canvas is a collection of ceramics, wooden objects, textiles, accessories and furniture created by artisans and craftsmen from the U.S. and abroad that combines natural materials with interesting textures. Their main focus in on fair trade and green principles, which I think is something we should all be able to support. The simple sustainable style that canvas’s pieces represent – especially their ceramics collections – is something that I long for my own home to be filled with.
Why is it sooo difficult to find awesome office furniture?! Finally a company seems to have nailed it – check out Heartwork. Centered around the thought that a considered workspace is a better workspace, Heartwork’s furniture (and accessories) offer clean lines and bright pops of color. I know my office could benefit from both!
Mother’s Day is an important occasion, especially when your mom is as fantastic at her job as mine. I’ve come up with some fun things over the years to show how much I appreciate all she’s done for me. Once it was a container full of memories rolled up on little pieces of paper that she could open throughout the year, another time it was a multi-course from scratch lunch. Since spring has finally decided to stay for awhile I think a picnic would be lovely, don’t you? Lots of little bites, a colorful setting, and even champagne!
You just did a double-take, amiright? Well, I promise that this isn’t a 30-day late April Fool’s joke. Pantone, the global authority on and standard of color, has teamed up with Valspar to launch a new line of paint! The Pantone Universe Paint Collection will be available exclusively at Lowe’s beginning this month.
PHOTOS: Kelly Beall
The collection features 100 on-trend hues ranging from classic neutrals to eye-popping brights. It also includes the 2013 Pantone Color of the Year, Emerald, as well as the 2012 selection, Tangerine Tango!
This past weekend I visited NYC to participate in the 2-day Color with Confidence event along with several other bloggers and editors. Our first day was filled with inspirational talks from Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute Leatrice Eiseman, interior designer Elaine Griffin, and fashion designer Nanette Lepore. These ladies were nothing short of lovely and brilliant.
After listening to Leatrice, Elaine, and Nanette (and noshing on some tasty treats and colorful cocktails) we were taught the proper way to paint from Valspar’s Jill. I consider myself a fairly knowledgeable painter and was clueless on half of the tips she spilled!
• Use a wooden brush, it catches drips better.
• Use the handle of said brush to seal the edges of your painter’s tape.
• Remove your tape before the paint is actually dry to avoid peeling.
• Use high-quality brushes and roller to avoid shedding.
• A good paint roller is both washable and reusable.
• Load your roller with way more paint than you think necessary, four bathe + rolls in the tray is optimal.
• Paint in 4 x 4′ sections.
• Use a W technique (seen above). Make the letter W, then fill it in. Reload roller each time.
• Once the wall is filled go over it with vertical stripes of paint to even things out.
• Use a church key not a screwdriver to open paint cans.
• Put cellophane over the can opening before putting the lid back on to keep paint fresh for a year.
• Keep the paintbrush’s original packaging to retain shape.
• Always use a canvas drop cloth, it’s less slippery than plastic and absorbs drips immediately.
• Use a roller scraper to avoid wasting paint left in roller.
• Store paint in a cool place (i.e. not your garage – whoops!)
PHOTOS: Kelly Beall
We played around a bit choosing a color palette and talked to Nanette Lepore about how color inspires fashion. Then we mingled and headed home to rest up for the next day, when we’d finally get to dig in and get some paint on our hands!
PHOTOS: Kelly Beall
PHOTOS: Kelly Beall
After grabbing breakfast,we all loaded into a black bus with tinted windows (so VIP) with a moving truck tailing us, and headed to Hell’s Kitchen flea market. It was a beautiful sunshiney day and we were chomping at the bit to find the perfect pieces to upcycle. The first thing that caught my eye was a beautiful metal horse bust. I was in love. But the vendor wanted $500 for it and would only negotiate down to $275. Waaay out of my budget. Later we stopped in at the Salvation Army and I found this dresser that would have been perfect in my bedroom, but it was unfortunately already sold.
