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Featured Designer - Erin Rothner of Bloom Design

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

One of my favorite things to learn about is how designers are using linen for their clients. Talented designer, Erin Rothner of Bloom Design in Manhattan Beach, California, happens to love linen as much as I do. Bloom Design is a fabulous company specializing in window treatments. Erin can take a room from ordinary to extraordinary with her creative eye. I am thrilled to have her as my design guest this week to share her linen favorites and all these amazing photos of her clients' homes.


Erin before we get started, tell us about Bloom Design:
Bloom Design is a window coverings company. I am a designer for the windows. I help my clients decide what type of privacy/semi-privacy and light control they need on each window. I then assist them in picking out products that will achieve these goals. When I walk in a home I usually get a strong feeling for the style. The best part of my job however is finding the perfect fabrics for my designs.



What qualities do you like about linen?
I really love linen because of the way it hangs. It has soft wrinkles that can almost shake out when I use it as drapery and roman shades. Linen is casual and perfect for so many different looks. The texture is what keeps me coming back. I can't stop touching it! Because the linen fiber, which is derived from the inner layers of the stem of the flax plant, is so long it is extremely strong and luminous. It is such a highly durable fabric. When using white linen it can be bleached to get stains out. Linen is wonderfully soft looking after it's been washed. I like to pre-wash my linens when I use them for drapes, bedding, slipcovers and pillows. This softens the fabric and gives it a more lived in look.




Aside from window coverings, what else do you use linen for in your designs?
I am a sucker for linen slipcovers. I just replaced the arm panels on two slip covered chairs I have in my family room. I bought two yards of the same fabric that the slipcovers were made out of and washed them like crazy to knock down the color (a printed linen). After the repair they look fantastic and now I am as happy as a clam. I also love linen bedding and pillows. When worn of slept on linen absorbs water quickly so moisture is drawn away from the body and dries quickly.



What is your favorite linen pattern right now and who makes it?
That's a hard question...I lust after linen so almost every sample I see I love whether it is super light weight or printed and heavy. I just used an 85% Linen, 15% Cotton GORGEOUS fabric by Beacon Hill called Deblois-Antique for a fabric roman shade. It is almost a sheer weight fabric with a great geometric pattern that has a slight Moroccan feel to it and is oatmeal in color. Definitely check it out here. You have to see and feel this one in person.



Erin you work with both interior designers and homeowners alike, what's the best way to get in touch with you?
Definitely e-mail me (erothner@aol.com) if you want to get in touch!


Thanks so much Heather for this opportunity to share my love of linen!

Thank you Erin for sharing your love of linen and for all of these beautiful photos! And on a personal note, below are the curtains Erin designed for my older daughter Madison's nursery in Manhattan Beach. When we sold our home I actually took them with me! I am still trying to figure out where to hang them because I love them so much.

Memorial Day Weekend Decorations

Friday, May 27, 2011

Have you started an account with Pinterest? If not, you surely must! If you enjoy beautiful photos and want to remember where you saw them online, this is a very easy way to do so. Just search for a certain subject and if you like what you see you may "pin" it to your own board. Tonight was my first time creating a board and my subject choice was Memorial Day Decorations. Here are some of the photos I found, loved and pinned!








Decorated Hot Dogs - I love this!



For the rest of my picks, click here. Happy Memorial Day!

Ribbon Embellished Chair


I have missed blogging the past week! My interior design classes have officially started and they are taking up my time when the kiddos go to sleep. I thought this ribbon embellished chair was so sweet though, I just had to share! What a fun party idea to dress up your table. I love the mix of pink, green, blue and yellow ribbons connected with a flower. You can find the source here.

Bella Notte Linen Bed Scarves

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

This is my dream bed...


...a bed draped in Bella Notte Linen Bed Scarves.

Good night!

Garnet Hill Linen

Tonight I was pleasantly surprised by this photo...

Eileen Fisher Washed Linen Bedding

I just love a stack of linens! It turns out Garnet Hill has a number of really wonderful linen pieces at moderate prices.

This tote is $88 and when I travel on my college reunion next month (yeah!) I think it would be a great companion.


This shower curtain is the perfect weight...don't you think?



I love linen scarves as well. At the beach in California I used to wear them all the time. I am almost positive they will be completely unnecessary in New Orleans this summer but they are still fun to look at.

Washed Linen Infinity Wrap

To see all of Garnet Hill's linen selection click here.

Linen Clutch by J. Carter Handmade

Wednesday, May 11, 2011


These linen bird clutches are so sweet! You can buy them here. Enjoy!

Guest Post on Chic Coles Featuring Tim Clarke

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Thank you to Chic Coles for hosting my guest post on Tim Clarke today!

If you want to see more of this house...


Designed by Tim Clarke....


Click here.

Have a great day!

Calypso St. Barth Linen for Target

Friday, May 6, 2011

Have you seen Calypso's new line at Target? I am thrilled that one of my favorite companies is now going to be so accessible. I am also happy that so much linen was used in the designs.

For instance, I love these Natural Linen Espadrille Wedges...


the Linen Wrap Dress in White...


the Linen Tote in Natural/Blue...


and the Linen Mini Clutch...



There are many other wonderful non-linen items as well of course. I am so excited to see what else Calypso comes out with for Target!

Gallant & Jones Beach and Garden Deck Chairs

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Gallant & Jones Beach and Deck chairs are designed by best friends Tamra and Gwyn who shared a nostalgic feeling for the old English deckchairs you find in Europe. These beautiful chairs have handmade frames using wood from well-managed forests and have a teak oil yacht stain for outdoor use. There are two styles of chairs; the beach chair with permanently attached Sumbrella fabric and the Garden chair with interchangeable fabric slings and matching pillows. I stumbled upon these amazing chairs and I'm so glad I did! Can't you imagine yourself sitting on one of these fabulous chairs watching the waves crash on the beach this summer? Here are my favorites...


Outdoor fabric by Trina Turk for Schumacher

Shuswap Garden Deck Chair
Outdoor fabric by Trina Turk for Schumacher





Little Choux Linen Lunch Boxes and Coolers

Monday, May 2, 2011

Andrika from Nursery Notations introduced me to a fantastic online boutique called Little Choux. Here is her post if you would like to read it. She knew that I would love the linen pillows...


But I also fell in love with the coated linen lunch boxes and coolers. How fantastic are these?










Authentic French Bistro Chairs

(Porch "Before" Photo)

We are in the midst of making our New Orleans home our own that we moved into 5 weeks ago. One of the requirements we had when looking at houses was that it had a front porch. The landscaping goes in next week and when it does I really want to to finish the patio off with a few bistro chairs and little table as a complement to the porch swing.

During my search for such a set, I came across the company TK Collections which specializes in handmade French furniture. They are as durable as they are beautiful and can be customized in many colors to suit your design style. I am partial to the pastel turquoise and ivory Lutece bistro chair...


But there is also the Saint Lazare...


And the Parisienne...


There are many more bistro and armchairs featured on their website. They also have the St. Cloud Bench which I think is quite fantastic...

Here are the color charts for Rilsan which is used on the chairs...



Of course you can also customize the wrought iron tables...


These are the same types of tables and chairs you will find in Paris in cafes like this.

Oh, I could get used to drinking my chicory coffee here each morning.

Paris anyone?
- THEME BY ECLAIR DESIGNS -