Colorful Kid's Rooms

So, I'm sure you've been frantically checking your email for new posts and have started to wonder what the flip has happened to me. One word. Work. I have been pulled out of comfy little mommy world to work on a couple of projects that are stretching me. And by stretching me, I mean not cleaning my house (ever), not cooking anything that can't be made in a microwave and giving up the gym (getting fatter by the second). I'm miserable and thrilled all at the same time. So, sadly my blogging has taken a backseat to a paycheck. Forgive me? That's cool- I knew you would. Here are a couple of tidbits to keep Varnish on your radar. Beautiful children's rooms that are innovative and colorful. Found on Casa De Valentina.

South West Fabric

I never thought I'd like SouthWestern and Native American prints but I've now learned to never say never in design. You'll eat crow every time. Ralph Lauren's line with Kravet is flat out to die for! Now I just need a cabin.



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Black Oak Hotel Takedown

Sorry I have been MIA people! I'm in the middle of DD for Black Oak Hotel & Casino in No. Cali. It's taken over part of my kitchen and the entire dining room. At a bare minimum I can post photos to prove I'm busy right? Besos.



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Missoni Madness

Did you people try to go to Target's website yesterday while I was trying to buy Missoni?? Well, you must've because I couldn't get on and now everything is sold out. In 1 day. That's right it's Missoni! Miss. Soni if you're nasty. Sort of funny. No? Okay, well anyhow, it's Missoni Madness and you better get in on the action. It's akin to the Cabbage Patch Doll fiasco in the early 80s but without the mom-on-mom fist fight action, unless of course there was a show down on Grand Canyon that you'd like to share with the class.

Sara Baldwin Making My Ikat Dreams Come True

Please stand back and let out a collective gasp! Seriously. I actually gasped this morning when I got my daily from Material Girls and saw this bad a$$ (don't be offended by my dollar signs because this deserves it) Ikat Mosaic designed by Sara Baldwin for New Ravenna Mosaics. Please somebody, ANYBODY let me put this in your powder room.

Perfect Pairings

These are some of my current favorite seating + side table pairings. All eye candy in my humble opinion!

The Animal Print Shop Wows

I'm a slightly obsessed with these gorgeous images from The Animal Print Shop. God has some imagination right? The porcupine is killing me he's so cute.

DIY Paint Swatch Art

I blogged a few months ago about a little DIY project that I thought was cool so I busted out my colt 45 and got busy. Here are the step-by-step instructions if you are feeling a little frisky this Monday.

1. Have an empty frame laying around somewhere. Preferably under a bed, a little warped from water damage and purchased from Ikea in 2001.

2. Have a glue gun. If you read design blogs than my guess is you have one. The tough part is locating the bag of glue sticks.

3. Go to your local hardware store and pretend that you are painting the Taj Majal but really just take (steal) about 40 paint chips. I used Behr because they were so big and I started to feel that I would be taken to Home Depot prison for taking so many swatches if I didn't hurry up and get the heck out of dodge.

4. Start gluing those bad boys right to the backer board of the frame- unless of course you want to reuse it at some point.

5. Hang and gloat to your husband that this cost you zero dollars and it's actually kinda cool. I got a lot of eye ball rolling during this but I think he likes it now. Good, no?

Hello Richard Burbidge!

I just want to take a moment and introduce you to the newest sponsor here at Varnish, Richard Burbidge out of the UK! I'm excited to have a sponsor who offers such beautiful architectural details. The product is gorgeous and if it doesn't make you want to remodel your home than you don't have a pulse (or eyeballs)! The mouldings and decorative paneling has me planning a makeover as we speak. Go peruse their website and tempt yourself to redo your ugly tract house. What?! I live in one too! We NEED this product. Passing it straight on to "My Architect"!

Frieda and Nellie Friendship Bracelets

In the 6th grade all my friends and I did was make friendship bracelets. We could could not hang with Frieda & Nellie's versions here. I love that the designers are actually best friends too. Not a better way to work in my opinion. These are pretty spendy and if you can't swing them than Material Therapy offers a more reasonable, allbeit, less grand version. Still super cute though. A good option for a friend's birthday or Christmas exchange I think.

Frieda & Nelly
Material Therapy

Design Star Update

Happy Monday people! Well, it has been one crazy week. I worked on a few projects this week, had some new job offers, went for the Design Star open call on Saturday and got my little ones ready for their first day of preschool and kindergarten (this morning!) Nothing like going to bed at midnight to make sure everyone has their uniforms cleaned and pressed. You mama's know what I'm talking about! Anyhow, I promised a full report about the Design Star audition so here it is. After filling out a 17 page application, submitting my portfolio, a resume and two pictures of myself, I waited in a conference room with maybe 40-50 people at the Westin. I waited for a little over an hour before meeting with the casting lady, director, coordinator (not sure of the lingo). I made some new friends and, as always, in uncomfortable situations everyone seemed to find some connection with the person sitting next to them. In my case, a guy from Wynn Design and Development who worked with two old friends and an old boss, an old acquaintance from high school and an old friend of my mother-in-law. By the end of our stay we were laughing and forming what could be a "Vegas alliance" not to be messed with. After a very brief, one-on-one interview I left with what was a positive experience. 4 hours later and I got a call back for tomorrow morning. I have never been on camera, save one terrible experience in NYC trying to describe a play I had not seen (long story). As luck would have it, I met Olivia Fierro of the Channel 5 news at my hair dressers last night and she was gracious and generous with her advice. I mean seriously, how lucky was that?! By the way, she is nicer than she needs to be and even prettier in person. Tomorrow morning I have to have a 5 minute prepared demonstration of some kind of design tip. I think I'm going to show them how to make oil cloth, with the help of my sister-in-law. We'll see how that develops over the course of the day! Anyhow, of course I will let you know how it all shakes out. Thanks for taking the ride with me!

