WANT TO SHOW PEOPLE ONLINE YOUR SHEFFIELD CRED? BECOME A BADGE OWNER TODAY!

Looking for a way to add some flair to your website while proudly proclaiming your affiliation to the storied Sheffield family? Look no further than the Sheffield School badge! To get your own, simply go to the to the Sheffield site badge page and copy-and-paste the embed code into your HTML where you would like Sheffield badge to appear. Sheffield Badges come in three sizes: 125px X 125px, 150px X 150px, and 200px X 200px, but can be customized to fit your specific needs by manually changing the dimensions. Get your free badge and become a proud member today!  

For more information about the badges and the school itself, check out our website at sheffield.edu. 

Sheffield School began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.

Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.

How to Get a Design Proposal Accepted: Get Inside Your Client's Head

So you've spent a lot of time as an interior designer putting together a great client proposal. You've done the shopping, your homework has been flawless, your creative shines through each element of the design you're giving to your client - but something is wrong! Your client isn't budging. They want to see more chairs (after you've showed them every chair in your local showrooms) or they're balking about the budget, or the color's not quite right, or.... What's a designer to do?

I tried tackling this all-too-common issue for interior designers (and other creative businesspeople who are trying to cater to the custom design needs of their clients) and wrote an article for the Williams-Sonoma Designer Marketplace Blog called Why You Should Care (a Lot) About Getting Inside Your Client's Head. Click on the link and enjoy. Please tell me what you think and leave a comment on the W-S blog - and look through the blog as it's a great resource for design lovers.

If you're interested in learning more about how to take your creative interests to the next level, we encourage you to explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.

Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.

Dining by Design 2013 - Tabletop Design

(Design by Marc Blackwell)Need decorating inspiration for your next holiday dinner party? Take a look at the following exciting tabletop design set in wild, fantasy backdrops and you won’t be able to wait to host your next party!  DIFFA, Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS, hosted their annual fundraising Dining by Design event showing off creations by top designers and event planners. 

The lingering cold weather outside may protest, but springtime flourished through the tabletop décor at the show. Designer Marc Blackwell, known for his tabletop and home accessories, showed off his sparkling china collection – with designs so beautiful, they deserved to be displayed both on the table and on the wall! The orange tulip centerpiece picked up the sunny color scheme from the china.

(Design by Echo)Echo Design also ushered in spring with their butterfly and seashell tabletop décor. Echo Design started their company with a collection of scarves; since then they have expanded to creating bedding and bath accessories. For their display, they enclosed a seashell and butterfly collection under a glass tabletop and painted a mural of butterflies fluttering by.  

Kenneth Cobonpue, a Filipino designer, set his outdoor party in a green, eco-friendly and very romantic gazebo. Who said green design can't be beautiful? Cobonpue added dishes of bamboo and touches of green with leafy napkin rings and a moss centerpiece. The airy gazebo and furniture is made of easily renewable rattan. 

(Design by Kenneth Cobonpue)(Design by Kenneth Cobonpue)Interior designer, Rachel Laxer, imagined an 18^th-century French garden fete for a very theatrical party design. Corsets lace in the napkins amidst an abundant bouquet of roses and ranunculi. The gold stools and table is designed by Robert Kuo. A cheeky mural - a la Fragonard - of a ballgowned-lady brings fun and frivolity to the setting.

(Design by Rachel Laxer with Robert Kuo)Designer Ali Tayar collaborated with Alejandro Cabrera to create a modernist approach to the Last Supper.  By using checkerboard graphics, a skewed perspective and striking red chairs, the result is a dizzying feast for the eyes.

(Design by Ali Tayar and Alejandro Cabrera)

Interested in learning more about decor? Take a look at Sheffield School's Complete Course in Interior Design. At Sheffield, you'll learn how to transform a space, create color schemes, and select furniture, lighting, and accessories.

5 Inspiring Jewelry Pieces from This Year's Winter Antiques Show

Cartier Carved Bead Brooch, 1940, from A La Vieille Russie

I've noticed how jewelry has successfully invaded the world of interior design, and I say that in a good way. Interior design is at the nexus of fashion, and jewelry appeals to the design savvy as an extension of where we live and how we decorate. Go to any interiors show, and you'll find jewelry to be a big part of the exhibition space. "Handmade" is one of the hot buzz words in design, and jewelry has always been about hand crafting beautiful wearable art objects. Here are some of my favorites from January's Winter Antiques Show at the Park Avenue Armory in NYC. In this best-dealers-only curated show, I found some of the world's finest jewelry on display. Click on each photo for more information.

Antique gold bangle snake bracelet, 1880, from Kentshire

Gold pendant necklace, 1969, by Lucio del Pezzo from Didier Ltd.

Double ball beaded earrings in lavender and tanzanite by Axel Russmeyer from Kentshire
Gold necklace, 1969, by Arnaldo Pomodoro from Didier Ltd.

If you're interested in learning more about wedding planning and decor, we encourage you to explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.

Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.

4 Favorite Wedding Inspiration Color Stories

Pink Color Story {Photos by: Perfect Bound / Studio Straulino / Kate Spade / Oh Joy}

Do you know what we mean by a wedding color story? It's basically taking swatches of colors that provide complimentary hues, soothing monochromatic tones, and/or bold contrasting choices to begin selecting how a wedding will ultimately be styled - from the colors of bridesmaids dresses to the bridal bouquet and reception table decor. 

Green Color Story {Photos by: Alexandra Grablewski / Max Wanger / Design*Sponge / Johnny Miller / via The City Sage}

The color swatches is where you begin. But then you start to add online photos to your Pinterest page, print out photos from online, or cut them out of newspapers, magazines, catalogs, and other print sources to add real-life images to help bring the colors to life. One color swatch might be brought to life in a pair of shoes, the trim on a dress, or the wallpaper in a chic living room. Usually the color story begins with fashion and then the story grows and grows from there. But the swatches interrelate to help tell the complete story.

Neutral Color Story {Photos by: miles aldridge / deb mclean / jose villa / deb mclean}

Our friends at 100 Layer Cake, the most popular wedding blog on the planet, have created beautiful color stories. Click here to see collections of their color stories. Start by clicking on your favorite color, and then you'll find multiple "storyboards" to go with that color and expand upon it. Color stories and these color boards are great inspirational ways to help plan a wedding. Remember: a picture is worth a thousand words. Color stories are told with color swatches and photographs, and they're an essential component of planning a visully stunning event. Click on any of our four favorite color stories to see more.

Metallic Color Story {Photos by: cabin 7 / Nicolette Camille / Conroy & Wilcox via Randi Brookman Harris’s blog / Alexandra Grablewski}

Thanks to 100 Layer Cake for their beautiful photographs, posts, and wedding and event inspiration. 100 Layer Cake is a unique, comprehensive wedding and event planning resource for and by thoughtful, crafty modern women. Their vendors, projects, weddings, resources, sponsors, and marketplace are hand-picked and thoroughly researched with the hope that every single one is a truly unique addition to both your wedding and your planning process. Visit the 100 Layer Cake website today.

If you're interested in learning more about wedding planning and decor, we encourage you to explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.

Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.