It’s summertime and all we wanna do is spend lazy days outside, enjoying the warmth of the sun, amongst the beautiful seasonal flowers and fresh greenery. And once we’ve reached our limit of UV rays, we can’t think of anything better (within the tri-state area) than finding refuge under a big, shady tree… and if we’re lucky enough, catching a cool breeze through the leafy branches.

There are some people on this planet that are a step ahead of us when it comes to taking advantage of what Mother Earth has to offer. Baumraum or ‘tree-room’ is a German based studio that specializes in sustainable, livable, amazingly sturdy tree houses. The firm consists of architects, landscape designers, tree experts and craftsmen who make each client’s ultimate childhood dream a reality. We mean really, can you imagine how much fun having your own, functioning tree house could be? We are giddy thinking about the possibilities. Our inner seven-year-old is itching to come out and play.

Each Baumraum project is approached uniquely, taking the client’s wishes and also the tree into consideration. One of the firm’s major objectives in their designs is ensuring the protection and preservation of the trees where they build these livable dwellings. It is ensured that no damage is done to the trees chosen for the project.

The structures are typically built off-site and are then put together in the tree, held up by cables, textile belts, and the natural sturdiness of the tree. Each project is different, but some of the tree houses they’ve build feature kitchens, heating, insulation, bedrooms, sound systems, glass windows, lighting, storage spaces, and plumbing.

The Baumraum group doesn’t prefer any one wood in particular, they use different types depending on the project and the chosen tree where the home will be built. Each creation is designed in a way to embrace and enhance the environment it is built into. The structures have many windows and outdoor seating, so you can have as much interaction with the tree as possible. Some signature design features include skylights, curved windows, wood paneling, aluminum cladding and railings, decks, and built-in seating, beds, and storage.

We’ve got to say, they’ve thought of everything. It’s not just a novel idea, it’s an actual functioning house. In a tree. Maybe we should rethink that house on the lake idea…

HighStreet.Cincinnati

Raising children is an experience that warrants many joys- and one of the joys that particularly excites us is the aesthetic kind. (We bet you didn’t see that coming). But yes, not surprisingly the design opportunities that come along with children fill us with all sorts of fun ideas. Letting your imagination run wild results in delightful spaces for your happy little youngsters. You don’t have to restrain yourself like you do in the rest of your house.

Children love color. Experiment. There are plenty of fun wallpapers out there. Try one. Let your kids write on the walls; paint a wall with chalkboard paint.

Kids also love little cubbies or hiding spots. Create a cozy nook for them to nuzzle up with their favorite book. Build an indoor tree house. Make a teepee. Create a forest canopy.

It’s easy to get clever with storage and organization too. Use colorful bins for toy storage on a bookcase. Build a cupboard that looks like a miniature sky scraper. Display toys like pieces of contemporary art on floating shelves.

We’ve gathered some inspirational photos for you to flip through. Have fun. That’s what your kids would want you to do anyway.

HighStreet.Cincinnati

Refreshing. Stimulating. Uplifting. Witty.  Native New Yorker Hester Diamond had a serious art collection, but was afraid of it being taken too seriously. She was determined to create a design for her Upper West Side apartment that accomplished showcasing her impressive art collection in an approachable way.

Hester Diamond is the mother of Michael Diamond, otherwise known as Mike D of the “Beastie Boys“. Little did we know, she is also an original, a talented interior designer and quite the visionary. Seeing the fresh approach to this interior, you can see now where Mike D got his ground breaking style.

Hester and her late husband Harold began collecting art in the 50s and became addicts. She continued her art habit after becoming a widow and then remarrying the former Dean of New York University in 1982. Their collection grew to consist of Mondrians, Kandinskys, Picassos, Veroneses, Brancusis, Pontormos, and Legers. She and her now-late husband got to the point where they started trading some of their other possessions for iconic works of art they fell in love with. They were in fact, serious about collecting their art.

After years in a career of social work, Hester decided to take a shot at interior decorating. Not surprisingly, with her innovative taste, she was a natural. After retiring from the industry in the late eighties, she came to a place in her own home where she wanted a change. She then evolved through phases of Mid-Century Modern and Neo-Classical/Renaissance styles in the home. She felt compelled to be, at regular intervals, refreshed and inspired. A few years ago she decided to again take on the redesign of her home and called on the assistance of her son’s friend Jim Walrod, a New York based interior designer and art consultant. Mike D referred to Jim as his ‘furniture pimp’ in a Rolling Stone article in the 90s and the nickname stuck.

