Color of the Year 2018

While we’re sharing our Color of the Year with our 2018 Forecast post tomorrow, I thought I’d share selections from Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore and Pantone. What do you think of these colors? Sherwin Williams From Sherwin-Williams.com: “A collision of rich blue with jewel-toned green, a color that is both accessible and elusive, Oceanside SW 6496, is…

Read Full Post

Color of the Year 2015

~By Susan Rayner, Design Editor~ It’s a new year so it’s time for Pantone to announce their new color and for 2015 it’s . . . . MARSALA. And my reaction is . . . I’m not lovin’ it, to tell you the truth. Which may be a surprise to my friends who are familiar…

Read Full Post

For the Love of Lamps

~ By Susan Rayner, Design Editor ~ I have a little thing for lamps. Almost as bad as my thing for side tables, but at least lamps take up less space. The right lamp can totally elevate a room, just as the wrong one can look oddly out of place. So how do you choose the…

Read Full Post

Chicago Botanic Garden Annual Antiques & Garden Fair

~By Susan Rayner, Design Editor ~ I trekked up to Chicago’s North Shore last weekend to visit one of my favorite places – the Chicago Botanic Garden.  Although I am a gardener and can’t wait until my tulips bloom (any second now!), this time I was there primarily to visit the annual Antiques Fair.  Which…

Read Full Post

Is it Houndstooth or Herringbone?

~By Susan Rayner, Design Editor~ I love menswear fabrics, especially when used in unexpected ways.  Right now these patterns are all over women’s fashion.  And where fashion goes, interior design is sure to follow.       So how do you tell your houndstooth from your herringbone? Houndstooth is a two-toned textile consisting of jagged…

Read Full Post

What do Hugh Hefner, Frank Sinatra  & Dustin Hoffman have in common?

~ By Susan Rayner, Design Editor ~  Wandering through the booths at Chicago’s International Antique Fair earlier this year I came across this amazing item.   Even though I’m a long-time fan of mid-century furnishings I had somehow never discovered the Clairtone Project G stereo. I totally fell in love with its swinging 60’s cool…

Read Full Post

Modern Kitchen Design Trends

 Today’s post & infographic originally appeared on PartSelect.com. If you’d like to hear about more interior design trends, be sure to check out this episode of the Power Up Living show with Design Editor, Susan Rayner. Enjoy! ~KG One of the growing trends in kitchen design today focuses on creating a central spot in the…

Read Full Post

The White Stuff

~ By Susan Rayner, Design Editor~ Just got back in the house after yet another round of shoveling. Looking at all that snow made me think of how we use white space in design – whether it’s graphic, website, product or interior design.  Hopefully Mother Nature will get the message that she’s given us enough…

Read Full Post