Organization Ideas

I've had the word 'organization' on my mind lately because right now my home is just about anything but! De-cluttering and organizing is so important for our peace of mind. I definitely get stressed more easily when my home or workspace has grown wild and when I can't find what I'm looking for. Organizing isn't so hard to do but staying organized is challenging. Having a home for all of your belongings is key because when things don't have a proper home, they end up in junk drawers, under the bed and crammed into nooks and crannies just to get them out of sight. Letting go of the things we no longer use or need is another important component of staying organized.

For inspiration, below are a few pictures of some organized spaces.





and now a couple of closets...




and some other goodies... I love the inexpensive tension rod solution used for hanging spray bottles. So simple and effective. Getting your bottles of households cleaners etc off floor level gives you more space to store even more items. You can buy a tension rod at your local hardware store, bath bed and beyond or sears for all of about 4.00.







Now I'm going to get to re- organizing my pantry! I have some cutesy ideas I want to try out. Once I get it all picture perfect, I'll post a before and after.

Newly Released from Duralee

I love all these bright colored fabrics from Duralee! Duralee also carry the Thomas Paul collection, I'll post on that later. Call or email for pricing or memo samples.

Jill Clarkson Color and Design 415. 924.4204

Colorful Rooms for Kids

Kids rooms are a great place to get bold with color and kids love it. I really like the mix and match window treatments in the photo above, it's creative and fun yet most wouldn't be brave enough to try something like this, being the matchy- matchy society we often are.... It's well done in this young girls room. Experimenting with window treatments in this way could be a whole lot of fun and a great way to introduce layers of color, texture and pattern. One tip for making this work well is making sure all of the window treatments have a common ingredient so they relate to one another, rather than compete with each other. (think color, line and pattern)


The room below is also way fun! The chair back made from skis and valances made from college pennants give it that special and personal touch. Makes me want to rework my own son's room...a constant work in process anyway. (cleaning process!)

Below, a seaside room with a terrific view which is more mellow than those above but ever so cheery. Blues and greens work together to create a soothing effect and the sundrenched yellow walls make it a very happy looking room.


Last, check out the painted trim in the bedroom below. This is something worth trying! What a great blue they chose.


Photos from Southern Living

Curve Appeal

I love seeing interior and exterior curved elements on a house. The curve, or arch, is feminine, soft, elegant and interesting and such a nice change from the commonly found square and rectangular shapes found throughout our homes. Trendir featured these ridiculously gorgeous curved kitchen islands by Alessi. Aren't they just to die for? Makes my kitchen seem so plain....



Women in particular respond well to curved lines and will notice and admire an arched doorway or window before their husband even notices it's there! Not to mean men don't like curves...I know plenty who do ( no pun intended ; ) ) but it's the feminine reflection that we women instantly relate to and appreciate. Creating an arched doorway within the home is fairly affordable and adds character and softness. Arched windows are lovely to look at. I prefer to see the arched section of the window uncovered and a window treatment ( if needed) only on the lower portion of the window.






There are other curved shapes to be had for fireplaces, stairways, tile with graphic or textured curves etc.



If you're headed towards a remodel you may want to give your house some curve appeal. You'll be glad you did!

Busy Bee!

I have been busy as a bee with no time to spare lately! I was crazed with finals in school up until a few weeks ago then my son graduated kindergarten and had his 6th Birthday Bash on June 14th. I hoped I would have had some time to catch my breath by now but no such luck!! Work mode has been in high gear and I've been swamped with 12 and 14 hour work days. Summer is the busy season in home improvement and as a single mom to boot, there isn't much free time! Winter is always slower but this fall I'll be back in school so I'm afraid my social life will continue to suffer..oh well, could be worse!

I miss visiting some of my favorite blogs too but finally spent a few minutes tonight doing just that. SfgirlByBay is one of my most favorite blogs. San Francisco based Victoria, the authoress, has so many awesome posts to do with interior design, vintage style and great san francisco finds. I loved how she put this space plan together for one of her readers.
She also shared a link which you might want to visit if you want to experiment with a new space plan yourself. check out Icovia and give their free trial a whirl. I haven't used this one personally but it looks nice. Working with a room in this way ( on paper or on screen) can give you some fresh ideas and it's a lot of fun!

Decor 8 is holding a mood board contest which has some gorgeous entries from all over the world. If you're looking for design inspiration, these boards will be a great resource for you. You might feel like starting your own, which is a great way to help you get clear on your design ideas. It's fun to see all these boards, the different styles and uses of color, wish I had time to view them all.

Print + Pattern has an open call for entries for an upcoming book to be published by Laurence King. If you're a designer, illustrator, student or whatever with a talent for surface design you should visit the link and see if there is something you want to enter. The print + pattern blog is fun to visit. I always find some inspiration there.

Hope you all are having a great summer!

That's Clever!

I love what Front Design did with this everyday pedestrian white plastic chair. Who hasn't owned one of these at some point or another? I admit I have and it didn't look this good! It's fun to see. (via Design Spotter)

Below check out Pixel Tape, a cool and fun way to create messages, signage and more...if you have the time to mess around! You just black out the pixels with a marker to create your chosen text. Follow the link to see the utube video.

Interior Sun Protection

Here in Marin, summer is making it's debut and it's a great time to think about window coverings that will protect your furnishings, rugs and other interior items. There are a lot of options for sun protection including solar shades, cellular shades, drapes, blinds and shutters. The price for quality window coverings is small compared to loosing thousands in furniture, art and accessories to sun fading and drying.

For the month of May, you can save 30% on solar shades,cellulars and blinds, including all Hunter Douglas products, and 20% on composite or wood interior shutters. jill.clarkson@comcast.net

Purple in the Kitchen

I wanted to add these pics to the Decorating With Purple files for added inspiration for those of you flirting wth purple. Purple in the kitchen in not common place but I do like the above sleek and modern kitchen with it's ever so pale purple walls. (via HGTV) Below purple hits the cabinets in high gloss. (via google images)


And last is a fun and creative kitchen in purple, blues and greens. Via MirrorMirror

I'll be hanging out with my little biker dude. ; )

2nd Place: Red

Red came in 2nd place via the poll recently held here. Red is a fun color to work with and I certainly can understand how some may be reluctant to paint walls red for fear of it being overpowering or too loud. Above (top) is Benjamin Moore's Red Oxide, picture via Apartment Therapy. What a great looking room. The walls have such a nice warm glow yet the color does not overwhelm or overpower everything else in the room. 2nd from the top is Farrow and Ball's Blazer red. The walls aren't too loud as the navy area rug tones down the red and makes the room feel more grounded. Below is Benjamin Moore's Spring Tulip, a pink red. The color is much more pronounced and becomes the main feature of the room. It's a matter of personal taste.


Below are some nice reds from Benjamin Moore's Aura line, a low VOC paint.

I love the Pomegranite and the Caliente is nice too. There are several neutrals shown that would work well as companion colors. Using a muted or dulled red will prevent your walls from being too loud. First decide whether you prefer a yellow based red or a blue based red. The yellow based reds are warmer and some are shown on the top row below. Blue based reds are shown on the bottom row below.

If you've been wanting a red room or just a red accent wall then you should give it a try. Red walls envelop a room, making it feel cozy and intimate. A dining room is a great place to try red and subdued reds also work well in living areas. You should start with a duller red and go brighter or more saturated if you feel like it. It's easier to add color than to cover it up. Reserve your judgment of the red until you bring your furniture and accessories back into the room as those other items will make a big difference.