TayRose Design interior design lion Archives - TayRose Design interior design

Photo-Art pillows add big punch to Home Decor

22 Apr 2015

Art, Interior Design Room, Office, Theme Room

Africa, Art, Clay NY, contemporary, custom, decorator, Eregal Studio, Home Decor, Interior Design, lion, mood boards, office, Parade of Homes, photography, pillow, TayRose Design, unique, Wall Art

Hanging pictures on our walls has always been a way to showcase our families, remind us of a favorite movie with a poster, frame school art from our children through the years, or reminders of places we have been. Wall art evolved to paintings of subjects we were drawn to, or abstracts with colors that melded with our sofas, that filled our walls with pattern and color. With the many styles of design, from Contemporary Modern, Country, Shabby Chic, Traditional, Rustic to Eclectic, all of them have some home decor style that we identify with. The graphic bold colors and stark black and white for Contemporary, the painted distressed wood for Country, the creamy whites and floral for Shabby Chic, and so on, and with all of these, photography, framed has been there to hang on our walls.

When you think of all the photographers in the world, and all the different styles and subjects they portray in their work, for Interior Designers, photography is the go to decor item for adding emotion and even drama to a room. I am so fortunate to be married to a photographer, eregalstudio.com and have used his art photography in several of the Parade Houses I have designed, and I have marveled at how it fills a space with a powerful statement.

I feel a beautiful photograph can be compared with a beautiful painting, for they both affect an emotion, and they both capture a moment frozen in time.

The other day, my husband told me he had sold a pillow online from his Fine Art America store,http://fineartamerica.com/products/majestic-king-everet-regal-throw-pillow-14-14.html

I had to stop and ask, “a pillow?” Now, I know this concept of a photograph on a pillow is not new. I remember seeing children’s photos on pillows, or their favorite pet, but it got me visualizing an office or living room with accent pillows with beautiful photographs on them, and my mind started creating artful photo pillows! Imagine an home office with dark mahogany furniture and a zebra colored rug, leather sofa, soft throw and a lion pillow?

(I had so much fun designing the mood boards!) Or a more contemporary sleek office with chrome and glass and a pillow with a closeup of bridge cables or a tall building ……there are so many ways that photography as an art form has grown from only on the walls to decor accents in pillow form.

Just another way to live with art!

Check out Fine Art America.com and see how any photo can be made into a 100% cotton pillow 14″ x 14″ up to 26″ starting $27.00 photo printed on both sides and insert included!

To receive posts via email click HERE Subscribe in a reader or signup in Subscription box in sidebar.

“It’s a Jungle in here!”

If you haven’t already guessed, I love to design theme rooms. I get lost in looking at everything asking myself how I can blend it into the theme I’ve decided on. Such a challenge, but oh, so fun…so, for this past Parade of Homes, I decided that a jungle theme was in order..and a tall order it was!

It’s a Jungle in here! Parade of Homes Pigliavento Builder, TayRose Designs

I had been collecting large jungle animals from Thrift stores for several years just waiting for the right design to include them, and along with a couple of “borrowed” jungle friends, I really had the “wild” feel I was going for.

I also knew that I would have to construct the jungle arbor over the bed. I had an old wooden ladder that must have reached up to the roof for it was very tall and could be taken apart into 2 pieces. I cut them so they were the same heights to be the sides of the arbor…perfect for hanging monkeys and jungle vines. I purchased some inexpensive fence planks from Home Depot, brought them home and used a mixture of watered down acrylic paints in black, grey, white and biege to give them a “weathered” look-as if they had been out in the elements for years. I had a college intern working with me for the summer, and she painted in the words, “It’s a jungle in here” on the top cross board of the arbor.

I had to be sure that the arbor was not too high, for I wanted that lion to be on top …lounging, well, he is the King of the Jungle you know!

I also found at a garage sale of all places, some bamboo fencing that stretched across the whole back wall plus some, so that brought more of the jungle feel in to the room.

My hubby and I were able to design the arbor so it could be transported in pieces and assembled on site easily which was perfect. It went up very easily, and I screwed the back to a stud in the wall to secure, then dangled monkeys and vines along with baskets from pulleys. A twin bed was dressed up with a bed roll at the end and a custom made lathe frame enclosing a vintage feel zoo animal poster to hang above the bed. Zebra patterned sheets with a tribal patterned blanket along with custom pillows made up the bed, where a leopard dozed.

I stuffed raffia trim along the mattress box spring to hang down to the floor. For the show, I just pinned it, but it could be sewn onto a sheet as a proper bedskirt.

