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Posts Tagged ‘Designs by Michele Schenectady NY’

This recently completed master bath renovation was in a newly built home. The owners were happy with the layout of the bathroom but, wanted to punch it up a bit! The master bathroom should be your sanctuary, as stylish as it is soothing. We wanted to turn the existing bath into something unique.

I’ve rounded up a stunning way to create the dream bath that they would love being in. This bathroom was to be transformed into a peaceful escape reserved for the masters of the house.  With stunning tile work, soft fabrics and a calming color palette blend to form a decadent space designed for relaxation.

I started wall a gorgeous tile, the moment I saw this glass tile I knew.. this was perfect. And I was right, the owners squealed with excitement when I presented my ideas and finishes.

We chose a white glass tile, Jeweled j-603 in diamond white: The combination of finishes on the sheet of tile are clear glass,  wavy glass, frosted glass and marble,  it is exquisite.Jewel tile

The countertop, I used is  Cambria: Berwyn, this silver flecked stone adds a soft yet glamorous touch to this master bath.

Cambria-Berwyn

The Delta Vero Lavatory Faucets with waterfall spout, gives the right touch of sophistication to this charming master bath without breaking the budget.

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I took the bathroom mirror and lighting under the microscope to show how this bath accessory can change the ambience of your bathroom. Remember the main task of lighting in the bath, both direct and indirect is to caress and compliment you.

What do you think about illuminated mirrors? I used the LED Strip lights to back light the mirrors in this design, providing illumination as well as visual style above the vanity’s white under-mount sinks and quartz countertops.

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Two glass jeweled pendants hang above the double vanity adding a bit more interest and an elegant look.  Its tailored, not to girly for a man, and has a upscale feel in a restrained way.

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The lighted mirrors are remote controlled to fade to different colors and also soften or brighten with a touch.  The darker wood cabinets provide a subtle contrast with the lighter tiled floor.

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“It is a very luxurious spa like experience in this bathroom” the homeowners said when the project was completed.

It’s the details that give this Master suite a luxurious touch. I was hoping to create the sense of a 5 star hotel, it’s very important I think, that is  the experience you have when you walk into this space. This space is serene and peaceful, you have the same experience in the master bedroom.


To visually connect the master suite each room plays off the colors and fabrics of the last space. Though they’re usually hidden behind closed doors, master bathrooms deserve to be as thoughtfully decorated as your home’s living spaces.

 

As always, stay tuned for more Adventures in Styleland!

 

XOXO

M

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In honour of mothers on their special day, I asked myself what decorating secrets did I learn from my Mom…

mom carol and I

She made our home beautiful, chic and inspiring while juggling both a full-time job and being a mother. I learned about fabrics and sewing from my mom. She was an extraordinary seamstress. When I was little, I loved going to the fabric store with her — it was a world of imagination and creativity. She taught me to appreciate quality, natural fibers like wools, silks and fine cotton. Now working with fabrics is one of my favorite parts of decorating.

Another important lesson she taught me,  never to buy what I don’t need: a bargain is only a bargain if it’s something important. I also learned all about color selection and furniture arranging from her. We lived in Brooklyn NY in a 6 room apartment, she always kept it fresh, ever changing.. and I firmly believe that had this wonderful woman been any less interested in our family home as I grew up, I might not be where I am today.

My mother taught me that it’s important to develop personal style,  buy the best quality you can afford and mix family pieces, antiques and comfortable upholstered furniture– eat in the dining room, use your china or better dishes on Sundays.. I learned to respect our home and everything within it, including my mother.

My mom used to rearrange the furniture a lot — it’s surprising how furnishings can look completely new when viewed from a different angle or in a different room. She also taught me that every window looks empty and cold unless softened by a window treatment, she changed hers often.

She was never afraid of bold patterns, I remember her sewing room or the SPARE ROOM, we had large orange and yellow wall paper, and smaller floral wall paper on the ceiling.. It was cutting edge at the time..

