Friday, January 31, 2014

Jamie Herzlinger Is On Fire!

Designer Jamie Herzlinger recently opened a showroom in New York in Suite 425 of the New York Design Center at 200 Lexington Avenue. There are a ton of goodies to be had including her own custom furniture line, her curated resources line, antiques from Linda Horn and Milord Antiques, lighting by Carlos de la Puente, and elegant handmade wall coverings by Studio E. 


In addition to the excitement of having a New York showroom Janie's work is on the cover of the upcoming issue Interiors magazine. This girl is on fire!!!!

Jamie is an all inclusive person, always generous and never letting her success go to her head. She wants the everyday designer and home decorator to have direct access to the fantastic pieces in her showroom along with assistance from her interior design firm. JamieShop.com is a very useful and user friendly service in addition to the new showroom.

You can shop these vendors through JamieShop.com

You can shop these vendors through JamieShop.com

You can shop these vendors through JamieShop.com

I have been a fan of her talent for a long time. So when you are in New York, drop by her showroom and tell her The Vamp sends you.


Hi Jamie! The Vamp hearts you! - Jamie Herzlinger in her new showroom in New York


Hover over any image to Pin it
Please add my NEW address to your blog list: http://thevisualvamp.blogspot.com
And please become a Follower again (or for the first time) on this newer VV blog

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Liz Caan

While searching the web for images of the Alexandra chair designed by Suzanne Kasler, I came across a photo of a very pretty dressing room with that chair. The room was designed by Liz Caan, and from that one photo I followed a trail to her web site. I share a few of my favorite images. Enjoy!

What a great idea for a front door - And here's a tip - a cow hide rug makes a wonderful rug in an entry way - it is impervious to dirt
Do your front door like Liz Caan - You can find stencils and decals on Etsy - I like this one too

I am doing banquettes in my dining room, and love this idea of a banquette back that looks like a headboard

This affordable headboard would work as a back for a banquette

I have used a table with a root base for a client and love the look of it

Root base table from Groundworks

Love the accent colors and textiles in this family room designed by Liz Caan

Affordable initial pillows on Etsy

This is the kind of attention to detail that really makes me smile

Industrial faucet handles can be painted any color - I love this vintage ones from Etsy


Don't you love the hanging bed mixed with sophisticated wallpaper and classic monogram bedding


Here's a hanging bed from Etsy - I guess you could make one - I would pad it like the one Liz Caan did

Here's the Palu hanging bed from Zinc Door

Here's the photo that sent me down the rabbit hole to discover Liz Caan

Buy the Alexandra chair from Pacific Bay Interiors


Hover over any image to Pin it
Please add my NEW address to your blog list: http://thevisualvamp.blogspot.com
And please become a Follower again (or for the first time) on this newer VV blog



Sunday, January 26, 2014

Where To Buy A Little Something Plum

Plum seems to be the front runner in the color of the year arena.  I continued my love affair with it, in my post for Houzz this month.

Plum is so moody

Plum Alexandra chair designed by Suzanne Kasler - interior design by Liz Caan


I share a ton of things you can buy at reasonable prices in plum. Go and take a look at Houzz. 

Check out my product picks in plum at Houzz


How would you add a little plum to a room in your house?

Add an accent of plum to your house - I listed a ton in my my post I Heart Plum at Houzz

Plum pairs well with magenta and chartreuse - check out my post I Heart Plum at Houzz for accents in these colors


Hover over any image to Pin it
Please add my NEW address to your blog list: http://thevisualvamp.blogspot.com
And please become a Follower again (or for the first time) on this newer VV blog

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Plum - What Do You Think?

Pantone is not the only one who announces a color of the year. Major paint companies forecast their own trends too. I especially love the Sherwin Williams 2014 Color of the Year, Exclusive Plum.

Plum daybed in a photograph from House Proud by Valorie Hart, photos by Sara Essex Bradley

Jackie Jordan from Sherwin Williams chooses the color of the year, and she has an insightful article all about it.

Exclusive Plum the Sherwin Williams 2014 Color of the Year

Jackie says that she like to choose a storyteller color. She explains, "So what is a storyteller color? It’s a hue that evokes an emotion, depicts a mood, is emerging in new product roll outs and has endless possibilities. It’s a color that can be the hero in a space or set the stage for others to follow. It’s a color that’s being driven by our desires, our lifestyles, our mindsets and our inspirations. Personally, I must have complete conviction that the hue I choose for the color of the year has longstanding potential and appeal."

Green pairs well plum

Jackie says, "For these reasons and more, I selected Exclusive Plum (SW 6263) for 2014. We’re craving a complex, adult purple that’s both mystical and curious. A sophisticated hue that evokes elements of romance, drama and playfulness. Exclusive Plum has enough gray to ground it — to keep it from looking either too girlish or too overpowering — yet has a depth and saturation that can take it in many different directions."


