Archive for the 'PATIO & GARDEN' Category

Meet the Team

Published on March 21, 2012 in Annette Joseph, Brian Patrick Flynn, Courtney Cachet, Evette Rios, FURNITURE, HOMEACCESSORIES and PATIO & GARDEN. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

It’s spring, which means it’s time to head outdoors and breathe deeply the fresh air. Along with that comes fresh inspiration for everything outdoors and everything home, which is where we come in. We want to inspire you and help you create your best outdoor living space ever … and that’s why we’ve invited design experts Annette Joseph, Brian Patrick Flynn, Evette Rios, and Courtney Cachet to help you get ready to move outdoors.

Annette Joseph is a photo stylist/producer with 20 years’ experience who specializes in lifestyle editorial images for national magazines. Her expertise includes photo styling for interiors, food styling and propping, and special production projects.

Her special production products include conception of projects and storyline. This can include anything from simple craft projects and organizing stories, to decor tips and recipe and entertaining ideas. From presenting the initial story idea to producing and styling the final product. Annette handles it all, bringing style and creativity to every project.

She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, full time with her husband and 2 children, and in Italy every summer where she and her husband have a second home.

Annette is a regular lifestyle contributor on The Today Show and Better Mornings Atlanta.  She’s currently working on a television show and her first book. You can find her on Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook.

Brian Patrick Flynn is an interior designer focusing both on residential interiors as well as production design. In 2009, he married both of these worlds by creating Decor Demon, a design blog with 100% original photographic and video content that is equal parts stunning and hysterical. From the initial concepts and ideas to the edgy, editorial writing, vivid art direction and unique prop styling, Decor Demon is made up entirely of Brian’s designer DNA. In addition to Decor Demon, Brian is the design producer for the hit HGTV reality-competition series, Design Star. A recent move to Los Angeles has rendered Brian bicoastal, with homes in Atlanta and in the Hollywood Hills. The fast-talking design dude would also like to add that he has a small white dog that looks like a pig mixed with a deer and an alien, knows how to say Smurf in five languages, and at age 35, still refuses to eat the crust off his pizza and sandwiches.

 

As a correspondent on ABC’s The Chew, Evette Ríos blends food and design with her own unique “Do-it-Yourself” spin. A craft and design expert, she also appears frequently on The Rachael Ray Show and Planet Green’s The G Word, where she shares her can-do attitude and off-beat sense of humor while showcasing easy and inventive ways to create budget-friendly projects that add to the décor of viewers’ homes and lives. Rios was previously a co-host and designer for Freestyle on HGTV and TLC’s home repair show, In a Fix. In addition to her television appearances, she is host of Better Homes & Gardens’ 100-Days of Holidays online video series. Fluent in Spanish, Rios is a regular contributor to Al Despertar on Univision and Siempre Mujer magazine. She is a life-long New Yorker and an avid traveler.

 

 

Celebrity designer and  TV personality Courtney Cachet’s sense of style and vibrant personality can be found everywhere! This New York based decorating maven designs celebrity homes, several product lines and has large followings on NBC and Huffington Post Style as a regular contributor.

Courtney got her start a decade ago on WTVJ, the NBC affiliate in Miami, where her genuine personality was an instant hit with viewers.  Soon, she was appearing as an on air expert for NBC, MSNBC, Headline News, DIY Network, Better TV, and HSN.  TO date, she’s logged almost 1000 TV appearances worldwide.  Now based in NYC with her family, she is one of the most sought-after style experts in the media, appearing on hit shows like Open House NYC, The Today Show, VH1 and all over the web.  Courtney has become a go to decorator for celebrities who love her glam design style.

Courtney has been featured in Italian Vogue, Us Weekly, The Wall Street Journal, Women’s Day, First Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, The Rachel Zoe Report, and dozens of blogs.  Not only is her taste impeccable, but her personality is down to earth and approachable.

When she’s not globe trotting or looking for the next best thing to share with you, Courtney’s at home with her A-List entourage: her husband Aaron and young children, Brooke and Ford. Because the best homes are filled with what you love the most!

 

Dog Days of Summer

Published on June 14, 2011 in HAYNEEDLE and PATIO & GARDEN. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

The official start of Summer is only a week away. Make sure to take time to kick back and catch up on some much needed relaxation. There is no better way to relax than hanging with your feet up in a hammock.

What is your favorite way to kick back in the summer?

Organizing with Eduardo Xol

Published on October 20, 2010 in FURNITURE, HAYNEEDLE, HOMEACCESSORIES and PATIO & GARDEN. 1 Comment

The leaves keep changing and the preparations for moving back indoors continue. Next step – organizing!

Last time I talked to you it was all about getting cleaned up for the fall.  Well, now that you’ve gotten your home clean, it’s time to get it organized!

First things first – organize your outdoor area and put away your summer accessories you won’t be using, especially if you live where the cold is REALLY cold.  If you haven’t already, you may want to consider purchasing some outdoor storage, especially if you don’t have room anywhere else.  Put away your outdoor pillows, umbrellas, and toys and cover your furniture and grill.

Outdoor Storage Benches

Once you’re done outside, remove all of your indoor summer decor and store it properly.  I usually use plastic containers I can keep in my garage, in closets, or under my bed and swap out accessories and decorations seasonally.  At the very least, you should consider swapping accessories and small items out twice a year in the fall and spring.

If you have a lot of “non-seasonal” pieces, consider simplifying your home by putting some of these items away as well.  The less clutter you have, the more your fall decor will stand out as you prepare to celebrate the holidays with family and friends.

If you have a lot, perhaps you should consider purchasing some indoor storage pieces at this time.  There are several options for attractive furniture that doubles as storage, allowing you to keep track of the other seasons as you prepare for the holidays.

