Bellus Ltd. Co. introduces G•interiors

Bellus Ltd. Co. introduces G•interiors as the newest line of the brand beginning February 2014.  The company will maintain it's well know Bellus Ltd. Co. brand being used exclusively for the custom furnishing end of the business.

As we launch G•interiors, we invite you to visit the new website www.G-interiors.com and follow both our Face Book page as well as our blog for the latest news and inspiration!

Thank you for your continued support, we are looking forward to a great new year!

Pokemon Birthday Party ...

Two weeks ago I knew nothing about Pokemon, but when your biggest fan asks for a Pokemon Birthday party you happily oblige.

After a couple days of searching the Internet and Pintrest  I now know more that I ever wanted!  My soon to be 8 year old and I spent a weekend putting all the fun ideas into action and ended up with a great party for my son and 5 of his friends.

I love throwing parties, the decor of course is one of my favorite parts! 

 It's fun to get creative with the serving station.

The whole family joined in the food naming rights!

Each food was named after one of the Pokemon "Energies"!

An easy Pokeball inspired goody back

A Pokemon has to have the right gear, so each boy received a  Pokemon Name and a Trainers hat when they arrived.

 

First training mission was to earn their Pokemon Badges.  Apparently the more 

badges you have the more obedient their Pokemon.  Does this work with kids?  

Simple wooden nickels with pictures mod-podge to one side.  We buried the "badges" 

in a bucket of beans and the boys had to find as many 

badges as they could in one minute. 

They loved this game and all boys found 10 badges of course!

Second activity was to hone their "Stomping" skills.  Apparently this is important!  

Inside we went with a square of bubble wrap for each.  The simple things in life!

As with anything, it's important for a Pokemon trainer to have good aim.  A fun 

team frisbee toss into a pitching net.  I busted out the mod-podge again and put two 

main Pokemon character faces on the frisbees.  Team Picachu took the event!

The next activity was to work on their acrobatics with the Picachu Run.  

A quick relay through the trees to rescue Picachu from the evil princess

....okay it was really my daughter and she is not evil!

Confident hold on the Pokemon!

Excellent moves through the trees....

The final task was to capture a Pokemon.  We tied string to action figures and 

hid them in a tree so the Pokemon could not be easily seen.  The kids pulled a tag

 that looked like a Pokeball to reveal their Pokemon.

Then they took their newly captured Pokemon into the house  for a little refreshment!

The Internet is a wonderful thing!  I made simple cupcake  tags with his favorite characters.

To burn off a bit of sugar before pick up the boys took flight  and created a game of dodge the swing!

My biggest fan "Snakewod" and a very Happy 8 year old!

What a great group of boys, thank you for helping us celebrate!

Are you feeling BLUE ???

The most dominate color at High Point market was deep indigo blue, but any blue will do. Such a fresh take on the blues of the past by pairing it with bright orange, emerald green and of course a crisp white! How blue are you?

 No your eyes are not deceiving you, that is blue dyed exotic hide with denim!

 I  LOVE...LOVE...LOVE the vibrant yellow 

with the deep indigo blues!

Classic navy and white, always a timeless combination.

Updated with a neutral pallet for a fresh take on the classic, just a hint of blue will do!

The blue glass lamps would look good in front of any background, but those who know me ... know I have a passion for blue and orange!

So, here's my office...the clean part that can be photographed!

I think this print is going to make it onto an order sheet soon... It's perfect!

 

The emerald hues with blue are a breath of fresh air in a room!

 

 This gorgeous piece was hand painted on the reverse side of the glass.  This was the most stunning piece I saw at High Point, the photo doesn't do it justice!

Blues are sad no more....how BLUE are you?

Your Neighbors will Stare....

Have you ever wanted your house to NOT look like your neighbors house?  With all the cookie cutter subdivisions out there, sometimes it is hard to define our own style.  One easy way to make a statement in your home is to invest in some beautiful light fixtures.

Here are some examples of beautiful light fixtures that will define a space.  These are not your Big Box store finds, but truly something unique.

Ceiling medallions with chrome tipped globe light bulbs

Wire baskets and bowels can be turned into pedant fixtures

Laser cut chrome adds an elegant shadow to this fixture

These remind me of the old railroad lantern globes

A collection of complimentary shapes in bold colors makes an eclectic centerpiece

Let the light inspire you to be among the neighborhood gossip!

Are your windows BARE?

Every room needs color, a can a paint will do wonders but the finishing touch to any 

room is adding color and texture with custom drapes. 
Don't leave your windows bare!

Drapery will make one of the biggest impacts on a room.  Many homeowners feel that custom drapes are just too expensive so they don't explore the process.  I had the opportunity to visit a drapery workroom recently and I would like you to see it for yourself.

KemTex is a local commercial drapery workroom that also caters to designers.  They fabricate projects a grand as hospital textiles and stage curtains to something as simple as throw pillows.  This showroom has hundreds of fabric choices or you can bring your own.  They can fabricate just what you are wanting, typically in two weeks.  I am alongside fellow designers Linda Boylan and Kathi Prior.

