Guest Blogger: Minhnuyet of Minhnuyet Hardy Interiors

Hi! I'm Minhnuyet Hardy. I'm an Atlanta, Georgia based interior designer of smart, stylish spaces that serve as a backdrop to the refined lifestyles of top CEOs, urban executives, entrepreneurs, professional athletes, and celebrities. Whether it’s a stylish bachelor pad, cultured man cave, a high-tech home office, a custom wine cellar, a handsome cigar room, or enhancing your everyday environment, I pride myself on knowing what is needed for smart, stylish living.

I was very flattered when Erin from House of Turquoise asked me to write a guest blog post and the timing could not have been more perfect! I recently finished a tween's bedroom and it is absolutely oozing the color turquoise. Below is a behind the scenes rendition of how we overhauled this little lady's room to create her dream space.

This tween's room was particularly fun to work on.

It brought me back to my early teenage years... discovering design, fashion, and my own budding creativity... So, I knew when sitting down with this adorable, young lady we had to create something sophisticated, yet playful, that would see her through high school graduation. It needed to be lively and young, while simultaneously reflecting an adolescent transforming into a young woman. Not the easiest of tasks, but one I was ready to face head on.

We began by choosing a color palette. My sweet client LOVES turquoise and brown. So we went with a completely turquoise and brown design concept. We started with the ceiling and worked our way down. The room has a nice, tall ceiling so we wanted to highlight that by covering it with a beautiful, Moorish patterned York wall covering.

(Interior Designer: Minhnuyet Hardy, Photographer: Christina Wedge)

Then, we chose the wall color. Turquoise. Are you surprised? This shade is so vibrant and fresh, while still being sophisticated.

(Interior Designer: Minhnuyet Hardy, Photographer: Christina Wedge)

After that, to continue to draw the eye upward, we chose custom curtains with petal cutouts and a chandelier with turquoise blue crystal teardrops that couldn't have been a more perfect discovery for the room. With these gorgeous curtains and this lovely chandelier, this tween can control the amount of light in her room as she experiments with makeup and new outfit combinations (as we all know... lighting is EVERYTHING).

(Interior Designer: Minhnuyet Hardy, Photographer: Christina Wedge)

(Interior Designer: Minhnuyet Hardy, Photographer: Christina Wedge)

We then chose bedding. The bedding is composed of a custom bedskirt and pillows with a ready made duvet cover and shams and a couple of small decorative pillows from Homegoods. (You can achieve a very expensive and chic look while still keeping costs low by combining ready made AND custom pieces.)

(Interior Designer: Minhnuyet Hardy, Photographer: Christina Wedge)

We did not purchase new furniture for the room (it was originally purchased from Pottery Barn Kids), however, we did rearrange the furniture substantially. My young client was very sure of the color palette she wanted, but when it came to the flow of the room and furniture placement, she was less sure of herself. So, I saw a an opportunity to explain the virtues of function and efficiency in regard to interior design. (Can one ever be too functional or too efficient? - I think not.)

We centered the bed in the middle of the room, with artwork on either side. Put her desk to the right of the bed so she could easily walk between them and do homework on her laptop from her bed OR her desk (teens LOVE options). And we placed her dresser with a lovely black and white chandelier canvas (every room needs a little black as it grounds the space) above it opposite her bed. Everything feels open, airy, and efficient even though the room is not overly large.

(Interior Designer: Minhnuyet Hardy, Photographer: Christina Wedge)

(Interior Designer: Minhnuyet Hardy, Photographer: Christina Wedge)

Then, to complete the room, we chose turquoise and brown accessories, eye-catching artwork, and a soft, high pile brown rug.

