On today's Monday Mood Board I'm wrapping up my series on How To Style A Tray for you Coffee Table. I put together this little watercolor painting to give you a few ideas on what you can use when you are creating your table top displays. First of all, make sure the items you collect bring you joy and make you smile. Think about height, layers & textures. I love books, as I mentioned before, because they tell people who you are. Stacks of books also make perfect pedestals for small objects like this fabulous Sphere or an aromatic Candle.
I believe that fresh flowers can actually shift the way you feel and turn a blah day into a fantastic day. I usually stock up on flowers at the local Farmer's Market but if arranging fresh flowers on a weekly basis feels like a daunting task to you, you could always consider a small plant or succulent.
Also, think about creative ways to display your flowers. I love the idea of repurposing used perfume bottles!
Small bowls, trays or decorative boxes are critical for me since I'm constantly misplacing my pens and reading glasses! This little zebra tray is just too adorable, well, only because it's not a real zebra skin, that's not adorable at all.
For real interest add something sculptural. I love, love, love these Agate Stones! They are not only sculptural but they bring in the element of nature. Keeping nature in mind, sea shells with candles is also a lovely idea. So there you have it! Ten simple & easy tips to bring some Happy into your Home!
Times Two Design Lollipop Agate Stone From ShopTen25
Scoppio Sphere from ZGallerie
Jonathan Adler Zebra Dish from Hattan Home
Ginger Jar Matches from Design Darling
Stacking Bowls from Anthropologie
Today's Monday Mood Board is "All In The Details". This week I'll be talking about ideas on how to style a tray. I'm freshening up my own interiors this year, starting with my Living Room. (More on that soon!) If you have no need to remodel your living space but want to change it up a little bit, here's a quick and easy way to brighten up your space. Simply change the decor on top of your coffee table.
Even though I have a separate studio space in my home, I spend a lot of time working on my lap top in my Living Room. Being a very visual person, my environment is very important to me. A vase of fresh flowers, a delicious smelling candle, books that inspire...these are all things I surround myself with because they make me happy.
I have a glass top coffee table. To make sure it doesn't get scratched I like to use trays. I have tons of them. I'm kind of obsessed with trays! I recently met @OohLaLaFinds via Instagram and fell in love with all their designer inspired trays! This Hermes inspired tray is divine! If you want a real Hermes, (I don't believe Hermes makes this actual tray any more), you may have to look at auction houses.
Here are my key ingredients to a fabulous coffee table tray:
A great smelling candle. One can't go wrong with Diptyque Candles.
With a great smelling candle you will need matches. Place wooded ones in a small jar or purchase ones like these from Design Darling where the packaging is simply adorable!
A gorgeous vase of fresh flowers like this one by Bungalow 5.
Small decorative boxes to store items like reading glasses or pens. This one is almost too pretty for that with the stunning agate stone on top!
Not included but just as important, are books! Books tell people who you are and what you are interested in. I love seeing what books people surround themselves with!
One side note: I'm pretty smitten with how this little painting came out and decided to offer it for sale in my shop if you're interested! Happy Styling! Check back later this week for more thoughts on Styling A Tray!
1 White Lacquered Box With Blue Agate From ShopTen25 2 Diptique Candle From Nordstroms 3 Bungalow 5 Summer Sided Vase From LaylaGrace 4 Designer Inspired Hermes Tray From TraysChic 5 Ginger Jar Matches From Design Darling
Maybe it's because I have three daughters or maybe it's because a beautiful bow just has a way of making me smile. Today's Mood Board is all about Bows! Introducing my New Hello Darling Collection! Something really special and sweet happened this week. My new friend Karen from gLaM-a-peeL made this gorgeous coral headboard decal to specifically match my new Hello Darling pillow! It's truly the Inspiration behind today's watercolor! You can find these goodies and many more of Glam-A-Peel's yummy decals over at District17.com!
