Heart Felt Weekend

I’m still reeling from the excitement of this past weekend so I haven’t been able to put together all the small space posts I would like. All 30 designers did such a wonderful job and I can’t wait to show some snippets of their rooms. I just wanted to start this Monday off by saying a big “Thank You” to all the designers, vendors and everyone who came out to support the cause. And an even bigger “Thank You” to Vanessa De Vargas and Vanessa Kogevinas for asking me to be a part of such an amazing project. I don’t think I will ever have the words to describe how this simple gesture of redesigning a room has touched the lives of the women at the Good Shepherd Center. I’m not afraid to say I did shed a few tears this weekend. Last but not least I would like to thank my family and friends who worked very hard on this project and gave up most of their weekends and many of their evenings this month to make sure the room turned out fabulously. I can never pay you back for the love and support you guys have shown me. Okay I’m done gushing…Happy Monday Everyone!

Calling all Designers and Vendors

I’m happy to announce that I will be helping to decorate a new Women’s Housing Project near downtown LA in the upcoming months. After having such a wonderful time with the Upward Bound House project I just couldn’t resist doing it again. I don’t have all the information at the moment but please read this post by Vanessa De Vargas the lead designer of the project for more insight. Right now we are in need of vendors and designers to donate as much as they can, whether it’s time and/or items. If you are interested in participating in this project please email me (typhaniepeterson@yahoo.com) or Vanessa De Vargas ASAP, we would love to have you on board…Happy Donating Everyone!

List of items needed:

Desk
Dresser
Headboard or bed frame (black metal bed frame already available in the room)
Desk chair
Bed side table or tables
bed side lamp or lamps
Sheet sets to include a blanket or duvet (twin size)
Duvet insert (new or gently used)
1-2 sleeping pillows
Decorative pillows and inserts
Extra Lighting (floor lamp)
Replace blind – 1 window or 2 depending on the room

Misc. (extras but not mandatory - ideas to decorate your room with) Side chairs
A poof and/or ottoman
Drapes and hardware
Hooks like coat racks
Shelving (Ikea floating etc.)
Decals (birds kids shapes)
Frames (artwork or for extra molding)
Artwork or wall art
Large coffee table books or vintage books
Wallpaper rolls (or even small remnants that can be framed)
Paint and paint supplies tarps brushed pans etc.

Designer Tag Sale: Brentwood

It's time for another great designer tag sale. Here is the 411...Happy Shopping Everyone!

Vanessa Squared Productions (interior designer Vanessa De Vargas and design editor Vanessa Kogevinas) is proud to present its Third High-End Designer Tag Sale shopping event in Brentwood, California, July 31, 2010 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. The tag sale is being held in conjunction with Erin Castellino and Carrie Carr of Little Castle Productions (an interior design production company) and Mark Castellino of Fyndes (premier online home decor shopping site).

The Designer Tag Sale is an upscale interior designer yard/tag sale hosted by Fyndes and Little Castle Productions that will feature over thirty of Los Angeles' top interior designers and stores/vendors selling items including small furniture such as side-tables, lamps, rugs, pillows, art, accessories and more at incredibly low prices—from $5-$200 only!

Interior Designers

Vanessa De Vargas of Turquoise
Alie Waldman of Alie Waldman Home Couture
Bridgid Coulter of Bridgid Coulter Design
Brittany Stiles of Brittany Stiles Interior Design
Christopher Gaona of Christopher Gaona Design
Cozette Coffman of Cozette Coffman Design
Hillary Thomas of Hillary Thomas Designs
Jolene Ballard and Amanda Malson of Domicile Interior Design
Kelly Van Patter of Van Patter Designs
Marcia Zia and Paul Priven of Zia-Priven
Meredith Miller of Sunday Land
Sabina Vavra of Madison West Interiors
Sasha Emerson of Sasha Emerson Design
Suzan Fellman of Suzan Fellman Showroom

Stores/Vendors
Fyndes (accessories, furniture, art) 27 Ground (rugs, pillows) Agnes & Hoss (pillows, handbags, scarves, gifts) Alex K. Mason (fine art) Carrie Burckle (hand screen-printed table linens) D. L. Rhein (pillows, frames, rugs) Ferrick Mason (textiles, pillows) Inheritance (home goods, accessories) Jiti Bedding (bedding) Jordan Cappella (candles) Krislyn Design (decorative objects) Nomad Style (rugs, fabrics and accessories) Pennyroyal Planters (planters) Rock Scissor Paper (home accessories)

A book signing by celebrity chef, caterer and lifestyle expert Lulu Powers of her new top selling book "Lulu Powers from Food to Flowers.”

