If Walls Could Dream...

Modern Living Room -2

2011-12-26T14:33:00.000-08:00

I took a picture of my original Modern Living Room and re-colored it on my iPhone using SketchBook Mobile.
What do you think? Do you like the original coloring or this digital version?

Modern living room

2011-12-17T16:28:00.001-08:00

My newest design is a modern living room. I started it in school and finished up coloring it when I was sick. My favorite part of it is all of the different wall textures. If I could change anything, I'd move the pair of chairs closer to the fireplace and have a more dramatic color scheme by adding some navy blue tones in the rug.

See the digital re-drawing at Modern Living Room -2

If walls could dream... They'd dream of crazy pattern combinations.

Warm Great Room

2011-11-19T12:09:00.001-08:00

Warm Great Room

Warm colors and new drawing techniques make this design come to life and invite you in for a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter's night.

Color Drawing by Michael E. Doyle

I finally explored the architecture section of my school library and I wish I would've done it sooner because I found a bunch of inspiring new ideas. Some ideas I tested out from the book Color Drawing are the wall texture, the reflections and shadows, the wood grain, and the rug. Although it isn't perfect, I think this is my most life-like drawing yet.

For the walls, I cut up pieces of old colored pencil lead and rubbed it on the drawing and then erased any places that I didn't want the color.

To add reflections, I first decided that the counter top and the sliding glass door in the dining room were the most reflective surfaces. I lightly added color to them until it looked like the objects around them were reflected in the surface. I attempted to add shadows under the counter top, vase, and bar stools. Next time, I'll be more careful about where I decide to put my light sources, because the counter top and bar stools ended up with shadows facing different ways...

To make the floor, I first outlined the shape with a yellow marker. Then, I added texture with colored pencil. Lastly, I added wood grain with white pencil. For the dark wooden columns, I used black pencil for the wood grain.

The rug was inspired by a photo I found in an architecture magazine.

Another technique that I learned from Color Drawing was to make a smaller photocopy of your drawing and map out what color you want the furnature and how you want the shadows to go.

Pennywise color by Sherwin-Williams

The dark orange walls were inspired by the Sherwin-Williams color, Pennywise. The wood accents (molding, columns, dining table and bench) are dark wood. To contrast the rich orange walls and dark wood, I painted the cabinetry a cool blue-grey and the floor a light yellow wood. The ceiling has a hint of blue-green. There are purple and read accents throughout the picture. All of the colors are combined in the artwork and rug.

This great room is perfect for any family because it has a modern design with traditional colors. I had originally planned on having purple or red drapes in the dining room, but I saw these chevron striped ones online and knew they'd be perfect in this room.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of a traditional colored, modern styled, technically drawn, warm great room!

Covered Bridge Converted Into a House

2011-11-03T19:35:00.000-07:00

Rustic woodwork, natural colors, and modern design create this stunning bridge-house design.

Covered Bridge Home

At the front of the house (behind you in this picture) is an entry hallway with loft guest bedroom above. In the middle of the house (right in front of you) is the kitchen. Granite countertops and modern tile and floating upper cabinetry give this space a modern look. At the back of the house is a sitting room with spiral staircase up to the loft bedroom.

If walls could dream... they'd give up their old english accents and charriots for modern furnishings and spiral staircased.

Colorful and Playful Family Room

2011-09-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

The design of this room is sophisticated, and the colors are playful, making it the perfect room for any family.

I was inspired by the article Snap, Crackle, Pop! in the magazine House Beautiful. It was based on white walls and furniture with pops of super colorful accents.

The story I made up to go with my drawing is that the homeowners bought a newly constructed cabin in a snowy forest. They love earthy tones and pops of bright colors, just like the inspiration article.

The room is very open. It has large, modern windows looking out on the showy forests. It has a loft space above and a hallway below. The dark floors and fireplace stone create high contrast against the white walls, like trees in the snow. The hallway is accented with green paint. The green of the hallway paint is balanced by the green of the armchair at the opposite side of the room. These greens go with the turquoises and blues of the rug, lampshade, glass tile around fireplace, chandelier, and accent above the archways to keep your eye moving throughout the space. The bright oranges of the loft couch, mirror frame, lamp, accent book, end table, curtain, and accent vase also keep your eye moving around the space.

If walls could dream, they'd dream of bright colors uniting with sophisticated design.

Pink Apartment Project

2011-08-04T19:55:00.000-07:00

The Pink Apartment Project started with the Modern Feminine Apartment sketch. The sketch grew into a computer design, and finally (after many hours of work) became a 3D model.

To see the details of the model, visit its page by clicking here or on the [How to Build an Architectural Model] button at the top of the blog, right under the title.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of this design becoming a real apartment one day.

Courtyard House

2011-07-30T13:37:00.000-07:00

I picked up the magazine at the airport bookstore. I saved it for the plane ride. Once my honey roasted peanuts and Diet Coke had arrived, I opened it up. And a house inside inspired me. So I grabbed my sketchbook and pen, flipped past the old games of tic-tac-toe, and drew a square. Actually, due to turbulance, the square looked more like a bunny rabbit. I added the house around it, despite its irregular shape. The great room on one side, and the bedrooms on the other.

When I arrived home, I drew it on the computer. It has 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2 car garage, open concept, harwood floors through the great room, a large master closet, and a storage area or office off the garage. Just under 2500sqft.

The full bathroom in between the bedrooms and the master suite has a nautical feel with bright blues, classic whites, detailed moldings, and weathered wood tones.

The master bedroom as seen from the courtyard.

A Quick Floorplan

2011-06-25T22:56:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick floorplan that I made today. At the top is the 1 car garage. At the lower left is the kitchen, dining, and living rooms. Their open design creates a modern feel. At the lower right is two bedrooms with a bath and laundry room. The house is just over 1000 sqft.

Another Mediterranean House

2011-04-05T10:06:00.000-07:00

This 2 story 3000sqft Mediterranean house has 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 2 car garage, office, media room, outdoor kitchen, fire pit, and pool. It has a relaxing Mediterranean color scheme of purple, brown, red, and white. This design was born when I was riding in the car, sketching floor plans. The original sketch has little in common with the finished floor plan, except the general shape of the house and the location of the garage, kitchen, and living room.

First Floor:

On the first floor, be sure to check out; "dad's" office (3) and "mom's" office (7); the special garage door for the ride-on lawn mower (14); the outdoor kitchen with barbecue; fridge, freezer, sink, and bar (16); the fire pit (18); the pool with waterfall (17); and the mudroom (12) which connects the backyard (15), bathroom (13), garage (14), and stairwell (11) .

Second Floor:

The highlight of the second floor is the media room with stadium seating and a closet for the DVD player (23).

1. Front Porch

2. Entry Hall

3. Dad's Office

4. Guest Bedroom

5. Laundry

6. Bathroom

7. Mom's Office

8. Living Room

9. Kitchen

10. Dining Room

11. Stairwell

12. Mud Room

13. Bathroom

14. Garage

15. Backyard

16. Back Porch and Outdoor Kitchen

17. Pool

18. Fire Pit

19. Stairwell and Hallway

20. Bedroom

21. Bedroom

22. Bathroom

23. Media Room

24. Master Bedroom

25. Master Bathroom

*= Closet

If walls could dream... they'd dream of sketches turning into full 3D floor plans.

