Interiors are showing their wild side! From zebra to cheetah and even leopard prints –  animal patterns are back and again the biggest trends in interior design.  This trend never seems to ever fully die – and I love that!  I have always loved “Statement pieces!”

These pops of prints have been featured in every type of design scheme. Contemporary to traditional, formal to casual, as well as being used in every room in the house.  Nothing better than having a monochromatic master bedroom and a zebra print in the middle of the floor adding dimension or adding animal printed wallpaper to a regularly boring powder room.  What drama!!  What fun!!   Animal prints are out of the cage!

Not only are skins and textures hot but they are being reinterpreted in different shades and colors to modernize them.  How about a Lime green cheetah print, or a chocolate & purple zebra print!!  It’s here and available!! Everything in the design trade is joining the animal phase. Recently when shopping with a client I even saw tile and lampshades.   

Don’t let these patterns scare you, you can tone them down by pairing  textures and solids and accenting with animal prints of a contrasting color, it will add a measure of exotic chic to any room with any level of formality. Remember my favorite statement – Less is more!!!

Be inspired and let the true animal out in you!!  Have some fun!!

1. We are a combination of engineer and artist. Not only do we take into account safety and economy when designing a space, but we also create an aesthetic that can comfort and inspire.

2. Our  work improves the lives of others. We design for the homebody and the workerbee, in addition to the aged, handicapped, and infirm. Whether we add light to a dark interior or design a beautiful and healthy working space, we make a difference in the lives of others.

3. We are continually learning and seeking answers. We take continued education, discuss problems with our peers and research materials. We know that the profession is evolving, and we’re evolving with it.

4. We don’t settle for the tried and true. We push boundaries and discover new and better ways of doing things.

5. We provide a service. We work with clients who typically have little to no experience in design, and we find a way to turn their ideas into a tangible reality.

6. We pay attention to details. Whether we’re picking carpet to use in a hallway or what color to paint a wall, we make each seemingly small decisions count for the client’s health and happiness.

7.  We explore what sustainable design can mean in the home and workplace. We’re debunking myths and testing new products, and we’re saving clients money along the way.

8. We’re  problem solvers. Each project we work on is a new puzzle with a new set of challenges. As the designer, we’re in charge of making it work.

9. We’re collaborators. We’ve learned the value and benefits of teamwork, and how to process and connect.  We disparate ideas into a working whole. Even if we work alone, we’re never really working alone. We always have a network of peers that we turn to for advice and support along the way.

10. We work to change the public perception of Interior Designer vs. Interior Decorator. When asked we patiently explain qualifications, certifications and scope of experience. We are more than just reality TV design stars.  We are the Professional Interior Designer.

Do you ever watch something on TV or on a movie and see something fabulous that you want to do in your own home? Well designers do it too! We want to be able to find that one client who’s design concept is close to what we saw and utilize that product or look. Expose them to something out of the ordinary! And isn’t that why designers are hired in the first place?

Client:
I have a client who is renovating her Master Bedroom & Master Bath. She loves contemporary design. I have chosen a dark mottled porcelain floor with a white gloss basketweave tile for the walls in the bathroom. Wall hung vanities in ebony wood with white quartz countertops. Because everything has such clean lines I need something eye-catching on the walls, more dramatic than paint, to make everything “pop”!

Inspiration:
I was watching “So you think you can dance” tv show (I love that show!) with my daughter and they had sent the dancers that made it to a suite in the Planet Hollywood hotel in Las Vegas. As soon as the suite popped on the screen I screamed, “hit pause!”. There was my inspiration! On the walls was the coolest wallpaper I had ever seen! Retro pattern in shades of grays, blacks & white on a silver mylar background. Perfect! Now how was I going to find this paper……

Being driven as I am (thanks mom) I looked up and called the architects who built the new suites at Planet Hollywood, who put me in touch with the interior designers, who were nice enough to tell me the manufacturer of the wallpaper. I called the wallpaper company and told them how I found them. They told me that this paper was also in Lenny Kravitz’s music room! It all made sense………

Above & Below was my inspiration!! Get inspired to jump out of that box!!

Yesterday I was doing one of my favorite things to do.  I was sitting outside on a beautiful morning with my Sunday edition of the New York Times.   I love this.  I feel so cultured and involved.  Inside the paper is the New York Times Magazine and an article by Bill Keller that got me on my weekend soapbox!  It was titled, “The Twitter Trap”.   It was a great article that hit home enough that made me want to respond to issues I have been having with social media lately.  Below is the link to the article and what I said in the comment section.  Feel free to comment to either or both if it hits home to you too…….

