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Monday, March 31, 2014

Designer Spotlight: Apryl Miller, inhabitable art





Apryl Miller was not an artist when she decided to craft an expressive home for her family. She always knew she was creative but it wasnt until she began to work on her apartment that her creative juices starting flowing, more like pouring out of her! Growing up in a DIY family, she embraces the new , the different and out-of-the-box thinking; though she adds,"my version of it is - there is no box." Apryl has changed the way we think about living...she ultimately has made a world unto itself with bright colors, intricate patterns, imperfect furniture that is strictly made by her....nothing is store bought. There is a lot of emotion in her work and her apartment is basically an inhabitable art installation in the heart of New York City. 

 I am so happy to share an interview with Apryl Miller today.........

SIGNATURE STYLE

Dense patterns and bold colors. The more the better.


Detail-Master Bath tile floor






DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
I put as many colors and patterns together as I possibly can and I never think of matching, but, rather, of juxtaposing and cacophony.  The more wrong my combinations seem, the more right they are, as a harmony rises to the surface from my mixtures.



Master Bath


 BIGGEST DESIGN IMPACT

The melding of my visual work with my writing.  They come together now, instead of being separate expressions.




There Where and The How Left you and your Silence, 2012


GOALS SET TO BECOME AN EXPERT AT ART INSTALLATIONS

I never set any goals to become an expert, I work intuitively and I just let my wellspring flow.



Master Bath
LESSONS LEARNED ON THE HYPERALLERGIC APARTMENT

Someone once said to me, "It's not that you think outside the box, but with you, there is no box."
Detail-Master Bath tile floor
MOST IMPACTFUL SPACE THAT INSPIRES YOU

I am a church goer, so I am always moved by the presence of God, that is inherent in religious buildings.  Stepping inside my master bath always uplifts me, as it is the embodiment of what I call the home as a heart thumping, breathing entity.
A Daughters Curtained Stage With A Bed Tucked Underneath.


BEST DESIGN ADVICE YOU FOLLOW WHEN YOU ARE UNDER THE GUN
Finding oneself a deer in the headlights yields magical results.




My Studio Bathroom Sink

MANTRA YOU HAVE BEEN LIVING BY LATELY
God is in the details. And. I have nothing to lose.


 Table Leg Views In The Kitchen




MANY THANKS, Apryl!!
You can connect with Apryl Miller on her


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Friday, March 28, 2014

Giveaway: Tickets to Kitchen Renovation Workshop at High Point Market

How would you like to 2 tickets to a full day Kitchen Renovation Workshop at High Point Market on Friday April 4th at the O’Henry Hotel with two talented professionals, Rebecca Reynolds and Lori Gilder? Oh and gratis!





 Quickly, Rebecca and Lori gave me 2 free tickets to GIVEAWAY! The whole event is sponsored by the amazing Miele!


It will be a “hands on” experiential day of learning for designers, decorators or design students looking to learn from “real life, in the daily design trenches of designers. The attendees will be entered in a raffle to win a color rendering by the talented Joan of Art ( of Atlanta) rendering service.  



Looks like an amazing opportunity and day to spend with these two special ladies!!

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Thursday, March 27, 2014

TOP 10 Diningroom Vignette Faves: DIFFA Dining by Design 2014

This past weekend at Pier 94 was the Architectural Digest Home Show 2014 where the DIFFA organization, whose mission is to help those living with HIV and AIDS, puts on an amazing event every year called Dining by Design. It showcases up and comers and premier design voices who create intimate, unique dining vignettes. See below without much commentary from me. You will be impressed, and inspired by the cutting edge and ingenious creativity! 


RALPH LAUREN HOME 
PARISIAN RUSTIC CHIC LOFT




NEW YORK DESIGN CENTER DESIGNED BY KATI CURTIS  
MALE/FEMININE DICHOTOMY


 SOM | MILLER | BLAKER
INDUSTRIAL MOD


KRAVET DESIGNED BY DIANE VON FURSTENBERG
JEWEL TONE COLOR AND PATTERN



INTERIOR DESIGN MAGAZINE
GRAPHIC 



STUDIOS ARCHITECTURE
INDUSTRIAL CHIC



ESSIE DESIGNED BY ROBERT VERDI
PLAYFULLY ELEGANT



CALVIN KLEIN HOME
ORGANIC PURE MINIMALISM




ddc DESIGNED BY DAVID LING
LUXURIOUS  COMFORT



MAYA ROMANOFF DESIGNED BY KARA MANN
BOHEMIAN LUSH




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Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Orange Splash at the Architectural Digest Show 2014

