It's a Monday

Is it just me, or do you find there are a few items that always seem to disappear?  If only I were a bit more organized . . . 

So, with organization on my mind, here are few images that make my heart sing. 

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 Hope you have a "Friday like" Monday.  M.

Thursday Thoughts

Saw this clever space on Pinterest.  Talk about a fabulous small space.  Combining a huge mirror with chain to create a screen, just good.  With the slanted ceilings of this space, most designers would simply place the bed against the window wall and call it done.  Floating the bed in the center of the room really created something special.  Love it.  

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Hope you have a wonderful day!
PS:  I am off to see the 2012 Decorator Showhouse this morning and then to a ladies luncheon for the Mom's of the graduating 6th graders (my oldest is going to the Junior High next year - things are about to change dramatically for me him)!  If you are looking for something to do this weekend here in Birmingham, consider a trip to the show house.    For information on the tour go here - 2012 Decorator Showhouse.

PSS: Check out the Transformational Thursday - It's a Party!

Trad-licious

I took a peek at the new TradHome Spring 2012 issue over the weekend and was totally blown away.  With so much eye candy, it went from sheer delight to I dare say overload (in a good way)!   I actually had to take a break midway through for fear that I had reach maximum capacity and was missing things I needed to see (I'm not even kidding).  This is not normal for me.  Usually, I can breeze through a magazine, antique market, or website and find only a few interesting things to think about.  But every single page of this issue had at least one (and usually more than one) scrumptious morsel.  

Just a few of my favorites - Oh, one major caveat before I begin . . . 

If you are trying to refrain from changing your interiors or (following April 15th) your pocket book is not very user friendly, you will want to skip my post today. :)   

For starters, I loved the "Designer's Picks" section with lots of finds I had never seen before.  Especially this bench from Anthro.  Very good.  

Then on to this fabulous DIY artwork of framed fabric - More love.

The possibilities are endless here, and I will be incorporating this idea into some of my design projects.

Then, this article - Two fabulous girls who have organized a group of interior designers to create some wonderful rooms at the Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women and Children in L.A.  If this article doesn't make you realize how important it is to create a wonderful space to come home to, then nothing will.

 And, I'm only scratching the surface!  There were so many wonderful articles with stunning images.  No skimping here.  A large section of the issue was devoted to "Trads 10" up and coming interior designers to watch.  I loved that each designer had a very unique take on design, and all were stunningly beautiful. 

Pops of emerald green - genius.

And Birmingham Designer - Tammy Connor!  And let me say Tammy's personality is just as wonderful as her design sense.  She truly is one of the most unassuming designers I've ever met.  And her style is timeless.

Lacquered ceilings - holy smoke.

Nick Olson - This room made me think about my up and coming living room!  The black and red are so wonderful in this space.  It feels very eclectic and high end.

More pops of color in a neutral space.  Also, I thought all her rooms felt so fresh - perfect for the season.

Dreamy grey kitchen.  You have to see all the other images they feature on her.  Every last one was amazing.

The midcentury modern vibe here almost did me in!  Just look at that sectional, artwork and my goodness, those curly brass sconces.  Swoon. 

This is not even all of them!  There are more to be seen if you click over.  Oh, and in case you're wondering, no, I am not being paid to say all this!  This issue is just that good.  

When you have more than a minute, you NEED to go check it out! Happy Day. M.

TradHome Spring 2012 issue 

Black and White and Red All Over

Since my rug purchase at Scott's, I've really been thinking and rethinking the direction of my front foyer/ living room.  It's funny how one simple addition to a space can do that for you.  Here is a reminder of the rug in my foyer (the new guy).  

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And here is a close up of the Heriz in my living room (hard to see, but this rug has black, red, green, gray, blue, orange in it).  Also, the space is formal and I really want to keep it that way.  I know lots of people are getting rid of their formal spaces.  We love to entertain and I like having two different spots depending on the type of party we are having at the moment. 

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All the upholstered pieces in the space are very neutral.  As for the window treatments, they were fine before, but now with the new rug, they are just not working.  Also notice I have not be able to commit to pillows in here either.  The main problem is that I see so many beautiful fabrics, that I don't want to pick just one, so I have refrained from picking any!  But things are about to change. 

