Happy 4th of July!

Michael Lee's Malibu Bungalow

I love the combination of colors, texture and forms and the laid back feeling.

You can read the entire article in the June issue of Coastal Living.

Thanks Woman's Day!

for featuring my patio in the June 2nd issue and thanks to Wendy from Rate my Space who emailed me with the info, it was a very nice surprise!!

Remember that if you have some diy skills and want to build the seating just as I did you can click here to get the instructions, plans and list of materials for the platform beds.

Have a great weekend!

Mariafer.

Technorati Profile

♪♫ Bye, bye stripes ♫♪

Planning on changing this room during the weekend. Going for a light neutral color for the walls and bedding. I will keep the area rug and furniture except for the office chair. The stripes are fun and very eye candy but after 6 years  I feel like I need a change. Will see.

Current project update before and after pics

Private office, After...

Before...

Showroom #2, After...

Before...

Before...

After...

Before...

After...

Private office. Before...

After...

Before...

After

Before...

After...

Before...

After...

Happy Weekend!

Happy Mother's Day!

Yes...I am a year older today..

Thanks for all the beautiful emails and messages!!! Have a great weekend...

XOXO

Maria

Current project update before and after pics

This are the before and after pictures of the showroom. The room didn't have any storage before, now the dark brown modular pieces on the bottom store extra sample shoes and supplies. Since it is an indoors place without any windows or natural light I decided to gave it a touch of nature by placing a bunch of green bamboo poles in tall planters, It also adds a vertical element to the otherwise horizontal design. The only architectural detail in this plain room is the column on the left, rather than try to hide it I painted it in dark chocolate to make it pop and installed a dark brown vertical bookcase on the opposite wall to mirror the column and make the room feel proportional. Later this week I will post pictures of the rest of the warehouse. 

See you soon...

Mariafer.

Happy birthday little brother!!

Have a wonderful birthday, love you...

Inexpensive closet doors makeover.

With inexpensive materials you can change the look of your boring closet doors. I updated this doors a couple of years ago using aluminum flashing, wallpaper, plexiglass and spray paint. Cut them to fit the inside part of the louvered doors and attach using liquid nails.
Good Luck!

Mariafer.
Aluminum flashing roll from Home Depot, cut with scissors use gloves when cut them. This doors are in my son's room.
Before, boring door.
Plexiglass painted on the back side with white spray paint, use any color you want. I cut them with a dremmel router. Changing the knobs and molding makes a big difference too. This doors are in my office.
Wall paper and dark chocolate paint. 

In this picture you can see the doors in the back.

Happy Easter!

In Argentina we celebrate giving this chocolate eggs to ours friends and family, one for each one, on Easter Sunday, and you'll normally find a surprise inside once you break them, the bigger the egg the bigger the surprise, normally a toy in the big ones and candy in the little ones. 

Hope you all have a wonderful Easter celebration!!!

Maria

Picture courtesy of Romina

On earth day and every day, every choice makes a difference

April 22nd is earth day, but Earthbound Organic Farm is celebrating all month long giving away free reusable bags when you make the pledge to reduce/reuse/recycle and if you're one of the first 10,000 each week, they'll send yours free. Select Take the Pledge, then click on one of the items with a sun next to it and then select Add This To My Pledge.
Click here to go to the website.

Good Luck!

Happy Weekend!

Photo shoot day

Photo shoots are always crazy, and it being at my house doesn't  make it any easier. I can't give you any details yet but I will... They'll be coming at noon and I'll try to snap some pictures!!

See you soon

Maria

Inexpensive DYI Headboard

I was organizing my photos file and I came upon this picture from a guest room I did for a client almost seven years ago. It was on a very tight budget (under $300) and it had to be done in a day. Headboards were out of question and most of the budget went to bedding and accessories but I really wanted to have headboards so I used some leftover paint and moulding I have in my house and this was the end result, the combinations are endless, you can use any paint color/moulding combination or even use leftover fabric or wallpaper instead of paint. Paint the wall first and then install the moulding.

Good Luck!!

Little Havana and the Calle 8 Festival

Last Friday I went to see a client near by the 'Little Havana' and I decide to park my car in the famous Calle 8 ( spanish for Eight Street) and walk around and take some pictures to share with you. This neighborhood in Miami with many Cuban immigrant residents is named after Havana the capital and largest city in Cuba and is well known for its social, cultural and political activities. Little Havana is characterized by the street life, excellent restaurants and the warmth of its residents.

