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| Pamela Sandall Design |
Thursday, January 17, 2013
All my stuff has moved!
Was doing some digital housecleaning and found that this little blog gets a BUNCH of traffic. Yippee! However, I don't use THIS blog and have imported all this stuff to my website which has an integral blog and much more functionality. If you're here, and you like to go there, click this ----> DESIGNER SITE
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
This week's Shopper Watch
Met a friend for tea today - requisite Starbucks meetup, but just two doors down from a new-to-me home decor store: Urban Home. Finished tea time and headed over with the trusty iPhone for a some photographic notes.
I IMMEDIATELY loved this look. Not the piece specifically (although it's completely workable!), but I loved the shot of color on the inside. In this scenario a terrific marine blue. Great color, btw...not quite navy, but not quite teal. Just reminds me of the deepest blue of the ocean.
...and here's the companion bed ensemble. In the photo, I think it looks like the blue/brown combo of the last decade, but in person? Much richer with a bit of black thrown in to give is some visual weight. The combo of black and blue and brown was simply smashing.
And remember our "color of the year"?? It looks like Urban Home got the memo! Tangerine Dream!
Fur Throw? Just fine!
Brown and Orange and Red? Well, okay I suppose but reminds me of my childhood (you know, the seventies?? Dates me!) But still...nice.
Here's the easiest way to introduce orange: nice, safe pillows. What girl can't handle a few of those? More?
How about vases, throws and those goofy little (what do we do with them?) ceramic balls. Art is nice.
Still a little scared? Flowers are an easy fix!
I IMMEDIATELY loved this look. Not the piece specifically (although it's completely workable!), but I loved the shot of color on the inside. In this scenario a terrific marine blue. Great color, btw...not quite navy, but not quite teal. Just reminds me of the deepest blue of the ocean.
...and here's the companion bed ensemble. In the photo, I think it looks like the blue/brown combo of the last decade, but in person? Much richer with a bit of black thrown in to give is some visual weight. The combo of black and blue and brown was simply smashing.
And remember our "color of the year"?? It looks like Urban Home got the memo! Tangerine Dream!
Fur Throw? Just fine!
Brown and Orange and Red? Well, okay I suppose but reminds me of my childhood (you know, the seventies?? Dates me!) But still...nice.
Here's the easiest way to introduce orange: nice, safe pillows. What girl can't handle a few of those? More?
How about vases, throws and those goofy little (what do we do with them?) ceramic balls. Art is nice.
Still a little scared? Flowers are an easy fix!
Location:Urban Home, Westlake Village, Ca.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
It's a regional thing...
I am struck every day by the difference in design sensibilities between Oregon and California...not that one is better than the other...just the difference.
I've noticed that the interiors reflect what's going on outside the front door. The colors that many (most?) clients prefer in Oregon tend towards muted earth tones...in varying intensities to be sure. The number one requested designer color seems to be a shade of green. The styles tend towards the more relaxed and casual as well.
In California, at least the southern part, the interiors are more light & bright tones, reflecting the omni-present sunshine. Lots of sunny yellows and paler, clearer blues (and greens!). Where there are darker colors, they are more steeped in traditional style. Additionally, there is a huge Spanish influence in the shape and finishes in the structures. This too is brought indoors. Tile flooring seems more common than wood. No surprise there!
Here's a sampling of some of the trends.
All images are credited to Interior Design Center
I've noticed that the interiors reflect what's going on outside the front door. The colors that many (most?) clients prefer in Oregon tend towards muted earth tones...in varying intensities to be sure. The number one requested designer color seems to be a shade of green. The styles tend towards the more relaxed and casual as well.
In California, at least the southern part, the interiors are more light & bright tones, reflecting the omni-present sunshine. Lots of sunny yellows and paler, clearer blues (and greens!). Where there are darker colors, they are more steeped in traditional style. Additionally, there is a huge Spanish influence in the shape and finishes in the structures. This too is brought indoors. Tile flooring seems more common than wood. No surprise there!
Here's a sampling of some of the trends.
All images are credited to Interior Design Center
Friday, November 11, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
The Seven Layers of Christmas (according to Linda)
Fabric - holiday drapery / cushions/ sofa covers / towels /stockings
Holiday Art
Garlands & Wreaths
Trees
Surface decor (smaller trees/home decor)
Lighting
Decorating Trees
Clean Up!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Yikes...checking in!
It's been a busy couple of months! I have been working with several clients in the Portland area and kicking off business in Southern California as well!
