Its been almost two weeks of the new AK Studio. What do you guys think? Any hiccups I need to be know about? Hopefully your feeds are updated and you are able to keep up with all the new posts!

I wanted to take some time to introduce you to the functions of the new site

• I mentioned it last week, but I now have a Resource tab at the top. Here you can view a couple of my favorite “to-the-trade” furniture, fabric or lighting. I chose a couple to feature, but this purchase function is available for almost all trade only pieces, just email me at alex@alexandrakaehler.com
• The Shop tab is one of my favorites. A little AK Shop where you can keep up with all of my favorites. I am updating it almost every single day with new items, so be sure to check it out periodically. Everything is easily shopable, just click the image!
• The next new function is Categories. Instead of using a million different tags, I categorized everything into four main groups. Now you can click these categories to see past posts. You can also use the search function to find something specific.
• Make sure to check out my blog roll, its still there, don’t worry. You can click the +/- to see more or less of the sites that are my daily reads.

I hope that you guys have been loving the new site, and new content! Have a great weekend everyone!

A couple weeks ago I did my first Designer FAQ post about “Where to Invest”. Today I’d like to do a second post on jumping off points.

Often times, the most difficult part of tackling a design project on your own is choosing a starting point. When you work with a designer, they choose that for you. But independently people often feel intimated by the number of options. Do you choose your biggest piece first? Your investment piece? Your color scheme?

My starting point is more often than not, based on a textile. I choose something I love and everything else always seems to fall into place for me. So here are a couple examples from my own home.

For my bedroom in our old house, I fell in love with the watercolor Rubelli fabric that I ultimately only used as a small lumbar pillows. Using that fabric I chose the fabric for my headboard, as well as the rest of my bedding and wall color. I knew I needed to balance the bold choices with more subtle ones, hence the glass lamps, white shades and white nightstands. The polka dot duvet and shams from Biscuit provided a small scale pattern to balance the bold floral.

Photo by Anjali Pinto 

My living room all began with Kelly Wearstler’s Bengal Bazaar fabric. All of the other pieces fell into place after I had chosen that. I knew I needed more pattern, but more simple, two-color patterns to pair with it. The ikat provided me with a perfect color base and served as the stand out piece in the space, but the layers are what made it feel complete. With the the bold pattern, I chose solid, neutral sofa and a glass coffee table to avoid having the chairs feel too heavy.

Photo by Danielle Moss

I happen to love fabric. It serves as one of my biggest sources of inspiration, so its no surprise that it is the perfect jumping off point for me. So, in the end, choose something that inspires you. Something that can carry a room and everything else will start to fall into place. Don’t rush. Create a plan before you move forward.

Any other Designer FAQs you’d like addressed?