Design Inspiration…Victoria Hagan

Happy September (sniff, sniff!)

One of the questions posed to me in the Style at Home interview was “If  you could shadow any designer for a day who would it be?”

There are so many brilliant designers whose careers I have followed and whose work I have studied and admired.  But I had to pick one and Victoria Hagan came to mind immediately.  She is a NY based interior designer who has been in the biz 20+ years and has been published in just about every shelter magazine. She also penned a book “Victoria Hagan: Interior Portraits.”



I still have this September 2007 issue of Elle Decor (you know I’m a bit of a magazine hoarder) on my bookshelf in my home office. On the cover is the living room of a Hamptons home Hagan designed.  I love the neutral backdrop with the shots of colour and that she used a hint of mint and chartreuse even though they don’t relate to anything else in the room. Love all of the textures, the wall panelling and the livable and relaxed vibe.

I still love this cover 5 years later.

Here are some other inspirational images from her portfolio for you to enjoy! I must admit I’m drawn to the work featured in her “Waterside” portfolio.

 

 
 

All images via Victoria Hagan

What do you think? If you had to answer that question, which designer  would you choose?

Have a happy long weekend (to those in Canada and the US!)

Welcome Sponsors!

 

I’m happy to partner with these great, new sponsors and hope you’ll take a minute to check out their sites:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, thanks to my renewing sponsor:

 

 

Bedding Style Labor Day Sale!  Save 15%  with code Labor15. 

(Offer ends September 4th and excludes all Marimekko and candles.)

 

 

Late Summer Mantles

Oh My! 

It's hard to believe that summer is coming to a close.

 Although I am thrilled to see fall 

and some cooler weather 

(I'm hoping some cooler temperatures are on their way!)

I thought it might be nice to revel in the last days of summer by sharing my summer mantle decorations.

With the craziness that has become my life,

 my decorating has become a little more simple.

  Sometimes it's nice to be simple.

Decor steals

**This giveaways is now closed. Winners have been emailed. Thanks! Hello there! We are amping up for a weekend of RAIN here…and lots of it. The remains of Isaac are on their way and we can still use it after a horrible drought this summer. I hope everyone affected by the hurricane is now safe and dry! I’m back this weekend with a GREAT giveaway from Decor Steals, formerly Wuslu.com. It’s been

My Home, My Haven ~ home tour Sahil

And finally... I got around to showing you this gorgeous home.... Its time for a home tour *smiles*... 

A home is truly a reflection of your heart... 

Introducing : Sahil

My Name is Sahil. I have been in WI for around two years, I recently got married so I am still in the transition of re-decorating and adjusting to the changes in my life, I was in the Design field In Atlanta,Ga... know I am a Wisconsin housewife and with a lot of free time in my hands to re-design, create and decorate my own house which I enjoy a lot. I live in a rental house which It gives me a lot of restrictions but I am still working around them, but i can used a lot of other things to brighten up my space.

The home have  light colored walls which let  experiment with colors and textiles that reflect my  love for Indian beauty and art. I love color, so it is not a set color scheme in my house, today is red tomorrow can be blue... It's a bit of color everywhere.... My house is a collector’s paradise, I love to collect knick knacks and decorative items, I hunt everywhere I go, for things I can add to my collection, Every piece I find is a treasure. Everything in my house I have collected over the years.

I enjoy reading, painting,creating art, drawing and design just to name a few. I have been collecting Buddha’s and Ganesha’s for many years, I have a pretty nice size collection Ganesha’s which few of them are made by me, some as gifts, and some from my travels. I have many of them, that are to me really special and sentimental keepsakes. One of the many Ganesha’s I have it was a wedding gifts from my husband in our wedding day, what a better gift than that?

Let’s start with the Pooja Room...My pooja place is a big area in my second bedroom which this room is my office/pooja room,The Pooja area started as a small corner and with time I keep adding things so know my office area is in a small corner dominated by the Pooja Area.

 My dining area, has a wall unit that i built  to holds many of my Ganesha’s also holds many of the brass items that i have collected throughout the years and a museum like display of Ganesha’s in another wall.  

My Living room is mainly Decorated with Buddha’s from tiny ones to a really big one which is the Focal point of my living room which in from has an aromatic water feature that changes colors.

So tell me... what do you think of this gorgeous home... 

Send Me a Picture: The Last Thing I Bought Online

 

 

 

Continuing with yesterday’s theme of online shopping, I asked ten design bloggers to share the last thing they purchased online for their home. Great pictures and resources ahead!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last online purchase I made for our home was this very reasonable striped runner from Crate and Barrel.  It is so versatile!  It's lived in my bathroom, my twin girls' room, and could just as easily be moved to the kitchen or hallway.  A runner has the unique ability to visually lengthen a space, but with the horizontal stripes, this rug also visually widens -- a win-win!

