The Modern Sophisticate

Design Lesson: How To Mat Art

My sweet husband made me a pair of these for Christmas: (ignore the protective cardboard covers)

It is so handy having a live-in custom framer! He used this frame from our bedroom as inspiration:

and he's leaving me to choose the art and matting. Smart boy! One of the most common mistakes I see when it comes to framing is the use of too small of mat board. A general rule of thumb is to have the matting twice the width of the frame. If you have a chunky 3" frame have 6" of mat board surrounding your art. But you don't have to stop there! Check out this beauty:

The larger the mat board, the greater the emphasis on the art. Isn't that what it's all about? The one place I feel it's alright to break this rule, though, is when you have a gallery wall full of art. Some can be heavily matted and others, not at all. This is a great way to add variety to your collection.

"A piece of art cheaply framed or with wrong proportions and scale can detract enormously from the piece. I know it can be expensive, but if you’ve already invested in the art, you should finish it properly. It’s like buying a wonderful dress and wearing it with cheap, wrong shoes." -Vincente Wolf

Yet again, another element I MUST have in my future home: a hallway chock-full of black and white photography. Tres chic!

The moral of the story? Don't be timid or chintzy when it comes to matting your photos! Be daring and make that artwork POP!

Stay tuned for the finished product of my Christmas frames! I'm off to find the perfect black and white prints...

{images via Canadian House and Home, Houzz, Pottery Barn and Vincente Wolf}

Thomas Pheasant Inspiration

Just got back from a marathon shopping spree with a client. Whew! Did we get work done. I'm going to take a short break from the design world for the rest of the day, but I will leave you with this inspiration:

{image via Thomas Pheasant}

"Good design does not begin with decorating.

Defining the architectural vocabulary of a space is

the first step in building a beautiful interior."

-Thomas Pheasant

P.S. There is something in this picture which will be the subject of tomorrow's post. Can you guess what it is?

Look for Less: Urban Home

Are you like me and have champagne tastes on a root beer budget? Well we are not alone. Though I always stress "buy the best quality you can afford," sometimes the budget calls for some compromises (ok, EVERYONE'S budget calls for compromises, even the rich and famous, I've come to learn). That's why I was so happy to come across this amazing source! Check out these looks for less from Urban Home.

{Urban Home's Lauren Chair vs. Crate&Barrel's Colette Chair}

A savings of $350 a chair!

{Urban Home's Devonshire Day Bed vs. Crate&Barrel's Simone Daybed}

A savings of $620!

{Urban Home's Entice Mist Ottoman vs. Global Views' Poof Ottoman}

A savings of $600!

{Urban Home's Entice Mist Sofa vs. Z Gallerie's Pauline Sofa}

A savings of $400!

I would actually recommend the Z Gallerie version, if you could afford it. Upholstery is not an area you want to cut corners. But then again, if you have to, Urban's Home's version isn't too bad! Just change those pillows. Please.

{Urban Home's Chesapeake Side Table vs. Pottery Barn's Stratton Bedside Table}
A savings of $110!

{ Urban Homes' Ray Table vs. West Elm's Parson's Table}
A savings of $200!

{Urban Home's Havana Bed vs. Restoration Hardware's Camden Arch Bed}

Choosing the bed on the the left would save you a wopping $1500!!!

Not to shabby, if I do say so myself. There really are many more "copy cat" pieces at Urban Home, but instead of having an endless post, just know, if you like something on this site, there is probably a more expensive version out there and you are getting a steal!

House Crush: Jennifer Lopez

I hope all you had a most wonderful Christmas! Mine was quite good. I'm currently compiling a post about my favorite gift, white custom frames my hubbie made to go over our nightstands! Sigh... now back to normal life...

My jaw dropped when I came across these images from the Jan./Feb. issue of Veranda Magazine. They are of Jeniffer Lopez's Southern California home and I seriously think her designer, Michelle Workman, is my design twin separated at birth! Does anything in these photos look familiar?

How about this table:

from this post,

and this chandelier:

from this post. The chairs are very similar, too. Great minds think a like, I guess!

Check out how fabulous the rest of JLo's home turned out:

The palette of soft taupe, gray and blue was based off vintage black and white movies from the 1940's. Again, SO my personal style. True love...

Lucite legged bench from Suzanne Kasler's collection. Love me some lucite!

{images via Curbed}

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Only two more presents to wrap before I'm 100% ready for the big day! You know you are an interior designer when you spend just as much time (if not more) wrapping and garnishing presents than you did selecting the actual gift. That and all the presents you wrap are color coordinated and you hide the ones that aren't in the back far reaches under the tree. Not that I do these things...

I wish all my readers all the warmth this season has to offer!

{images via Martha Stewart and weheartit, edited by Brooke Jones, Allied ASID}

Let It Snow!

It snowed. A lot. More than a foot in less than a day. Wowsers.

{images via weheartit}

Louis Vuitton Cruise 2011

Just when I thought Louis Vuitton couldn't get any better than their Fall 2010 line (remember yesterday's post? Or this post?), they go and out-do themselves yet again. And better yet, I just found out there's a good chance I'll be taking a cruise South of the border this February, so I can use these editorial images as inspiration for my wardrobe!