When I was little, my mother always dressed — she was glammed up even when cleaning the house. From her, I learned to dress and decorate with the intent to be gorgeous, having no fear of color.

I will end here with a couple of ideas for what to do for your mom..

Source and pay for a house cleaning service for a few months. A house cleaning every two weeks, I’m sure all moms would appreciate the break. That being said, do not buy her a vacuum, cleaning supplies, or tools unless she specifically asks for them. I’m looking at you Dad.

Brunch was always a favorite of mine.. I loved to go to a special Italian place locally that served cured meats..fresh fruits..baked delights and my family would all laugh and enjoy the meal together…

table scape

Spend time, yes…time… take the day and pull out pictures, family vacations reminisce with her, make cookies sit and have a cup of coffee.. Love her and let her know that she is the most important women in your life.

Mom and Dad

 

Miss you Mother Theresa…All my love

 

XOXO

 

M

 

 

 

 

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Revere PewterChoosing a wall color can be fun, its all in the approach….and help from your painting professional! While doing a room for Vanguard Showhouse, I was asked to do a tour through the house and talk about the paint colors. As National Color consultant for Certa Pro Painters, I was happy to lead the tour.

One of the first questions was:

Q : What is the lovely grey color on the walls? And how do I know if it’s right for my home?

Paint colors

A: The question-of-the-day on the house tour was ‘What color are the walls?’  The answer was Benjamin Moore’s Revere Pewter.  Once I answered, nearly everyone who asked the question, replied “This can’t be Revere Pewter !  I have used that color or have sampled Revere Pewter and this is not what it looked like.”  Although each person’s experience with Revere Pewter was different, the consensus was that the color looked great in this home.

Certa Pro Banan Boat

Selecting the right paint color for your space is a process that takes time and a number of steps to achieve.

There are many factors that can affect paint color:

  • Natural light : the direction the light is coming from (northern exposure and eastern exposure each provide a very different quality of light),
  • Artificial light : will you have incandescent, fluorescent, or LED lighting?  Or a mixture of some or all of these?
  • Surroundings : what furnishings, artwork, draperies, rugs, and hard finishes are there in the space?  Each of these factors will have an influence on the wall color.
I always recommend hiring a Professional Painting Service. At CertaPro Painters they know the highest quality paint products to use with the right finishes that will enhance your walls. With this expertise, they will recommend these products to you to ensure that your painted surfaces look their best and stay looking beautiful for as long as possible.
Certapro painters

Paint colors should be selected in the space they will be utilized.  Look at the color swatches next to the fabrics and finishes intended for the space.

  • Start by finding a few (2-3) options for each space.
  • Ask your decorator or Painter if he/she can order larger color sheets for you, BM has 18 x18 and Sherwin Williams has 8 x 10
  • If the large color sheets are not available, ask the paint store to mix the smallest quantity for you (in the intended sheen) for each of the options you have selected.
  • Paint the colors on a board such as poster board, or some spare drywall pieces.  Painting on the wall may seem like a great shortcut, however as soon as you put 3 big splashes of color on the wall next to each other, each of the samples is affected by the other colors, and are therefore not rendering true.  Another reason to sample on a board is that you can carry the color from room to room, as well as from wall to wall.  The color will look different on a wall with a window than a wall opposite a window than on the ceiling.
  • Seeing the color in multiple locations, and at different times of day (with natural light during the day, and artificial light in the evening) will allow you to really study the color and decide which is right for you.

If you are still feeling unsure about the process and selecting the right colors for your space, please give Certa Pro a call they would be more than happy to provide a color consultation for just the one room you are ready to paint, or your entire home or commercial space. Set up your appointment for a free quote at the Home Expo Terri Gargano of CertaPro Albany will be at Booth 348 in the Times Union Center.

