Lucy Interior Design Blog

Escape to Maine!

lucyinteriordesign — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:48:00 +0000

One of my all time favorite houses we designed!

This stunning summer house is situated in Hulls Cove, Maine a mile from the entrance to Acadia National Park. The cliffside setting along the Atlantic Ocean is breathtaking. Sunlight pours into the Living Room through the custom Marvin awning style windows. The blonde nature of the Birch floors pairs nicely with the golden teak millwork. Our design intention was to embrace the authenticity of Maine throughout the project.

Deer Isle Granite was selected for the fireplace surround and each stone was artistically hand edited for the perfect placement. Can you see how the granite cantilevers beyond the glass? It is really an incredible sight to look through the windows beyond the fireplace. The custom designed fireplace screen shows a Maine scene with a loon, lobster and pine tree. I love the Navajo Kirk Brummel fabric upholstered on the chairs. Elizabeth Eakins, a New England native, hand loomed the tattersall wool rug in the living space. We custom designed several cherry pieces of furniture with Thomas Moser, a well known Maine furniture maker. The lines of the pieces are simple and clean just like the architecture of the house.

The world comes alive on the coast of Maine as we sit in the Weatherend teak rocking chairs watching the sunrise as the Captains of the lobster boats pull in their traps for the day. I can’t think of a more beautiful place that I’d rather be!

Hot Off The Press!

lucyinteriordesign — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 23:48:00 +0000

Head straight to your favorite magazine stand and pick up a copy of MPLS.ST.PAUL magazine-September 2009. Flip to page 50 and see ourRoomology story showcasing a Minnesota screen porch in Orono. This lakeside retreat, nestled amongst old trees and beautiful gardens, has an “Old School” feel to it! Our delightful clients, a family with three active teenagers, cherish the comfort and practicality of the porch. The teak chair and daybed, appropriately upholstered with indoor/outdoor acrylic fabric from Holy Hunt, are resistant to moisture and sun fading. The black slate floor and Douglas Fir paneling can weather our turbulent Minnesota storms. Architect James Dayton, connected the screen porch addition with french doors leading to the family room. This bow-shaped screen porch is ideal for lazy afternoons reading a great book on the daybed swing or enjoying dinners by candlelight. We imbued the space with colors, reminiscent of Indian oil jars-paprika, curry and ochre. Pillows were designed from Burmese and Thai textiles. The hunt and the gather of the assorted pieces weave together an interesting story. Now that I have just given you a glimpse of the story in MPLS.ST.PAULmagazine, get your own copy and browse through this great September issue. Shawn Gilliam, the Homes Editor for the magazine, produced a great collection of stories. Stay tuned-I’ll always keep you posted on future publications!

Hwang Bishop-It’s all in the details!

lucyinteriordesign — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 03:06:00 +0000

The Luxury of Hwang Bishop Designs! Asian inspired lighting and furniture all began in 1994, by Felicia Hwang Bishop. Felicia and her staff of artisans create one of a kind pieces, all produced in Warren Rhode Island. One of my favorite stops while in Chicago, is at the Summerhill Showroom in the Merchandise Mart to ogle over new designs from Hwang Bishop. The high fired ceramic finishes on the lamps are gorgeous, including; Ancient Bronze, Canary and Chinese Mustard. Sumo is an all-star, a weighty round plump table lamp. I used a pair as bedside table lamps for a client and we love them still!

The turned wood lamps are equally stunning. The beauty of the Hwang Bishop line is that you get to select

the shape of the lamp, determine its glorious finish and then top it off with the shade of your choice.

What could be better than custom designing your own lamp? Have fun and explore the web site.

You’ll never just settle for just “any” lamp again!

http://www.hwangbishop.net

Trina Turk’s Paradise

lucyinteriordesign — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 23:42:00 +0000

Trina Turk has designed a spectacular collection of indoor-outdoor fabrics exclusively for Schumacher. There are 11 screen prints that are irresistible. All are printed on 100% Acrylic Duck-a very thick, durable fabric, ideal to sit outside on your patio and “weather any storm.”