It's a little crazy at the moment, but I am looking forward to adding resource options for my Portland clients and bringing a little "Northwest Flavor" to SoCal!
See you in the sunshine!
It's a little crazy at the moment, but I am looking forward to adding resource options for my Portland clients and bringing a little "Northwest Flavor" to SoCal!
See you in the sunshine!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Furniture Makeovers
Making over a yard sale find is fun and satisfactory, but taking a family piece and making it looking fresh, new and beautiful has an even greater satisfaction.
Fifteen years ago, I found a sad little chair for $10 at second hand store. I loved the lines, but it had been painted a less-than-lovely pure white (picture a can of spray paint!). I took the finish off and stained it a rich mahogany shade, recovered the seat and voila'! a great new piece. It has been a little accent chair in the corner of the room for years.
A few weeks ago, I decided my apple green office could use a dash of my favorite shade of pink. I took out the trusty chair, sanded off the mahogany finish and painted it a bold, glossy pink. I re-upholstered the seat cover and now my little $10 chair has new life.
In that same vein, I had our old kitchen table which I moved into my office to give an added work surface. (During the school year, my youngest kiddo will use this as a homework spot if I'm working on the big desk!) It too needed the benefit of a facelift. With the aid of a palm sander, we took the old clear coat finish lightly down, primed it and painted it a creamy, glossy white. To protect the surface it has the requisite glass top and I finished it with contemporary lighting and magnetic project boards.
I replaced the wooden knob with a contemporary acrylic one (this is actually a small curtain finial!) and added a playful tassel. My favorite part however???? I painted the inside of the drawer hot pink and finished it off with a coat of shellac to protect. Realistically the only person who will ever see this is me (the drawer houses my colored pens), but that's kind of the point!!
This weekend's project however has a little more significance. In my family room resides a smallish cocktail table that belonged to my beloved grandmother. Many of the pieces in my home were first in hers. In fact it's from her home that I first learned to appreciate the art of "nesting" (more on that later). This poor little table with the fabulous Parsons lines and inlaid brass had suffered under leaking ceramic planters, cups with no coasters and Nintendo controllers.
Today, the sad little table got a new lease on life. It was sanded down to virtually clean wood, then restrained in black. Tomorrow it will receive a light sanding, a coat or two (or three!) of shellac (NO VARATHANE!), followed by more sanding with 4 ott steel wool, and a hearty rub of paste wax. It's laborious to be sure, but a labor of love, none-the-less.
Nana would be proud.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Fifteen years ago, I found a sad little chair for $10 at second hand store. I loved the lines, but it had been painted a less-than-lovely pure white (picture a can of spray paint!). I took the finish off and stained it a rich mahogany shade, recovered the seat and voila'! a great new piece. It has been a little accent chair in the corner of the room for years.
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| The Updated & Perky Chair |
In that same vein, I had our old kitchen table which I moved into my office to give an added work surface. (During the school year, my youngest kiddo will use this as a homework spot if I'm working on the big desk!) It too needed the benefit of a facelift. With the aid of a palm sander, we took the old clear coat finish lightly down, primed it and painted it a creamy, glossy white. To protect the surface it has the requisite glass top and I finished it with contemporary lighting and magnetic project boards.
I replaced the wooden knob with a contemporary acrylic one (this is actually a small curtain finial!) and added a playful tassel. My favorite part however???? I painted the inside of the drawer hot pink and finished it off with a coat of shellac to protect. Realistically the only person who will ever see this is me (the drawer houses my colored pens), but that's kind of the point!!
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| The New Finished Workspace |
(pictures pending!)
Today, the sad little table got a new lease on life. It was sanded down to virtually clean wood, then restrained in black. Tomorrow it will receive a light sanding, a coat or two (or three!) of shellac (NO VARATHANE!), followed by more sanding with 4 ott steel wool, and a hearty rub of paste wax. It's laborious to be sure, but a labor of love, none-the-less.
Nana would be proud.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Chandenality
As anyone that knows me is well aware, I am a sucker for a chandelier. After finishing a delish dinner in our little town, we walked off our meal with a stroll and I found this little gem of an idea in a store window appropriately called "Lucky Me".
Directions:
#1 Start with one disreputable chandelier
#2 Select room and appropriate color
#3 Clean and lightly sand
#4 Add spray paint color of choice
#5 Hang and enjoy
Now I know these instructions are ridiculously simple but that is merely to illustrate the point of how EASY it is to add a little "chandenality" to any room in your space in your home.