Plum has enough gray to ground it

I love this color. I have been  working with a palette of Sherwin Williams colors for a project where the entire house is getting a paint job. I am taking it from a beige box to nuance and depth and playfulness.

Plum is modern and traditional at the same time - citrine, green, and magenta pair well with plum

Plum with magenta lamps

Usually I wrap a room in the same color - walls, trim, ceiling, but this time I brought back something classic and old school. I did the trim white, and gasp, I opted for white ceilings! I chose SW Extra White.

Plum is sophisticated and enduring

The palette revolves around one of my Sherwin Williams favorites, Peppercorn. From there I chose colors with the same value. The color story starts with a lighter gray when you enter the house. It's a shotgun, so the enfilade layout allows a color story to unfold.

Plum is so romantic and works well in bedrooms

After the front room, you pass through to the dining room, which got the gorgeous Peppercorn. The kitchen unfolds next, and then a reveal of a long gallery style hallway to the back part of the house. These areas are visually connected, so Peppercorn weaves it way through all these spaces.

You could just paint the back of bookshelves with plum

A guest bedroom off the dining room is painted  a saturated mid tone blue. This room will be the Palm Beach story, but more of a modern preppy look. A Jack and Jill bath connects to a second bedroom and it was painted the palest of the gray scale. The powder room and laundry room also were painted in this most neutral of all the colors. The second bedroom was painted the same mid tone of the front room.

Love how the texture of the brick wall is enhanced by painting it plum

There is a den at the back of the house, and it is also painted the same color as the first room in the house as you enter. It achieves a pleasing "bookend" effect through color.

How great is this entry hall with one plum area surrounded by green with white trim

The master bedroom is my favorite after the Peppercorn rooms.

A color the depth of Peppercorn pairs well with plum

When you present color suggestions to home owners, they are not as certain as we decorators and designers are. It takes a few samples on the wall, a slew of pictures pinned on Pinterest, and expressing the confidence of your experience and wisdom.

White ceilings and trim work so well with plum

Another gray tone would have been fine for the master bedroom, but I pushed a little and suggest two purple/gray colors. I think a purple/gray is perfect for a room shared by a couple. It is romantic without being cloying.

Traditional paneling painted plum

I presented a lighter and a darker choice. At first the man of the house balked at the idea of a "purple" bedroom. But he looked at the Pins, and talked it out. I thought at best, the lighter more "safe" tone might be chosen.

Plum looks perfect in the great outdoors, since green (this time found in nature) is a complimentary color

I was in for a surprise. He chose the darker shade! Either would have worked, but the darker shade is the most beautiful.

Exclusive Plum in a hallway

So I am checking my email and I get Jackie Jordan's article about the Sherwin Williams 2014 Color of the Year. I had to laugh a little. It is so close to the color chosen for my project.

Chartreuse , magenta, orange, gray, white and black accents work well with Exclusive Plum

It's not Exclusive Plum, but Soulful Blue. It's more in the violet spectrum. Peppercorn has a very subtle blue undertone, so the colors chosen to stand alongside of it also have that same subtle undertone.

Plum is a color that is classic and will work well beyond its present  color of the year status

I plotzed when I saw that Exclusive Plum is the Sherwin Williams 2014 Color of the Year


I had just chosen it's kissing cousin Soulful Blue for a current project

 Here is a crappy phone pic of the room being painted. It is going to look killer!

First coat of Sherwin Williams Soulful Blue

My local Sherwin Williams store located at 4139 Magazine Street is like having another crew member on my team. They are helpful and patient and fun to be around. I love the quality of the paint, and the color choices are sophisticated. A special shout-out to Blake, Jaci, Keera, and Stephen. I couldn't do my job without you!



So, what do you think of Exclusive Plum?

Hover over any image to Pin it
Please add my NEW address to your blog list: http://thevisualvamp.blogspot.com
And please become a Follower again (or for the first time) on this newer VV blog



Monday, January 13, 2014

Awesome Elle Decor!

How awesome is this!

Valorie Hart in Elle Decor


Thanks to all of you who have made House Proud such a success. Thanks for the kind emails and shout outs and blog posts, and for letting me know you are enjoying the book and being inspired. You know what it means to be house proud! Go to Elle Decor to check this out.

House Proud in Elle Decor


And thanks to Amy Preiser at Elle Decor and my stalwart team at Glitterati.

Valorie Hart in Elle Decor



Hover over any image to Pin it
Please add my NEW address to your blog list: http://thevisualvamp.blogspot.com
And please become a Follower again (or for the first time) on this newer VV blog