Super Paradise Print in color, Pool, is my all time favorite. Wild Zebra Print is another great pick- a large scale zebra pattern in crisp white and hot brights-bamboo, orange, dune, java or black. Her Sunglasses Print is fun and bold, in 5 super colors-the Citron is hot!

Have fun with these fabrics-outdoor for pillows, cushions or awnings! Dare to bring them inside and use them on a splashy banquette in your kitchen or darling floor pillows in the rec room for your Nintendo loving kids.

Step out and have some fun with this new collection from Trina Turk.

http://www.fschumacher.com

The Lobster King!

lucyinteriordesign — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:28:00 +0000

As we land at the Bar Harbor airport in Maine for our seasonal visit, I can almost taste the lobster I am about to devour. Turning onto Route 1, we head directly to Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound for lunch, and settle contently on a picnic table overlooking Blue Hill Bay. The line for ordering is 20 deep, but it is worth the wait for the 2 pound fresh lobster which is boiled in one of the wood-fired cookers located outside in front of the world famous lobster pound. Anytime of day, you can see the smoke rising from the saltwater cookers along Route 1.

Your trip to Bar Harbor and the Acadia National Park will not be complete without a visit to Trenton Bridge. Or order your lobster to be shipped directly home. trentonbridgelobster.com

The Fascination of Lighting by Varaluz!

lucyinteriordesign — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 03:56:00 +0000

I am just enamored with a new lighting collection-Varaluz! The factory and warehouse is located in Las Vegas-a perfect excuse to hit the casinos in Vegas! A unique collection, called Fascination, uses recycled bottle glass and airplane hanger wire. Varaluz is big on earth friendly products- renewable rattan from the Philippines, recycled metal and glass and stone remnants. I love the playful quality of the names: Fetish, Continuity and Dreamweaver.

Ready to walk on the wild side? Fetish is a gorgeous modern-style chandelier made of chrome, scrollwork and acrylic drops that dangle from the base. The scrollwork dresses up the classic drum shades. This fun chandelier gives a whole new twist to a dining room. I can’t wait to use it in my next project.

See for yourself and browse the website. You won’t be able to resist the unique collection of lighting! www.varaluz.com

Garden Classics by McGuire

lucyinteriordesign — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 01:08:00 +0000

Bring your patio to life! Add a statement piece of furniture from McGuire’s new outdoor collection. The Garden Classics Collection interprets 11 iconic chairs and tables. The Collection is handcrafted of wrought aluminum tubing which is durable and lightweight. The colors are memorable–available in Bronze, Seashell White and my favorite, Cayenne. The repertoire includes 5 chairs, a Gondola Settee and 5 tables all offered with glass tops. I love the Tall Garden Taborette with its sleek lines.

Order the Cracked Ice garden Chair in Cayenne and your neighbors won’t stop talking about you! www.mcguirefurniture.com

Writing Places!

lucyinteriordesign — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:42:00 +0000

Couldn’t put this book down!
Writing Places-The Life Journey of a Writer and Teacher by William Zinsser

Zinsser is a writer, editor and teacher, who began his careeer as a journalist in 1946 for the New York Herald Tribune. Today, he teaches writing at the New School and Columbia University. We get the inside view of a life as a writer- committed to the craft of good writing. We ebb through the highs and lows of his successes and challenges. As decades pass by, Zinsser replaces his typewriter with a Dell, and his writing style develops with the changing culture and trends. The perserverence of “staying at it” and writing EVERY day is the medicine to be a great writer.

Upon completion of this great little book, I ran out to my favorite independent bookseller to get Zinsser’s 30th Anniversary Edition On Writing Well-The Classic Guide to Writing Non-Fiction. This is a marvelous “how to” book on writing. I am having more fun highlighting my way through this gem of a book. Eventually, I think I’ll place these books in my library next to my copy of The Elements of Style by Strunk and White.

Welcome to the Lucy Interior Design Blog!

lucyinteriordesign — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:41:00 +0000

Lucy Interior Design
International Market Square
275 Market Street, Suite 569
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55405

email: info@lucyinteriordesign.com
phone: 612.339.2225
fax: 612.339.2227