WE'VE MOVED

Hey! If you haven't stopped by the new site- do it now. We've moved to CrazyGoodDesigns.com and we've updated the look of the site. Hope you like it!

IT'S HERE!

It's here, it's here! After much collaboration and work with my graphic designer I am excited to announce the launch of the new Crazy Good Designs site. When I started Crazy Good Designs a year ago I set it up with Blogger and used one of their simple templets. When I decided to update my Kayte Designs site I thought it was a perfect opportunity to give my blog a more professional and personalized look. The graphics on my new blog have become an extension of the Kayte Designs site- that's also why I changed the name from Crazy Good Design to Designs. I hope you can take the time to check out the new site at CrazyGoodDesigns.com!

IT'S COMING!!

On Monday I will have made the switch to CrazyGoodDesigns.com, woo-hoo! The new site represents my style a lot better and should be a lot easier for readers to remember. No more dot-blogspot-dot-com and I decided it was a good time to change Crazy Good Design to Crazy Good Designs- adding the S gives the title consistency with Kayte Designs. Please make sure you add the new site to your blog roll, Google Reader, SSR, etc.

PUMPKIN TIME!

Happy Halloween people! Fall weather is definitely in the air today. It's hard to believe that a few days ago I was swimming in Florida- now I'm bundled up at my computer burning a pumpkin spice candle. Tonight I am having some friends over for drinks and to see all the cute little Trick-or-Treaters. This year David and I are dressing up as Dexter and Deborah Morgan from the Showtime show Dexter. As promised, I got some pictures of my easy to make Fall centerpiece. I got these cute mini gourds and white pumpkins from Walmart and I stacked them with corks in a pitcher and cheapie vase. Done and done. I've been hanging on to all of our wine corks for a while so I can make garland for my "Wine Theme" Christmas Tree this year, tell then they have a new home on our dining room table.

Check out some other ways to play with pumpkins this fall, I found them all on Pinterest.

1. Crow Pumpkin via Shannon Milburn
2. Upholstery Tack Pumkins via Stephanie Washington
3. Black and White Pumpkins via Deanna Hamsley
4. Dot Design Pumpkins via Jazmyne Craven
5. Fabric Paint Pumpkins via Kate Smith
6. Golden Gourd and Pumpkin Centerpiece via K Oz
7. Pumpkin with tights on via Anna Bannanna

ALSO, the timing couldn't be better for the launch of my new and improved blog site. Just over a year ago I wrote my first post and on Monday you can find me at CrazyGoodDesigns.com. Yup, loosing blogspot and adding an S to designs, I can't wait to share more!!

I SPY SOMETHING: BLACK

Today I spy creepy black things. With Halloween around the corner I pulled together some mischievous black items from high end furniture to dramatic little accessories. The Havet Chest is really cool, the carved texture looks like something been clawing away at the surface to get into it and the Smoke Chandelier by Moooi has been burnt to a crisp to achieve that cracked texture and broken off limb. All so very evil and decadent!

1. Octopus Chair by Maximo Riera
2. "Harriet" Fishbowl Vase by Juliska
3. Smoke Chandelier Pendant Light by Moooi
4. Doodle Sofa by Moroso
5. Havet by Snickeriet
6. Monster Bar Stool by Moooi
7. Scull Candle by DL & Company

10 COOL DOOR NUMBERS

When I was working on the exterior of Strongbox West in Atlanta I went on a hunt for cool house numbers. There are endless options but I've been collecting cool contemporary numbers and I've got a handful worth sharing with you!

1. Neutra House Numbers in Aluminum and Red from DWR
2. Samples from Modern House Numbers
3. I-Plane Backlight Panels by Spore Doorbells
4. 3" Black Ribbon from West On Letters
5. Address by Object Creative

6. Offset Modern House Numbers by Steel House MFG

7. Vinyl Decal House Numbers by Tweet Heart Wall Art

8. Numbra House Numbers by Umbra Store

9. Floating House Numbers by Moda Industria

10. Turf House Numbers

I ended up finding these at West On Letters. They have great pricing and a wide variety of style and finishes.

SAVANNAH AND AMELIA ROAD TRIP

Hey everyone, I'm writing this post from the road today. Last nigh David and I spent the night in a great hotel, The Bohemian, in Savannah, Georgia and we visited my friends fabric shop. I got some great photos of both that I'll share when I get to my computer. Now we are on our way to Amelia Island, Florida to see the progress on an amazing house I helped design and to take some physical measurements for a painting I'm about to start. I look forward to sharing more on my trip soon and I hope you're all having a good start to the week!

YO! HOME

This new concept YO! Home, it's a really smart and sexy way to address the way we live in small urban spaces. The Founder of YO! Company, Simon Woodroffe, is probably best know for his projects YO! Sushi and Yotel. His latest project is this Transformer-style apartment that clearly takes inspiration from nautical design and contemporary kitchen design. He believes that this is the way we will live in the future. In this prototype there are 12 moving parts; including a sliding wall, pop out kitchen, elevating bed and transformable guest bed. The 860 square feet apartment feels more like a full scale penthouse than a one bedroom studio. You have to check out the video above to see all the secret compartments and moving parts!

Above is the "elevator" bedroom and sunken lounge, this bed is raised and lowered with a motor but is also on a counter weight so it is possible to raise and lower by hand. The steps leading to the sunken lounge has secret kick panel drawers (perfect for stashing a corkscrew and wine glasses) and the cocktail table has a raisable surface that would make a great TV tray or work surface. Below you see both options used as a theater space with a dark color drapery wall and slide down projector screen.

