The Style Center
The $tyle Center
Welcome to the $tyle Center! Why does style matter? Having style or a particular point of view on style can make you and your business stand out from a sea of “same-ness” and equal money in the bank. This blog presents creative observations of style and inspirations. I will be including photos of trends and emerging trends in color, interiors, products, and anything that looks new and exciting. It may also include photographs of unusual, creative and dynamic stores, and inspiring store windows. I welcome feedback as well as your own creative ideas and suggestions. I hope you will find this an inspiring place to visit!
Bridget Kelly
Brand Creator and Designer of Whistle & Wink
www.whistleandwink.com
A little bit about me: I am a Fashion Institute of Technology graduate, with over 20 years of design experience specifically for children’s fashions and products. Some of my clients have included: Esprit, Nike, Diane von Furstenberg, Mattel, CBS Television, Lucas Learning, the creation of the Vitamins Baby brand, the brand development, designer and Design Director of Pottery Barn Kids. My latest project has been the creation and designer of Whistle & Wink, the premiere company for home products for children. I have been a Fashion Design teacher on and off for years at the prestigious Academy of Art University in San Francisco, and continued to advance my own education as a fine artist and painter at California College of the Arts.
Long Live Turquoise!
When I find something that resonates with me, I usually take a photo, or pull the image from the web and they all end up on my computer, and lately most of these images are all about TURQUOISE.Here is a quick little post showing some of my favorite ways turquoise is being used. Now I know it has been a trending color for a few seasons, but I'm here to tell you, it is still here for a few more! Do... Read More
Comments (4)Where to find Trends
Many people ask me where I find trend and color forecast information. There isn’t an all-knowing color/trend God who tells designers what to use next year… We just slog through all of our resources, then make some decisions of our own. To tell the truth, it’s an endless search which requires updating resources all of the time! There are SO many places to look, but here are a few resources I’m lo... Read More
Comments (6)Color! IN the shelf.
More on Color! If you have your own boutique, and you want to find a new way to update your display shelves, or even if you don’t have a boutique and you just want to update the old humdrum bookshelf in your home… COLOR is the most current way to do it. What I love about ALL of these photos are how BRIGHT the colors are. These are not shy colors; BOLD is the direction of color, so pull out you... Read More
Comments (5)COLOR! what's happenin'?
You might ask yourself; "Say, where did this yellow trend color come from anyway?" I love to analyze the whys & wherefores of color. "Why is lavender so right? Why does tomato red feel like the right red? " Why does yellow work? and which yellow is working? why that particular one? I’m sure you’ve all seen the color YELLOW. Nothing new there. It’s been coming for a while now…But have you looked l... Read More
Comments (7)Hang it up!
Happy New Year! Festive decor for everyone, including little ones! This post is all about "hanging it up"… from the ceiling, on the wall, the lights, the mobiles, and the best thing of all, super creative ways to hang the alphabet for your little Einstein. I find all of these ideas great inexpensive ways to update old ideas. Groups of similar things always make even Chinatown paper lanterns or pa... Read More
Comments (4)The snow show at Anthropologie
Looking around for wonderful holiday windows took me to the "queens of display" … Anthropologie. Just take a look at these amazing window displays… I asked the display manager how they did the white pompoms and snow. She shared her secret with me: white garbage bags, and a simple circle die-cut from a local craft store. What an amazing effect. This effect is achieved the same way- white plas... Read More
Comments (3)More from the ABC show
I’m sure you all know of Skip*Hop, the "New York City company devoted to designing groundbreaking products for a new generation of parents" as they say on their website. I love their Zoo Packs and Zoo Lunchies. Zoo packs carry little ones treasures and books, (above) while Zoo Lunchies carry snacks and lunch in an insulated pack shaped like a cute characters to match the backpack. (below) While S... Read More
Comments (1)The ABC show
It was my first time being on the “other side of the booth” (so to speak) at the ABC show. I was there to help buy an assortment of USA product that could be exported to the i-baby stores in China. I was also there to look for products that excited me enough to write about them here at the Style Center. So here goes… Let me start with (Helen doodle): At first, I was mesmerized by the subject matt... Read More
Comments (3)News from China
Sitting in my hotel room here in Shanghai, while listening to CNN, I feel the news in not complete without updating my blog the "Style Center". There is opportunity in China! All right, this is not news, we all know there is opportunity in China, but exactly what smart companies are jumping on this? I am here in Shanghai to help make a company, a new company. I am the Design Director for "i-baby";... Read More
Comments (14)No wire hangers!
Walking through Barneys home department in uptown NYC, I stopped dead in my tracks… What is that?? Do my eyes deceive me? There is the wire furniture from my kitchen when I was 8 years old. There it was: coated, colorful wire chairs and tables. When I was a kid, we had green wire kitchen chairs, with flower shapes and a glass top table - I often wonder who is sitting at that table now. Is that... Read More
Comments (7)Flights of Fancy
Birds are classic, they never go out of style. They may go extinct, but in fashion they are here to stay. My trip to NY revealed what I see here in the SF bay area; nature in many forms appeals to us all. Summer is upon us, so we like to see garden and outdoor influence for the interior- but birds by far, fly the highest! Here are some photos of what I have seen in the past few weeks, confirming... Read More
Comments (9)botanicals everywhere!
I was in NYC a week ago to see my neice’s graduation from NYU- While there I took a few days to look and see what’s happening in the stores. One of the recurring themes was Botanicals, other themes were Birds, wire furniture, reclaimed and naturals materials furniture… and so much more. It was a bit sad to see some stores I had always visited in the past were closed. But inspiration was still ever... Read More
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