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Interior Design Resources: Houndstooth
Have you caught the fever for houndstooth prints? This bold pattern is a terrific way to instantly update a room – taking it from blah to groovy, baby. Here are some options and inspiration.
Black and white houndstooth goes well with pinks and grays. Why not go bolder and team it with yellow or red? Purple would look smashing. Don’t forget a silver metallic wallcovering to complete the ’70’s look.
Here are some fabric options I picked up at the Design Center last week. Each comes in several colorways. From the left is: Schumacher’s Chatham Houndstooth, in Espresso (100% linen), Greeff’s Brayden Houndstooth, in Saddle (100% cotton), Schumacher’s Martin Houndstooth, in Onyx (100% cotton). Contact me for prices.
FLOR offers All Bark and No Bite ($16.99 per square) comes in five colors. It’s a subtle option.
Not so meek is Jonathan Adler’s Zebra Houndstooth Rug ($1,050.00). It comes in black and brown. Adler also offers the same prints in a rectangular shape.
This storage bench is from Target ($189.99). Buy two square trays and you’ve got a great coffee table. You can play it safe with black, or go crazy with screaming yellow.
Did you know that you can major in interior design and specialize in car interiors? There’s more to it than you might think. The designer behind Kia’s Soul, is one groovy hipster.
Here’s another colorway to consider. I found this lamp ($49.99) at Bed, Bath & Beyond. Stunned? I was.
This is a very nice chair from Overstock.com. Priced at a mere $295.00 I’d snap up two.
Two more fabric choices are both from Schumacher. On the left, Langley Houndstooth, in Pepper (a soft gray in 100% wool). On the right is Chelsea Chenille in Jet Black. Contact me for prices.
Finally, two pillows. The brown is from Bassett and is on sale for $39.99. The black option is from Ballard Design and sells for $119.00.
Friday Favorite: Jane Hornsby Cushions
I’m dedicating this Friday Favorite to my friends, Jeremy and Mariana. He’s from London, but loves his new home in the US. Even so, I think he’d like these beautiful cushions from Jane Hornsby.
I like them because they’re not the usual souvenir sort of thing. They’re made with velvet appliqués. And they’re fun as well as good looking.
Jeremy, or his wife Mariana, might like this cushion. I do.But Mariana is from Australia. Hmm…
Some Love anyone? Love the color combo here.
This may be a little too feminine for Jeremy. If Jane makes a Manchester City cushion I know he’d buy 20 at least.
Jane Hornsby’s cushions come with a feather insert at start at about $99.00 US. Shipping is free in the UK. She ships everywhere.
Cushions are a terrific way to change the look of a room. Or add that little something extra to round out your design. But I have a feeling you already knew that. Right?
Decorative pillows by Nena Von
Home accents designer and Etsy shop owner, Nena Von, sews up some terrific accent pillows. Let’s take a look, shall we?
Nena uses higher-end fabrics for her pillows. This lumbar style is made with fabric from Romo ($30.00).
She has a good eye for putting things together. And I like her choice of fabrics and colors.
The cut velvet lumbar pillow (above) is my favorite. Her down pillows come with the insert. At $20.00, that’s a steal.
In addition to pillows, Nena sews up memory boards and has another shop featuring accessories for the nursery.
Clarissa Hulse’s jewel-toned fabrics and wallpapers
A happy surprise at ICFF was discovering the work of Clarissa Hulse. Her interior design products are sold in shops throughout the world as well as her own shop Online.
Clarissa began creating fabrics from her home base in the UK in 1992. Her line is now extensive and includes wallpapers, bedding, and pillows.
I love her jewel-toned fabrics and wallpapers which are hand-screened onto linen and silk. Her fabrics come in upholstery and “soft home” weight (that means a lighter weight for curtains, pillows, etc.) and are sold by the meter.
One of my favorite fabrics is Virginia Creeper (above). It comes in four colorways. Briar (below) comes in six. Love that one, too.
These chairs are awesome! I’m also showing a peek at her bedding line and gifts, like notebooks.
Something else that’s cool about Clarissa is that she’s a Hulse, which is my maiden name. I don’t often run across it. I guess that makes us cousins, doesn’t it?
Moxy Crochet
Helping people to support themselves and become independent is a growing phenomenon in depressed regions of Africa. 
Moxy Crochet is part of this growing trend. The small company (only seven people) are from the Khayelietsha neighborhood of Cape Town, South Africa.
They work from home to create blankets, pillows and handbags. The team members work from home and meet every two weeks to exchange materials and news. Laura Summs, the chief designer of Moxy Crochet, pieces the elements together herself.
Moxy Crochet’s products are made from locally dyed cotton, wool and mohair. Each item is one-of-a-kind. They make their blankets in a standard size, but take custom orders.
To find out more about Moxy Crochet, or to place an order, visit their site and contact them directly.
