Chicago Interior Designer, Jordan Guide

School’s out for summer!  There is no better time to begin organizing and implementing fun new decor in your kids bedrooms.  Changing up their space can give them a renewed sense of personal style and inspire a summer full of imagination and creativity.   Whether you spring for a major overhaul, or only need something as simple as a wall decal, take a look into their bedrooms and try to involve them in deciding on fresh new bedroom decor for 2010.  For those of you in need of updated baby nursery ideas, there has never been a better time to find inspiration, products and resources.  For the modern family, there are amazing new furniture and accessory companies that cater to contemporary and modern styles.

Modern Nursery with Wood Slat Wall

Modern Nursery with Sitting Chair & Ottoman

Below is a stylish nursery that has an interesting color palette.  The side wall is painted a deep navy and the ceiling in white with yellow semi-gloss stripes.  Having this contrast allows the eye to travel, all the way down to the cow hide rug that grounds the room.  There is also a large armoire placed on the navy wall to help break up the solid color, as well as a window to offset the darkness the navy brings to the space.  I love the black mobile over the crib and touch of orange and camel fabrics in the furnishings.  It works harmoniously due to these well thought out balances

Stylish Nursery with Bold Colors

A simple solution to dress up a nursery, or any room for that matter are DIY, removable Wall Decals.  Sometimes a room only needs a pop of color and a fun design, such as this over-sized Kids on Swings wall decals by WALLTAT.

WALLTAT Wall Decal - Kids on Swings

Set of three… this room offers a simple furniture layout and color palette for a mini soccer team of boys.  The accessories and patterns within the bedroom create interest and offer a masculine and playful feel.

Boys Room for Three

Space is sometimes an issue for most extra bedrooms, and like all urban settings when you can no longer build out, you must build up.  This pink and white girls bedroom uses tiered layers for the study area with a slide under bed.  Tall cabinetry and wall mount shelving promote organization and  storage solutions.

Space Saving Tiered Layout for Girls Bedroom

Layers of millwork create this custom look below.  Space issues were also solved with building upwards and a central staircase that are used as drawers.  Every inch of this gender neutral bedroom is filled with cabinetry, drawers, shelving and cabinetry.  Now that’s efficient.  Another element worth noting is the continuous block under the ground level bed that serves as nightstands and bed support.  Brilliant.

Custom Millwork for a Gender Neutral Bedroom for Two

More simple solutions for kids bedrooms are full wall murals from Wall Stickers. These add huge amounts of color and are available in a wide range of characters, movie themes, comics and superheros.

Barbie & Thomas The Train Wall Murals by WallStickers.net

How much fun would your children have playing in their very own interactive playroom?  Equipped with study, dining table, sitting area, climbing net, tumbling mats, swing set and educational map of the world.  Sometimes dreams do come true!

Manhattan Residential Playroom by Diana Kellogg

Jordan Guide Luxury Interior Designer

Ritz-Carlton Residences, Chicago blog contributor, Jordan Guide, ASID, NCIDQ No. 021998 of Jordan Guide Design is a high-end luxury interior designer based in Chicago.

Kitchen & Bath Industry Show 2010

This year KBIS made another return to Chicago’s McCormick place to present the latest and greatest in Kitchen & Bath products and trends.  I scanned over dozens of vendor booths and came up a handful of notables.  Of course when entering KBIS, Kohler always wins my immediate attention considering their booth is so predominantly located.  To view their sparkling new bathroom trends, it would be easiest to visit their website directly.

Ann Sacks, part of the Kohler Interior Group has emerged with a gorgeous new wood tile called Indah Carved Teak in three designs “weave, circles and fingerprint.”  Although they are safe for the bathroom, I more so envision these 12 x 12 panels for use in main living and entry areas of a home.  They are stunning up close and personal.

Ann Sacks Teak Wall Tiles

Glass 2 is a new glass line that is 99% recycled.  It is anti-microbial, scratch resistant, heat resistant, colorfast and currently has 10 beautiful colors to choose from (9  translucent, 1 semi-translucent).  For purchasing or questions, please inquire on through my contact page.

Glass 2 recycled glass surface

I love the idea of building out the side shower walls to incorporate these rails for soaps and misc. shower products.  The boxy recessed niches are a thing of the past.  They have also included coordinating decorative trim banding on the walls and used schluter on the corners to finish the edges out for a clean designer look.  It is about time we evolve!

Integrated Shower Wall Rails

As much as I love to visit trade shows for the obvious reasons, I also pay attention to the creative designs and ideas used within each vendors booth.  These contemporary aluminum sticks can be used as interior room dividers or better yet, as outdoor decor that would make a soothing clacking noise in the wind.

Powder-coated Aluminum Decor Sticks

Shredded hanging fabrics from the ceiling caught my eye.  I have seen string curtains used before, but these large strands of fabric would make for a great room separator, informal door or dramatic ceiling treatment in dark fabrics.

Strips of Lightweight Fabric Borders A Booth from Above

I especially love this wire water display surrounding the MAAX booth.  It was custom designed for the show and is completely ingenious the way the water neatly falls from the above opening and trickles down each strand of metal wire into the lower basin.

