Thursday, December 9, 2010

Eclat Vibe opens at the Promenade Shops!




For the past few months, I have been working with my clients to create an amazing space for their swimwear and ladies athletic apparel boutique, ECLAT VIBE. Since the beautiful lines of clothing they would be carrying are so rich in color, they wanted the space to let the clothes take the forefront. So, we did this by creating a stunning white space in various finishes... a high gloss porcelain and glass floor, white walls, white leather upholstered counter, and white millwork in a matte finish. The store colors were to be a striking cobalt blue, crisp white and dark silver. We brought in the cobalt accents in rich velour dressing room curtains, matching velour ottomans, and a fabulous multi-textured shag rug. The silver hue was carried throughout the store from the entrance, where there is a silver mosaic border in the floor, to the center counter, which is clad in a sparkly silver quartz top, and finally to the back wall, which is covered in a beautiful metallic wall covering with a beaded texture. The overall space takes on a fresh and modern feel, much like the clothing in the store!

Eclat Vibe has an amazing selection of the top ladies swimwear and athletic apparel. It is located at the Promenade Shops in Coconut Creek, Florida. Stop by and see the fabulous clothing for yourselves!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Design Showcase at Fort Lauderdale Home Design and Remodeling Show





I'm excited to be working on yet another vignette for the Home Show! This time around, the space is going to be a chic, modern outdoor cabana. I've partnered up with local furniture showroom MIA Home Trends who is providing a beautiful collection of outdoor furniture, as well as an outdoor area rug, and custom pillows, in Sunbrella outdoor fabrics. I'm loving the color palette! I got the inspiration from a beautiful Trina Turk fabric (Shumacher) and the rest came together from there. We just got the pillows back today from the workroom, and they look awesome! Please stop by and see the finished 'Cabana' at the Fort Lauderdale Home Design and Remodeling Show, December 3rd-5th!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Aging in Place Design for the Kitchen...

AOL Shopping interviewed me earlier this summer, where I shared some great tips for designing your kitchen, with 'aging in place' in mind. Take a look at the video clip to hear what I had to say!






Sunday, September 12, 2010

A Complete Room in Three and a Half Days!!








Last week, I transformed an empty space, to a complete furnished room.....in the Miami Beach Convention Center. As part of the Design for the Stars Showcase at the Miami Home Design and Remodeling Show, I was one of 5 designers creating a room for a local media personality. My room was designed to honor Roxanne Vargas of NBC Miami. She gave me some ideas on her favorite colors, design style, and what type of room she would like. I took all of that info, and turned it into this! (link to 'Roxy's Room' on South Florida Today segment below)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu_1icPHBu4

It took a lot of work, but it IS possible to transform a room in just three days!! With lots of help from my contractors, family and friends....we pulled it off! I thank everyone involved for their help! It was so sad to take it all apart at the end of the show.....enjoy the photos of the finished space (courtesy of Anna-Lee DeSuze) and all the steps we went through to get there!



Saturday, August 21, 2010

InterviewHer video shoot

Yesterday, I had the honor of being part of a dynamic group of business women taking part in the InterviewHer video shoot. We shared our stories on camera of how and why we decided to start our own companies. It's going to be part of a really cool video on the home page on the interviewher.com website. The other three women who took part were Jessica Masi of JCG Events, Tiffany Pearl of Miss Fanatic, and Nikol Johnson of Fresh Beauty Studio. C&I Studios filmed the segments, and we were styled by Jessie boutique. I loved the dress they chose for me sooo much! Styling at it's best...it was completely spot-on what I would have chosen for myself! I also loved the makeup, perfectly done by David Scott Stephens.....he did a fantastic job with all of the girls!

I am looking forward to seeing the finished video in weeks to come, and will post a link once it's up! Special thanks to Jenny Ortiz of InterviewHer for putting this all together!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Miami Home Design and Remodeling Show




With just a few weeks left until the Miami Home Design and Remodeling Show, I am getting my display ready! I am designing a modern family/entertainment room as part of their Designer Showcase. Each room is designed for a local media personality, and mine will be designed to honor Roxanne Vargas of NBC Miami.

The room will be a mix of dark, polished flooring provided by Atlas Concorde, and white, modern furnishings. It will have a warm, yet modern feel....with lots of accents in rich tones of red, gold, and metallics. I have designed a custom bar, which will be upholstered in large squares of red leatherette. Kohler is providing a great entertainment sink and faucet for the bar as well. Special thanks to Contour Fabrications (bar), Custom Design Studio (upholstery and pillows), Gasa Construction, and Imperial Stone (countertop) for helping make this all possible! I am excited to put it all together at the show! It's going to be a lot of work, but I've got a great team to help me!

The show is from Friday September 3rd until Tuesday September 7th at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Please stop by and see the finished product! I will also be part of a panel at the show, ('Hiring a Contractor')on Saturday, September 4th at 3:00 pm. We will be discussing all the things to look for when hiring a contractor to do your remodeling project. It will be a very informative session for anyone thinking about starting a renovation project.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Comcast Newsmakers


Yesterday, John Ryba of Artistic Cabinetry and I filmed two segments for Comcast Newsmakers.
We discuss the importance of hiring licensed Contractors for your home improvement projects. There is also a segment where we speak about the upcoming Miami Home Design and Remodeling Show September 3-7th, and the seminars and panels that the NKBA will be offering at this show. It will air locally on Channel 29 in South Florida (CNN Headline News) throughout the month of August. I will post the schedule soon!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Great New Website to Check Out... InterviewHer.com


I recently had the opportunity to share my story with 'InterviewHer.com,' a great website that profiles women who have started their own businesses. The site has many inspirational stories about women accomplishing great things with the businesses they have started. Check out my interview, as well as many others!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Benjamin Moore 'Experts Exchange' app


Check out the Benjamin Moore 'Experts Exchange' app on Facebook! It's a group of Designers, Architects, Contractors, and Color Experts who will answer questions and give advice on color selection.