Stay Tuned for more Adventures in Styleland

 

XOXO

M

 

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Albany Centerr Gallery

Albany Center Gallery has provided a platform for 39 years for the work of contemporary visual artists to engage the public, Leslie Urbach opened the gallery’s doors in 1977.  The Albany Center Gallery (a non-profit art space) that is dedicated to exhibiting contemporary art of the Mohawk Hudson Region. They have at least 7 major exhibits each year. Located at 247 Lark Street in Albany, the Gallery holds regular classes and workshops.     

Albany Centerr Gallery 1Take Shape:  Opening in May 2015

Telling Oct-Nov13Telling featuring: Jane McCambley, Theresa McTague, Josette Pastore, Allan Sparrow

Leslie Urbach passed in 1997 at age 88.  His mission of fostering regional art helped launch the careers of numerous area painters, sculptors, photographers and printmakers. Albany Center Gallery will have various artists on display at the Times Union Home Expo. February 19-21st.

Our adventures continue with this DIY Art Project…

Wall Art for Less Than $10!!

Art done right..I love finding these little DIY projects that we all can appreciate! Surfing the internet on FB. I came across this article from Popsugar.com. I just had to pass it along! Enjoy!!!

How-Turn-Photos-Wall-Art

XOXO
M

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head board bench in my garden JPG

Recently a good friend gave me a garden stone,memory stone

to remember my parents. I have an old arbor in the yard, I placed the memory stone near there, but  I wanted a place to sit… a place that would turn my garden spot into a destination, a place to linger, a respite from the daily grind, to escape and reflect…

Seating transforms your yard into a park-like oasis where you can soak in the beauty of what you’ve labored to create,  we plant vegetables every year near this area.

It also allows you to seat your family and friends in comfort while you bore them with the minute details of the six varieties of tomatoes and four kinds of peppers you’ve planted. Along with the variety of Herbs (as an Italian women,  I need my basil and parsley..for sauce of course!).

head board bench in my garden 2

The issue, as always is the expense!  Any step above plastic stackables is just scary, especially if you want something with a little more character.

head board bench swing

I saw this idea for a bed-into-bench couple years ago, and thought that is so sweet!!  The beauty of this project is its economy, its simplicity, and its endless variations, benches… swings …OMG, really your only limited by your imagination! Any Thrift Store or Salvation Army has old headboards and footboards. I happen to have an old one from a garage sale!

head board bench

You’re probably going to be painting it, so if its in rough shape it doesn’t matter!

There are so many tutorials online to help!! Fun and Fabulous!!!head board bench 5

 

Stay tuned… for more Adventures in Styleland…

 

XOXO

 

M

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1024x1042From our home to yours… Have yourself a Merry Christmas.. See The article on our home in 518LIFE

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 Layering patterns involves four main elements: color, scale, shape and texture. If you’re like me and you fall in love with four times the amount of fabric you need at a showroom, you’ll need to go through some major editing. First up is color. Lay all your possible choices out on the floor and if certain ones look a hot mess and just don’t play well with others, remove them from the mix right away. It’s kinda like kicking an obnoxious reality cast member off the island after an elimination challenge but with fibers and weaves versus emotions and bad behavior.

Here’s an example of a great color edit. Notice how each of the fabrics sports different shades of a common color, blue? This is what you ultimately want; the varying intensities lead to an evolved, effortless look. Something else that’s happening here is a great mix of shapes going in different directions.

I borrowed this picture below from Ballard Designs.

Traditional

A traditional rug doesn’t have to define your space. Add in updated prints and colors pulled from the rug for a wonderful eclectic look.

1.) Carlson Rug
2.) Claire Gray
3.) Felicity Spa
4.) Lorenzo Charcoal
5.) Bark Twill
6.) Danish Linen Oatmeal
7.) Natural Microfiber, Bark Twill, Indochine Stone

8.) Kravet Indochine Ikat Stone

Traditional Layering

Contemporary

Keep a monochromatic color scheme interesting with great patterns that play well together and fabrics with tonal texture, like Kravet’s Scandicci Gray.