Having a garage or yard sale is a great way to clean up and get ready to organize for fall, will help create space for redecorating and entertaining guests during the holidays, and will help you increase your budget as you shop for new furniture and accessories!  This year, I am selling some of my older items and donating half of what I make to charity.

However you choose to organize, the key to all of this is timing. If you start the project now, while the weather is still manageable and the house is clean, you can really simplify things as you prepare for company.

Bringing Variety to America – a Post by Eduardo Xol

Published on August 11, 2010 in HAYNEEDLE and PATIO & GARDEN. 3 Comments

I will be enjoying what’s left of this  summer in different parts of the country.  I was just in New York with the executive team from Hayneedle for the 2010 Hayneedle Home Showcase, where we took over the Midtown Loft and Terrace on 5th Avenue. We created several vignettes to showcase a selection of products available at Hayneedle.com, including this modern sitting lounge set by Alphaville designs.  Notice the white pot on the table is the same one I used in my first “Hayneedle Your Home with Eduardo Xol” webisode, except the one I used was brown.

That’s a great tip – always look and see if something you love might come in another color to better match your decor. If everything about the item is perfect, except the color, it may still be possible to get an ideal match. If you’re willing to invest the small amount of time it takes to paint or refinish an accessory piece, not only will you get the complement you want, but you’ll also enjoy the satisfaction of customizing your own space.

One of the items that received a lot of attention at the Hayneedle Home Showcase was this artificial tree. Designed for the holidays, this “Cherry” tree has low voltage LED lights, and I could see a place for it year-round, indoors or outdoors. Another great tip to keep in mind – don’t limit yourself when it comes to “seasonal” decor- with a little imagination, it could look wonderful and intriguing in your home any time of year!

The Home Showcase was created as a way to celebrate the anniversary of Hayneedle.com’s launch a year ago and to introduce their huge variety of products to the media.  Here I am talking to Kate Hallett of People magazine about design for young people dealing with college and new careers.

When speaking with Kate, I placed an emphasis on modular furniture. These versatile furniture options are ideal for students, young professionals, or anyone who might move frequently, because these pieces can easily be fitted into virtually any environment. I also talk about using modular furniture outdoors in my upcoming webisode, “Creating an Outdoor Lounge.”

Kathie Lee Gifford was also on hand as a Hayneedle partner in support of one of her favorite non-profits, Childhelp.  We also had guest appearances by Bethenny Frankel of “The Real Housewives of New York City” and Kelly Rutherford of “Gossip Girl.” Here I am with Kathie Lee and Bethenny on the terrace.

As the end of summer draws closer, I’m also preparing for two projects in the fall.  The most important is the beginning of the school year for my nonprofit organization, The Alumi Media Group (www.AlumiMediaGroup.com), which launches its first-ever after school program in Los Angeles. We will be creating a series of lifestyle curriculum for students age k-8.  We’re really excited about it!

I’ve also been asked to design an outdoor lounge in Los Angeles for an event called Opportunity Green (www.OpportunityGreen.com), which is bringing together some of the brightest innovators leading the new green economy.  Always remember you can go green in nearly every room of your home. It just takes a moment to see how your items were made, and to consider that in your decision-making. Here’s one of the spaces where I was asked to create a lounge for a party.

For now, I’m off to a family wedding, and I’m using it as an excuse to take some time off.  I hope that you all continue to enjoy a beautiful summer, and continue to think of yourselves as designers. You can do it, with a little help from your friends at Hayneedle.com.

Creating a Garden Oasis

Published on July 23, 2010 in HAYNEEDLE and PATIO & GARDEN. 7 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

This summer has turned out to be extraordinarily busy for me!  Isn’t this when we’re all supposed to go on vacation?  Well, until I am able to really get away, I’ll practice what I preach and find the opportunities to relax any moment I can. As I say time and time again, in the words of my father, Eduardo Sr., “it’s all about balance!”

For me that balance includes taking care of my career, my family, my friends and myself, and deciding when to give each area the priority!  For others, especially those having to deal with any kind of health issue, finding balance can be daunting.

Ten years ago, my sister Monica was diagnosed with lupus.  It’s a strange condition that still remains a mystery to those who have to live with it as well as to the medical community at large.  Lucky for my sister, she has been dealing with what seems to be a somewhat “manageable” form of lupus. Similar to others afflicted with the disease, my sister’s lupus seems to be triggered by stress. People with lupus have what are called “flare ups” when the immune system seems to go on overdrive and starts to fight itself.  Sounds complicated, right?  Well, my sister was in the midst of a flare up prior to getting married. I wanted to assist her in her planning to ease the stress, so I helped with much of the coordination.  I also composed some original music for her ceremony.

Over the last decade I have become an advocate of lupus awareness and have been doing what I can to support The Lupus Foundation of America.  They have been a great resource of information for my family. This fall, I will be honored to serve as host for their annual Butterfly Gala in New York City.

Recently, I chose my sister’s backyard as the site for the webisode entitled, “Creating a Garden Oasis”.  But before we shot the webisode, I needed to do a bit of a makeover for her!  This is what the garden looked like before the makeover…

…and this is what it looked like after the makeover!

The changes were subtle and fairly inexpensive, but the difference was obvious!  It became the perfect garden oasis for our webisode and a place where my sister could relax!

My niece, Monet, makes a guest appearance in this webisode as my co-host!  Here we are walking Hazel in the park.

The whole experience made such a valuable impression on Monet, she decided to document it in a piece of art she made for me.  This is her artistic interpretation of being with me in front of the camera!

As I mentioned earlier, I composed music for my sister’s wedding.  One of the musical pieces is called “Velas”, which means candle in Spanish.  The piece of music is the background music for this webisode.  I hope you enjoy it!