I love the Sweet Paul Blog because it is literally stuffed with incredible ideas for things beyond the obvious elements of interior design.
Interior design encompasses more than just walls, floors, and furniture. It’s about turning the place you live into a home that reflects your priorities and interests in life. I love the Sweet Paul Blog because it is literally stuffed with incredible ideas for things beyond the obvious elements of interior design.
Originally from Oslo, Paul Lowe is a food and prop stylist who now lives in New York. His blog contains many gorgeous and inspirational photos of recipes and crafts, plus information on workshops and articles in the Sweet Paul magazine. What better way to really personalize your home than to use it as the stage for tempting your family and guests with delicious foods or using your own creativity to decorate a table or make the perfect conversation piece?
Here’s a sample of the many splendid ideas found in Sweet Paul’s blog.
Many English gardens have areas specifically landscaped to take advantage of the bare branches, snow, and ice of winter.
Have you ever watched a period piece set in England, like Pride and Prejudice or Jane Eyre and wished you could take a stroll through one of those elaborate gardens? Believe it or not, those incredible gardens exist all over the UK and are typically open to the public for most of the year. Many gardens have areas specifically landscaped to take advantage of the bare branches, snow, and ice of winter. Even gardens not designed with winter in mind have their own chilly charm. When you look at the photos below, it’s not hard to see why gardens have such a monumental place in the hearts of Britain’s citizens.
Stourhead GardensKew Gardens, London
Dunham Massey, CheshireGlobe thistle at Kew GardensPagoda at Kew GardensHolly at Kew Gardens
I started looking at other examples of farmhouses and converted barns and found amazing examples of both. This style is at once welcoming and luxurious.
I recently saw a piece in Veranda about an incredible farmhouse in Wyoming. The work of designer Barbara Barry and architect Peter Block, this home showcases the best of the farmhouse style.
Farmhouse in Jackson Hole Valley
It certainly meets the designer’s vision for “a pure and simple country home.” Every line of the exterior is perfectly suited to the farmhouse look, including the appearance of an attached barn.
Inside the home, Barry worked with natural light and a palette taken from the great outdoors to create a comfortable atmosphere. Traditional elements throughout the interior are consistent with the farmhouse concept but are well balanced by modern touches.
Kitchen with fireplace.Dining room.
I started looking at other examples of farmhouses and converted barns and found amazing examples of both. This style is at once welcoming and luxurious.
Converted barn in Roxbury, CTSheffield, MA converted barn from old mill
Modern Barn, photographer Simon Upton for Elle DecorModern barn interior designed by Russel GrovesBarn with conservatoryfrom Archtectural DigestBeautiful converted barn by David Kleinberg
One site I love for referencing barns is Heritage Restorations. Very cool photos and ideas!
There’s no need to go with plain, basic hardware when the right piece could be the ideal finishing touch for furniture or a room.
Whether on a wall, door, or dresser, hardware can be very boring and generic. There’s no need to go with plain, basic hardware when the right piece could be the ideal finishing touch for furniture or a room. Think big, think creative, and you’ll find ways to personalize and accent a space through unique hardware choices. For example, the hardware in the above mud room photo playfully resembles sticks and tree stumps and yet doesn’t detract at all from the simple beauty of this small space.
Take a look at these examples of different styles of hardware:
Large-scaled hardware adds interest to this serpentine chest.Hardware from The Nanz CompanyAll time favorite cabinet pull from Carl Martinez - think about the ends powder coated in black.Knob by Baldwin Hardware - very chic!Another favorite from Nanz
How can your home benefit from updated, unique hardware?
The culturally exotic lands of East Asia offer a staggering wealth of design inspiration.
The culturally exotic lands of East Asia offer a staggering wealth of design inspiration. Design inspired by China, Japan, Mongolia, and other East Asian countries is easily recognizable for its minimalist approach, clean lines, attention to space, and use of natural elements.
I like to use accent pieces and patterns with an East Asia influence. A bold piece, like the dragon below, gives the room a focal point and a bright splash of color. For something more subtle, look for a pattern or texture inspired by Japanese or Chinese art or design.
Other designers I really admire have also been influenced by East Asian beauty Isn’t it amazing how one design inspiration is realized in different forms by different designers?
by Kelly Wearstlerby Tony Duquetteby Tony Duquette
This sunny breakfast room became such an ideal spot for a relaxing start to the day.
When designing this breakfast room for a client, I fell in love with their round dining table. It has such a simple form but with an unexpected shape to the base. The client asked more than once if we should find an alternative table, but I truly felt it was not necessary. The table was already an ideal reflection of their style and personality.