Beach Bathroom

2011-03-25T21:35:00.000-07:00

This beachy bathroom is my new favorite. I am in love with the textures. Wood over wallpaper over beadboard with glass and mirrors and tile. Genius if I do say so myself. My inspiration for the bones of this design was the wall of cabinets with the sink cabinet pulled foreword. And wallpaper with a beadboard chair rail was so wacky that I just had to try it.
At the left is the door to a hallway or the master bedroom. The glass above the door brings light into this window-less room and tells that this is an older house with lots of architectural detail, like the crown moldings and beadboard chair rail. Just inside the door is the double sink vanity. The cabinet is light wood and the counter is light blue stone. The glass tile blue and white backsplash leads up to the inset brown medicine cabinet at the left and the tall cabinets on the back wall. These cabinets are made of light wood, just like the vanity. On top of them are baskets. There is lots of towel storage in this ocean side bathroom. At the right side of the cabinetry is a full-length mirror with dark wood trim and a dramatically framed black and white floral photo. The floor is white heated tile with a blue mat in front of the sink area. The wallpaper is my favorite part. Modern retro wallpaper is definitely coming back, and this modern blue retro pattern is super cool. To keep the room sophisticated, I kept a neutral color scheme and used accents of blue in the frame, backsplash, and mat.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of marrying wallpaper and beadboard to create a gorgeous, nautical bathroom.

Built-in Blue Apartment

2011-02-27T10:24:00.000-08:00

Today we will be touring this 2 bedroom, 2 bath, one car garage, 2 story apartment with a back deck and an open floor plan in just over 1500sqft.

When we walk in, we are in the entry hall. The light blue walls, dark blue ceilings, warm maple floors, and romantic white molding are continued throughout. The stairwell is on our right but if we continue down the hall, we come to a closet on the right, the laundry/mud room which leads to the garage on the left and the master suite straight ahead.

When we first enter the master suite, there is a closet to our right and the bathroom to our left. Ahead is the bed. The headboard is a painted brick wall with built-in cabinets on either side and a nautical painting above the blue bed.

Opposite the bed is a built in wall with a TV nook and a window bench. There is an armchair for reading in the corner. To the right is the sliding glass door out to the deck.

On the second floor, the open kitchen with an apron sink and a wood island is separated from the living room by a wall and a column. The living room has a built-in media center and a couch with a blue chair. The dining room is on the other side of the kitchen. On the opposite wall is a built-in office space and pantry.

Through a hallway off the dining room is the bathroom, another closet, and the second bedroom. This bedroom has the bed to the right and walk in closet with window to the left. There are built-ins surrounding the closet door. A bay window is straight ahead.

This is the layout for the first floor. It has the entry hall, laundry room, one car garage, master suite, and deck. It is 660sqft of living space.

This is the layout for the second floor. It has the open living room, kitchen, dining room, built-in office, bathroom, and second bedroom with walk in closet and bay window. It is 893sqft of living space.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of built-in blue apartments.

Remodel Kitchen

2011-02-07T17:24:00.000-08:00

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Obviously, the kitchen originally was very dark because of the wood cabinets and old green tile flooring. I freshened it up with a neutral color scheme. First, we ripped up the ancient green tile and installed gorgeous honey hardwood. Next, the appliances, countertops, and most of the cabinets were taken out to make room for stainless steel appliances, dramatic black granite countertops, and crisp white cabinetry. The base cabinetry stayed the same, but the wall cabinetry got updated with more storage in high glass-fronted cabinets above the original cabinets. Last, I accessorized with red backsplash, teapot, and foot mat.
If walls could dream... they'd dream of a neutral and bright kitchen removation.

Remodel Entry Hallway

2011-02-07T17:16:00.000-08:00

BEFORE:

AFTER:

For this remodeled entry hallway, first I took out two of the walls closing in the staircase, which really opened the space up. Next, I installed slightly darker floors, which creates contrast with the lighter wall coloring. Then, I replaced the front door, at the far back towards the middle of this photo. Lastly, I furnished the space. I put a funky green coat rack next to the door. I put a book shelf with lots of fun accessories in the hallway, at the far right in this photo. I put an armchair with side table and reading lamp in back corner of the hallway, at the front right in this photo. I put a couch with painting above in the living room, at the left of this photo.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of warm, open, modern entry hallway remodels.

Modern Feminine Apartment

2011-01-10T20:38:00.000-08:00

This drawing is part of the Pink Apartment Project

This is another drawing I started in the empty minutes between classes. My original theme was the geometric shape of a small rectangle with a larger one underneath it, as seen in the window frames, recliner and kitchen cabinets. But I didn't use that theme enough so it sorta disappeared. Looking back I see many places I could have used it; in the backsplash tile, in the chandelier, in the breakfast bar chairs, in the bed blanket, or in the painting. My second theme was color: pink, red, and purple to be exact. My favorite part of this theme is the ceiling, because pink is my favorite color. My third theme was fun accessories. See below for where to buy some of the items for your own home. My fourth theme was my genius idea to cut out the windows and put a city photo behind them. I experimented with a few photos I found online but decided to chose a photo I took. This photo is of San Fransisco in 2008.

At the left is the kitchen with the range on the wall and the vegetable sink in the island. Between the wall cabinets and the windows are three wicker decorative vases. This is a great example of what to do with an awkward nook; place large accessories like floor vases, decorative floor lamps, plants, or sculptures.

Dudero floor lamp IKEA $14.99

Atop the recycled glass countertops of the island are a bowl of salad, a vase, and two place settings that match the two pink bar stools. Above the island is a rectangular light. Although I did not draw this light using an inspiration lamp, this lamp is similar:

Forecast Alexis Nickel 3-light Rectangular Chandelier

In the front right is the Murphy bed. You can see the corner of the bright pink sheets peeking out from under the dull purple comforter near the edge of the drawing. Also near the edge notice a small cubby in the shelf serving as a nightstand. Above the nightstand is a letter "d", the first of five spelling "dream". The shelves that the bed fold up into have some storage doors to the left and above the bed with a cork strip for photos or notes near the nightstand secret cubby and a shelf for books just under the top door. If you look really closely you might even be able to see the names of the books. These shelves extend above the living room and are filled with some fun little knick knacks. In the top shelf nearest the window is an antique pot. In the top middle shelf are CB2 nesting dolls. In the top closest shelf are a frame and a gumball machine. In the bottom farthest shelf are block letters spelling "LOVE." In the bottom middle shelf are some colorful boxes. In the bottom closest shelf are an hour glass and this:

Bobby Berk Decoylab modern baby squirrel clock.

In the back right corner of the apartment is the living area. Hanging from the shelves are three old jars filled with a little sand and a tea light candle. Under that is a painting of the city sunset in Paris. To offset the dark recycled countertops I chose a dark recycled barn wood for this wall. The couch is a Stressless Arion low back. And beside it is a cork table and an IKEA Antifoni desk lamp. The recliner is a Stressless Orion. I placed two of my favorite new design elements in the living room. They are called poufs and are simply a round ottoman in a chunky knit cover.

CB2 Knit pouf

If walls could dream... they'd dream of many themes in a modern, feminine apartment.

See this design's handmade 3D model!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-18T16:37:00.000-08:00

I blogged this Christmas living room yesterday, before it was colored.

I decided to color it Italian / Mediterranean. With a color pallet of green, brown, yellow, purple, and a little red. It didn't come out as colorful as I had hoped, but this design has some of my all- time favorite details.

Look for the calendar by the table. What date does it say? December 25!
Look at the food on the table. What is this family going to eat for Christmas breakfast? Holiday O's, Orange Juice, bananas, cinnamon rolls, and fruit salad!
Look for the presents scattered around the room. How many can you count? At least eight!
Look at the tree. How many ornaments can you spot? Thirty!
Look at the book next to the couch. What's it titled? Santa Claus II!
What other details can you spot?

I started this drawing inspired by a fireplace with glass shelves around the chimney and it grew into a whole living room. Then, I decided to add some Christmas details with the presents and decorations, but I was sad I didn't have room for a tree. So, I did the only logical thing. Expanded it into a second drawing! And painstakingly drew the wonderful Christmas tree. Yep, I drew every branch on that thing!

