Volume 17: July

Some of our favorite things

It's that time of year!

If you've been with us for long you know that we look forward to the Nordstrom anniversary sale every year. This month we've rounded up some of our home decor favorites from this year's sale.

#1

As you know I love Palm Springs! Here is a print of the Saguaro Hotel where we stayed earlier this year. 

The colors in the print will coordinate with most wall colors and bring a bit of summertime cheer to your home.

If you ever get the chance to stay in this beautiful hotel, be ready for some fun with music playing from weddings and parties day and night.

#2

I discovered these grapefruit candles from Nest a couple of years ago and am hooked. I'm a sucker for the light citrus scent. These make great hostess gifts as well.

Candles are a great way to elevate your bathroom decor.

#3

These bowls from Great Jones are perfect for leaving out on the kitchen counter. The fun red graphic can also add a bit of color and texture to your shelves or in your glass front cabinets.

These bowls are part of a collection that includes other baking dishes, too.

#4

Just look at this color! How fantastic is this Fig colorway? It's pretty enough to store on your stovetop.

I love my Emile Henry casserole dish - fabulous for my vegetarian daughter - but I don't have their Dutch oven. This color may be the reason to add this to my collection.

#5

If you haven't upped your serving board game in awhile, here's your chance. This marble serving board makes entertaining easy and elevates the look of any spread you are preparing.

Marble and wood boards can be left out as decorative items for easy use.

#6

I LOVE stripes! Want an easy way to freshen up your shower routine? A new shower curtain can update the look of your bathroom without breaking the bank. This style is designer approved; it comes in gray or navy and is machine washable.

The sale ends online and in-store on Sunday! We'll be finishing up our shopping this weekend while enjoying the warm summer evening in our backyard.

And stay tuned for next month's newsletter; we'll be sharing a couple of projects we've recently completed. The before and afters are amazing!

Volume 16: June

Everyone needs inspiration

Where do you find your inspiration?

For us, it can be found in a variety of locations. Some places we like to find inspiration are showcase houses, seasonal markets, and vendor launches. It helps us keep ahead of design trends that we can share with and incorporate for our clients.

In May we had the opportunity to go back and visit the Pasadena Showcase House down in sunny California. I especially love to visit as I was a participant years ago in my early design days - we won’t talk about how long ago that was. 😉

Inspiration + an escape from the rain? Yes, please!

The showcase does an excellent job of featuring a historic home modernized by a group of selected designers. This year we couldn’t help but notice the use of wallpaper everywhere.

Wallpaper is making a comeback and it’s not only for your living room walls. We saw treatments in closets, on ceilings, and on the back of bookshelves. It’s an interesting way to infuse color and dimension into your home.

There are different types of wall coverings to choose from as its available in vinyl, paper, or woven. Styles run the gamut from modern to traditional, classic motifs to abstract shapes.

We have a few projects in the works featuring unique wallpaper placement that we are also excited about. The finished product on this one will be gorgeous!

We're here if you have questions about wall coverings or are wondering how you might otherwise update your home. Contact us to inquire about our Designer for a Day package where we can support you in navigating the parts of your remodeling project that you find the most overwhelming.

Have a wonderful Independence Day!

Volume 15: April

Who's ready for more sunshine?

Yes, I'm ready for more sunshine

Cold weather aside, it's been a fantastic spring! We've had the pleasure of meeting new clients and connecting with previous clients.

We also just returned from a long overdue family trip to Hawaii over Spring Break. Hopefully, you were able to get away, too! Being able to spend that precious time together was just what we needed after the last couple of years.

Did I mention all the pink? This trip affirmed that I definitely need more pink in my life. The Hawaiian resort architecture and design were so inspiring. 

If you've worked with us, you know we love a swath of color even with the most neutral palettes which was the case with a bathroom remodel we completed last year. The spa-like feel dominates the main part of the bathroom with a bright burst of color in the water closet. MyDomaine recently featured this bathroom reconfiguration as their Makeover of the Week.

We hope you are enjoying this spring (we're sure the cold is going away soon!). You can catch me with my hands in the dirt pulling weeds and putting down fresh mulch.

See you next month!

Volume 14: February

P.S. I love you

For the love of Mid-Century Design

Why do I love it? I think my appreciation is related to my love of cars, or maybe my love of television - that doesn’t mean I’m a couch potato, but I do love a good Netflix binge (The Queen's Gambit, anyone?).