Walrod co-owned the modern lifestyle store Form and Function in the 90s, specializing in Mid-Century Modern furniture with Fred Schneider of the B-52’s and song writer Jack Feldman. Jim has collaborated with designers and hoteliers on innovative interior concepts for hotels and restaurants such as The Standard in Los Angeles and The Park and The Thompson LES in New York. Hester hired him to help her bring her growing Renaissance art collection to life in a vibrant, modern setting.

The two collaborated and came up with a fresh, colorful concept. The look is totally original. Hester’s big drive was to find a color palette that was inspiring and happy, and brought her artwork to the forefront. Walrod and Diamond chose modern furniture pieces from Marcel Wanders, Tord Boontje, and Dune, setting them against citron painted walls and a candy colored patchwork carpet. The result is lively and cheerful, yet refined. In Hestor’s words, “It’s the most joyous place to live. It’s impossible to be depressed in this room.”

We’ve never seen anything like it, and that’s a quality we love. Pushing boundaries always results in something extraordinary, and kudos to Hester for being fearless. We have to say, she’s crafty. Enjoy these sumptuous photos filled with light, color and culture.

HighStreet. New York

Dark walls are an inexpensive way to bring sophistication, drama and warmth into an otherwise stale, stuffy room.

Painting the walls of an otherwise unspectacular space ebony, navy or charcoal adds depth and substance to a room that a lighter shade could not achieve. Therefore, you may want to consider transforming your comfortably traditional space into a dark, luxurious retreat.

The key to making this look work is to have enough light in the room to balance the dark. Strangely, this is not at all difficult. Working with a room that has at least a small amount of natural light can be helpful, while too much may ruin the effect.  Investing in quality lighting from multiple angles will allow for a very particular, almost contemplative ambiance. Strategically placed lamps create a soft glow that balances the masculine with the feminine. Floor lamps, pendants and halogen track lighting can highlight accessories or art hung on the walls. Which brings us to your art and accessories…

Dark walls do wonders for your prized and even not-so-prized possessions. Anything that is light in color, (which is alot…) will look downright elegant on your deep, dark canvas.  You can have so much fun with color against a dark palette because the groundedness of the backdrop balances perfectly the frivolity of exuberant color.  A world of color opens itself up to you in a new, reasonable way and accessorizing a room such as this becomes a sincere and easy pleasure as opposed to what can be a sometimes difficult Math equation.

Conspiring what to place against your dark walls can be liberating, and a real thrill if you are into the aesthetic rush.

If you decide to pursue the temptations of the darker side then consider also covering your ceiling or floor a light shade if this is not already the case.  Lighter, neutral colors and patterns moving through the dark space is another great way to balance and brighten the room. And let’s not forget texture.  Texture in design is always good but against the dark backdrop texture takes on a whole new level of excitement much like it’s colorful counterparts.

So consider wielding some sexy dark paint. Experiment with the reaction when you use white, yellow, fuchsia or cobalt.  See for yourself how almost all vibrant colors look terrific against espresso brown, dark navy or complex charcoal. It’s hard to go wrong here.  At HighStreet we painted our long, concrete hallway and the ceilings a vibrant, true yellow.  This gives our black offices a lift and glow that makes everything feel and look terrific and, I have to say, I do enjoy coming into my office each day to find that my work space is not some stale little box, but instead a sumptuous, infinite, warm and comforting environment that inspires me to settle in and conjure some serious creativity.

Leah Spurrier. Katherine Tyznik.  HighStreet

Otto 82 Daybed via bedzine.com

Italian-born designer Paola Navone always seems at ease and relaxed as she travels the world. Juxtaposed with her calm, beautifully refined presence  is a turbulent, visionary mind chewing up expected notions and banal convention.  She fluently morphs from architect, designer and art director to interior decorator and exhibition and event organizer. Through it all, her visions remain reflective and uncommon.

Born in 1952 in Balzona, the southern portion of Turin, a young girl quickly grew to learn the value of creation by handcrafting her own dolls and treasures. She rejected traditional paths that were envisioned for her by her parents. Constant were her environmental explorations in order to satisfy her self-described compulsive and all-consuming curiosity

Ms. Navone studied architecture at the Turin Polytechnic. Her early professional career was devoted to breaking through functional boundaries with her pieces. She gained widespread acclaim for her work with the Alchimia group, which opposed the structural design identity of that time by placing emphasis on colors, textures and decorative elements. Such avant-garde work was honored in 1983 by the reception of the prestigious International Design Award of Osaka. For the past thirty years, she has been an refreshing figure in the male-dominant Italian design scene.