Next, I colored the room. And as you can tell, comparing the original sketch to the colored sketch, I added beams on the ceiling. Inspired by warm Italian colors, I chose a color pallet of green with brown, yellow, and purple. The walls are green, like the walls of a forest. And the ceiling is yellow, like the sunshine. And the biggest accents; the cabinets, furniture, and floor, are brown. The accents are either red (fireplace, tree ribbon, mirror frame...) or purple (rug, pillows, heart painting...) And the room has lots of light from a wall and a half of windows. To color the Christmas tree; I first lightly colored the background colors, then the brown of the trunk. Next, I just used dots of green to make the needles. Lastly, I colored the ribbon, ornaments, presents, and star.

If walls could dream... they'd be tucked in their beds: waiting for Santa to come.

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-17T16:00:00.000-08:00

I hope your holidays are as wonderful as mine are and that this living room will brighten your spirit. It is decorated like Christmas morning: with breakfast on the table and presents laying everywhere. Check back soon to see it colored!

A Year of Blogging

2010-12-12T00:01:00.000-08:00

December 15th
It has been exactly a year sence my first blog post. Lets look back at a wonderful year of blogging by going through the "If walls could dream..." statments I put at the end of every blog post.
(I highlighted a few of my favorites)

If walls could dream...
...they'd dream of apples
...they'd dream of purple
...they'd occasionally have nightmares of being called "wall 1"
...they'd dream of RED (RED standing for Rich, Elegant, and Divine)
...they'd dream of loft living, high above the city
...they'd dream of blue, blue, and more blue, but then they'd get sick of blue and wake up. :-)
...they'd dream of red hot furnature
...they'd occasinally have nightmares about design flaws and occasionally have peaceful dreams about the genious ways to fix them!
...they'd dream of the ocean
...they'd dream of offset windows, dramatic reds, and everything else in this stunning great room.
...they'd dream of design inspired by design
...then maybe shelving units could too!
...sadly, they'd dream of mustard and grapes.
...they'd dream of the beach
...they'd dream of 170sqft decks
...they'd dream of Wassily Kandinsky
...they'd dream in black and white
...they'd dream of floral detail
... they'd dream of blue and brown
...they'd dream of camping
...they'd dream of grannie houses
...they'd dream of how to draw vases in perspective
...they'd dream of rooms that work with any style
...they'd dream of kitchens in boxes
...they'd dream of bedrooms inspired by nature
...they'd dream of wall letters
...they'd dream of windows
...they'd dream of bright blue chairs
...they'd dream of vessel sinks
...they'd dream of rooms with many purposes
...they'd dream of windows
...they'd dream of bright blue chairs
...they'd dream of built-ins that circle the room
...they'd dream of vessel sinks
...they'd dream of industrial yet cozy great rooms
...they'd dream of beautiful and eco-friendly building materials
...they'd dream of neutral stripes.
...they'd dream of modern dollhouses.
...they'd dream of nurseries.
...they'd dream of the eiffel tower.
...they'd dream of 5 story houses.
...they'd dream of artwork headboards.
...they'd dream of strange rooflines.
...they'd dream of skyscrapers.
...they'd dream of beach-front property.
...they'd dream of the best teacher ever and her amazing craft room.
...they'd dream of San Fransisco.
...they'd dream of hotel rooms high in the sky of San Fran.
...they'd dream of the golden gate bridge.
...they'd dream of bridgeport.
...they'd dream of dramatic lofts.
...they'd dream of inventive ways to add a car port.
...they'd dream of flawless color schemes.
...they'd dream of visiting Florence.
...they'd dream of Easter.
...they'd dream of industrial yet cozy great rooms.
...they'd dream of small, 3D paper houses.
...they'd dream of nautical, seaside master bedrooms in forrest green houses!
...they'd dream of 330 sqft apartments.
...they'd dream of peanut butter cup offices.
...they'd dream of unique vanities.
...they'd dream of a Reese's that touches the sky!
...they'd dream of chill'in in a giant piece of candy.
...they'd dream of houses where every room has a different color theme.
...they'd dream of country cutlery.
...they'd dream of watching the President arrive home.
...they'd dream of lime green and traditional under the same roof.
...they'd dream of a government inteligents agent's magnificent kitchen.
...they'd dream of simple kitchen style.
...they'd want to sleep on this bed.
...I probably put them to sleep with all my boring "architecture history" talk. Sorry!
...they'd be trying not to catch my cold! haha
...they'd dream of what the interior of this mysterious house looks like!!!
...they'd dream in watercolor of my crazy friend. hahaha
...they'd have nightmares of blending into a brown mush of boringness.
...they'd dream of a neon green couch.

Modern Green Living Room

2010-11-28T12:40:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful time stuffing myself with delicious food and laughing at my crazy family. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving too! Now Christmas is quickly approaching, and the weather is getting colder and wetter every day. I'm definetly hoping for a very white Christmas. Very inspired by a trip to IKEA, I colored this room that I drew a week ago.

The gorgeous green couch is modeled after the IKEA "Ektorp" couch.

To each side of the couch is a sidetable with a drawer and two shelves. Above the couch are three empty frames. Why empty? Honestly, I couldn't decide what to put in them. But I'll say that I didn't want them to draw from the focus, the lime green couch. Above each sidetable is a lamp that a friend requested I put in one of my drawings. At the right of the couch is a gigantic window with tons of accessories: a shade, AND sheers, AND a green curtain. In front of the window is another table. Decorating the floor is a dramatic grey rug over light hardwood floors.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of a neon green couch!

Nautical Seaside Master Bedroom - Colored

2010-11-14T19:49:00.000-08:00

Look familiar? Last month I posted this, but it wasn't colored. Although this isn't my ideal paint job, I'm satisfied enough with it. I colored this with my watercolors. Next time, I'll paint the walls a different color, perhaps a light blue or yellow or even just leave them white! The brown walls and brown furniture and brown floors really make the blue pop, but at the same time they blend into a brown mush of boringness. (Yes, spellcheck, that's how you spell boringness) And while I love this drawing because of its detail, next time I'm gonna plan my accents so they spread the color around the whole room. In this design, the cabinet wall at the far left has absolutely no accent color. And the gorgeous headboard blends right into the wall! One of my favorite things about this doodle is the artwork above the bed. It took about 3 seconds to color yet looks like a real painting! I'm also drooling over the pairing of dark hardwood floors and the bright blue/turquoise rug.
If walls could dream... they'd have nightmares of blending into a brown mush of boringness.

Blue and Brown Entry Hall

2010-11-12T12:05:00.000-08:00

I was doodling during science class (sorry, Mr. Noble) but didn't like where the living room was going, so I flipped the page over and started this entry hall.

It was originally midcentury/modern, but the way I colored it, it seems just modern.

...

My crazy friend is trying to text me while I'm writing this post so she decided to just send me 8 messages in a row saying "blah" to annoy me. Thanks.

...

Anyways, at the left is a shelving unit, the in the middle is a bench with a mirror and hooks above it. At the right is more shelves and some drawers for shoes. I colored this design with watercolors! I love watercolors because you can...

Hold on, my crazy friend again.

...

Um, I love watercolors because you can make any color you want. And they are way faster than pencils!

If walls could dream... they'd dream in watercolor of my crazy friend. hahaha.

Interiors Contest is over!

2010-10-21T12:55:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who voted on my interior contest!
Congradulations to everyone who voted for the winning interior, number 2!

Come back soon for more designs and more contests!

Nautical Bedroom

2010-10-12T18:49:00.000-07:00

This nautical bedroom is one of my new favorite designs.
It started as just the built-ins on the left and a plain bed, but I soon realized it was destined for much more. I was inspired by a bed I found online and updated the plain bed with this headboard and foot board. Then I added the seating area and accessories.

