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Some may argue that natural wood products are hard to maintain especially in a climate such as ours here in South America where the days are blistering hot and the seductive nights are much cooler with just a hint of mist in the atmosphere especially in the higher elevations.  But the past few nights I beg to differ as it has been warm and humid causing most to crank up their air conditioning units a notch or two just too get a good night’s sleep; and with all the mix in temperatures lately your hardwood furniture and decorative pieces are paying the price.

With the extra moisture in the air and at times switching over to dry air mixed with cooler air from overworked A/C units have caused splits and cracks to appear on some of your most prized hardwood family heirlooms.  We’ve gotten a few frantic calls and repaired quite a few hardwood furnishings in the past few months and something is telling me there are more calls to come.

 MDF  “Medium Density Fiberboard”   Laminate and Wood Veneered Panels

The world has gone MDF no doubt and most of everything for that matter seems to be made from the wonder material from tables to doors, bedroom furniture, computer desks and chairs, wall panels, frames you name it and I’m sure there is some measure of MDF behind an appropriately designed veneer covering.  I admit the designs are beautiful if not captivating and unlike its rival counterpart MDF is said to be more adaptable to changing temperatures; easy to work with; exhibiting ready to use smooth surfaces for quicker productivity, and they come in various sizes, thickness gauge, and colors with textured veneers. 

It’s the number one blessing to shop joiners and home furnishing manufacturers everywhere one would say, some MDF’s are even moisture resistant to an extent making them perfect for constructing kitchen cabinetry, floor to ceiling bookcases, podiums, tables and did I mention it was bug resistant too against those carnivorous wood dwellers that wreak havoc on treasured furniture pieces?
With that said “who could ask for more..?”

Well, I could for starters.  Nothing compares to the real deal ‘wood’ many believe that MDF boards have revolutionized wood and wood products, but this is not so and ‘the student in this case does not advance the teacher.’  Even current trends show that wood in all its elegance is refined and timeless! Would you paint the Mona Lisa with an air brush? I think not; So why produce your finest works of art using a material that’s anything but beautifully imperfect the way nature intended.

My husband and I pulled up some MDF base molding strips for a colleague of ours to help him install a kitchen display for his showroom and low and behold there they were not more than one month since  the original install of his moldings were subterranean termites! They had taken hold of their latest victim, the MDF molding strips.  As you can see  [below] the termites got well into the board in the space of just a few weeks.  Not only does he have to worry about replacing the damaged moldings he now has to incur the cost of hiring an exterminator to rid his showroom displays from becoming a gourmet banquet for his newly uninvited guests.

Subterranean Termites:
Picture courtesy The National Pest
Management Association

So despite popular belief that termites only go after ‘the real deal’ and that MDF takes the headache away from solid or hardwood installations that have been deemed too costly running the risk of termite damage in the long run especially in our hot tropical climate here in the West Indies; truth be told those pesky little bugger also have no hang-ups sampling the competition as well.

 The Beauty of Hardwood Designs …. timeless… elegant!

So, this being the case, why settle for MDF products when you can have the alluring beauty and enjoy the timeless brilliance
of natural wood in all its magnificence and grandeur.

Choose your Own Style … and stand apart from the crowd …

In the end I’d rather have a kitchen that was a conversation piece standing on its own merit, strong, bold – ‘the real deal’ or a piece of furniture I could bequest that stood the test of time, revered for its unique design and renowned craftsmanship than to settle for a product that was fast and lucid a bi-product of its time.

Call me bias, I am a wood enthusiast and proud of it.  Ahh, the beauty of wood! I’ll stand resolute and embolden  to accept nature made over man made any day.

Happy designing everyone!

CHEZ MOI
design blog by  Analee Achee-Hoyte
Design & Visual Coordinator @
Simply Exquisite Interiors

Autumn what an exciting time for decor

With the multitude of trends out there it seems almost impossible to keep up with the changing trends between seasons, but it’s my job as a design coordinator and an interior designer to narrow it down for you; so here goes!

The colours get warmer as the seasons draw colder, so bright colours transition into warmer hues, now is the time to get cosy and Fall is the season to do just that as it gets colder outside and we welcome in Thanksgiving and the holidays we want to warm our environment inside as well.  So, we look for warmth in textures, details, accents and accessories and most of all in colour!

