interior design ideas: February 2007

Kelly Wearstler-Our Favorite Designer

So we've been watching Top Design on Bravo religiously...and we can't help wondering, what the hell is Kelly Wearstler wearing? She is quite stunning, but we really don't get the knee socks.

Knee socks and all, Kelly Wearstler is by far our favorite interior designer on earth. She is so incredibly talented and has the best eye for colors.

Check out her work at kwid.com.

If you like Kelly Wearstler wallpaper and fabrics, which is available via Decorative Walks, this is a good source for it.

Modern Table Lamps

We just got back from the Las Vegas Home Furnishing show. There were few notable designs, but we did find a nice lamp line from Shine Everyday that we like. The lamps are colorful, fresh, and very Elle-Decorish.

The first lamp shown here is our favorite. It is a Hollywood Regency styled lamp. It is available in black, white and yellow (shown). We like the yellow the best.

Delmonico Lamp $550

Here's another one that has a bit of Asian influence to it, but it's not so Asiany...

Palomar Lamp $415

A dramatic black and white lamp...

Zanzibar Lamp $415

To see more lamps in this collection, check out the modern lamp collection.

Top Design-Is it A Yawn?

Is Top Design, the new interior design show on Bravo, a yawn? We think it's an absolute yes. Unlike Project Runway, Top Design doesn't have any DRAMA! We want drama, we want talents, we want blood! We want cat fights!

The first episode shows the candidates working in team with a budget of $50,000 to design a room. Now, $50,000 seems like a lot but it is not because it is based on RETAIL prices. Like cars, you should never pay MRSP (manufacturer suggested retail prices for furniture), especially at places like Pacific Design Center. Just so you know, the vendors don't expect to sell them at that prices either. The standard is 30-40% off the retail prices. You usually have to go through a decorator to buy at the design centers, but don't pay a mark up on top of the design fee. That is just plain silly.

Ok, back to Bravo. We don't see any talents on the show yet. The second episode features the candidates doing a kid's room. This time the budget was limited and required more creativity (did you notice the Target logo was not displayed? They must have not paid for product placement). A couple of the rooms were such a joke. We think the right guy got eliminated though.

Hopefully future episodes will hold more exciting designs and better talents.