Nautical is a trendy style right now, so here are my tips on making your bedroom more coastal:

Keep the walls a light neutral like tan or beige. This will be relaxing and fits in with other styles when nautical sails away.
Layer textures and patterns while keeping to a simple color scheme. Nautical design is very eclectic, but keep accessories light and interesting by following this rule. (And sometimes the best accessories are those that don't cost much, so get crafty! Glue sand on the top of a thrift store find table! Glue shells on a hand-me-down mirror frame! Reupholster and paint that chair that's been sitting in your garage for ever!)
Don't overdo the blue and red. These bold colors will make your room less mature.

I'm vacationing at the beach, wait, no, I'm just in my bedroom!

Interiors Contest

2010-09-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

Which of the following interiors belongs in this house?

Interior 1

Interior 2

Interior 3

Interior 4

Interior 5

You have untill October 18th 2010 to vote. The correct interior will be posted on October 19th 2010.

To vote, simply use the poll titled "INTERIORS CONTEST" on the top of the page. Click on the button next to the title of your vote (example: If you want to vote for the bedroom, click "Interior 5") And then click "Vote".

Thanks and good luck!

Floorplans

2010-09-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

The first floor of the house. At the far left is the great room (kitchen, dining, living) and in the middle bottom a bedroom, and sharing the middle top are a bathroom and a laundry room/hallway to garage. Speaking of the garage, it's at the right. The entrance to the house is at the bottom towards the left.

The second floor of the house. The stairs from the first floor lead up to the family room. At the left you have the master suite and at the right you have another bedroom and bathroom. At the top middle is a small office.

I'd like to say that the interior of this house is breathtakingly beautiful, but sadly I didn't do much to it so I'm keeping it a secret and not posting pictures.

Realtor talk:

3 bed, 3 bath, with 2 car garage, and office,

2 story, open floorplan,

about 2000 sqft.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of what the interior of this mysterious house looks like!!!

Hey... that could be an interesting contest...

ferm LIVING's clever spaces and Rue Magazine

2010-09-18T08:37:00.000-07:00

A friend emailed me about Rue Magazine, a very inspiring and fun new e-magazine (a magazine that you view on the internet.) I fell in love with their premier issue, featuring fun articles including "shopping cart" and "rue shops: San Fransisco" and "Studio Tour: Maemae Paperie" (which I absolutely adored because I love paper arts, check out my paper arts blog, hannahmade cards!) and "It's My Party" featuring Emily Henderson, HGTV's newest Design Star! (My favorite show ever and not to brag or anything, but she was my favorite from the beginning!) but one of the best things this magazine did was introduce me to the amazing company, ferm LIVING and from there I found there inspirational blog, ferm LIVING's clever spaces.
So stay tuned for some ferm-inspired designs! YAY

Bedroom Sketch

2010-09-12T12:18:00.000-07:00

Today I have a cold so I got out my tissues and pencils and ruler and doodled a little:

I never really colored it more than this, I couldn't commit myself to one style. It could be traditional, nautical, French...

For traditional you could use rich reds and neutral browns with pops of green and orange. And classic finishes like dark wood and mirror.

For nautical you should use lots of blue with a little red and green. Use stripes and weathered, textual finishes.

For French you should use weathered mustards, blues, and greens. And detailed finishes.

My favorite part of this sketch is the bed, especially the cherry color and wood grain detail on the head and foot boards.

If walls could dream... they'd be trying not to catch my cold!

haha

Many New Cards On Hannahmade

2010-09-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

I've posted a bunch of new cards to my paper arts blog, Hannahmade Cards !!!

1,000!

2010-08-28T08:28:00.001-07:00

Thank you all so much for visiting! This blog has passed 1,000 visitors!

Modern Inspiration

2010-08-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

This house began as a sketch. This sketch;

A sketch of a kitchen.

And it grew into two sketches;

the kitchen sketch and

the living room sketch.

And from this sketch pair another sketch was created;

The dining room.

Well, I was away from home when making these sketches. But as soon as I arrived back I started turning my sketches into a house. (Seriously, I walked in and turned on the computer)

And the house grew...

Here is the floorplan for this house.

Time for my realtor talk:

This house has two and a

half bathrooms. Four bedrooms.

Master suite. Open Floorplan.

And large backyard.

Hey, what's that horse doing here?!?

If walls could dream... they'd dream of simple sketches exploding into full homes!

My "Clerestory house"

2010-08-09T16:51:00.000-07:00

Most people would just about shrivel up and die if you asked them to define (or even pronounce) "clerestory" And just yesterday I would have been one of those people.

Different forms of clerestory are found all over architecture:

Egyptian temples,

Roman palaces and churches,

Italian churches, and more recently,

modern-style homes.

But you may still be asking: what is a clerestory?

(And if you aren't asking this, you probably got confused by the big words I used earlier and stopped reading)

Well, your answer changes with time:

During the Roman time, the clerestory was a level of windows in a large building (like a church or business center)

In current modern architecture, clerestories are windows above eyelevel.

An easy way to remember the meaning of clerestory is to separate it into two words: clere (or clear) and story. It's a clear story; a high window.

Well, enough of that technical talk. Here is my "clerestory house":

If walls could dream... I probably put them to sleep with all my boring "architecture history" talk. Sorry!

Kid's Storage Bed

2010-07-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

This stylish piece of furnature combines two things needed in a bedroom; the bed and storage.
It's okay to hide things under this bed!
If walls could dream... they'd want to sleep on this bed.

Coffee Kitchen

2010-07-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is a series of photos marking the changes in this builder-grade kitchen when becoming a magnificent kitchen. (The pictures of the actual steps aren't exactly in order)

My inspiration for this kitchen re-design was a 'coffee' brown color. It was painted on the walls and the other elements followed it's path. The accent color is red. It's picked up in the backsplash and the accessories. There are also flecks of red in the countertop.

Without ripping down any walls or even cabinets (the cabinets were painted), a room can change it's mood. With a little virtual elbow grease, this kitchen went from 'just moved in' to 'just moved up.'

By just taking a few of these steps, you could change the mood of the room. Lighting is always a key element of a room's mood and by updating your lighting, you update your mood. Paint is important because color is known for creating atmospheres. Like red has the reputation of making you hungry (good in a kitchen, unless you don't want to have to cook...) And if we're talking for staging a home for sale, then accessorizing (and staying clean) is a must.

To view the picture larger, just click on it.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of simple kitchen style.

Julia Child's Kitchen

2010-07-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

At the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington DC, Julia Child's kitchen has been replicated.

A few facts about the kitchen:

The blue and green color scheme was chosen by Paul, Julia's husband, in 1961.
Sixteen baking sheets wee stored vertically in slots next to the dishwasher.
The kitchen overlooked Irving Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The kitchen measures 14 by 20 feet.

A few facts about Julia Child:

She was born on August 15th, 1912 as the eldest of three children.
She was a government inteligents agent for the Office of Strategic Services
She and her husband, Paul Child, met through the OSS.
Julia attended the Cordon Bleu cooking school in France.
She and two friends created the cooking school l'Ecole de Trois Gourmandes (The school of the three gourmandes)
A cookbook she made with these friends lead to her TV show, The French Chef.
She won an Emmy award in 1966.

Learn more about the kitchen at http://americanhistory.si.edu/juliachild/

If walls could dream... they'd dream of a government inteligents agent's magnificent kitchen.

2010-06-29T10:28:00.000-07:00

Here are the interior pictures of the house I blogged on Sunday.

The kitchen!

This kitchen has a bold color palate with the expanse of lime green. I can't really describe what inspired me to color this room this way because I honestly can't remember. It started out as a mousey grey, but that was just too boring. And lime green definetly is not boring. The dining nook in the back left has white painted brick walls. Uh-ma-zing!

