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Showing posts with label interiors. Show all posts

Showing posts with label interiors. Show all posts

i'll have mine straight up...

Labels: interiors

i don't know what it is but my husband totally got it right last night when he said "you hate things on the diagonal". it's true, i am not a diagonal kind of girl. another revelation i have discovered is that i like balance and repetition. i think it makes a room feel unified. these rooms are perfect examples of just that....

suzanne kasler's room looks so well unified between the color coordination of the books with the frames and the balance of height b/w the bookshelf and the arrangement of the pictures above the chest. barrie benson achieved a gorgeous room w/ the awesome way she displayed this Hermes plate collection above the two leather club chairs. and lastly, this dining room by tom scheerer is just perfection. the repetition of the circular mirrors above the white unconventional wall shelves is so pleasing to my eye. it's strange, i am not a black and white kind of girl but straight on, balanced designs are quickly becoming my cup of tea.

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viceroy...part 2

Labels: interiors

ok, so this is part two to my viceroy piece and i must say, the bed side of this room is a little challenging. to really capture the look of the bed wall you need a carpenter and a glass cutter/ mirror guy. i know, kind of a cop out but i looked for some cool mirror that you could play w/ to create this patterned wall and it just didn't excited me like the original. the bedding is all white so i went w/ an Italian sateen collection and for the grey blanket at the bottom of the bed, i went w/ cashmere. the sconce was way hard to find so i had to opt for a drake table lamp (you have to scroll down on the website to see it). i adore this company and think it still stays w/ the feeling of the room. for the accent on the shade, we will need to add a yellow banding ourselves...sorry. now the chairs, i searched and searched for something close to the porfirio armchair...i found this 60's style asian armchair which looks pretty close if we have to swap out something for the original. you will need to remove the nail head trim and add a kelly green linen fabric. but most importantly, you need to have the fabric embroidered before upholstering it....kelly loves the embroidery palace if you live in LA. ok, the last element i think we need for this room is the coffee table. i adore this 1970's vintage one and think it fits right in w/ ms. kelly's look. well, i hope you like your room...until i have the chance to actually visit it in person, this will have to do! have a wonderful weekend!

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make my room a viceroy one (part one) ....

Labels: interior designer, interiors

ok who doesn't adore the wearstler? so i thought it would be fun to take her widely popular "viceroy" hotel room and recreate some of its key components...(please bare w/ me- i am not very computer savvy and i don't know how to display a grouping of pictures.)

one of the key items in this room is the wallpaper. it's a foil and has a cane pattern appearance- couldn't find that one exactly but i thought that this trellis has the same feeling so i went with this one. oh, and did i mention that i am tweaking the room slightly...mainly b/c i like this chair and think it would look great w/ the wallpaper but still follows the idea of the Chippendale design and of course we will upholster the cushion in a slate grey linen. now, this dog lamp is different b/c its a foo dog (but kelly likes the foo) and it has a black shade but i think it works b/c it echos the black in the desk. oh i guess we need a desk- you will have to add the marble top, sorry! and we need the decorative hexagon plates. let's do this phone b/c after all, at your house you don't need a button for the front desk. ok, that should keep you busy for a little while. tomorrow, we will tackle the bedside of the room!

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pink is my favorite color

Labels: interiors

i have a problem...i am obsessed by the color pink. i don't know exactly when this happened. i feel like when i was a little girl my favorite color was purple...isn't this when your love for pink is suppose to develop? well, mine hit probably right after i got married. i noticed all of my clothing was pink...a turtleneck (wow, that sounded so conservative), a patagonia jacket, a pair of pink cords, pink high heels, pink bum around pants, pink dresses...my husband started banning me from buying anything that was pink...he would say "one day you are going to hate this color and you will be looking in your closet and be so sad b/c that's all you own." i think that made me want the color even more (you know when someone tells you not to do something, it makes you crave it even more)...so i started my own company and what do i do? i have my logo designed...pink and chocolate brown...business cards, letterhead, and envelopes. next, i get pregnant and what do i find out- its a girl...so naturally, i fill the room w/ pink! i can't help it. finally, i start a blog...what's the name PINK wallpaper. so i confess...my name is shannon and i have a problem. i want to live in a sea of pink. just when i thought i could move on from this color, i found myself telling my husband last night "i think i want to paint my desk pink"...he rolled his eyes and said you have got to be kidding me......