Article:  http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/18/this-is-your-brain-on-twitter/

My comment to the article:

Thank you for this article. I know this article was difficult to write because we are always afraid of the backlash of putting a negative on new things/technology but I have felt firsthand this thing we call “social” media, at times to be not so “social”!

I was so gung ho in the front end of my social media pursuits and was enjoying my sharing, reading and discussing new things but there are only so many hours in a day!! I was taking so much time trying to stay on top of my “social” computer areas that I was ignoring the things around me that “are” truly “social”, like my family, friends, business associates, etc. The actual human part of being “social”.

Another thing that drives me crazy about the whole new technology thing is we are ignoring the ones we are in front of. Every time I am in a restaurant I see at least 3 or more tables with phones in their hands……We are not having actual speaking conversations with the ones in front of you. We are reading emails, texting, talking on the phone, laughing at our “phones”!! I have to make my family leave their phones in the car when we go out or in their rooms when we are having dinner to have any type of “family” time and I am always the “bad guy”.

As far as business is concerned, if you want to stay competitive and on top of the search ratings in Google, Social media is must!! And Social Media must be constant! So what are people starting to do….they are having people write their blogs and tweet for them. So now the things that were suppose to be original and from the heart of the author aren’t authentic anymore. But these companies are on the first few pages of Google and that’s what matters, right? Not me. I am just going to take that chance and blog less if that’s what it takes and put my computer down when I’m with family or friends, and tweet when I have something I feel like saying. Not be in this “social media” game when I feel I have to. Doing it when I feel I have to is taking the heart out of it.

Although, I must say I have seen a positive side of this also. Being an interior designer I have learned so much from others blogs. There is so much information out there!! I have found ways to deal with clients, found new products, found local reps, found new ways to refinish or repair home items, etc… I have met interior designers from all over the world on Twitter who have helped me be exposed to things I never would have in the past. It has saved me so much time learning from experts on the computer and right in front of me. I have a whole computer full of friends that I have never met before but know I can count on them to help me with information if I ever needed it.

I see both the positive and negative…..but as with everything else comes balance. This ride too, needs to be slowed down……….

Some of the things that hit home to me in your article were:

“But before we succumb to digital idolatry, we should consider that innovation often comes at a price. And sometimes I wonder if the price is piece of ourselves.”
“Why remember what you can look up in seconds.”
“as we become effectively cyborgs.”
“Basically, we are outsourcing our brains to the cloud. The upside is that this frees a lot of gray matter for more important pursuits like FarmVille and “RealHousewives.”
“The most obvious drawback of social media is that they are aggressive distractions.”
“Im not even sure these new instruments are genuinely “social”. There is something decidedly faux about the camaraderie of Facebook, something illusory about the connectedness of Twitter.”

Again Thank you…….Now I think I found something to blog and tweet about!!

If you would like to see the article w/my comment you can follow this link: 

http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2011/05/22/magazine/the-twitter-trap.html?permid=183#comment183

I love Arizona in March.  It brings beautiful weather, people-watching, socializing and continuous art festivals.

Saturday I spent my day volunteering at the Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festival with my husband Perry, Arizona Luxury Real Estate.  This show was the first of many art shows happening in the area and I just love them.  All of the creative people in one general area, waiting to finally make all their hard work worth it!  To show the world!

Carefree’s Fine Art & Wine Show was sponsored by the Thunderbird Artists and if you missed it, don’t worry, they will show again in Fountain Hills March 18-20, 2011.  The Thunderbird Artists have a spectacular show of over 165 nationally acclaimed and award winning artists. For an extra bonus these festivals have live music, wine tasting, food venues and excellent people watching!  For information on the art, artists and upcoming shows visit:   www.thunderbirdartists.com

Below are pics of who and what I saw:

This coming weekend March 11-13, 2011 is the Scottsdale Art Festival sponsored by Scottsdale Performing Arts at the Civic Center Park located in Old Town, Scottsdale.  This festival has been occurring for four decades and is going strong. This is a don’t miss event!  These festivities include:  over 200 artists, live music, gourmet fare, wine tasting, online art auction, childrens activities and lots of other things you can find just by clicking on the above link.

Last but not at all least is the Tempe Spring Festival of the Arts, March 25-27,2011 located on Mill Avenue.  Not only is this art festival one of my favorites but it also consistently ranks among the Top 200 art festivals in the nation by Sunshine Artist and has received the Pinnacle Award from the International Festival and Events Association.  They will see close to 225,000 people on this 3-day weekend and I hope to be one of them.

Although this primarily focuses on art and artists, there is also Jazz music performed by well-known regional jazz performers, street performers, kids activities and wine tasting hosted by Arizona Wine Growers Association, pouring and selling wine from more than a dozen wineries.