Over 1 million people from around the planet would be attending today  the biggest latin festival in the world 'The Festival of Calle 8', this street party is the culmination of the two weeks of Miami Carnival events, 23 blocks with activities for adults and children, street dancers, hundreds of kiosks of international food, but best of all this celebration is world renowned for its music, top recording hispanic artists performs from dozen of musical stages and you can see people dancing everywhere to the rhythm of salsa, merengue and reggaeton... I have never attended this event but I had a lot of fun just watching it on tv, who knows maybe one day I put on my dance shoes, grab my Cuban descendant husband and we'll go 'Living la vida Loca'...

Hope you enjoy the pics.

The Tower Theaters

The Domino Park

They get together every day just to play domino and talk about Cuba.

The walkway of the stars, I couldn't find Gloria Stefan and Celia Cruz...

Willy Chirino

a mom and pop music store

Houses 

This is how many Cubans get to Miami .... no joke. Now is for sale at a car dealership as a collectors item for $150,000.00!!

Barbie, Fifty and Fabulous got real house in Malibu.

Barbie's 50th Birthday is today and she got a great present. Interior Designer Jonathan Adler, decked out a real life 3,500-square-foot pad overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Malibu that looks like the doll's outrageous home. He says that took six months of planning and a few weeks to install. The house includes an original Andy Warhol portrait of Barbie valued at more than $200,000 and a chandelier made up of more than 30 blond wigs, a closet filled with 50 pairs of pink peep-toe heels, wall-to-wall pink carpeting with her initials in the bedroom and a pink Volkswagen New Beetle with a motorized pop-up vanity in the trunk. A museum inside the house features 25 vintage Barbie dolls on display. The celebrations start today with a celebrity soiree in the house and a fashion show in New York in the weeks to come.

Key Largo Boater's Flea Market

We went to Key Largo last weekend. Friday we had a Birthday party at my husband's cousin house and on Saturday we went to the Boater's Flea Market (yes, the first picture is the view from the flea market, the second one the view of the house we had the party at) . Monday was back to reality.

I hope you enjoy the pics!!

Happy Valentine's Day

Image by Faith Shoes.

THE DESIGN GEEK: shiny & new....

THE DESIGN GEEK: shiny & new....

The last one.

I just received the March issue of Domino Magazine, the last one as we all know. Ironically it is the best in a long time. 

Project update

This is how it looks today. Client still deciding on flooring. We are still working on the details, the lighting and waiting for the rest of the chairs and the special order furniture. We had to work during the weekend getting done as much as we can to live the place in working conditions by Sunday night.

Friday, late afternoon: We got rid of old shelving and wallpaper. 

Saturday: Patching and sanding almost all day. 

Sunday: Paint, install shelves, put together the furniture from Ikea, got rid of the carpet, clean up, put the room together (note: we did the lobby too, I'll be posting pictures soon). 

Monday: I started working on the details, while the crew were doing demo in the second showroom,  a smaller one that was added to the original project. 

Today: Waiting for electrician to do the accent lights. Patching,sanding and paint on second showroom, second coat on doors. 

Tomorrow: Install the shelves in second showroom, finish lighting and doors.

Then flooring and molding and a mini vacation  for me!

Life is too short.

Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets.

So love the people who treat you right,

forgive about the ones who don't

and believe that everything happens for a reason.

If you get a chance, take it.

If it changes your life, let it.

Nobody said that it'd be easy,

but it would be worth it.

Current project

I'm currently working in the remodeling of a wholesale footwear showroom. Because most of the colors of the shoes they sell are dark, we choose a light wall color and shelving and kept everything very simple and minimalist to make the shoes the focal point. I added storage furniture and move the computer away from the focal point of the room to a nook behind a column. The upper shelves will display boots and taller shoes and the upper part of the storage furniture on the bottom the flip flops and ballet flats.

The best part.... the shoes I got yesterday.

Actual showroom

Design Board

The shoes I got yesterday

My shoe 'Library'

Blount Design

I absolutely heart that bathroom.

www.blountdesign.com

We have to believe its possible

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let our bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Kahlil Gibran.

Monkey Pillows from Ballard Designs

I love this pillows from Ballard Design, aren't they cute??

Winter Miami Spice

Ilovemiamispice.com

Taylor Howes

Celebrated Interior Designers Taylor Howes designs is headed up by Gail taylor and Karen Howes providing a comprehensive design service for private clients, property developers and hoteliers. Click here to visit their website.

Peace and love in 2009

Happy New Year!!!!