Palm Springs, a desert oasis, is the perfect place to get your mid-century modern (MCM) design inspiration and fix. Especially popular in the 1950s, it was a place for the Hollywood elite to escape for privacy while gathering in their unique homes or lounging on the back patio. Architects were commissioned to build cutting-edge designs for high-end clientele. Modern construction techniques of the time can be found in Palm Springs’ hotels and civic buildings, too, with metal and lots of glass which made for easy indoor/outdoor living.

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Historic Dr. Franz Alexander house. Note the slight curve in the ceiling beams and fireplace.

Poolside at Limon, an all steel MCM boutique hotel.

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A delightful way to see how this all became so cool is to visit Palm Springs during Modernism Week. I have gone to it a couple of times and was there again last week to not only soak up the sunshine but participate in the jam-packed schedule of house tours, lectures, and parties celebrating MCM architecture. The tours showcase renovations, preservation projects as well as new construction in the mid-century spirit. All have something beautiful to share in keeping the easy design character of the post-World War II era. Modernism Week happens in February, with a “Fall Preview” weekend in October, both of which are great times to visit Southern California.

Clockwise from top left: (1) A patio at the Polynesian themed Royal Hawaiian Estates condo community; (2) Renovation of the Dr. Franz Alexander house kitchen with walnut cabinetry featuring JennAir appliances; (3) A guest room at the Limon hotel featuring bright colors and a corrugated metal ceiling; (4) Stone and metal fireplace at the Dr. Franz Alexander house

Last week was, no question, a wonderful escape from the dreary weather we've been having in Seattle. It also fed my love for color and MCM design leaving me inspired to bring pieces of these concepts to my clients.

See you next month!

Volume 13: January

Bring on the new year!

Phew 2022!

How is everyone doing?

We continue to have absolutely amazing clients and projects that we get to design. Some of these projects are taking longer than planned due to supply chain issues and delays. Through it all, though, we are grateful to our clients and especially grateful to the clients that complete one remodel project and jump into another one. That is the case with two bathroom projects we recently completed with repeat clients. That means they lived through the dust the first time remodeling their kitchens and chose to do it again with a bathroom! Both of these bathrooms function as a powder room for guests as well as serving guest bedrooms. We designed a luxe experience for the guests staying for dinner as well as the weekend.

Navy + Gold Bathroom

This bathroom started with a finish from every decade that wasn’t easy to maintain. I think I’ve blocked out just how many shades of harvest gold or green and laminate there were in this small space. We started with a classic color palette to carry this update into this decade. The real key in the design was to gain the feeling of space. A custom shallow vanity and a wall-hung toilet are game changers. Easier to maintain and clean for the win!

Mid-Mod Bathroom

Here we had a 1990’s bathroom trapped in a 1960’s home. Ouch, please no more green marble. So it was out with the old and in with a unique color-blocked vanity. Clean lines, mosaic tile and modern fixtures allow for guests to pamper themselves in style.

It’s a new year and we still hope you and yours are safe and healthy as it has been a struggle for many. Our creative process continues to move forward with our amazing local showrooms, vendors and tradespeople. Patience is the name of the game with remodeling and a glass of wine might help.

Cheers!

Check out our latest projects. 

We look forward to working with you!

Volume 12: December

Wishing you a wonderful season

Couldn't pass up this beautiful view of the city we love during a night out last month.

This holiday season, with humble hearts and extreme gratitude, we want to thank you for supporting my small business. Thank you to our clients and colleagues, our extended family, for working with us and helping make 2021 a successful year. We look forward to another year of continued prosperity and growth together.

We wish you a peaceful and healthy season into the new year!

Volume 11: November

Many Thanks

Abundance

"I am grateful for all that I have and all that I have to share."

I loved hearing those words at the beginning of yoga class by our instructor Chris Dormaier this week. She is the Director of SoundYoga in West Seattle and has brought together a resilient support community to create a tight-knit group of more than just classmates. Each month Chris focuses on a new intention and it is most fitting to focus on abundance during the month in which we celebrate Thanksgiving. Our weekly class has become an important part of my routine over the past few years and I am very fortunate to set my intentions with intelligent, caring people.

It's also that time of year to spread some holiday cheer

As you may know from me sharing the fun on social media, I’ve been a supporter of Providence O’Christmas Trees since I learned about the program in 2011.

