Spring Forward with Fashionable Fabrics

Who isn't tired of winter? It's time to usher in a spring frame-of-mind with these fresh hip fabrics from fashion icon Trina Turk.

I absolutely love her newly introduced line of indoor * outdoor fabrics for Schumacher Modern. Just think of all the practical possiblities!

If you are familiar with my aesthetic you will notice that fashion is threaded throughout my designs. I have always been a great admirer of her work and brilliant use of color. I was lucky to be loaned one of her hot orange peep-hole dresses for a photo shoot from one of my favorite Huntington boutiques, Rexer-Parkes.

Come into my showroom and get inspired by Trina's fabulous patterns and prints...A great way to get rid of the winter blues.

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's Party!" -Robin Williams

Inspiration is Just a Click Away....

I finally had a spare minute to do some much-needed inspiration research. In the comfort of my home in my jammies I get completely relaxed hunting around for great ideas for my next project. Being so busy doesn't always allow me the luxury to research myself, so I look forward to these moments.

I don't about you, but I am completely over winter. These two palettes are so fresh & clean and they scream SPRING!

Talk about a POP of color, these two images are pushing the color envelope to its limit. The fusion of these two contrasting palettes, the neutral paired with bold, create color magic.

I am always so excited when people come into my shop and tell me they came for inspiration. It makes me so happy to be somebody's point of reference. Right now my shop is chock-full of some amazing deals. Everything from chandeliers to desk lamps, mirrors to armoires, & all that's in between.

If you are in the New York area, please stop by my shop for a little dose of inspiration yourself www.ekbinteriors.com

Anyone that mentions the blog will receive 20% off any regularly priced item

Clean Sweep

We all feel compelled to make those hard-to-keep New Year's Resolutions. But this year I decided to keep my goals attainable and thought that by sharing some ideas with you it might help you begin giving your home a fresh start for 2009. Lately, I've been using some of the basic principles of Feng Shui to guide me through the ritual of starting off the New Year with a clean slate. Nothing is better than how you feel after de-cluttering....Put away, donate, or just toss those things in your home that don't give you pleasure. We're all buried under mountains of papers and magazines, so do your best to start with that. Any clothes, books, household items or gifts that have been sitting around and unused should move on. If something is broken, fix it! If something is looking a little tired, re-paint it. I guarantee you will feel like a giant weight has been lifted off of you. You'll be free to move on in more creative directions.

I find it hard to focus on a new project for the home until the cleansing process has been completed. Only then can my creative juices start flowing. We recently undertook this process in my shop and studio. What a positive transformation! The fabric studio is a dream to work in and the shop windows are sparkling with new ideas. My team and I are in the process of embarking on some new and very exciting projects (stay tuned to upcoming blogs for the latest).

My wish for you all is a joyful, prosperous and spiritually uplifting 2009. I hope that my team can inspire you all to make your homes a place that is a pleasure to come home to.

"Making resolutions is a cleansing ritual of self assessment that demands personal honesty and, ultimately, reinforces humility." -Eric Zorn

Back to the Drawing Board...

One of the biggest stumbling blocks in the creative process is usually...getting started. There are so many ideas and inspirations swirling around that it becomes difficult to edit them. Trying to formulate a cohesive plan is often a huge roadblock in design.

Keeping an idea file is a great reference for everyone. A notebook filled with magazine tear-sheets, fabric snippets, paint swatches, photographs, and anything else that catches your minds eye. These files can be of great assistance when getting the creative juices flowing.

For me, due to my painting & art background, sketching what my fantasy for a project is usually where I start. I find that some of my clients have a difficult time visualizing my ideas....A sketch often shines a revealing light onto a prospective idea.
Sketches are helpful in so many ways...For example, furniture placement and finding the holes where you can now create a furniture 'wish list.' I always do my best to incorporate pieces a client already possesses and show them how they will be transformed into the new space. Whether it be by re-upholstery or a change of paint & hardware....If it has great bones it's worth the effort and expense to transform it.

Of course, color is extremely important when sketching as well. I live and breathe color and therefore am always incorporating it into my drawings. It is such a vital part of my design process that it can help convince a color-reluctant client to take that leap of faith. Once they do....Watch out because color is powerful once it's unleashed!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Problem...SOLVED!

Great interior design is often a series of exercises in problem solving. They usually require us to think outside of the box. Or, in this case, inside the box of my New York City apartment.
For better or worse, apartment dwellers get to know their neighbors intimately. One of the challenges I face is trying to create a calm, quiet, and serene retreat in the midst of this hectic city. Here are some great tips from my contribution to Time Out New York....After the ceiling is soundproofed a clever way to finish it off is by using wallpaper. I find that wallpaper often solves many design dilemmas. For my dining room I choose a bold look that I'm experimenting with for several other projects I'm working on. Wolf Gordon makes a fabulous smooth patent wall-covering in many beautiful shimmery colors. I chose a metallic bronze that reflects the light of the chandelier. Not only does this create a great finishing touch, it also gives the illusion of additional space....Something every New Yorker yearns for in their apartments. The use of the grosgrain ribbon from MJ Trimming and silver nail heads add a finished appeal as well as architectural interest. This project really freshened up my cozy dining room. Definitely pick up a copy of this Home Design Issue of TimeOut NY...There are so many great ideas!

