A blog from Visual Jill, East Bay Interior Design

A blog from Visual Jill, East Bay Interior Design

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Our Faves for Winter 2011

Happy New Year! After the dizzying rush of Christmas, the prospect of the New Year feels so clean and sparkly and, well, new! A chance to start fresh, regroup, and move forward. Here at Visual Jill we're excited for 2011: our website is live and amazing, thanks to our fabulous designer Conrad Jorgensen, our office is clean, and our inspiration board is overflowing with our latest ideas, discoveries, and faves for the season. We thought it would be fun to share with you some of the trends we're seeing right now. In the design world, thoughts are already well into Spring, but even here in California, we still have at least two more months of winter. So here are our faves for Winter 2011 to help you ring in the New Year with some bright, bold, and cozy inspiration:

Fight the wintertime blues with a shot of bright, warm and festive orange. Even the Farmer's Market is on trend, with oranges, clementines, and other citrus making their seasonal appearances!

Get grounded after the holiday rush and re-center yourself as the New Year begins. Take time for yourself, stop and breathe, make space for in your life for simplicity. Saffron, sandalwood, ikat, and paisley can help you remember to Be Here Now.

Regal and rich, purple has enough depth to trudge through a snowbank, the warmth to fend off an icy chill, and the presence to do it all with grace and beauty. The dreary days of winter can try to dampen your spirits, but purple will always prevail.

 
Op Art, bold graphics, and retro-inspired pop are having a moment. With clean, crisp lines, strong shapes, and vivid colors, a dash of any of these makes things fun and hip, with just enough edge to keep you on your toes.

When all is said and done, there's nothing like straight-up cozy to keep you warm until the Spring thaw. Pull on a fluffy, cashmere sweater, wrap yourself in a faux-fur throw, brew of cup of tea, and grab a good book. It is winter after all, and since you can't beat it, you might as well enjoy it!

*Credits: Conrad Jorgensen - Photography

Friday, December 24, 2010

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Who? Whoooooooo!!!

Owls! They've been showing up everywhere lately, and we're lovin' 'em! Those big wise eyes, tufted ears, and swively heads get me every time. Here are some of our faves:

Totem-like Rock Owls from Flora Grubb
These little guys from Flowerland just kill me...
Understated ceramic owls from West Elm
"Dapper Owl" from 20x200's collection of affordable, original artwork

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Hip Hip Hooray for Holiday!

Is it just us or does it feel like the holidays have become a little out of fashion these days? Magazines seem hesitant to show their holiday spirit, and the ones we've found feature ideas for modern holiday homes "with not a garland in sight", and declare "Happy Holidays (hold the tinsel)". Well here at Visual Jill, we love the holidays, and we say bring on the tinsel, garland your little heart out, sprinkle some sparkle, and spread some holiday cheer! Ok, maybe not the tinsel, but you get the point...
We had a blast shopping our favorite local sources for this holiday shoot. Don't let the printed publications lead you astray: there is lots of fabulous holiday decorating to be had out there, like this adorable little tree and ornaments from the nursery we love to love, Flowerland in Albany.
We were inspired by a jewel-toned color palette grounded with light neutrals and accented with a dash of sparkle. Burlap added homey texture everywhere from the ribbon on the door wreath to the skirt around the base of the tree.


As an added twist, we did up the table two ways: first, in a more traditional style for Christmas dinner, with these beautiful feather trees from Summer House, and wooden ornaments from Flowerland.

The second time around, we brought in these funky yet festive plants (anyone know what they're called...?) and kept the same wooden ornaments to showcase a non-denominational alternative for those of you who prefer to simply celebrate the season of winter:

Now how much do you love these plates? We were beside ourselves with delight upon discovering them at Jeremy's for an obnoxiously low price: $24 for 7? what?! They went perfectly with the modern, round, felted place-mats we got at Lola. The beautiful ornament napkin rings/favors, also from Lola, added the perfect personal touch.


For those of you who decorate a tree, we found lovely garlands at West Elm that brought a simple, tasteful, homemade accent to all those wonderful, heritage ornaments and decorations we've been collecting over the years.


So there you have it: holiday style from Visual Jill. As with all our decorating and styling, we love to mix it up--old and new, modern and vintage, and of course color, color, color. The holidays are such a great excuse to glam things up a bit, revel in tradition a bit, and have some fun!
Happy Holidays to all of you! May your days be merry and bright, and may the warmth and spirit of the season bring you peace and joy...

~Jill and Kyoko
*Credits: Robin Hirsh - Photography; Deborah Carlin - Trusted Editor; and Marco Marchesini.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Well Hello There!


Welcome to Visual Jill!

Visual Jill is an interior design and styling company based in Berkeley, California. This is our blog of faves and flubs; inspiration and contemplation; before's and after's; now's and then's; interior design, fashion, art, and life. It's a place to show you what we're loving, what we're working on, and what we're rockin'. We sure are excited to share with you, and we hope you get as much of a kick out of it as we do!

Cheers!
~Jill and Kyoko
*Credits: Robin Hirsh - Photography