Warhol meets the Jetsons

Spending some precious free time surfing one of my favorite sites, Etsy.

While part of my surfing is research, as I plan on opening an Etsy site soon to feature some of my refurbished furniture finds, mainly I just like looking at all the pretty things! As I was looking through the vintage clothing section, I came across this dress.

Isn't is fantastic?  Then I started thinking high-rise condo. Wide open floor plan, sweeping views of the Atlantic through the floor to ceiling windows, and filled with modern art and iconic furniture pulled from the 1950's and 60's. Think Andy Warhol meets The Jetsons!

NC Rocks!!!

I took my daughter to North Carolina last week to go mining for gems. I had envisioned a relaxing week of camping, hiking, mining, and basically unplugging from our hectic world. With the mountains and forest as our backdrop, and the glitter of freshly unearthed gems as our focus, I felt sure I would hit upon a mother load of inspiration that I could later draw from.

While the trip didn't exactly turn out as planned (temps in the 100's and heat exhaustion), we did find lots of gems... While the garnets and emeralds were expected, I think it was the UN-expected that brought me the most joy. The time spent truly getting to know the exceptional young woman that my daughter is growing into most of all.

As for what inspired me this week and where it lead me to...

First and foremost, I DO NOT CAMP. I'm a huge fan of walls, electricity, and A/C. I'm generally an indoor person, hence Interior Design. So my first inspiration is drawn not only from the colors of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the textures of its riches, but also from one of the things I missed most on my trip... a bed!

 

As for our gem hunting, we did quite well. We found quartz and amethyst, sapphire and emerald, mica and moonstone, but again, I was most impressed with what I found that I hadn't expected. Old native American pottery shards.

The oldest is a small piece, about the size of a nickel, and as thick as 5 or 6 quarters stacked up. While the inside is worn completely smooth, you can still see the linear design on what would have been the outside.

Both in their conservative use of line and of the natural environment, our ancient Native American neighbors inspire in me a 'green' space, full of textures and the elements of nature, with the clean lines of modernism.

Master 'sweet' inspired

I was driving through downtown West Palm Beach the other day and spotted this building…


The architecture on this building tied in with the tri-color harlequin pattern on the entablature just stopped me short. Seriously. In the middle of the road! Then I drove around the block to see it at a better angle.

Granted, not a huge fan of the neon sign on the side of the building. It’s not that I dislike neon, or even the idea of neon on this building, just not sure about the color. (...hmmm, neon. Now that sounds like a future post.)

Back at the studio, my mind kept drifting back to that building. At first I was envisioning a little girls room, but as I delved into a favorite Robert Allen fabric book, a mature and elegant master bedroom began to emerge. A french inspired space that is filled with layers of luscious fabrics, trims, antique furniture, and architecture.

Here’s a peek at how I would pull it all together…

I also envision wallpaper as well as tons of architecture on the walls and ceiling, using molding to create wall panels. Something like this…

Hope you enjoy my blog. Tons more to come in the future!

Vanessa, The Design Dreamer

The Design Dreamer starts blogging...

This is my very first post... how exciting!
As an interior designer, I’m always looking forward to future designs and ideas. With this blog, I'm not planning on walking you through all the ins and outs of the interior design business. Instead, I would like to offer you a peek into what moves and inspires me and my designs. Sometimes posts will be related to current projects, however, I suspect mostly you'll just get to see what I love and why!

On occasion, I will also share with you a room design based on some item of "inspiration," complete with finishes, fabrics and furniture samples! I'll show you how a pile of fallen leaves can inspire a living room or how the inspiration from a vintage designer suit can transform a master bedroom suite!

If you've enjoyed what you've seen so far, become a fan! Comments or questions are encouraged. I look forward to sharing with you in the future...

Vanessa, The Design Dreamer