Photography by Elly Yap

Are You the Next Design Star?

Allright all you design aficionados- you think that you can hang with David and Emily, well here's your chance! This Sunday, here in Las Vegas HGTV is holding an open casting call for the next season of Design Star. Click here for more details. I filled out the 17 page application (um yeah) and will be there to check out all of the action. I've always wanted to know how this behind the scenes stuff happens so I'll have a full report for you on Monday. I'm sure that I will pulverized by the the competition but I've always been adventurous enough (okay dumb enough) to at least see what the big boys are up to. Say a prayer for me. I don't even know how to operate any major power tools so it should be pretty embarrassing. At least our curiosity will be satisfied though, right? Now go spruce up your portfolios and I'll see you there.

Miss Paloma Contreras featured these images last week of a Canadian home that has me all undone. This is my dream kitchen. Look at those floors! The brass hardware and toe kick are seriously gorgeous. The sunlight, the fireplace, marble waterfall counter tops, retro light fixture, modern swoopy oven hood!!!! I almost can't handle it. These are the images I hoard and send to"my architect" for future reference. The cabinets are from Ikea, by the way. Never underestimate the power of mixing reasonably priced things with higher end things!
P.S. My dog would look way cuter laying on those herringbone floors.

Holy Nacho Polo

Well, I don't normally include the head shot of interior designers, but ladies- you are welcome! Spanish designer Nacho Polo is wowing me with this highly edited, graphic space. I'm normally not a black and white scheme girl but this is really gorgeous. I feel like it's a movie set starring me and Hugh Jackman as husband and wife spies who beat each other up....oh wait, you mean that's been done. Sorry. I hope my beautiful husband doesn't read this post (he won't ;) Anyhow, I am really taken by this! The design isn't bad either. You can read a great interview with Senor Polo on Yatzer.

all of these gorgeous images via Yatzer

Las Vegas Market

I spent Tuesday at Las Vegas Market looking looking at crazy ridiculous amounts of furniture and lighting (along with about a billion other buyers and designers). When I went back and looked through the photos I noticed a lot of reds and berries in everything. It's funny how you can see immediately where your eye was going with a quick little review. I'll be heading back out tomorrow with the cool couple we are working with now. I'll post some images of what we were shopping for this weekend. So fun!

Glamorous Office

I know this office isn't new on the blog circuit but I just want to publicly confess my love for it. It's so moody and delicious. Like one of those super fancy boxes of chocolates with weird ingredients like chili and sea urchins (sorry that came from staring at that awesome light fixture). You know what I mean! Such cool design.

HomeFurniture2Day

Today is the first day of the Las Vegas World Market and I am super excited to be spending some time this week seeing what's new in furniture design and shopping with some awesome clients! I know not everyone can get into the show and that Las Vegas has to have the worst furniture shopping on the planet so I am also thrilled to introduce you to one of my newest sponsors, HomeFurniture2Day! It gives you a chance to look at some great furniture this week as well. I picked out a few of my favorite pieces above. They are having a huge summer sale so please go check them out!

Oh No You Didn't!:Taiwan

I. Can't. Stop. Laughing.

Today's "Oh No You Didn't" feature is on a special little place called the Eden Motel in Taiwan. That is the "Fanatasy Room" up above and it's not so much the hearts that have me amazed (I am from Las Vegas after all) but more the rose wallpapered ceiling and the lightbox floor. I hope they provide one of those sleeping, eye mask thingys for this room because my eyes are burning from the backlit rose petals. Conclusion: Could serve as a good distraction from any of those self conscience moments if you decided to go with the lights on. If you get my drift.

Yep. It's the Batman Room. No. it does not come with Christian Bale just the plastic bats on the ceiling.

Ah, the "World Room." For people that want to go on a safari but live in Taiwan. Even though I am sincerely appreciating the large lizard crawling over the life size Cheetah print I feel that you could achieve a similarly desired affect by having lunch at the Rainforest Cafe in the MGM.

*A special thanks to freshome for bringing these images to my attention!

Pink African Feather Headdress? Yes please!

image via tumblr

I'm a girl who likes pretty feathers and these traditional African headdresses are so stunning! This pink one against the green wall in particular is ringing my bell. How do you guys feel about them?

Eu/phoria Chairs by Paola Novone

I'm madly in love with these eu/phoria chairs designed by Paola Novone, manufactured by Eumenes. I want them in my dining room around a more traditional wood table...or at my desk....or in my room...or in my living room. You get the picture.

Novogratz and STARCK

These all white spaces (in the Hamptons Dahling) by husband and wife design duo, Courtney and Robert Novogratz are so appealing to me! I think that these bright white, clean, minimalist spaces appeal to my personality and to the fact that the designer's editing is so spot on. I also think it may be a bit like the forbidden fruit though as well. I have 3 messy boys and an all white space would last maybe 1 minute. Maybe. And yes, I KNOW they have 7 kids but this is not their home. I'm hoping even the Novogratzes have to think a smidgen about cleanability in their own spaces.

BUT...in the meantime they have thought about how the rest of us live and partnered with STARCK to create a new line of paint colors. This might be my dream job that they have stolen, by the way. I'm super excited about these and if you are interested they are available to the trade so give me holla!