(Interior Designer: Minhnuyet Hardy, Photographer: Christina Wedge)

(Interior Designer: Minhnuyet Hardy, Photographer: Christina Wedge)

(Interior Designer: Minhnuyet Hardy, Photographer: Christina Wedge)

(Interior Designer: Minhnuyet Hardy, Photographer: Christina Wedge)

For me, one of the most rewarding parts of my job is seeing the smile on my clients' faces as they see their finished room, and this one was one of the best. This wonderful tween is so happy with the results of this turquoise transformation. She absolutely loves it. It is a lively reflection of a creative, fun, tween who is becoming a sophisticated, young woman.

(Interior Designer: Minhnuyet Hardy, Photographer: Christina Wedge)

I LOVE MY JOB.

If you are in the greater Atlanta, Georgia area and desire interior design services or have any inquiries, please contact me at minhnuyet@minhnuyethardy.com.

Also, I would like to stay in touch with you! Sign up for my email list to receive automatic notifications for my all-things-interior-design blog posts, and connect with me through social media! I would love to hear from you!

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Have a smart, stylish, & wonderful day!

XOXO,

Minhnuyet Hardy

www.minhnuyethardy.com

Guest Blogger: Traci of Traci Zeller Designs

Hi, House of Turquoise readers! I’m Traci Zeller, an interior designer based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and I create crisp, classic and chic interiors and products that make family-centered lives simpler and more stylish. As a busy wife and mom to twin boys, I understand the challenges of today’s active lifestyles and I develop solutions that are both beautiful and functional. What fun to guest-post for Erin while she and her precious family enjoy their vacation! I adore Erin, and I adore turquoise, so this is truly a treat.

Today, I’m sharing one of my favorite projects – because adorable triplet boys, a precious little girl and their devoted parents call this home! With four children under five and not a lot of square footage, we packed this home with style and function. Oh, and the mom used my innovative Double Day Design service, which is such a fun way for me to work with clients.

Let’s start in the dining room, which doubles as a library and homework station – making it a perfect space for everyday use. A sofa nestled between two bookcases provides a comfortable spot for reading, plus great storage. A large pedestal table, with wipeable lucite chairs, keeps the room from feeling crowded. I’m crazy about the navy, turquoise and hot pink color palette, and the homeowner commissioned Kerry Steele to create that painting especially for this room. And don’t forget the killer wallpaper and light fixture!

Moving into the living room, the homeowner kept her existing sectional – perfect for family movie nights – but upped the chic factor with a marble coffee table, navy and gold chairs and incredible Greek key trim on the window treatments.

Charlotte’s moderate climate means screened porches get three seasons of use, and we all know how much kids love to be outside! This porch is a favorite for family dinners … and watching the kids while they play in the backyard.

As the only bathroom on the first floor, the powder room sees a lot of use – but it’s still gorgeous. There’s no blue here; we indulged a little bit of girliness!

And speaking of girliness, their little sweetheart got a “big girl room” that anyone would adore. There’s pink, pink and more pink (with a hint of coral), but plenty of white and navy keeps the room from being overly sweet.

So what do you think? I hope you love it as much as I – and the homeowners – do. I’ll be unveiling another turquoise-filled project soon – this one, a 5,000 showhouse on Charlotte’s HomeArama tour – so follow along on my Instagram for sneak peeks of that! Of course, I’ll share final photos on my blog and website. Erin, thanks so much for having me, and enjoy your vacay!!



Love turquoise? Visit my shopping blog Everything Turquoise...updated several times throughout the day! Check out Decor by Color for even more color-themed shopping!

My Deck Makeover Reveal!

Summers go by so quickly here in Minnesota, it's really a shame to have such a great outdoor area and not put it to good use! After we had a new sliding door installed this spring (one that actually opens!), we were more determined than ever to fix up our deck! We already had the super comfy outdoor sofa sitting in our basement (an outlet score from a few years ago) and the white dining table/chairs, but we brought in some fun new pieces to make it a colorful, happy place where we could take full advantage of the nice weather and beautiful view!