Here are just a few of the hundreds of fabric choices.  These fabrics retail from $25 per yard to $200 per yard.  Just to give you an idea...for a standard 108" drape (single panel) you need three yards of fabric plus three yards of lining. Based on the fabric you choose you can add beautiful depth and dimension to your room within any budget.  In addition to the yardage there will be a very reasonable labor charge to fabricate custom drapes.

This is there actual workroom where the magic takes place. 

Designers Christine Gee, Traci Connell, Stephanie Kratz (KemTex Designer Rep), Kathi Prior, Dot Greenlee, Michele Allen and Linda Boylan.

If you have been considering adding drapes to a room, don't buy them off the rack!  Consider custom drapes for the perfect look to tie your entire space together.  

Dwell with Dignity Apartment Remodel Reveal

Myself alongside several fellow designers from the Interior Design Society have been working for several months on a community service project in partnership with Dwell with Dignity.

Dwell with Dignity is a non-profit group of Interior Designers and volunteers dedicated to creating soothing, inspiring homes for families struggling with homelessness and poverty. They provide and install home interiors for families that include furnishings and art, bedding and kitchen supplies, and food in the pantry.

Scope of the Project:
ReDesign and install a fully furnished three bedroom apartment for two adults, a 9 year old girl, a 3 year old girl, a 15 month old boy and a two month old girl.  With little exception the furniture was all refinished by our designers and donors, the art throughout the project was all hand made by our volunteers as well as all the drapery and pillows.

IDS Volunteers:
Project Managers: Dot Greenlee & Christine Gee
Design Committee: Denise Piaschyk, Kristy Mastradonas & Barbara Gilbert
Art Committe Chair: Jody Clarke
Paint Committe Chair: Alba Dorsch
Sewing Committee Chair: Christine Gee
We had several other members that volunteered their time and talents to paint the apartment, installation and the clean up!
Teen Dwell, Sheri Martin, Linda Boylan, Kathy Prior, Nicole Arnold, and Lindsey Ward.

Here are a few action shots of the team at work.  

We had a great time working together and the results are amazing!

Our family
This sweet family of six were thrilled to be chosen for the IDS/Dwell with Dignity Project.  They arrived into their very small, temporary apartment on February 1st.  Just down the hall we were creating a wonderful home for them to rejuvenate both their spirits and their lives.  They are given the apartment for one year, after graduating from the program they will be allowed to take everything that was donated and gifted to them to their next home!

The moment you have been waiting for...the big reveal!

 

Our inspiration for the living room came from Denise Piaschyk fabric choice for the drapes.  The fabric was donated by Kasmir.  The warm hue of the living space really set the stage for the entire apartment.  The pop of teal on the TV console was exactly what the room needed to give it a punch!

The family was speachless when they walked into the apartment!

The dining room shows a more whimsical side to our design.  The light fixture was the starting point in this room.  Our intent was to incorporate a natural element in every area of the apartment and the grass cloth wallpaper adhered to the back of the book case was the perfect backdrop for the beautiful accessories.

In addition to replacing the carpet our sponsors also replaced the torn linoleum with ceramic tile as well as added a tile back splash.  The dishwasher did not work so the space was perfect for their kitchen garbage can.  It is now a kitchen anyone would love to cook in!

This beautiful room was designed for the 9 year old girl.  Being the Sewing Committee Chair I created the bed pillows, drapes and re-covered the desk chair.  A faux painter I have worked with on several projects, Tracy Palmer painted the beautiful little desk. 

She was so excited when she entered the room she immediately plopped down on the bed.  She absolutely loved the color!

 After they had time to take in everything in the room, the 9 year old ran out to give me a hug!  She absolutely loved the faux fur pillow I made for her bed.  Every girl needs a little glam!

This room was designed to accommodate the 3 year old girl and her 15 month old brother.  Denise and I created the color scheme in this room keeping it whimsical for both a girl and a boy.  The art was all hand painted by our volunteers with Jody Clark as the committee chair.  In addition to the beauty of the room, several of us donated toys and books to each of the kids so they could really enjoy their new space.

The kids bathroom tile was cracked and in very poor shape.  We replace with new porcelain tile and gave it a thorough cleaning and accessories.  Now the kids have a great bathroom space all to themselves.

The master bedroom was huge by any standard.  The size makes it a perfect retreat for both the parents as well as a quite place for the baby.  

 Again, all the art was hand made by our volunteers and the furniture was reupholstered and painted to fit into our design.  The baby bedding was custom made to coordinate with the color scheme.

After walking through the apartment with the family they were so grateful and really could not believe how much had been done for them.  In addition to the beautiful furnishings they were given their first nights meal, hot in the crock pot as well as a fully stocked pantry and refrigerator.  The husband had no idea and he was amazed!  As the man of the family you could see the relief on his face knowing that his family was going to have a wonderful place to live and thrive!

A HUGE Thank you to our sponsors & donors:
Prosource Flooring, Arizona Tile, Taylor King, Patina Flooring, Container Store, Texas Paint & Wallpaper, Eatzis, Peacock Alley, Sandro the electrician, J’s Tiling, Tracy Palmer, Kemtex, Simply Sew Creations, Chuck the faux artist, Kasmir Fabrics, Childress Fabrics, All Covered Upholstery, Nathan Grace, Nice Moves, Sleep Experts, Treeland Nursery, Shirley Oliver, and Wee Dream Scapes.