Thanks Desire to Inspire and Shumous Magazine

Thanks Desire to Inspire for featuring my 'Unpretentious' blog on your Holiday Reading List 

and Shumous Magazine for the article about my work.

Thanks a lot!!

Merry Christmas

Have a wonderful Holiday Season!!!

Arlington at Christmas

You may be interested to know that these wreaths -- some 5,000 -- are donated by the Worcester Wreath Co. of Harrington, Maine. The owner, Merrill Worcester, not only provides the wreaths, but covers the trucking expense as well. He's done this since 1992. A wonderful guy. Also, most years, groups of Maine school kids combine an educational trip to DC with this event to help out. Making this even more remarkable is the fact that Harrington is in one the poorest parts of the state.
Over that period of time, Worcester Wreath has donated 90,000 wreaths which were placed by volunteers in a wreath-laying ceremony each December. But as word spread, the mission to Remember; Honor; and Teach about the sacrifices made by our veterans has captured the hearts and minds of many communities across the Country.

In December 2007, 286 participating locations hosted Wreaths Across America ceremonies overseeing the placement of 32,553 wreaths on the headstones of those who served and sacrificed for our freedoms. In 2008 that number will exceed 350 locations and 100,000 wreaths placed in honor!

Worcester Wreath Company and many others have dedicated themselves to this project for many years to come. 

'It is our vision that we will one day honor every veterans' memory for the holidays, as a way to show our gratitude and appreciation for the sacrifices made to preserve our freedoms.'

If you would like to help sponsor one or more wreaths to be laid at one of the over 200 state and national cemeteries all across the Country, please click here.

My home for Christmas.

To my friends

Holiday project from my mom's crafts file.

Last year my mom spent the holidays with us and she made this roses from fresh artichokes. It is a very simple project and you only need fresh artichokes and your choice of spray paint.

Start by folding the leaves in toward the center, let it dry for at least 2 weeks and spray paint, you can use acrylic craft paint if you want to go 'green'. Good luck!!

I'm sorry that it took me so long.

Last month I received an award and a tag from two wonderful persons Tardevil at Confessions of a 40-something mama and Brandi at Bishop's Room.

If you haven't been there go visit them.

The rules for the award are the following:

1. Mention 5 things I always wanted to do.

2. Contact 3 more bloggers and pass the award along to them.

 

Five things I always wanted to do:

1. Attend the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

2. Go to see the place where Jesus was born.

3. Go to UK and work as a nanny.

4. Take a year long vacation with my husband.

5. Write a book.

Since this is an Autumn award and most of my friends at blogland already have it I'm not passing this alone but if anyone wants to pick it up feel free to do it.

 

The rules for the tag are the following:

1. Mention seven little things about me

2. Passed to 5 or more bloggers.

7 Little things about me.

1. I'm not good at gardening and I don't like it.

2. I don't smoke, drink alcohol or coffee, never.

3. I'm not a morning person, at all.

4. I'm the oldest of my  siblings and the only girl.

5. I love sunsets, energy drinks, Diet Coke and chocolate soy milk.

6. I don't eat red meats or any cute animals like rabbits, ducks, etc.

7. White and green are my favorites colors.

This tag now goes to:

My friend Nikki @ blah blah blah blog

My friend Natalie @ FLHomeBlog

amiable Amy @ Business Matters.

MIA

A couple of weeks ago my husband and I were invited to tour the progress made in the construction/ expansion of the new Miami International Airport. Public spaces in Miami get 1.5% of construction costs of new county buildings for the purchase or commission of artworks, the 5.2 billion dollars expansion of the new MIA makes it the largest art exhibition for the Art in Public Spaces Program , most of the art is part of the infrastructure but they also have rotating exhibitions around the airport. My favorite is the coral wall. Hope you enjoy the pics!
Luis Arce, Terminal Operations supervisor. Dr. Yolanda Sanchez, Manager fine Arts and Cultural Affairs division and  me.

Got any Jacks? 2004

Donald Lipsky

Miami International Airport, American Airlines concourse D.

Consisting of nearly 100 sculptures made of fish replicas, Got Any Jacks? is a tribute to Miami's miraculous aquatic environment. The fish replicas, ranging from two feet across to over fourteen feet across, are arranged in abstract, geometric patterns. Their unique arrangement throughout the concourse walls evokes sculptures that are at once fish, and abstract shapes, represent something else.

Ghost Palms, 2007.

Norie Sato

South Terminal, International Baggage Claim.

