Fabulous Finds at the Atlanta Gift Show, July 2013

The Atlanta Gift Show was HOT, HOT, HOT this past July!
JULY?!  you say?  It's now September...September creeping into October!  Barclay!  What's up with that?
Well, okay - truth be told.  I couldn't download my photos onto my laptop computer and.....well....things like that slow me down!  Anyhow - the Gift Show was such a blast this year - as I went into a corner of the Market that I've NEVER been in and I found numerous, wonderful vendors!

Dunes and Duchess (www.DunesandDuchess.com)

Dunes & Duchess lacquer lamps

Beaded Bargello pillow by Callisto Home

MooMoo Designs - FAB Orange Leather picture frame

Deco-inspired Coffee Table 

"Audubon" Coffee Table

Phoenix Sun Mirror

Modern Chest in Ivory

Stepped Chest - love the organic look!

Tara Shaw's nod to New Orleans

As you might have expected - orange is still the hot trending accent color!  You'll see pops of it in my small sampling of photos.

Amy Howard chair

Mr. Brown chair

Love the fun bubble mirror!  Very feminine

Bliss Studio chair

Tara Shaw chair

I saw several "duplicate" styles of furniture out there.  But, the ones I photographed were exceptionally beautiful and well-done!  Both of these examples are very haute couture and sophisticated, but selling at a reasonable price.  They would be considered the "jewels" in your room or the show-stoppers!

Amy Howard

I have a bit of a penchant for Coffee Tables!  I can't help myself - but, I love them!  (and occassional chairs!)
So, whenever I hit a furniture market - you can know, for sure, that my camera will be out and clicking when I see a fantastic and affordable coffee table!  I spared you all and thought better of not posting all of my luscious tables.  But, here are a few!

Which coffee table is your favorite?   I'd love to know!!

I've got to run and post this blog.  I'm accepting the ONE ROOM CHALLENGE and need to figure out how I can link up with the group this morning!
See you soon!

Introducing the 2014 Colormix collections by Sherwin Williams

I just returned from a really interesting Color Forecasting seminar hosted by Sherwin Williams.

photo: courtesy of Sherwin Williams

Carolyn Noble, Marketing Manager for SW, spoke and showed us the many numerous influences that shaped the color palettes for the 2014 forecast.  Sherwin Williams always does a fantastic job with this annual forecasting seminar and this year's program was hard to beat!  It was inspirational and eye-opening!

SEPTEMBER'S COLOR OF THE MONTH:  SW 7045 Intellectual Gray
"Welcome Back to School month!"

Sherwin Williams (SW) is forecasting four distinct color palettes for the new year.
1.  Reasoned - is a collection of blacks, greys and whites.  "Grey is the new black, and math is the new sexy".  (I didn't say it -they did!)  But, it's true!  I've seen an emergence of grey/white or black/white rooms lately.  SW emphasizes that this popular color palette was influenced by the structure and forms coming out of fashion - pleats, folds, outlines that define shapes.  And by artists - using positive and negative space, pen and ink forms, the typewriter.

photo: courtesy of Sherwin Williams

2.  Intrinsic - is the second collection with a more Bohemian, worldly and culturally authentic look.  Inspired by Eastern Europe and heritage crafts like embroidery, intricate lace and crochet - this color collection is bright, vibrant and earthy!

photo: courtesy of Sherwin Williams

3.  Diaphanous - is a collection of light, delicate colors that evoke an atmospheric, billowy, spiritual weightlessness. OK - sounds a bit dramatic - but the colors are soft, feminine and soothing.

photo: courtesy of Sherwin Williams

4.  In contrast, Curiosity, the final color collection jars your sensibilities.  The color selections are inspired by the strange and unusual colors associated with weird science and eccentricity - think deep purples, acidic greens.  Geology and the natural stones collected from the deepest recesses of the earth - like copper and metallics.

photo: courtesy of Sherwin Williams

The best part of this seminar was the inspirational photos from featured influential artists.  I am sad that I wasn't able to write down all of their names!  But, I was able to track down one of the artists.
Her name is Olga Kostina an artist from Siberia Russia.  She has collected over 30,000 bottle caps and has decorated her wood frame house with them.  Honestly, this was amazing!!

What are your design inspirations?  I'd love to know!
Have a great day -

Hump Day Happiness!

Happiness is HOMEGOODS!
I'm creating an office for myself in our basement.  It's a bit of a challenge - for many reasons:
1.  our basement is one of those scary, partially unfinished basements!  Dark and murky with no light.
2.  the room that I've designated as my "office" has few electrical outlets, peeling plaster walls, and a hideous dark green wall-to-wall carpet.  It also has a ceiling fan/light combination (REALLY special when you're trying to work on a client's color scheme!)
3.  lastly, most importantly, I have very little funds to make this space look AB FAB!
So - where does one go when one has limited funds - well - HomeGoods, of course!

I scoured all of metro Atlanta to look for the perfect pair of HomeGoods lamps for my office.  I found lots of great lamps and all of them were really well-priced.  Here are a few of my favorites. 
Do you have a favorite?

Loved the texture on these two white lamps.  The one on the right was perfect for a beach house.