Send questions my way, and I'll be happy to help out!

Saturday, June 5, 2010

South Florida Today Show


On Thursday, June 3rd, I was a guest on the South Florida Today Show, on NBC 6. It was a segment on the upcoming Home Design and Remodeling Show, where I spoke about great 'aging in place' products for the kitchen and the bath. I had a great time, it was a lot of fun!

I will be speaking about 'Aging in Place and Universal Design' in further detail today at 5:00pm at the Home Design & Remodeling Show at the Broward County Convention Center. Stop by if you can!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Fort Lauderdale Spring Home Design & Remodeling Show

I will be speaking at the Fort Lauderdale Home Design and Remodeling Show on Saturday, June 5th at 5pm. My topic will be focused on Universal Design for the kitchen and bath. Afterwards, I will be at the NKBA booth, answering questions with my fellow kitchen and bath design professionals. Stop by if you can!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Installation and Design Showcase at Coverings





Last week, the Inaugural 'Installation and Design Showcase' took place at Coverings, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. Expert tile installers from all over the country teamed up with talented designers, to create five beautiful bathroom spaces that were installed live at the show! It was a lot of work, and the dedicated team of installers worked tirelessly to complete the displays by Thursday's reception. While the installers were finishing up the displays, the designers participated in a Panel (moderated by Luxe magazine) on their design inspiration for the showcase as well as upcoming bath trends.

I truly enjoyed my involvement in the showcase, designing the 'Universal Design' bath display. My installers, Artcraft Granite Marble & Tile from Mesa, Arizona were wonderful! It was great to work with such a talented group of installers, who really made my vision come to life! I also enjoyed meeting all of the other designers involved in the showcase. Each of the spaces were so unique and beautiful!

I was also happy to have Ceramic Tiles of Italy as my tile sponsor, their vendors gave me a lot to choose from for my design. Their booth at the show was absolutely beautiful, and I enjoyed the cappuccinos and pasta lunches as well!

Overall, it was really a great experience! While live installation can be very stressful at times....I felt like it truly was a depiction of what real life design and installation can be like....things that occur, making decisions during installation to fix them, working with a team of people, etc. This kind of connection with the installers makes it all come together....which is what this was all about! I really enjoyed taking part in this experience, and meeting everyone involved!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Savant's iPad app 'Rosie' / Home Automation


I got the opportunity to attend a really interesting presentation earlier this afternoon from Savant, introducing us to their 'Rosie' app for the iPad. See their attached link to see what this will do for Home Automation!

Friday, April 9, 2010

COVERINGS

With less than two weeks to go......I am looking forward to Coverings...and just finishing up some last minute things for the display! Excited to have Ceramic Tiles of Italy as the sponsor for my tile! I was really able to pick some beautiful tiles, and cannot wait to see them installed at the show, along with great fixtures from Kohler!!! My tile design will be installed by award winning installers Artcraft Granite Marble and Tile.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Miami Home Design and Remodeling Show

I really enjoyed the Miami Home Design and Remodeling Show yesterday...and would like to thank those who attended my seminar! It was a great crowd this weekend. The next Home Show will be held in the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center, the weekend of June 4-6th.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

'Designing a Bath on a Budget'.....

I will be speaking on behalf of the South Florida NKBA Chapter this weekend at the Miami Home Design and Remodeling Show, on Saturday (March 27th) at 7 pm. Several NKBA members and myself, will be speaking about various topics concerning the kitchen and bath throughout the weekend. See the link below for featured speakers and their topics. My topic is Designing a Bath on a Budget, something that is easy to do.....once you know the small changes you can make to save $$ and not compromise the look. In this seminar, I will educate the consumer on what choices in plumbing fixtures, tile, cabinetry, countertops and lighting will make staying within your budget possible! Yes, it can be done...I have been doing this with my own clients for years. Designing a beautiful bath is possible at any budget.....you just need to remember the key tips that I will touch on in my presentation.

If you happen to be at the show this weekend, stop by the NKBA booth for advice from the kitchen and bath experts! Catch a seminar or two as well!

The Home Design and Remodeling Show is being held at the Miami Beach Convention Center

Coverings Installation and Design Showcase


I'm very excited to announce that I will be designing the Universal Bath for the upcoming Design and Installation Showcase at Coverings. The 20' x 10' space will feature tiles from various Ceramic Tiles of Italy vendors as well as bath fixtures from Kohler. The showcase includes a total of five baths, each designed by a different designer, with a different theme. They include Spa Bath, Master Bath, Kids Bath, Powder Room and of course, Universal Design. The designs will come to life at the Coverings show, being installed as the show goes on! Each designer has been paired with an expert tile installer. I have been paired with Artcraft Granite and Marble, and am looking forward to seeing the installation!
Coverings will be held this year at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida from April 27-30th.