I hope to see all you art, people-watching, festival goers…….loosen up your purse strings and support your fellow artists.

Reaching outside of the box is an understatement for this home created by Level Architects located in Toyko, Japan.

If you ever wanted to design a house to allow your kids to be as creative as they possibly could be, this is it. A residential playground.

Your on the top floor and want to go down? Slide down! Three floors of slides,…………a playful “ballroom”, and a study/playroom you’ll never want to leave. This home will definitely be the talk of all of their friends. Even Batman would be truly envious if he ever visited. He only had one floor to slide down!

Graffiti & Street Art is something I love to see when traveling to a big city and it has come a long way from what it use to be. It has helped beautify buildings & neighborhoods that once were ignored, if done in a positive way. The caption “Creative Vandalism” says alot, but should it be Vandalism? I think that’s where we need to put things in perspective. This art intrigues me especially because it was never intended to appeal to everyone, which in my opinion makes it – “Out of the Box!”

When I first started this post I was just going to show different works of Graffiti that I liked, then mentioning a bit about the artist, etc. yet when I started researching I ended up finding out so much more about the differences between Graffiti & Street Art and what the Artists feelings were behind them.

In one Bloggers statement about the difference:
“…….Most graffiti artists are self taught, street artists come straight out of art school. Graffiti is a lifestyle,  Street Art is a trend…..” http://tag-line.blogspot.com/2007/04/evaluations-debates-and-comparisons.html

What do Graffiti Artists feel about Street Art?  Most aren’t crazy about Street Art.  They wonder why Street Artists get “Preferential Treatment” when for years they have been slandered & arrested.  Many are angered because Street Artists are often hired to place their art over Graffiti and they feel it is a form of “disrespect” from one artist to another.

Street Artists don’t seem to have the same feelings.  Because most are commissioned, they feel it’s a job they were hired to do and they need to do their job. They have great respect for Graffiti and the Artists that create them, Graffiti started it all.  Street Artists feel Street Art is considered a “Cross over Medium.”

There has been a big debate on bringing Graffi indoors and into Museums and I’m not sure about that.  I think…………everyday people in everyday life should have daily exposure to art in all forms.    To see and feel someone’s creativity.  I read this quote that I really liked in a Time Magazine article on Graffiti.  This is what it said:  http://www.time.com/time/archive/collections/0,21428,c_graffiti,00.shtml

In the brief annals of street-art history, graffiti ranks as something like cave painting–a first gesture, recognized for its primal intuition that public space is up for grabs–and has, in the past four or so years, been overtaken by a host of new practices: wheat-pasted posters, adhesive stickers with oddball images on them, elaborately stenciled images and even three-dimensional objects. And like many things that start below the Establishment’s radar, it has caught the eye of the mainstream and is edging into the galleries.
From Takin’ It To The Streets
By Richard Lacayo

I have always wondered what Graffiti artists see in their heads before they pick up that first can of spray paint, stick of chalk, ink etc.  Do they like other types of art too?   Host 18 of DYM said:

“………people  feel that we are Art Haters.  This is completely not the case.  We all go to Art Shows and Museums often.  We are Artists ourselves so of course we respect and have great appreciation for art.   But we are from the streets and the streets have unwritten rules…..”

Writing this post has made me appreciate Graffiti, Street Art and the People and Voices that go with them  in a whole new light.  I hope you do too………

Here are my favorites:

Christmas Palm!

If all else fails and you don’t have time to get a tree……….Make do!!!

Christmas comes once a year and this year for both Vicki Bergelt Interior Design and Arizona Luxury Real Estate it’s coming way to fast!!

Today is December 20th and even though my shopping and wrapping presents is almost done, my family can’t get our schedules together to get a Christmas tree!!�
As we speak, my daughter has said she is going to wrap our 10′ silk palm tree in lights and ornaments and as I am getting ready to go home, I’m almost relieved that my kids find pleasure in “making it work!”

This weekend we had our holiday community Christmas party and normally I’m 100% prepared.  Not this year! In jest, I have told our friends that I’m going to get a Christmas tree and put it upside down.  What a crazy idea right? Well, I guess it’s not as crazy as I thought….have fun with these pictures!!




Doorknob Protector in a Clever Way



Stop Wearing the Paint




Watching Paint Dry

 Clever Helpful Hints that can make my Painting go smoother, easier, faster and I don’t have to wear the paint too…….I’m in!!

I just love helpful hints……and Real Simple Magazine always have the best ones.  These three just stay in the paint category, but I wanted to post a whole lot more……Click on the link below to see your favs!!

(And you might want to subscribe to their online magazine too, it’s a great magazine!)

Real Simple Magazine