The family room!

It's open to the kitchen and the lime green theme continues too. I love love love the white tree stencil on the wall and the modern rug. The arm chairs are cool too. They say "green green green..."

A bedroom!

This is the first floor bedroom. In contrast to the great room, this room has a neutral, traditional, elegant style.

A bathroom!

This is the vanity in the second floor main bathroom. I love the shelf on top of the backsplash and the shelving unit diving the two sinks.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of lime green and traditional under the same roof.

2010-06-27T10:28:00.000-07:00

This is a 5 bed and 4 bath 3187 square foot house. It also has an office, one car garage, dining nook, open floorplan, and laundry.

This is the first floor. It has the dining nook in the very top left, and moving along the top towards the right; bathroom, entry, and garage. In the middle left is the kitchen and in the lower left is the family room. In the lower right is a bedroom, bathroom, laundry, and walk-in closet.

This is the second floor. At the top left is a bathroom. In the top right is the stairwell and office. In middle to lower left is three bedrooms. At the lower right is the master suite.

Come back Tuesday to see some pictures of the interior!!!

Obama Arrives

2010-06-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

While looking at the White House on the cloudy afternoon of Tuesday June 15th, a helicopter passes overhead. Being a tourist, I take out my camera and snap a picture.

I watch it fly over the white house and disappear into the cloudy city horizon. Then two more helicopters pass overhead.

As they are creeping closer, I am snapping pictures like crazy. I run across the road to get a better view, and the first helicopter lands on the White House lawn.

Upon research, I find that in the helicopter pictured above, President Obama rode back to DC after assessing the oil spill in Alabama.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of watching the president arrive home.

Goodbye, Well only for a week

2010-06-11T13:29:00.001-07:00

I am going on VACATION!
And I'll tell you all about it when I get back in about a week.
While I'm gone, vote for your favorite logos and keep dreaming!
See you in a week!

Country Tablesetting

2010-06-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is a country-style table setting with rooster plate, and rooster decorations on the end of the forks, knife, and spoon. All on a checkerboard place mat.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of country cutlery.

VOTE

2010-06-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

I WANT TO KNOW YOUR FAVORITE OF THE FOLLOWING LOGOS FOR IF WALLS COULD DREAM!
UNDER EACH LOGO, THERE IS A NUMBER. TO VOTE FOR THAT LOGO, CLICK THE CORRESPONDING NUMBER ON THE "LOGO VOTE" POLL IN THE RIGHT COLUMN.
PLEASE VOTE AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS, COWORKERS, FAMILY, EVEN YOUR PETS TO VOTE!
VOTING ENDS JULY 31ST.
THE WINNING LOGO WILL BECOME THE HEADER OF IF WALLS COULD DREAM.
THANK YOU!

LOGOS:

LOGO 1

LOGO 2

LOGO 3

LOGO 4

LOGO 5

LOGO 6

HOUSE part 2

2010-06-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

This is the interior to the house I blogged about on Saturday.

In this picture, you see the dining room in front, and the piano corner in back.

The dining room plays with the accent color of the kitchen, lime green by having a lime green table and chair-legs. The tree on the wall behind the table is my take of a room that David Bromstad did on his show Color Splash. You can go to his cite by clicking the following link :

http://www.hgtv.com/color-splash/show/index.html

The door you see in between the dining room and piano corner leads to a bedroom and the door you see on the back wall leads to the backyard.

This is a picture of the kitchen. Obviously, it's color scheme is black and white and lime green. The appliances, walls, and main cabinetry are white. With the countertops and base cabinet doors and full cabinet door frames black. And the window, island, and upper cabinet doors lime green.

The inside panel of the full cabinet doors is newsprint. This works well with the color scheme and it is a very "green" "paint"

The door to the far left goes to a bedroom and the door in the back right is the main entrance. When you walk in, you see the staircase (it's hidden by the full cabinets on the right of this picture) and the door to the laundry room, which then leads to the garage, on your left and the kitchen to your right. This arrangement makes bringing groceries to the kitchen from your car a breeze.

This is one of two bedrooms on the first floor of the house.

It's door leads out to the dining room and piano corner.

The color scheme is navy and mustard, which is the team colors for the person who lives here's favorite football team or basketball team or something...

The bed is behind you in this picture and you see the desk and arm chair.

This is the second of the two downstairs bedrooms.

I call it the purple diva room. With purple bookshelves and computer, and edgy cowprint drapery and palid desk chair, this room is ready for any diva you could throw at it!

This is the master bedroom. It is on the upper floor of the house, off the main hallway. It has a brown theme with chocolate sheets, a brown leater chair, and a headboard that looks like it's made of sticks!

If walls could dream... they'd dream of houses where every room has a different color theme.

HOUSE part one

2010-05-29T16:14:00.000-07:00

Recently I created a two story, 2500 sqft house with a garage, open floorplan, 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and an office.

THE FIRST FLOOR

two bedrooms and one bathroom along the bottom,

entry, kitchen, dining room, piano corner from left to right in middle

laundry room, office, living room, from left to right in top

and garage on very top

THE SECND FLOOR

master bedroom at far left

staircase, lounge, bathroom, deck, from top to bottom in middle

and bedrooms at far right

THE EXTERIOR FRONT OF THE HOUSE

Come back on Tuesday to see the interior of the house!
It has my FAVORITE KITCHEN EVER !!!
Don't miss it!

2010-05-27T06:19:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday!!!

So I built myself this house out of cake!

YUMMY YUMMY

Reese's Lounge

2010-05-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is a lounge room that would go inside the Reese's Apartment that I posted Tuesday. It has the same zig-zag wall pattern as the outside of the building. You may be saying, "There aren't any windows!" My response is that some of the panels in the wall are glass where as others are just metal. An inventive solution to a big problem when you're living inside a giant piece of candy!

If walls could dream... they'd dream of chill'in in a giant piece of candy.

Reese's Apartment

2010-05-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

A giant, metal and glass Reese's peanut butter cup filled with homes. This apartment complex isn't your average sky-scraper. It's designed to look like a huge peanut butter cup! Too bad you can't eat it! Many people will call this chocolate-peanut butter delight home, and many others will be envious of this amazing place to hang your hat. So next time you're in Chocolate Town, look for this building!

If walls could dream... they'd dream of a Reese's that touches the sky.

Vanity

2010-05-13T15:48:00.000-07:00

While some people think of a vanity as the counter in a bathroom, it can also be a woman's dressing table.

Here is my design of a vanity:

You can find a place for everything in the six drawers and two doors. I accessorized the vanity with a small mirror, some bottles, and a cork board.

This vanity would work in any design style, but the first that comes to mind is Asian. Maybe this is because of the carved tree-like design along the front.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of unique vanities.

Reese's Office

2010-05-11T15:46:00.000-07:00

This home office is very basic. All it has is a desk. This desk is my design. It has a 4 drawers on the right and simple legs on the left. The Reese's poster is inspired by antique Reese's posters. Reese's peanut butter cups are a favorite snack to many people including one of my good friends, for whom I designed this.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of peanut butter cup offices.

World's Greenest Homes: Hong Kong Space Saver

2010-05-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

In Hong Kong, space is a luxury. One creative architect found a way to use futuristic sliding walls to create up to 2 different room combinations in his 330 sqft apartment. Not for the claustrophobic!
See the video at http://planetgreen.discovery.com/videos/worlds-greenest-homes-hong-kong-space-saver.html
If walls could dream... they'd dream of 330 sqft apartments.

Blog Update

2010-05-02T17:03:00.000-07:00

I currently post something new to this blog every-other day, but I can see that most of you do not visit every-other day. I feel like it's not worth all my work when you don't visit very often. Don't worry, I'm not stopping this blog, I'm just going to post twice a week (instead of 3 or 4 times a week) from now on.

