caracole

Greenbrier started carrying this company, Caracole. They have some great stuff. Check it out here!

Idea House

This has probably already made it all over the blog world but I was admiring some work in the Southern Living 2010 Georgia Idea House and wanted to share!

 The counters, appliances and cabinets are all by IKEA!! Love it!

Just want to point out the transom window (love!) used indoors :)

This will forever be an inspirational photo for me!  I can't even explain how much I love calendars... the bigger the better!

How great are these drawers? So convenient and great for a family with children who always have "stuff."

And lastly the "meditation garden" - what a lovely quaint getaway spot :)

See more here.

Citizen Architect - Rural Studio

In 1993, Carol Mockbee's (a friend, fellow graduate of interior design and fellow KD at Auburn University) father Samuel Mockbee, along with D.K. Ruth, founded a design-build architecture studio, Rural Studio. Every year, architecture students at Auburn design and build inspirational homes and buildings for poor communities located in rural West Alabama. Thanks to an email from a former colleague I was informed that there would be a special tonight airing on PBS entitled Citizen Architect. "Sambo" Mockbee passed away in 2001 but leaves a great legacy to inspire us all.

Here's the trailer to peak your interest!



And some more pictures to give you glimpes of the amazing work done by students that were involved in the Rural Studio. 

white done right

I love the trend of white right now. And I really wish it was doable with 2 little toddlers.

Isn't that coffee table fabulous? That's an accident waiting to happen at our house though!
I love the rug and simple lines of the sofa. And those walls!


What a cozy little porch.  We are about to move back to the US and I look forward to spending time on my mom's porch once we get there!

I'm not a huge fan of canopy beds but this one is so inviting. Love the mounted light above the nightstand and the window treatments here.

It seems like a tiny speck of dirt would be magnified here but I do love this kitchen.


Great simple taste.
(pictures via here)

book

Looking forward to buying this for my coffee table when we come back to America this summer!
You can preview the book here. It releases in bookstores tomorrow!

one wall wonders

As a designer I have always been completely against doing an "accent wall." To be frank, something about it just creeps me out. I hear it coming out "ak-see-ent" (country twang) and that is how it fits in my mind category. I know there have been rooms that are done fabulously with accent walls and props to the designers that pull it off. Below is a poll done by House Beautiful and other designers opinions on the subject.... and some rooms done quite well to prove me wrong. But I'll stick to my gut when it comes to my own work. Which do you prefer?

{image from House Beautiful}

Colors Perfect for One Wall

Some designers love painting an accent wall. Others would never even consider it. Whose side are you on?

By Christine Pittel

Don't love the idea...

"I am not a big fan of the one-wall wonder. I think it's gimmicky, like one earring. What's the point? Couldn't afford two?"
—SCOTT SALVATOR

"Would I recommend it? Only if the room offered no other viable solution. Is it a good idea? In professional hands, yes. In less experienced hands, probably not."
—JEFFREY BILHUBER

"I'm on the 'Don't do it' side of the fence. Painting one wall says 'I'm afraid of commitment,' not 'I love this color.'"
—NATE BERKUS

"I have never painted just one wall a different color. It takes your eye away from everything else. I think it looks very window-display. Too unfinished."
—STEPHEN SHUBEL

"I'm not a one-wall-only girl. I prefer to go in for the kill. I think you make much more of a statement and really get your point across when you paint all of the walls, and often the ceiling."
—ANGIE HRANOWSKY

"I wouldn't do just one wall unless it was in stone or wood. I like everything to be the same so it doesn't look decorated. Even if the room is a box, I'd paint the whole box the same color."
—MYRA HOEFER

"Painting just one wall seems a bit distracting and sort of a half measure. Why be timid? Pick a color you love and go all the way with it, baby!"
—TODD ROMANO

{image found here}

{images found here}

Ellen Hanson

Living here in Asia, I am far from my old design world and so the blogging world is my best attempt to stay in touch... thankfully there are such good sources out there when I can't get my hands on an Architectural Digest or Coastal Living to say the least. Here's a look at interiors by a fabulous designer based in New York...













all images from ellenhansondesigns or visit her blog here