Ghost Palms combines the organic structure of palm trees with the clean lines of the terminal's architecture, producing a subtle dichotomy between the natural and man made. Sited at five locations along the 300 foot-long glass interior wall of the International Baggage Claim, Ghost Palms uses softly colored iridescent glass to create a space full of oversized 'stained glass' windows that reveal magnified fronds and branches of various types of palms trees, the artist also designed the terrazzo floor for this area that mirrors the reflection of the windows and creates the illusion of shadow cast on the floor.

A walk on the beach

Michele Oka Doner

Epoxi Terrazzo, bronze, mother-of-pearl. Concourse A MIA.

Long walks along Miami's beaches observing shells, seaweed and other marine forms deposited by the tides inspired this monumental site specific art installation. Phase I is a half mile long walkway featuring two thousand unique cast bronze elements embedded in dark grey terrazzo

Foreverglades, 2007

Barbara Neijna

MIA, South Terminal Expansion concourse J.

Text from Margory Stoneman Douglas' River of Grass is embedded into 65,000 sq. ft. of terrazzo floor running throughout the concourse. Pre-cast stone bas-relief panels interspersed with ribbons of glass, which symbolize flowing water and swaying reeds of grass are integrated into the architecture. 

Coral Eden

Brad Goldberg

Miami International Airport, South Terminal.

Coral Eden is composed of two massive stone walls, each measuring approximately 30 feet wide x 90 feet high. Derived from a series of macro-photographs of coral, is carved in travertine marble from Italy. The coral relief is quiet shallow at the base of the wall and increases in depth as the stone rises, allowing the coral pattern to subtly emerge through light and shadow. As passengers gaze up at the expansive wall, the increasing depth of the form will suggest a view upward from the bottom of the ocean toward the atmosphere and sun.

Hand Painted...Painted Hand...Guido Daniele

www.guidodaniele.com

John Bessler Photography

Click here to visit his website

Vizcaya

Vizcaya was the winter residence of American industrialist James Deering from Christmas 1916 until his death in 1925. He chose a bayfront site in Miami for his tropical winter home because of the location’s warm winter climate and his appreciation of the native hardwood hammock. In addition to the house and gardens, the complex included a farm, livestock, and a variety of other service facilities covering 180 acres. 
The house was intended to appear as an Italian estate that had stood for 400 years and had been occupied and renovated by several generations of a family. It has 34 rooms with 15th through 19th century antique furnishings and art objects. The house appears to be only two stories high but between the main public rooms and the bedrooms, there is an intervening level with 12 rooms for servants and service. After Deering’s death in 1925, a minimal staff maintained the house. The hurricane of 1926, which devastated much of Miami, extensively damaged the house, surrounding grounds and formal gardens. Eventually most of the land was sold for development. In 1952, Deering’s heirs generously sold the main house and formal gardens to Dade County, for a sum below the actual value. Deering's heirs donated the estate's furnishings and art to the on condition that Vizcaya be used as a public museum in perpetuity.
Although the house’s design allowed the free flow of breezes through the open courtyard, the need to preserve the building and contents required the installation of a climate and humidity control system, including enclosing the open courtyard in glass. 

Today we can only imagine how Vizcaya felt as an open-air house, with the sounds of birds and the bay, the sudden rain showers, and the fragrance of flowers. The Museum is open every day (except Christmas) from 9.30 to 4.30 and the admission is 16$ for adults (10$ for students, senior and Florida Residents) it has a small cafe/restaurant where you can have a lunch break (sandwich/salads) 'al fresco' after you toured the house and before you hit the gardens and bay.
3521 South Miami Avenue

Maze

Library

Garden View

Dinning Room

Bathroom

Gardens

Kitchen... that big black thing is the stove.

Refrigerators in the butler's pantry

Fireplace in one of the bedrooms

Bedroom

Detail of fabric in bathroom ceiling

Ceiling Detail 

Guest Bedroom

Guest Bedroom

Wood Bird Cage

Bedroom

Mortar and pestel.

Bathroom

Tea House

My mom posing in front of the boats dock

View from the gardens 

Vote Responsibly...

Picture courtesy of Patrick Leduc/flickr

How to lose a guy in 10 texts.

Happy Halloween and Happy Weekend!

The Standard @ Miami Beach

Massage rooms hallway

Lobby

The birthday girl is the one in the center, I'm the old lady on the left all covered up!