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So here are a few of my musings on the room.  

First, an inspiration picture for the idea of neutral with a pop.  This room is more gray than mine, and the pop is pink (rather than red/orange).  But the idea of neutral upholstered pieces with a color pop is the idea.  

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I'm thinking -
1. The room needs more black.  The baby grand piano, the drum shades and the pair of prints on the wall is helping, but I need black fabrics on the sofa and chairs to carry the color through the rest of the space and tie the rugs, make them feel more purposeful.
2. I need to edit the window treatments.  They came with the house and served a purpose for awhile; but it's time to move on.  I'm thinking about a smokey gray silk with a fabulous tape on the lead edge of the panels.  Maybe like these . . . 

or these that are a bit warmer, yet still grey.

Then, I would add a neutral tone on tone tape to them just for interest.  Something like this would be pretty.

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Now for some accent pillows.  Since the Heriz if very busy, I'm thinking I need at least one (maybe two) accent fabric in a black/grey yet a simple pattern (to contrast the busy rug).  I think this would go a long way in neutralizing the space and allowing the two rugs to be the feature.  Here are a few fabrics that have caught my eye as accent pillows.  Not sure which ones yet or even where they would go, but there are lots of fabric opportunities in the space -  on the sofa, in the bergere' chairs, the accent chairs in the foyer, and maybe even on the piano bench.  

Some texture would be good in the way of a linen.

Option One

Option Two

Option Three

Option Four

And possibly a silk just to tie in the window treatments.

Option Five

Lu Huv this one.  It is oh so yummy!  It's got the creams, greys, blacks and warm beiges in it.  could really pull things together in there.

Option Six

Since my sofa is light, a saturated black might be just the thing for a long sofa pillow.  The trick to making black work in a formal space with neutrals is to pick patterns that do not include a stark white, rather a creamy background is the way to go.

Option Seven

Really like the idea of this one too. 

Option Eight

3. Lastly, the sofa, chairs, etc. needs a small dose of red.  Since both rugs are screaming red, a small shot of it coupled with cream should do the trick.  I love both of these for a sophisticated feeling. This one is topstitched for some added texture (which I love on pillows).

Option One

This one also gets me.  It has a mid century modern thing going on and I think it would really look great with the rugs.

Option Two  

Then, once I've added some pop in this space, I'm thinking my den could use an even more vibrant pop of red.  I will have to share those fabrics with you later this week! In case you were wondering, fabrics are one of the main reasons I love interior design.  Textiles add personality to a space.  So, don't under estimate their power to shape a room!   Hope your week gets off to a great start! M.

It's Friday, it's Friday!

Don't know about you but I am oh so glad it's Friday!  Don't get me wrong, I've had a great (I dare say fantastic) week filled with all kinds of interior design goodness.  But now it's time to decompress and enjoy a little family time.  Of course I'll be taking time to catch up on my shelter mags and blogs - always love some fresh perspective.   I can't even imagine what I would post about if I were sitting at that computer. wow. 

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I hope you have a marvelous weekend.  M.

Rainy Afternoons

Yesterday I was out and about most of the day with design consults.  It was busy, but interesting.  I've got lots of things to think about for clients.  Then, just as I parked at the elementary school to pick up my kids, a huge storm swept through and miraculous canceled all my children's afternoon activities.  (fake frown here).  I've never been so relieved.  Who's with me?!  

We have been burning the candle at both ends with all the activities and a little rainy afternoon action hanging out at home eating snacks and watching the tube were much needed.  

So, in honor of cozy spots on a rainy day . . . 

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Sometimes you just need one!  Here's wishing you a rainy afternoon to play hooky.  M.

Scott's Market Finds

This year's Jr. League trip to Scott's was so much fun for me.  I loved all the cute girls on our bus, and I thought there were tons of great finds.  When we first got to the market, Stern Agee (sponsors of the trip - thank you Kay and Jennifer!), had arranged for Mary Baldwin to speak to us about decorative artwork.  Mary's no nonsense style just drew me in.  Her tiny stature might fool you - but oh no, this lady was smart, articulate and gave us a realistic view on decorative artwork.

