Mom's Turf

Stunning Entryways

An entryway is a space in the house located at the front entrance of the house and usually comes in the form of a hall or a foyer. Many houses do not have entryways anymore but for those houses that do, a stunning and beautifully designed entryway would be an asset. Although entryways is the first space in the house that guests and visitors see when they enter the house it is also one of the most neglected spaces. It is however, important that your entryway would present a good impression as it would speak a lot of what is in store inside your house. We are now fortunate that there are many available items, accents, and decors available for home entryways and there is no more reason for yours to be looking drab and boring.

Kara Mann

Thomas Britt, ASID

Barry Dixon's Stylishly Elegant Interiors

Barry Dixon is a very talented world-class designer and a true Southern gentleman whose works and projects never fail to garner admiration from anyone who is fortunate enough to experience and see it. A home or space with a Barry Dixon touch is elegant, stylish and a visual treat because of his skillful use of colors, textures, and patterns. His treatment of light and spaces even the accents and decors he uses captures his tasteful elegance in styling. Barry Dixon also has an award-winning line of furniture, fabric collection, and rug collection which compliments with his international design style.

His new book, which is aptly titled ‘Barry Dixon Interiors’ by Brian D. Coleman features 11 homes which showcases the style and creative genius of Barry Dixon. A very inviting Caribbean Villa, an elegant Embassy in Washington, an interesting Manhattan loft, and his own lavish Elway Hall among other equally spectacular homes are featured in the book. Each home is a testament of Barry’s masterful blend of traditional and contemporary elements and creating astounding spaces that is truly a feast to the eyes and senses. Aside from the many fabulous photos taken by photographer Edward Addeo, valuable design tips from Barry can also be found in the book. ‘Barry Dixon Interiors’ is a good book to have in your own home and a gift that will surely be appreciated by your home-design loving friends this coming holiday.

Below are some of Barry Dixon’s projects.

Kitchens of Style and Function

Ahh …. kitchens. Having a nice and beautiful kitchen is every homemaker’s dream. The kitchen is one space in our house that we want to be extra spacious and most of the times splurge on. We want to have the nicest appliances and coolest gadgets for our kitchen, after all we spend quite a lot of time there everyday. A kitchen is a good place to hang out too, many family stories and chitchats happen in the kitchen. Women just love kitchens, some men do too and we (women) are so glad that they do. It makes it easier for us to convince them when we want some remodeling done or appliance addition for our kitchen. Even when we already have the kitchen of our dreams we still can not help but be in awe when we see fabulous kitchens. Beautiful kitchens transcend design style, when a kitchen looks beautifully designed and functional there are times when we do not care of the design style, whether its modern, country, contemporary, rustic, or cottage as long as it looks good and functional, we adore it. Here are some wonderful kitchen design ideas of different styles, functions and colors. Enjoy.

Photos: CoteMaison

Fascinating Modern Furniture

Kenneth Cobonpue is a very talented furniture designer whose creations are well recognized and critically acclaimed in the design world. His creations are modern pieces that exude relaxation, sensuality, comfort and style. He makes use of locally sourced organic materials like rattan and abaca and turns them into modern furniture with Asian flare and Western sophistication. His works are always interesting, fresh and eye-catching.

“My palette of materials include rattan, buri, kawayan(bamboo) and abaca. Each has its won texture, color, smell, and sound. You can bend, twist and weave them in endless ways. It is a feast for the senses to work with these.” – Kenneth Cobonpue

Here are some of his works that got me speechless. They are all so beautifully designed and well crafted as well.

Lolah

Rattan poles and strips are fastened together with nails and nylon wire in a technique similar to boatbuilding to create soft and sensuous shapes.

Dragnet

Polycotton fabric (indoor) or sunbrella acrylic fabric (outdoor) is twisted and wrapped around a frame of galvanized steel. Legs made of stainless steel.

Croissant

Strands of abaca rope are tied down by translucent nylon wires over a hand sculpted frame of light steel. An outdoor version is also available in polyethylene and steel.

Voyage

Buri or Palm Leaf Spines or abaca are hand-woven on a steel frame and tied with abaca rope creating a cozy cocoon where dreams are revealed.

Manolo

Inspired by a lady’s sandal, the Manolo is made of fine natural or stained rattan vines woven over a frame of mild steel then bound with leather strips.