Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Retro Fabulous..... A Dallas Home Goes Glam!


Ok readers, As my friend Blair so nicely pointed out, I slacked on you for 24 hours.

Deepest Apologies.

To make up for my behavior, I'm retro-actively posting.

So here comes the second bite of fabulousness for the day.

The owner of Again and Again, the repurposed vintage furniture shop I spoke of yesterday (ok, an hour ago.) Leslie Pritchard, has a FABULOUS home in the Turtle Creek area in Dallas. 

Her designer friend, Breck Woolsey, glammed it up for her.

And this, my friends, was the BEYOND Fab result:


A few notes on this picture.

1. Love the coral sofa and Missoni-style printed chair.
2. Really into the cowhide rug under the black and gold leaf coffee table
3. Does anyone else notice that Ms. Pritchard is the twin of Celebrity Designer, Kelly Wearstler?

Perhaps that's why Breck decided to use Kelly Wearstler's influence in many of the rooms?


She has pink curtains.
And the Dorothy Draper Style chair is recovered in Kelly Wearstler's Apricot Bengal Bazaar.
DYING.








I have no words for this buffet.
Ok, I have one.
FABULOUS.



I love the way this bed is styled.
Headboard inspired by Kelly Wearstler.
Dusty Rose pillows, tan Hermes blanket.
LOVE the white 1960's side tables and tall lamps.
Gorgeous.


All pictures courtesy of FD Luxe Magazine for Dallas Morning News.


So, Are you or are you not thrilled that I shared this with you?

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The Re-Purpose Driven Life.....



As an aspiring Interior Designer, I find nothing more thrilling than a room full of repurposed objects.

Repurposed Vintage Pieces give a room so much character and life.

I honestly can't fathom decorating a home full of brand new pieces. It just seems plain wasteful to me.

My first love was probably recovered Louis XVI chairs, and as I've grown to love and appreciate other era's, I've fallen in love with repurposed furniture.

There's a store in Dallas called Again and Again that takes great vintage pieces with good bones and repaints and/or recovers them to give them new life.

Some of their fabulous redone pieces below...



 images via againandagain.com



On Sunday, I visited the Dallas Flea with a girlfriend and bought the most amazing redone french chair.
The wood frame is stripped and distressed and the fabric is a fabulous black and white trellis.

It was definitely a find!


For now, it's sitting in the corner of my bedroom, waiting for it's perfect spot.

What's funny, is that this chair is the first vintage object I've bought that was already redone for me.

You name it, I've repainted or repurposed it.


Monday, March 28, 2011

Mid-Century Modern Monday!


My man-friend and I are majorly into mid-century modern houses right now. 

Probably has part to do with our 1960's/ Mad Men obsession and partly our undying need to visit Palm Springs.

We pretty much spend every Sunday stalking MCM home inhabitants.

It's a little creepy. But A LOT of fun.

I'm always desperate to see the inside of some of these beauties.

I want to see the decor, how they re-did the kitchen/bathrooms, and if they stayed true to the MCM style.

I came across this beauty during some internet surfing and I'm dying over it.
I'm loving how minimalist it is, probably because I could never achieve a minimalist look in my own home.

I also like that it's more monochromatic than most mid-century homes you see.

It's calming and welcoming, but sleek and modern at the same time.

It was designed by the Portland, OR based design firm, Jessica Helgerson Interior Design


 Love this bathroom. 
And want to see MORE of it!



images via homedit

What's your take on the Mid-Century Modern Style?

Love it or Leave it?

Friday, March 25, 2011

Lately....


Lately, I've been asked to do a little interior design work on the side.

Which I find pretty thrilling!

And it's made me think that I need a few work supplies to look more offish.




 Like a notebook in which to jot my ideas....



 Smythson of Bond St.

Or a portfolio in which to keep samples, inspiration boards, and other papers....



And a bright, stylish tote to keep all of this stuff in!



Smythson of Bond St.

And a business card holder, for well, you know.

Happy Friday Everyone!!!


Thursday, March 24, 2011

A Lovely Creative Studio....The Seating Area



Now, across from her desk I would add a seating area.

Somewhere where her husband can hang out with her while she's working late. 
(Their words, not mine. Sweetest couple ever.)

Some of my inspiration. 