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atlanta homes and lifesyles

Labels: interiors, kitchens

we spent new years in atlanta (football game...not my number one choice of ways to bring in the year but it was fun none the less). in our hotel there was a magazine of atlanta homes which somehow happened to make its way home w/ me (i justified it by thinking of it as if it were the toiletries they offer in the bathroom...just another friendly jester to welcome you). it's a very good magazine. i especially loved this one house which was featured in an article titled "the un-white house". the architecture was amazing. it was a contemporary house built in a traditional bungalow neighborhood. the architect used angular walls and windows that really make the house stand out. it has loads of light pouring into the house and the kitchen is beautiful. i love the limestone ann stacks tile they used in the backsplash, very modern- sleek and sophisticated. i was also pleased to find that the magazine had a great website. (i can now access the mag even if i am not staying in an atl hotel!)

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a coat of polish...

Labels: interiors, paint

(picture Southern Accents Dec. 2005, Miles Redd)

i love it when people share experiences or things they have learned in the industry. that being said, courtney at in(side) the loop left a very informative comment on my painted chairs dilemma: I JUST had a refinisher come out and look at 3 antiques I recently inherited from my Dad's side. When I mentioned "painting" them, he almost fell over. HOWEVER, he also thought they would look better "painted" but he educated me. Lacquering does not mean it has to have a high gloss...it's just a finish but it can be matte or shiny. That said, it costs a bit more to have your furniture professionally lacquered but if you ever wanted to strip it and refinish the wood, it comes off very easily. If you were to paint it, paint would always be in the wood and you'd never be able to get it back to the original condition.

this led me to think more about this process...i love the look of lacquered walls and furniture. it can be placed in a tradition or modern home and is virtually timeless in it's appearance. it is an extremely labor intensive process therefore, the professional painters can charge out the you-know-what to achieve this look. a quality lacquer paint job should allow you to see your reflection in the sheen of the paint! this can require up to 30 coats....but man, you cannot replace the beauty of this look. walls look magnificent in both candlelight and day light. i did research to see if there was a DIY way out there and came across this article...basically to sum it up- NO, consult a professional and your accountant when contemplating lacquer to grace your home.

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is it really a sin...

Labels: interiors, paint

to paint a precious antique?? i have loved these painted chairs since they appeared on the cover of Charleston Home last sept. which brings me to my dilemma...is it okay to go there...there begin taking an antique that has been in your family for decades and painting it!! my finger tips sweat a little just thinking of that thought!! i am all about painting an antique that you pick up at the local antique mall but what about one that has meaning and a past w/ your family??!

i think that my DR chairs would look amazing lacquered like these...maybe in a chartreuse color. the chairs are gorgeous as is, but they don't give me the pizazz i am looking for in this space. my mom said to do it...but we haven't even told dad that it might happen, and those just happen to be from his side of the family- i am scared to even go there...dad can't really let items go to easily...in fact, he built a barn on some land of ours, just to house our unused furniture. i am also plagued with the dilemma of "will i ever regret doing this"?? as my neighbor says, you can always have them refinished down the road...well, lets hope we win the lottery by then!!

BUT sometimes i think i would love to just not have those chairs at all and replace them with these....that's the problem w/ being an interior designer...there are so many possibilities that its hard to actually make up your mind!! HELP!

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make me a bird....

Labels: interiors

i think it was from forest gump and jenny was standing in the fields and said "lord, make me a bird so i can fly far, far away"...that's how i feel about my office...better yet, make me a bull dozier. my office is utter chaos!! there are fabrics, wallpaper, random papers, and magazines EVERYWHERE! it is not a pretty site at all (thank goodness clients don't see this part).

I need a major room makeover. i would love for ruthie sommers to come and wave her magic wand and "poof" this beautiful imagine appears....is that too much for a girl to ask??

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the color that is everywhere...

Labels: interiors, paint

as i flip through magazines the color that is really standing out to me is gray. i see it used in a ton of design elements right now. i use to feel like this color was cold and i couldn't imagine using it on the walls but i have a new outlook on gray. it seems so peaceful and pairs beautifully with blues, browns, corals, etc. i will say, i tend to lean to the brownish/ gray version of the color...i think that the added brown pigment gives off a warmth that makes the color not seem as well, how do you say it- gray! i was thrilled when a client/ indecisive friend of mine wanted to use the color. we looked at a ton of paint for her walls. we wanted the house to feel neutral but not look like a "spec home" where the walls seem like an institution. i can't wait to see how it reads on the walls.

another great thing about the color gray is that it looks absolutely beautiful with marble... marble on the counter top, on the bathroom floors, or as tile in a shower. i've looked at a lot of wood flooring lately and the darker shades tend to have purplish gray undertones in it- they are gorgeous. this color also looks great with another trend right now, metallic. so if you are in the market for a change in paint or a new color exploration, try gray....you'll be in for a pleasant surprise!