With the table as a starting point, we matched it with lovely chairs from Oly, upholstered in three different fabrics: Edelman Leather for the seat, Chelsea Editions for the back rest, and Carleton V Ltd on the back of the chair for contrast. When arranged around the table, the chairs add so much visual interest to the room simply from the combination of fabrics. To soften the room and tie it all together, we added a rug from Patterson, Flynn, and Martin. The chevron wall covering by Ralph Lauren provides background texture and the flower prints bring an unexpected pop of bright color. At first glance, the breakfast room looks sophisticated but charming and welcoming with a simple palette. However, the variety of complementary patterns and textures actually creates a more complex environment that draws the eye around the room to take in every carefully-placed detail.
The photo above includes many of the details I particularly like in this breakfast room. The subtle pattern of the wall covering, the way the nail heads in the chair are mimicked on the nearby frames, and the shape of the flower on the chair back corresponding to the shape of the flowers in the prints. This sunny breakfast room became such an ideal spot for a relaxing start to the day.
Simple and versatile, the Greek key as a design element can be implemented in any color or scale
Also known as meanders, what we today call the Greek key design appeared in ancient friezes and on pottery from Greece’s Geometric Period onward. Most likely a symbol of eternity and unity, Greek keys are an easily recognizable pattern.
I like to use Greek keys as trim. It brings a touch of classicism to a room whether the pattern is part of a window treatment or piece of furniture. Simple and versatile, the Greek key as a design element can be implemented in any color or scale. It can be paired with other patterns or used alone for maximum impact. With so many possibilities, it’s no wonder the Greek key has endured for millennia.
When you start to look for it, you find Greek keys in all kinds of places. It’s amazing to think how long this element has been part of architecture and design!
The vibrant colors and sumptuous textures of this living room work together to create such a treat for the eye!
This client lives in a very grand, 1920s brick Georgian home. Her tastes run to the traditional, with a love for French antiques and feminine elements. With all of this in mind, I set out to create a formal living room exactly tailored to my client’s wishes.
With formality as our ultimate goal, I chose important and significant antique and art pieces. The stunning antique blue lamps are from Carlos de la Puenta and set the overall tone for the room. They also anchor the lovely vignette of the sofa with the antique Dufar screen. This living room is saturated with Neoclassical elements, from the hand-painted commodes to the antique ribbon and metal elements at the base of the sofa.
I really enjoy the contrast of luscious velvets against the creme grasscloth wall covering from Philip Jeffries. The vibrant colors and sumptuous textures of the living room work together to create a complex, multi-layered experience.
Heather Clawson’s blog Habitually Chic is a visual treasure trove of glamor, style, and design.
Heather Clawson
The worlds of fashion, art, style, and interior design intersect, overlap, and influence each other in a multitude of ways. Finding a resource that incorporates all of these elements is always exciting. In that vein, Heather Clawson’s blog Habitually Chic is a visual treasure trove of glamor, style, and design. She uses the blog to chronicle her “musings on art, architecture, design, fashion, photography, books, events, and everything else habitually chic!”
From incredible artists and stunning exhibits to celebrity photo shoots of Demi Moore or Robert Pattinson, from gorgeous examples of chic advertising to courtyard doors in Paris, Habitually Chic showcases every conceivable facet of life as related to interior design. When combined with Clawson’s thoughts and opinions, the wealth of photos becomes one inspiration or idea after another.
Set in the beautiful Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, the Holiday Train Show features model trains running through replicas of famous New York City landmarks.
Set in the beautiful Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, the Holiday Train Show features model trains running through replicas of famous New York City landmarks. As you walk through the conservatory, you have the pleasure of watching the model trains chug their charming way through the lush greenery and around such well-known sights as the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. As if that weren’t a fun enough concept, the NYC replicas are constructed from parts of plants such as bark, leaves, and nuts! Imagine the city transformed into a woodland fairy world and you get a fairly good idea of what the Holiday Train Show has in store.
I just love the detail and artistry of these buildings!It isn't hard to imagine this city populated with sprites!
It’s hard to imagine the scale of the train show from just these pictures, but the next two will give you a better idea of the size of the displays. In addition, this year the Holiday Train Show features a new attraction called the Artists’ Studio. It allows visitors to see the process involved in construction of the NYC replicas. You’ll be able to see buildings in various stages of completion, from start to finish!
Visitors admire some of the replicas.You can walk right under the Brooklyn Bridge!
Whether you’re looking for a family outing or a pleasant way to spend an afternoon, the Holiday Train Show is an excellent option. Take a leisurely stroll, admire the creativity and ingenuity of the replicas among the vibrant flora, enjoy hot chocolate and gingersnaps, and lose yourself in a magical world!
