TBT ... Design Evolution.

 If you follow me on IG, you know we just returned from a RoadTrip.

 #massachusettstoalabama ... It was one crazy wonderful Ride!

Back at home and hitting the pavement running ... 

and while keeping several projects going I have also been putting plans in motion to update my Webpage and Portfolio.

As I looked through my online Portfolio, I did a little reminiscing about past projects and thought I'd share a few of my early favorites!

Here's a little TBT for you ... oldies but goodies!

I've said this about blogging friends and I will say it about my clients.  I have been so thrilled to work with so many wonderful families and the friendships that have developed make me smile.

In fact, the worst part about finishing up a project with a client is that I don't get to see them as much!

I've read several interesting blog sites lately about picking the right Client/Interior Designer.

One particularly good one was this by Lauren.

Absolute Truth. 

My best clients are the ones that have trusted me the most and let me create.  

The ones that have not worked out so well are those where there is 

no trust or "game" as I call it!

This does not mean that they do everything I suggest ... 

they do give me the rope to do what they hired me to do.

These photos represent the beginnings of a wonderful Interior Design experience and while I don't see them as much anymore they will always be a part of me!

I cannot wait to show you all the new projects ... photos coming soon!

In the meantime, thanks for coming along on my ride as I continue my goal to ... 

Making the World More Beautiful.  One Room at a Time.

xo,

kim

Friday Snip - Its ... Where do you find Inspiration?

1.  Gorgeous Pillows at the Design Center.

2.  It was so cold that I actually lingered for inspiration in the Grocery Store.  Chestnuts.

3.  Template for new countertops!!  Yippee.  More on that next week!

4.  Client Foyer.  Decisions Made.

5.  Carrara Marble Island top.  Did it in the last kitchen.  Doing it again. 

Why recreate the wheel?

6.  More Grocery Inspiration.  Pineapple.

7.  Kitchen Chairs.  I have loved you ... we now must break up!

8.  Yep, I stayed awhile in the fruit aisle!  Orange Peppers

9.  Don bought me this book for Christmas.  Oooozing Inspiration!

What is inspiring you on these cold winter days?

Making the World More Beautiful.  One Room at a Time.

xo,

kim

Chair Addiction ... The Reality!

Hi My name is Kim Macumber and I have a Chair (and possible sofa!) Addiction.  And no matter how many steps I go through ... I am not certain I will every overcome this.

Some people (my Husband) might call this hoarding.  I have no idea what he is thinking.

I am saving history and being the most "green" a person can be.  Repurposing.  Whether I have the immediate purpose or not.  That is NOT the point.

So ... back to my addiction ... as I might not be the only one with this I thought I should share a little "new" source for you.  

This is a Louis XVI settee ... you know how I know this?  Well, I just know this ... but you know how I can find out things I don't know about styles and era's? I go here.

Perhaps you just buy things because you like them?  I have no issue with this.  You don't really care whether the styles you love are Mid-Century Modern, Louis XVI, or Baroque.

But maybe when you are sitting around with the gals having a few glasses of wine, you cannot imagine the delight you will see in their eyes when you announce that you picked up this fabulous Louis XVI Chair over the weekend for a steal ... they will get wide-eyed with the whole mystery of the thing.

My husband does not give me this reaction.  You need serious friends for this!

This is a 1960 reproduction of a Bergère ... that was from my parents home.  Free to me.

And when I got it ... brown paisley.  Not my scene.

The orange leather hide was a find for $85.00 while looking for something completely different.  That is when it happens.  I had no idea what the future held for it.  But then there it was.  You can read more about this chair's adventure here.  And yes, I particularly like real furniture in the yard.

Then these two ... Fauteuils which I found at Brimfield.  I paid $250 for the pair.  I didn't haggle at all.  I was a neophyte.  My first Brimfield trip and my first ever purchase there.  I was in unknown territory and I wanted them.  Badly.  

All re-done and Red Cat Like.  

Once I started getting the hang of things I started working the system. 

 I am still uncomfortable with this.  Louis XVI Settee for $300.  Scored it for $150.  Erin was with me and we found this disaster in the field.  When I was taking it apart to recover it I found a petrified mouse.  No lie.  I immediately took it to my professional.  Some things you just have to send to others. 

