While I was in NOLA for the KBIS show last month, I had an opportunity with a few of my other designer friends to visit a local New Orleans artist: Amanda Stone Talley!  She is a huge talent so it was quite a thrill being invited for a tour of her spectacular carriage house/gallery/ home studio for a cocktail (or two) to see where she lives and works and to admire her incredible work!

A peek inside her studio where the magic happens.

Amanda creates vibrant abstract pieces with a lot of energy.  Using flowing, intertwined lines and harmonious colors, her pieces have distinct character.  The strength of her lines is reminiscent of Picasso’s work.  All of her pieces manage to feel carefully crafted while still encapsulating a highly kinetic sensation; your eyes flow along the twisting lines as you get drawn deeper into the piece.

Her work lends itself well to contemporary design, and I’m not the only one who thinks so.  Several of her pieces have been translated into fabric and wallpaper designs that are perfect for the home!  The paintings themselves provide quite an impact within any space it occupies. I recently introduced a client to Amanda’s work and they are now considering purchasing one as the finishing touch to their renovation in Palm Springs.

Amanda herself has the energy and engaging nature that you see and feel in her paintings.  She warmly welcomed us into her home, gallery, and studio and she was incredibly charismatic in her presentation of her new wallpapers.

Myself, Andie Day, Amanda Stone Talley, Meredith Heron, Carmen Christensen in the Studio

Amanda rocked this frock by tying a few yards of her fabric around her neck…instant sophistication.

If you like Amanda Stone Talley’s work as much as I do, I would love to help you redesign your home with her pieces.  Contact me at Interior Makeovers, Inc. to learn more.

Stay Inspired!

Photo Credits:

1. Amanda Stone Talley

2,4,6. Lori Gilder

3. Decor Pad

5. Carmen Christensen

Last post, I talked about the KBIS and NKBA’s 50th anniversary, but today I’d like to go a little deeper into my actual involvement with the show.  While at KBIS, I gave two presentation, joined a panel discussion, and was even on a radio interview.  It was a busy show, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

My two presentations were organized to introduce the revolutionary new showroom technology from QueX.  This technology allows users to interact with a virtual showroom and virtual home designs to help designers and clients work more efficiently together when planning and creating a design project. It takes out much of the guesswork and the chance for miscommunications by providing a “virtual” face to face between the designer, client and any  major supplier or GC – enhancing the collaboration process.

I was thrilled to be among one of eight designers selected to interpret a home space for different generations; my design assignment was the GenX Kitchen.  We created drawings, concept boards and virtual 3D’s of our designs which were then loaded on to the QueX platform –  allowing us to interact with our audience using the multi-touch display screens.

Our Fabulous Featured Designers: Andie Day, Carmen Christensen, Cheryl Kees Clendenon, Corey Klassen, (me), Meredith Heron, Susan Serra and Tyler Wisler.

Working with QueX technology allows everyone involved to get a full overview of all aspects of the design process, at the same time enhancing the communication between the client and the design team as a whole.

I was also asked by Veronika Miller of Modenus to share some highlights and favorite finds from #BlogTourNYC and the Architectural Digest Home Design Show.  I was joined by other alum from previous Blog Tours: Tamara Stephenson – BlogTour London, Kelly Morisseau – BlogTourNYC, and Brandon Smith – BlogTour Cologne.  They all had some great insights on how to use some of their favorite discoveries as design inspiration.

Finally, I was invited to do a radio interview for MyFixitUpLife.  Mark and Theresa, the hilarious couple behind this helpful website take you on an insiders tour of the home improvement industry.  They hosted three – hour long shows during KBIS and I was lucky enough to get a jam packed 15 minutes with them.  They are so full of life and energy…I could have spoken with them for hours!

I was so glad to have had this opportunity to meet all of these talented people and experience the industry trends and emerging technology.

Stay tuned for more NOLA adventures!

Stay Inspired!

Your home’s environment can be easily ruined by excess clutter and unattractive storage solutions. Incorporating clever design tips into your home can be as simple as choosing the right furniture or implementing modern organizing innovations…always with a creative touch. When redesigning a space, it really is best to provide multiple ways to keep the visual accumulation of clutter at bay. We all have “stuff” that needs to find a permanent home and the reality is –  not everyone lives in a show house that dons the cover of  House Beautiful.  However, with some storage-savvy solutions, your home can be on its way to becoming ”camera ready”.

Recessing niches or shelves within the walls of a living room or office provides excellent storage and display options and is ideal for your highlighting your favorite collections and books. Just keep these shelves neat and organized.

It’s easy to take advantage of any space beneath beds or couches by utilizing storage bins or other containers, but you can also hide your clutter in plain sight with good design. Custom built filing cabinets can have a lot of character and look like an integrated part of your home — a far cry from those shabby metal cabinets you see so often!  Furniture that pulls double duty, like a bench that can store spare blankets or a mirror with hooks for displaying your jewelry, can also go a long way.