1 Sweetheart Houndstooth Coral Headboard Decal from Glam-A-Peel 2 Bow Pillow at District17 3 Marilyn Quote Print Coming Soon 4 Girl With Ponytail Bow Art Print 5 Top Knot Bow Art Print 6 Marco Side Table from District17 7 Hello Darling Bow Pillow 8 Rosebud Mini Chandelier from District17 Also from Distric 17 Black & White Modern Border Duvet
It's impossible to live with three teenage daughters and not be surrounded by glitter and make up! My girls have inspired my latest collection, Modern Glam! New pillows and prints that reflect a vintage and timeless feeling on fashion and home decor. I love old black and white movies portraying glamorous women living in a time when fashion and decor was so stunning! Those movies definitely influence my style in Interior Design. So when I found this gorgeous Tear Drop Mirror and Black Glass Desk from ShopTen25, I was inspired to put together this Monday's Mood Board on Modern Glamour! Enjoy!
1 Alessandria Bowls From Shop Ten 25 2 Grace Teardrop Mirror From Shop Ten 25 3 Our "Loved" Petite Pillow 4 Our "Girl With Bow Earring" Print 5 Our Lipstick Pillow 6 Kate Spade Tote Bag 7 Dyptique Rose Candle From Neiman Marcus 8 Jacklyn Black Glass Desk From Shop Ten 25 9 Petite Bow Pillow From District 17
I've been having a lot of fun putting together this Parasol Room for my client. I've been busy painting away. I'm not saying these will all make the cut but it's a sneak peek into how my ideas are coming together. Hope everyone is off to a great start of the week! It's going to be another busy one here. :-)
Bedding is from The Land Of Nod. Paint color for walls Sherwin Williams Rhythmic Blue SW 6806
For all the men and women who have dedicated theirs lives and given so much to our county...THANK YOU!!! 
When I put together a room I like to draw quick elevations for a couple of reasons. First of all, it's fun, but mainly I draw it out so I remember my discussions with my client and how they want their space to look. This is a little playroom my friend, Teri and I, are working on together. Just posting it because I think it's interesting to see how other designers work through the process of putting a room together, of course there are many more details to this room...paint schedule, furniture & accessory schedules, etc...etc... I'm sure even this will evolve and change. We'll know for sure in August when we do the installation!
This week I'll be putting the finishing touches on our New 2013 Catalog and today I'm introducing a new collection; Bows & Ballet! Many of you may not know this about me but I've been a dancer my entire life. During my early twenties I actually danced professionally and loved every minute of it. I've taught dance for over 25 years but sadly, I haven't been dancing at all this year. I was doing a little cleaning up and came across my old dance shoes and leg warmers and the inspiration hit. That couple with everything striped trending right now, it's the strangest things that can inspire me sometimes.
My new little petite pillow is 12" x 12" and I just love how it's such a sweet little accent to any room. I also love the graphic feel of the art pieces grouped together with these laser cut monogrammed letters from Rosenberry Rooms. So clever! This stunning resting bench is from Layla Grace. I would love to have it in my home! Of course, I think every young ladies room should have a manikin. In my daughter's room we have "LoLa". She is fabulous at keeping track of jewelry, belts, and scarves. I used to have her in my boutique but now she has a lovely home with my girls. Happy Monday All! Let's all have an amazing week!
1 "Bow" 8" x 10" Art Print from my Shop 2 Laser Cut Wood Scalloped Monogrammed Letters from Rosenberry Rooms 3 "Ballet" 8" x 10" or 11" x 14" Art Print from my Shop 4 Petite "Bow" Pillow from my Shop 5 Black & White Striped Pillow from Piccola Casa 6 Palais Resting Bench from Layla Grayce
The Tea Towel has quite the background. In the early nineteenth century the Tea Towel was used in England for the proper service of tea. The Victorian Ladies would often personalize their Tea Towels with embroidery and use them during Tea Time to cover food, take care of any spills, and later to polish silver or clean their delicate china. Although the dish towel of today certainly handles most of our everyday clean up, I still have a passion for the Tea Towel. I've collected many over the years and I use them for everything from lining a service tray to wrapping them around a bottle of wine as a hostess gift. So this year I was inspired to create my own. My Macaroon Calendar Tea Towel has had some lovely press lately and I appreciate all the lovely comments from those of you who have purchased one or two or three! But it's February already and I want you all to enjoy them even more so I AM HAVING A SALE!!! They are now 40% Off and available here!