Luckily I’d picked up a just-in-case piece, this gorgeous typesetter’s drawer. I’ve been wanting one since high school and had never seen a specimen in such perfect condition, and with unfinished wood. Success!
I suspect we all looked like a sideshow hauling pieces to the end of flea and loading them into our truck, but oh well. We had everything from a TV console to mirrors to end tables by the end of our excursion.
PHOTOS: Kelly Beall
I didn’t realize just how dirty my piece was until I started wiping it down. So gross. (You can see the color difference between this photo pre-wash and the post-wash below.)
PHOTOS: Kelly Beall
It took me awhile to figure out just how I wanted to transform my newly acquired type drawer, but after some thought I decided to start by painting the borders a nice charcoal grey. When that didn’t seem enough I debated painting the entire interior, but it would have required smaller brushes and more time than I had. I settled on taping off a few “gallery sections” and painting them white, I’ll be able to use these areas to highlight special tchotchkes once I get it home and hang it on my office wall.
I’m really happy with how it turned out! I plan on going over the white areas with a smaller brush and one more coat before calling it complete, but I’m counting this guy as a success. The Pantone Universe paint in Valspar’s Signature covered like a dream and was so incredibly saturated with color. I only did one layer of the grey if that tells you anything. Oh, and it dries to the touch in 20 minutes! I know you’re going to love it as much as I do.
Disclaimer: Travel and hotel in NYC provided by Pantone and Valspar. All words and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Design Crush going!
Have you ever grown anything using hydroponics? I haven’t, but I’m intrigued by Modern Sprout. I love how simple this windowsill box looks and can definitely imagine it in my kitchen busting at the seams with herbs. Place the planter near a sunny window, set the timer, add plants and organic fertilizer and plug it in. That’s it. Even my brown thumb might have trouble messing that up!
Geometric things resonate with me. Jewelry, tattoos, art – you name it. The Animal Alphabet in Primitive Portraits by Mat Mabe is something I’ve been thinking about since first seeing it several days ago, each face is so distinct and each animal feels so alive it might jump off the print. (via Design Milk)
Sometimes it sucks when the world feels small, and sometimes it’s amazing. I’d like to introduce you to the ceramic work of Nicole Aquillano, the younger sister of a girl I graduated high school with over a decade ago just outside of Pittsburgh, PA. I love that I can see the influence of our town in Nicole’s work and am swept away by her attention to detail. Much of her work is based on the stability of home and the human need to maintain collections, both of which I can definitely relate to. (It’s a small world after all.)
Crane & Canopy is all that and a bag of chips, and I’m about to spill the many reasons why. Bedding is one of those final touches that make a room feel finished and pulled together, it’s also one of the more expensive elements in a bedroom. It seems like every search I’ve embarked upon has ended with me being in love with a set waaay out of my price range. (Followed by wine and chocolate.) Crane & Canopy has revolutionized all of that. First by creating their own designs, second by working directly with premium companies to cut out the middle men and lower costs.
But here’s the thing, just because the textiles are actually affordable doesn’t mean they’re lower in quality. All of Crane & Canopy‘s base fabrics use the highest quality cotton with 300 to 400 thread count weaves, optimized for softness while maintaining lifetime durability and longevity. And every piece has special touches like convenient corner ties, easy care zipper, exquisite piping, or beautiful embroidery. Not to mention the bold, graphic, and inspired prints created by their designers. (I picked up the Octavia for an upcoming project!)
The icing on the cake (or bag of chips) is that this spring Crane & Canopy has partnered with New York’s Safe Horizon to give back to domestic violence victims. For every bedding set purchased they’ll be donating a complete bedding set to to Safe Horizon’s shelter residents. I can only imagine how amazing it must feel to someone looking for even the most basic of human needs to safely and comfortably snuggle up at night.
Crane & Canopy also sells the most delicious sheets with colorful edging that I can’t wait to pick up, they look perfectly crisp for summer! Also just launched is their spring pop-up shop, filled to the brim with lovely modern things for your entire home – not just the bedroom.
