The blessings that God has bestowed on my life are numerous….this lil girl is one of the biggest blessings of all.

She did not come quickly as we struggled to successfully conceive and carry our first baby for 2 1/2 years.

I’m realizing now how precious time is…how quickly it flies by…how much I want to soak in the gifts of my family.

Certain moments are better reminders than others of what really matters to me in my life.  Life gets busy, I find myself scattered, overwhelmed, and short on awareness.

May I continue to be humbled in parenting with love, awareness, an open mind and a wide open heart.

Peace

Today I’m featuring the work of photographer and stylist, Mark Seelen.  His work resonates with me on so many levels.  This post will focus primarily on his muted, warm hued interiors.  Balance is such a key component for my eye when I look at interiors or other forms of art.  I am very well aware that style is a personal preference….what works for me, might not be appealing to others.

Rarely do I find a photographer who conveys my design aesthetic as spot on as Mark’s portfolio does.  I have mentioned here before, my personal aesthetic is not a driving force for my design work as each project calls for a different look and ultimately, the client’s preferences of style (reined in or enhanced, as needed) form the basis for the design concept and the overall look of the project.

There are those occasions when the client and I either see eye to eye, or the project…it’s bones, the architecture, the scope and the client’s involvement allow for me to wholeheartedly execute my dream design preference.  Those occasions are rare, but ever so lovely.

These examples are a bit cold as shown, as they do not illustrate actual “lived in” spaces…in other words, they are stylized for the shoot.  A bit of artwork, more table top items, and the wrinkles, paper and pitter patter feet (two or four legged friends) that mirror daily life would fold very well within these spaces.

Mark has an extensive body of work with a nice range of styles and visual categories.  I plan to do another post with a bit more color and playfulness.

It’s Valentine’s day weekend….hope you have an amazingly sweet time with those you cherish.

Peace.

I believe the right question to ask, respecting all ornament, is simply this; was it done with enjoyment, was the carver happy while he was about it?
John Ruskin

image by: jana

Today I thought I’d shed a bit of lighting design inspiration from Zia Priven Design.  Zia Priven is a company comprised of a husband and wife team.  Marcia Zia and Paul Priven began creating clean, classic, hand made lighting designs in 1999.  Their designs show a strong modern aesthetic, grounded in classic styling, materials and finished details.

The fixture above features lovely feminine hand-blown glass drops in soft elongated shapes, with staggered lengths hung from a hammered bronze ceiling canopy.

I’m drawn to this ceiling fixture for it’s simplistic style, play on simple materials, translucent appeal and soft circular shape.  Love the polished nickel faceted bead ball chain and top canopy as classic modern elements.

Similar in design concept to the fixture above, but with a geometric twist, level faceted bead ball lengths with a copper colored finish.  Stunning !!

Same idea and the copper pendant, but with silver metallic finish, slightly smaller scale design..equally brilliant.

Zia Priven is also known for their stellar hand-blown glass finials…above are a few of my favorites.

Lastly, a simple driftwood based table lamp.  The shape, the materials, the negative space within it’s body results in a textural clean lighting alternative for your bedside or a sofa/console table.  (I absolutely adore the console table it shown on—love the organic shaped wood slab with asymetrical metal inserts for support and design appeal).

I have so missed blogging and connecting here.  I sometimes feel like I am drowning in all the aspects of my life….wishing to feel a sense of balance…to give the appropriate amount of time and attention to all that matters to me…sometimes, I just fall short.

I hope to be more consistent here as time goes by in 2010.

Peace!

This cross was a gift from my lovely niece in law….love the texture, shape of the pieces, metal carvings and the finish.

Peace.

Image by:  jana

It has been too long since I posted here.  Somehow in the pace that is my life, I ran out of blogging steam. This image, which I took with my new camera (over the moon excited about her), is a reminder of the power of play in my life; I watch my children lace play into every single thing that they do—it is as natural for them as breathing.  It bums me out that I forget to carve out time to play…with friends, with my children, with my husband, my family, and now, with my new camera.

I love being a mother, and I love creating spaces that people can enjoy….in order to have something to give back, I have to continue to replenish my soul…play is one way for me to do that.

Happy New Year (belated, I realize).  I’d love to hear what helps you keep up with all of the demands and the pace of your life?

Peace

image by:  jana

One of Ben Kelly Design (“BKD”) exhibitions….a design firm, London based…a very impressive breadth of work

wooden telephone poles juxtaposed with brass L brackets housing business gear and lighting—smart and chic

lovely custom woodwork with the repeated pole element…housing a simple Thomas Edison bulb; love the aggregate tile flooring with the weight of the sleek concrete wall

on color…..vivid, rich and decisively placed….complimentary, subtle yet brilliantly effective

custom wood cut and inlay elements mixed with the sleek, yet masculine element of steel; sound architecture and material selection

color and material selection is a delicate rope to walk in design without overstimulating the space—-a fine example of a job well done on all levels

rich, textural, primarily masculine with brilliant red wall and bar beverage pull elements…concrete wall, high gloss red wall, and stainless (thicker edge detail) counter married with a sleek black elevated skateboard counter.  I’m lovin how the stools are floor mounted to blend in as permanent fixture

accomplished in color splashes and mixing materials is clearly evident in this vignette; there are at least a dozen worthy elements to soak in for design inspiration on future projects

Peace

warmth of wool felt and rich pigments/prints and patterns, coupled with sweet whimsy

lovely composition and photography, care of Janis Nicolay.  an interiors and lifestyle photographer based out of Vancouver, BC. a pleasant gift to discover her work….so inspiring. exchanged emails with Janis…she couldn’t have been more lovely.

sleek and minimalistic with the unexpected pop of color infused through the glass insert of the door element…..sunny to the nines

juxtaposed crisp white against bold color reduced perfectly with butter toned design elements.

appealing to my earnest desire for some quiet time, some comfy, warm and tactile stillness…an opportunity to rejuvenate the soul and contemplate what matters most….my family, friends, truth, love….acceptance of all that is.

appreciate the talent that I find myself discovering…Janis is no exception.

her client list is quite impressive featuring clients from national and international shelter magazines.

Pssst, Janis also has a blog

Peace

My jaw hit the floor when I saw this phenomenal take on wood inlayed flooring.  Generally speaking, traditional inlaid wood floors are a bit busy for my taste, but these floors, designed by I Vasselletti are completely drool worthy. (Product found via the lovely blog 79 ideas)

Peace

image by:  jana in studio