Metal Garden Chair via marieclairemaison.com

Ms. Navone holds exceptional knowledge of a vast array of worldwide materials, whether Indian textiles, New Zealand wool, Moroccan fabrics orAsian stones. She is a true citizen of the world, dividing her time between Milan, Hong Kong, Paris and Greece. She envisions herself as an “enlightened and enlightening ethnic nomad’. She is known as an “objet magicienne”. She strives to create design mongrels by mingling modern brilliance with traditional handcraft, placing value on artistic conceptions born almost by mistake.

Over her long and prestigious career she has developed an immense client base and collaborated with pinnacle companies such as Abet Laminati, Armani Casa, Knoll International, Alessi,  Oltrefrontiera, Casamilano, Swarkovski, Dada and Poliform Egizia. Her expertise in exhibition design is evident in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. In 1988 she created the Mondo brand together with Giulio Cappellini. Movements credited to her intuition brought about large, assymmetrical lounge furniture as well as the shabby-chic look. Paola’s Gingerbread Collection for Lando is the pinnacle of creativity. Her recent works of interior architecture include the restaurant “Pane e Acqua” in Milan, the new Art Trading Office in Moscow and a new collaborative series of bathroom products with Viva Ceramica entitled “Drops”. She has designed her own home in Greece overlooking the Aegean Sea. Ms. Navone has been the art director of Gervasoni since 1988.

Paola Navone is a quixotic genius. Her soul overflows with flavors, textures and colors from the East contrasted with forms and structures of the West. Mechanized industrial steel outdoor furniture can be humanized with vintage German knit fabric cushions.  She jolts old-world craftmanship against new age industry. She believes the future look to be about many different styles unabashedly pieced together. The staff at HighStreet totally gets this and encourages such an approach for any homeowners looking to stylishly personify their own spaces .

John Patrick Shanley Apartment Wall

American playwright John Patrick Shanley loves to throw down lavish dinner parties. Guests are greeted by bold, unabashedly colorful walls in his Manhattan apartment. Mr. Shanley has had a lifelong fascination with color and its ability to elicit responses and reminiscences. He is particularly drawn to green, a constant aesthetic in his homes throughout the years. The specific shade he chooses is closely tied to his emotional state-of-mind at the time, be it an unsettling acid green or a vigorous kelly green. He correlates the particular success of a recent gathering at his Gramercy Park apartment to the living room walls, which are painted with a peppermint leaf green. “I find that green is comforting to people,” the award-winning stage director recently told The New York Times. “It makes them want to stick around.”

Green is much more than a relentlessly raging marketing catchphrase. Green is abundant and plentiful, conceptually possessing more tints than any other color – from sea-foam to emerald to viridian. Green represents tranquility, fertility, financial vigor and growth. Conversely, it describes jealousy, illness or inexperience. Not unremarked by Mr. Shanley, it is also the national color of his ancestors’ Ireland. Green owes its strongest identity to nature; however, in particular the seasons of Spring and Summer.

As the earthy crispness of fall approaches, we should rejoice in the virtues of green as they fade. Take time to appreciate the calming and centering effect on our psyches during your time outside. You will not witness its natural grandeur again until next year. Unless, that is, you are inspired by Mr. Shanley to pick up a paint brush.

HighStreet.Cincinnati

Black and white each represent an extreme that in design is so necessary.  Black is the absence of color, the darkest effect known to man.  Black will ground anything.  Black demonstrates a distinction and refinement that elevates itself beyond anything that sits near.  Black gives objects a perfect form.  It can make the inexpensive look expensive and color shows amazingly well against a black wall.  Everything pops and plays against it perfectly.

White is the ultimate purity.  White is the light that comes from the blend of all color. White helps other colors shine. It rarely competes with color and is therefore critically useful in toning high levels of color saturation.  White is a sophisticated compliment for most palettes and a well-known trick for those of us in the business.  When on a budget, it is usually a fail-safe plan to “Paint them white.” or “Paint all of that orangey woodwork Black.” White and black elevate their surroundings often as aptly as an expensive custom finish.  When used together, the impact of black and white is powerful and striking, the most concise statement in design.