Downtown Miami in the back

Miami Beach view

The restaurant

Downtown Miami in the back

Pathway from the hotel to the restaurant/pool area, you can see the rooms on the left

It was a little bit cold for Miami (74) but we had a great time. We were supposed to be 5 of us but one of the girls was sick and the other two never showed up... I couldn't believe it!!!
The spa have all kind of treatments and they use only natural products. At the restaurant the menu is very frugal and most of the options are organic/vegan, the chocolate vegan brownie w/soy vanilla ice cream was yummy!! But the most important thing is that my friend Alejandra was very happy... and so I was. Thanks for all the good wishes!!

The staff didn't let us use cell phone or camera inside the spa section so I snap some pictures from the outdoors I hope you like it....

Spa Day B.Day Party

My good friend Alejandra is having a spa day party to celebrate her birthday tomorrow at 'The Standard' an ultra modern hotel-spa in Miami Beach. I can't wait!!!! I will try to snap some pictures... see you guys on thursday! Happy Birthday Ale!

Happy weekend!

Key Biscayne, my favorite place in Miami...

Casa Casuarina

A while ago my husband and I had the privilege of been invited to spend the day at Casa Casuarina, a very expensive members only club located in South Beach best known as Gianni Versace's former home and the place where he was murdered. The house is stunning in every sense, I managed to take some pictures (was not allowed). I just found out that they are now offering tours to the general public, if you are planning to travel down here don't miss it, it is really worth it. Click here to check out the website and get more info.

Pool area
Pool View
Cabana View


Indoor Patio
Access to upstairs rooms
View from the foyer

detail of wall in dinning room
Bathroom entrance

My hubby and I on the left

What a great surprise!

Thank you Natalie!!!!

This morning Natalie from FL Home Blog nominated me for my very first award. I'm very honored not only because is the first one but also because comes from Natalie, I really love her blog and admire her energy and sense of humor. Click here to visit Natalie's blog.

This are the rules for passing on this award :

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog

2. Link the person you received your award from.

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4. Put links of those blogs on yours.

5. Leave a message on the blogs of the persons you've nominated.

I would like to nominate:

VT Interiors Library

Captain Obvious

Blah Blah Blog

A life's design

Rearranged Design

Fifi Flowers

Brown Button

Natural Surroundings

My not so pretty room.

This is the room in my house that I really hate. Is a bedroom that my son uses as a tv room, and my husband refers to as the 'yellow room' but I like to call it the 'dump room' because everything that  I don't like or doesn't work in any other room in the house ends up in there.  I know ... it doesn't look that bad, I tried to make it work... but it doesn't flow with the rest of the house... and when someone refers to a bedroom as the 'yellow room' you know something is not right...I should put everything on craiglist!!! 

Do you have a dump room too???

What a great idea for a B.Day Cake!!!

Last saturday I went to a friend's 40th Birthday Party. The party was great and the best part was the monopoly board cake...every space was a picture of an event in his life or the address of a place he lived, or a school he went, all edible, I loved it!!!! I think is great idea for any gender/age party. See you soon.

Have a fun weekend!!!

Mata Hina Interiors

Have a sweet weekend!

London pride: Lucyina Moodie Stylist

Eileen Kathryn Boyd

Eileen is one of New York's most prominent and innovative interior designers. She is a color expert who is best known for drawing her inspirations from the fashion runways and bringing them to life on her showroom floor. Click here to visit her website.

Grab your Passport...I'm taking you on a trip.

Tango Central
As many of you may know I was born and raise in Argentina. It's been a while since the last time I was there but I'm planning a 'virtual' trip down there and I'm taking all of you with me, are you in?

We have to flight for 8 hours to get to Buenos Aires from Miami. Right now in Argentina the spring is about to begin (Sept,21), so don't bring to much sweaters only a couple in case we end up in Patagonia. Please, fasten your seatbelt...
Click the Colon Opera House picture to get more info.

French EmbassyLaw SchoolSubwayPuerto MaderoNational Congress
El Divino DiscoColon Opera House
9 de Julio Avenue

SATC Movie Preorder

September 23th is the release date for the movie Sex and the City. Amazon has the extended cut version with never before seen moments not shown in the regular dvd movie and theaters. When I bought the book I saw a lot of pictures from scenes that weren't in the movie... now I understand why... You can pre-order now clicking on the link below. I'm in for 2... one for me the other one to give away at my September 23th 'Girls Night In'....goodie bags included!!  I can't wait..

At the bottom of this post I added a link to the book, is full of pictures and a description and brand for every outfit you see in the movie...

Traditional with a Twist by Fiona Newell Weeks.

Her website