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diamonds are a girl's best friend....

Labels: interiors, paint

so every time i get a new Cottage Living, i get another inspiration. last month, it was fran's letters (which i need to show y'all) and this month it's kitty's dining room. i love the diamond wall treatment....however, i think it's over my head. the homeowner, kitty, did this by hand, three times until she finally got this result- which i think is stunning. i would go absolutely crazy trying to perfect this look. for pete's sake, i went crazy trying to paint 6 letters...can you imagine the stress i would be under! plus, it's all about the straight lines, good painter's tape, and math. i love the white and chocolate...my dining room would look more like a tiffany's box b/c it's robin's egg blue and i can visualize the diamonds in white....my husband would kill me...i can see me now, on a ladder attempting to get a straight line...yep, this project isn't going to happen. but way to go kitty!

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my evolving taste....

Labels: interior designer, interiors, window treatments

it's so funny how your taste evolves over the years being in the interior design business. i started working in interior design back in college. i worked at a well-known design firm downtown for 7 years before taking the plunge (well maybe cannonball) into starting my own design company. now, it's safe to say that Charleston can be very traditional. it's a town surrounded by its love for historic preservation and we take pride our historic homes. so there was a lot of swag and jabots going on in window treatments...something that made me want to throw up (and still does make me a little queasy). i remember my boss laughing at me b/c i hated them so much! and balloon shades- oh my, those were just terrible....maybe it was the application of them in a lovely chintz or some stuffy floral. i use to think that osborne and little would always be my favorite fabric company and i would never grow tired of my Manchu wallpaper. granite was the best thing since sliced bread and that distressed wood was really a "hot" look...flame stitch use to make my skin crawl and contemporary was not even in my realm of thinking for design....

it's just funny how things change...i laughed at myself last night when i was laying in bed looking at House Beautiful. i fell in love with a house done by betsy burnham (love her) and i actually liked the window treatments that at one time would have made me cringe. i think they are so classic and peaceful....i would never have suggested something like this for a window treatment two years ago; maybe not even two weeks ago. but staring at this picture made me realize how my taste has evolved and how everyday, i learn something new about my style and love for design....i can't wait to see where i am in twenty years...probably loving the swag and jabot look b/c you know, that's the thing w/ design everything old comes back in style (ummm hello, 80's fashion..did you ever think it that could make a comeback??)

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no pink pumps here....at least not this AM

Labels: interiors

you know, i'm not going to lie...sometimes i have nothing to write about. so i decided to scroll through my inspiration book and i ran across this page which i have loved for the past year and a half...i decided to look at the picture closely and i started relating it to my life....

first i will touch on the obvious- the room is wonderful. great use of the popular lulu dk "chant" fabric on the DR chairs. and as y'all should know, monogramming makes it better, so i love the wing chair with the table! the floors are a beautiful ebony and i love the detailing down the leading edge of the draperies.

but this AM as i looked at this picture, i decided that it makes me mad b/c when i relate it to me and my house, it couldn't be further! so i pictured myself sitting on the floor like this "model" looking mom and this is what i saw...me in my grey velour sweat pants and an orange hoodie (that i wore when we painted our porch so it has white paint splattered all over it) sitting on our light oak floor (which is covered in our golden's hair)...my hair, nothing close to graceful...piled up in a messy ponytail desperately needing highlights (i am suppose to be blond)...oh and those beautiful sex in the city looking shoes- those should be replaced by pink jcrew bedroom slippers. than i see my cutie 5 month old, she isn't wearing a starched, white boutique dress but rather an old navy onesie (and underneath it she has one sock on b/c we decided her feet were freezing at night and that's the best we could come up with- you ask why one sock, b/c when my husband changed her diaper this AM, one fell off and he didn't put it back on). lastly, i move on to my room...we do have somethings in common...a seagrass rug- hers is missing the stain from my golden. we do have a table with chairs but mine is an antique set that belonged to my great aunt- it squeaks if you bump into it...and the fabric on the chairs are a horizontal stripe that is a silk (why??) lastly, the one common thing i can smile and proudly say i have is lulu dk. i splurged and had draperies made with moondance and have a leading edge detail....

so maybe my life isn't too far from this picture...minus the fact that she has showered and her kid has hair....happy tuesday!

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"fran's letters" are taking over my life....