In this increasingly technological world, the cords that power our varied electronic devices tend to pile up and look terribly disorganized. A desk, entertainment center, or kitchen space with a mess of tangled and crossing wires can be fixed in several ways. For one, many gadgets are going wireless, so consider investing in printers, keyboards, mice, gaming controllers, and cable boxes that require little to no external wiring. With the growing popularity of laptops and tablet computers that boast ever-superior batteries, going cordless is a great option.

I would love to integrate clever storage design in your home.  Share your own questions and ideas with me in the comments or on my Facebook page!

Stay Inspired!

Images via Elle Decor, Better Homes and Garden, House Beautiful

If you take the time and energy to plan a home renovation, make sure it is designed to last.  While new paint and accessories are a great way to update a space with a fresh new look, more extensive architectural interior design changes should be made with an eye toward the future.

Answering a few important questions about how you really live will help you develop important design decisions and features within your home. Considering your future plans for more children, an aging parent or a returning college student will help guide your design strategy to add functionality, expand, or repurpose rooms. Looking forward and anticipating the long-term needs of your family will help you enjoy your home and neighborhood for years to come.

It goes without saying that home with a bonus room or a basement is the ideal spot for a children’s playroom- but design it with some flexibility in mind.  Once the children have grown out of that “playroom” the space should easily be repurposed and used as a home office for homework and provide those teens (and parents) with a great living space to hang out with family and friends. If that space includes a full bath…then you’re well on the way to transforming it into a suite for returning college students.

Always invest in the highest quality materials and furnishings your budget will allow!. Avoid trendy items and fads that will undoubtedly become outdated. Instead, purchase quality pieces that get better with age. Investing in quality furniture with classic lines will stand the test of time. And when it comes to colors, select a foundation of neutral on the big ticket items which are then be easily updated with interchangeable accessories in highlighting colors and patterns.

Designing a home to last a lifetime can help homeowners create the ideal spaces to raise children and enjoy their retirement years. For more tips for designing a timeless interior, contact me at Interior Makeovers, Inc. by calling 310-788-0990. I’d also be thrilled to hear about your future plans for your home on Facebook!

 Stay Inspired!

Photo Credits:

1.) Windsor Smith

2.)  Barbara Barry

3.) Apartment Therapy

When designing an interior, deciding on wall decor is often a matter of choosing a paint color or perhaps a wallpaper and then picking out items to hang around the room.  Sometimes wall design can get fairly intricate with patterns or even elaborate murals, but homeowners also have the option of branching out past two-dimensional design with the increasingly wide variety of textured wall coverings available.

I am currently working with a client who adores texture on her walls.  We are in the process of redesigning several rooms in her home, most notably her expansive foyer.  As the room that gives the first impression to guests in her home, we want to make sure the foyer is a particularly remarkable space when we’re finished with it.  Our first step will be removing the thirty-year-old troweled plaster from the walls; its heavy texture reminds me of meringue on a lemon pie.

We’ve been sourcing some gorgeous wall textures to use in the foyer as well as a powder room, which we will be presenting to our client at our next meeting.  We’ve found a nice variety from both Maya Romanoff and Phillip Jeffries.  From Maya Romanoff, we’ve picked out the Mother of Pearl, Bedazzled Geode in Metallic Taupe, and Remember Paris in Silver Birch.  From Phillip Jeffries we particularly like the Granite Stone in Platino.

As you can see from these samples, we are leaning heavily toward neutral tones for the walls.  While bolder colors are certainly an option, textured walls make a dramatic statement in any room on their own merits.  Combining the texture with saturated hues runs the risk of becoming overwhelming, but neutrals can lend an understated elegance to the striking element of texture.

How do you feel about textured walls?  Feel free to share your opinions with us in the comments!  Regardless of whether you love them or shy from them, I would love to help you design a unique space that reflects your own personal tastes.  Contact us at Interior Makeovers Inc. by calling 310-788-0990 or emailing Lori@InteriorMakeovers.com.

Here is my video business card to reach out to you design savvy homeowners – where you can catch a brief glimpse of some of my favorite residential interior design projects – A video portfolio if you will.

For a more extensive look at my residential portfolio please visit my website www.LoriGilder.com.

I also encourage you to sign up for my FREE report “How to Avoid the 15 Most Common Decorating Mistakes” and as a special thanks you’ll also receive a complimentary subscription to my DESIGN LINE newsletter, full of great design inspiration, insider tips and special offers before anyone else.

So please click on the video above and let me know what you think.

Article by Lori Gilder, Architectural Interior Designer, Los Angeles, Ca.
© 2009 Lori Gilder. Interior Makeovers Inc

Determining how much to spend on your home renovation projects can be overwhelming and confusing.   So what is a wise investment?

Watch my latest video where I share a quick tip on this very subject.

Stay Inspired!

