Raised by Design – Page 2 – not your mama's interiors

Jo and Joe’s Tribeca High Rise

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Today I’m excited to give you a peek at an e-design consult I’m currently working on.

Joanna and Joe are moving into a fabulous high rise apartment in TriBeCa next month and they’re in the process of defining their style as a couple as they merge the contents of their respective bachelor and bachelorette pads. Always a fun exercise.

Joe is a music/tech entrepreneur and Joanna is in finance and active in the NYC theater community. They’re both live music junkies and fell in love shredding fresh powder and building bon fires at a ski house they share with friends in Vermont.

In their Manhattan pad we’re pulling together a palette that will feel cozy in the winter and breezy in the summer. Grays, blues and whites anchor the living room, paired with warming wood surfaces and leaving room to introduce city-chic feminine details and layered masculine textures.

Here’s the mood board I put together:

Our first step was to establish some basics in the space – they needed help putting together their living area starting with a new couch, area rug and end tables. Most of the furniture they’re bringing into the space, including their coffee table, is darkest brown wood so we wanted to lighten things up a bit.

I sent them to shop for couches at Room & Board‘s SoHo showroom, my favorite source for big ‘All Growns Up’ furniture purchases. Everything at R&B is American Made with high quality craftsmanship. Their pieces are gorgeous and it’s a great place to make that first investment purchase for your home. The Jo(e)s ended up going with the super versatile Metro Sofa in a custom L-shape with cement-gray upholstery.

Next we chose an area rug from West Elm – the Andes Wool Rug in Dusty Blue. Rugs are tricky and Joanna was leaning towards a playful chevron pattern but we agreed that chevron is a well-worn trend and she’d be sick of it in a matter of weeks. We settled on this more sophisticated, subtle iteration of a chevron in a wool blend that will stand up to high traffic but still feel soft under bare feet.

With these anchor pieces locked in our next thing to tackle was end tables. Here’s where things got fun. I try to avoid anything too matchy-matchy or strictly symmetric in my designs – although the eye likes symmetry it can sometimes feel too rigid or bossy.

I think living spaces should make people feel inspired, calmed and comforted. The best way to achieve a relaxed vibe is to establish a balance while maintaining an ‘undone’ or organic feeling.

So to start down that path, I recommended that we go with two different end tables that will bring asymmetry into the space but play well with each other.

Joe and Joanna describe their style is ‘classic’ and didn’t want anything too ‘crazy, art deco or modern’. I turned down the funk and stayed away from anything too artistic, abstract, vintage or bohemian and tried to choose pieces that were simple and clean lined without being boring.

Here are some of the options we’re considering:

Distressed Metal End Table from Target – $83
Safavieh Wynton Table from Target – $136
Allard End Table from Room & Board – 429
Wicker Drum from Pottery Barn – $149
Eden Table from World Market – $70
Driftwood Side Table from Crate & Barrel – $399
Martini Side Table from West Elm – $119
Oslo End Table from Target – $129
Safavieh Josef Table from Target – $229

The Jo(e)s are leaning towards the Driftwood Table from Crate & Barrel so I’m encouraging them to bring a new material into the mix. I’m loving the balance that a steel or bronze piece would bring into the picture. What do you think?

Loveyoubye! Maggie

Before + After – Painted Blanket Chest

/ before + after, lil' spot, projects / 6 Comments

In the bedroom of today’s woman, it’s absolutely, 100%, no bull crap essential to have a place where you can slump your clothes, sit and zip up your moto boots or rest a stack of clean laundry for a week before you finally get around to putting it away. Double bonus points if said place can also store extra blankets or bulky sweaters that don’t fit in your closet.

Ever since we moved into the smaller bedroom I’ve been searching for the right piece to go at the end of our bed. This toy chest from my childhood bedroom fit perfectly, but it needed a little love to go from 80’s nursery life to grown-ass lady bedroom.

Sometimes, all you need to pull off a good Before + After is a couple coats of paint, for real. All designers will tell you that paint is their best pal – the quickest (and cheapest) route to big time change.

For this project I used two coats of Benjamin Moore’s Midnight – a deep navy with slate gray undertones. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

In natural light, it looks more blue but by lamplight it looks almost black. It’s moody and lovely, just like me.

I’m especially happy with the way it makes the colorful art we hung above it pop.