Inspired by Tea and the beautiful Audrey Hepburn...today's mix on my Monday Mood Board!
Happy New Year Everyone! As the year winds down we like to stay home on New Years Eve and celebrate with close friends and family. I came across this clever idea via Pinterest. This idea comes from Fabianna of Ciao! Newport Beach. I loved her dining setting for New Years, especially how she photocopied clocks and placed them under clear plates. Such a simple and cute idea. You can check out all her other lovely ideas for New Years here. May you all have a safe holiday and let's all have a Fantastic 2013! Cheers!
Oh My! I can’t believe it’s the middle of October already!!! It has been so busy at our studio these days, I have to remind myself to take time to go for walks and breathe deeply! I finally had the opportunity to put together a new Monday Mood Board and this time I’m keeping it really colorful and really fun! We just joined the ranks of all the other talented artists over at ETSY and this weekend we opened the doors to our new Junior Shop, Piccola Casa. Piccola Casa means Little House in Italian and since I grew up in a large Italian family, the name just seemed fitting.
Let me introduce you to one of our new designs, Panda Party! Over in our new shop you can find my Panda Party pillow and art print as well as lots of coordinating items. I have many more items to add to Piccola Casa so I hope you will check back often.
Now on to our Monday Mood Board!! Check out this amazing Regency Youth Bed I found over at LaylaGrayce. It comes in many colors and I am loving how fresh and new this design is. Of course you know I’m a fan of anything from Bungalow 5 and this perfect, modern Piedmont Side Table is available on their sister site, ZINC Door. Have you had a chance to look at the lighting collection over at Shop Ten 25? She has so many great selections over there it’s hard to pick one. Do you not love, love, love this Pagoda Lamp?!?!
When I’m painting these little watercolors, I let my mind wonder. I don’t really know why I painted circles on the ground but it seemed like a fun idea and kid’s rooms should be fun! Wall Decals are so popular these days, like these from Pottery Barn Teen….walls, ground, where ever!
So let the Panda Party begin!!! Please check out Piccola Casa and send me your ideas or suggestions. I’d love to hear from you!
1 Black & White Striped Pillow from Piccola Casa 2 Panda Party Pillow from Piccola Casa 3 Panda Party 11' x 17" Art Print From Piccola Casa 4 Bungalow 5 Piedmont Side Table from ZINC Door 5 Bubble Dot Decals from PBTeen 6 Regency Youth Bed from LaylaGrayce 7 Orange Pagoda Lamp from ShopTen25
A great entry way immediately sets off what the experience is going to be like in your home. If you have the space for it, I love a good console table. It's such a fun accent piece that you can change with a few decorations each season. This incredible one came from CircaWho. The elephant accents on the legs are what did it for me. Her shop looks like a designers dream! Good thing I'm all the way on the West Coast or I could see myself doing some serious shopping there! The lamps on my Monday's Mood Board came from there too. Such a fun web site to browse through as well.
The Pagoda Mirror (to die for) is from the lovely ladies over at Zinc Door. I am loving Navy lately!
But as much as I love Navy, I'm personally not the monochromatic type...Give me Color! These Green Linen Ottomans from Shop Ten25 are the perfect accent. Navy, Green, Coral....Oh My! You can find these fantastic ottomans here! They come in other colors as well.
Fall is coming...now is the time to take a chance and spice up your entry with some unique pieces that have interest and character, add in some delicious color and you will smile every time you walk by your fabulous entry!
1 Little Green Vase From Anthropologie 2 Barclay Pagoda Mirror From Zinc Door 3 Faux Bamboo Lamps From CircaWho 4 Illume Boho Mediterranian Candle From Zinc Door 5 Elephant Pagoda Console From CircaWho 6 Green Linen Ottoman From ShopTen25
Remember this?