A Seaside Master Bedroom in a Forrest Green House

2010-05-02T16:54:00.000-07:00

This is the first floor of the house. It has a one car garage in the upper left corner. The entry is in the upper right corner. The front door leads into a small hall and then into the great room. The laundry room and half bath are in the lower left corner.

This is the second floor plan. The master suite goes along the bottom of this picture. The other 3 bedrooms and full bath wrap around the central hall and staircase.

This is the kitchen. It has warm, dark woodwork with high contrast white counters. The accent color is green, so the backsplash is recycled green tile and the living room wall is "forrest" green. I love the glass upper cabinets and the plank detail on the lower. The sink is an offset undermount sink. I use this style sink very oftenly in my designs.

This is the master bedroom. The accent wall is blue + white stripe wallpaper. (who says wallpaper's dead?) The chair and some pillows also have this nautical theme. The dark woodword gives weight to this light room and the woven rug gives texture. On the other walls are a large painting of a nighttime city, a full length mirror with nautical rope trim, and the door to the equally nautical master bath.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of nautical, seaside master bedrooms in forrest-green houses!

3D house

2010-04-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is a 3D house that I made. Sure it doesn't jump out of your computer screen when you look at it like in Alice and Wonderland or How To Train Your Dragon, but it's still prety cool. The computer software that I use will print out the floorplan, the roof, and little walls and then you just tape it all together. I colored the lawn to make it more interesting. The first picture shows the house with the roof on and the second shows it without.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of small, 3D, paper houses.

Mediterranean Mansion Project (post 8)

2010-04-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

I have put all of the Mediterranean Mansion Project pictures and descriptions onto a new page! The page is called "Mediterranean Mansion Project." You can get to it by simply clicking the [Mediterranean Mansion] button at the top of the screen.

Mediterranean Mansion Project (post 7)

2010-04-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

Above the garage of the Mediterranean Mansion,

is an apatment and art studio.

The art studio is to the left and the apartment is to the right with one bedroom, one bath, a laundry machine, and a great room.

This is the great room in the apartment.

Come back Tuesday to see more of this amazing house!

Mediterranean Mansion Project (post 6)

2010-04-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is the third floor of the Mediterranean Mansion. The master bedroom is at the left with attached master bath, and two bedrooms are in the lower right corner. A small sitting area is created between the stairwell and the hall.

This is the master bedroom.

Come back Sunday to see more of this amazing house!

Mediterranean Mansion Project (post 5)

2010-04-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is the second floor of the Mediterranean Mansion. It has a lot of space open to the living room and entry of the first floor and 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, an office, and the laundry room.

This is the office. It overlooks the garage and is spacous enough to hold two large desks.

This is one of the two bedrooms. Another 3form material, cinnamon weave, is used as an accent in this room. The juliette balcony overlooks the small court and matches the balcony of the second bedroom.

Come back Friday to see more of this amazing house!

Mediterranean Mansion Project (post 4)

2010-04-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is the floorplan for the first floor of the Mediterranean Mansion. The front entrance is at the bottom middle. To the left of the entry is the dining room and to the right is the staircase and furtherly the living room and first kitchen. In the middle of the house is a bathroom and a deck that connects the second kitchen to the rest of the house. A half bath, mud room, and large pantry complete the second kitchen.

Come back Wednesday to see more of this amazing house!

Mediterranean Mansion Project (post 3)

2010-04-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is the first kitchen in the Mediterranean Mansion. It is located to the right of the front entrance. It shares a fireplace with the living room. My favorite part of this kitchen is the white countertops. They are "Snowmelt" by 3form materials.

This is the second kitchen. It is located in the back corner of the mansion. A mud room connects it to the back deck, a deck connects it to the hall and the entry, and a spiral staircase connects it to the second floor. My favorite part of this kitchen is the backsplash. While it looks like horizontal glass tiles, it is really bamboo set in resin. Check it out at http://www.3-form.com/materials-varia_ecoresin-organics-structured_bamboo.php

Come back Monday to see another part of this amazing house!

Mediterranean Mansion Project (post 2)

2010-04-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is the view when you first enter the Mediterranean Mansion. You have a woodburning stove to your left, a grand staircase and piano to your right, and the kitchen/living room in front of you. Further to your left is the dining room.

Come back Saturday for another part of this amazing house!

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

2010-04-13T00:01:00.001-07:00

I'd like to wish a happy annicersary to my mom and dad. My dad was the one who inspired me to create a blog because he is a committed blogger. We are in competition to see who can get more site views, so keep visiting and maybe I can win! My mom has always been very supportive of my design interist.
To celebrate, here is a very special design for my daddy:

His sound studio!

And for my mommy:

I love you!

Mediterranean Mansion Project (post 1)

2010-04-11T00:10:00.000-07:00

This is a modern mediterranean mansion. It has 6 bedrooms, 6.5 baths, 3 kitchens, a pool, a 3 car garage, 3 storys, 4 fireplaces, and an open floorplan. One night, I stayed up untill 2AM working on it! (I was super glad to be able to sleep in the next morning.)

Every-other day I will post more of it!

So, come back Thursday and see a new part of this amazing house.

Industrial Great Room 2

2010-04-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is a re-make of "industrial great room" As you can see, I made it on the computer.

Which do you like better? The original or this re-make? Leave me your answer as a comment!

If walls could dream... they'd dream of industrial yet cozy great rooms.

Interior Drawings

2010-04-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

Step 1: Using a ruler, draw the room.

Step 2: Color your room.

Step 3: Tada!

Well, okay, it's a little more complex than that...

The Easter Bunny's Bedroom

2010-04-05T17:50:00.000-07:00

This is the perfect place for a giant bunny to rest after delivering treats in plastic eggs to the whole world.
I hope you all have a wonderful Easter!
If walls could dream... they'd dream of easter.

Water Road in Florence

2010-04-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

I modeled this drawing after a "water road" in Florence. Instead of being paved, many roads in Florence are rivers. And instead of cars, they get around in gololas (small man-powered boats.) I originally made this drawing for Social Studies class, but I was so proud of it, I couldn't help but share it.

To achieve a greater feeling of depth, i used two vanishing points. One for the buildings on the right and one for the left.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of visiting Florence.

Design Tip of the Month: April

2010-04-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Glass Tile
Glass tile is beautiful and kind to the enviroment. One tip when you are putting it up: use white grout. Brown or tan grout may change the color of the tile.

Natural Color Scheme in a Bedroom

2010-03-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

This bedroom has a natural feel to it. The wood headboard, moldings, and floors match the brown patterned sheets and curtains. Which go nicely with the green walls, cieling, and pillows. Which really makes the purple "dream" pillow and the yellow daffodil pop.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of flawless color schemes.

From Doodle Kitchen to Model Kitchen

2010-03-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

The room I drew,

and the room I modeled after the drawing.

This kitchen is centered around a medium-sized island that holds the sink and cooktop. Behind the island is a bank of tall cabinets. The fridge is to the right, and a floral painting to the left.

Two Story, 500 sq ft Home

2010-03-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

This house has two storys, yet only about 500 square feet of living space. This is because the first floor is the garage.

And not only does this design add a garage, but it's also flood protecton, if a flood were to happen, the main part of your house will stay dry.
If walls could dream... they'd dream of inventive ways to add a car port.

2010-03-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

Check out my new page!
It's called San Fransisco. You can get to it by clicking the "San Fransisco" button next to the "Home" and "My favorite designs" icons on the top of this blog.

Dramatic Loft

2010-03-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

The floorplan of the loft.
Dining room in the upper left, living room with large fireplace in upper right, stairwell to art studio middle right, kitchen and entry middle left, bedroom an TV corner lower right, bathroom lower left.

