Out of the Dark

Lighting is often the most forgotten about element in interior design, especially when a homeowner is creating their own interiors.  Lighting is important to any interior design project because – in a nutshell, you NEED light to be able to SEE the sofa that it took you months to decide on!  Take a look at some of these fabulous lights.

Photos courtesy of Architectural Digest.com

A dramatic overhead pendant light can serve as a focal point in addition to being the main light source of a room.  Take a look at these beauties!  

In addition to the sparkling chandelier - the gentle glow of cove lighting also gives this room a striking appearance.

In the kitchen, not only is it important to have the direct light of an overhead pendant, but task lighting is also necessary - such as the cabinet lights shown here.

When one overhead light source is not enough - add another layer of light.  The chandelier as well as the perimeter recessed lighting provide the lighting in this dining room.

This small bathroom was designed to make use of the natural light coming in from the window and reflecting back into the room with the mirror.  At night, the recessed lighting provides the general light with the glow from the cabinetry providing accent lighting - what designers call the final layer of a light design.
 

This kitchen shows three lighting sources working together - direct lighting from the pendants; general lighting from the perimeter recessed lighting and task lighting from the under cabinet lights - a perfectly designed lighting solution.

As you are thinking about what furniture or even accessories to purchase to put into your space, don't forget to think about the lighting aspet of your design.  Even the most gorgeous of pieces can't be seen in the dark and will look awful in poor lighting.

La Toya Michelle

You are only limited by your own imagination! 

Happy Spring

It’s been a crazy year of organization at Panache!  When I first started this blog back in October 2010, I had just come back from my honeymoon and then before I knew it the Holiday Season was upon us, and well, I decided to spend some well needed time with family and friends.  But at the beginning of 2011 – I decided to put Panache first – and I haven’t looked back!

Let me back up a bit and introduce myself.  I am La Toya M. Jackson-Wilson and I am the Owner and Creative Director of Panache Interiors & Events.  I have been designing both interiors and events for years – just not on the “formal” side (smile).  Typically, it used to start off with a friend calling to ask me a design question about something that they were thinking about doing in their home or for my opinion of a wedding theme – or of a theme they came up with for a party that they were going to have and somehow during the course of these conversations, it would end up turning into a La Toya Michelle production.  These events planted a seed in my mind and for a long time I contemplated going into business to combine the two things that I am most passionate about – interior design and wedding and event design and planning. I completed an advanced degree in interior design thinking that would help calm my nerves, and although that experience gave me a wonderful foundation and skills that I can definitely use for both disciplines, the bottom line for me was that after being in the legal field for the past 13 years, I was scared to take that leap of faith.  Creative fields can be so challenging – you have to have a thick skin because rejection (or complete silence from no return call at all) is common, and you have to be able to pick your self up and move on.  This can be so difficult though when, as a designer, you are already your worse critic anyway.  But to succeed in this business you have to be able to put it behind you.

Now – after a lot of soul searching, prayer, and with the support of my family, friends, and especially my hubby who is my biggest fan and cheerleader, I was ready to take that step on faith this year and follow my passion.  My design philosophy is simple – you don't have to be rich to have a beautifully designed home or a fabulous wedding or event.  You want an Architectural Digest home?? How about a Platinum Wedding??  Trust me, a little imagination and creativity can get you pretty close!  I'm here to help my clients achieve what they can dream when it comes to their home or event.  I am so excited to finally launch my own business and I am hoping that you will support me, too!  I still can’t leave my day job just yet, but it is so gratifying to be able to clock out of one job and clock into another that I am so truly passionate about.  I can't begin to describe how happy that makes me, and I can’t wait to see where this journey that I am on takes me :o)

And now with that said - let's take a look at some Architectural Digest homes and get inspired.....

All photos courtesy of Architectural Digest.com

Neutral palettes will always defy trends!  Regardless of when you put your rooms together a neutral palette seldom appears dated.

In this case - having a fantastic view doesn't hurt either :o)

More neutrals!!

If you can, try adding an outdoor space to your home - it helps to increase the value of your home and will give you an extension room as well!

This bedroom is all about STORAGE!!!

You can't get more simple than these rooms!

I can't even begin to imagine the budgets for these rooms....  But again, remember, you don't have to be rich to create a room in your home that can rival these interiors.  With a paintbrush, a little creativity, and a keen eye for shopping you can have your very own Architectual Digest home.....