It was my concept illustration for my daughter's bedroom make-over. A few things have changed but I'm getting very close to finishing it all up...just a few more pillows to sew and items to hang! Instead of the black strped drapes I decided to create my own fabric which will be available in my shop next week. My sweet mother and I sewed the window coverings last week and I just finished these painting for above their bed. I still plan on painting a boarder behind the paintings but you'll see all of that when I reveal the entire room.
Painting Layout....just getting started.
I did one with three roses and the other with two and added crystals to the inside of the roses.
Hanging on the wall but not quite complete...Make sure to come back next week and see the finished product!
Today's Monday Mood Board is all about a cozy place to snuggle up and read a good book. Most of my clients will tell you that I am not a fan of hallways.
I try to avoid the long bowling alley effect as much as possible but sometimes due to the shape of the land and the positioning of the house, it can't be avoided. But there are always solutions to charming up that hallway. When designing my clients house, I had suggested putting in a window seat but my client took it one step further by creating a deeper reading nook area. I loved it! It's deep enough now that you can actually put a twin mattress on it. Pa-lease! This is where I would want to spend all my time!!!
In California we design a lot of Spanish style homes. Largely influenced by the beautiful and historic Missions that line our coast. The architecture makes you envision warm earth colors mixed with cool ocean blues. So today I am sharing with you some of my favorite finds for both! Although I didn't find this gorgeous mirror until after I had painted my Mood Board, I included it as a beautiful alternative to the art on the back wall. Just stunning in sapphire and gold by Bunny Williams available at Zinc Door.
I love, love, love this Flame Stitch Rug from Shop Ten25. Talk about adding a little pizzaz to your hallway!
For the fabrics I picked a few from Fabricut and Highland Court. They are a nice compliment to this decorative throw pillow from ETSY.
1 Sapphire Mirror from Zinc Door 2 Flame Stitch Rug from Shop Ten25 3 Various Fabrics from Fabricut & Highland Court 4 Decorative Throw Pillow from ETSY
Summer time is here and this week I'm touching base on my Summer Wish list. First on my list is a really cool beach cruiser. As the crow flies, we only live about 2 miles from some of the most incredible California beaches. We have beautiful bike trails here but I have been in need of a new bike. When I came across Lilly Pulitzer's Beach Cruiser, I fell in Love! I have been a fan of Lilly Pulitzer for many, many years. I have always loved her bold and graphic prints. This bike is just too cute in her Pink Chum Print! You can see it here. Check back later this week for more of my summer must haves!
Happy Monday everyone! I took a little break to work on an exciting project with a fantastic on-line shop, Shop Ten 25! Soon we'll be revealing all the fun details about that project. For now I'm back in my studio (finally) and it's time for another Monday Mood Board!
Today's MMB is inspired by the bathrooms I've been working on lately along with some terrific bath accessories from some of my favorite on-line shops! First up are these Nesting Jars from Restoration Hardware. What girl doesn't need more storage? Cotton balls, bath salts, you're all set.
Maybe it's the sunny weather but I'm loving these Polka Dot Bath Towels from Garnet Hill. They just make me smile. Something else that makes me smile is this gorgeous Flora Mirror (that doubles as a piece of art - don't you think?) from Shop Ten 25. Also from Shop Ten 25 is this Faux Crocodile Skin Waste Basket. If anyone can make a Waste Basket look divine, it would be them! And who wouldn't love a cushy, white Polka Dot Rug from Layla Grayce? So fabulous! Last but not least, one can never have enough make-up bags. This one is by my friend, Lindsey, over at The Pleated Poppy. All her product are original and fresh. Love, love, love them!
So what's up with the ballet shoes? Some of you may know that I've been a dancer and a dance teacher for more years than I'll ever post (Eeeek!) and lately I've been messing around with painting dancers...and dance stuff... so I thought, what the heck? I'll throw in a little painting within a painting, just for fun!
1 Lollia Bath Salt Sachet from Layla Grayce 2 Silver Crocodile Waste Basket from Shop Ten 25 3 Flora Mirror from Shop Ten 25 4 White Polka Dot Bath Mat from Layla Grayce 5 Polka Dot Towels from Garnet Hill 6 Storage Jars from Restoration Hardware 7 Sweet Dots Zippered Pouch from The Pleated Poppy
The beautiful Spring weather always puts me in the mood to reinvent my home. Time to clear out the clutter and re-design. This time I’m focusing on my two younger daughters who share a room. When we built this home they were only 2 and 3 years old. They have since grown into lovely 12 and 13 year olds and the baby pink room is about to grow up. I’ve been consulting with them and they are giving me very little lead way in the design process.
