D(n)WR

 Design Within Reach.   With those prices? Design (not) within reach, that's more like it.

(One of these days, my love)

Let's face it, interior design is a luxury, and luxury isn't exactly on the tip of the American tongue these days.  These times of financial struggle have touched every American home, every type of trade and business, every person.

 

As a young designer, I flip through the pages of my Interior Design Magazine (I've had to cut down to just 1 publication due to the cost of these glossy bound sources of inspiration) to find my macro inspiration.  Dream homes, hotels I will never stay in, restaurants I will never eat in, retail stores I will never be a customer of, they are all in those magazines.  But what about the tangible aspects of design?  How are real people living?  For that, I have my design blogs.  There has been a movement over the past 5 years of elevated DIY.  Not the DIY you see on HGTV, but creative people with creative ideas trying to make it work in the reality of the present day.  People are going out there and re-purposing, restoring, and renovating like I've never seen before. What used to be labeled as eclectic and off-beat is now becoming a standard, it's becoming main stream!  People are leaving retail and the mass produced behind and treasure hunting.

You know that saying "My eyes were bigger than my stomach"?  Like Carrie Bradshaw, a la Sex and the City, and her infamous/financially destructive obsession with $600 shoes, my eyes are bigger than my wallet.  Is this due to my age?  My design education?  My amazing sense of style? (Yes, to all of the above to be quite honest.)  So instead of buying something that is "good enough" I wait.  I wait until I find something that is unique and special and I make it my own.  Yes, this truly incredible one-of-a-kind piece is probably sitting next to my Ikea dresser, but hey, a girl has to live.

I recently read an article in the New York Times that I thought summed it up poetically and accurately.  Although I am not a fan of the excess and sometimes cluttered design philosophy, I think it is pretty spot on describing the current trend that I speak of. 

A list of my favorite design blogs:
Design*Sponge
Apartment Therapy
Design-Milk
The Selby (mentioned in NY Times Article, yay!)
Dezeen

Deep Cuts

Laser cutting is not new to the design community; used for it's precision, consistency and speed most prominently in the industrial design world, laser cutting has been making it's stamp on the textiles industry and interior design. For those looking for a modern take on lace work, graphics or dimensional designs, laser cutting can offer all of those things and more; just take a look:

Rugs by 2Form

Drapery by Elitis

Vinyl Rugs by Arzu Firuz

 My favorite, felt rug by Michelle Mason

Lunada's Favorites: Anne Kyyro Quinn Textiles!!

Recently I have recognized a shift in textiles; I've noticed the incorporation of textures amongst the bold patterns and graphics we have become accustomed to. Textures are being incorporated into not only pillows and bedding, but drapery, furniture and acoustical applications.  Anne Kyyro Quinn, a UK based company and owner's namesake, is a fantastic company specializing in custom textiles and has their finger on the pulse of this design trend.  Visit their website to see some really inspiring installations: http://www.annekyyroquinn.com/

Add caption

Curtain installation by Anne Kyyro Quinn

 Dimensional pillows available through Grandin Road, an affordable home furnishings catalog

Lunada Trend Alert!

Working on "the hill" as locals call it, I feel that we are always aware of peacock design motifs.  Confused?  For some reason that I do not know, there are wild peacocks roaming all around Rancho Palos Verdes and the Rolling Hills areas.  You can't deny their grace and beauty, but they sure do leave a mess and their cries and squawks are so loud!!! (I was even chased around my bosses car by one early last year.......my life is a cartoon.) Like I said, Lunada always seems to take notice whenever we see peacocks used as a design motif and lately we have been seeing it much more often. Another design motif we have been noticing a lot is coral.  (I've been told that yellow is out and coral is in, but I am not fully convinced.) Now when I say coral, I don't necessarily mean the color, but the organism. Used minimally and usually for a pop of color, I have taken notice of coral mostly in textiles and accessories.  I came to these conclusions yesterday down at the Fall Market in Laguna Niguel as the next hot things.

Trends are always different depending on the region but seeing tons of coral and peacocks in both the L.A Area and Orange County Area confirms it. Keep your eyes peeled for these colorful and textural design motifs that can be both scenic and graphic.

Lunada's Favorites

I just found my new favorite Green design blog! The Daily Green is a website dedicated to the latest green news, products and trends that I just spent the last hour on and could have stayed on for another!  I just read this great article about Natural Swimming Pools, here is an excerpt from their article:

"Chlorine's damaging effects on hair are well known, but few people realize that a number of studies have linked inhalation of the chemical by swimmers to increased asthma rates (in fact a new Irish study published this April reported a significant link between the number of years a boy had been swimming and the likelihood of the child being wheezy in the past year.) A Norwegian study also documented an increased risk of wheezing among children who swim in pools before 6 months of age. Further, in an unpleasant reaction, pee and sweat in water can react with chlorine to form toxic breakdown products known as chloramines.