Camille Snyder, The Vintique Object

 

 

 

I recently purchased several yards of this Duralee Fabric – Loop de Loop/Smoke - from Fabric.com. When I found these two garage sale side tables for $5, I knew I wanted to transform them into beautiful bedroom stools for the end of my bed. After a little paint and creativity, I am so happy with the way they turned out! Online fabric sites are the best way to browse for fabric, with hundreds of brands and styles available at the click of a button.
 

Laura, Elegant Nest

 

 

 

 

 

 

A custom pillow in my favorite RicRac fabric from the lovely AriannaBelle. I had been talking with Arianna about making this for weeks and my sneaky husband busted into my Etsy account and bought it just in time for my birthday. Classic but fun, I think it is a great alternative to chevron.

Elizabeth, little black door

 

 

 

 

 

I bought this octopus shower curtain from Cafe Press a few weeks ago for my kids' small bathroom. I knew I wanted something bold and graphic, but curvy and organic to contrast the the smaller scale angular patterns of the basket weave tile on the floor and the subway tile in the shower. This octopus was perfect and it's fun for the kids without being really themey.

Lane McNab, Urban Orchard Interiors

 

 

 

 

 

God knows it's the perfect month for me to participate in your "Send Us a Picture" series; I buy EVERYTHING online ;) The last thing I bought, that has actually arrived, is this gorgeous Moravian Star Pendant from Joss & Main. The entryway in my new home is a little understated to say the least. It needed something dramatic to make it stand out from the two rooms flanking it, the living room & dining room. This pendant definitely does the trick!

Reichel Broussard, Copy Cat Chic

 

 

 

 

 

I love my Dorothy Thorpe lucite pretzel candleholder. I am obsessed with vintage accessories and find most of mine on Matters of Style Marketplace. After Sarah let me borrow her candleholder, I had to have one of my own, so I found this one on Etsy. Best of all, lucite isn't easily broken, so even moms with young twins don't need to worry!

Traci Zeller, Traci Zeller Designs

 

 

 

 

 

The last thing I bought online for my home was this braided jute rug for our family room. My old cream colored shag rug was a little too small for the space and had started looking more beige than cream thanks to my two boys' dirty little feet. :) This rug fills the space nicely which really pulls the room together- and it hides stains!

Kate, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

 

 

 

 

 

The last purchase I made online was my Summer area rug for my family room. I got a great deal through Wisteria. I still can't believe the price.   I got my 9X12 striped cotton dhurrie rug that retailed for $899--and I got a 70% discount because it was the end of the season—so I paid $269.70!! Best deal I think I have ever purchased, plus I love the fresh look it gives my family room for the Summer.

Kathysue, Good Life of Design

 

 

 

 

I recently added the navy & black tassel lamp from Shop Ten 25 (Does that count since I own the Shop? Ha! )  I am in the process of remodeling my design studio and recently installed these gorgeous lamps on the built-in desk!

(PS—The pink velvet beaded pillow can be found here!)

Abbe Fenimore, Studio Ten 25

 

 

 

 

Hi Emily A Clark fans! Kate here from Centsational Girl, participating in Emily's series! I'm always nervous about online furniture purchases but last year I took a leap of faith and purchased two club chairs from a Joss & Main sale. They are the Lenox Club Chairs and available at several online sites, including Wayfair. (Search "Lenox Club Chair" for other online sources). The chairs are smaller in size than the average club chair and the seat is more firm than I expected, but they're the perfect pair for our living room and I'm delighted with the purchase. I cozy them up with pillows and a throw blanket each season!"

Kate, Centsational Girl

 

 

What’s your latest online find? 

If you’ve ordered something great lately—or if you want to share your favorite online shop—feel free to share on my Facebook page!

 

Where I Have Been...

Hi there! Are you enjoying the last week before school starts? I took this week off work (sorry clients!) to spend it with my daughter and friends/cousins. Trying to squeeze a lot of fun things in like bike rides, picnics and Wonderland during summer's fleeting moments.

I also paid a visit to my friend Tim's blog talking about one of my favourite decor elements - wallpaper.  You can read the post here.

Photo Credit: K West Images


I also found myself on the West Elm Blog and Facebook page. You can read their blog post here. The West Elm striped shower curtain and this bathroom I designed is well-loved!

 

PS Thanks for all the lovely comments on my last post. I REALLY appreciate it! If you have seen the magazine article, let me know your thoughts!