A large banana tree with real bananas I tucked among the leaves sat in the corner which also hid the cd player playing ” A lion sleeps tonight” in the background. I purchased from IKEA, 2 large green leaves, and attached them to the arbor, and with the ceiling fan, they moved up and down, as if swaying to the music….lots of animation..love it!

The curtains were inspired…I had found a zebra print curtain panel set at Hobby Lobby, then attached more of the raffia trim along the top, but I wanted to have more of a “jungle” way to hang the panels to the rod. So I purchased online some jungle plush with velcro paws, and used them to hook the panels to the rod…I kept saying, “hang in there!” hoping they would hold up and they did, no prob!

In the corner of the room I wanted a little reading nook, so I had one of those netted canopies and hung it up where it draped down over large coffee bean bag covered floor cushions; a painted rattan glass top short table; a brass electrified lantern to read by; and a large tiger to lean on and read stories with….wouldn’t you want to read to a tiger?

Reading nook in Jungle Room 2014 Parade of Homes TayRose Designer

From the inception of choosing the wall color to the rattan leaf ceiling fan; constructing the arbor hut;collaborating on the crate dresser; stacked crate night stand; adding an empty coke bottle (remember “The gods must think I’m crazy?” movie?; custom painted giraffe wall art; jungle directional signs; to the canteen hanging at the end of the bed and the music in the background…this was a dream theme room, one that was amazing to be living in for a short time while pulling it all together…it really was a jungle in there! Shhhh….the lion sleeps tonight….oh, and no more monkeys jumping on the bed!

To receive posts via email click HERE Subscribe in a reader or signup in Subscription box in sidebar.

Surprise hit of the Parade of Homes 2014 Pigliavento Builder Home

It’s been a quick several months preparing for the Parade of Homes this year, in Clay, NY. Our builder got in to the Parade late, so he hit the ground running in March to have the 3,100 sq.ft home finished by June 5th. After strange weather, and having to re-varnish the red oak floors twice due to humidity changes, which pushed back the furniture delivery, I had just a mere week to furnish the whole house…but did it with a little time to spare.

Model Home Parade of Homes 2014, Clay, NY

2014 Parade of Homes model, Pigliavento Builders, TayRose Designer, Clay NY

I had an intern helping me from a local College, plus the builders wife for a day helping to hang wall art etc. So glad I had them!

Intern helping during Parade of Homes TayRose Designer

Intern helping at Parade of Homes TayRose Designer

The Realtors wanted interior photos the day the furniture arrived, so I managed to delay them a day while we rushed to make at least the major rooms photo ready….whew!

The house colors were inspired by a pillow, and I based the outside siding, stone, and interior colors with that pillow so everything felt connected in a way.

The kids rooms I always individualize, for kids all have their own personalities, so this year I did a nursery,

Nursery at Parade of Homes 2014 Clay, NY

Nursery designed by TayRose for Parade of Homes 2014, Clay, NY

A sports themed teen room, with handmade sports equipment headboard and pallet bed

Sports teen theme bedroom for Parade of Homes 2014 TayRose Designer

Sports themed teen room for Parade of Homes, Clay, NY 2014 TayRose Designer

Of all the rooms this year, the hit was the boys Jungle Room.

That room has had everyone giggle, and leave with a smile on their face. It was also the most fun and easiest room to complete. My husband even burned the song, “The lion sleeps tonight” on a cd for me to play continuously as background music in the room.

It’s a Jungle in here! Parade of Homes Pigliavento Builder, TayRose Designs

The ceiling fan makes the giant Ikea leaves sway up and down to the beat of the music. So fun! The arbor was made with old ladders and planks for the top. Raffia table skirting for bed skirt and around window panels.

Jungle Room large leaves swaying for the 2014 Parade of Homes Pigliavento Builder, TayRose Designs

Plush animals with velcro feet hold up the curtains while hanging on the curtain rod.

Jungle curtains with plush animals curtain “hooks” and raffia accent

Hand painted dresser using animal print in lettering on drawers by 1829 Farmhouse/Inspired.

Jungle Room crate dresser for 2014 Parade of Homes

Jungle Room animal crate designed dresser by 1829 Farmhouse for TayRose Designs Parade of Homes 2014 Clay, NY

A reading nook with handmade coffee bag cushions, an electric lantern and netted tent in the corner, brings a safari feel while sharing a story with a friendly tiger. To receive posts via email click HERE Subscribe in a reader or sign up in subscription box in sidebar.

Reading nook in Jungle Room 2014 Parade of Homes TayRose Designer