We lost a visionary, a man who taught us to "Think Different." We lost a man who never wanted to conform to rules (that being PC) and who's main idea was to think outside the box. Long before iPhones and iPods, Steve and his co-owner also named Steve, came up with their first public computer, Apple 1. That was around 1980. By the time I attended high school in 1992, I was already loving the Apple interface, the icons, the way it moved and thus started my love for all things Apple.

The man behind the Apple Logo! 

This video and message moved me! And still does. It encompasses everything that I and KG STYLE DESIGNS stand for! He changed my perception of things and helped shape my vision. 

"Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do." - Apple Inc.


Steve Jobs said this about the campaign and video: "It honors those people who have changed the world! Some of them are living, some of them are aren't. But you know if they would have been living and using a computer, it would have been a MAC!" 


What do you think of this message and video? What's your vision? And what Apple products do you use for your business or for blogging! 


Let's discuss on FB! 


Best, 

Thanks for reading my interior design blog! 

Lifetime's The Picker Sisters is quickly turning into one of my favorite shows starring best friends and renowned interior designers Tracy Hutson and Tanya McQueen Look familiar? That's because they're from Extreme Makeover:Home Edition - one of my other fave shows.

Imagine going cross country getting pieces that other people view as junk and totally recreating them? Thats what these ladies do! Their creative minds flow so vividly that they turn things like a steel sign into a headboard - and whats more? THEY SELL IT! Tracy and Tanya are starting their own interior design store and the pieces they find on their journey will serve as their vision with of course - monetary gain! Alongside their contractor, they really turn trash into treasure from rusty fans and old scales - these gals create the most unique things. 

This show is a definite must watch for any designer - for inspiration but most importantly to learn to see the beauty in all things!

Tune in to Lifetime every Tuesdays at 10pm/Eastern Standard time. 

Best,

we want to showoff our bathrooms and not be afraid to show people where the restroom is. The bathroom for most is considered a place of sanctuary - a retreat to go when your day's been long and hard and for most a personal spa in the comfort of your own home. It's no wonder that we want the nicest, newest, most interesting bathroom amenities in the market. 

It's easy as A, B, C, D … and maybe E. I'll show you how.

THE FOYER

Choosing color for your home can be a challenge.

Here I can show you where to place color and also 

offer you some color suggestions.

When I design a color palette for my clients, I refer to the interior as a 'tree'. The foyer is the trunk which is the core of the home and the rooms are the 'branches'. This is like a 'color map' which helps my clients visualize the layout of their home instead of being so overwhelmed with color placement.

The foyer is usually a neutral color such as the one you see (A) above. Most of the foyers where I live in the south Charlotte area are very open and continue up to the second floor. Keeping that in mind, a light, neutral color seems to work best.

I also like to put the foyer color in the hallways. Most hallways that I've seen have very poor lighting thus having a tendency to be shadowed. To compensate for this, it's best to keep the color here fairly light.

In most cases, the dining room is to the left or right side of the foyer. Now again, most of the homes in Charlotte follow this type of layout which is also called an open floor plan. Don't have a home with an open floor plan? That's ok! You will still have an entrance way and hallways where your (A) color will work.

THE DINING ROOM

I find that many of my clients ask for a red dining room but be careful with this hot hue - it's tricky to pick and to paint. Red will make a striking statement in your home but keep in mind, it's a typical choice to choose red and can be a dated look. Stick to something fun and updated as I pointed out with the warm gray shown as color (B).

THE LIVING ROOM

Now based on this open floor plan, the Living room is going to be surrounded by the kitchen, foyer and dining room. Knowing that, the color you choose for this room has to coordinate with those surrounding rooms. 

This warm hue (be careful not to get too gold. A warm, creamy color like I have as color (C) will look great with a gray and it's also an updated look. If you choose the wrong gold, it can be a throw back to the 70's.

AN OPEN FLOOR PLAN

Great example of an open floor plan.

