Summer has arrived in the Midwest. Seems early, but, we’ll take it!
This under-loved outdoor space was calling for sprucing up. We did some mighty shopping in one long afternoon, and, Viola! A new space, one that is pretty, functional, and didn’t break the bank.
Pretty spaces make us happy.
Happy New Year!! Looks like we got that in just in time for the end of Chinese New Year..In case you’re wondering, it’s the year of the Rooster. This is what the Chinese Horoscope has to say about 2017.
“The Year of the Rooster will be a powerful one, with no middle of the road when it comes to moving forward. This year, impressions count. You’ll want to look your best and be clear on your intentions concerning love, money, and business. Stick to practical and well-proven paths to ensure success, rather than risky ventures.”
Who knows if we can believe the Rooster, but we can probably all agree that “impressions count” and we’ll want to “look our best” Our houses for sure, right? 🙂
For inspiration, we are about to unload our “stream of consciousness” There is no rhyme nor reason to this montage of shots. Just a group of things we’ve been working on this winter. Hopefully you’ll see something you like.
Keep us in mind as you work on making your house “look it’s best”
OH, and Happy New Year!
What do Yakov Smirnoff, Art Garfunkel, Melissa Ethridge and the Manhattan Transfer have in common? Is it their love of music? Maybe…..or maybe, just maybe they will all be enjoying our labors.
We were recently contracted to select the furnishings for the green room at the
Skokie Center of Preforming Arts!
It’s a small space that needed heavy duty furnishings. Apparently green rooms get a lot of abuse. We found a cute neutral leather sofa that could stand up to abuse. We needed side chairs but they needed to be durable. We found chairs that had fabulous lines. We reupholstered them in Crypton fabric….crypton can stand up to virtually anything.
Check out the Center’s schedule…lots of good acts are coming. The shows should be good, if only because the celebrities will be so comfortable from their time in the Green Room. 🙂
This is what they were sitting on…no lie!!
Vacations are over…the kids are back to school, work, and their new homes…some temporary some semi-permanent…. sigh….
Thankfully we have multiple interesting projects in the works that run the design gamut. We have channeled our contemporary selves as well as our traditional selves and everything in between. Hopefully it’s keeping us young!!
Lighting can certainly make or break a room. Take a look at these pictures from two of our most recent projects. They are wildly different yet equally fabulous.
Which one speaks to you?
Currently we have our hand in lots of projects. We’ve been trying to keep up on posting but thankfully we have been busy, too busy to write. We have been dabbling in everything from draperies and upholstery to kitchens and baths. We have even worked on some outdoor spaces….It’s been a great summer!
Stay tuned for updates on all the projects…We promise we will get some pictures soon. It’s a good problem to be busy and we feel so fortunate to be able to do what we love and help others create spaces they love…! Give us a call if you want an update or have a project. The holidays are right around the corner.
A few years ago we were tasked with helping our client get her FABULOUS spa ready for a magazine photo shoot. She has since become our friend.
EGEA Spa is located at 1521 Sherman Avenue in Evanston. It’s right on the corner in a quaint historic building. The pleasant color palette and crisp cleanliness draw you in. We have been behind the scenes for years now and can say from experience, owners Chris and Kathy Pappas pay close attention to every detail. Everything is thought out, from the cucumber water down to the soundproofing; everything is addressed.
Here’s the picture from Sheridan Road Magazine. This is what they had to say…..
“After filling out some forms, we were given sea green spa slippers and led into a chic and luxurious changing room/waiting area (reminiscent of Chicago’s Four Seasons Spa, we thought), where we changed into thick white terrycloth robes and drank cucumber water and green tea.”
“Chic and Luxurious, reminiscent of the Four Seasons” That was exactly what we were going for. A historic building comes with challenges. Space being the biggest…or more literally the smallest. Together with Kathy we designed this built in sofa to have a chaise feel. The corner houses the magazines…and we adore the light fixture!!
As with any good business, you have to keep growing and investing to keep successful!
So we were back at it this January.. 
Here’s is the before shot of a seating area outside some treatment rooms.
Don’t pay too much attention to the before, it was a temporary fix to allow guests to relax before or after their appointments.
Here’s the after……Again the space limitations drove our design. We wanted to utilize every usable inch but also give it that “chic, luxurious feel”…..
