City Living and Apartment Staging

My daughter and niece moved into a condo in the city this weekend.

In true Mommy fashion, I couldn't peel myself away until their new place was spotless, chic and felt like home. Needless to say, it was a long day. But well worth it!

Here are a few photos of their beautiful new home. Apologies for the poor quality of the iPhone photos.

Apartment/home staging is one of my favorite things to do because people so rarely take full advantage of their space. I love seeing the potential a room has and making a vision come to life.

And my favorite part:

The excitement in their eyes and smiles on their faces when it's all done.

DESIGN TIP TUESDAY

Update your bathroom with the newest look in bathtub design:

The Soaking Tub

Bathroom design has come a long way from what was once considered a luxury for few in the 19th century. Bathrooms built today often include beautiful bold soaking tubs in updated design styles.

The Admiral Lux by Devon & Devon is a lovely design featuring a clawfoot cast iron enamel bathtub.

Up the sophistication and give this classic design a more modern feel by choosing an Aubergine or Black exterior, with a highly polished white cast iron enamel interior.

The Admiral Lux allows you to choose from a variety of leg styles including the Shield foot (shown), Deco foot, and Eagle foot; all three of which fall under the "Claw Foot" category.

For a more modern look, choose a tub similar to the Aurora, also by Devon & Devon.

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It's all about balance!

Whether you choose a bright or dark color scheme, it's the texture that pulls a room together.

Shiny cool surfaces come into play in multiple areas with shelving, translucent glass vases, picture frames, mirrors, and satin or leather fabrics. But the balance is then achieved by adding warm surfaces to such areas as upholstery in cashmere, chenille or tweed fabric, carpets of sisal, nylon or wool. Complete the feel by additional textural balance like a velvet or faux fur throw over a leather chair.

Window treatments can be soft or hard.

You can go with a soft fabric drapery treatment, a hard horizontal slat wood blind, or a mid-range woven panel to texturally add interest to the room.

DESIGN TIP TUESDAY

Keep It Sleek

Whether your style is traditional or modern, a tidy room is always in style.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

Look for tight-back upholstery in sofas and chairs, and you won't have to fluff those large pillows every time you get up.

Choose a loop pile carpet, also known as Berber. It won't show footprints when walked on.

Retain your collectables in a great etagere so you can show them off on open shelves.

Trending: Translucent Countertops

A new trend in countertop appears to be natural stone that is back-lit to show off its translucent value.

Onyx, White Quartz, Agate, and Hematite all look beautiful when illuminated by commercial LED lighting, with the transformer hidden from view.

But beware - there's a price to pay for this gorgeous look. It is not for those on a tight budget.

Translucent dyed blue agate stones.

Backlit Onyx bar at Nobu Paris.

Well, Hello!

Hello there, blog world!

I'm Lily Chelemengos - Interior Designer, allied member of ASID, and owner of Tiger Lily Collection.

Based in Chicago, I do everything from staging homes to offering color, design and space planning consultations.

Tiger Lily's Design Philosophy is simple:

Provide the client with a "feel good" design.

Please feel free to follow this blog for a dose of design insight and inspiration, and look out for Design Tip Tuesdays.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and answer your questions so don't be a stranger!

A big hello to the wonderful world of blogging!