Mini-consultations and appraisals by designers including Rachel Winokur, Stephanie Visser, Erin Marie Fernandez, Alicia Garey, Regina Victoria, Elizabeth Bomberger and Jessica Brende.

The designer tag sale also features: A silent auction, a raffle and entertainment including complimentary refreshments, light bites and a DJ.

Gift bags are offered to the first thirty attendees including gift certificates, coupons, and other fun items. Any left-over designer inventory will be donated to a local charity.

Entry fee is $10. Cash only; designers will not have credit card capabilities.

Five Tips For Tackling Tiny Spaces

Have you checked out the summer issue of FreshHome magazine yet? If not, go pick one up. It’s a great issue filled with lots of tips and tricks for the summer. They even have some tips for us small space lovers. Here are designer Vanessa De Vargas’s five tips for tackling tiny spaces…Happy Reading Everyone!

1. Always think about proportion, and use furniture in the correct scale for the room.
2. Hang draperies to the ceiling to create the appearance of more height.
3. Look for mobile furnishings such as ottomans and nesting tables, which can move around and serve multiple purposes.
4. Use translucent and reflective surfaces such as mirrors, metals and glass.
5. Go for symmetry.

Westweek Part 2

This is Westweek continued…The Editor at Large panel on Design Revolution was also very informative. I got a chance to meet and talk to Ronda Carman editor of Allthebestblog.com. She is one of the bloggers who inspired me to start Shoebox Décor. Ronda was very lively and amply willing to discuses the direction blogs are going in. We both feel they will never replace shelter magazines such as Elle Décor but we do believe the content we post helps to give the magazines a boost. Considering her hectic travel schedule, Ronda was very inviting and personable which is how I thought she would be from reading her blog.

While waiting for the keynote to start I had the opportunity to reconnect with fellow Upward Bound House interior designer Vanessa de Vargas. I was amazed that even though she has a laundry list of projects, she still finds time to blog. The rest of the Editor at Large panel included interior designer Brad Ford, HGTV executive Jillian St. Charles, editor of DécorDemon.com Brian Patrick Flynn, and last but not least founder of 1stDibs.com Michael Bruno. The thing I took away from the panel discussion is that they don’t make money from their blogs but they do make money because of their blogs. So if you’re looking to start a blog to supplement your income it may not be the best idea. Lucky for me Shoebox Décor is a passion and I don’t have to worry about it feeding my piggy bank.

My last tidbit of Westweek information is for all you HGTV lovers. Jillian St Charles informed me that they don’t have any small space shows planned for the near future but they do have a lot of small space content that will be add to their web site, so stay tune for that…Happy Blogging Everyone!

Ronda, Brad, Vanessa

Michael, Jillian, Brian

Eddie Ross, Jathian Kochar and Me at Elle Decor keynote

Westweek

Hey all you LA dwellers, if you have some free time tomorrow stop by Westweek at the PDC. It will be a fun two days filled with lots of design information. I'm excited to hear from the Editor at Large panel and I can't wait to meet blogger extraordinaire Ronda Carman, founder of AlltheBestBlog.com. Here is the full line up of events and the Editor at Large Panel info is below...Happy Designing Everyone!

The Editor at Large panel, Wed., March 24, 3:30 PM, moderated by Sophie Donelson, features:

· Michael Bruno, founder of 1stDibs.com

· Ronda Carman, founder of AlltheBestBlog.com

· Brian Patrick Flynn, designer, founder of DecorDemon.com

· Brad Ford, designer and founder of DesignTherapy.com

· Jilllian St. Charles, vice president and site director, HGTV.com

· Vanessa De Vargas, interior designer and host of Designer Tag Sale

Happy Hump Day

Today's hard working hump day is brought to you by Vanessa De Vargas of Turquoise Design. Vanessa is the lead designer of the Upward Bound House project and the coordinator of the Designer Networking Group. I want to thank her for letting me know about the Upward Bound Shelter and inviting me to be apart of this great project....Thanks Vanessa...and Happy Hump Day Everyone!