Bathroom

Kitchen
I love the concrete countertops!

Dining nook, styled after a Parisian cafe.

Living room with a funky clock mural

If walls could dream... they'd dream of dramatic lofts.

Bridgeport

2010-03-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictues I took at bridgeport. The Bridgeport Covered Bridge on the South fork of the Yuba River is one of the longest single-span wooden bridges in America measuring in at over 230 feet. The bridge here was originally constructed in 1862 and was part of the Virginia Turnpike Company Toll Road that served the northern mines and traffic to and from Virginia City and the Comstock Lode in Nevada. It is a beautiful bridge, and it may not be a room that I designed, but it's still special.
If walls could dream... they'd dream of bridgeport.

The Golden Gate Bridge

2010-03-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

Some pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge that my dad and I took.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of the golden gate bridge.

San Francisco 2

2010-03-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Some pictures of the view from the hotel room, overlooking San Francisco. Wow this city is beautiful.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of hotel rooms high in the sky of San Fran.

San Francisco 1

2010-03-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

Some pictures I took while riding around San Francisco. Sorry if some of them are a little blurry. I love the architecture here.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of San Francisco.

Craft Room

2010-03-12T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is craft room for my favorite teacher ever. She was my 5th and 6th grades teacher and she loves paper arts. In her craft room, there is the main level and then two other "balconies" that are connected by spiral staircases. These balconies give lots of space to store crafting stuff. Her nickname is Bear, so included many pictures of bears. Large windows bring in lots of light. The color scheme is very neutral.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of the best teacher ever and her amazing craft room!

Beach House

2010-03-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

The Kitchen

The view from the front door.

The back of the house

The front of the house

The floorplan for the first floor.

The floorplan for the second floor.

This is a three bedroom, three bath, two story, beach-front house. It has four large decks, a home office, and a woodstove in the kitchen. A laundry room is not included, but could easily be added.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of beach-front property.

Skyscraper Junior

2010-03-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is a skyscraper. It has a glass elevator to the right. On the fifth floor, there is an open courtyard type thing. The hole building is nine floors tall. Not a short building, but not really tall enough to be considered a skyscraper.
If walls could dream... they'd dream of skyscrapers.

A Kitchen With An Odd Roofline

2010-03-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is a kitchen. It has very tall ceilings and a unique roofline. the roof ends above the upper windows, and then starts again right below them and then stops again at the shelf above the conter... if that makes any sense.

I love the barstools in this kitchen.

Sorry, I didn't have time to color it. Maybe I'll post it again with some color!

If walls could dream... they'd dream of strange rooflines.

Artwork Headboard

2010-03-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is an artwork headboard. It's a headboard and it's a place to hang your art. It gives you eight differt places to put pieces of different sizes.
If walls could dream... they'd dream of artwork headboards.

Modern House

2010-03-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is a modern, 5 story tall, house. The first floor is the garage. The second floor is the bedroom. The third floor is the living and dining room. The fourth floor is the kitchen and a small porch. The fifth floor is the bathroom. An elevator connects the five levels.
If walls could dream... they'd dream of five story houses.

Design Tip of the Month: March

2010-03-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

Buying a new coffee table.
You never want your coffee table higher than the cushins of your couch. So, before you click "buy" on coffetable.com make sure the table is lower than the cushins of your couch.
Also keep scale, style, and color in mind when buying a coffee table.
Ottomans are a great alternative to a coffee table. They provide extra seating, you can put a tray on them to place things on them more easily, and they are very kid friendly because of their soft edges.

Bathroom

2010-02-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is a bathroom. The walls and cieling are the same color. This really highlights the crown molding. The vanity is the only real "bathroom" item in this picture. It has a simple sink and a towel and soap dispenser sitting on the light granate countertop. Notice the doors to the closet at the left of the picture. I thought of this volcano effect when the door was just half colored. I stopped coloring brown and fulled the rest in with gray.
If walls could dream... they'd dream of volcano doors.

Eiffel Tower

2010-02-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is the Eiffel Tower.
I didn't design it, but I drew it. Well, I drew it with help from wikihow.
If walls could dream... they'd dream of the Eiffel Tower.

Nursery

2010-02-24T00:01:00.001-08:00

These are nurseries. Notice that they both have the same floorplan and same furnature, but different color schemes. The top is blue, perfect for a little boy, and the bottom is pink, perfect for a little girl.

The most important thing in a nursery is the crib. Most cribs have vertical poles, but this crib has horizontal. This gives it an unexpected and modern feel. Another important part of a nursery is comfort. The window bench and rug provide comfort. An important part of any space is storage. There is lots of storage in this room. From the built in dresser to the left to the built in bookcase and display shelf.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of nurseries.

A Modern Dollhouse

2010-02-22T00:01:00.000-08:00

The Emerson House by Brincadada is a modern dollhouse.
Complete with sliding doors and solar-powered LED lights, this is not your grandmother's dollhouse.

Brinca Dada also makes modern furnature and uber cool dolls.

http://brincadada.com
If walls could dream... they'd dream of modern dollhouses.

Neutral Dining Room

2010-02-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is a neutral and room dining room. Not every room in the house can be wild and crazy. This dining room is the calm escape. It's neutral beige stripes on the left and right walls and plain beige on the other walls and ceiling create a realaxing atmosphere. The red curtains make up for the softness that the table lacks.This is a big table, and it fills up the whole room. It has a lighter wood border around a strong dark center. Instead of chairs, this dining room has long benches that are the same dark wood as the table center. The floor molding, crown molding, and window sill are also a dark wood. The flooring is a dark cherry.
If walls could dream... they'd dream of neutral stripes.

Industrial Great Room

2010-02-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

Like I've said in the past, a great room is not a room that is really good but a combination of a living room, dining room, and kitchen. Although, this is a great room that is really good.

It has an industrial and modern theme. With bright blue walls and cieling. Notice that the color of most of the walls and the cieling is a different shade of blue, but one wall is the same as the cieling. I thought this would be a really cool detail. To go with the modern industrial theme, the floors are concrete and instead of upper cabinets, there are exposed shelves. Exposed beams or columbs are also common in modern and industrial styles. There is a column coming out of the cichen cabinets. The counterops are granite with wonderful green, purple, gray, and gold specs. The red couch is pushed right up to the kitchen cabinets. The purple coffee table can be used for putting your feet up and watching the TV hidden in the tall cabinets to the right or can be pushed out to provide more seating during a party. The painting near the center of the drawing includes the wall color and couch color and is framed in the same wood as the cabinets.
If walls could dream... they'd dream of industrial yet cozy great rooms.

1006sqft Eco-Friendly House

2010-02-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is a 1006 sq ft one bed one bath house with a garage that's the perfect size for your smart car, a home office, and an open floorplan.
Many of the materials you see in this house can be found at www.3-form.com 3 form is a leading manufaturer of beautiful and eco-friendly building materials.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of beautiful and eco-friendly building materials.

My Favorite Bathroom

2010-02-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite designs. Even though I'm not a big fan of brown, I love this color scheme. And, being a girl, I love the walk in closet.

The gray tile and cement countertop, brown walls and cabinets, and blue accents make up the color scheme.

All the different shades of blue found throught the room are also found in the two paintings above the tub.

It's hard to see, but the tub side has a vertical line of glass tile that matches that of the vanity backsplash.

The sink is not your classic sink. It is called a glass vessel sink. Vessel sinks are made to look like a bolw sitting on the countertop. These sinks are great because they don't use cabinet space and they show off your countertop more than traditional sinks. I have even seen vessel sinks with lights installed around the drain! You can find great vessel sinks at http://www.everyvesselsink.com/

If walls could dream... they'd dream of vessel sinks.

