red hot item of the month

Target's hip Red Hot Shop features as they put it "a monthly dose of chic, unique and sometimes offbeat." These items are only in stock for a limited amount of time, so when something catches your fancy, make sure to snag it asap. This month my favorite two items help you stay organized in a very attractive fashion.

First up is the Triple Hook-Up Strip in blue. Keep yourself organized with the all-in-one magnetic strip for notes, mail holder and heaps of hooks to hang your keys, dog leashes or whatever else you can find to hang up. The bright tide pool blue makes it a fun colorful statement and a fun art piece at that.







Second is a fun little item for anyone about to board a plane. The Flight 001 Red Eye Pak features flight-friendly goodies including: a Flight 001 eyemask, soft ear plugs, Jao lip balm, 1 LA Fresh hydrating lotion towelette, 1 LA Fresh Dental Refresher, chiclets for popping your ears, and a bookmark stored neatly in a reusable clear zip-top pouch. Like what you see? Check out Flight001.com or one of their seven US stores for more helpful travel supplies and treats.

getting graphic at target

Well, as many of my family and friends know I am a sucker for bold, graphic prints, so naturally when I stumbled upon a line of chairs and ottomans at target.com I got pretty excited. There are number of great patterns adorning adequately sized square and round ottomans as well as vintage-styled armless chairs. You can't forget the details including: coordinating welting, tufting on some of the ottomans, and matching kidney pillows on the chairs. Unfortunately these are only available online so don't plan on running out to see them at your local store. Take your time reading the reviews too, with most users giving them 5 out 5 stars and a few 3-4 stars with comments on how the color is different than it had appeared on-screen or the chair was smaller scale than they had expected.
I also happened to stumble upon another adorable ottoman at target.com. At 16.5 " inches square, the "kid's floral storage ottoman" in chocolate is great for a little extra storage in a small space (don't ask me why it's called floral or why they have it in the kid's furniture section... looks pretty grown up to me). A pair of them would look great at the end of your bed and give you a little seat to sit on and put your shoes on as well. Hey, why not make a little more space in that dresser of yours and keep your socks close at hand in the storage section?
Check out these great finds here:
Athens upholstered chair - cinnabar
Camille armless chair - granite
floral cocktail ottoman - oasis
Gerber round ottoman - sungold
kid's floral storage ottoman - chocolate

Vote Earth! Earth Hour 2009

Tonight is the night to give a little something back to the planet we call home. From 8:30PM to 9:30PM local time wherever you live is Earth Hour. Time to finally light all those candles you've been collecting all year, read your book by "itty bitty" book light instead of by a ceiling full of recessed cans or simply turn off all the unnecessary lights in your home or business. Why not continue to give back by taking the hour to switch out your incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs. Make sure to then to properly recycle your old bulbs (try your local IKEA, they are big on recycling all sorts of items).

Here a just a couple of fun ways to show your support of Earth Hour:

• Take a photo of you, your friends and family participating in Earth Hour and upload it to the Earth Hour flickr group, making sure to tag it with your city and country.
• Posting a video on YouTube labeling it "Earth Hour" or "Earth Hour 2009."

Enjoy your night and the earth thanks you for it.

Small Spaces, Big Ideas give-away from Room & Board and Apartment Therapy

So I woke up this morning to a wonderful email inviting me to enter the "Small Spaces, Big Ideas" give-away from Room and Board. Room and Board had asked Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, founder of design blog Apartment Therapy, to select a few of his favorite pieces from their catalog that would be great for small spaces. There are ten items (or in some cases pairs) to select from, everything from 60" sofas to nightstands to desks and chairs. You are invited to register to win once a week starting now till the end of April. Four prizes in all will be awarded throughout the contest with one prize a week ending each on April 9th, 16th, 23th and 30th, so that means you can register up to four times over the month. Make sure to read the rules as there are many important ones.