The top work is a 1980 Mary Engelbreit original of three girls that reads “Koki, Muffie, and Bitsy shop for circle pins.” I love this drawing dearly because “Muffie” is my Mom, “Koki” is Mary – my faerie/art godmother – and “Bitsy” is Nicki Dwyer – my actual Godmother. I love these ladies and I love the cherry red frame Mary chose all those years back. This illustration hung right where I had my timeouts growing up. I wonder if Mom did that on purpose so we had to sit and reflect on how cute she was while we were being punished.

The bottom piece is an original masterpiece by my little sister, Mo, from when she was probably four or five years old – elevated to legit abstract art in an IKEA matte and frame. I adore the colors she chose – she had an eye for style even back then.

Here’s a view from the door of our bedroom:

And here’s a closeup of the dreamy breakfast in bed that I’ve never enjoyed in real life but totally makes the picture feel cozy:

And that, my friends, is all there is to it. Paint saves the day. Now you’ll have to excuse me while I eat that piece of apple cake in two bites.

Loveyoubye! Maggie

RBD Notepad: Mainstream vs. Upstream

/ Mainstream // Upstream, RBD notepad / 6 Comments

This edition of Mainstream vs. Upstream hits on a couple of trends that I love and use in my own home.

You can’t go wrong with barn lighting; a classic industrial-chic look that I’ve used in my home for years and probably will for years to come. The pendant over my childhood dinner table was a white barn pendant like the one pictured below. They go with every style of decor and are fairly inexpensive. This trend isn’t going anywhere.

If you’re looking for the next-level iteration of metallic pendants try the copper pendant. I prefer Tom Dixon’s rendition with its super sleek shape and high shine finish.

Kilim rugs are flat weave Persian rugs that were traditionally used for prayer but made their way into American households as furnishings in the 1960’s. Today they’re a super popular option in modern eclectic homes and do a great job of softening super modern lines with an edgy, rugged look.

But another traditional rug style is making its way back on the scene: the hooked rug. Originating in colonial New England, rug hooking had its moment in the 1980’s folk art craze (my mom was is a master hooker…don’t tell her I said so). Today’s spin on this country craft uses geometric designs and brings in bright cheerful colors. I’m totally into it.

How does your garden grow? Terrariums are another trusty trend that is definitely staying put. There are tons of options in stores these days so if you’re hankering for a miniature ecosystem for your succulents and baby ferns, you shouldn’t have to hunt too hard.

I’m seeing a lot of macrame planters creeping back into haute homes. The difference between these and your mom’s macrame are the brightly colored fibers being woven in. Gimme some a ‘dat!

Image credits: barn pendants /// copper pendant /// kilim rug /// kaleidoscope hooked rug /// glass terrarium /// macrame planters

Loveyoubye! Mags

RBD Concept: The Blue Madonna Part II

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A couple weeks back I posted about a design concept for a modern Italian Restaurant. ‘Member? Here’s the post if you missed it. I’m calling this hip downtown Italian eatery The Blue Madonna and the concept is inspired by Italian-American suburbia and Roman-Catholic iconography.

Below is the mood board I put together to visualize the overall concept:

But I couldn’t stop there…so I sketched out a (very) rough floor plan. This gets me thinking about the space in reality and how the different zones – dining, bar, bathrooms, courtyard, reception – would play out. Check the layout I’m envisioning below:

Once I got my bearings in the space, I could start to think about the materials in each of the zones, starting with the flooring. Here’s a look at the finish floor plan showing the chosen materials:

In the main reception and dining room areas painted white, unpolished concrete brings rich ‘lived in’ texture without crowding the eye. In the bar area: same material, but painted an icy stone blue, reminiscent of stucco on suburban buildings.

A faux-grass walkway brings the suburban landscape indoors and leads the patron from the front entrance back to the bathrooms and into the courtyard.

Let’s take a walk through the space, looking at some of the furnishings and finishes.

RECEPTION AREA:

Nonna’s living room, turnt up. Vintage faux marble wallpaper, a pair of peach velour sofas joined by an inflatable terrarium stool, reproduced and enlarged to function as a cocktail table. Can we talk about these gorgeous babies for a second and how I need to have one in my living room as soon as possible? They are just incredible. Cute little mcm legs supporting an inflatable plastic poof, filled with carefully arranged plastic flowers. So much kitschy awesomeness I can’t even stand it.

The space is punctuated by a statement chandelier – a vintage Italian glass find on 1stDibs.

