Azure Elizabeth Design

07/14/2024

Sun Inspired Mood Board!

I hope you are all doing well. I know it seems like I have been a slacker these past few months, because I haven’t been gracing you all with my newsletter of curated collections. I promise I had a good reason though. Matt & I got married on June 22nd& it turns out designing, planning & creating a wedding by yourself is really time consuming. I will say that for all the time & effort, it was worth seeing how it all came together. When I get my professional photos back, I plan on sharing our big day here. I wanted something unique & I planned it around a specific theme…but beyond telling you that…I will wait to share the details.

This past week has been the hottest week of the year here in Utah & I personally don’t think I remember a hotter July. I feel like the sun & I have been getting awfully chummy these past few days as I go about my usual errands…in-between my escaping back inside to the air conditioning. Normally there is a more patriotic theme that is on my mind during this time of year, but I missed putting out a 4thof July newsletter, as I was still trying to get back into my normal routine.

The sun, the heat &those gorgeous rays of light that beam through my window every morning have been a huge focus for me. So, I decided to create a mood board that reflected the sunny, hot theme of this past week. I really loved the sunset painting with its touch of red & blue. I used a little more blue in the accessories to contrast to the warmth, to cool it down a bit.

What might surprise you is I am rarely drawn to warmer colors, mainly because I can’t wear them…but there are certain seasons & occasions I can’t help but vibe with them on an intense level & this particular summer seems to be one of those times. I cannot help but think that this would be a fun color direction for decorating an Airbnb.

I do hope you are all staying cool & staying sunburn free. Thank you again for your support &subscribing to my little newsletter here. I wrote for years about Interior Design or the Examiner & I quite often miss the different sort of creative direction writing allows me to explore.

Love,

April Elizabeth D’Azure

04/19/2024

Inspired by Spring Flowers

April is always a very busy month for me. I have so many things that come due this time of year from my car registration, to certain business-related renewals & as if that wasn’t enough…on a personal note this year I ended up having to schedule some medical & dental procedures after the holidays& the soonest they could get me in was this month…all this while I was supposed to also be part of Jury Duty selection on the 10th. Thankfully they took pity on me because of my schedule & cancelled that for the moment.

In contrast I have been loving watching the world around me come alive as the forsythias, hyacinths & daffodils began blooming…I would say they were here to herald the arrival of Spring, but I live in Utah so who am I kidding? It was more of a tease this year with a few nearly freezing temps& snowstorms scattered in-between the sunny days of warmth where the other Spring bloomers with pink & white blossoms have taken their turn bursting open & exploding with color transforming many of the trees.

Everyday as I have taken Eva to & from school, I have taken her on a journey of spotting all these signs of Spring & looking for the best gardens. She has probably learned more about flowers in the past few months than she ever wanted to know. This week we are now noting which blossoming bushes are now being taken over by green leaves & how the Tulips have suddenly jumped into the spotlight.

Truthfully, I have felt torn at times between pure sinking overwhelm at the things I need to handle & it is contrasted by the moments of absolute bliss as I have enjoyed seeing the beauty creeping across the Salt Lake City Landscape. I’ve reminded myself that every one of these flowers I am enjoying had to resiliently push its way up from the cold dark earth towards the sun to open up & expand towards its max potential.

This I have used to remind myself to just take things one day at a time & hold on, trusting that everything will work out.

So, taking my cue from all these beautiful Spring flowers I’ve compiled a few items of décor from some of my favorite vendors into a simple concept board. Designing with a theme is always a fun challenge, even if it isn’t practical & you would never actually find a situation to execute your design. I love the idea of pairing the vibrant jewel tones in the art collage,with moody dark neutrals. The touch of gold against black, adds a hint of sophistication& glamour to the varied mix of textured florals…. while the fluted forms in the crocus inspired chandelier, adds a touch of whimsy that refuses to take itself too seriously.

I hope you all have a lovey evening & may you all be inspired.

April Elizabeth D’Azure

04/07/2024

I know I have mentioned before, that I believe the best thing about trends is that they get us out of our comfort zone, considering new possibilities…styles & changes that could be beneficial for us. I love seeing the world presented in a new way, but there is a danger in always gravitating from one trend to the next that I don’t think is any different than dealing with a toxic person who expects you to lose your identity to make them your soul focus. I believe your home environment should be a reflection of your tastes & not be based off what anyone else is doing.