From their website: “Providence O'Christmas Trees is typically a three day celebration held at The Westin Seattle that raises funds for the ministries of Providence Home and Community Care, who offer a full range of services for people of all ages, especially those facing chronic or life-limiting illnesses.”

Images of the tree designed by Kirk Riley Design from their last in-person event.

As so many things do again this year, their fundraising events look a little different. For social distancing, they’ve scheduled virtual and drive-thru events for some Christmas fun. Since we are not able to participate in person we've created a fundraising page for PHCC Special Events. Please consider making a donation to spread Christmas cheer to their residents!

My sincere appreciation for you all reading this and wishing each of you a wonderful and abundant Thanksgiving!

Volume 10: October

Change is a good thing, I promise

We all love options

Everyone likes change, right? Just kidding. Change can be scary which is why many times it is easier for things to stay the same. If you’ve taken on the big task of doing a remodel then this isn’t you. You were ready for a change. Change can be wonderful, especially when we have a chance to plan for it.

A bathroom remodel is full of permanent change. Great planning is important in selecting tile and plumbing fixtures as they are not easy to just “switch out”. On the other hand, accessories, artwork, and even hardware can be switched up for a fresh look even after a remodel. 

We recently finished a hall bathroom project with a client and wanted to show them different ways to personalize their space. Whether you want to change the look due to a life event, change of season, or simply to freshen up your space there are easy ways to do this.

Where we started

This bathroom was completely gutted with all the fixtures staying in their existing locations. We said goodbye to tile counters and Hollywood vanity lighting. In came a new bathtub, vanity, toilet, fixtures…..EVERYTHING.

After some big changes

The clients prefer a clean mid-century inspired style so I had to incorporate that look into a traditional 1990’s house. We achieved this design with a mixture of tiles, a floating vanity, high-contract black and white. 

Here’s the happy result using neutral accessories and a pop of color in the flowers.

We also had a little fun and played pretend for when a college aged daughter returns home from college. How can we personalize for her use? By switching up the accessories and adding in a few personal items, we've easily created a space that is her style. These simple updates bring a new feeling to a finished space.

These are photographs that I took while working with our fabulous photographer Julie Mannell. Please be sure to check out our Houzz profile for the finished project pictures.

See you next month!

Volume 9: September

We’re all winners

We won! We won!

August brought us our first in-person event since life changed many months ago. We attended the NKBA Design Awards Gala where we were honored with a couple of awards of our own.

We’re especially proud of our 2nd place award for our Large Kitchen project as this category is very competitive. The projects this year were truly top-notch and on the cutting edge of kitchen design.

Madison in the Park is full of luxurious marble on the counters and backsplash with a tailored tile inset above the cooktop. State of the art appliances make meal prep and entertaining easier with a built-in refrigerator, double wall ovens, and a warming drawer. While the coffee bar with a prep sink, microwave, and second dishwasher bring ease to cleanup and morning routines.

The Small | Medium Kitchen category was also quite competitive, but we were proud to walk away with a 3rd place award for Cottage with a Tudor Accent. One of our goals was to add continuity in this vintage home by creating an arch opening between the kitchen and dining room that matched the existing arch at the dining room entrance. The contractor was also able to save the coved ceilings in the dining room. A custom wood hood and open shelving were brought in to add warmth and texture.

We are grateful for all our clients and winning awards is just a fun bonus. The trust our clients place in us and the hardworking contractors and vendors we work with make this all possible. Kirk Riley Design is definitely a team effort.

Thanks for being along for the ride!

Happy Fall Y'all!

Volume 8: August

It’s finally here!

My favorite month of the year!

August is the best of summer

Remember those days of nervousness and excitement leading up to the beginning of September? Hoping that you could go back to school and somehow be the cool kid. It never worked for me, but I love stationary so shopping for school supplies was enough of a distraction. This is probably where my love of tile and wallpaper started. 😊

As an adult, I sometimes still get those butterflies only it's for my daughter now. Back to school fashion turns into Fall fashion and, really, that's the best season for style! It means buying boots and sweaters and scarves even as we are getting every last bit of wear out of our dresses, tank tops, and sandals.

There's a wonderful laziness to the end of summer (don't worry, we're still hard at work on our projects!) especially during this hottest month of the year. This is my favorite time to hang out with friends and family doing nothing but enjoying their company. It's for sitting poolside in the afternoons or having dinner outside in the evenings.

Enjoying a cocktail on the patio at the end of the week isn't too bad, either!

We hope you're enjoying these last days of summer, too! See you next month.