More Fashion Inspired Design

I had the pleasure of discovering a great new fashion item yesterday. Shoes! Of course shoes are not new but these are a new twist on an old shoe...the sandal. Check out http://www.junoshoegirl.com/ These look like an ordinary sandal....but wait there's more! Created by an artist the devine decorations that accessorize these sandals are interchangeable. Snap them on and you have a totally new look.

Two things come to mind when I think of these fun fashion items. First the designs of the snap on doo dads are fabulous and could easily inspire the interior design of any room. There are turtles, starfish, bows, sailboats, flowers and bejeweled designs. A seaside cottage or hip garden room or elagant dining room could all be inspired by these beautiful shoe ornaments. The flowers could be enlarged and used as a pattern on pillows or rugs or on drapery hardware or as wall art. There is no end to it!

The next thing that I think about is why not make interchangeable decorating accessories. Of course you can always change out accessories or art but what about taking it a step further. Why not a removable skirt on a sofa or chair or changeable fringe on draperies or pillows. What about ...... You fill in the blank.

If you are old enough you may remember changing decor with the seasons, especially summer. White or floral slip covers on upholstery offered a welcome lighter look. We took down heavy drapes and left the sheers. We rolled up rugs and left the bare wood floors or put down sisal area rugs. You could take it a step further. Change the lampshades, change accessories, even artwork. I can see living in warmer climates a lighter cooler feeling interior would certainly be welcome in the dog days of summer.

But I am going to think about taking the idea of snap on ornamentation of Juno Shoe Girl a step further.....no pun intended.

What do you think?

Fashion Inspiration

In my last blog I wrote about how fashion designers can be equally talented at interior design, a la Coco Chanel, but fashion itself can be an inspiration for decorating. Take the recent winner of HGTV's Design Star, Emily Henderson. Her whole design theory is that you can create an interior based on your wardrobe. On one of the final episodes of Design Star she created an interior based on a man's wardrobe. One of the ways she accomplished this was by doing a navy pin stripe on an accent wall. She incorporated the feel of the clothes with texture, color, pattern and accents. It was great! See more on Emily at http://www.hgtv.com/


On a recent visit to Rodeo Drive I saw an incredible store front display at Prada. Here are maniquins dressed in blues and blacks....navys, turquoise and soft blues, with ribbons, lace and plaids and prints. Now this could be a great inspiration for any decor. I can imagine it as a coastal cottage or urban loft, sophisticated or just fun.



You could use bits of lace as trim on pillows, a bold plaid rug on the floor or how about a band of color all around the room like the waist bands on the dresses. I can see lots of white with splashes of brilliant blues in lamps, art, glass, or tile. Yes, in a kitchen with white cabinetry and countertops a dramatic cobalt blue glass backspash, table settings with plaid napkins and blue goblets, or the backsplash could be a fun mosaic of multiple shades of blue. The feeling I get from these chic frocks is casual sophistication so that might be what I would strive to express.

How would you interpret these dresses in decorating a room? The possibilities are endless.