That being said, I still love to look through my vendors’ new product lines to see what has launched recently. There are always clients who have certain tastes that I identify with in some of the new trends. Sometimes I am even looking for that perfect item for someone & it just doesn’t exist yet…so we put things on hold for a while & eventually the trends shift & the right item comes along.

I have always loved the beauty of organic materials & the way they add interest & texture to one’s environment. Marble is one of my favorites. I admit I wasn’t a fan when people started using it in their kitchens as countertops…it is because it is very porous & not suited to a working kitchen…many people learned this the hard way. That is why there are so many imitation marble hard surface products now…so people can have the look without the risks.

In furniture & accessories though…I simple love the statement it makes. We are being told that the all gray & white trend is swiftly moving away…but it takes a while for these things to transition…I still see a lot of this color scheme, but I am noticing a that the coldness of these tones is being used adjacent to warmer cream, brass & gold tones…which I love tremendously, because it adds an element of interest to the pieces.

In my own work I also love to use warm & cool colors together because it creates more contrast & energy. I also find it adds to the timelessness of the spaces.

Here are a few examples of gray & white marble being used as accessories…as well as the flowing graceful form in the rug that captures the essence of marble. I think it would be fun to design a room around these accessories & I do wonder what colors I would use against it…I think a soft green or soft blue in a slate tone could be really a nice, but a subtle contrast…these could honestly could work with richer colors like jewel tones too.

That is the beautiful thing about neutral tones & organic materials. They complement so many themes, styles & design directions.

I hope you area all having a lovely weekend,



April Elizabeth D’Azure

https://mailchi.mp/f67d611f6c68/april-elizabeth-dazure-interior-designer

03/31/2024

Happy Easter, for those who Celebrate this Spring Holiday!

I think the Easter Holiday means very different things to different people. Then of course Easter isn’t practiced by everyone. I have friends from many walks of life who believe very differently than I do. I have pondered on this a lot today.

Despite the differences in beliefs, I think most people see this time of year as a time for renewal & blossoming…as the cold sleeping winter world begins to wake up. For me symbolism is very powerful & I often use it very intentionally in my Design work.

There is something about new life coming out of the barren earth that energizes me…perhaps it is because of how many times in my life I felt I had to birth myself anew from absolute devastation.

I noted these past few weeks that it wasn’t the beginning of the New Year that inspired me to set goals & get my intentions in order…for some reason I felt like hibernating & resting. It has only been since the forsythias & daffodils have been poking their heads up from the ground these past few weeks, that my zest for life seems to be firing up.

There have been many huge life changes I have had to make in the past few years & I have been longing to get my Interior Design Business back on track. I never had stopped soaking up all things design but sharing them has been another matter.

I love the challenge of coming up with curated collections based off a theme & this will probably be the focus of some of my newsletters.For this Easter Holiday, I challenged myself to come up with a modern grouping that touches on the inspiration of Spring & the Egg specifically. It was fun finding products from my list of accounts that had items that fit this vibe.

It is a juxtaposition of cherry blossoms, gold & blue spring flowers…with ovals that resemble a modern interpretation of the egg. As far as trends go this is all on point, especially the golden warm metal tones of brass& gold. So, many people are still stuck in the gray era, but gray has been moving out for a while now & it all started with the mixing of rich warm tones like caramel & goldenrod being added to contrast against its coldness.

Mixing warm & cool has always been my method all along. I believe mixing warm & cool tones together creates more harmony & energy in a space…but it must be done carefully & often the more subtle it is, the more timeless it appears. I have a loose formula I suppose…because I must consider the existing environment & I never repeat this exact same thing twice.

I would say this curated collection is a good example of this formula & shows how nicely richer colors can exist with pastels & neutral tones. I do realize most people would not use these items for inspiration in a space…but it is fun to know that you can create something with such a theme in mind.

Have a lovely evening everyone!

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03/25/2024

My resistance to follow the crowd…

A topic came up on social media recently that sort of sucked me into a conversation about its relevancy in my field of Interior Design, that as always forces me to sit back & think about why I do what I do…as well as why I approach it the way I do.

The topic is monetization. Nowadays when you talk to almost any entrepreneur, business coach, business owner & the push towards monetizing is huge. I cannot tell you how many people (including a client) have told me I need to monetize to be successful.

While they may be well meaning, the fact they would even say this about Interior Design shows me how little they understand what we Designers do...It also speaks to what I see as an alarming trend to homogenize the masses.