Labels: baby, interiors, paint

so i have been telling you about this diy project that i am working on and here is the inspiration. on tues i sat down to read my cottage living and fell in love w/ "fran's letters". thinking the project would be a piece of cake, i decided i would do my baby's name on this one tiny wall that has been white since the nursery was completed (i was waiting for something to inspire me).

well, kudos to fran b/c her letters rock....mine, not so much. i cannot tell you how many hours i have spent for 6 measly letters that i am trying to get to look anything remotely like fran's....

right now, fran is not my friend (although if we lived in the same town i think we might be). my husband walks into the baby's room everyday when he gets home from work...looks at the progress of the letters and says things like "they look good" (with a high voice which means he is lying) or he suggest ways he would have done them so the lines of the letters would have been straight...i think "thanks a lot, where were you 7 hours ago?!" so, i am off to work on those stupid letters that my baby will not even care about when she is finally old enough to even realize that i spelled her name...i am sure by that point she will want to repaint the entire room with barbie or something......

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recreate that dining room on a budget

Labels: interiors, Wallpaper

love the dining room featured below but can't afford the designer look....
here are some budget finds that can help you recreate this designer room: add the look of these asian doors, with the elegance of this table, the starkness of these chairs, the touch of this light (minus the shades), and lastly the essence of an "osborne and little" look-a-like wallpaper and VOILA....a fantastic dining room at a faction of the cost! enjoy :)

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if only...

Labels: interiors, Wallpaper

my dining room was this beautiful. i love this room. the wallpaper by osborne and little just totally captivates this space and makes you want to linger over your last sip of wine. while this room is formal- it's hip, hollywood, and totally inviting in its appearance. i love the starkness of the white chairs with the simplistic nail head (literally, they look like tiny nails just tapped into the delicate fabric)...i love the slight arch of the chair's back and legs...they are just gorgeous. and i love the doors leading into the space...very asian meets sleek nyc penthouse.

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monogramming makes it better...

Labels: interiors

i have loved these chairs since i saw them in cottage living (one of my all time fav mags) a year or so ago. i love the numbers on the backs of the chairs. can't you see yourself at a dinner party and the hostess tells you to "go sit in chair #3"! i think its so innovative.

so why does monogramming things make me happy? it's not like i have a ton of stuff in my own house monogrammed...a shower curtain in my guest bath, bar glasses, a llbean handbag, and of course the wedding towels that everyone gets when they get married. i think it just makes it personal. a couple of years ago at the charleston symphony showhouse, one of the designers put a huge monogram on a slipcovered wingchair and i loved it. i guess i am in love with the unique monogram...the ones that are done in a different script, or in a funky pattern, or on an unexpected item.

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white canvas....

Labels: interiors, paint

i love it when i run across designers that totally excite me....its like drinking 3 cups of coffee. i just get an adrenaline rush that makes me love design and what i do. i just crave cool houses and creativity and love the people out there delivering it. i just want to create inspiring work for my clients that they will love and grow with and yet is affordable and classic and totally them.

this picture is classy. it's totally tasteful yet has a flare of funk with the accented red chairs. and of course, i love the white canvas that the furniture is against...the walls and the floor just draw your eyes directly to the furniture. its kind of like eating off white plates...the food just looks prettier and taste better for some reason.

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#4. white painted floors

Labels: floors, interiors, paint

i love the look of white painted floors. there is something about them that make me smile. maybe because it reminds me of a cottage beach house...i don't know. i just don't think you can beat the clean and simplistic look of these beautiful floors. if i were able to build a new house, i would love to have white floors. if you like the look of these but don't want them all over your house, you could put them in the sunroom or have them in the main areas of your home and put wall-to-wall seagrass in the bedrooms. i think these floors paired with great geometric print chairs or draperies would be divine....

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#3. mix-matched DR chairs

Labels: interiors

i am sorry it's taking me a long time to get these 10 things out...i had all intentions of writing yesterday but my neighbor kidnapped me and made me go to lunch with her...i know, i had the rest of the afternoon after that but one draft bluemoon made me totally unmotivated...i took my daughter's lead and had nap time :)

i think that giving your traditional dining room a makeover is a must. and i see no better way to do this than by taking some modern elements, aka cool chairs, and placing them with a vintage/antique dining room table. i absolutely love it when you mix color or even a great "ghost chair" with a wooden table. i love mixing the old with new. I think it gives layers to your design. so if you want to do an instant update, get funky and think outside the box by getting chairs that aren't "matchie-matchie"....or if you happen to have already bought the "rooms to go" package, take some fun paint and paint those traditional wooden chairs kelly green or turquoise...your husband might think you have lost your mind but in the long run does his opinion really matter?? i mean, if it were up to them your entire house would be hunter green and burgundy with overstuffed pleather recliners everywhere.

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