"Believe it is possible to solve your problem. Tremendous things happen to the believer. So believe the answer will come. It will." - Norman Vincent Peale

Made to Order

Sometimes I just can't seem to find the perfect piece to finish off a project...So it's off to the drawing board.

Mixed metal, diamond shaped fireplace screen in your exact dimensions......The appropriate size coffee table for intimate seating & conversation.....The perfect bench with hard to resist Greek Key details....Designer Katherine not included!

Oh, the myriad of seating

options....It's always a question of which one works best? I love to mix it up....even in the same room. Traditional sofas and chairs can sometimes be so expected and way too structured. These alternatives provide ample flexibility....From the Tet-e-Tet to comfy floor cushions to an easy to place slipper chair, the prospects are endless.

This shadow box filled with specimen butterflies is one of my all-time favorite custom projects.

"The difference between something good and something great is attention to detail." - Charles R. Swindoll

Curtain Call

No room is complete without the perfect window treatments. It's my favorite area of the design process, because I am able to flex my creative muscles. It's the perfect pairing of using fabulous fabrics with couture details to create a one-of-a-kind look.
This luscious Albert Hadley fabric that dresses these windows take the room from drab to fab!

By adding the fun blue ring detail to these seemingly predictable sheers the panels are transformed from simple to sophisticated.

I can never get enough of this color combo...I'm just crazy about that Lee Jofa fabric! The blending of the panels and the roman shade add so much depth and interest to the room. One more layer of texture and color...














These window treatments look as if they can dance right off the windows. They rock!













An explosion of color! Who said matchy-matchy doesn't work? I had a blast styling ads for Duralee

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” -Coco Chanel

A Balancing Act

Sometimes two seemingly dissimilar elements can create an undeniable chemistry!

"I relate color to music, and on their own neither the gray nor the yellow works for me. But together they are harmonious and complement each other perfectly."

I am so thrilled that my work was chosen to grace the cover of the October issue of Traditional Home. I have to give a special Thank You to the lovely Krissa Rossbund. Krissa's beautifully written story is the perfect accompaniment to the images....Her words breathe life into the room. Thank you Krissa for your hard work and continued support. My wonderful team and the amazing staff at Duralee Fabrics ...without all of you none of this would be possible. And Thank You Traditional Home for perfectly melding "classic taste with modern life".

Two Heads Are Better Than One!

Summer is coming to an end and that means back to school and back to work. Here at the EKB Shop we head back to our design workroom to begin scheming! Refreshed after many lazy summer days we are ready to get back to creating beautiful color stories for our clients.


It's true that you are only as good as those talented individuals you surround yourself with. In my profession creativity is such a collaborative process! My right-hand and fabric guru, Creative Design Director Beth, is an integral part of the EKB design team. She is always fabric scheming and researching innovative and exciting color stories. She's amazing! Like myself, Beth takes many of her design cues from her chic fashion sense!




There is really only one way to describe the pulling together of a showhouse project and that is CRAZY! Deadlines, last-minute changes, and unforeseen mishaps are all part of the job. We need to be ready for anything! My team is just so unbelievable when it comes to multi-tasking and problem solving. Beth is always my oasis of calm in a sea of chaos....I don't know what I would do without her!

And at last, the finished product! I am so proud of my team and all that we accomplished with this beautiful room! I loved using all of those Duralee fabrics and furniture....There was so much great product to choose from and Beth and I had to use our editing-eyes to make this room pure perfection!

"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success." -Henry Ford

Mirror, Mirror.....Reflections on Design

Great mirrors reflect the soul of the house.....That's why I take careful consideration when selecting a mirror because the placement is so critical. Whether it be bringing the outdoors inside or simply reflecting life within....Mirrors can be functional or fashionable.


Art is given a new perspective through reflection in this mirror. Light was such an important element in my Hamptons Showhouse room....What a fabulous custom mirror....it amplifies and captures that unique light element found only at the East End.


In yet another one of my projects, I choose to incorporate a custom faux-snakeskin mirror as a foil to the hot pink and orange palette used throughout the design scheme.

At first the large scale of this old home was a bit intimidating....However, instead of trying to play down the scale of the soaring space I decided to run with it! By introducing this trio of custom made mirrors the room was instantly pulled together and an intimate feel was created!

And on a much smaller but no less important scale, this convex starburst mirror is the perfect little "jewelry" element for this quaint living space.

How can you have a commercial space like this high-end vintage clothing boutique without mirrors that are equally as fabulous as the items within! I love the flexibility of this floor- standing custom mirror....it can be easily moved when ever things need to be freshened up!

Everyone and everything that shows up in our life is a reflection of something that is happening inside of us. -Alan Cohen