My jumping-off point was the fabulous fabric on the throw pillows. I've been dying to use the China Seas Conga Line leopard print fabric somewhere somehow ever since I saw it on Simply Seleta forever ago. Lucky for me, New York Designer Fabric Outlet had it available in a durable outdoor fabric! It was fate! They also had Quadrille's Tashkent turquoise chevron fabric, another favorite of mine. While not outdoor fabric, I thought it'd be perfect in our living room or on the deck when we had company. (Or really anywhere in our home since it's the perfect shade of turquoise!) Both are just so beautiful in person. Definitely check out NYDFO.com if you're looking for awesome deals on designer, normally "to-the-trade" fabric; it's a great resource! (Right now they're actually having a big sale too...their whole store is 50% off!)

On to the turquoise chairs! I've seen Jane Coslick use them in her designs, so I knew they had to be good. They're from World Market, as are the fun turquoise stools (and a lot of other stuff...I love that store.) The craziest thing was how perfect their Lagoon color this season matched the turquoise patio heater I found online. Can you even believe that heater?! Deck season is so much longer in Minnesota with a heater...I'm SO excited to have it! I still can't believe I found a turquoise heater.

The dining table was really fun to put together; I had a blast mixing colors, patterns and texture. The turquoise melamine plates are fantastic! I bought them a couple months ago and we've been using them for every meal. Again, the perfect shade of turquoise. And I was excited to have just enough of the Conga Line fabric left to have a runner made. And the fact that it's Suncloth material has already proved to be beneficial when Wesley managed to spill his dinner on it! (Is he not the cutest, by the way?!)

I'll post the sources below, but if you have any questions–just ask!


And since it's finally Friday, it's time to announce the winner of the Isola Bella giveaway! The lucky recipient of the coastal towel set is....

Lastly, Chris and I are headed off to a cabin for a relaxing lake vacation so I will be gone all of next week. Check back though as I have guest bloggers filling in for me with some inspiring turquoise spaces you don't want to miss! Have a wonderful weekend everyone! :)

Sources
Pillow fabric - c/o New York Designer Fabric Outlet
Sofa - Room & Board
Rug - Dash & Albert
Turquoise patio heater - Target
Chairs, stools and green table - World Market
Turquoise party cups - Amazon
Throw - World Market
Colorful outdoor candles - HomeGoods
Stone monogram coasters - Emily McCarthy
Turquoise bowls - West Elm
Striped platter - World Market
Dining table - CB2
Dining chairs - Ikea
Runner fabric - NYDFO.com
Turquoise plates - Pier 1
Le Creuset ramekins - Amazon
Seagrass placemats - World Market
Napkins - Crate & Barrel
White goblets - HomeGoods
Turquoise votives - West Elm
Lantern - HomeGoods
String lights - Costco
Bench -  World Market
Colorful planters - Bellacor
Mini adirondack chair - Kohls

Love turquoise? Visit my shopping blog Everything Turquoise...updated several times throughout the day! Check out Decor by Color for even more color-themed shopping!

Get the Look:

Borges Brooks Builders

Oh the homes in WaterColor...they never disappoint! Beautifully built by Borges Brooks Builders, this inviting coastal retreat in the dreamy Florida community is full of character and warmth. Along with all of the great rustic elements, the soothing sand color throughout paired with the splashes of blue give off a relaxing seaside vibe that I'm loving! The open great room is seriously gorgeous, definitely my favorite area of the home! The spacious master bedroom is perfect too...love those comfy chaises! You can finish your tour with more photos by Fletcher Isacks right over here!


There is still time to enter the giveaway for the beautiful set of coastal towels from Isola Bella–the winner will be announced tomorrow! Go here to enter! I will also be revealing our deck makeover! I'm so happy to be done with another project around our house and can't wait to share it with you all!


Love turquoise? Visit my shopping blog Everything Turquoise...updated several times throughout the day! Check out Decor by Color for even more color-themed shopping!

Recent Turquoise Finds: