Rebecca Ryan Design - Blue is New!

I'm really excited about all of the blue I'm seeing in the design world. If you aren't seeing it yet, you will. The trend is to use deep, saturated blues - navy, deep cobalt, midnight - with lots of white. Pops of color are introduced with other livelier and brighter hues of blue - royal, periwinkle, turqoise and compliments of yellow or red. Patterns are large scaled, bold and graphic. This new blue trend is straightforward - not fussy, with hints of nautical.

My clients are at the front of the curve. I recently designed a condo in Minneapolis with a gorgeous "nearly navy" den and white carrara marble tile fireplace.

Kitchens can benefit from this trend too.

Rebecca Ryan Design - Minneapolis Kitchen and Bath Showroom Design

"MINGLE: Cabinetry, Furnishings, Design" - is a new concept, destination, design showroom being built in Plymouth, Minnesota.

I am so excited to be part of the award winning team of designers putting it all together. With nearly 30,000 SF and over 100 displays, including many life size, working displays, people will be able to see gorgeous, innovative design for every room in the house. Guests will see kitchens, bathrooms, master suites, walk in closets, bar and billiard areas, wine cellars, offices, laundry rooms, mud rooms and more. Each display is complete with unique cabinetry, countertops, furniture, flooring, lighting, plumbing, paint, wall paper, fabrics and accessories.

As if that's not enough, Mingle will host local artisans in it's on site gallery, and chefs and events in it's many working kitchens. There is literally nothing like this in the entire Midwest.

Mingle will be open 7 days a week to retail clients as well as to builders and designers.

Stay tuned for more, as the showroom is slated to open early Fall 2012.

Rebecca Ryan Design - Show your Stuff

THE CASE FOR OPEN STORAGE: One of the best reasons to have open storage is that it forces you to edit your stuff. Goodbye novelty coffee mugs...

But there's more:

ITS EFFICIENT

ITS VISUALLY INTERESTING

IT CAN REINFORCE YOUR STYLE



IT CAN SAVE MONEY

Rebecca Ryan Design - Paint Matters

Designers love Benjamin Moore paint colors.We all have our 5 or 6 tried and true favorites, but the entire color collection is rich and complex. Just because the colors are great doesn't mean you have to use Benjamin Moore paint. Consumer Reports has named Behr paint the best interior wall paint for coverage and value for many years running. I choose a Benjamin Moore color and have it mixed into the Behr paint. Ask your painter to do the same.

Rebecca Ryan Design - Lets talk about love

I believe that every room should have at least one thing in it that a client absolutley loves.
I don't mean like a lot - I mean really loves.

In this kitchen picture, my client fell in love with the hand-hammered, copper prep sink embossed with frogs. Every morning, she gets up to make her coffee at this sink. Every time she uses or sees this object, it imparts a great sense of joy and satisfaction.  Having at least one item in a room that is truly loved can make other design compromises inconsequential.

Rebecca Ryan Design - When push comes to shove...

Don't be bullied by your designer. A good designer should gently nudge a client outside of her comfort zone - just enough to elevate the design to something beyond what the client would think of or do herself. However, when that gentle nudge feels more like a shove, it's time to say good-bye.