Friday, January 27, 2012

Happy Friday ... and weekend!

As a European who lived in the US for a while, I like home interiors that capture both worlds. I love the European furniture (especially antiques, I must say) but also the easy flow of the American rooms, the classic feeling of Europe with the hip and sassy American sparkle. Not so many designers or decorators will be able to achieve “that” look I enjoy so much seeing…but I have two names that always come up with something that takes my breath away. One is American and the other is French. Meet my two favorites, Charles Spada and Jean-Louis Deniot.

















Pictures from 1 to 9 Charles Spada
Pictures from 10 to 18 Jean-Louis Deniot


See you,

Carmen Dee

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Color me: Mint and Lemon



I don’t know what’s got into me but since I saw this picture in the new issue of Rue Magazine (as always with nice, young and hip interiors!) I feel like changing everything in the house again!!!
Ok, I’m one of those who love having a very neutral design palette so I can use it as the base for every change of mood I may have along the way. And believe me…most of the time colors don’t stay for a whole season. I’m already dreaming about all the yellow forsythia flowers blooming around the house as huge bouquets, some little touches of lemon yellow silk and maybe a piece of furniture and/or upholstery in a soft and velvety shade of magic mint or aquamarine…DIVINE!!! Don’t you agree?


Via Pinterest

Via Pinterest


Source Here

Via Elle Decor


Source Here

Via Pinterest

Source Here

See you,

Carmen Dee

Monday, January 16, 2012

Forcing branches


Source Here

I can’t believe I’m forcing branches so early this year. I normally have to wait for the end of February or the beginning of March to bring those brunches in. But the weather has been so “hot” this winter…
This is a very easy and rewarding thing to do if you like to have beautiful bouquets around the house. Just cut the branches with lots of swollen, plump buds. It’ll take from one to four weeks to bloom once you take them inside…don’t forget to change the water often to keep them blooming for a long time.
Within a couple of weeks I’ll have forsythias and cherry tree flowers blooming around the house. I can’t wait to see the yellow and pinkish little flowers brighten every room of the house!!!



Branches will go from this...


...and this...


...to this huge and beautiful bouquet!!!

Via Pinterest

Via Country Home

Via Pinterest

Via Martha Stewart

Source Here

Source Here

See you,

Carmen Dee

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Seen on the Web: Curtains make a Room!


 
Source Here

Any decorator around the world will tell you, when it comes to window treatments, everything matters; color, fabric, length, lining. The best way to get it right is to go custom-made. It is more expensive but so worth it. You know what they say, “curtains make a room” it is your choice to make it look stunning…or not!

Color: You can go bold or just stay neutral, depending on how often you like to change things around the room…



Source Here


Source Here


Fabric and lining: Linen, heavy cotton, wool, silk and velvet are my favorites but you can choose almost any fabric as long as you use the correct lining (or none) to add body and texture to the panels.


Via Pinterest

Source the essence of the good life


Via Pinterest


Length: No rule on that, depends on everyone’s taste but let’s say that hanging curtains higher than the window will add a sense of height to the room, hence a more dramatic look! Also (and this makes a huge difference) don’t forget to have your curtains “dusting” the ground. Panels too short and not touching the ground is a NO, NO, NO and you don’t want that, right?



Source Here


Via Belgian Pearls


For those who think that curtains make the rooms seem darker, just keep in mind that when measuring your window you should add from 10 to 20 cm (even more for big windows) on each side so they don’t block the window glass while the panels stay open!


Source Veranda

Are you going to take out your tape mesure and start a new curtain project?

See you,

Carmen Dee

Monday, January 9, 2012

Party of the Month or...Party of the Year!!!



Like I promised on my last post. Here are some pictures of my son’s 3rd Birthday party. Everything happened so fast, I couldn’t take all the pictures I wanted (before and after). It’s not easy to keep up with 8 toddlers from 3 to 5 and a half…
Sorry for the quality of the pictures but, as you already know by now, I’m really not a pro on that…But I had so much fun baking and cooking all the food, crafting the décor and the crowns, sewing the capes, making the tutus…and seeing Charles’ face (and his friends, too) when discovering the set and saying “c’est magnifique! Gracias mama, te quiero, te quiero, a besos!!!” (A mix of French and Spanish for “It’s awesome! Thank you mom, I love you, I love you with kisses”)
I hope you enjoy the “spirit” of the pictures as much as the kids enjoyed the party, the gifts and the favors!!!

The Birthday boy the night before

The home made cake (I have to work harder on the marshmallow fondant)



Kissing and saying thank you to his friends


The happy party (almost all of them)

Before blowing the canddles


The playing and fun




See you,

Carmen Dee