Wire Fountain Display

Richelieu Hardware is a company that offers almost anything from fixtures, specialty hardware, decorative hardware and lighting.  Naturally, I gravitated towards the light… flexible RGB LED lighting that is!  Professional hard wiring is required for the transformer, but the rest of the lighting strips are literally a snap to install.  I also like that these strips have an adhesive backing for easy application and they can be bent in every direction.  I had to test it out. so with permission I did just that.

Flexible & Sticky Backed LED Strip Lighting

Another flexible material that caught my eye was Hanex Solid Surfaces.  This material can be bent and shaped during fabrication as seen in this shower display, and it also comes with a list of  additional advantages.  78 rich colors and textures,  inconspicuous seams, scratch and stain resistant for easy maintenance, durability is stronger than stone, resists heat, mold, chemicals, pollutants and bacteria, environmentally friendly,  renewable and repairable… and the list goes on.

Flexible Solid Surfaces by Hanex

There was also a very special find of a Spanish contemporary cabinetry company looking to expanded its distributorship to the States. We are currently in talks to launch their brand in the U.S. via my upcoming online furniture showroom!  It is a very exciting product line of kitchen cabinetry, kitchen accessories, solid surfaces and closet door systems that meet the mark in quality and affordability.  For purchasing or questions, please inquire on through my contact page.

New Contemporary Cabinetry Line Coming Soon

New Contemporary Cabinetry Line Coming Soon

MAAX is another bathroom company specializing in unique bathtubs, showers and medicine cabinets.  They have a very interesting collection ranging from ultra contemporary to glitzy traditional.

Maax Viaggi Freestanding Bathtub

Maax Roman Freestand Bathtub

KBIS was a wonderful way to kick off the trade show season.  KBIS will be held in Las Vegas in 2011, and back at Chicago’s McCormick Place in 2012!

2010 KBIS Lobby Opening Day

Jordan Guide Luxury Interior Designer

Ritz-Carlton Residences, Chicago blog contributor, Jordan Guide, ASID, NCIDQ No. 021998 of Jordan Guide Design is a high-end luxury interior designer based in Chicago.

Wall Art Collage

The origin of the Art Collage has spanned the last few centuries and  reemerged in the early 20th century as a novelty art form.  The French term collage was coined by Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso from the root word “coller” meaning glue.  The  “collage” was used to describe modern art paintings portraying diverse groupings of images within a canvas, or to describe various groupings of  newspaper and magazine clippings that were glued to a variety of mediums.  We now see collages within blogs, fashion magazines, interior design websites and countless other outlets, all of which still attempt to portray and connect a series of relative ideas to tell a story.  Most recently, the interior design trend of using collage of frame pieces of art has solved many design faux pas’.   Over the years, we all collect family photographs, children’s artwork, framed mirrors, fine art, love letters, sketches, wall sculpture,  etc.   Sure, we can try to find an open wall to randomly place individual keepsakes,  but that tends to look scattered and in turn, compromises the scale of a room, the walls and its vocal points.  You can begin to understand the impact of the collage by drawing from these examples and implementing in your own homes or offices.

Colorful Framed Art Collage

Staircase Framed Art Collage in Subtle Tones

By grouping these random artworks in their unique frames, you can simply take a countless number of art pieces to create one cohesive art installation.  It will not only serve your decor, but will also be the new talking piece of your home.

Dining Room Framed Artwork Collage

Max Azria's Home Displays Framed Collages

If your art frames are less than par, you can choose to reframe them, or unify all of your frames with a new coat of paint in one or a few shades to coordinate with the room.   At this stage, you may also want to consider re-matting the photos in consistent shades or on antique papers or patterns.  You may also chose to reprint all of your photos in black and white, or all in sepia to blend together.  This gives the grouping consistency if you prefer a unified look.

Consistent Black and White Framed Collage

Antique Paper as Photo Mat with Sepia Photos

For an eclectic look, leave your frames and art as is or repaint and re-mat in an array of desired colors.

Foyer Console Artwork Collage

Framed Art Collage Wraps Bathroom Walls

Contemporary Bedroom with Eclectic Framed Art Collage

Now that you are hooked on the idea of framed art collage, your first step will be to choose a suitable display wall and measure the wall area where the art collage will be arranged. Use masking tape to create a collage boundary on the wall and also create another masking tape area of the same size on the floor.  Gather your art pieces and begin playing with layout ideas within your floor tape boundaries.  Decide if you will be modifying the photo frames, mat board or reprinting the photographs. Tweak the artwork arrangement (if necessary) after your modifications.  Photograph the arrangement as an installation reference, review once more and begin your installation!

Ritz-Carlton Residences, Chicago blog contributor, Jordan Guide, ASID, NCIDQ No. 021998 of Jordan Guide Design is a high-end luxury interior designer based in Chicago.

Varied Stripe Thickness

Fun and flirty, dramatic and sexy… stripes are proven to be one of the most known patterns used in decorating our homes and textiles throughout the ages.  So much in fact, that a book was recently released by Michel Pastoureau titled The Devil’s Cloth, A History of Stripes.  The book is more in tune with the fashion world of stripes, but that was most likely the method in which we acquired the idea to begin decorating our domains with it.   Pattern breathes life and character into the surfaces that they cover.  Regardless of how we wear them or place them in our homes, stripes and all patterns alike are essential in the world of decor and self expression.