The reception area leads into the bar and lounge area to your right. While guests are waiting for their table, they can sip on their Negroni in one of the mid-century side chairs with champagne basket weave upholstery.

You’ll notice in the top floor plan that there are two art features planned for the space – one in the main reception area and one in the bar and lounge area. Opposite those champagne lounge chairs is the Bathtub Madonna art feature:

I put this together quickly in Photoshop so it’s a pretty rough interpretation of the installation, but you get the idea. Four large ‘Bathtub Madonnas’ suspended by heavy chain and anchor against a large scale custom graphic of traditional vintage oilcloth normally used as tablecloth.

Bathtub Madonnas are a real thing. Nowadays you can order a factory-made grotto online for your Blessed Virgin Mary garden shrine, but back in the day people used an upended bathtub, which I find much more interesting. These garden shrines are not exclusive to Italian neighborhoods, of course. Some of the most impressive displays are in the German-American neighborhoods in the Midwest. Our neighborhood is mostly made up of Croatian and Portuguese families and there are lots of modern versions of Bathtub Madonnas around.

I’m having so much fun with this concept and love how everything is coming together but there is more to explore. Thinking about the bathrooms – what do suburban kitsch bathrooms look like to you? Stay tuned for one last installment on this design in the coming weeks!

Loveyoubye!

Mags

RBD Concept: The Blue Madonna

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This is a design concept that I’ve been brewing for a long time; an Italian restaurant inspired by real deal Italian-American culture, specifically in suburban areas.

The majority of Italian restaurants in America aim to transport the patron back to ‘the paese’ with a dimly lit wine cellar atmosphere, exposed vintage brick, and warm Tuscan tones. Others focus on first generation vintage Little Italy or the Frank Sinatra/mafioso glamour of Hollywood. And then there are the hundreds (maybe thousands?) more that throw a red and white checked cloth over tables and hang a few vintage posters of spaghetti, grapes and cigars on the walls and call it a day. It all feels overdone.

I’m having a lot of fun collecting imagery to illustrate this concept and I’m loving how the look translates into a bright and airy, kitschy space, elevated to fit any chic neighborhood or up-and-coming chef. I’m calling it ‘The Blue Madonna’.

The Blue Madonna goes beyond the first look at Italian culture in America and highlights the topiary-dotted lawn of Nonna’s awninged split-level house in the ‘burbs.

Here is the inspiration board I put together:

Next I’ll share the details to flesh the idea out – floor plans, sketches, graphics, art features…

In the meantime, I’d recommend brushing up on your Italian-American slang.

Loveyoubye! Maggie

Office Update

/ before + after, lil' spot / 2 Comments

I’m in full blown nesting mode these days (as opposed to medium nesting as my normal mode). These supposed productivity hormones are a good thing for the long list of small projects that we’ve left undone since finishing the major renovations around here, including finally fixing up my workspace just in time to have it trashed by a baby.

This room was the last room we tackled in the house and although we finished it up in the fall of 2012 it has remained a hodgepodge of homeless furniture and ‘I’ll deal with it later‘ projects. The arrival of a tiny Natarelli is just the kind of kick in the uterus I need to finally whip this room into shape. Here’s what it looks like today:

In the original floor plan this room was the kitchen. Stained linoleum flooring and a green and yellow vintage kitchen once lived here. We relocated the kitchen to the back of the house to create open concept living and access to the backyard. Here’s the Before from the day we closed on the house, looking at the opposite side of the room.

(Disclaimer for those of you scoffing at the idea of tearing out this cute vintage kitchen: the [very cute, very worn] Homart cabinets are still in the house, being loved and repurposed in the laundry area downstairs. The range, whose oven door had to be held closed with a broomstick, was sent to a salvage company along with the cracked sink and yellow formica countertops. The light fixtures are still in the room.)

For the last two years this side of the room has functioned as a guest room but will be transformed into a nursery early next year for Bambino. (Here’s a sneak peak of our beloved driftwood mobile, made for us by a friend as a wedding present. Rumor has it, my Mom and Michael Kors are the only other owners of these mobiles. Oh heyyy!)

The opposite side will pretty much stay the way it is until Bambino is old enough to fuck with my shit and accumulate a significant dowry of toys. Then it will probably become a total kid zone and I’ll be squeezed out and relegated to the kitchen or basement. But for a little bit longer…

There are a few unique features in this space. For starters, it’s a long and narrow room measuring 18′ long by 9′ wide. There is also a doorway that exits to the driveway. That doorway creates an avenue down the middle of the room, separating it into two spaces roughly 7 ½’ x 9′. (Floorplans would be good, I know.)