 I know my limit.

I had this done for Erin's room.  She loves it and I know it will travel with her through life. All remnants of the mouse are long gone.

We had it recovered (re-built!) in an embroidered white cotton to keep it fun and flirty.  The best part is that she was with me when we were loading up the car with crazy items.  This was the last piece ... we made it fit.  You can read about this here.

So ... in my beautiful world ...  she will remember our adventure that day every time she looks or sits in this settee.  The Best part.

I have been a long supporter and shopper on OKL ... but now love the fact that they are not only a good shopping resource but you can actually learn a little about all the fabulous things that draw your attention.

Makes the whole game more fun!  Thanks OKL!

Next time your looking for something specific or want to know what it is that you have and love.  You have a new resource.  Use it!

Making the World More Beautiful.  One Room at a Time.

xo,

kim

Boxwoods!

Last week I finished My Father's move from Atlanta.  I arrived Wednesday around noon and headed up GA 400 not anticipating going into a very quiet, scarcely furnished house full of memories and no one to share them with.  I needed to feed my soul before my task at hand.

I have read about Boxwoods before and knew it would hold some treasures and eye candy for me.  Y'all know I LOVE New England and truly can't imagine myself living anywhere else.  But the shopping cannot hold a candle to Atlanta.  Don't be offended my sweet Boston stores, you are just few and far between.  Atlanta seems to have design tucked into every corner of every road!

Boxwoods did not disappoint.  

You cannot be in the South without finding a Fabulous Monogram!

How fantastic are these chairs?  Seriously!!!

And this little lamp has some attitude going on ... and gave me a laugh ... !

The Table Settings provided a little inspiration for 2013!  Notice how beautiful, but really very simply done.

Take the sign off the front door ... and I would MOVE in!!

Do you have favorite Go To Shops to get your creative juices flowing?  I will miss being in Atlanta quite as often as I used to be.  But I know I will find a way to squeeze a Fix in!!

Have a wonderful Weekend!

xo,

kim

Before & After ... Google Style

I picked Erin up from college on Saturday and she and I have spent the last few days at my parents house.  We have been cleaning and cooking for them.  Things are shifting, I am becoming the parent to my parents.  They need help ... won't take it.  They need someone to cook for them ... won't take it.  They need to move ... won't hear of it.  So we do our best every couple of months to make certain the refrigerator is full and the house is clean and they are happy.

My Daddy has sat in this chair at his desk as long as I can remember.  This is what things looked like when we arrived.  Worn, tired, dirty and a little neglected.  It became a mission.  I need this baby reworked and done in two days.  No, I don't have fabric and have no clue where to take this.  If I were home, it could be done in a snap.  I am operating under a severe lack of area knowledge.

Kim:  Erin, find an upholsterer on Google.

Erin:  Found one that does boats ... but there is a small mention of furniture.

My parents live right across the street from Lake Lanier ... we don't need a boat done, just a chair.  This is a possibility!

After copying and pasting the address to my email and sending it to myself, I pulled up the directions on my phone.

Erin:  Why don't you use your navigation on your phone, Mom?

Me:  I was quite proud of the way I figured this out.  I didn't even have to print anything.

Erin: hmm.

We drove for 30 minutes.  We were in kind of a weird neighborhood.

Erin:  This is the right address?

Me:  That's what I copied.  This can't be right. I know there are upholsterers that work in their homes, but there isn't even a sign.

Erin:  I knew I should have nav'd it on my phone.

Time is ticking now, we don't have time for this silliness.  She finds the correct address and off we go to Rivera's ... the correct boat/furniture place.  Mike wasn't available.  He was at "that biscuit place".  And indeed the place is called "That Biscuit Place" at the end of the street.  He arrived with a snack for his office mate.  Took a look at the chair and said, yes, I can do this for you by tomorrow.  Do you have the fabric?

Me:  Erin, find a fabric place on Google.

Erin:  Got a Michael's or a place called Design Finds.

Me:  Design Finds ... let's go.

My expectations were very low.  We were in North Georgia where the highway ends.  No lie, the highway just ended.