Home Office

2010-02-12T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is a home office. It has a large built-in desk and bookshelf that wraps around the whole room. This room is very warm with the orange cieling and chairs, lots of wood, and red walls. I love the dark wood floors and large window over the desk.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of built-ins that circle the room.

Kitchen and Dining Room

2010-02-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is a kitchen and dining room. To the left is the kitchen and to the right is the dining room. The blue dining room chairs and blue kitchen tile help tie the two spaces together. The spaces are also tied together with the wood flooring and green walls.

Dining rooms are one of the hardest rooms to draw because of all of the overlaping shapes, but kitchens aren't easy either! Bedrooms are the easiest to draw.

I love the bright blue chairs because they draw attention away from the painting above the table. The bright yellow and red bullseye pattern makes it a bold piece, but 6 bright blue chairs are bold, also.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of bright blue chairs.

House

2010-02-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is a house, obviously. It is a two story house. The front entrance has french doors and two tall posts in the left and right corners. I was not sure what color I should "paint" this house, so I left it blank. Please leave a comment with what color you think the house should be and maybe in the future I will post it again! The hardest part of this design was the posts and roof. Many windows let lots of light into this beautiful house.
If walls could dream... they'd dream of windows.

Family Room

2010-02-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is a family room. Like many family rooms, it must serve many purposes. It's where the guys hang to watch football. It's where momma quilts. It's where the kids play when their friends come over. To handle these three very different needs for the space, I devided the room into three parts. The guy's space is to the left. The kid's space is to the right. Mom's space is behind you.

The guys have a large couch and flatscreen TV, all you need to watch a football game.

The kids have a bookcase along the wall, beanbag chairs, and a soft rug.

The art in this room is a mountain scene and a heart in texting language.

I love the fireplace, even though it was hard to draw. It is the heart of the room, the middle of the three spaces.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of rooms with many purposes.

Mediterranean Room with Wall Letters

2010-02-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is a Mediterranean entry and sitting room. The floor is concrete. The warm red walls and green and yellow accents complete the Mediterranean feel.

Large wall letters are a great way to say something in a room. Here, the RELAX wall letters make you want to sit down and read the paper or have a cup of coffee. In my bedroom, I have IMAGINE in wall letters made out of recycled food packaging. You will also see wall letters spelling out children's names in their nurseries.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of wall letters.

Nature Inspired Bedroom

2010-02-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

The top and the bottom are the same design, but one is colored and the other isn't. I bet you can't tell which one is colored! Did I stump you? You're just begging me to give you a hint. Okay, here's the hint: It's not the top one! You still stumped? Okay, I'll just tell you the answer: It's the bottom one!

This nature inspired master bedroom is calming. A great place to see before you close your eyes in the morning and after you open them in the morning. The other walls of this room would be covered in windows to let in the natural light. There would be access to a porch, too.

The paintings are all the same bamboo look, which keeps the natural theme and draws your eye around. The bed to the left has a few pillows, but not too many. The yellow color is the same as the chair in the reading nook. The shelves set in the wall in the headboard are perfect because there wasn't space for nightstands. The shelf above the headboard displays two pieces of artwork, a single rose bud, and a photo tree. The door in the middle of the picture goes to the large walk in closet with plenty of built in storage-every girl's dream. The nook to the right is a relaxing place to read a good book. The soft white rug defines the space. The chair has the same yellow fabric as the bed and is extra tall to balance the visual hight of everything else in the room. The built in bookcase has two open shelves and three closed.

The doors have three layers, from outside to inside they are; wood, a small strip of metal, frosted glass. Very modern and very natural.

Notice the white trim and cieling. It leaves the room open and light. The wood floor is more modern than tile or carpet and a soft, natural stain that matches the doors.

If walls could dream... they'd dream of nature inspired bedrooms.

Design Tip of the Month: Febuary

2010-02-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

Painting your kitchen cabinets
Painting your kitchen cabinets is a great way to make them look new. Paint your kitchen (or bathroom) cabinets with a semigloss rather than a matte or eggshell finish. Kitchen cabinets will get spilled and dripped on a lot and will be easier to clean if they are painted with a glossey finish. Gell stain will protect your cabinets even more.

Kitchen in a Box

2010-01-31T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is a kitchen in a box; a simple, modern, money and space saving alternative to a full kitchen. You may have heard the name "kitchen in a box" because that is what Bedrock Creations calls thier DIY countertop kit, but this kitchen in a box is very different.

The different parts of the kitchen in a box are labeled, but they might be a little hard to see. From the top left and around in a clockwise circle they are; freezer, sink, Microwave, range, Dishwasher, and Fridge.

The estimated dimensions are 2'x7'x9'h

I got my inspiration from a full house that just looked like a box in a white room I found in Dwell magazine (http://www.dwell.com/ )

If walls could dream... they'd dream of kitchens in boxes.

Want this for real? I found something sumular at http://www.acmekitchenettes.com/ It isn't super cool like mine is, but it's an actual company that makes actual kitchenettes.

A dining room that works with any style

2010-01-29T00:01:00.000-08:00

I didn't know what type of room to draw. I've drawn kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms... but never a dining room. So this is the first dining room I've drawn. For some reason it looks wavy in this image but the lines are straight on the paper.

A rug is always a good idea in a dining room. People will spill things in a dining room and it is easier to clean up on a rug. The busier the rug, the more it will hide stains. While busy, patterned, and colorful rugs are great I chose a plain red rug for this space. (http://www.rugstudio.com/ has many beautiful rugs.)

The graphic artwork and pink chairs offset the large, blocky table, and traditional chocolate brown curtains.

Overall, this dining room has a style that would work in any house, weather traditional, contemporary, or whatever!

If walls could dream... they'd dream of rooms that work with any style.

Purple and Green Bedroom

2010-01-27T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is a purple and green bedroom. The tall headboard/footboard bring lots of drama to this room. The yellow wall color makes the room happy and light. The green cabinet fronts are just a fun detail! The red vase on the cabinet in the back of the room was a drawing challnge. How do you draw a round vase and keep it in perspective? I don't know, but I tried my best (and erased it like 30 times.)
If walls could dream... they'd dream of how to draw a vase in perspective.

Granny House

2010-01-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is what is oftenly called a granny house. It is a smaller house on the same property as a larger house. Your grandma could live here, you could let guests stay here, or you could rent it out. This granny house is just over 580sqft with overall dimensions of 25' 0" by 23' 10".
It has one bedroom, spacous enough for a king sized bed. It has one bathroom with double sinks, a shower, bathtub, and combo washer/dryer. The great room has an open feel with no walls between the kitchen/dining room and living room.
Throughout the whole house there are muted tones of blue and green with white carpet in the bedroom and weathered hard wood in the rest of the house. Blue and red are the accent colors. If I had to create a name for this style, I would call it modern beach. The modern parts are the style of the kitchen and bathroom cabinetry and the accent color red. The beach parts are the use of ocean tones (blue and green) and the weathered floors.
Many paintings were used in this design. A painting by Cezanne of apples is under a window in the kitchen. A painting by an unknown artist of two people in a forest is the face of a clock in the kitchen (not pictured). A painting by Cezanne of fruit and vases is not pictured. The Mona Lisa by Da Vinci is in the bedroom on top of an amoire.
If walls could dream... they'd dream of granny houses.

Lone Cabin Design

2010-01-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

I imagine this cabin to be in a campsite. Although, it cabin isn't much of a cabin. It's just a bedroom and a deck. (No bathroom!) I certantly wouldn't want to stay here. But it's perfect for the more outdoorsey type (who don't mind walking to the camp bathroom.) The bedroom has lots of windows (perfect for staying close to nature, but not really perfect for getting dressed in the morning.)
If walls could dream... they'd dream of camping