Guess who's making an appearance?

Gray!!!

Apparently, GRAY IS THE NEW CHOLATE!!! Well, in paint color that is. I wouldn't recommend eating it!

Gray can be found EVERYWHERE in bedrooms, baths, living rooms, dining rooms and yes, even kitchens! Kitchens? Who'd have thunk?

What I like about gray is that it is a calming color. It can go from shabby to chic, from modern to country and can either be cool or warm. For those people afraid to add color to their walls, GRAY IS THE PERFECT COLOR TO START WITH. It's basically adding color without really adding color!

Check out these beautifully done rooms:

The kitchens above are from Building Green in Vermont

The above pictures courtesy of Benjamin Moore gallery on flicker!

Want to add the right color gray into your home? Contact DelBene Interiors by visiting our website: www.delbeneinteriors.com

What are your design needs?

You see all those do it yourself shows and they make it look so damn easy decorating a room. Trust me, you are not alone if you find it difficult. If you are like me, you are attracted to so many different styles how do you know which one is right for you? Mid Century Modern, Scandinavian, Traditional, Contemporary, Transitional, Country (American, Brittish, French…). Aaaahhh, I love them all!!!!!! Relax, there is no right or wrong style BUT does the style match your lifestyle? This is what I had to ask myself prior to decorating my home.

This is where a decorator can help. We sit down with you and discuss your tastes, your likes and dislikes. Most importantly, we discuss your lifestyle (how YOU really live), because, a design isn’t going to work if it is totally opposite of your natural lifestyle.

Take a look at the rooms above, it's a clean streamline look that can be bold or subtle. What do you think? Do you like it? Some o you may not. It might come across as cold. I like it!!! To me it’s calming. However, this would NEVER work in my house. When I get home from work, I put my messenger bag on the floor next to a chest of drawers that I have in my foyer and plop the mail down on top of the chest. My kids take off their sneakers and put them on the floor next to my messenger bag. Drape a coat on the back of that sofa, pile mail and newspapers on the dining room table, or put a tote bag or a laundry basket on the floor at the foot of the bed and you will have disturb the blance of the design! This pristine style works when everything is in place. I love these rooms…mm mmm, but it’s not for me and my family!

How do you really live? Be honest and don’t let outside forces sway you. We have been programmed since birth how a house should be decorated. Times have changed and so has lifestyles since Victorian times or even the 50s, so why do we cling onto these old fashioned decorating rules?

When was the last time you used your dining room? I can guarantee the holidays or maybe a family members birthday. After that, your table is abandoned to collect dust for the remaining days of the year. As you probably read in many blogs, people are turning their dining rooms into libraries. Why not? Go grab your laptop and now it’s a home office, too.

The spare room, designated for guests. All fine and dandy if you have out of town friends or family members from other countries constantly visiting. If you’re big on crafting, why not turn it into the ultimate crafting room. No more lugging items back and forth from storage bins every night.

Have a closet that you don’t use? (I know I don’t but I’m sure someone out there does), turn that into an office or sewing room. Believe it or not, I knew somebody who turned two double closets in her upstairs hallway into a spare room for her grandchildren. When the kids are not there and closet doors closed, it looks like a regular hallway closet, but open the doors and you will find bunk beds and storage drawers. Each bed with it’s own reading lamp. I thought it amazing.

Interior decorating is an art not a science and there are endless design possibilities in your home if you really just dig deep inside and see what you truly need and like.

If you have any design questions contact me or your local designer for help.

Do you need a day at the spa?

Yesterday, I attended the book launch and photo exhibition of photographer/artist Tasja Keetman's new book entitled PURA VIDA at AFNY (suppliers of kitchen and bath supplies). Visit Keetman's work HERE.

I'm sorry, although I found Keetman's work fascinating I couldn't help but drool over some of the soaker tubs and steam showers. If I could, I would have found the largest soaker tub, turned on the water, undress and soak my day away right then and there. Lucky for the other guests, there are laws for indecent exposure in public places.

I haven't been feeling well lately but continue to be on the go, so I definitely can use a day at the spa relaxing and being pampered. Unfortunately, I cannot dedicate an entire day of being spoiled. I just don't have the time. Do you?

Forget about time, how about the cost for a day spa? I can soak every day at home if I wanted to but I can't go every day to the spa, I just couldn't afford it. So, bring the spa to your home and have that spa experience in the comfort of your own home at any given time!