Raquel and Chyna picked the color palette. Dark Coral walls (I know-right?!?!) with accents in White, Black & Gold!!! Across from their beds they said they wanted a Bulletin Board “Wall” like the one seen in Kylie Jenner’s video. I also found this cute one on The Happy Home Blog, it’s not quite big enough for what we want to do but I wanted to share her idea with you. She shows you how you can make this yourself step by step on her blog. Something else I found on Pinterest is this super idea from The Vintage Treehouse. I love how she reinvents these old frames and lace to make jewelry holders.
Behind their beds I was thinking of doing something like this lit canvas as seen on Apartment Therapy. The idea kind of sent me running down a bunny trail but instead I've decided to paint two large canvas’s with all our colors, to tie the room together. Behind the paintings I’m going to paint a black and white border on the wall to frame them.
Rocky told me she really likes the silhouette pillows I made of them a few years ago, so I’m going to make new ones for them, trimmed in gold and backed in coral. I’ll also create a new heart pillow for them as well. Drapes will be a bold in black and white stripe and I’ll be adding a desk under the window with a funky chair of some sort. We already have a manikin. Her name is Lola and she’s super for belts, scarves and purses. Of course we’ll need a full-length mirror too…all of these ideas and more you’ll see unfold on the follow up posts.
So there you have it. From my sketches to my Mood Board, that’s the plan for their room. I will be posting updates to this project as I hope to have it completed in the next couple of months!
A few weeks ago my oldest daughter and I went to Sophora. If you know Sophora, then you know that it’s basically a candy shop for women. I love browsing through the perfumes and finding a new scent to wear. I also love, love, love lipstick! I’ve often told my daughters, “All I need is Lipstick & a Good Perfume.” Something else also struck me that day, all the beautiful packaging but I tucked away those images in the back of my mind.
Then recently I’ve had two design projects that made me start thinking about that day again. As you can see from the prior post, I’m designing a boutique and I’m also designing a teenage girl’s room. Both projects are incredibly fun!
When looking for art, I started to pin certain things that inspired me on my Pinterest boards. Can you believe that this Dolce pin has received the most re-pins out of anything I’ve ever posted? That got me thinking about Sophora and all the great packaging of these beautiful products…so inspired, I decided to create my own art and out came the watercolors.
Today’s Monday Mood Board is all about Lipstick & a Good Perfume. These are my favorites!
All Images Copyright 2012 Mari Robeson, please ask before shaing. Thank you!
Every once in a while I get asked to design something really fun and unique. This time it’s a little clothing boutique that just needed a breath of color. My inspiration piece is this gorgeous chair I found during one of my addictive Pinterest afternoons. As you can see I’m continuing with my Rose theme…It’s what is inspiring me right now along with "That Chair" (pitter-pat goes my heart) that was featured on Lisa Mende’s Design blog. I’m in love with the large textile and the stripes on the armrests. It became my muse!
In keeping with the black, pink and gold theme, I found this wallpaper, soooooo pretty! I’m going to use it on the bottom of the wall and add a black piece of trim to cap it off at chair rail height. I’m also going to use it just on the back of each dressing room wall.
Down the hall across from the rooms I’m also going to add some artwork and these round mirrors I found at IKEA for only $14 but to make them more interesting I’d like to paint a gold and black design behind them. I’m also going to paint a frame around the large mirrors they already have in the dressing rooms. This is a much less expensive solution than framing the mirrors with wood.
I still have more things to ad-dress ha ha in this space, such as lighting and artwork so stay tune for more updates on this fun project!
1 Chair Lisa Mende Design 2 Black Baroque Mirror IKEA 3 Floral Wall Hooks Anthropologie 4 Round Mirror IKEA 5 Rose Wall Hook Anthropologie
