Friday 31 December 2010

Spare Bedroom

moms guest room

Sometimes the smallest jobs are the most fulfilling…like this tiny spare bedroom done in value driven pieces from Ikea and some great mouldings.

Cost of this e-design project- $895 plus tax (floor plan, elevations, rendering, shopping list)

moms guest room

E-Design and Rendering by Michelle Morelan, 2010

Tuesday 21 December 2010

A Commission, Christmas Greeting and a Hanukkah Wish

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A recent commission…Interior Design by Karla Amadatsu, Rendering by Michelle Morelan

 

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And for my friends who have just celebrated Hanukkah, this one is for you…Beth, Sam, Joni…

Rendering by Michelle Morelan

cards 2010 christmas LR MMID

Happy Christmas Everyone!

May Peace, Love and Good Health be Yours!

xo  Michelle

Friday 10 December 2010

Renovation for a Young Family

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This recent renovation project has been exciting…a young family, a new open family room space, outdoor deck and entry are the formula for casual living. A built in banquette and new patio doors, a new fireplace facade, millwork and flooring throughout are all part of a recipe for this family’s lifestyle.

Design, Rendering and Planning by www.michellemorelandesign.com

lr to nook

Thursday 2 December 2010

Shush up your Space….

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Don’t resign to the sad, typical condo layout of leather furniture and area rugs that are too small…use built in millwork, the correct proportions, slipcovers and a mix of styles to make it YOU. Isn’t that what it’s all about…YOU? Do in once, and do it right…The Moorage…concept dwg of a two bedroom condo.

design and rendering by www.michellemorelandesign.com

shush up your space…see what it’s going to look like first…

Monday 29 November 2010

Art Sale

Still thinking of a special gift? I’m moving in the Spring, so I thought it may be a great time of year to offer reduced prices on some original art…

here’s what’s reduced…

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“Bark Study”, Michelle Morelan, Mixed Media on Canvas, 18 x 24…now $225*

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“First at the Beach”, Michelle Morelan, Mixed Media on Bevelled Canvas, 24”x 72” now $380*

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“Dance of the Sun and Moon”, Michelle Morelan, Mixed Media on Linen Canvas (metallic)18”x 24”, now 250*

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“Into”, Michelle Morelan, Acrylic on Studio Canvas, 18”x 24”, now 190*

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*plus shipping and applicable taxes, paypal payments only…these are bottom line prices, so sales are final. Thanks for you support!

www.michellemorelandesign.com

Best, Michelle

Tuesday 23 November 2010

Open Up!!

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Article, Design and Renderings by www.michellemorelandesign.com

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Friday 19 November 2010

Lily’s Pad

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Lily

need help with your small space?

Interior Design, Renderings, Original Art, www.michellemorelandesign.com

Wednesday 17 November 2010

NYC November 2010

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interiors by MH Studio, renderings by Michelle Morelan

mh interior_nov 2010 mmid

I love this city…I can’t get enough of it, and this trip was one of the best yet. Carol, an interior designer from the blog CREED and of Carol Reed Design, out of Toronto joined me for a week-long whirlwind trip to the city. We started with Kipps Bay, took in the work of renderer (or should I say artist) Jeremiah Goodman at the NYSID, had dinner with the wonderful Patricia, of PVE at Swizz…shared lunch at Carmines, dinner at Ruby Foos, saw “Promises, Promises” at the Broadway theatre.

We walked through the park, ate gelato…yes it was that warm…t-shirt weather, actually. We stopped by to see Francine at Interieurs…her showroom is so amazing! I met the wonderful women of MH Studio in NYC…they are doing beautiful work, and their office looks right at the Chrysler Building. I also had the pleasure of meeting new designer friends, Lisa, Doreena and Oregon designer, Barbara, once again. My husband showed up for the last night, and we went for a nice lunch and shopping at Macy’s, where I scored a Calvin Klein coat for 50% off…it truly is a wonderful life!

Since my to do list is longer than my unanswered emails, and Carol has now brought me into this Twitter world, which I can already see is going to consume even more of my time, I am going to share just SOME of the highlights of my trip, and get right to work.

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Kipps Bay Show House

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the work of Jeremiah Goodman at the NYSID

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we missed Bergdorf’s windows, but the tree at Rockefeller Center was being craned into place

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Central Park

Lots more to come…very exciting news!!!

Best, Michelle

Monday 1 November 2010

Blue on Blue…an e-design in Surrey

MMID Surrey Condo

Cookie cutter condos don’t have to be boring…we are building the wall up between the kitchen, and infusing this Surrey condo in blue linen, velvets and prints. White stitching on the custom sofa, and tufted panels on the wall create a tactile, layered night time palette, when the client is mostly home. The sconces and pots are all on dimmers, and the banquette and round pedestal table with a curvy bench offers versatility in a small space.

e-design by Michelle Morelan Design, cost of this project: $1395. (includes rendering, floor plan, relevant elevations, shopping list and installation notes).

 

Best, Michelle

Tuesday 26 October 2010

Design without Drawing?

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I had a discussion with a design professional the other day. He was saying that he overheard a seminar of designers talking about the act of drawing and how it’s attached to the design process. One designer in the crowd said that they don’t draw, and never have, and didn’t see the importance of it. The rest of the room disagreed, and lumped the skill of drawing directly to the process of design.

I personally, don’t know many designers that can sell a concept to a client without some type of drawing as part of the presentation. It’s a designer’s chance to look at the details, work out standard dims to address budget issues, and check proportion. I depend on my hand, experience and intuition, which comes from putting pen to paper.