Please leave your questions or comments below this post, and fill out the form on the right hand side of this page to receive your free copy of my special report: “15 Money Saving Strategies When Planning Your Home Renovation”

Article by Lori Gilder, Architectural Interior Designer, Los Angeles, Ca. © 2011 Lori Gilder. Interior Makeovers Inc.

We are back again with another Renovation Reality.

If your home renovation project involves tearing down walls, building new ones, or relocating and supplementing any plumbing and electrical systems…then you will definitely need to hire a general contractor.

Deciding on that perfect person is one of the most critical decisions you’ll make during the entire renovation process. While most contractors do fabulous work and come highly recommended, I’ve found there are still a lot of unscrupulous characters out there.  The last thing you want is to be totally let down by the very person you entrusted to deliver your ultimate dream home.

So do your best to find the right contractor for you, so all the time and money you spend planning, budgeting and designing your home will be placed in the right hands.

So when you are interviewing contractors here is one quick little tip that will go a long way!

Stay Inspired!

Please leave your questions or comments below this post, and fill out the form on the right hand side of this page to receive your free copy of my special report: “15 Money Saving Strategies When Planning Your Home Renovation”

Article by Lori Gilder, Architectural Interior Designer, Los Angeles, Ca. © 2011 Lori Gilder. Interior Makeovers Inc.

In all my years of designing homes for singles, couples and families…I’ve learned that the dynamic between the sexes can be a challenge at times – however when it comes to the male counterpart – there are typically three categories they fall under…

The Enforcer – The Endorser and  The Contributor.

So guys…..be honest…..which one are you?

Stay Inspired!

Please leave your questions or comments below this post, and fill out the form on the right hand side of this page to receive your free copy of my special report: “15 Money Saving Strategies When Planning Your Home Renovation”

Article by Lori Gilder, Architectural Interior Designer, Los Angeles, Ca. © 2011 Lori Gilder. Interior Makeovers Inc.

Last week I was in New York City for BlogFest 2011 – what a whirlwind! This spectacular 3-day inaugural event hosted by Kravet Inc. and Lee Jofa, gathered the crème de la crème in the Lifestyle and Interior Design Blogging Communities.  Many of us, already connected through social media were now able to make a personal connection to the “avatars” and @handles we’ve come to know and love and engage in real face time!

Forging these new alliances and lifelong friendships with such dynamic and inspirational people throughout the U.S and Canada was truly a highlight.

There are so many specific events to share, but for starters – here is a brief overview of the first day.

Diary of BlogFest 2011.

Day 1:
The kickoff Luncheon, hosted by House Beautiful, gave us all the perfect opportunity to mix, mingle, meet and greet each other and fuel ourselves for an exciting afternoon and evening that lay ahead.

Katie Rosenfeld of Katie Rosenfeld Interior Spaces Tamara Mathews Stephenson of Nest by Tamara, myself, Carrie Leskowitz of Carrie Leskowitz Interiors and Leslie Fine of Leslie Fine Interiors

With Leslie Carothers of The Kaleidoscope Partnership, Coryanne Ettiene of Housewife Bliss and Tamara Mathews Stephenson of Nest by Tamara

An afternoon of Q&A and conversation with the Editor-in-Chief of Town & Country Mark Rozzo, House Beautiful Newell Turner and Veranda Dara Caponigro.  Beth Greene, marketing VP for Kravet moderated the insightful discussion on the relationship between blogs and the print magazines.

Come early evening we were whisked off to the ELLE DÉCOR Modern Life Concept House in West Chelsea, where we toured two luxury apartments designed by ten young “Designers To Watch”. Each space delivered a refreshing approach and modern design sensibility. The appointments were stunning with an overwhelming theme of warmth, style and comfort.

Feast your eyes on just a few of my favorite images.

Living Room designed by San Francisco designer Elizabeth Martin featuring furniture from Calligaris

Separating the living space from the kitchen with a floor to ceiling mirror defined the spaces and provided additional natural light and visually enlarged the space.

Kitchen and Dining Area designed by Grant K. Gibson and Bosch Appliances

An exquisite guest bedroom designed by Sara Story reflects an Asian design sensibility. Born in Japan the designer infuses her love of the culture into this space with spectacular furnishings from The New Traditionalists.

The intricate wall designs hand painted in gold over Venetian plaster is truly spectacular.  This is a must see – as the images don’t really do it justice.

Continue with your own private tour of the Concept House with ELLE DECOR Editor-in-Chief Michael Boodro .

Day 1 ended with a fabulous cocktail party co-hosted by DesignTV ‘s Jonathan Legate and Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo and Joss & Main.

Jonathan Legate and Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo

Stay Inspired!

I encourage you leave questions or comments below this post, and fill out the form on the right hand side of this page to receive your free copy of my special report: “15 Money Saving Strategies When Planning Your Home Renovation”

Article by Lori Gilder, Architectural Interior Designer, Los Angeles, Ca. © 2011 Lori Gilder. Interior Makeovers Inc.