1.)Kravet Indochine Ikat Stone
2.) Kravet Toscana Ikat Slate
3.) Lorenzo Charcoal
4.) Asha Pewter
5.) Danish Linen Tea
6.) Scandicci Gray (Kravet)
7.) Panthea Rug (Gray)

Contemporary Layering

 Add contrast. Once you have your main color selection down, in this case its Grey, add a bit of contrast. See the Suzanni fabric #4 with the gold and pewter.

Vary the scale. While color and shape are easier to get a grasp on, scale is a bit more complicated. There are three different sizes of scale: small, medium and large. When mixing prints, try not to choose more than one of the same scale size; multiple patterns of the same scale often result in a heap of Hodgepodge. The person who does this best is Betsy Burnham, if we were all as talented as this women the world would be pattern of loveliness!

The perfect mix. We’ve got a large-scale pattern sporting an orange suzanni pattern, a medium-scale blue plaid which is traditional, and the small scale cheater global animal print. The trio is also different directionally; the rug runs horizontally, in this ethnic/global zigzag like pattern. But all of these prints work well together!! Hopefully you can use some of these tips when putting together patterns in your home…

As Always stayed tuned for more Adventures in Styleland….

XOXO

M

M

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guido Guido was one of my favorite cousins growing up in Brooklyn. Now living in Upstate New York one of my favorite places to visit is Guido’s Ice Cream Parlor in Albany..  Recently I  thought… why can’t we eat ice cream for breakfast????  how is it that different from milk and cereal, except in format?   Guido's Italian Ice Should some foods — like ice cream  — be off limits for breakfast?   I think not!  L.O.L…Let me say that ice cream is one of my favorite foods in the whole world; I like all kinds, with all sorts of toppings, and I have been known to find reasons to partake in this yummy treat multiple times within a single day. I mean compare your yogurt and your ice cream label…or your granola and your cone ingredients (or sugar content)! It’s all a numbers game my friends….   Growing up in Brooklyn, Italian Ice runs in my veins! This past weekend we had family in for the weekend so we headed out Saturday to Guido’s for some Italian Ice and to pick up some ice cream for home. Last night we finished dinner and brought out the ice cream from Guido’s for desert…. it was so much better than the supermarket ice cream that we normally have on hand. As we dished some out, my niece decided she wanted hers in a cone… guido's ice cream       I can honestly say I have never seen someone eat an ice cream cone by starting with chomping into the cone just below the ice cream . When I saw this we realized there was no way to salvage the situation so we just let the little honey bunny eat the cone in whatever way she wished.

She finished the whole thing………………………. then she had a bath………………………………. then we did the laundry..

I’ll end here today with this thought when I grew up we didn’t have a dishwasher, I’ve found that some shortcuts in life are worth it. And eating ice cream off paper plates is one of them.

Stay Tuned…for more adventures in Styleland…

XOXO

M

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our yardOn Merlin Drive today my yard looks pretty but very cold brrrr…..

As temperatures drop outside stay warm inside with some cozy fireplace inspiration. From traditional to modern, gas to wood-burning, a fireplace can add a serious cozy factor to your room. Just imagine snuggling up to a warm fire on these frigid nights.

Matchless Stove and Chimney

If you’ve already got a fireplace, there are many ways you can give it an update to change your look. Repainting the mantle or changing out the accessories and art above it can update your space with little effort. This neutral fireplace mantel is dressed with a bright, colorful painting!

Matchless Stove and Chimney 2

This modern fireplace adds warmth you can enjoy from every angle.

Matchless Stove and Chimney 3

You won’t have to worry about tripping on this fireplace that fits seamlessly in the wall.

Grab a good book, settle in and Stay Warm… Stay tuned for more wintery days and Adventures in Styleland..

XOXO

M

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