The sturdy durable fabric is perfect for a commercial application and the neutral color enhances the spa-like tile on the back wall above the sink. The light fixtures were perfect adding a simple, sophisticated element while mimicking the fixture in the other waiting area.
We had a few other ideas to bring things together and refresh the space.
Simple, elegant room numbers….done by hand by the talented daughter of the owners 🙂
Serene, nature inspired paintings that we were incredibly lucky to find.
This chest and tray, perfect to hold the signature cucumber water.
We couldn’t be happier with the way things turned out. We know and certainly Chris and Kathy know, that you don’t go to a spa for the decor. BUT, we also know that owners that care enough to make the surroundings beautiful care even more about their level of service.
Please stop in at EGEA Spa, 1521 Sherman Avenue in Evanston.
You’ll be glad you did!!!
We’ve been busy jumping into the new year. The even numbered years are supposed to be the best right? Last year was good too, and for that, we are thankful !!
To start the new year we thought we’d post one of our favorite projects from last year……Thanks Lesley Tokar for the fabulous photography!!!
We will start with the close-ups….the new spin on classic subway tile……
The gold knobs…updated from satin nickel and chrome….
lighting with Edison style bulbs….just because there are gold knobs doesn’t mean we can’t have silver lighting..
Now, the big shots….the glass cabinet with rough wood, and multiple tall cabinets for storage….. It was a labor of love to find the eye-popping art!
The exposed shelves for easy access to everyday items
We do love this Italian stove……
The hidden microwave
And the full view!!
Not only is it better to cook in a space that speaks to you, but it is also more fun to eat in one!! Thanks again, Lesley!
Most of us have heard the story about the shoemakers daughter. Today I googled it to find it’s exact meaning. The best definition I got was:
“The shoemaker is too busy making shoes for other people to make a pair for his own child. In other words, we often get so tied up in our work and providing for others that we forget to take care of our own”
Hmmmm. As Thanksgiving and the holidays approach, I was feeling desperately like “Momma needs a new pair of shoes” Is that too many cliches in one post? Well it wasn’t shoes I needed but an update to a room that I truly loved but knew it had passed it’s prime.
The trouble is Autumn is our peak season. How was I to find time to do my own mess? Well thankfully I have a sister/partner who swung into action and together we spent one day transforming my dining room.
I did love my red dining room. But it was time to go. As we pondered the room, we knew we wanted to keep a lot of the current pieces. The rug, the drapes, the furniture…those were all staying. So we really wanted to paint…and add a bench for seating. As we started we realized the red roman shades were going to have to leave. Quick on her feet, my realsister said, “Let’s paint them” Sure I thought, they aren’t yours? 🙂
But we did…….
So, I bought some paint, painted, added a new bench, and a new lamp…the rest we reused….and now I have my new shoes. Just in time for the holidays! and it took us less than 8 hours.
What’s scarier than an outdated room? Let us help you get ready for the next big holiday!
It’s lurking right around the corner!!
If we all had unlimited funds, life would be wonderful. Or would it? That’s a discussion for another time. When it comes to designing a room, while unlimited funds are fabulous, often it just doesn’t happen. We feel one of our gifts is to work within all budgets. We will be the first to admit some things need to be purchased from designer showrooms. Some things can not be compromised. Yet, an entire room does not need to be custom. Take a look at this room….We re-purposed the sofas. We had our upholsterers do their magic on some old, but high-quality, outdated sofas. The sofas seem brand new. We added custom shades and custom drapes on the slider.
The room, while nice, lacks a certain oomph. Our client called us back and asked us to weigh in on some artwork. While we were there we suggested the room could use some finishing touches. We thought she needed accessories and a chair to complete the seating area. She agreed, but was overwhelmed and frankly just wanted the project done so she could enjoy her new space. We told her we would run to Homegoods and see what we could find. Off we went. Boy did we cause a stir.
We found this chair immediately. We thought that perhaps the pattern might be a little strong with the window seat, so we sought out this adorable fox pillow…that’s when we created the stir….This woman ripped the pillow right off the chair as we were putting the big pieces on hold….that just made us want it more. 🙂
Next we did our sweep of the store. We really have it down to a science. We start in the same department and methodically work through the aisles. We loaded the cart with trays, florals, pillows, throws, and vases. Shoved it into the car and off we went.
We texted our client exactly one hour from the time we left. She met us at the door, we unloaded and here you go……………There are still a few pieces missing but within one and a half hours total, she went from …..
this to this
Real Sisters Design 