We hit the jackpot ... I just needed two yards of something that I thought my mother would like and that would match a green antique chair.  Done, two yards at $19.95 a yard later we were headed back to the boat shop!

Here's what google can do for you in two days when you need a Mission Accomplished!

When Erin and I  pulled out of the driveway this morning, this chair seemed to say thank you.  It also was our sign that we were leaving the house, especially its' inhabitants, a little happier, warmer and prettier than when we walked in the door.  Don't worry ... we'll be back.

xo,

kim

Still in Progress ...

but worth showing the coming together of this beautiful living room ... 

Chairs have always been my obsession.  They are like shoes.  A woman can never have too many. Don has even threatened me ... NO more chairs ... whenever I walk out the door to an antique show or flea market.  So, while I still stalk the chairs ... I am discovering a new passion.  The Lamp.  You may have seen this lamp when I blogged about this chair, you can read about it here.  

While we are pulling this room together, we had an unexpected addition!  This piece of furniture ... found in a barn, needing some love, got painted to go in the bedroom.  Well ... take a look, it now has a starring role in the living room.  And it needs a good back drop, don't you think? So a paneled wallpaper feature is in the making.  This gorgeous Zoffany Wallpaper is about to be our Star.

Next, bring on the light.  I am about to do something that I don't normally do.  I am going to mix metals.  The lamp above is gold.  The pulls on this dresser are silver (very art deco and we didn't want to change them) so we are hanging silver sconces.

Sconce

Do you like to mix?  This is new to me ... I am kind of a "purest"!  But I am feeling pretty good about my first intentional mix!!


Have a wonderful weekend ... hope you mix it up ... whatever you do!


xo,


kim

It's All About Personality!

Here We Go ...  Week Two of the One Room Challange!

Creating a custom room and design doesn't mean you have to break the bank or be rolling in the dough!  I encourage all my customers to work with me to be creative in their space.  Let's not go to the big box store and buy the catalog cover room ... yes, they are pretty, and soothing and pulled together.  But they aren't "you" ... it is someone else's personality ... we MUST have your personality ... or it will never feel like home!


Remember our room is taking a double role of family room and living room ... we want the furniture to speak to both. I happen to love sectional sofas.  But they aren't right for the role of this room.  We want it to be comfy and inviting ... but keep a level of sophistication for entertaining.


When we left off last week, we had made a decision on our inspiration fabrics:

And we added a rug!


A. Rug from West Elm
B. Stripe from Duralee
C. Butterscotch Ikat from Duralee
D. Pumpkin from Duralee


Here's how they will be used:


We will choose a stock neutral fabric for this Sofa from Mitchell - Gold.

The Charlotte

The Room is large enough, and since we are not going to use a sectional, but want to maximize seating ... we'll take two of these sofas, please!

Boston Interiors has a nice product and great pricing ... and like Ballard Designs (remember the Chair)... will allow you to choose your own fabric to put on their pieces at no extra cost.  Here's what we chose:

The Apollo

We'll take two of these chairs as well!

The Santa Fe

And One Cocktail Ottoman to round out the room!


The Basics are In Place, now we need to make some structural design changes.

Remember the faux grey and peach marble tile fireplace surround ...  

It is in for a change ... A new solid piece of black granite.  This will neutralize and ground the space while looking richer than the tile effect.  We will also lower the mantle. 

The "vaulted" ceiling gives wonderful height to this room ... but my clients and I would like to see it warm up a little.  We will be adding some beams to the ceiling. 

And, guess what?  The TV.  It will go above the fireplace!!

Things are moving over here ... we'll be showing off the New Fireplace Surround and New Mantle in place next week!!

Are you making changes?  I would love to hear about them!

xo,

kim


Please check in with Linda at My Crafty Home Life and our other Challenge Sisters as we transform 15 rooms in 6 weeks!!  I know you can find some inspiration somewhere in here!


Saved By Suzy                                                     Dutch.British.Love
Nicole Scott Design                                               Rue De Emily
The Pink Pagoda                                                   Trapped in North Jersey
Refresheddesigns                                                 Nana Moon Shop
Taylor Morgan                                                       Inside Ways
My Crafty Home Life                                             House Four
(a life style thing)                                                   Living Savvy