Outside Inside

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Today's trend is dedicated to a friend/coworker who dreams of converting his own loft one day and creating an outside oasis indoors. While I can appreciate this, my own personal relationship with indoor plants is somewhat abusive in a violating-Geneva-conventions sort of way. Define water torture, I might say in my defense.

I tried to add some Home Depot "low-light" plants to our decor a few years ago, and even those, sitting in front of our floor-to-ceiling windows, didn't last as long as a carnival goldfish. For me, gardening just falls under the same category as cooking; things that I don't feel like learning.

But that doesn't mean I can't admire the amazing use of greenery in interior design. I find indoor plants to be warm and inviting in an inexplicable (primative? evolutionary?) way. I think it's clear that the indoor garden designers tend to be of a different ilk than us straight interiors people who may throw in a ficus every once in a while. As you can see from the below examples the use of entire plant gardens command full attention, influencing and impacting every element of the room's design. The actual arrangement and design of the gardens are an art form of their own, not to mention the attention and skill to keep this mess alive. Like every day.

Here are some of my favorites:

My Name Is Burl

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Everywhere I look, I'm seeing burl wood these days. What is burl? Basically it's deformed your-momma-tree-must-have-been-hitting-the-sap-a-little-too-hard wood but damn if it isn't just gorgeous. It creates a swirling pattern that is reminiscent of a tortoiseshell or animal print. It lends a luxuriousness to even the most basic of furniture designs and brings an unexpected texture to case goods.  It's no wonder Milo Baughman was such a fan. And if Milo was a fan, I'm a fan too.

Here are some of my favorite examples of burl wood in design. Just try to go on with your life now after seeing these:

Tuesday Trend: I Love Lucite

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Every home needs a little lucite.  Especially if you share the common predicament of limited space- lucite feels substantial yet the transparency allows the eye to travel through it so it creates an illusion of space.  Works every time.  (Lucite is pricey, but check out this post on lucite alternatives that give the same effect for less!)

If there was a TV show starring lucite, I would totally watch it.  And so would Lucy.

Here are some of my favorite lucite pieces in their natural habitats:

Tuesday Trend

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I see extra-long couches everywhere these days.  Either furniture designers are accommodating for the ever-increasing obesity epidemic, or this is just another appealing play on proportion in design. As you may have learned from me here, I love an oversized object and these sofas are no exception.  The added length reads luxe yet comfortable.  And sofas are basically failures at existence if they're not comfortable. Take a look at these stylish stretch armstrongs- do you dig?

Tuesday Trend- The UnKitchen

Kitchens are one of the most utilitarian spaces in our homes.  To this Rioter for Design (who doesn't really like to cook), they even feel a bit predictable and obligatory.  Like, FU, if I don't want a kitchen I don't have to have one! Well, OK fine, I guess I do need to stave off bacteria by altering the temperatures of nutrient sources from time to time, so yeah I guess I DO in fact need a kitchen.  But that doesn't mean it has to look like one.

The best way to accomplish the UnKitchen is to experiment with materials that are not typically found in kitchens.  Also, introducing silhouettes associated with other areas of the home, as well as artwork and upholstery are other ways to make a kitchen feel more like a customized space.  Kitchens are allowed to have personalities too!

Below are some of my favorite UnKitchens:

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Not a tile in sight.

Revenge of the Tartans

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It's October, which means it's time for the fashion mags to tell us plaid is in style this year.  Nevermind that plaid was in style last year... and the year before...and the year before...   Fashion is the art of having a terrible memory.

Interiors are different though- plaid can be bad.  Usually it's either stuffy/fox hunting/cabin or dated/frumpy/Walmart sale.  Plaid curtains were some of the formative images of our childhoods, weren't they?  And now they remind us of the 1960's and 1970's, which tended to be the last time our parents redecorated despite that fact that that was 20 years before we were born.  Or is that just me?  Maybe you grew up like a contemporary minimalist Seattle vampire family- I don't know.

SAD PLAID:

Tuesday Trend- Seeing Spots

This season I've been seeing spots wherever I look- not only are they all over the fashion magazines & runways, but the trend has definitely extended to interior design as well.
 
Animal prints are my neutral.  I love them and I don't care that if they're not real, or if they're not fake, or if they're vegan or gluten free or whatever the current position de mode is on animal products.  All I care about is that they're AWESOME and can add texture and interest to any room, so long as you have taste.  Cause them spots can look crazy tacky if you suck at decorating.

With that in mind, here are some of my favorite hotty spotties.  Leopard prints, pony hair, cowhides, just plain ol' spots, whatevs:

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Tuesday Trend- Animal Sculptures

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I'm feeling a little wild this week with no work to tame me, so I thought I'd wrangle together a collection of some of my favorite animal sculptures used in interior design.

Animal sculptures are a tricky thing- they can definitely fall into the creepy, taxidermic (is that a word?) downright-scaring-guests-away category.  However, the right piece can really make or break the design of a room.  Some designers layer in animal sculptures in a peek-a-boo manner while others choose to make them the focal point of a room.  Personally, I love the quirk, humor and unexpectedness of an animal sculpture- it's like a living punchline.