Eclectic Multicolored Stripes for the Bathroom

Staggered Stripes often work best in larger spaces since they can handle a break in room flow… they also make for great optical illusions!

Blow Up Hall 5050 Hotel Staggered Floor Stripes

Bold Staggered Wall Stripes

Staggered Striped Rug

Bold statements can be made in the home office or corporate setting.

Handsome Horizontal Home Office Wall Stripes

The LEGO Group Striped Conference Room

Mark Hotel NY - Rectangular Striped Lobby Floor

Take it from celebrity designer, Todd Oldhams own home in the UK.   His personal (and somewhat quirky style) allows stripes to serve as a playful  backdrop to his dining room.  Nice touch!

Todd Oldhams Home feathured in UK Elle Magazine

Can you ever have too many stripes?  They even covered the baseboards!  Brave.

A Hallway Covered in Stripes

Whether you have chosen to introduce stripes into your life through  paint, rugs, tile, fabrics, artwork, wallpaper or clothing, you have  boldly contributed to the history of pattern and vitality of design.  Cheers!

Jordan Guide Luxury Interior Designer

Jordan Guide, ASID, NCIDQ No. 021998 of Jordan Guide Design is a high-end luxury interior designer based in Chicago.

Ultra Modern Sunken Conversation Pit

Contemporary Sunken Room

The “sunken room”  formally know in the 60’s and 70’s as “conversation pits” are a concept that I have long been a fan of.  Although I have completed a sunken bathroom (it is called “Zen Bathroom” in my residential projects on my website if you’re interested in having a look) but I have yet to find the perfect client candidate for a main living space.  I still long for the unique opportunity to create a sunken room where many can gather up for a cozy conversation, dine together or even a watch a movie in a home theater setting.

Transitional Sunken TV Room

Transitional Sunken Room

The best part of this concept is that it fits well in any style of design, from traditional to ultra contemporary, masculine to feminine, and has proven to be a successful design solution over the decades.

1970's Conversation Pit

Contemporary Sunken Living Room

For this type of construction project, the conditions have to be just right.  New construction would of course, be the easiest route in planning for the sunken room, but in an existing setting there would need to be an ample amount of clear space below to build out the necessary structural supports to handle the job.

Loft Sunken Living Room

Circular Sunken Living Room

Time to take a trip down to the basement to investigate!

Low Profile Tread – Floating Staircase

Zig-Zag Staircase

Longchamp flagship store, Soho NY

Marretti Stairs

I can’t seem to go one day without running into beautiful images of staircases these days.  They are just as much works of art as they are functional methods of travel.  Sky is the limit!

C. Crane LED GeoBulb Light Bulb

C. Crane Company has developed this LED light bulb that uses half the energy of a compact fluorescent.  And, no need to call in the hazmat crew when you break a bulb.  Unlike dangerous compact fluorescent bulbs that release toxic levels of mercury when broken, these GeoBulbs are free of hazardous mercury and lead, and last up to 10years of daily use (3 years of continuous use).  It matches the incandescent in brightness and only uses about 10% of the power.  Now that’s a bright idea!  They are available in Cool White, Soft White and Warm White color temperatures and currently run about $95/bulb.  Yes, they do come with the standard LED pricetag, but for 10 years of use and the  piece of mind knowing you’re safe and eco-friendly, it’s worth every penny.   www.ccrane.com

Willis Tower Solar Panels and Wind Turbine

Willis Tower Green Roof

Earlier this summer, I was saddened by the name change from “Sears Tower” to “Willis Tower.”  Those feelings didn’t last long after reviewing the exciting changes that London-based Willis Group Holdings will be making to the 110-story structure (built back in 1973).  Out with the old, in with the new!  John Huston of American Landmark Properties, who represents the building ownership states, “Our plans to modernize and transform this icon will re-establish Sears Tower as a leader, a pioneer.”

Below is a list of Big Willies ambitious plans for the 5-year overhaul that is estimated to reduce electricity by 80 percent and save 24 million gallons of water a year!

• Solar Panels and Wind Turbines positioned on the 90th floors tiered roofs to heat tenants water
• 30,000 – 35,000 square feet of roof gardens will be planted
• Skydeck to add four enclosed glass-bottomed balconies
• Improvements to the 16,000 window pieces along the outside of the tower to save heating energy
• Mechanical system upgrades
• Updates to the building’s 104 elevators
• An advanced lighting control system
• Restroom renovations aimed at saving water
• Four enclosed glass-bottomed balconies added to the Skydeck
• Creation of 3,600 jobs to complete this project
• Learning center on the ground floor showcasing green efforts to the public

Jordan Guide WALLTAT Anniversary

It seems like it was just yesterday that WALLTAT Wall Decals opened it’s doors to the public.  A year and thousands of visitors later, WALLTAT has managed to transform interiors from New York to Dubai.

Read the full press release here.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!