Even before I started to write this blog, I made it a point every year to go to the Architectural Digest Home show in NYC which takes place on Pier 94 on Manhattan’s Upper West side. There is a vibe of creativity that is like no other show encompassing the highly unique DIFFA Dining byDesign, (see last years post) the unique MADE section which highlights artisans, craftsman and artists innovations, and a fabulous area of kitchen/bath and hardware. Beautiful doses of brilliant color scintillated the show but it was orange that was the smash hit in the modern kitchen section....ranges, refrigerators, back-splashes... oh my!  Paired with neutrals such as grays and whites, orange adds personality, warmth and vibrancy. 

 Take a peek at some manufacturers like Bertazzoni, Jenn-Air and Smeg who embrace the color orange....



These Bertazonni Pro-Style Dual Fuel are beauties! These ranges showcase cool technology with a stunning orange color inspired by the foods of the Emilia-Romogna region where Bertazzoni manufactures all of its products.


Jenn Air. 

When I opened the Jenn-Air refrigerator, to my surprise there was a stunning deep charcoal interior! Love it!  It was a very sophisticated look and gives the food more visual pop, especially with styled orange display inside!



Smeg refrigerators have that cool 50's retro feel and their colors would enliven any kitchen space. The orange really caught my eye!


To get a daily dose of design, find MoD Design Guru on

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Sunday, March 23, 2014

MoD Must See: PEACE LOVE and CUPCAKES,THE MUSICAL



Love cupcakes and music? Hurry, the bestselling Cupcake Club book series PEACE LOVE AND CUPCAKES has turned into a musical at the award winning Vital Theatre Company. The authors Sheryl Berk, New York Times best selling author (also childhood bestie) and daughter Carrie Berk invited my family to their opening night last week…an amazing evening had by all!!  
©
Peace, Love and Cupcakes Book Series 

The PLC Musical is based off of Book #1, Peace, Love and Cupcakes, The Cupcake Club which was dreamed up by Carrie when she was in the second grade. Carrie was always a lover of cupcakes and started a popular blog critiquing cupcakes all over the world. She now has 90K followers on Facebook.... She's just amazing and so is the Musical!!! My family just loved it! Let me tell you - Director Jennifer Curfman orchestrated a charming experience;  the set by design team Kyle Dixon is colorful, vibrant and versatile; the actors were engaging and the music and lyrics  written by Rick Hip-Flores were infectious! 


If you haven't read the book yet, the story is adorable and the musical really captures its essence.....  Lead Kylie Carson fantastically played by Charity Farrell, is a misfit who loves monster movies, zombies and vampire sagas and she tries to fit into a new school but her classmates want nothing to do with her, especially Meredith, the most popular girl in school. Meredith is incredibly played by Christina Emily Jackson. Like all kids, Kylie wants to connect and make a difference..... and so she does with her cupcake club creation. As a parent, you can really relate to the story and everyone leaves with big smiles and an upbeat feeling!! 

 Here are some pics of the cast during the performance: 
Photo credit: Rosalie O'Connor Photography

Meghan Ross, Norma Perez, Danielle Famble, Charity Farrell, Christina Emily Jackson, Isaac Haas, Lisa LeCuyer
Photo credit: Rosalie O'Connor Photography


Meghan Ross, Charity Farrell, Norma Perez
Photo credit: Rosalie O'Connor Photography

After the opening, a tremendous after party celebration kicked off where champagne, and an array of yummy cupcakes were abound!! I really enjoyed meeting the director Jennifer Curfman and  kid celebs like Haley Huelsman and her Mom Melanie Ferrante Huelsman from Abby's Ultimate Dance Competitions and Chloe Lang who played Stephanie on Lazytown!  These girls are only twelve and are so incredibly talented and sweet! Such an awesome time! 




Chloe Lang, Carrie Berk, Haley Huelsman, Rylie 



The cast and crew surrounded Carrie Berk for the first cut of the celebratory cake! 


Go see the Musical, you will have a great time!! To get tickets, click here!

