Supernatural Botanicals

Chicago: C-View at the Affinia Hotel

It’s not the drinks that are the star at this rooftop. Nor is it the view (though the 29th-floor spot overlooks the Hancock Building and the Sears Tower). It’s the food. As an extension of celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson’s C-House, which is located in the hotel’s lobby, the indoor-outdoor lounge features a compact menu of Samuelsson’s best hits, like chorizo macaroni and cheese or gourmet fish.

Painted floors are an eco-friendly way to freshen up old wood floors without replacing them. Make sure to use an eco low VOC paint, readily available at Home Depot…and places like that.

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Miami’s not one for understatement, as visitors to Plunge can attest. At 24,000 square feet, complete with a 110-foot-long elevated pool, it’s one of the largest rooftop bars in the world. Here, the wood deck is lined with towering palm trees, the bar is carved from marble, the poolside cabanas feature chandeliers, and the views go from the Miami skyline out to the Atlantic.

“If you touch it every day, it should be beautiful—from your cabinet knobs to your mail tray. My toothbrush holder is a heavy cut-glass tumbler that I got for a couple of bucks at a flea market. It’s lovely, and it feels special to me.”  …Nate Berkus on how to make your house a home. 

Look of the day:  Gorgeous Black and White on Tan.  Clean, classic, simplified, and stylish.  This look courtesy of HGTV’s Rate My Space.  If you adore interior design (it’s practically part of my DNA code), then you’ll love Rate My Space.  Budding designers everywhere with great ideas.  

HGTV’s Dream Home is in New Mexico this year and it’s absolutely gorgeous from top to bottom.  Linda Woodrum, the home’s interior designer, must have had great fun decorating this home, pulling inspiration from Sante Fe decor.   The tile work in the kitchen is mind-blowing .  To me, the style feels sexy-urban with a twist of Santa Fe.  It really works.  There are five days left to enter the Dream Home giveaway.  Enter at www.HGTV.com.   Take a look inside.

Steal this look:  Gorgeous brown toile.

Chocolate brown walls are really hot right now.  Brown is the new black …or at least it is this season.  Chocolate brown walls are super-chic and rich looking and dramatically transform a room into an elegant, grown up space.  If you are color-phobic, start with painting one wall in your space a deep shade of chocolate, and accessorize with creamy white mouldings.  It’s a gorgeous look, and can go across the board style-wise, from urban to suburban.   (And to be green…Make sure the paint you purchase is either low-VOCs or no-VOCs. )

Color Trending for 2010:  Blue has been gone for so long, it’s making its way back onto the color wheel.  With a heavy emphasis on earth tones, golden honey especially, blue walls took a back seat.  Now we see it’s reemerging in every form.  Robin’s egg blue (or Tiffany’s box blue, if you prefer) and shades of everything from tans to deep chocolate browns are showing up in design everywhere.  Embrace the color blue, it’s on its way back.

Are makeup vanities an area of forgotten interior design?  Approximately 90% of women are wear makeup every day, so one would think this would be a vital and key area in a girl’s home.  A quick Google search on makeup vanities depicts sad results.  There are scarce findings, and very few gorgeous makeup areas to be found …anywhere.  Since this is an area most of us utilize every morning, it should be beautiful and inviting, and a gorgeous place to start your day. 

I have, however, found a few examples where they got it right.  Check out the amazing spaces below. 

  What they’ve done right:  Crisp and clean white walls and curtains makes this makeup area feel light and breezy.  The carpet and chair add a nice punch of color and contrast.  The over head chandelier brings beautiful elegance to the room. 

  What they’ve done right:  They stuck with a theme …old Hollywood with a twist of French decor.  The furniture is ultra-feminine and girly, the lamp picks up the color from the pale pink walls.  Sunlight streams in for the back, reflecting off the mirrored table.  Gorgeous!

  What they’ve done right:  Beautiful architectural details with the arches, filled with a wall-sized mirror that reflects the light from behind.  Beautiful tiled flooring in white with flower accents brightens the space.  Small mirror attached to the wall for tasks such as putting on mascara. 

If you adore design, visit my friend Julia’s blog, over at Hooked On Houses.    She has an amazing blog that features everything “houses.”