She told us most of the artwork you purchase from dealers at a market like this, is not one of kind pieces (even though many dealers will tell you it is).  Most are painted over and over again for the masses.  She said rather than avoiding these types of dealers, you should simply know what you're getting and buy what you like.  These are hand painted (so you are getting something more interesting than a print); but they are not one of kind pieces.  So, if you get tired of a piece you will not feel guilty getting rid of it later (since you didn't pay a fortune for it in the first place).  

This is the essence of what she calls "decorative artwork."  Honestly, I've never really thought about artwork like this.  For me, it really took the pressure off of being wed to a piece for life! 

After this art lesson, I ran into Lori May of Lori May Interiors!  If you recall, Lori was one of my guest bloggers during Spring Break.  One other thing to note about Lori - she is going to be featured on HGTV's Design Wars which airs this Friday at 1 PM eastern.  How cool is that?!  I my son will definitely be DVRing it (is that even a word?)  

Then, as I was lugging a couple of finds out to the bus, I saw the one and only - Sherry Hart! (sorry the picture is so blurry, iPhone is all I had).  And just look at her in that fabulous denim shirt (which if you recall from my Spring series - is a fashion trend).  

 If you have not been following Sherry's blog, Design Indulgence, you should!  Her posts are always full of eye candy and her style of writing is so clever.  Although Sherry is a super talented interior designer, she is not a "stuffy, take yourself to seriously designer."  Her personality is very laid back, and it's easy to see why she is so successful.  Very fun getting to see her in person. 

OK, so in addition to all the chatting, I did manage to get a few finds.  I got these accent chairs for a client's living room.  They were from the Ritz Carlton in Palm Beach.

We've been looking for chairs that were a bit smaller in scale, and these were perfect.  Based on our layout, they also needed to be pretty from the back.  Check!  We will have to reupholster them; but for the price, they were a total find.

Look at these fabulous rugs.  Gotta love a client who is not afraid of color!  

These are Oushaks, but they have more color than most Oushaks you normally think of.  We were considering these for a very wide, yet more narrow foyer area.  

We did not pull the trigger, but it was a ton of fun looking at them! Just gorgeous.

I also looked at a few chests for different clients who had asked me to "keep an eye out" for them.  

I thought these were beautiful options for the price.

This one we were considering for a bathroom/vanity area where we needed a specific size.  It's amazing how wood can warm up an otherwise sterile vanity area. 

These Louis Phillipe chests, we were considering for the keeping room of another client just off of their kitchen.

This one was my favorite and of course the price reflected so!

OK, so enough about my client finds, let's talk about my house finds!

I picked up these "x" bottom stools from Amy Sims out of Charlotte, N.C.  

Amy has such an amazing eye and every single one of the pieces in her booth were high style.  She is also super sweet.  If you are ever at Scott's, she is in the North building near I-8.  This is just one of several styles she custom makes - there are tons of fabric options. 

Also, if you love these and don't want to go to Scott's to get them, just call her and she'll make it happen. 704.578.5722.  A pair of small stools are so versatile and will go just about anywhere.

My new stools are currently living in the family room.  Just the purchase of a pair of tiny stools has given me the itch to re-arrange the entire room!  I'm too busy at the moment to take it on, so maybe this summer. 

My other big find, was this rug for my foyer.  

I still love the Heriz in my living room and pops of color are a current design trend - so I'm keeping it!  Mine is a bit different from most Heriz in that it's red and black (rather than blue) with grays.  

The busy pattern makes it difficult to find a rug for the open foyer that compliments it.  

But I finally did!  Now, my plan is to pull out some of the bold colors for accent pillows to give the entire space a more current feel.  

Lastly, I picked up this simple architectural remnant for my coffee table.  These types of pieces are wonderful for adding texture and a conversation piece to your space.  

I also got these Florentia boxes.  The lady practically gave them to me!  Florentia is great for collecting (especially the trays) and is still very affordable.  

And that's it - I know my hubby is relieved I stopped at these pieces!   Man I can do some damage when I'm there.  A big thank you to the Jr. League for allowing me to speak and enjoy their fun outing!

  Hope you're week is off to a great start. M