Fall Trends to Entice your Palette

ARTISAN:   Earth bound treasures that include hand-finished objects such as wall accents, furniture collectables and unique
hand crafted pieces with lots of detailing; and crafted lighted fixtures with extraordinary dimensions all warm materials made
of wood, natural fibers, ceramics; leather, and etc.

TERRACOTTA:    A colour I particularly love, it’s connective, warm and inviting and same can be said for the red tones of clay,
these two colours add volumes of character to your  home or commercial space.  You can opt for any finish to these inviting
colours as all are equally interesting to work with but if you prefer a more modern look you should stick to a more matte finish
to achieve that goal.

EARTHY GREEN:     The darker the better, and jewel toned ‘Emerald Green’ is perfect to achieve that goal.  Although Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2017 is ‘Greenery’  some say it’s a bit ‘too limy’ for their tastes;  But Greenery is a fresh and alluring pick me up colour to enliven your cherished spaces; by adding accents of natural wood along with the warm boldness of brass is sure to hold the richness of your decor together.

SILHOUETTES OF CIRCLES:     These curvy silhouettes are gaining popularity in many seating circles, they are being used everywhere to adorn seating clusters as they tend to bring out a sense of warmth and luxury  and immense comfort for everyone that chooses these popular lines.  Ottomans and chairs pair well with these silhouettes.

RATTAN WEAVE:   Rattan is finding it’s way indoors more and more.  When used indoors it takes on a whole new interest; mix this weave with your choice of plush throws, faux furs, pillows and scarfs and feel the mystery of the tropics come ‘alive’ in you.

JEWELED VELVET’S:     We are looking out for this to be a favourite trend this season.  Living in the tropics doesn’t mean
you can’t experiment with the wonders of textiles and one of my favourites for this season is ( you guessed it … ‘Velvet’).
Velvet adds warmth, texture and comfort all rolled into one.  Now add the exuberance of brass or gold accessories to this
lavish palette and experience the Mystique of the Holiday Season like never before.

The world of designing trends

Though fascinating can be quite peculiar even predictable, trends come and trends go but we’ve come to realize that everything that demonstrates innovation and uniqueness in designing concepts is perfect and stylish enough for modern interior decorating for 2017.

Retro-spec

A touch of the 70’s is fun and the colours are vibrant with juicy colour schemes to entice your palettes.  We see the use of retro lighting fixtures and bulbs mixed in with modern themes and various vintage clocks and dated art work making a come-back mixing antique with contemporary home furnishings and textures to create the perfect and original decorating experience for modern spaces.

Green Scene and Recyclable

Eco Friendly up-cycle redesigning and organic designs mixed with new and innovative designing materials and colour palettes are the latest in interior design choices.  Modern design trends for 2017 are hedged on the ability to create new from old – recycled materials, woods, and fabrics; salvaged metals and Eco-friendly re-usables’ are high demand favorites  trending now.

COLOUR THERAPY – JEWEL TONES

This Autumn we see a strong gravitation towards darker tones, jeweled tones with lots of berry and plumb hues, picking up where the paler pinks for this Summer left off.  We have rich russet for a touch of drama and the deep blues adding good colour, like the brilliance of peacock!

PEACOCK  is taking over interiors with the feathery prints of this bold proud bird to actual feather strewed over and around ‘your nest’ accenting and highlighting otherwise modest rooms.  Go bold with feather prints in wall paper coverings, textiles; soft as well as hard accents for greater impact.

Let’s not forget Teal in all  shades have returned providing a foil for nickel and brass and for a sophisticated plush maximalist look.

BURNT ORANGE  and mustard blend beautifully with Terracotta and makes a wonderful textile colour for linens, throws and cushions, these colour combos are warm and soothing and can be paired with cooper, gold and brass to balance the use of an all white linen or neutral hazelnut theme in the bedroom.

EMERALD  and forest greens are trending this Fall and these ‘jewel tones’ are earthy and mysterious by nature, a good formula to use for a successful modern interior design decor is the [ 60 – 30 – 10 ] rule, basically it helps you distribute the strong rich colour within your living space.  The strong or dominant colour can utilize as much as 60% of your colour palette while the secondary colour(s) can provide 30% of the designing palette leaving the remaining 10% for you to touch in accent colour combinations.

It’s your space, play around with the textures and hues accredited to this wondersome season and have fun designing and decorating!

