Diva Design Diary

By Holly Peterson

Diva Design Diary is about bringing the latest interior design trends and tips to our existing clients, as well as future clients...enjoy!

By Holly Peterson

http://bat.ly/zuIxC

No More Excuses!

By Holly Peterson



The Roomba Vacuum presented by iRobot.
With technology like this at our fingertips, there are no more
excuses for a dirty floor! This little vacuum does it all and it does
it all on it's own. Roomba vacuums under and around furniture
and along wall edges with technology to discern soft barriers from
solid barriers allowing Roomba to go under curtains, comforters,
bed skirts and sofa skirts. Roomba automatically adjust between
carpet and tile allowing for an entire house cleaning in one shot.
The Roomba 562 Pet Series allows you to preset up to seven times
per week. Preset the Roomba to clean at night while you and
your family sleep and wake up to a clean house! Does it get
any easier? Retailing anywhere from $200-$600, it's a
small price to pay for the peace of mind that comes
with a clean house. Men, this is the one vacuum
that is okay to buy your wife.

Attention: Tech Savvy Home Owners

By Holly Peterson

Our lives are getting even more simple...
Thanks to Lutron!


Click HERE to read the full article on Lutron's latest launch, an iPad App that saves you energy!
Don't have the Lutron system?
Contact Design Diva Interiors on how you can integrate
Lutron’s RadioRA 2 Total Light Control System into your home.

DIY Headboards

By Holly Peterson

Headboards create a focal point in any bedroom and can simultaneously
add an abundance of drama. Unfortunately, creating that drama
can sometimes come with a hefty price tag. Here are some ideas
you can do yourself to add visual impact in your bedroom
without braking the bank.






This one is simple yet chic. Upholstered plywood squares. Keep
it simple with a solid color, or go bold with a pattern. An easy and
inexpensive way to add more upholstery and drama to a room.














Using a large piece of art is a great way to incorporate color
and if your limited on wall space it's the perfect way
to fit in all your design elements without having
competing focal points.









Planks of wood in various shapes and stain, pieced together like a
puzzle and framed with more wood. This one involves a bit
more skill set, but wow, what a beautiful work of art!










If your going for Shabby Chic, you have gotta have this look!

Old window shutters with chipped paint and broken, missing

slats work wonderfully with this charming design style.

Go to your local architectural salvage yard and

give some old shutters a new life!

For more ideas and advice on custom headboards

contact Design Diva Interiors.

San Diego Hot Spot

By Holly Peterson



A California inspired Italian kitchen and wine shop in the heart of
Banker's Hill in San Diego.
This restaurant is noteworthy for it's menu alone, but I cannot
ignore the beautiful ambiance this superbly designed restaurant has to offer.


The restaurant’s interior evokes a modern kitchen combined with the
history and comfort of an old rustic country farmhouse. A touch of home,
splash of bohemia and many objects new and old attract the eye. A focus on
raw, sustainable material and reclaimed local material is found throughout.
Discarded fence boards recovered from San Diego county wrap columns,
walls, service stations and the back bar.



The Chef's whimsical expression of Italian classics coupled with the use
of the freshest local produce, and organic and sustainable products comprise
a diverse menu with all items at or below $20. Whether dining traditionally or
‘family style’, guests have become hooked on favorites such as Stuffed
Fried Squash Blossoms, Ricotta Gnudi, Braised
Black Cod and Veal Piccata.


View of the pizza bar:


View of main dining area:


Appetiser sampler board:





Stuffed Fried Squash Blossoms:

(to die for)





Seasonal pizza with broccolini and speck:




Cucina Urbana is part of The Urban Kitchen Group, affiliated with
such restaurants as Kensington Grill.
Cucina Urbana is a great place for date night or an evening out with friends.
Pop in this weekend and check them out for yourself, but make
a reservation first. They fill up quick!


~ Design Diva

GE Dishwashers with PureClean

By Holly Peterson


GE’s newest dishwashers now offer the company’s PureClean self-cleaning, five-stage filtration system. The PureClean system includes 37 percent more wash jets, as well as a middle wash arm that has jets dedicated to silverware. The system uses six levels of wash with five-stage filtration.
Contact any local appliance store for more information.

TONIGHT! You won't want to miss it!

By Holly Peterson

I hope you were able to see the Sextant product, from the Jamie Beckwith Collection
featured on “Candice Tells All” last week.

Projection from the Jamie Beckwith Collection will also be featured this evening, Saturday, February 5th on HGTV’s “Candice Tells All.” Tune in at 5pm PST.

Design Diva Interiors has used products from the Jamie Beckwith Collection too!
Please contact us on how you can integrate these fabulous materials into your space!

FREE PotteryBarn Design Class

By Holly Peterson



Your local POTTERYBARN would like to invite you to a comlimentary design class on:
HOW TO ACCESSORIZE YOUR HOME

When: Sunday, February 6th @ 10 AM
Why: Learn how to use stylish accents to create great living spaces
*All class participants will receive 10% off merchandise featured in the class.*
Call your local store to reserve your space today.

Happy designing!
~ Design Diva

Coffee Table Books

By Holly Peterson

Libraries call their bookshelves "stacks," but the only purposeful
book-stacking most of us do is on our coffee tables, where books are shuffled
on and off like favorite playlists on an iPod.

Coffee tables are places for odd juxtapositions. Most people, over the years,
find themselves collecting great coffee table books. Those chic, jumbo volumes
about music and art, history and science, film and fashion. Flipping through
these books is like gallery-going without the gallery; the best of them crack
open teeming worlds of color and pageantry and intellect
and sometimes even chaos.

These three are sure to spark up conversations in your living room!




'The World in Vogue: People, Parties, Places'
Introduction by HAMISH BOWLES; edited by ALEXANDRA KOTUR

It’s been 100 years since Condé Nast acquired Vogue, and this lavish book, packed with photography from the likes of Richard Avedon, Irving Penn and Annie Leibovitz, chronicles the magazine’s high points and catches its plush, starry, elusive sensibility. Models, actresses, It girls, socialites and Trumps are captured in portraits and during air kisses and other unguarded moments. Paloma Picasso, in a 1981 Vogue interview, seemed to speak for everyone here: "To look good and to dress up isn’t just a favor you are doing for yourself — it’s a favor you are doing for the people around you." (Knopf, $75)



This handsome book, from the author of the four-volume "Encyclopedia of Exploration," is a chronological survey of the world’s most important and audacious explorations, from the circumnavigation of Africa in 600 B.C.E. to Roald Amundsen’s conquest of the Northwest Passage and well beyond. The illustrations — period maps, journals entries, photographs — are terrific. (Bloomsbury, $50)- New York Times

The author admits that the Paris Métro “has been a source of fascination for me since childhood,” and this overstuffed book — packed with vintage maps, photographs and posters — is a train spotter’s delight. “The Paris Métro has more to offer to the student of design than almost any other transport system,” he writes. “Its classic art nouveau entrances, art deco candelabra, white-tiled stations and idiosyncratic maps are almost as recognizable city landmarks as the Tour Eiffel, Arc de Triomphe or the Louvre.” The lovely book will have you scanning the Web for round-trip tickets to Paris, just so you can ride around below the earth. (Penguin, paper, $25)



All-In-One... For Your Laundry!

By Holly Peterson

Ariston by Indesit


The ARWDF 129 and 129S All-in-One laundry system from Ariston provides clothes washing and drying in one unit. The unit features 13 wash cycles and three drying cycles, with a large-capacity drum that washes up to 15 lbs. and dries up to 12 lbs. of laundry.
It is Energy Star-rated for washing performance.
{Call 226-660-4211 for more information.}