I have now fallen deeply love with black and white, even in stronger, more statement-making combinations, eventually evolving to understand their great purpose and their ability to endure time and trend.  I have found that I use more white, more black in my designs than ever before.  I look forward to ultimately living in a home that is primarily white, black and brown (perhaps through the use of strong wood elements…like a plank floor or solid ceiling beams…) on which I can layer my colorful folk art collections. I should like to find myself living in an environment that offers a terrific palette for beloved objects, so that the environment has the cheerfulness of life-giving color, but without becoming trite, trendy or cute.

There is also the theory that black is masculine and white, feminine.  I find this idea appealing, the use of equally elegant, opposing traits together in a harmonious balance.  Whatever the explanation, the purity of each and the energy they exert when used in concert is undeniable.

You may not be ready to live in a pure black and white environment, but the appreciation of the concept holds a key to better design.  Some utilization of the two, whatever the dose, seems unavoidable if one is a true explorer in the world of design and color.

Leah Spurrier. HighStreet

contemporary butterflies under glass by Image Surgery via thestateofthings.com

Are you a collector of pretty little things? We love pretty little things, collecting charming vintage animal figurines, pillows made with luscious designer fabrics, and piles upon piles of books on subjects ranging from Edgar Allen Poe to antique Turkish textiles. Collecting is a wonderful pastime, but some of us minimalists might find the collections of “stuff” a bit overwhelming. How on earth can your offbeat sentimental stuff look smart, purposeful and modern?

A simple answer? Place it on a white backdrop.

You can make a bold statement by cleverly hanging collections of colorful artwork, photographs, or accessories on a simple white wall. Your beloved treasures become the focal point of your room, like pieces of art in a modern museum. For this reason, white is a great color to use in children’s rooms. Their toys become edgy little sculptures by a some contemporary Japanese artist. White is exceptionally grounding for those who love color but require the dicipline of good design. It create a climate of balance in a room,  offering  your objects an air of sophistication.

We’ve laid out a few different takes on displaying colorful collections.

HighStreet.Cincinnati

As for her store, the artifacts are extraordinary.  We particularly love her home, though.  The striking, clever use of grounding grays, lilac, brown and black makes for the most exciting and effective application of  fuchsia we have ever seen. Visit Abigail’s unusual and enchanting world at Atelier Abigail Ahern where you will be greeted, (we think appropriately) by a passage from Alice in Wonderland.

We are.

Over these past few years, with our entire staff in a drool over the work of the likes of Kelly Wearstler and her probable influencer Dorothy Draper, we at HighStreet have found that for quick inspiration, nothing beats impact. The camera loves it too. It encourages us to be bold and it teaches us the importance of artistic statement.

Enter Jay Jeffers, an American designer that creates visual impact and exemplifies the cleverly-mixed “London style” that at HighStreet we live to seek: A deliverer of eye candy that doesn’t seem to push it past the point of livability, which makes the designs all-the-more appealing as we are then able to imagine ourselves actually living in the striking scenes he’s concocted.

Like many of our free-spirited, forward-thinking contemporaries, Jay loves strong pattern. He also works in the business of modern glamour however, there is a slight folksiness that brings his designs back to earth, again, letting us know that a Jay-Jeffers’ lifestyle is totally plausible.

Initially influenced by the grandeur of historic Southern homes, Jeffers seems now drawn to mixing the stateliness of pattern with the approachability of random antiques. Steering intentionally clear of what he deems an overuse of iconic furnishings, he curates a mix of bold pattern, fanciful color, transitional, classic furnishings and whimsical accessories to its most comfortable point. The carefully color-balanced designs are grounded and yet allow for an element of fantasy. The effect is that the spaces uplift your spirit and create a little happiness. Now what more can you ask for in an otherwise complex world?

Jeffers’ work with a young, social couple, professional skateboarder Reese Forbes and his wife Shawn is a shining example of this approach. The unforgettable brown and white wall-paper traveling through the house layered with extraordinary and colorful things is a smart modern showstopper that most anyone can appreciate.

We’re also drawn to his work for “Dining by Design” and the lovely enclosed porch he designed for the House & Garden, Hampton Showhouse, with it’s 1930’s and 40’s French and Italian wrought iron furnishings set against simple sisals, lit up with bright florals and smoothed by linen.

In his own words Jeffers says of his life in design “Designing a home is one of life’s most inspiring experiences. It’s an opportunity to allow ourselves to dream and explore, to play with color, texture, space and light.”

Jay Jeffers is a not only bay area favorite. He is quickly becoming a media darling of the design world. His San Francisco studio can be found at the www.jeffersdesigngroup.com

Leah Spurrier. HighStreet