It seems that crocheting is making a comeback. I think it’s the brighter colors that make these blankets so appealing.
Does anyone crochet? I’m thinking of learning how, since all I can knit is one long thing. This seems easier to do and to make something usable. Is it easy to learn?
DIY: Toile Pillows
Here’s a fast and fun way to add some French Ooh La La to your boudoir. First, buy a pillow in a solid color. Next, scoot over to The Stencil Library and choose your favorite toile stencil.
Use fabric paint and a stencil brush to add the design to the pillow. Done. Make a bunch for your friends.
These stencils ($42) can be found in their on-line catalog under On-Line Exclusives. They ship all over the world.
And the winner is….
It’s time to announce the winners of the Spring Break Contest. First, thanks to Hable Construction for donating their skull pillow for the prize. It’s so cute.
The winner of the pillow and a Design Hole Tee shirt is Ms. Missy! Your pillow will be on its way directly from Hable Construction. The three runners up won Design Hole Tees. They are: Elisa, Sarah, and Maribelle. Congratulations!
Stay tuned for another contest coming up in a few weeks. The prize is a hard cover book filled with decorating advice and tons of photos from Domino Magazine.
Meanwhile, did you enjoy this contest? I’m always looking for good contest ideas – something more fun than just entering. If you’ve got a tip, let me know.
Last Day to Enter the Spring Break Contest
My Spring Break Contest ends this evening at midnight, EST. Don’t miss your chance to win this fantabulous pillow from Hable Construction. It’s worth $135!
To enter, simply visit Hable Construction and choose something you like. Then, come back here and leave your fave in the comments section. All done. I’ll draw the winner, at random, from all the entrants on all contest posts. Runners up will win Design Hole Tee shirts. Yay!
I designed this contest as a way to thank Hable for offering the pillow (no strings attached) as a contest prize. I love their stuff and think more people should know about it. Do you like this sort of contest? I’m always up for new ideas. So, feel free to give me your honest opinion in the comments, too.
Spring Break Contest
Yay! Spring Break is almost here. To get us all in the mood for cherry blossoms, tulips, warm weather and (perhaps) a trip to the beach, I’m giving away this super-cute Skull pillow from Hable Construction.
This wool felt appliquéd pillow (14″ x 18″) pillow is a personal favorite of mine. What’s yours? To find out, and to enter the contest, just visit Hable Construction and choose your favorite item. Then, let us all know by leaving a comment at the end of this post.
The contest starts now and will run through Tuesday, April 7th. I’ll announce the winner (chosen by a random drawing from the entries) on Wednesday, April 8th. Have fun!
I Like LL Bean
And I’m not afraid to say it out loud! Does anyone remember when LL Bean was preppy heaven? If you wanted to be cool you had to have a down jacket and blucher mocs from LL Bean.
Sadly, their fashions are now being shipped directly from Elastic Waistland. But check out some of their home decor. Okay, some of it is really bad. But I like these pillows.
These Maine Isle Pillows are perfect for a beach house or cottage. Center one on a twin bed. They’d look equally nice in a contemporary or traditional setting. They’re gusseted, and the sides are navy. They really should include the photo from the catalog. They look a lot nicer. Anyway, these sell for a mere $29.50. That’s an amazing price.
These are more traditional, but check out the prices. The wool hooked pillow (which comes in a bunch of styles) sells for $39.50. The Fishing Tournament style is only $29.50. They’re a great value and a great way to finish out a room. Here’s a look at some more styles, below.
Like ‘em?
Hable Construction: Kickin’ It Tropical
One Memorial Day, not so long ago, it was so cold here in Michigan that my son went swimming wearing a wet suit. Fortunately, not all of us live in the frozen tundra. And, others actually like the cold, which is settling in here in the northern climates.
Not me. I was born to live at the equator. What with moths eating my sweaters and folks talking about putting an end to global warming, it’s enough to make a grown woman cry.
Or enough to make me think about splurging on some tropical themed pillows from Hable Construction.
Truthfully, these would look strange in my living room. But this morning I’m living in the land of wishful thinking. If I lived in a warmer climate I’d snap these up. They’re made with wool felted appliqués and most come in several sizes.
Hable makes all kinds of things, not just tropical and seaside things. However, these are their most whimsical styles. I like them.
Friday Favorite: Lovebird Pillow
Here’s a design idea for Friday. Spruce up your bedscape with different toss pillows. Keep your color palette in mind, and put together an assortment of toss pillows that aren’t from the same collection. Not only will you have a pillow for every reclined occasion (use your imagination!), but your bed will reflect your personality instead of Wamsutta’s.
You could start with a pillow like this, from Danish design company, Ferm Living. Their Lovebirds pillow (28″ x 14″) is the latest addition to their new textile collection. You can find it at Lekker, where it sells for $110.
Oh, and thanks to Kim for finding this Favorite for me.