Joey's dog statue from Friends

What do you think?  Would you ever / do you decorate with animal sculptures?  Check out my faves and then let's discuss:

Angry Design

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Interior design is not cheaper than therapy.  But, it's way prettier.  Especially if you think swear words, blood splatters and gratuitous sex & violence are pretty.  Sure, why not?

Here are some awesomely angry interiors:

Oh that saucy minx, the Queen!  Now that the London Olympics are over, I've found myself missing the daily coverage on Queen dress colors, royal waves, corgis and Morning Show false-affectation at possibly the worst skydive stunt in the history of skydive stunts.  Did anyone else notice how the announcers kept acting like it was real.  THE JIG IS UP!  We know she didn't jump!  She's the goddamn queen!  She doesn't jump from planes with James Bond!  She doesn't jump from curbs.

At any rate, Anglophilia is officially a trend.  If you're an interior design blog addict like me, you've seen enough Union Jack pillows to line them up and cross the pond yourself.  So dunzo. But I'm not sick of Auntie Liz, or the whole royalty thing.  Seems like a pretty good gig to me, though unfortunately they don't seem to be currently hiring.

Here are some of my fave examples of queenly influence in design:

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While there seems to be a dearth of curves on my T.V. thanks to the Olympics, I  have been noticing a lot of curves in interior design lately, namely sofas.

What's so great about curved sofas?

• they can define a space in a way that plain old straight sofas can't quite accomplish on their own
• they're good for unusual room shapes
• they are a great solution for large spaces that may have the potential to feel vast and stark
• they're also great for spaces that have architectural details that you wouldn't want to hide behind a sofa, such as wainscoting or other molding, large-scale wall art or maybe just the baddest-ass penthouse view through your floor-to-ceiling windows 

 Most of these sofas look custom-made and, thus, are looky-no-touchy for me.  But maybe you're in possession of a small fortune.  Or maybe you're a celebrity.  Or maybe not.

Irregardless. Riot On!

Tuesday Trend- Foo Dogs

Although I've been back home for about a week, my design mojo is still in Thailand.  

After last week's buddha trend, this week I'm on to... Foo Dogs!

Foos from Wat Pho, photos by me

These figures actually go by several names, though Foo or Fu Dog seems to stick here in Amurrica.  However, they're technically not dogs at all.  These statues originated in Chinese design as guardian lions, symbols of protection, that sat at the entrance to Buddhist temples and rich people's homes.  In Thailand, every single wat we visited had at least a couple of these bad boys, which are always presented in pairs as a representation of yin and yang.  Ahhh, deep.

At any rate, they're kinda funny lookin' so I love them.  From a design perspective, the renewed interest in Asian design and Chinoiserie means foos are all over the ever-pinning internet.  Check it out:

Tuesday Trend- Buddhas

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I have buddhas on the brain after visiting Thailand.  As a country that is over 90% Buddhist, the image of the buddha is sacred and, literally, everywhere.

Riding the wave of Asian-influence in contemporary design, it's no surprise that Buddha has become a decor trend.  I admit, I had to jump on board and bought a pair of white stone buddha wall hangings.  He's just such a peaceful dude, I like his style.

As you're viewing these rooms keep in mind, it's not the size of your buddha but the fine in your design that really matters.  Riot on:

Tuesday Trend- Oversized Lamps

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One of the best ways to add some visual interest to a room is to play with scale, be it lighting, art or furniture.  Most normal people play it safe in interior decorating and make the mistake of buying furniture and accessories that are too small.  Yeah I know the large vase is like twice as much as the small vase, but don't be a cheapy- bigger is better!  It makes your tiny-ass apartment look more spacious, ever if that sounds counter-intuitive (and even if you don't live in a tiny-ass apartment, but you probably do).

I'm rioting over oversized lamps this week (last week I liked this).  They are funny and a little obnoxious, two of my favorite traits (if you couldn't already tell).

Here are some of my faves:

Tuesday Trend- Herringbone Flooring

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Whenever I'm relaxing at home, I love to take brief respite from my thought-provoking novel du jour to glance down at my herringbone-patterned hardwood floors and thank god I have such impeccable taste.

BS you say?  True.  I don't have herringbone floors or any thought-provoking reading material, but I don't really relax much either.

I do, however, think herringbone-patterned flooring is amazing.  And someday, when I have a home and more than 2 followers to my blog (hint, hint), I will make it happen.  Can't make any promises on the thought-provoking novels though.

So for this week's trend (last week I gushed over this) here are some of my favorites:

Tuesday Trend- Velvet

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Last week I was all about this, but this week I can't stop thinking about velvet.  Nothing says I'm A BFD like velvet.  It's luxurious and timeless and textural, which instantly makes your place look clazzy. 

I would drape myself in velvet if it were socially acceptable.

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Perhaps we will all live to see that day.  But since it's not yet (contact your local congressman), you'll have to enjoy velvet in the privacy of your own home.

Check out some velvety awesomeness after the jump!

Purp

I don't know why, but lately I've been drawn to purple upholstery.  This is strange, because I hate super girlie design. OK I don't haaaate super girlie design, but when I see a pink & purple, white-trimmed living room, I cry a little for men. 

But seeing these amazing photos reminds me that you can add some edge to really pretty colors by messy-ing them up a little with pattern or earth tones.  Here are a few of my inspirations:

Betsy Burnham