The blue/white combination of these bamboo lamps with acrylic bases caught my eye....

I, especially, loved these owl lamps - so charming!  I'm not normally an owl lover - but, they just spoke (or hooted) to me! 
Anyhoot...I foudn and bought a gorgeously affordable crystal column lamp that had my name all over it.  But, sadly, there was no match to be found (despite spending needless hours traveling all of metro Atlanta to find its match.
BUT, while on my quest, I found many other HomeGoods goodies!

These smaller scale mirrors would be great in an Entry or Powder Room.

This circular rope mirror would look great in a beach house or a teen girl's room!

Thought this might be nice in my son's nautically-inspired room.

                  Faux rustic painted board mirror.  So many places to hang this baby! 

     Maybe a beach or mountain house, boys or girls room...I was thinking our playroom...

And, HomeGoods always has a great selection of well-priced baskets.

Happy Shopping!

HAPPY FOURTH of JULY!

Have a Safe and Happy Fourth of July!

Arlington National Cemetary photography by Rebecca Clever

via Chinoiserie Chic blog

The Wianno Club, Osterville, MA

KITCHEN & BATH DESIGN, Oh My!

I was invited to attend a seminar last week at Insidesign in Atlanta.  It was for interior designers who wanted to learn more about how to navigate designing kitchens and baths for their clients!

Kitchen design  - Insidesign, Atlanta

How did Insidesign KNOW that I needed this training!  I was very excited to go.   I met the incredibly approachable and friendly staff, I learned a lot more about the various cabinet companies and millwork options available- and more importantly, I left Insidesign feeling more confident about my Kitchen and Bath design skills.  It's so important to have a showroom available with plenty of resources and knowledgable staff.

Jenny, Jackie, and Theresa with Paul Castell


Kitchen cabinetry from Shiloh
This Kitchen was one of my favorites in the showroom.  The Antique White cabinetry was from Shiloh and it featured Beaded Inset doors and drawers.  This is a hot new design trend!  Plus, did you see the backsplash?VERY fabulous!



 The backsplash, made of marble, was set in a Harlequin pattern with a grouping of rhinestones at every intersection.  This little bit of fabulousness will never hinder a night of cooking and conversation!... bling home the bacon!

If you are thinking of remodeling your Kitchen or Bath and need help, please don't hesitate to call me, I'd be more than happy to help!

Plein Air Summer Luncheon

It's been a gloomy, rainy week in Atlanta.  So, when I found these gorgeous Garden Party photos on the Torie Jayne blog, I was instantly mesmerized!  Was the table set up for a birthday party? Was it a bridal luncheon or a small dinner party?

 The flowers are really what makes this party spectacular!  I mean, they are BEE-U-TI-FULL!

Happily, Torie Jayne identifed the blog from which the photos originated - Klaystyle blog by Japanese Photo Stylist, Chihiro Kubota.   She mentions that several of the props came from IKEA - the china, the placemats and napkins and the glass bottles.

LOVING the peonies - and the burlap wrapped jars!

If I were hosting this Plein Air Garden Party - I'd have to include some garden-themed cupcakes - like those offered by Icing Bliss - almost too pretty to eat!

Garden Themed Cupcakes by Icing Bliss, London, UK

Shabby Chic cupcakes by Icing Bliss, London, UK

And, I'd have to find a pretty invitation to coordinate with the theme.  Here are a few that I found on Etsy

myPiperPress store, Etsy by Angela Claxton

Alice in Wonderland inivation by InkGlitterandpaper store, Etsy


Be inspired to have your own Garden Party!

Oh - and don't forget to take your gift on the way out!

 Vellum wrapped caramels by The Caramel Jar store, Etsy

Cape Cod Sojourn

I recently came back from a wonderful sojourn on Cape Cod.  Wianno/Osterville to be exact.  My family rented a house in Osterville for the month and all children and grandchildren were invited up to play and relax.

Squaw Island - HyannisPort, MA

Cape Cod is very special to me.  You probably have the same feeling about a place that you went to when you were a child, too.  Well, that's my relationship with Cape Cod.  Every summer as a child (from 5yrs until college), my family rented a house in HyannisPort, MA.  I spent my summers sailing, going to the beach and playing tennis.
I loved Cape Cod!  I loved it so much - that I begged my parents to let me get married up there.  And, here we are - twelve years after my marriage -back on the Cape.

St.Peter's Church, Wianno, MA   - where I got married

What I love about the Cape are its homes.  I'm attracted to a lot of the older homes with unusual quirks to them - like towers, or gambrel rooves, etc...  But, in general, I just really appreciate homes.  I come by it naturally - my mom's a realtor.  So, I grew up looking at the homes  - which is part of the reason why I, probably, became an interior designer.

Wianno has some beautiful homes!  However, a lot are built on the beach and difficult to see from the street - and, well...I didn't want to look TOO touristy!  Here are some of the homes I admired from my morning walk.  I, especially, loved the homes with an abundance of flowers or hydrangeas!

and, my favorite house - a cottage right on the beach!  (below)

I will very much miss my summer vacation on Cape Cod.  But, I have great memories to cherish!