La Toya Michelle

You are only limited by your own imagination! 

Happy Spring!

It’s been a crazy year of organization at Panache!  When I first started this blog back in October 2010, I had just come back from my honeymoon and then before I knew it the Holiday Season was upon us, and well, I decided to spend some well needed time with family and friends.  But at the beginning of 2011 – I decided to put Panache first – and I haven’t looked back!

Let me back up a bit and introduce myself.  I am La Toya M. Jackson-Wilson and I am the Owner and Creative Director of Panache Interiors & Events.  I have been designing both interiors and events for years – just not on the “formal” side (smile).  Typically, it used to start off with a friend calling to ask me a design question about something that they were thinking about doing in their home or for my opinion of a wedding theme – or of a theme they came up with for a party that they were going to have and somehow during the course of these conversations, it would end up turning into a La Toya Michelle production.  These events planted a seed in my mind and for a long time I contemplated going into business to combine the two things that I am most passionate about – interior design and wedding and event design and planning. I completed an advanced degree in interior design thinking that would help calm my nerves, and although that experience gave me a wonderful foundation and skills that I can definitely use for both disciplines, the bottom line for me was that after being in the legal field for the past 13 years, I was scared to take that leap of faith.  Creative fields can be so challenging – you have to have a thick skin because rejection (or complete silence from no return call at all) is common, and you have to be able to pick your self up and move on.  This can be so difficult though when, as a designer, you are already your worse critic anyway.  But to succeed in this business you have to be able to put it behind you.

Now – after a lot of soul searching, prayer, and with the support of my family, friends, and especially my hubby who is my biggest fan and cheerleader, I was ready to take that step on faith this year and follow my passion.  My design philosophy is simple – you don't have to be rich to have a beautifully designed home or a fabulous wedding or event.  You want an Architectural Digest home?? How about a Platinum Wedding??  Trust me, a little imagination and creativity can get you pretty close!  I'm here to help my clients achieve what they can dream when it comes to their home or event.  I am so excited to finally launch my own business and I am hoping that you will support me, too!  I still can’t leave my day job just yet, but it is so gratifying to be able to clock out of one job and clock into another that I am so truly passionate about.  I can't begin to describe how happy that makes me, and I can’t wait to see where this journey that I am on takes me :o)

And now with that said - let's take a look at some Platinum Weddings and get inspired.....

{All photos courtesy of WEtv Platinum Weddings}

I love the use of crystal and white flowers!  Remember, using no more than 3 different blooms can make any event seem lush!

If you have the ceiling height for it – the use of tall centerpieces are appropriate.  The key is to make sure that you alternate them instead of having tall centerpieces at each table.  It makes the room feel more balanced.

Also keep the base tall enough so that communication between your guests is not disturbed, such as in the photos below.

Sometimes overlooked - the wedding venue should make it's own statement, and flowers used as a secondary focal point (second to the bride and groom, of course!) are a good way to do this!

Although these weddings were Platinum Weddings and the budget for these weddings start at $500,000 –  you really don't need a large budget to create an event that will rival these.  Remember that with creativity you can have your own Platinum Event .....

La Toya Michelle

You are only limited by your own imagination! 

Concept Boards

I love creating concept boards!  Even before I knew what an interior designer or an event planner was, I was always ripping pages out of magazines and creating - what I called at that time - "picture collages" for those photos for a room.  After I got into design school, I loved creating them, by their correct name, even more.  I think it had something to do with being able to see everyone elses interpretation of a concept - especially if you somehow ended up with the same concept.  No two interpretations are ever the same.  I also liked the critiques, although some of them could be rather brutal.  But in this business, you have to have a tough skin and difficult critiques were all the better to help me get to the point that I wanted to be as a designer.  Not to mention that that was the whole point of the critique in the first place. 

Now that I am out of design school, I always start off a project with a concept board - a lot of times the board goes through 2 to 5 changes before I consider it ready to show a client.  If you are stuck on a particular look for a room in your home, try pulling out a magazine page of a pattern, piece of furniture, or even something as simple as a flower or a piece of artwork and use that as your guide to create a space.  For instance take a look at these really quick concept boards that I created for clients and see if you can tell where the inspiration photo was drawn into the suggested design elements:

I created this concept board for a client that wanted a Parisian inspired bedroom.  The photo of the Eiffel tower was what my client gave me to guide my inspiration.  The furniture, lighting, and fabrics repeated the night theme of Paris - but even though it may be night anything Parisian calls for light and reflection - which I brought in by incorporating shimmering lights and mirrors.