Soaking in a tub not your thing? How about a steam room? Why not both? Above is Duravit, the multipurpose luxury steam-shower cabin. This one can be converted from a bath to a steam shower by folding the two seats to form a full length bench and switching on the steam generator. The unit can be loaded with many additional features, such as, built-in sound and touch-display controlled via a remote control or the LED activated chromatherapy and aromatherapy to make your bathing experience all the more soothing and relaxing.

Don't know how to get started? Don't think you have room in your bathroom to turn it into a luxurious bathhouse? Can't afford it? Think again and contact me or your local designer to help plan your new bathing sanctuary out.

As a designer, I have access to "trade only" suppliers that offer large discount on their products, so you can afford to bring the spa experience to your home and be pampered in your space, on your own time and on your budget.

Everything old is new again! Do you redo?

Reupholstering an older well made chair or couch may be more cost affective in the long run than going out and spending money on less quality furniture every couple of years. You say it's outdated? Freshen it up with a modern or bold print. with so many fabric choices, make it your own one of a kind piece.

Arts & Craft style - William Morris

An Arts & Craft style House

We went from winter to spring in 2.0 seconds. Just a few days ago there was about 4 inches of snow on the ground and today it’s 55* and sunny! I was motivated to get out and walk the neighborhood.

I love walking around here with all the different styles of homes (Mediterranean, Tudors, Colonials and American Four Squares). Some have manicured landscapes and others definitely need some curb appeal. To those people with lackluster front lawns, I want to knock their doors and say, “come on, you have such a beautiful house, why does it look like the Adams Family live here? Do something, will already!”

Bungalow

One of my favorite architectural styles has to be a Craftman home. There is so much detail and yet not frilly or overdone. To me it’s a warm inviting home to live and entertain.

As an adverse response to poor quality machine-made items (a result of the Industrial Revolution) and a return to well-made, handcrafted goods, the Arts and Craft Movement, was a British, Canadian, Australian and American design movement that influenced architecture, domestic design and the decorative arts. It flourished between 1880 and 1910 prompted by artist/writer William Morris, inspired by the writings of John Ruskin and was initiated by the Schools Of Design from 1852. It was a search for authentic and meaningful styles. The principle foundation of the Arts and Craft Movement was to emphasize truth of materials used, preserve traditional craftsmanship and advocate economic reform. Its trademark was the simplicity of form often exposing construction and the lack of unnecessary decoration or ornamentation. Influenced by the British countryside and its customs, Gothic Revival and Medieval designs - designers used bold forms and strong color.

A Fun Place to Shop

Mxyplyzyk in The West Village.

If the name doesn't grab your attention, it's window display will! As one of my friends says, "it's a bunch of cool stuff you really don't need but most definitely want!" Like bowls made from vinyl LP's, a tape dispenser that looks like an audio tape cassette, a lamp shaped like an owl and a lot more quirky stuff to look at!

If in NYC, visit them at 125 Greenwich Avenue

and if you're not in NYC, visit them online www.mxyplyzyk.com I guarantee, you will smile!

Just thought you'd like to know!

wallpaper decals.

I decided to read some blogs to get the idea on how this blogging thing is done. I came across this blog which brought me to another page, which took me to another place which took me to the Apartment Therapy website (click here)

I don't know how to insert a section of someone's blog page into my blog (maybe someone out there can teach me how - hint hint). However, I figured out how to hyperlink words like the "click here" above and how to insert an image from the internet (the image you see above from the Apartment Therapy website). Oh and I figured out how to change text color - GO ME!

The use of wallpaper as wall appliques is a very clever idea!

I hope that I'm not breaking some blog protocol here by suggesting an alternative method. If I am, I apologize, I don't know all the rules yet.

Over the weekend I decided to go to my local craft store, out of sheer boredom. I roamed the isles with no thought in mind and I came across scrapbook paper (some of these papers are beautiful). Of course, I picked up a few that I thought were pretty. I don't know why? It's not like I scrapbook but they were cute. I figure, I'll think of something. So, here's my thought. Why not take this idea of using vintage wallpaper and use scrapbook paper instead. At 75 to 99 cents a sheet, it's definitely affordable. Instead of tacky glue, I would probably use low tack spray adhesive (the paper's back will be similar to that of a post it note). Slap it on the wall and you're done! If you tire of the appliqué, all you have to do is peel it off and toss it! How simple is that?