Pamela Sandall
Directions:
#1 Start with one disreputable chandelier
#2 Select room and appropriate color
#3 Clean and lightly sand
#4 Add spray paint color of choice
#5 Hang and enjoy
Now I know these instructions are ridiculously simple but that is merely to illustrate the point of how EASY it is to add a little "chandenality" to any room in your space in your home.
Pamela Sandall
Saturday, July 2, 2011
The Art of Nesting (as learned through life experience)
As the child of many a divorce, I grew up in several households. I don't say that as in "woe is me", but only to define the following: Home really is where the heart is! Your home, in my humble opinion, is the heart and soul of you. I once told my students that your home should give you a big hug when you walk in the front door and if it doesn't, steps should be taken to correct that!
I lived in a home for nine years that I hated. It wasn't the neighborhood or the neighbors or the placement on the lot. It was the home itself. Everyday was a challenge. Decorating it was a challenge (a real pain for someone in my business!). Living in the home was a challenge. The house didn't live the way we did. Perhaps you can relate...the living room had no living going on. The family room was hidden in the basement, far away from the kitchen which for us, truly was the heart of the home. The kitchen, in our 1936 tudor, was an afterthought where mom was banished back in the day, while dad entertained his cronies in the living room. This was NOT the way we lived. We crammed the entire family most evenings into our little kitchen and breakfast nook.
We lived there for nine years and when we moved to our home now, with it's high ceilings and open concept floor plan, I felt like we'd finally come home. Does your home do this for you? Does your home give you a giant hug as you enter? Does your home invite you to sit down, shake off the stress of the day and invite you in?
If not, take a look around and figure out why. Life is too short to not live beautifully. I'm interested to hear your thoughts and comments about how you live? Are you being hugged as walk in the door (and I don't mean by your significant other or kiddos, although that's great too!)? Are you willing to share? I'm interested in hearing your stories, so email me! pamsandall@comcast.net.
Pam
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
I lived in a home for nine years that I hated. It wasn't the neighborhood or the neighbors or the placement on the lot. It was the home itself. Everyday was a challenge. Decorating it was a challenge (a real pain for someone in my business!). Living in the home was a challenge. The house didn't live the way we did. Perhaps you can relate...the living room had no living going on. The family room was hidden in the basement, far away from the kitchen which for us, truly was the heart of the home. The kitchen, in our 1936 tudor, was an afterthought where mom was banished back in the day, while dad entertained his cronies in the living room. This was NOT the way we lived. We crammed the entire family most evenings into our little kitchen and breakfast nook.
We lived there for nine years and when we moved to our home now, with it's high ceilings and open concept floor plan, I felt like we'd finally come home. Does your home do this for you? Does your home give you a giant hug as you enter? Does your home invite you to sit down, shake off the stress of the day and invite you in?
If not, take a look around and figure out why. Life is too short to not live beautifully. I'm interested to hear your thoughts and comments about how you live? Are you being hugged as walk in the door (and I don't mean by your significant other or kiddos, although that's great too!)? Are you willing to share? I'm interested in hearing your stories, so email me! pamsandall@comcast.net.
Pam
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Monday, June 13, 2011
What does a designer do?
I currently serve on the Board of Directors of our local IDS chapter as Past President, having served 2.5 years in the position of President. When my term was over, I was able to fulfill the next goal within that organization: to find a philanthropic partner and facilitate that partnership. We've selected an organization that helps families with their housing needs. The perfect tie-in for an organization of designers! The families this group helps have often times had to leave their previous homes under less than ideal, if not dire, circumstances. The Annie Ross House is a transitional housing program that gets families back in the position of having a safe and comfortable place to live. These homes are somewhat temporary from four months to a year or so, and aid the family in the process of getting back on their feet. The 'things' that are donated go into the homes and, in the ongoing effort to keep them housed, become the belongings of the homeowner. Our role in this partnership is readying homes for families in need to occupy.
But what does this mean? Is it enough to toss in some furniture and hope for the best? Or are we serving better by giving the same thought to the resident that we would give to our paying homeowners? Taking in the needs they may have physically, the people living in the home together and how they interact together. Possibly using our talents and our design to encourage strengthening the relationships.