For health, environmental and aesthetic reasons, a lot of people have expressed interest in alternatives to chlorine pools, and luckily there are more and more options to get wet without smelling like cleaning products. A company called TechnoPure offers alternative pool systems that treat water by pumping it through a chamber containing coated titanium plates and copper and zinc ions. The units cost a relatively affordable $5,500. DEL Ozone makes ozone injectors that can reduce the need for chlorine up to 90% -- there's been one installed at the White House for years! Some systems rely on a combination of ozone and copper and silver ions, while others are saline, though saltwater pools result in the formation of chlorine in the water.

Managed properly, natural swimming pools have crystal clear water and require no chemicals to maintain, as they are self-cleaning mini-ecosystems. "You can drink the water if you want to, and you don't necessarily have to take a shower," says Morgan Brown of Idaho-based Whole Water Systems, LLC. The natural pools designer says the systems also have lower maintenance costs than conventional pools, and their installation costs are not much more than standard designs.

Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/natural-swimming-pools-460908#ixzz0w9AU9oXz

I'm a total city girl and yes, these look just like huge ponds but I would jump into any of them in a heartbeat. Look at these photos!! Beautiful!

For more ideas on green alternatives in your home, schedule a consultation with Lunada or call our offices 310.544.1895!

Classic Farm Sinks

Trends come and go, but classic fixtures are always in style.  Whether you are going retro, modern, or eclectic, a farm sink can be a beautiful addition to any kitchen, bathroom or laundry room.  Recently, a client of our requested a farm sink to be used in their kitchen.  Of course Lunada went with a familiar brand that had the perfect color match to the already selected countertop.  (Screeching tires) Wait, that sink isn't offered in that perfect color?  Not to worry, it happens and 99% of this business is creative problem solving.  So, I have been scouring the internet and our materials library to find a replacement and along the way found some beautiful sinks and thought I could share the different applications for these classic sinks.

From the Lunada Vault:
Kohler Cast Iron

 A custom Lunada concrete countertop with integrated apron front sink:

Antique inspiration:

Native Trails copper & brushed nickel sinks:

Lavello stainless steel:

Farm and apron sinks come in a variety of materials, finishes and shapes that can fit into almost any kitchen, bar, laundry room or bathroom.  For more ideas on integrating farm sinks into your home or project, schedule a consultation with Lunada or call 310.544.1895.

Lunada's Favorites!

LED lighting has come a long way over the past few years.  What people first recognized as a solution for commercial signage has been slowly finding its way into people's homes as energy efficient alternative to fluorescent and incandescent lighting.  LED lighting is great for coves, under cabinet lighting, accent and display lighting, even as decorative task lighting in the home.  Looking to the future, lighting companies recognized the need for low profile lighting to suite the needs of homeowners and designers. Many companies have now created LED light tape.  It is exactly what it sounds like, LED lighting as thin as tape and applied just so.  This new product can effortlessly hug the curves of any design and stay completely out of sight.  It can easily be cut and attached with industrial strength tape that will keep the lights in place without bulky brackets increasing the light's depth.

Recently Lunada installed the Jesco DL-Flex light tape as under cabinet lighting for a client of ours.  The tape is just 1/8" thin, 3/8" wide, has a very clean and smooth light distribution and the perfect solution for an area that needs ample light without compromising aesthetics with bulky products. 

For ideas on integrating LED lighting into your home, schedule a consultation with Lunada or give us a call 310.544.1895.

Lunada Kitchen Storage Solutions

Recently, I was reading an article on Better Homes and Garden's website that gave a lot of great ideas for storing your small kitchen appliances.  Not unlike our Laundry room blog (seen below), your kitchen can be easily customized to fit the way you live without a demolition crew.  Don't get me wrong, custom kitchens, especially Luanda's, are amazing and beautiful, but the practical issue is a full blown kitchen remodel is not always in the budget and sometimes new appliances aren't either. Looking to streamline your kitchen? Need more counter space?  Are you embarrassed by your old or dingy appliances when company comes over? There are quick and easy solutions to your problem, my friends.  Well, first of all, we are going to need space and there is no time like the present to clean out those cupboards and make room for those eyesores.  Tuck away those microwaves into the pantry after you add a sliding shelf.  If you are feeling spontaneous, they now have microwave drawers that come in standard sizes so it is easy to replace an existing drawer in your lower cabinets.  Better Homes and Garden also had some great ideas about creating a snack bar or baking station.  You can group  all of your dry ingredients with your stand mixer that is now on a shelf that can be easily tucked inside a cabinet.  Or, you can group your toaster and coffee maker in a cabinet where you can easily grab a quick bite to eat in the morning.  You can find images of these great solutions below and hopefully they will get your wheels spinning.  Almost all of the hardware you need to convert your cupboards or drawers can be found at your local hardware store, or if you are dreaming a little bigger, Lunada is always here to help.

For more ideas on ways to adapt your kitchen, schedule a consultation with Lunada!