Best of luck to all!
ps. I really want that Hancock Drop Leaf Table.

when it's colder inside than it is out

Today's glorified real estate ad on sfgate.com belongs to the address 848 Southampton Drive, Palo Alto, California. With an asking price of $4.59 million at approximately 4,700 square feet, (roughly $976 per square foot) they have designed themselves into a box that leaves a select few with bank accounts still large enough to even consider living there. Its contemporary, boxy exterior is warmed up with the addition of rich wood siding and a lush lawn, unfortunately the warmth stops there. The interior appears to be a cold, monochromatic shell of hard lines and concrete. There is no life to the large rooms. What happened to the warm wooden wrap of the exteriors? Where are the brilliant punches of color such as that from the green lawn? Just for the record, three orange toiletry bottles or one area rug do not count. I don't understand why so many designers still feel that contemporary and modern interiors have to be so stark and void of color and personality. I figure, if I were to spend $4.5 million on a home I'd want to see me everywhere in that place. I'd love to hear what others think.

exterior of 848 Southampton Drive

living room

master bath

check out more photos here
check out the full story here

a gem of a votive holder

So, I always happen to fall in love with one particular Pier One votive holder each season and I've found my new love in their recently added glass votive holders. Their angles and brilliant colors of amber, blue, green and red help save them from being just your everyday votive holder. If you want to add a little sparkle to your kitchen too, why not use one on your counter to hold your toothpicks.
For an added bonus, if you are looking for a steal of a deal tea light holder check out their Gold Ceramic tea light holders. Marked down from $5 a piece to an amazing $0.48 each.

godmorgon to you!

Godmorgon (translates from Swedish to "good morning") is just what I would be having if I walked into my bathroom each day and saw one of these IKEA sink/vanity combinations just waiting for me to wash my face or brush my teeth at it. You really can't beat the counter space, storage and function you get in such a clean-line, modern piece of furniture.

If you are looking for something even more compact I'd also check out their other new bathroom line, LILLÅNGEN. Even smaller, the LILLÅNGEN sinks include everything from the sink basin to the stainless soap dish, tray and towel hooks, as well as more shelf space beside the faucet. In addition to all the space saving tools on the sink, the cabinet below adds even more space. What I would give to have so much storage in my bathroom without having to see all the clutter.


Anyone buy and install one of these yet? Comments on it?

details on a dime at CB2 and Z Gallerie

Okay, so maybe it isn't a dime, but for $1,199, the crimson cotton-linen fabric or pewter poly velvet upholstered Avec sofa from CB2 is a real steal of a deal. I love its vintage look with a slim silhouette, perfect for lots of seating in a smaller space. The details are found in the low tufted back and two wide seat cushions all resting high upon super thin gunmetal legs. It also doesn't hurt that its certified sustainable, kiln-dried hardwood frame and soy-based polyfoam and fiber cushions are pretty eco-friendly. I think if you want add a bit more glitz you could easily pair it up with the mirrored Encore coffee table from Z Gallerie, another great bargain at $399.

wingbacks make a comeback

Wingback chairs don't just belong to Grandpa and Grandma any longer. Originally they were designed to keep the user protected from cold drafts, but with today's central heating wingbacks have gone on a diet and are making a more slimmed-down, stylized comeback. Everyone seems to be making a wingback from the McCartney by American Leather's John Charles Designs to the Gates chair at West Elm. Make one truly special by selecting textiles in modern, graphic patterns.

my personal style

So, my most recent assignment in school was to create a materials/concept board of my personal style. Being an internet interior design junkie I was well prepared for this assignment because I tend to save every image of a space or item I enjoy for one reason or another. I often like I have a much easier time designing for others than I do for myself and I think I have found the problem. I always ask them to collect images of spaces and things that speak to them aesthetically and I never do that for myself. Sure, I have hundreds of images I've collected, but I've never really put them together and looked at them as a whole. After this assignment I actually feel a little more prepared to finish up my new apartment.

Check out some of these items at:
Nelson Saucer Pendants - DWR
das eames print - Blue Art Studio
Love Birds Pillow - Ferm Living
Nelson Sunburst Clock - DWR
McCartney Chair - John Charles Designs by American Leather
Eames Molded Plastic Armchair - DWR
Lucian in Lime - Pindler & Pindler, Inc.
Lush 1/2x2 Big Sur Blend by Modwalls
Cross Credenza - DWR
Eames Molded Plywood Chair, LCW - DWR
Lush 2x2 Thick Blend New Leaf - Modwalls
painting by Audrey Kawasaki
Retro Alarm Clock by Twemco - revivehome.com
Cirque hand-painted wallpaper - SJW Studios, Inc.

welcome to den design studio

Welcome to the den design studio blog. I'm Melissa, an interior designer and interior architecture and design graduate student living in the greater Seattle area. I finally decided it was time to start blogging to get some of my thoughts and ideas out of my head and out into the open. I hope you enjoy what I enjoy and want to share with you. I'd love to hear your opinion as well so feel free to comment as often as you'd like.