I’ve noted in the past that the purpose of trends is to catch our attention & help us see the world in a whole new way. In my almost 20-year career in Interior Design, I have seen so many extremes in the way people respond to new trends & it may come as a surprise that I think their resistance to accept them, to be a little healthier than when they immediately embrace them.

I often worry that we have become so socialized to fall into step with those around us, that we really lose our identity & an individual understanding of what supports us best environmentally speaking. We also have become detached from how the environment influences us on a daily basis.

As I have consulted clients over the years, I have not been blind to how confused & indecisive the social climate can make them. Thank goodness I have always had a secondary interest in psychology, because I rely on that a lot to help walk them through their decisions.

The truth is, I find this heartbreaking sometimes & it has made me desire to dive deeper into creating spaces that really reflect the owner of the space in a very personal way…because I believe in a way, our homes,can become living breathing vision boards.

What has been interesting though, is that most clients are not interested in going that deep, because they really feel a need to compete with what everyone else is doing & that is still okay. The truth is you have to do what is going to be consistent with your comfort level. This is something I must assess right from the start when I begin working with someone.

It is a dance though. I see myself mainly as a guide & facilitator…helping make their vision come to life & sometimes even helping them get out of their own way. With so many personalities, gifts, interests…then of course the physical realities like floor plans, sun exposure, location & the things they hold dear& can’t part with…there is no way I could realistically monetize my work.

I believe each home should tell a story about its occupants…one that reflects the essence of each person in such a way…so that they feel supported by their environment. This is why in my opinion designing must always be a personal experience for each of my clients.

So that being said…Here are a few questions you can ask yourself. What does your home say about you as a person & how do you see yourself reflected in it?

03/18/2024

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!


Today feels like the perfect day for me to launch my new design newsletter. Years ago, I wrote about Interior Design for the Salt Lake City Examiner before they shut down that platform. I also had a blog where I focused on trends & color relationships at one time…which was outlined for a series of books I was going to write on the topic..

The truth is that I love writing about Design…as much as I love Designing & I have recently revisited my commitment to writing, even though I may end up being one lone original voice in a world where AI is beginning to take over.

Today isn’t just St. Patrick’s Day, it also happens to be my Mother’s Birthday. Unfortunately, I don’t know her exact age off the top of my head because she always refused to tell me growing up. I still see this as off-limits information.

I am not sure if it was the years of making her Birthday cake, & planning her parties that causes me to associate this entire month with green & gold…but I do.

My Maternal Grandmother used to decorate her home for every single Holiday & this particular Holiday was one of her most elaborate displays,because of my Mother’s Birthday.

Originally I thought she did this for her grandchildren, but years later after she passed, I realized that if the opportunity to go to Interior Design school had been presented to her…she would have probably chosen that as her career.

She was creative, artistic & adorned nearly everything she touched. My mother is very creative as well, although she puts most of her talent into sewing & creating recipes…she is the reason that I have many of the skills I do, which have served me well in my Interior Design career.

This day is always loaded with fond memories & nostalgia for me. I do believe that if genetics are responsible for our talents, that these two women are where I got my creative genes from.

Earlier this month I as I was pondering on my strong association with the colors green & gold…I decided to hunt down some décor from my favorite vendors that I felt reflected this St. Patrick’s Day vibe & these were my top picks. To me there is nothing more soothing than the color green. In color psychology it is the healthiest color to surround yourself with.

The truth is that you would really have to love green to make it a permanent fixture in your home…such as the pendant light. I do,however, believe there is a proper application for almost everything & therefore I like to give beautiful items a chance to be in the spotlight.

I hope you all have a wonderful day & may the Luck of the Irish be with you!

April Elizabeth D’Azure

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09/12/2022

I created this video a few months ago. This message came to me very strongly & I felt just as strongly to share it...

07/23/2022

A discussion with my friend Dave Porter, AKA the Meta4Man. Here we talk about the influence of Saturn in one's Astrology chart & a discussion about Saturn suppression & how it influences us. This is important information for working with Astrological symbolism in one's own environment. Awareness of where this influence is in your chart, can assist you in representing this element of your personality properly in your home. David has been a friend, mentor & colleague of mine for over 13 years. It was through our collaborations together that we have found ways to utilize both our gifts, as a team to create meaningful symbolism in ours & others environments. This is bit of a continuation of the last episode, but with more information on how Saturn influences the elements. This is a casual conversation between two friends. It's a little personal as well as unedited & imperfectly perfect. I'm grateful for his wisdom.