Here is another shot of the Living room. Notice how you can see other rooms from standing in this one spot. Take that into consideration when choosing color. You also have to know where to start and stop the color. You can see here how I labeled the walls for  placement. This warm, creamy yellow will look great beside the neutral foyer and of course we all know that gray and yellow look great together but they have to be the RIGHT gray and yellow. 

Let's move to the kitchen. I think I see a nice warm green for that room.

THE KITCHEN

There are many factors to consider when choosing a color for your kitchen. Keep in mind the undertones of your flooring and cabinets. Do you want them to have the same undertone or to have more contrast? Let's say we are staying with the warm undertones therefore going with this this green hue. 

Caution: Be careful here! Your kitchen color has to coordinate with your living room color since these rooms flow into each other. Like the way the green and warm yellow look together? Ok, let's recap.

• Do you like this palette?
• Do the colors flow from room to room?
• Is there enough color?
• Is there too much hue for you?
• Will these colors match your flooring tile, carpeting or wood stain?

YOUR NEW COLOR PALETTE

I added an additional color (E) if you have an office on the same floor as these other rooms. See how they look great together? Other than the foyer color, feel free to mix and match these colors into the room of your choice. The thing to remember about the RIGHT color palette is that they will ALL coordinate with each other so you CAN mix and match. 

DESIGN TIP:

Remember, choosing color is the most affordable way to instantly change the look of your home but it has to be the RIGHT colors. Take time to consider the color of your flooring, furniture and kitchen cabinets - they need to coordinate!

The great thing about KG Style is that they specialize in cost effective ways to redesign and organize your space. So with the direction of their professional design team and the right color combinations from a Color Specialist, you are on your way to the home of your dreams! Just remember to call in the Professionals when you need a little help with your ideas.

COME SEE MY COLORS

I hope you've enjoyed my guest post on “How to Choose Color For Your Home”. If you'd like to see more of my ideas on color, please visit me on my main website at, Decorating by Donna for more information and beautiful color inspirations. Please come join me in color by adding yourself to my blog “A Color Specialist In Charlotte”. 

In awe of "Breakfast at Tiffany", I decided to design my shower a la Audrey Hepburn! There were no opening of gifts or many games. This sassy shower had desserts at every table, Moscato and mimosa's for drinks of the day and a brunch menu and time with a very chic Tiffany box inspired cake. 

The chocolate truffles and Tiffany inspired cookies were delicious and made the table look very elegant!!! The tables were decorated with damask runners and the centerpieces made from very inexpensive vases and real white roses with clear gems. 

One of my favorite party details and the hit of the night was the subtle but brilliant incorporation of the iconic Tiffany bags into the decor & favor design...but swapped out to read "Gadson & Co." (my family's last name) instead of Tiffany & Co.

My vision for the theme was Tiffany blue and damask prints and it turned out even more beautiful than I thought! 

Let's start CREATING your next DREAM event! Whether elegant or whimsicial, fun or flirty, we can design something for everyone! Email us today at eventplanning@kgstyleinc.com. 


Best, 
 

KG STYLE DESIGNS has been asked on many occasions to expand it's services to include EVENT PLANNING! We were a little reluctant to add more to our plate but decided to go for it!


We will be offering the following services:
Baby showers, weddings, bridal showers, children's birthday parties, Invitations, Adults parties, party favors, souvenirs, and flowers for all occasion's. For a consultation, please email us at eventplanning@kgstyleinc.com


Thank you for being a part of our journey!

In the spirit of redesigning spaces, I decided to change the look and feel of my website to tie in with this blog and my business cards. Take a peek around and let me know what you think. Don't be shy! Let me know if there's anything I should change or reorganize. 

Best, 

 BLOGMANIA IS HERE! BLOGMANIA IS HERE! 

There are over many prizes that you can win and KG STYLE DESIGNS is one of them! 