When you hire a designer, please appreciate all of the hours that go into lining things up perfectly, into appropriate specifications of FF&E (furniture, fixtures and equipment), and perspective drawings that show you how the surfaces will work together.

So, I would say WHAT? Design without drawing? How did you arrive at the design plan? How do you get your client to sign off…and where is the joy in the process? I have just seen too many filler panels between bathroom vanities and bathtubs to be convinced otherwise. Work it out on paper first.

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Design and Renderings by Michelle Morelan Design, 2008


Sunday 17 October 2010

Schematic Life’s Holiday Card Collection

 

Design and Renderings by Michelle Morelan Design, 2010

Stationery package of 40 cards with envelopes- $85.00….mix n’ match or choose all three!

Have your space custom rendered in a holiday theme…(all orders in by Nov. 15  for Dec. 1st delivery) Contact me for details … typically priced from $299-$499, depending on size and detailing (includes 40 notecards)

 

Best, Michelle

Saturday 16 October 2010

Be Messy

pergola_MMDcroppedukee kitchen_MMID   r lesson cropped leah cropped

Cynthia writes and asks “How do you get your lines so straight and the rendering to look realistic?”

My answer is “be messy”. Remember when we learned how to type, way back? My Office Procedures 11 teacher had us type as fast as we could, not worrying about mistakes…that’s the same advice I would give to Cynthia…be loose and messy to start, go over each line quickly with purpose…go over that line until it excites you in it’s intent…it’s fun…and how you get better.

These are some looser 1hr renderings, each  from an existing space, where I added or changed almost everything…come out of plan and elevation world, where you get to see all the surfaces and how they work together.

Renderings and design by Michelle Morelan Design, 2009

 

Best, Michelle

Wednesday 13 October 2010

Her Bath, His Bath

powder_room2Her bath features the Cartwright vanity from Restoration Hardware…His bath has hints of Craftsman, but they look like they belong in the same house… powder_room3

Design and Renderings by www.michellemorelandesign.com

 

Best, Michelle

Monday 11 October 2010

View with a Room

wc dining room

wc dining room 2 

 

A room with an amazing view and floor to ceiling windows is a dream of mine..and this one was a lesson in proportion and restraint. With the family dog taking his chances!

Which rendering appeals to you the most? My intention was to insert a view, and wasn’t as happy with it as I thought; sometimes a simple line and a bump can give the gesture of landscape, and not become the focal point. Not that I would complain about this view!

Design and Rendering by Michelle Morelan

e-design available through michellemorelandesign.com

Thursday 7 October 2010

Reader’s Choice…the next rendering video

 

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Please tell me what you would like to see in the next rendering video!

1. sketching simple one point perspectives  OR

2. small rendering snippets, showing techniques like texturing hardwood, creating dimension with shadows, convincing fabrics, etc.

It’s your call. This could be the last one for a while, as my production crew have other work :(

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But…after some emails from readers…soon I’ll be announcing my first rendering workshop…and you are the first to know ;)

These days of “how fast can you get it done” and “I don’t want to pay for presentation drawings (though, I do want you to magically show me what the space will look like)” present new challenges for the designer, and I have learned some tricks leveraging what you already have, into beautiful presentations, which your clients will have no problem visualizing and approving.

…if this is something of interest to you or your firm, please email me…I’d love to hear from you. Private, Corporate or Educational. And please, let me know what city you are from :) NYC and Toronto both on my radar, as that’s where the majority of the interest has come from. More news soon.

Rendering Portfolio

 

Best, Michelle

Sunday 3 October 2010

Interior Design and a Deep Sleep

bedroom 2 seven inch 

I like to walk in and see the bed when I enter a room. It’s a security thing, I guess…plus I don’t like having my head on the same wall as the door…and I have to be able to see out the window and the door. Pretty picky…but without this vantage point, I can’t sleep. Do you have any design/sleep habits?

Design and rendering by Michelle Morelan

e-design available through Michelle Morelan Design; did you know that every e-design project includes a rendering like this?

 

Best, Michelle

Saturday 2 October 2010

New Painting - September Willow

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“September Willow”, 18 x 24,  Mixed Media (acrylic, ink, sand), Michelle Morelan, 2010

City lights from a friend's place on the North Shore made for an interesting perspective of the city, and I couldn’t get the glow of the skyline out of my mind.

 

Best, Michelle

Wednesday 29 September 2010

How to Get Your Client to Sign-Off

mb and bath_n van

 

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Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words. A client who wants to go a bit more modern without giving up her classic pieces couldn’t picture what I meant by “mixing it up a bit”, so I took a few hours to do these couple of drawings for her…sure enough, we are going ahead with the custom pair of nightstands and TV credenza for the MBR.  Talking with your hands can only take you so far.

Also, the toilet has been moved to create a symmetrical hallway to the bathroom, and a bathroom vanity area. The client thought it would make the room feel to small (still trying to convince her on that one). I would go for room that works before size in a minute. But, like I always say, I don’t have to live there.

Interior Design, Furniture Design and Renderings by Michelle Morelan, 2010

 

Best, Michelle

Monday 27 September 2010

Sunday Reading

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A Sunday at home with magazines and good coffee…it was a great day! Albarosa took this photo when she came for dinner and rendering lessons on Saturday night. She also took the new portrait shot of me…what do you think…please be nice :)

Best, Michelle