by Mary Etta McCurdy | Sep 23, 2016 | Apartment Decorating, Home Decor |
The Portola Court Apartment Homes clubhouse in Irvine recently hosted an event that I attended. In fact, you may have seen the video showing the fun we had on Day 22 of my Facebook Live 30 Day Challenge. It reminded me of a blog post I wrote about three easy apartment decorating secrets. Yes, your apartment can be decorated as if it was built just for you. What a perfect excuse to share more pictures from the Portola Court Apartment Homes to illustrate that point.
Use Color to express your character. The draperies have a pattern, although they are not too busy. The vibrant blue chairs and pops of the color orange in this living room gives a clue that this is a high energy, fun loving family. No blah, blah beige life being live here.
Go big and go home! Your art and accessories need to rise to the life you want to live. This gallery wall shows the sum total of life experiences in this home’s art collection. Your art collection deserves the same care and focus as that homeowner who has a mortgage.
I hope that you are not waiting for a “real” home to buy functional furniture that you like. These night stands, lamps and bedding are of the moment, though in correct proportion to the size of the room.
Yes, I have designed and installed custom draperies like the drapery panel in this apartment home’s bath. Custom drapery panels like this and the ones in the living room and bedroom give an air of luxury to your apartment. Custom window treatments designed just for you combined with matched accessories are classic luxuries that you and your family deserve.
Living in Portola Apartment Homes affords you additional amenities like that gorgeous pool at the top of the page. And Friday nights will be on and popping in a clubhouse outfitted like this. Loving you life starts now!
by Mary Etta | Dec 4, 2015 | Anaheim Hills Designer, Anaheim Hills Interior Designer, Blog, CA Interior Designer, Design, Design Trends, Home Decor, Interior Design, Interior Designers, Interior Spaces Blog Orange County Interior Decorator Mary Etta., Orange County |
Pantone 2016 Color – Rose Quartz and Serenity
Pantone threw a curveball at us this year. And I’m not ducking. Unlike past years’ choices, these are colors you could live with and not feel too trendy. Rose Quartz and Serenity may look like nursery choices for new Moms and Dads. But look what happens when you blend them together? I don’t know about you but I can use a little serenity.
Pantone’s choices in year’s past have often left me scratching my head. How did Emerald Green sneak into 2013? What made Marsala the color du jour in 2015? Each year, the naysayers cry out that they hate the color and don’t know how we can work it into our interiors. What happens is that we see it quite a bit ahead in clothing and cosmetics, then accessories.Then it’s the color that shows you are on point with the latest trend.
Interiors Follow Fashions
Harper Bazaar’s September 2015 Cover
Well, truth be told, we have been getting ginormous hints from the fashion and home decor designers for months. Look at the pink and blue (rose quartz and serenity) Pantone 2016 Color on the September 2015 issue of Harper’s Bazaar. Follow the fashion magazines and the trend in home decor will follow. Blush was predicted to be the color to paint our rooms in 2015.
You’re Not Surprised Are You?
Farrow & Ball selected the color Pink Ground as a Key Colour for 2015.
Upscale British paint company, Farrow & Ball, predicted it’s Pink Ground as a key color in 2015. Their take is that “this pink is not sugary or infantile, rather it feels more like a diluted plaster color where walls look almost nude”. While not Rose Quartz, the blush colors were moving towards soft hues.
And as for blue. Well, I always say that “Blue’s The Hue”. As designers, we bend the rules. Baby blue, mineral blue, violet blue, we will make it right for your interior spaces.
Want to be on trend and see how the Pantone’s 2016 Colors of the Year will work in your home? Contact me at 714 974-6571 to schedule an in-home consultation. Or, better still, fill out this form.
by Mary Etta | Nov 17, 2015 | Anaheim Hills Interior Designer, CA Interior Designer, Design, Design Trends, Home Decor, Interior Design, Interior Designers |
Holiday Tables by Orange County Designers
Interior designer Hugo Flores rocked a Moroccan vibe at his colorful and inviting table scape, one of my favorites from this year’s Entertaining by Design event.
Just in time for turkey and all the trimmings, we have some holiday table setting tips from top southern California designers in Orange County. The annual Entertaining by Design event held at the Laguna Design Center, November 6 and 7 this year, shows you how to entertain like a designer when it counts the most.
Let’s all give thanks for the little things, like chocolate! This winter wonderland table was a surprise a minute. Layers of gold rimmed dishwater were placed on a sunburst mirror at each seat. Design by Interior Creations by Lana
Over the top fabulous is never too much during the holiday season. And this year is no exception. Now is when you bring out the “good” dishes to go with the good food. What this show taught us is that you may have items in your home to work with that add unexpected touches to the table.
PH Design Interiors used metals, stoneware, and touches of blue to complement this traditional Mexican themed tables cape.
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?
And just like we welcome the occasional unexpected guests, a bit of tongue in cheek played out at the venue this year. Guess Who’s Coming to dinner? Look at the next two table settings. Comment below when you spot the guests who came to dinner.
Elegance, Luxury, Simplicity & Knowledge at table inspired by famed French model, Katoucha, designed by Interior Designers Institute students.