CHEZ MOI
design blog by Analee Achee-Hoyte
Design & Visual Coordinator @
Simply Exquisite Interiors

We scoured the list and came up with the most shopped trends so far for this Spring/Fall 2017.  So without further ado here is your mid-year Trend Report on top market trends.

Geometric Designs

Geometry  has found its home in 2017 designs from furniture pieces to textiles and wall paper patterns, these stunning patterns are brightening up homes and commercial spaces with classic patterns all given a new flare for the modern decorator.

 Rust Affair

The earthy allure of rust tones seem to be coming alive in everything, furnishings, textile collections and the deep shades of rust are making their way in architecture all across the city scapes.

The Outdoors Come Alive

It’s safe to say that the inspiration for 2017’s natural elements, of  “greenery”, “kale” and even “pale dogwood” are ever present  when it comes to our choice of furnishings!  The outdoor is very vocal with elements floral and galactic patterning, these stary designs are surely making a bold yet comfortable statement.

 Smart Homes, Smart Cover

The more wired we become, the less wires we want to see.  Our homes are reflecting our changing lifestyles and are becoming increasingly smarter.  Furniture manufacturers as well as tech companies are inventing products to blend into your own creative designs that is why Samsung has introduced their new Frame TV a masterful piece that hides in plain sight!  This smart TV acts like a picture, equipped with four frame options, that easily mounts to your wall surface like beautiful artwork.  It is so flush and sleek, no one will know the difference.

 Timelessly Aged

‘They say age brings reason’ this may very well be true for Spring/Fall 2017.  Textile designers are revamping their archives to bring you their latest design ideas.  They are not just simply tweaking their colorways, they are pulling out all the stops to bring to you new results from old favorites.

Continue reading “Hottest Market Trends of 2017” →

The alluring scents of fresh flowers in bloom, the crispness of the early morning air coupled with the brilliant burst of colours from every crevice, nook and fissure alerts us that Spring is definitely here.

This season is one of splendour with a vast array of colour choices selected just for you, to brighten your homes, work-spaces, and add a boost of colour to all of your special venues.

I won’t keep you waiting: Let’s start off with the tantalizing effect of PRIMROSE YELLOW, cheerful and fun just like the season!

Now we move into the vivacious mystique that FLAME has to offer for this Spring:  A great colour for lifting the ambiance  of darker spaces  and adding a touch of fire to otherwise mundane spaces.

Next we cosy up to NIAGARA-BLUE with soft cool tones that would soothe a raging beast:  This colour is so inviting and easy to utilize that every room in your home can benefit from it’s soothing tones.

Still within the  blue family we have LAPIS BLUE, the bold vibrant cousin of Niagara Blue to add pop and a touch of royalty.  It’s a very confident colour and somewhat dramatic in it’s presentation.

A look at refreshing AQUA BLUE, this blue green hue is calming as well as invigorating and awakens a tropic paradise within to indulge your senses.  It’s refreshingly vibrant and can adorn your walls adding imagery for a surprising new look.  Remember to apply aqua to your accents and upholstery as well.

PINK YARROW absolutely the most vibrant colour in the list adds a touch of cheer and enjoyment to any surrounding, mix it in with all our favourite textures and accessories, don’t forget the furniture too.  A pink yarrow side chair could add that extra glam to your décor.

While we are in the company of ‘Pinks’ let’s not forget the ever subtle PALE DOGWOOD, this shade just speaks femininity but don’t be misled, a very bold statement can be made to boost the presence of this otherwise subtle hue.  Let it carry your room and watch it take over.

Nature is our best colour expert and the true hues of green are alive at every turn with this season’s choice of a TANGY  YELLOW  GREEN.  Makes you ready to welcome in Summer.

Our next colour takes us back to our olfactory sense of smell, KALE is a foliage based green that ties us to nature and brings out the earthy aspects of our designs.  It’s a neutral colour that can be used as a primary or accent.

NEUTRAL HAZELNUT brings the balance needed to conclude our list of exciting and enlightening colours that adorn our Spring/ Summer Selection 2017.  Like the nut itself this warm brown hue is the perfect transitional colour to take you through the seasons with glam and flare, though it holds a unique softer side that is very much natural and appeasing to every eye.

Happy decorating!

CHEZ MOI
design blog by Analee Achee-Hoyte
Design & Visual Coordinator of
Simply Exquisite Interiors