Another discussion with my friend Dave Porter, AKA the Meta4Man. This time we talk about the influence of Saturn in one's Astrology chart & a discussion about Saturn suppression & how it influences us. This is important information for working with Astrological symbolism in one's own environment. Aw...

01/14/2022

I created this video a few years ago & recently re-shared it. Let me know your thoughts.

This is a video based of my blog post Inspired to Create...by a very lovely client. In the original blog post I discuss the ceiling element I designed & pain...

12/04/2020

Four years ago my client Leesha asked me to help her design the perfect Christmas decor to complement the color scheme of newly furnished room I helped her & her husband with. Her family loves the magic of Christmas & they wanted their home to boldy express this...but not look overly traditional.

We had a blast shopping together, looking for style elements that spoke to her personal taste & planning the perfect color direction. I didn't know at that time that decorating her home for Christmas would become part of my own yearly tradition.

It is literally the magic ingredient for getting me into the spirit of the holidays. I also get to apply my creativity in a very different way than what I normally do most of the year. It's technical...but also flowing & a little freestyle all at the same time.

This year though we had a new element that was added to the rooms design, with the addition of the custom paintings I created for her that I finished back in October.

With the exception of adding 400 plus more ornaments to the garland on the stairs...nothing else including the tree or mantle were different from last year, yet all the Christmas decor felt brighter & more vibrant having the paintings on the wall. We were all stunned by the huge difference they made in the depth of color in the room this year.

Typically when Christmas comes down it feels like the color has been sucked out of the space...but having art in here now helps pull the colors of the decor throughout the space year round. I love how this turned out & have been very excited to share it. I'm also grateful for good client's who give me such amazing opportunities to create.

12/03/2020

I usually don't do long distance design consulting for a few reasons. The biggest is that constant communication is vital in this type of work & any break down in communication could be disastrous to the design project. It takes a lot of commitment on the client's part to really honor the process. Those with an out of sight out of mind mentality could sabotage their own project.

With that being said when my sister decided it was time to update her home & asked me to help...well there was no way I was turning her down. I also knew she'd have no trouble answering multiple questions so I could glean all the information about everything that was being selected from color tones, to testing selections out on different lighting.

We both had an unexpected challenge when her contractor insisted she work with his decorator who was really trying to push her to do it their way. It was always "well I did this in my home, or my last remodel we did this." We persisted on our path & hoped they'd just let go of having to hold the reins so tightly.

In my less than humble opinion, the most important part of a designing is making sure the space reflects the person living there & that it works with the existing elements.

She ended up being put in the position of butting heads over every one of our material & color choices.

I didn't realize how bad it was until they ordered a different flooring than we selected the day of the installation...but my sister stuck to her guns & wasn't settling.

She frequently reminded them that her sister was quite capable of helping her with this & is an Interior Designer.

I'm super grateful that my sister Heather respects my expertise & also supports me in my business. It was also super gratifying to have all the contractors on the job tell her how amazing it all turned out & that they loved all our selections. They have no idea how much we fought for those choices.

I've put the best in the front...because I love how it turned out...but the before pictures are mixed in as well. The before & after is night & day.

11/17/2020

I've been meaning to post these pictures for a while even though the project kind of feels unfinished.

This project started a year ago when I was hired to help a lovely client move from her family home & down size into a retirement community.

She had a lot of antiques that she couldn't take with her so my challenge was to help her decide what she could keep & make it work while integrating it into a new space.

One of the things I did was design the surround for electric fireplace. I gave her six options & this was the one she chose. I attached the basic concept it was based off of.

She really loved these vases that were on the mantle in her previous home, so I integrated them into the plan.

I also was put in charge of reframing on of her cherished paintings & getting new lamp shades made for her antique lamps.

Then Covid shut everything down. She had to wait months to get her lamps shades & painting back as well as get the fireplace completed.

In September her fireplace was finally finished. I was communicating via text & phone during the process & it went much more smoothly than I expected. I've never seen it in person. These are from the photos she & the contractor sent me.

I was really impressed with his work as his great communication skills. I plan to use him again in the future.

My client was so excited about its completion that she immediately put her vases up & sent me the photo. I was so thrilled to finally have the plan become a reality.