I am beyond thrilled to announce that I received an invitation from Brizo to attend New York Fashion Week as one of their 19 guests next month. The trip will involve 3 busy days, jam packed with events, all of which I’ll be sure to share more about at the time.

So wait, some of you are probably thinking who is Brizo? And why New York Fashion week?

Brizo is a premium faucet brand that passionately believes “that form and function are one and beautifully the same”. In my personal experience of visiting their showroom here in Chicago, and specifying their products for design projects, I have found that they always have fresh ideas, distinctive designs, and are invariably pushing the envelope with innovation and function.

So why NY fashion week? At the core of what Brizo stands for lies the idea that fashion doesn’t only apply to the clothes that we wear, but that high-style can be expressed all around, including the home. As a result they formed a relationship with fashion designer extraodinaire, Jason Wu, and have been his primary sponsor since 2006. Jason Wu has created exclusive designs for Brizo, and I love this video about their collaboration:

My time with Brizo will culminate in attending Jason Wu’s fashion show followed by an exclusive cocktail party celebrating “the unity of fashion on the runway and fashion for the home.” I seriously can’t wait. Pinch me!

Oh, and if you want to see their sexy Siderna collection in one of my bathroom designs, check it out here.

It’s finally time for me to 1) write blog posts more often, and 2) share some of my very own design experiences. I hope all of you who are remotely interested in what I have to say keep your fingers crossed for #1 to happen (yes, remind me!). But here goes… a post about a job I recently completed.

A few months ago I went to a social gathering, when I couple came up to me explaining they had just moved into a new home, and they need help with a bathroom.

Me: “No problem, let’s set up a time for me to come over, see the space, and discuss the project.”

This is what I walked into:

YIKES!!!

Errr…yes, I think you need some help!

So, for several weeks we worked together, and amidst the standard process of doing a bathroom remodel I had the opportunity to design a custom vanity and mirror. That is a part of my job that I absolutely love – seeing something unique, that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world, come into existence.

Here are some AFTER photos:

Mirror detail

Vanity detail

Vanity detail

All AFTER photos were taken by my talented friend, Elizabeth Prewitt, who takes all the photos for her very own foodie blog, one hundred eggs.

I grew up quite the tomboy. I’ve never been too much of a girlie girl, but as time goes by I am becoming increasingly fascinated by the integration of various design disciplines – particularly that of interior design and fashion. It all makes sense considering I started modeling as a teen and worked as a makeup artist for a number of years. I’ve been part of both worlds for a considerable period of time, but never embraced fashion as much as I did architecture and interior design. Now that I have established a career in interiors, my mind (and eyes!) seem to absorb all aspects of design, in general, more and more every day.

I plan to do a series of posts on this topic, and decided that there is no other person to start with than the magnificent Kelly Wearstler.

For now, let’s look at Kelly Wearstler, the interior designer. Her work is permeated with bold gestures of colour and pattern. I find the unique shapes, proportions and combinations of furniture & materials absolutely captivating in every single room that I see. Who is this woman?! So bad-ass!

Who dares to be this bold in a residence? I bet that wallpaper was designed by the lady herself.

At first glance this room appears “calm”, but upon closer inspection I find my eye traveling to the spherical stone base of the table, the sculptures, woodwork of the sideboard, the detail of the chairs…

Ah man, look at that stone wall. Stunning! Check out the herringbone tile inside the fireplace. The combination of soft rounded shapes and hard linear black chairs…just keep looking. This is fun, isn’t it? Did you notice the unique light fixtures?

The combination of pattern, texture, colour, materials and proportion in this photograph is perfection to me.

I want to go to the Viceroy in Anguilla just to have a glass of crisp white wine right here. The neutral palette really appeals to my senses, and again, I am entranced by the materials, shapes and proportions in the space.

The girl is not afraid of bold. This is pool side seating at the Avalon hotel in Beverly Hills. Not your average lounging-by-the-pool fare, if you ask me.

Kelly has clearly proven to be a fearless interior designer. She seems gutsy and adventurous when it comes to design. There will be a follow-up post to this one, and the next time I write about her, it will be to show you how her career has evolved to not only include a stunning collection of home objects, but a plunge into the world of fashion design. Good stuff, I promise!

(All images are taken from Kelly Wearslter’s website.)

I am quite a minimalist, and from a personal standpoint neutral color palettes and tones appeal to me very much. My entire wardrobe seems to be made up of greys, browns, blacks and whites, with the always present splash of blue denim (on the days that I’m not wearing my grey or black jeans, of course). Over the past year or so I have become obsessed with the combination of black and tan. I have that new car syndrome, when suddenly you see the car that you’re about to buy, or have just bought, all the time. Lately my visual world is filled with that black & tan combo. It translates wonderfully into fashion…

from mango.com

photo via Pinterest

…but my oh my, it is when I see that combination in interiors that I find myself in awe of its simple beauty. The thing is, this combination lends itself to the use of different materials – wood, leather, natural fibers. I am a big believer in combining a variety materials to create visual interest in a room. Just feast your eyes on these images.

from Elle Decor

photo by Joshua McHughes

photo via Remodelista

photo via Pinterest

photo via Pinterest

photo via Pinterest

photo via Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to slip on my black skinny jeans and tan leather low wedge boots to go to a site meeting. I’m starting a kitchen remodel today, which I’m sure you’ll hear more about in the near future!

Happy Monday!