Her closet and vanity (The Barbie Closet) is on the left and his cabinet storage is on the right (Ken's Closet). 

This raisable section in the photo above has enough bar and wine storage for a full party and the sunken dining table below comfortably seats 4.

In this picture above you can see the outlines on the floor of the nautical-esque pop ups, including the bar, the dining table and printing station on the far left. Below you see the revealed kitchen including a roll out island and stools on the far right.

The office space consists of a vibrant ocean blue wide desk with storage on the right and a raisable printing station. It can also be folded flush to the wall or transformed into a guest bed. A semi-sheer sliding screen wall gives this nook some privacy for the home owner and guest while letting natural light from the windows shine through.

The last multi-use feature is the shower; the Asian-style teak flooring will slide open to create a small soaking tub below. Another feature that they are planing on incorporating in the future is overhead storage. Drop down compartments that look like a flush ceiling when closed will offer the one thing every small living space is lacking- more storage! Simon Woodroffe believes that this model unit will inspire a new way of living and that one day single family homes will be a thing of the past. So are you ready to downsize? 

SPOTLIGHT ON: KIRSTIN OVERBECK'S CANDY

Well with Halloween just around the corner, I wanted to show you guys this extra-sweet candy inspired line. The Candy Collection furniture line by Kirstin Overbeck was first introduced at Milan Design Week at an exhibition from the University of Art and Design Burg Giebichenstein Halle. These sugary pastel colors and whimsical forms are so precious and creative! The collection consists of three legged stools, rugs, hooks, and one knock-out candy necklace light fixture.
She discribes her collection as " The tasty and colorful world of sweets and delicious goodies served as inspiration for the Candy Collection. I wanted to design products reminiscing enthusiasms of childhood, especially the irresistible savor of sugar. The result is an eye candy, a visual feast for the senses... Savory products with zero calories guaranteed!" I must agree.

pictures via Kirstin Overbeck

10 COOL TRASH CANS

Everybody has garbage and everybody needs to put is somewhere. It makes perfect sense to want to hide your trash can or buy something that disappears into it's surroundings. BUT, a wastebasket can also be a design opportunity. I have a very narrow galley kitchen with limited counter space and almost no wall space due to how many cabinets and windows there are. For situations like this I say take advantage of any opportunity to pop in some personality, same goes for little powder rooms or under desk waste bins. 

1. In Attesa Wastebasket $84.00
2. Wesco Kickboy Bin $239.00
3. Crazy Zig Zag Waste Bin $75.00
4. Sense Bin $49.00
5. WS Bath Collection Waste Basket $315.00

6. Tubelor Trashcan
7. Square Can from Pinterest
8. Atlantic Hex Waste Basket $75.00
9. KNODD Bin $14.99
10.Pallete Waste Can $29.99

DINNER AT THE SPENCE

Hello everyone, hope you had a good weekend. I went to The Spence for the first time last night for a family birthday dinner. We had a great time, the food was innovative and the desserts were ridiculous. The restaurant decor was right up my ally. The first thing I noticed was the glowing ball light fixture, it looks like massive buoys caught in a fishing net. I love the colors and furniture choices, especially the Eames style molded plastic stools. The unique aspect of this space is the very open bar and kitchen. Both stations are built as a part of the dining room. The kitchen prep line is built to look like a free standing kitchen island and a large chefs table faces the action. The bar is actually just a double sided counter for the bartenders with two bar height communal tables flanking it. It's a very unusual concept and I imagine it makes the bar goers feel like they are hanging out in someones swanky kitchen. Both of these stations have floating shelves above them to highlight them. I found some great pictures from photographer Shannon Sturgis of the new Midtown hotspot.

photo credit

FINISHED FRONT PORCH

Remember this? A while back I pulled together a fresh new look for my front porch and wrote about it here. We did some mild landscaping on our front yard late this summer and it motivated us to spend more time out front. Yesterday I picked up a pretty mum so I thought I would photograph the whole thing for you. It's also nice to see my new drapery panels from the outside. I was able to catch the two planters on sale at West Elm and I already owned the owl and lanterns; so the planters, table, chairs, rug and pillows came to $355. A great investment for a new place to hang out, have some wine and play with the dogs.

NOVOGRATZ INVADE CB2

Snooping around online today led me to a fantastic discovery, The Novogratz family has created an exclusive line for CB2! I fell in love with Courtney and Rob Novogratz on their Bravo show 9 By Design. The show followed the Manhattan based interior design couple, along with their 7 kids ranging from age 3 to 15-  all of which are way cooler than me. Since then the duo has written a couple books and stared in another show Home By Novogratz. Their design esthetic is "downtown chic", vibrant and livable. They use a lot of unique and original art, vintage finds and crazy statement pieces. This is definitely reflected in their new home line.

I think everything they've created is beautiful and true to their style. My absolute favorite is the light box letters that spells out family. They show it oriented both vertical (as seen above) and horizontal (below). You can also pick up their latest book Home By Novogratz at CB2.

One last item I wanted to single out is this hand-tufted wool rug. At first I didn't think it was that special but then I read the description. The image of this scripted alphabet came from Rob's father. It was written in the 1950's when his father was in school (back in a time when cursive was a needed skill). They highlighted the N for Novogratz with a pop of color. See it all at CB2.