Wallpaper

After I saw Melissa Palazzo's flock wallpapered powder room at the Casa California showhouse I've been meaning to blog about this fun, velvety wallcovering. After being a huge hit in the 60's and 70's, flock (or flocked) wallpaper virtually disapeared as everyone ripped it from their walls, but now it's back and popping up everywhere. I admit is takes a specific person and specific interior to make it work, but flock wallpaper is definitely an easy way to make a bold statement.

Many wallcovering manufacturers are coming out (if they haven't already) with flock collections. Some of my favorites are from Woodson & Rummerfield and Cole & Sons. Examples of some of these flocked beauties are shown below.

Also check out FlockedWallpaper.com for an endless array of flocked goodness.

Image from Woodson & Rummerfield

From Cole & Son's Classix Exotic Flock collection:

From Woodson & Rummerfield's House of Design: