My Favorite Design Apps

I am always on the look out for fun iPhone apps that are related to design. I came across the new app from Kelly Hoppen and was beyond excited to see what it was all about.  So, I decided to breakdown and pay the $4.99 because  I love Kelly Hoppen’s  style and thought that after reading the reviews and seeing the app screen shots that I would go for it.

With features like videos of Kelly giving tips (over 40 tutorials),  step by step design guides and room by room “how to’s”  it looked promising.  Now, I didn’t go into this thinking that I was the target audience for the app but I was hoping to use it and walk away learning something from one of my design idols.  It’s full of great ideas and Kelly’s perspective on pulling together individual spaces in a room. It’s basic but not boring and I love being able to see her and hear her fabulous accent!

Looking for Apps that may work for you to help with day to day tasks or just wanting to be inspired?
Here are a few good app resources that I like to use.

Kravet’s edesign assistant that I absolutely love and use on a weekly basis! I can look up fabric by color, pattern or style number and can even check stock. This has helped me get the details I need while I’m with my client!

Houzz Interior Design Ideas. LOVE LOVE LOVE. It is almost as good as have the website in front of you. This easy to navigate and allows you to search for a designer by city, look up photographs by style or room and let’s you save your favorite images to your own idea book!  I can even see my own profile easily from the app! DON’T be fooled by other apps that claim they have 10,000+ photos…they don’t hold a candle to Houzz’s fabulous appp!

Benjamin Moore’s Color Capture App. It’s super easy to use and the color accuracy is pretty good. It’s FREE and can be very useful when trying to commit to a paint color.

Home Interior Layout Designer – Mark On Call. Very cool app! I love it but just can’t be patient enough to deal with it on my iphone. It’s a great resource for the DIYer looking to find the perfect floor plan, take images of fabrics etc and apply them to the pieces in the app and add a wall color to help with color corrdination.

Design*Sponge Podcast is ahhhmazzzing! I love that the topics range from fabrics to furniture and I always feel inspired after I have tuned in!

The Dwell Magazine App is one of the latest and it’s full of gorgeous photographs, events and the latest product trends.

Although there are a few Apps on the market that provide a few of the things I’m looking for…my idea of a great interior design app/apps would consist of the following five elements:

What would you love to see in an Interior Design App?
1. Quick calculations for paint, wallcovering and even flooring.

2. A quick guide for estimated yardage for standard furniture pieces, bedding and window treatments to make budgeting easy.

Image Via: Knol

3. A place to look up standard measurements like dining room seat height, sofa arm height and coffee table height. Sounds like simple details but being able to have a quick reference when your in a rush would be clutch.

Image Via: Decor Pad

4. If someone would create an app that allowed me to take images from my iPhone and move them into a client’s folder…life would be great. I find myself snapping tons of pictures on shopping trips and then I have to download and organize them later. Being able to access images in a client folder would be ideal for showing them what I found too!

Image Via: Studio Ten 25

5. An app that let’s you work by design style. I work with bachelors, newlyweds with mixed design styles and everything in between. I would love to have an app that was like an encyclopedia of design style. That way if I ‘m focusing on modern and eclectic pieces, I can search the app for important details that are unique to this design style. I long for more ways to stay organized and grab information quickly.

Image Via: Casa Sugar

Looking Back…Looking Forward

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  I WISH YOU ALL A FABULOUS 2011

While I was on vacation last week I asked a few of my favorite bloggers to help keep the Studio Ten 25 blog going by guest blogging. The topic: What are you looking forward to in 2011?  They could talk about design, color or anything personal.  I want to say THANK YOU to the fabulous bloggers for sharing what they are looking forward to in 2011.

So today I thought I would take a look back at my favorite blog post from 2010. I noticed that a few of my favorite bloggers were doing the same thing and I wanted to join the fun.  Looking back on 2010 makes me smile, I have been so blessed to have wonderful clients,  friends & family who support me and a fabulous network of blogger friends to keep me going.

We…well…I spent most of 2010 completing our home.  After we moved in we ripped out the small garage and added a third bedroom and full bathroom.  Living in your home during a remodel is a nightmare, so we took a year off to enjoy the new changes.  As soon as 2010 arrived,  so did all of the new furniture and accessories!

See ya tinky garage…..

After: The small garage in now a comfortable guest room!

Here is a look at my favorite posts from this past year.

JANUARY 2010

Best of the City – Modern Luxury Dallas – Being featured in a local Dallas magazine was the perfect way to kick off 2010.  It was my FIRST EVER magazine feature!

FEBRUARY 2010

Home Office Update –  This was the priority room in my client’s home when we started the project.  From start to finish, this office took about six months to complete (waiting on back ordered pieces). The rug was so worth the wait,  I have never loved orange so much!!

MARCH 2010

How do you work? – I finally had a home office to call my own this month. I love my home office, it’s where I am inspired and one of my favorite spots to catch up on my soap opera while getting through my to-do list!

 

Master Bedroom Update – We also finished updating our frumpy master bedroom. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this room now. It’s calming, comfortable and I love waking up here!  My husband did have a few requests.

#1 “Let’s not go overkill on the mirrors.”  I just had pieces cut for the tops of the night stands and dresser.

#2 “Make sure the puppies won’t ruin anything, I don’t want to hear your complain that something was ruined.”  A white duvet that can be bleached…problem solved.

#3 ” Let’s reuse as much of our existing furniture as we can, this remodel thing is getting out of control $.”.  Problem solved! My mom helped me update the headboard, that was the biggest change.

APRIL 2010

Kate Inspired Me – I was walking through Neiman Marcus in Downtown Dallas (where Style/Swoon hosted a fabulous party) and spotted this Kate Spade outfit. It was the perfect piece of inspiration for one of the projects I was working on. I loved the black and white with turquoise and yellow accents. Perfectly Chic!

MAY 2010

Barking Hound Village Austin,TX –  In 2009 I worked with BHV to remodel an old Dallas steakhouse and turn it into a chic doggy daycare and boarding facility.  Now it was time to visit the existing Austin location and bring a fresh new look to the location. I think 2011 will bring more BHV locations…keeping my fingers crossed. I love working with Lisa & Jeremy Jones and Caddo & Ivy love going for daycare!

JUNE 2010

Cornice Board…funny name…fab design – I was so excited when the installation day for this cornice board came. I had been dying to use something like this in a project and my fabulous clients were on board…pun intended!

JULY 2010

Dwell with Dignity – This was the first time I was able to get a front row seat to the amazing work that Dwell with Dignity does in the Dallas Community.  Dallas Cowboy Martellus Bennett stopped by to give the boys a grand tour of their new digs! It was an amazing day, I will never forget the smiles on those young boy’s faces!

AUGUST 2010

Custom furniture to the rescue –  I was on a budget and time crunch on this commercial project so I turned to my local upholstery workroom to create pieces from our inspiration images. I could not have been happier with the results, custom pieces are quickly becoming a staple in most of my projects these days.

SEPTEMBER 2010

September was a fabulous month!  I had another feature in Modern Luxury Dallas where I was able to talk about my obsession with Woodson & Rummerfield!

Before & After Dining Room- Whoo Hoo!!  We finally finished out dining room / Entry and since it’s one of the first rooms you see when entering out home…it was really about time!!

OCTOBER 2010

Ten 25= Three – Dru and I celebrated our three year wedding anniversary and this post tells the story of how we named STUDIO TEN 25.

And it didn’t stop there! We were SO SUPER excited to have our home featured in The Dallas Morning News! Having photos of your house splashed across a section in the DMN is crazy!  My hubby said “now we can finally stop buying stuff since the house is decorated!”….Um not so fast…..I still have a few tricks up my sleeves for 2011!

NOVEMBER 2010

Home Away From Home, Guest Room Update –  The online decorating side of my business has really taken off this year and this room was one of my favorites. I can’t wait to see pictures of the final installation.

DECEMBER 2010

Home for the Holidays Part 1 & 2 – I was flattered when the DMC asked me to participate in the 2010 Christmas Market Holiday House. I designed the dining room and the Hollywood Glam look was super Chic! I loved loved loved it, it was a fabulous experience.

I’m looking forward to a wonderful 2011, I have so many great things to share this year! Happy New Year

-Abbe

Oh Christmas Tree

I love the look of a modern unique Christmas Tree even though I would never have the nerve to put one up in my own house.  Christmas is one of the few “traditional” things in my life and I like it that way. Stockings hung by the fireplace, our names monogramed on them and a Christmas Tree filled with memories from my childhood. I love having ornaments that were made in grade school or pieces from my grandparent’s tree.

This past weekend,  we headed out to a tree farm and selected our tree for this Christmas! My husband is not a fan of the fake Christmas tree. He loves the aroma from a real tree has and feels that it makes our house a home during the holiday season. A Fenimore family tradition that started in 2009 and will carry on!

Here we are with the girls at the tree farm. Picking out a tree is like grocery shopping when your hungary! We would find a beautiful tree that was “perfect” until we realized that an 11′ tree would not fit in our living room!  So we moved on to something in the 7′ range!

I love the modern look of a white christmas tree. It can be so chic and glamorous.

Image Via: Southern Living

Image Via: Design Milk

Image Via: Decorating your world

Pink trees are spectacular! I would have loved one of these in my room growing up!

Black trees can also be glamorous and chic when done in the right way.

Setting the table

Good company, good food and a festive table setting make for great Thanksgiving dining. Be bold and try something new this year. Your perfectly browned turkey and signature dressing deserve the royal treatment, and with a free afternoon and some forethought, you can create a memorable holiday table worthy of the occasion.  Today I decided that I am going to use sunflowers this year!!

Your personal style will help determine your preference in table design, but whether you’re interested in formal, contemporary, romantic, retro, country or carefree dining, it pays to start with a neutral palette. Too many colorful or intricate elements can look busy unless your design has places for the eye to take a well-deserved rest. If your china has an uncomplicated pattern, it may be the perfect foil for those harlequin placemats, otherwise choose a neutral tablecloth to showcase your tablescape. I love this set up from Dwell!

Image Via: Eddie Ross/Lonny Mag

If you not into the standard usual cornucopia overflowing with fresh fruit and are watching your budget, here are a few ideas that can bring sparkle to your table. You can add luster on a budget, and you can maximize the impact by repeating or grouping elements. Instead of one huge centerpiece, try using three smaller ones in identical glass containers. Fill them with flowers, fruits, nuts, shells, floating candles, stones or anything else that will complement the other decorative elements you have in mind.

You can make the meal part of the show by incorporating food elements into your table design. , try a brightly colored quilted runner decorated with wooden bowls of fall apples, or willow vases with cat tails and autumn seed heads. Assemble an impressive bread-basket centerpiece sporting loaves in all shapes, sizes and colors. It’s a natural for Thanksgiving that’s thrifty, edible and eco-friendly.

Looking back….

I love cleaning out my project folders and finding the “wonderful” before shots of pieces that we have had re-upholstered.  It’s great finding pieces in a client’s home that are in good shape but just need an update. It’s saves money in the long run and when a client is attached to a particular piece, re-upholstering it can bring it new life!  It’s hard to believe how pitiful some of these pieces were.

This HUGE accent chair was not bringing it. I love the shape and size of the chair and it was going to work perfectly in another room.  So from a dull khaki…..

…to fabulous in this red velvet diamond pattern!  I can not wait to see the chair in place.

This Chair had everything on our checklist.  Perfect size, ideal shape and ON SALE! We snagged a pair of these chairs on closeout and immediately took them to be re-upholstered.

We used Windor Smith’s Riad in Jet from Kravet. Now, they are exactly what my client was looking for!

This bench was a perfect fit for this king sized but the fabric was not in great condition. Since we were going to be remodeling this master bedroom, covering the bench was a quick and affordable update.

Now this bench has an updated look with a modern medallion pattern from Duralee. We loved it so much that we had accent pillows made for the bed.

Hey Punkin!

Not only is it Halloween today, it’s also my sweet hubby’s birthday!  He’s not much on birthdays but don’t think I didn’t pull out the jack-o-lantern birthday cup for his morning coffee!   So today is all about Drusky’s big day and pumpkins!!!!

My favorite pumpkin treat….Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice Latte! It really is a one time thing with me because it is so rich, I’ll go back to my Grande 140′ SVL  tomorrow!

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I’m also feeling a little “Martha Stewart” ish today! This cranberry stuffed pumpkin bread might be in our future!! I’ll need to do something with the left over baby pumpkins!

Ingredients

• 1  (2 1/2- to 3-pound) pumpkin*
• 2  tablespoons  butter or margarine, melted and divided
• 2  tablespoons  sugar, divided
• 2  large eggs
• 1/2  cup  sugar
• 1/2  cup  butter or margarine, melted
• 3/4  cup  half-and-half
• 3/4  cup  chopped pecans, toasted
• 1  (16-ounce) raisin bread loaf, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2  cup  fresh cranberries
• Lemon-Vanilla Sauce

Preparation

Cut off top of pumpkin, reserving lid with stem. Scoop out pumpkin seeds and pulp, and reserve for another use. Brush inside of pumpkin shell with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Top with lid.

Bake at 350° for 35 minutes.

Brush inside of baked pumpkin shell with 1 tablespoon butter; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.

Stir together eggs and next 6 ingredients; spoon pudding mixture into a lightly greased 8-inch square pan.

Bake pumpkin and bread pudding at 350° for 25 minutes. Let pumpkin cool; spoon bread pudding evenly into pumpkin shell. Serve with Lemon-Vanilla Sauce.

Note: For individual servings, substitute 12 (1/2-pound) pumpkins. Scoop out seeds and pulp; sprinkle each pumpkin shell with 1 teaspoon butter and 1 teaspoon sugar, and bake with the bread pudding. (Do not prebake as with the larger pumpkin.) Spoon bread pudding evenly into baked pumpkin shells.

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And since today is the last day of Breast Cancer Awareness Month AND Halloween, I wanted to share a few of my favorite pink and orange rooms!

Happy Halloween Everyone!!!

Image Via: The Lennoxx

Image Via: Decor Pad

Image Via: Decor Pad

Image Via: Decor Journal

Think about it.

It’s Friday and I am buried under tons of fabulous projects that I CAN NOT wait to share!  So for today, I thought I would keep it short and sweet.  A little inspiration and a few cliche thoughts for the day, have a great one!

House Swap

Have you seen The Holiday? The movie about two women troubled with guy-problems that swap homes in each other’s countries, where they each meet a local guy and fall in love.  I watched it this past weekend and found the perfect …well two perfect homes for a swap!  I love David Jimenez and his Palm Springs Regency and Mid-Century design projects are on the top of my swap list!

But if I had my pick I would go for this Palm Springs Regency!  After a week in this swanky place, I would probably go home and completely remodel my studio! The graphic wallpaper, the mirrors, the chandeliers and THE POOL!!!!  The stars are aligned and this one is perfect….just look at the address…Yep…1025!

Let’s dish

A few of my favorite things.

I have been tied up with project details, meetings and keeping up with my husband’s crazy travel schedule and about to fall over! A little retail therapy always perks me up so I was thinking about my dining/sitting area and how it really needs to be completed.

If  you need a little retail therapy…check out our online store, Shop Ten 25!

Here are a few of the pieces that I have had my eye on and there is a very good chance that they end up in my house soon!

A Starburst mirror is always a classic touch…this one may find a new home over my entry console!

These Olivia Tables from World’s Away would be perfect next to the new tufted back sofa in the sitting room!

Or…the Wrenfeld could be a good option in white if I needed more bulk in the space.

This Aqua Glass Lamp from Arteriors Home is the perfect pop of color for the sitting area!

I have had my eye on this Trina Turk stunner for a while now!

This “ruffle” bowl from Global Views is the perfect size to keep keys and little extras from my purse!

The perfect entry table,  light and airy!

Now…I just need to convince my husband that I NEED all of this!! Wish me luck!