It's my birthday, let's celebrate with a giveaway!

Who doesn't love sharing a little birthday love? To celebrate the day and introduce a new service offered by Kate Nisbet Designs...

Do you have a bedroom that has been calling for some professional help and a little love & attention? Maybe you have a baby on the way and you want to welcome your bundle into a fabulous nursery. Or perhaps you have a "slashie" room; like an office-slash-guest room that needs a little oomph & TLC? It can be a design problem as simple as "I have no idea how to arrange the furniture in my living room" or as elaborate as "we're newlyweds with newly-merged furniture and taste, help!" You'll send me the dimensions of your room, furniture that will stay, photos and your inspirations, and I'll send you a space plan and suggested pieces, colors, accessories, etc to complete the look, all from easily accessible resources! I put together this mood board as an example:

Easy as birthday cake pie!
Note: By entering this giveaway you agree to have the phases of your e-design project shared on this blog. You also agree to have patience as you are there to help me work out the kinks! Once the design is complete you also promise to send me photos of the stages & finished product to share. 
Contest details: The giveaway closes Tuesday July 3rd at midnight. The winner will be chosen and announced in a grand fashion with fireworks & sparklers on Wednesday July 4th. This contest is for 1 room of e-design services only. If winner is local and requires an in-person consultation regular design fees will apply. 

Tip your hat to vintage style.

"Be faithful to your own taste because nothing you really like is ever out of style"

 ~Billy Baldwin

A modern take on a vintage staple that used to be found in every home. Cocktail anyone?

Source: everythingfab.com via Kate on Pinterest

Vintage mod furniture in a very classic, architecturally speaking, is perfection to me.

Source: nattybydesign.blogspot.com via Kate on Pinterest

I cannot wait to hang a grouping of a client's family silver trays on the wall. What once was practical is now art!

Source: abodelove.blogspot.com via Kate on Pinterest

Why not take something you love and use it in an unexpected way?

Source: annesage.com via Kate on Pinterest

One of my favorite elements of the design process is tipping your hat and being inspired by the past. What goes around comes back around eventually, just with a twist. I came across a copy of iconic interior design book "Billy Baldwin Decorates." I loved flipping through the crisp pages that raised a slightly musty smell that transported me straight to Betty Drapers living room. While the book was published in 1972, it featured the Interior Designer's works from the late '40s through the late '60s. I was amazed by how his designs inspire those of current decor today. 

I love taking pieces that have a history and incorporating them in a new way that is more practical to the modern day lifestyle. Have you re purposed any vintage finds lately?

I'll leave you today with a favorite quote from Mr. Baldwin that I try to impart to all my clients; 

"Nothing is in good taste unless it suits the way you live. What's practical is beautiful....and suitability always overrules fashion."

It's all about the details.

 Some say the devil is in the details. I think those little pieces and parts can make or break a room. Without thought and careful planning these seemingly small elements create the polish that makes the room feel complete. Here are a few of my favorite details from recent projects!

 

{Photo taken by Kate Nisbet Designs}

By replacing a large traditional gold framed portrait with a grouping of four collected-while-traveling Asian fans simply framed in black and white makes a big impact above a chest in the dining room. The small amount of negative space that creates a cross shape allows the vibrant wall color to peek through and establishes the illusion that the frames are identical in size, when they are all just a teeny bit different. The dark frames hung in a grouping was "just the thing" the wall was asking for!

{Photo taken by Kate Nisbet Designs}

 Tailored "outside the box" flat pleat silk window panels with a teeny button detail perfectly frame the window & complete the French country feel of this dining room.

{Photo by Kate Nisbet Designs}

On the topic of tailoring, I'm a stickler. When cushions & pillows are perfectly crafted, they can take an area of hard surfaces, like this built in window seat, and make it cozy, warm, & inviting. By mixing pattern & texture within a monochromatic neutral color scheme, I added a little oomph to an often ignored space!

What is one of your favorite details you've seen recently?

Classic with a Twist.

Source: nineandsixteen.blogspot.com via Kate on Pinterest

What do you get when you take a classic pattern seen throughout history and explode it's size? A fantastic twist. I love the re-emergence of blown-up-gingham and buffalo check. It's fresh and fun and could be worked seamlessly into any style interior. Bold and bright or soft and serene I have a crush on this pattern!

Source: smittendesign.blogspot.com via Kate on Pinterest

Source: houseofturquoise.com via Kate on Pinterest

Source: everythingfab.com via Kate on Pinterest

A day in the life.

If there is one quality in an interior designer that I think is most important, beside being super creative & able to stay in a budget, is the ability to multi-task. This job takes me to all sorts of places and spaces in any given day and I love it. Click on the collage above for a little snippet of my day! I've been to stone yards to search for the perfect Soapstone, Marble, & Granites ... I've installed a tailored and elegant silk drapery panels in a dining room...I'm researching this classic sofa for a friend, and have been spending time in the trade showrooms finding the perfect soft goods to cozy up a clients family room ... I've even hit some of my favorite shops to pull together a welcoming vignette in an office. 

I wonder where today will take me?

{paperlove} Prints

Etsy has taken global creativity and made it accessible to all. Picking up unique prints or cards and putting them in an in-expensive frame is an easy way to freshen up your space without spending a bundle. Frame a favorite quote and put it on your desk as a daily reminder. Create a gallery wall in your child's nursery. Frame a little ditty in your kitchen that makes you smile. The possibility & sizes are endless! Here are a few of my current favorites!

                                                                                   Source: etsy.com via Kate on Pinterest

Words of wisdom from the great Julia Child!

{ "Joy" Print by The Wheat Field  | "Tulip Tree" by dutchdoor }

Happy joyful prints.

{ "Muppet Alphabet" by Mike Boon  |  "Letterpress Alphabet" by 1canoe2 }

Learn + Love.

{ "Perched Cardinal" by Poshta Design  | "Home Sweet NC" by thispapership }

Celebrate your state!

{ "Sweet Pig" by thewheatfield  |  "B is for Bacon" by thepaperpeony }

...or your favorite animal. Or husbands in this case!

{ "Smile" + "Live" by HeartfishPress }

I have "Live What You Love" framed above my desk and it makes me happy every single day.

{ColorLove} | Tango Tangerine

Source: paloma81.blogspot.com via Kate on Pinterest

Don't want to commit to the color? How about introducing it in art? I love the muted color palette in the above room that is offset by a large bold painting!

Source: cococozy.com via Kate on Pinterest

Just a punch of color, that's all you need!

Source: flickr.com via Kate on Pinterest

Want to make a statement? Why not paint your front door! A bold color makes a big impact with minimal investment, and is very inviting. Wouldn't you like to visit this house?


Tango Tangerine: It's the "it" color for 2012. It's bold, cheerful, and reminds me of sunset. I must admit, I've been a fan for years. You can find the color accented through my home on a chair, in artwork, or even the inside of my flip-front desk. Pantone describes the color as, "a spirited reddish-orange that continues to provide the energy boost we need to recharge and move forward." I couldn't agree more. Are you a fan of the color of the year?

{I apologize for the funky alignment, blogger is giving me fits!}

1st Photo Above:
1. "Maggie" Wallpaper from Madison + Grow
2. Hermes orange buffet spotted at an antique shop. I hope to find this a home with a client. It. Is. FAB.
3. A peek of orange on the shelf above my desk.
4. Tango Tangerine hints pop through on a scheme I'm working on for my house. If you look closely, you'll even see the it-color popping through on my desk!