We weren’t quite sure how we would be using this space in the long term, so we left the external door in tact but we don’t use it anymore. We also didn’t bother to move the outlets down to the baseboards so they are still counter height – as fit for a kitchen – which annoys the crap out of me, but maybe less than patching and painting which I hateses.

Behind my desk we used IKEA shelving to create floor to ceiling storage and a printing station. My inspiration board is made from two magnet boards also from IKEA. (The shelves are no longer sold at IKEA but these are pretty badass and would be good for an office.

Above the desk I hung a collection of artwork that has personal meaning to us (as all artwork should!). The Cosmic Bunny print is signed and numbered by one of my favorite illustrators, Diana Sudyka. It was a gift from my mom. Below it hangs a snapshot of my late Grandpa and his buddy taken in 1967.

raised by design - maggie natarelli - office artwork - cosmic bunny by diana sudyka — Cosmic Bunny by Diana Sudyka

For our wedding a dear friend and mentor, Jeff O’Connor, gifted us this original illustration of a warren of Eastern Cottontails. Bunnies were the main motif of our wedding and his wife, a Chicago-based graphic designer, designed all of our paper goods. Jeff is a natural science illustrator and his work populates several of the exhibits at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago. Some of his beautiful entomology sketches are pinned on my inspiration board.

Below hangs a collection of vintage postcards including one from Emerald Bay in Lake Tahoe, where I lived after college and one from Samoa, where my other Grandfather lived. The framed print is titled Mountains by Karina Eibatova which I blogged about here.

raised by design - home office - bunny illustration by jeff o'connor — Original Illustration by Jeff O’Connor

I’m enjoying having the space to myself while I can, and daydreaming about a (napping) baby on the other side of the room.

Loveyoubye! Maggie

RBD Concept: Northern Flicker

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This Monday I graduated to a new level of Bird Nerd. I met up with a group of local birders (aka Grammas and Grampas) in the wee hours of the morning and walked around in the woods looking for…birds. I added 8 new bird species to my life list (nerd-bomber), missed about 5 others because I don’t know how to use my hand-me-down binoculars (nerd fail), and learned that our neighborhood coyotes are actually coywolves (Twilight boner nerd).

One of the new species I collected for my Bird Nerd trading cards was a Northern Flicker, which are pretty common to our area, but I’d just never seen one. They’re large woodpeckers with amazing spotted plumage (nerd for feathers) and fiery vermilion field marks (nerd for regular marks).

I was so pumped about these birds and how cool they look that I created a design concept based solely on their naturally chic, modern palette. The Northen Flicker concept translates well to an Urban Naturalist’s apartment but could just as easily be spun around to suit a locavore restaurant, design boutique or artisanal bakery concept.

It turns out that most bird photographers don’t like you to share their work, so I drew my own Flicker and used it in my concept board. Links are listed below.

The Origin and Evolution of Birds by Alan Feduccia /// The Age of Birds by Alan Feduccia /// Grand Canyon Print by Jazzberry Blue /// Brass Sconce /// Pendleton 5th Avenue Throw /// Baxter of California Candle /// Hvidt France & Son Sofa /// Michael Ahram Feather Sculpture /// Hudson Coffee Table /// White Ceramic Box /// 3-piece vase set /// Gray Rug /// Abstract Print /// Philippe Starck Chair /// Leather Ottoman /// Metal Planters /// Spotted Cowhide /// Firewood Storage

*For my fellow Bird Nerds: I also spotted a Common Nighthawk (!), Sharp-Shinned Hawk, Eastern Phoebe, Belted Kingfisher, White-Eyed Vireo, Black and White Warbler and Northern Parula. Not bad for my first time out! I highly recommend finding your local Audobon Society and joining up for one of their weekly walks. Birders are the nicest breed of humans I’ve encountered and you’ll see way more than at your backyard feeder.

Loveyoubye!

Maggie The Bird-Nerdiest

RBD Notepad: Mainstream // Upstream

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Hi there! I snuck away last week from blogging to work on a new client project – a living room plan for an UES apartment that belongs to a lovely (newly engaged) couple who are merging their French Country + Modern Minimalist tastes. Should be a really fun project and I hope to share some details on RBD as the project progresses.