I created this concept board for a client that wanted a living room inspired by the peacock.  The teal of the sofa, the lime of the Pantone chair, and even the lighting were selected to evoke the beautiful peacock theme into the furnishings of the living room.   

These following photos are courtesy of jsinteriordes.onsugar.com, see if you can figure out where the inspiration came from in these beautiful examples!

Next up, the photos below are courtesy of roomdesignonline.com, again, can you can figure out where the inspiration came from here? 

Concept boards help you to see your vision and even allow you to dream a little bit.  For instance, do you think that you can live like a multi-millionaire?  Well, maybe not on some levels - smile - but when it comes to your home - with a little creativity, trust me, you can get pretty close.  Try creating a concept board - it doesn't have to be as elaborate as these.  All you need is one photo to start you off and then - see where inspiration takes you .....

Beautiful Boudoirs

The bedroom is sometimes viewed as one of the most overlooked rooms in a home when it comes to interior design.  Don’t let your bedroom be uninspiring!  Check out some of these beautifully designed bedrooms. 

{Photos courtesy of The Nest.com}

I absolutely love the neutral palettes in these bedrooms – serene and calming!

Traditional blue and minty green are starting to make a strong statement in interiors as well, especially in bedrooms!!

Hotel chic anyone??  These bedrooms automatically make me think of a resort or a boutique hotel instead of a home!

Or is black and white more your thing??

When it comes to interior design, bedrooms don’t have to be boring or uninspired.  Sometimes all it takes is a good can of paint and a few decorative pillows to brighten up a room, and give your mood a lift at the same time!!

Time for Spring Cleaning!

Happy Spring everyone!  As great as it is to finally get out of the chill of winter and to feel the warm sunshine, these events also mean that ….. yep, it’s that time of year again.  Time to take a look at every room in your home for …… yes, Spring Cleaning!

Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be looked at with disdain.  I actually prefer to look at it as an opportunity.  An opportunity to clear out cabinets and closets and gain more storage space in your home by donating items you no longer use or trashing items that can no longer be used.   I just started spring cleaning this weekend, and my husband will be the first to tell you that, even as an interior designer, I have a lot of stuff that clearly falls into the former category – things that can be donated.  I agree I do have A LOT of donation runs to make.  But honestly, it’s ok.  Not only does it make me feel better to donate items that I don’t use and may not have thought about in years – it also makes me feel good to know that I will be able to devote an upcoming weekend to shopping as a reward to myself for clearing out space and clutter in our home.  It’s a little trick I play on myself when faced with the question of “should I or shouldn’t I get rid of this item?”.  The possibility of a shopping trip ALWAYS makes the decision so much easier :o)

When it comes to spring cleaning, some highly organized people merely have to reach for the vacuum and the duster, take a few minutes to clean each room, and it’s done.  For others of us – we actually need to make a plan to declutter our homes of the things we have accumulated over the past year that may no longer serve their purpose.  If you fall into that category and are either a novice at home organization or have tried several times to organize your home and failed, please understand that you are not alone and that it does take time.  Very rarely will you be successful if you try to organize a disorganized home in one day or one weekend.  You have to be methodical and create an organization plan.  Although there are many different ways to go about decluttering a home, every year I follow the same organization plan to organize and declutter my home.  There are three basic steps to my organization plan:

1)      I literally schedule on a calendar what day I want to tackle a particular room.

2)      I ask myself what I want the room to look like, feel like, and what purpose I want the room to serve – I then write it down on a piece of paper creating a list of guidelines, so to speak, and I post the guidelines on the wall (sometimes with a drawing of how I want the finished room to look) in the room.

3)      I then go through the room, and using my written guidelines, I evaluate each item in the room and determine whether it fits into the room within the guidelines I have set.  If it does – I keep the item, if it does not – I donate the item or trash it out.  (Remember to use the “shopping trick” if that will help you.)

The thing about my organization plan is that it can work year round.  If you prefer to de-clutter seasonally, or even daily, you can still use the same plan.  Just keep in mind that this process will not be a fast one – it might take several weekends to clear out clutter and become more organized – and trust me, it truly is ok.  But the end result will be a more efficient home, not to mention that an organized home will make you feel better and more efficient as well.