Today is the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.
If you’re reading this blog from a computer in your own home or office, it’s because of those brave men who risked and sacrificed their lives so many years ago in Normandy.
So from the bottom of my heart, thank you. The word hero is sometimes tossed around lightly, but you are all the truest heroes I can imagine.
That’s exactly what happened with our new friends at Milkster. After we discovered this awesome website that hooks up some of the newest, most creative furniture makers out there with people looking to improve their interior design, we had to mention them. That led to us interviewing Milkster partner Sal Matteis.
And now he’s talking about us again on his own interior design themed site (he called me the Miami-based interior designer “who’s completely transforming interior design” and made me blush) .
We’ve been having a blast getting to know these guys and what they are doing for our community!
If you haven’t already, you owe it to yourself to check them out!
Whether you’re a Miamian or a visitor, we strongly recommending jetting or driving past Miami to visit some of its hidden gems.
Take a look at 11 of Florida’s most beautiful lesser known towns.
Until not too long ago, our city was about all plastic palm trees and flamingos, pinks, blues, and pastels.
No place typified this look more than the old Burdines Department Store on Miami Beach. Looking at Burdines during its heyday, you can imagine how New Yawkers felt coming down for their share of fun and sun down at the dawn of the Jet Age.
Looking back, though, I’m struck by how old Miami interior decoration has a charm that was all its own.
Our friends at Curbed put together a collection of old shots from the inside of this legendary shore in 1953.
Check out some old school Miami interior design.
In this episode of DesignTV With Steven G., I talk about why the trend changed and how you can take advantage of it.
Miami interior design has a style all it’s own. It often involves independently from the rest of the country (maybe it’s all the sunshine).
That’s why every so often I like to browse around the Internet and search for past articles and blog posts about Miami interior design trends. It’s my business to be in the thick of it and learn by talking to people and actually doing the work, but I still want to make sure nothing ever slips past me.
It was while doing this that I came across a post from quite a few months ago that has a fascinating view on the influence of interior design trends from the other side of South Florida.
Robb & Stuckey Creative Director Mark Stuart observes that a recent furniture and interior design trend that originated in Southwest Florida is spreading wildly. He calls Modern Tropical.
As he describes it…
“The fundamental design tends to be simple and unadorned with classic good lines. Secondly, nature always plays a starring role. And, thirdly, glamour and drama are always present.”
Get the jump on the trend by incorporating Modern Tropical into your interior decoration before everyone else does.
Next to actually moving, decorating your home is one of the most stressful things people have to deal with in their lives. The array of choices can be mind boggling.
That’s why our fantastic designer Andrea Goolab’s article “The Zen of High End Interior Design: How to Make Decisions Without Freaking Out” is one people keep coming back to again and again.
If it hasn’t yet crossed your path yet, I wanted to make sure you encounter this wisdom for yourself.
Now it’s time for me to shut up and let Andrea take over.
Click here to check out “The Zen of High End Interior Design.”
Below are the 3 episodes that best capture what its like to be involved in the world of interior design in Miami, as adesigner, client, or admirer.
1. Miami Interior Designer Talks About Latest Art Basel Acquisition
Here’s where I reminisce about this most Miami of art events, along with a discussion of the role of art in interior design.
2. Miami Interior Designer Meets Custom Japanese Furniture
How combining cultural influences and craftsmanship can give you just the touches your home needs.
3. Miami Interior Designer Discusses Colombian Art
Many people call Miami the Gateway to Latin America. Here we rediscover one of our sister country’s most famous artists.
Watch me discuss what you can do to make your carpeting work in this latest episode of DesignTV With Steven G.
Only in the world of Miami interior design is the decoration of luxury yachts one of the biggest and most competitive areas. Yet it’s amazing how much you can learn from paying attention to paying attention to how to make the insides of these mega-boats shine.
Here are a few tips anyone making interior design choices can learn from luxury yacht designers:
1. WORK WITHIN YOUR SPACE
I started my own interior design career as a yacht designer, and it has provided me with great knowledge that has carried over to all my residential design work.
Even large yachts have limited space. When designing small spaces it is important to remember to utilize everything you can to provide functionality as well as decor.
There are couple great ways to do this. One, use the inside a sofa or banquet as storage when you have the opportunity to get custom furniture. Or you can always purchase storage ottomans or beds with storage below.
More often than not people solely focus on how things look without also considering that they need to think about functionality. With yacht interior design, that’s not an option.
2. RESPECT YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Another important factor when designing a yacht interior is to never use any wall coverings with metal content. Before you order a metallic wall covering make sure there is no metal content or you will quickly see the wall covering oxidize and you will need to go through the expense of replacing it. Important advice to keep in mind for a beach home as well.
The more important point here you always need to thinking about the unique constraints of your environment and make interior design choices that work with them instead of fighting them…even for the most high end homes.
3. CONSTANTLY BE MAINTAINING
Part of making sure you have top quality interior design when you’re working on yachts is thinking about the future. Since a boat is always going to have wear and tear, you need to start thinking about tricks for keeping things nice right at the outset.
While your home may not have the problem of wind and salt air, there will always be wear and tear. It is always nice to be able to keep things around the house looking like new even when they’re are not. So thinking ahead and preparing your bag of tricks always helps.
Always keep a can of wall paint handy for minor scuff marks. Never touch up paint by applying a lot of paint on the paint brush and using up and down strokes to touch up. This will not blend with the old paint and will look terrible. Instead, apply a small amount ever so lightly on the paint brush and keep taping it while rotating your wrist until the mark is covered. This creates texture and blends the paint into the wall.
Another great tip: Hairspray removes ink. That’s right…hairspray! When my son was two he drew on my ivory leather dining chairs with a pen. At first I panicked, but then I ran for my hair spray bottle and with a little elbow grease it all came off. I have even removed Sharpie ink that seeped through the paper of his beautiful art creations onto my quartzite counter tops with ease! This one even surprised me!
Many people have trouble getting burnt stains off of their glass cooktops. Ibiz Waterless Wax is a great product that will remove those stubborn marks as well. This product is great on shower doors and stainless steel refrigerators.
As you can see, the principles of high end interior design aren’t that different between a luxury yacht, the home where you raise your family, or a vacation place you slip away to. Keep these principles in mind and things will start out looking good and stay that way.