Because she's painting the office a silver sage, I really want to incorporate aqua & citrine accents.
These rooms are WAY too bright for our project, but we can achieve a more neutral look by adding the color in with accessories.

Plus, these images are fun to look at.




 Love this room via House of Turquoise.
It's still a little bright, but I like how they've tied in the colors in the curtains, garden stool and pillows.


I love the set-up of Katie Lee Joel's living room below.
And it's much more of the neutral palette we're going for.

images via decorpad.com


My Living Room Mock-Up.


Grey Linen sofa, Artsy floorlamp, gilded side table, python x-benches, black chinese chippendales covered in a pretty teal & beige Schumacher fabric.

One thing I didn't add to this board was a metallic cowhide rug.
It's definitely something I think we should layer over the seagrass.
It will also visually define the "living room" as a separate area.


I just love the effect of cowhides on rooms.



 images via decorpad.com


I would love to add a cowhide like this, white with silver metallic paint!


Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Elizabeth Taylor.... You will be missed.


Elizabeth Taylor will be remembered forever as an icon.

For her beauty, style, and grace.

I wanted to play tribute to a woman who has a little piece of my heart.






I'm always interested when I see a tribute to Miss Taylor and here are some of my faves. 

I always love watching the scene in SATC after Charlotte has a mis-carriage and is inspired to forge on by Ms. Taylor's legacy.


And since I'm such a Cavalier fan, I just adore the puppy version of Elizabeth Taylor in the show/movie.


As you'll recall, I posted about Ms. Taylor's former Palm Springs home and all it's gorgeousness here.

images via Dicha Jewelry, Chadwicks Spaniels, My classic Lyrics, Enchanted Vintage Clothing, poietes.wordpress.com, and luxuryrealestate.com




There is a great article in the LA Times Today about Elizabeth, Read it Here.

Wedding Wednesday.... Introducing a New Series on MP



I have been in a LOT of weddings lately.

Seriously, the movie 27 Dresses is getting a tad too familiar for my taste.

Except that I'm not blonde, haven't made out with Edward Burns, and haven't gotten married to James Marsden on a beach at sunset.




For whatever reason, my friends or acquaintances that are getting engaged are constantly coming to me for help.

What kind of flowers? Where should I buy my dress? What should my Colors be?

The list goes on.

And so I thought, why not share some of my infinite (virtually useless) wedding wisdom that's just floating around in my noggin?

Welcome, Dear Readers, to Wedding Wednesday.

A new series on this here blog about all things wedding.

Today, I'll just give you a little taste.


First things, first.

When a bride-to-be starts asking me for inspiration, I send them to one of my four favorite wedding blogs/websites.


For the Eclectic bride:



Ruffled is wonderful.

I'm actually relatively new to their readership, but I'm obsessed. I devote most (ok all) Saturday mornings to them. They have awesome diy projects and great Real Weddings.


photos/logo courtesy of ruffledblog.com



For the Design Obsessed Bride:



Style Me Pretty is A-mazing.

Great Design Ideas for every little detail of your nuptials.

Go check it out, you will NOT be disappointed.



 photos/logo courtesy of stylemepretty.com


For the "Emily Post" bride:


Obviously Martha Stewart is always fabulous.


P.S. This is the only wedding magazine you EVER need to buy.
Town & Country weddings is great too, but it doesn't have as much content.

Really though, the rest are crap, and expensive and all the wedding blogs will help you more than the others ever can.

I also have to give MSW kudos, because their website is now SO much better.


photos and logo courtesy of marthastewartweddings.com

 For the DIY Bride:


Wedding Chicks is an AWESOME source for DIY Ideas and wedding inspiration.

They even have downloadable/printable Save the Dates & Wedding Invites

Fo FREE.

You can even see a proof by putting in the information (Names, Location, Date, etc.)
and clicking Enter.

It's like what we all used to do as little girls.

On Steroids.


 Love this Darling Mad Men inspired Save the Date

photos and logo courtesy of weddingchicks.com


I will go into more detail about dresses in later posts, but I do want to close out this post by mentioning one of my favorite new dress designers.


Gorgeous, HANDMADE dresses.

And the price tags are no too shabby.


photos and logo courtesy of sarahseven.com

White, Frothy,  PERFECTION.

Happy Wedding Wednesday!