For now, I have my notepad out again and have been thinking about some of the current trends floating around: the glowy hue of pink himilayan salt, the ever-present Eames molded fiberglass chair, and the playful motif du jour – pineapples! Here are 3 ways to spin those trends around and head upstream…

Image credits: Overstock // House Beautiful // Keltainen talo rannalla // Chairish // Society 6 // Jenny Wilkinson

** I used Jenny Wilkinson’s pineapple wallpaper in the powder room of one of my Parson’s design projects last summer. The concept for the TriBeCa loft space was centered around colonial shipping and exploration (hence the pineapple)…and if I ever get my act together, you’ll be able to see it in my portfolio! I just love that wallpaper – especially since it’s paint by number! She’s a genius.

Loveyoubye! Maggie

RBD Notepad: Mainstream // Upstream

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In an effort to post more of my design notes and work on this blog, I’ve started a new feature called “RBD Notepad”. If someone saw my actual notepads (of which there are about 5 scattered around the house) they would probably get shifty-eyed and back towards the door.

These notes I’m posting here are more curated and tidy, but they’re still a reflection of things I think about when it comes to design.

When I’m thinking about a new project, I tend to want to mix in something next level – something unexpected and maybe a little questionable. Not because of ‘wow factor’ or cache, but because it creates balance. Like a big bowl of vanilla ice cream with a pinch of black pepper.

But then there’s that part of human nature that’s drawn to the comfort and familiarity of the mainstream. I’m not anti-mainstream. I embrace trends with wide open arms because they’re a reflection of our culture and they create a tribe among participants – not to get all anthropologist up in here. But mass appeal is….well, appealing.

I want a client (or my guests) to feel at ease in their space first and foremost, but there should always be something that’s sparky and aloof – deviant, even.

These notes are about appreciating what’s mainstream vs. what’s upstream.

Image credits: HomeyOhMy // Exterior Con Vistas // Adore Magazine // Domaine Home // Snoogs and Wilde // Berkley Illustration

Before + After – Lettered Tray Table

/ before + after, projects / 4 Comments

Years ago, my Mom carted this beat up table home from someone’s trash pile. Dumpster diving isn’t exactly a competitive sport up here in Westchester – most wouldn’t be caught dead getting out of their black SUV to throw a vintage castaway in the back. Ok, maybe I’m not being fair. They wouldn’t get out of their Mini. But my Mom’s an old pro and I love her for not letting go of her “One Man’s Trash” credo. She passed that credo, and this table, onto me.

The table then sat in my place with its fate undecided for months. It had a worn look that dangerously teetered on shabby chic (blegh!) with its perfectly chipped paint, cabriole legs and Queen Anne profile. But it also had a recessed tray top that was begging to be crafted.

Finally one day we had the idea to use that cool old box of ceramic marquee letters that Mom scored at a thrift shop. I pulled the title of one of my favorite Talking Heads songs and used white premixed tile grout to arrange the letters at random around the quote (with a few hidden messages).

Shit was fun. To finish the table and make it usable, Mom and I cut a template from kraft paper and took it to the glass shop to have a piece of tempered glass cut for the top, which costs under $50.

This table is now one of my favorite pieces in the house because it was the first thing I made when we bought Lil’ Spot. Between the sans-serif font of the letters and the white on white canvas, I think we’ve successfully rescued it from its shabby chic bad dream. Maybe one day I’ll seal the deal and sand down the driftwood-y finish and paint it hot pink or cobalt blue. Maybe. IDK. Should I?

Supplies Needed:

table with recessed tray top – like this one
plastic or ceramic marquee letters – like these
pre-mixed grout – like this kind in bright white
kraft paper
pencil
scissors

Good to Know:

the pre-mixed grout is latex so you can mix any color acrylic craft paint into it to change the color – just remember that since it’s already white, your color will be lightened…
the grout has the consistency of brownie mix, as my Mom puts it in her classes – so you can use it on any vessel or surface, really, and this project translates really well to pots, vases, plaques, etc.
when you’re working with the grout work pretty quickly; it dries within about 20 minutes so it’s a good idea to lay out your pattern, if you’re going to use one, beforehand so the grout isn’t drying while you’re figuring out what you’re going to do
if you’re using objects or letters that are different sizes, make sure you set aside 4 pieces that are the thickest and set them at each corner so your glass rests level
definitely download the Talking Heads song – you won’t regret it

Loveyoubye!

Maggie

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