Holidays are fun. So keep the giggle going at dinner. Snow, white table ware and an unexpected guest calls for a double take.
Trending big this year was cobalt blue, one of my faves. The colors tie in beautifully with winter holiday celebrations
Make sure that you put an interesting guest over to keep the conversation flowing a la Chris Kittrell & Associates Interior Design.
Now you have inspiration on how to entertain like a designer. Call Mary Etta Designs at 714 974-6571 if you would like help getting your house in order before the guests arrive. Happy Entertaining!
by Mary Etta | Oct 27, 2015 | Design Trends, Fall Colors, Home Decor, Interior Design, Window Treatments |
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There’s no secret that fashion and home interiors are now BFF’s. You see one, and you know the other got the style memo on how to dress for the party. Even the colors in the elaborate necklace above by London based accessories label, Anita Quansah, reminds me of the spicy fall colors of those gorgeous tiebacks. This fall season’s trend of fringe in couture fashion comes home.
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These peep toe shoeties not only have fringe, but the beige version also uses a touch of the equestrian buckle that’s rocked the runways in recent seasons. Just like the medallions in the valance window treatment, a feminine mix with a hard edge says have fun with your couture, be it home or fashion.
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How many trends do you spot in this dress from Proenza Schouler Spring 2015 Ready-to-Wear collection? Menswear tweed at the bodice and fringe on the leggy skirt of the dress. Tweed is a classic that works well in home decor. And the throw has that obligatory fringe on the end.
This Alberta Ferrari outfit shows that a BoHo girl can dress up and still feel comfortably chic. And I picture her home featuring a window treatment just as comfortable and chic. This draped look on the window to the right gives a nod to the oh-so-popular BoHo Chic style. It’s very unconventional, yet it works!
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Swish, swish of the skirt above mimics the feminine tassel shown at right. Inspiration in fashion moves right into home decor. Couture comes home. And it’s a beautiful friendship.
Does your home reflect your personal style? Let me help you turn your home into the nicest place you go. Give me a call at 714 974-6571 and together we can perform a Re-Design in your home just in time for the holidays.
by Mary Etta | Oct 22, 2015 | Anaheim Hills Designer, Anaheim Hills Interior Designer, Blog, CA Interior Designer, Design, Designer Fabrics, Fabricut, Fall, Home Decor, Interior Design, Interior Designers, Orange County |
As I write today, I’m listening to Jennifer Hudson wail “Whatever Makes You Happy” from the soundtrack of the wildly popular television series,
Empire. And what makes me happy is that now I can belly up to new bar stools this fall. Small changes make for big impact in our homes as you and I prepare to spend time indoors during cooler weather.
So I finally attacked my pitiful bar stools at our bar and kitchen counters in preparation for holiday entertaining. Stools of substance can cost upwards of $800 to$1500. That’s why I elected to have my favorite upholsterer not only recover the seats of the ones shown above, but also perform some much needed surgery on the legs and braces of a couple of them.
As you can see, they are more than ready for the next person who will belly up to the bar. And when we tiptoe from the fridge to the counter in the kitchen, we can perch on my favorite newly designed kitchen barstools. Before the remake, though similar in color, they didn’t really match.
It was so much fun to mix the geometric fabrics from
Maxwell with the linen-like fabrics from
Fabricut. The nail heads elevate the chairs to the casual elegance that I enjoy. I wanted a solid fabric where stains were most likely to occur.
The fall makeover is just beginning. Stay tuned for more fall updates at my home. If you would like help with redoing things around your home for the holidays, contact me about
One Day Re-Design. Details about this new service offering can be found
here.
by Mary Etta | Oct 13, 2015 | Anaheim Hills Designer, Anaheim Hills Interior Designer, Blog, CA Interior Designer, Design, Design Trends, Designer Fabrics, Fall, Fall Colors, Home Decor, Interior Design, Interior Spaces Blog Orange County Interior Decorator Mary Etta., Orange County, Warm Earth Tones, Window Coverings, Window Treatments |
Yes. One Day, One Room, Re-Design and Done.
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You’re hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year? Yikes! Its time to get cranking on returning your what is now a dumping room back into a dining room. Sign up for my new service designed just for you and your home or office. One Day, One Room, Re-Design
You’ve thought about it all year. In your mind, it would only take a minute to find a fun new fabric for that chair that the kids have climbed all over with muddy shoes, chocolate covered hands, and their favorite crayons and glue sticks. And…it is time to brighten that corner of the family room so you and family can get cozy during the fall and winter months.
So why are you dragging your feet? Why? Because your plate is full. And all you need is one more thing piled on to make you topple over from the stress of getting ready for the winter season.
This year, get the help you need. Let Mary Etta Designs help you to make that one room that you want to look balanced, warm and inviting a reality this year. After all, the holidays are just around the corner.
Sign up for my new service designed just for you and your home or office. Call Mary Etta Designs for the service of One Day, One Room, Re-Design. Together we can tackle the floor plan, shop your home for items to be repurposed, declutter, and discuss options that you want to incorporate.
Sign up as soon as you can because my calendar is filling up. There are just a few days left before we welcome the holidays. Let’s do this!