To enter, please go to the Very Best Housewife Blog ! Unfortunately, the deadline for entry is today! 

SIGN UP NOW! 

Just got married? Had a recent housewarming? You're surely grateful with all the stuff you received - especially the wedding drinkware - but what do you do with it? I've gotten a lot of requests on how to store fancy dinnerware - especially the dinnerware from Mikasa - which are so popular amongst newlyweds? 

If you don't have a hutch to properly display your formal dinnerware, you can store your fine china in padded china storage bags with dividers to protect against scratches, dust and breakage. Proper stacking of your dinnerware will mean the difference between how long they last. Stack same-size plates on top of one another and lay felt plate protectors between each to prevent chipping or scratching. Choose dinnerware storage bags with identification windows or ID tags on the outside using a label maker to label the contents. Best place to store your dinnerware would be at the bottom of the shelf so that they don't shirt or collapse if you won't be using them as much. Remember, always keep your fine china at room temperature. 

Today we help out a dear blogger at Design Public as we talk about the Home Office and how to Organize it!  

Come to Design Public today where I share some valuable tips on how to keep your files in order and your home office looking fantastic!

See you there!


Thanks for reading my interior design blog! 

Good Home Mag - UK

now and then, I like to pick up a magazine from overseas and see how the rest of the world designs.  From cool furniture pieces, to fab fabrics, the UK has a lot to see! All the rave in Europe, are metallic accents and for us beautifully collected in these pieces. 


As mentioned in the piece, these items can brighten your home after a long winter. Gold, silver and bronze metals have a reflective nature so the little bit of light coming through, will be magnified! 


Of course these items are UK exclusive but we can definitely find things that are similar. That's what design is about - finding an inspirational piece and making it your own with your own BUDGET! 

Why not paint your existing furniture?

You can go to your local home shop like Home Depot and get a can of metallic spray paint and keep your favorite furniture piece by giving it a new look. I show you how to do it in four easy steps! 

If you having trouble doing it on your own, drop us a note! 


Best,

while most in suburbia use basements as storage, if you’re from the Empire State - New York you’ve often wondered where you would store all that extra stuff we too often collect. I've learned that to survive NYC clutter, its best to invest in self storage units. You might have seen the various signs and listings of different self storage centers but how do you pick which storage center to use and what to pack in your storage unit?

Before you begin to move stuff into your storage units, remember, unless your storage facility is brand new, people have probably used your storage unit before - so clean it out!

Here are some tips:

1.Store your off season clothing. Things like those big over-sized coats, but make sure to clean them professionally before storing. Bugs are attracted to food and sweat stains. In a storage facility, you won’t be monitoring your items on a consistent basis – so make sure you won’t be attracting moths and other clothes chewing insects.  You can use a clear vinyl canvas clothes closet to properly store them.


2. Bikes and other seasonal items. Bikes aren't used all year round but they take up loads of space - especially in NYC apartments. Take that bike, scooter, skateboard, - all to your storage unit and pack them away when the weather gets too cold to be outdoors for long periods of time.


3. Suitcases and other travel paraphernalia  Suitcases are ideal for travel but can clutter any hallway and bulk up any closet. This is another item that should be taken to the self-storage center.


4. Memorabilia. Finding storage for your prized memorabilia can also be very daunting. You want to display them but you can’t put everything out on display. Take the items and place them into clear plastic bins - labeled and sealed.


5. Bulky Appliances. That juicer that your sister in law gave you as a wedding gift would be the items that would be a good idea to store.  You might want to place in storage until you own your own home.


Rule of thumb:

Make sure you take inventory of everything in your self-storage unit and that your boxes are carefully labeled in a very detailed manner. The frustration when looking for something in your storage unit and without labels – can be tenfold when you have no idea where you don’t remember where you packed the roller skates and it’s a warm beautiful day out!

Renting a storage unit is a great way to keep your apartment uncluttered but make sure you keep it as organized as you would your own home!