This has been the most fulfilling project I have done as a designer!  It has been an absolute blessing to work with Dwell with Dignity and change the lives of a wonderful family!

Granite...the real "Rock Star"

Have you ever really thought about where granite comes from?  Our ids meeting for July was held at Arizona Tile's new showroom in Dallas.  John presented an educational seminar on how many of the tile's and stones we love to use in design are harvested, cut and transported from countries like Brazil, Spain, India, Germany and Italy.

Did you know that granite is formed from magma that is between 2-1/2 to 544 million years old!
Traditional granite is magma that cools slowly far below the earth's surface?

Depending on the area of the world, granite quarry's produce some of the most common as well as the rarest of granite slabs.  Here are a few examples of beautiful granite slabs from around the world that Arizona Tile carries.  These are not your typical Home Depot finds, although they carry those as well.

Arizona Tile carries a custom glass tile program as shown below.  Clients can pick the tiles they want and a computer image will show you exactly how it will look in a random pattern.  You can do it from your own home computer and try out different options!

In addition to the plethora of typical tile, they also have both a standard medallion program (shown below) as well as a custom medallion program with coordinating tiles to make the process flawless.  These can be used in both vertical and horizontal applications, several sizes are available up 8' in diameter.

They have a great sample room...so when we find the finishes for your space, samples are available on site to take home and view in your space.

Arizona Tile slab warehouse.

Arizona tile has a great showroom and work room for clients so if you are thinking about making a change in your bathroom(s) or kitchen let's spend some time together finding the perfect combination for your project.

www.arizonatile..com

Coastal Style...this is not your momma's beach decor

After spending a week on the beautiful beaches of the Florida Panhandle I am compelled to share some of the coastal style we enjoyed.

 Our condo was obviously professionally decorated.

...that is what drew me to the unit...

Every room tied together beautifully with fun touches every now and then.  

They used a simple pallet with pops of a gentle teal and animal prints.

Rattan in both light and dark stains were used throughout 

to give that casual but elegant feel.

This is not the best picture, but they mixed coastal art in both 

the lamps, pebble bedding and art (not shown) 

with a very traditional oil painting. 

 On our way back from putt-putt, Duane agreed to stop at CoCo Island Furniture in
Orange Beach so I could check out the local wares...LOVE it!

I absolutely love the woven coffee table and side tables combined with a 

very clean lined white leather tufted sofa.

 This hand painted sideboard was absolutely stunning!

The lamps are perfectly paired with a drift wood finish on the table.  

 

 Love this fun storage solution for throw blankets or use as a recycle bin for the newspaper.

Coastal style often means "Embrace Color"!

http://www.cocoislandfurniture.com/

Welcome to the beach!

Reclaimed but not always repurposed

We are all trying to do our part to be more "green".  Here are a few examples of how wonderfully that works in design.

 

This vendor uses all reclaimed items and puts them together in unique ways.  

Talk about conversation starter!

Mason jars could only look better containing ice cold sweet tea!  

This would look great under a gazebo in the back yard.  Only a few of them actually have bulbs inside, the rest are simply reflecting the light.

Before kids, I spent all my time at the antique shops around Houston.  I love that every piece has a history and there were bargains everywhere.  Now with companies like Pottery Barn replicating antique pieces as well as scouring the world to scoop up every real one they find it is more difficult for us to find those bargains while enjoying the hunt.

You can buy book boxes that are very pretty for $20 to $40 each, or you can find real books that are just a few dollars each.  They are getting harder to find due to the high demand.

 I have a few antique pulleys in my house.  One we use in the attic to heave our 12' Christmas tree back into the attic (no I am not kidding) and the other one will be used to hang a camping lantern from my son's ceiling when he is old enough to know not to hang from it!

You have probably seen these used as displays at some of the higher end retail stores.  They can also be used in a home office to represent world traveler or guest room to add some dimension to the top of armoire.

I have an obsession with old storage solutions, can you just image how many 

craft items you could fit in a small area with this unit!

They just don't make trophy's like they used to!

Happy Hunting,

Atlanta Market & Regional ids Conference

Thanks to my sweet husband I was able to escape the hot Dallas weather for what is rumored to be "Hotlana".  As my husband entertained two kiddos and a new puppy, I enjoyed weather in the 80's and some great inspiration at the Atlanta Home & Accessories Market.

The most common thread throughout the market was the use of linen/natural fabrics mixed with reclaimed wood look-a likes!

All wood is not created equal!  Mix light with dark with washed for a casual feeling that will be the talk of any dinner party!

Colors were neutral by design...

In addition to seeing the latest trends in design the first ever Regional ids Conference took place inside the Market.  We had the opportunity to learn the latest and greatest business strategies to become more efficient as well as share ideas with other designers from around the country.

www.Deweycolorsystem.com

www.ashleywhittenberger.com

www.bellusredesign.com