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Tuesday, March 11, 2014

DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT: ERIN ADAMS partners with IMAGINE TILE - Slant Stitch

 Slant Stitch TEAL

 Pioneering in the use of high resolution imagery in ceramic tile, Imagine Tile sets itself apart from other tile manufacturers. Known for their unique patented glazing process that literally fuses the glaze and tile together, the design or high-resolution image becomes a permanent part of the commercially-rated tile. Their tiles are highly durable, contain no VOC’s, easy to clean and LEED certified. Check out D'Espresso -  where images of books   are used in an innovative way to turn a coffee shop on its side...Yup, those are Imagine Tiles....Love the forward thinking!
D'Espresso, NYC
Designer: Nemaworkshop

 Erin Adams, today’s foremost mosaic tile designers heard about Imagine Tile’s custom capabilities through a mutual acquaintance and was interested in partnering with a manufacturer that could bring her vision to life for a new ceramic tile collection. Owner Christian McAuley of Imagine Tile adds, “We met, discussed ideas, and the Slant Stitch collection was born! 


I really love the collections graphic look and great structural simplicity! The 12" tiles come in four snazzy colors - lime, coral, gray and teal giving that pop with bold color. I asked Mr. McAuley, owner of Imagine Tile to take me behind the scenes of their collaborative creative process for the new Slant Stitch collection with Erin Adams. He adds, “we enjoy collaborating with designers on a variety of restaurant, retail, hospitality, and residential projects, on both stock and custom orders. We really looked to Erin Adams to lead the design and creative process, as she has extensive experience in designing for brands such as New Ravenna, Ann Sacks, Country Floors, Versace, and Donna Karan. The end result is a series of compelling tones, composed of two patterns and four colorways including lime, coral, grey, and teal. We decided to offer the line in a stock size of twelve-inch by twelve-inch ceramic tiles, but customers can also place custom orders for various sizes as well. Our favorite thing about the design is the subtle pattern and refreshing color options that keep it light overall.”

 I'm so happy to share an interview with Erin Adam's today ......
YOUR SIGNATURE STYLE

I like to say as of late “quirky chic”
Stitch Slant CORAL


DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

Keep it simple and fresh. I also like to mix the old with the new. I like color but I usually use color as accents and a mix of color.  I am obsessed with repeated patterns and I like to push boundaries with materials where they have not been before. I also tend to view mosaics and patterns as contained chaos. When I am designing a new collection I see how that material has been used before and I set upon how to push it to an entirely new level. I do not look at tile for inspiration but fabric and other forms.
Stitch Slant Collection
CORAL|GREY
LIME|TEAL


BIGGEST DESIGN IMPACT

 My biggest design impact so far was revolutionizing the stained glass business and how people have viewed mosaics. I think the day I first created the first mosaic rug back in 1990 was an eye opening moment. As of late the past few years it has all been about simplifying and minimizing; but with a fresh sense of color. For me the biggest design impact historically was Alexander Girard. His use of color and the mix of modern with folk art finally allowed me to make sense of my world and background.


GOALS YOU SET TO BECOME AN EXPERT AT TILE DESIGN

Once again to always set the trends and not follow the trends, I do not copy tile design nor gather my inspiration from tile designs.


LESSONS LEARNED ON THE STITCH COLLECTION

I have learned once again sometimes it takes the public time to catch up to where I want to go design wise. I love the simplicity and the subtle coloration of the slant stitch. The way I pushed away from what imagine tile had done was to simplify rather than complicate. Right now the trend is still very ornate-ish water jet moroccan inspired pattern. I wanted fresh and clean and subtle.
Slant Stitch LIME

MOST IMPACTFUL SPACE THAT INSPIRES YOU

I would have to say as of late Museum of Modern Art. Also any third world country market. 
BEST DESIGN ADVICE YOU FOLLOW WHEN YOU ARE UNDER THE GUN

Go with my gut and do not follow trends!


MANY THANKS, Erin and Christian!!
You can connect with Imagine Tile on their

You can connect with Erin on her FACEBOOK

Image credits: Imagine Tile 


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Monday, March 3, 2014

Best Blogger Architecture in the 2014 JDR Industry Blogger Awards

Are you a MoD Design Guru lover? We have been nominated as Best Blogger in the 2014 JDR Industry Blogger Awards! Voting is now open. 

How to vote:

1. Click LINK.
2. Look for MoD Design Guru under Best Blogger Architecture.
3. Check dot in the circle and click VOTE.

Success, thank you!

~Michele




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