We were given not much time to prepare for our first project. In fact, once we had confirmed the relationship between the organization and our chapter, we have four homes coming up in fairly short order!! The first one was the smallest - a two bedroom cottage. The team jumped right to it. Cheryl Belozer, took team lead, Brian Kemnitz handled the organization, set up and execution of the painting, while Susan Adams-Messmer, Sue Lass and John Thompson jumped right in. A wonderful warm neutral paint was selected to warm up the formerly stark white walls. Eventually, all the units will be similarly warmed up with the occasional accent wall thrown in to jazz up individual spaces.
Day two of the project was load in and staging day. Again, Cheryl, Sue, Susan and me were on hand to transform and empty (but freshly painted!) shell, into a warm family home to welcome it's new residents.
Our first project completed was for a mother & daughter. We had the opportunity to meet these two ladies while the painting was going on. The mother was gracious and grateful and the daughter was exuberant and even got to help with a few last minute paint touch ups, which thrilled her! The unit they have moved into is a very small two bedroom cottage - kitchen, living room, two bedrooms and a bath. We pulled from what had been donated, and the end result looked pretty great, especially knowing everything was someone else's castoffs! See our processes and successes below.
As a final note, these homes have a constant need. If you have household items, decor items or furniture to donate, please contact me! I'll connect you with this great organization.
Pam
But what does this mean? Is it enough to toss in some furniture and hope for the best? Or are we serving better by giving the same thought to the resident that we would give to our paying homeowners? Taking in the needs they may have physically, the people living in the home together and how they interact together. Possibly using our talents and our design to encourage strengthening the relationships.
We were given not much time to prepare for our first project. In fact, once we had confirmed the relationship between the organization and our chapter, we have four homes coming up in fairly short order!! The first one was the smallest - a two bedroom cottage. The team jumped right to it. Cheryl Belozer, took team lead, Brian Kemnitz handled the organization, set up and execution of the painting, while Susan Adams-Messmer, Sue Lass and John Thompson jumped right in. A wonderful warm neutral paint was selected to warm up the formerly stark white walls. Eventually, all the units will be similarly warmed up with the occasional accent wall thrown in to jazz up individual spaces.
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| Brian Kemnitz, our wonderful painter |
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| Cheryl and her hubby Martin |
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| John Thompson |
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| Brian hard at work |
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| Sue Lass |
Day two of the project was load in and staging day. Again, Cheryl, Sue, Susan and me were on hand to transform and empty (but freshly painted!) shell, into a warm family home to welcome it's new residents.
Our first project completed was for a mother & daughter. We had the opportunity to meet these two ladies while the painting was going on. The mother was gracious and grateful and the daughter was exuberant and even got to help with a few last minute paint touch ups, which thrilled her! The unit they have moved into is a very small two bedroom cottage - kitchen, living room, two bedrooms and a bath. We pulled from what had been donated, and the end result looked pretty great, especially knowing everything was someone else's castoffs! See our processes and successes below.
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| Sue Lass readying moms room |
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| Cheryl & Martin getting the young girls room fluffed. Note the cute headboard...was plain white - now painted in the girls favorite colors! |
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| Mom's Room - a little shabby chic |
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| Young girls room |
As a final note, these homes have a constant need. If you have household items, decor items or furniture to donate, please contact me! I'll connect you with this great organization.
Pam
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Market Finds 2011 Chandeliers - My Favorite!
Okay....I MUST start the market recap with something that combines two favorites:
Pink (the Pantone color of the year) and CHANDELIERS (of course!)
Lookee!!!
Okay...back to it. Lighting is such a basic to any space in your home. Watch tomorrow for a post on the various uses of lighting as well as some timely updates on bulb types. For today, just enjoy the view of some of latest and greatest fixtures from the Las Vegas Furniture Market!
Pink (the Pantone color of the year) and CHANDELIERS (of course!)
Lookee!!!
Okay...back to it. Lighting is such a basic to any space in your home. Watch tomorrow for a post on the various uses of lighting as well as some timely updates on bulb types. For today, just enjoy the view of some of latest and greatest fixtures from the Las Vegas Furniture Market!
First, a couple of treats from the hotel lobbies:
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| The Paris Lobby...ooo La La! |
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| The Spa at the Bellagio |
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| Great shape on a drum shade. |
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| So Vegas...look at all that glitter! |
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| Black glass...this one also comes in white! |
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| ...and red! |
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| Imagine this floating over your elegant dining table! |
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| This was the biggest chandelier at the show! |
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| Okay...not a chandelier, but how cool is this? The shade (below) is ever slightly translucent. |
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| One of my favorites - up close here - silk shades and lucite and below... |
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| Christopher Guy wall sconce. Fantastic. |
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