Not your Momma's Blue and White!

Jennifer of The Pink Pagoda Fame is hosting a Blue and White Bash today.  She is asking all bloggers who love Blue and White to link up to her Blog and show their stuff!

Well ... y'all know me ... If I am going to have a little Blue and White ... it is going to have orange in play and also a punch!

So here's my "Not your Momma's Blue and White Story" ...

Bold Wallpaper, perhaps just on one focal wall, BOCA is my choice.  Then you have to join in on the Highly Saturated LACQUER Blue Walls.  And then with such Gloss, you have to have sleek WHITE.  I can see this board used in a bedroom, with two beautiful X-Benches at the foot of your bed covered in ORANGE zebra.  Of course to match the PAGODA mirror. Or then perhaps you would like this mood in your Dining Room and the fun DARYA fabric could grace your chairs.  Or back to a large round lumbar pillow on your bed.  Then the CHARTREUSE chair ... just because it looks hot.  And it mixes things up.  I like to mix things up.  And a nod to settle the whole damn look down, two arm SCONCES ... sleek and simple!

Pop over to TPP today and link up your favorite Blue and White ... or just see what is inspiring everyone else!

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

xo,

kim

English Country Chic ...

I like to think that I am "French Country" which is funny ... because I am probably not.  But I love the look and do my best.  Then I am drawn to images such as these and I realize I must have a little "English Country" in my soul.

And let me tell you ... this is NOT Your Old Lady English Country ... Dig the railheads on floral!

Mix and Match Chairs ... and that was NO random mix and match!  Do you understand the thought process that must go into that relaxed look??  It's like the make-up you have to put on to achieve the Natural Look!

Warm. Fresh. Timeless. 

Crewel has always been a favorite of mine.  It brings Color, Texture and Life to linen!

Mixed with Red and White.  I love the very Perfect Randomness here!

A litte Fox in the Garden.  Yes, we had a "couple" of Fox's that lived in our front yard last Spring.  So this is particularly sweet.  They brought us gifts of dead mice every few days ... We appreciated the help and they were happy they had paid rent!

I know it's a little fuzzy ... taken with Don's i-phone.  I made him take it!!  I have to say little fox man was pretty content sunning in the front yard ... I saw no need to stir him up!!

Ever since being introduced to SeaGrass ... from a trip to the Ocean Reef Club and Joni at Cote de Texas, I am single handedly trying to bring Sea Grass into every home.  The texture is amazing and it is the perfect backdrop for Every type of fabric.

Maybe I just want to live in a place that I can plop my wingback in the Garden and never worry about it!

Lavender has made a comeback ... and Men are bowing down!!

I want some Antlers.  My Family is amused.  Don says we can have them when we own a ranch.  Now, as a coatrack ... maybe I can win this battle!!

Put your feet up, visit HERE, and enjoy the new line of fabrics and let's celebrate HOME!

xo

kim

Red Carpet Day!

You know how some people feel about meeting Brad Pitt ... say, or George Clooney ... or I would have liked to meet Audrey Hepburn.  

Yesterday I met MY stars!!

Bunny Williams!  Y'all know how much I love her work.  Yes, I try to channel her in most of what I do.  The Reason I try to channel her?  

Because she Rocks ... obviously.  But also, she strives for "livable" interiors.  Beautiful, yes.  Attention to Detail, yes.  Mix of elements, yes.  But Mostly ... Livable!

Bunny was introducing some of her newest pieces of her BeeLine Furniture Line.  Tables and Lamps to DIE for ... plus much more!

I was BEYOND thrilled to be invited to hear Bunny chat about Interior Design and how she does business.  Seriously, it was like a CHAT.  She was most gracious and handled all of us Stalkers quite elegantly!!

She told us about her new line and how she is involved with every step of production.  Quality.  What I try to share with my customers ... buy ONCE ... quality ... and you will keep it FOREVER!

Her Lamps.  EXQUISITE!  Along with all the upholstered pieces.  Her Design matches her philosophy perfectly.  Stunning.  Detail Oriented. Classic.  Eclectic.  Traditional.  All of BeeLine Home.  It Did NOT disappoint.

And then ... as if I were truly on a Magic Carpet ... I met Erin ... y'all know her!!  Erin of Elements of Style Blog!

  What a doll ... cute as can be ... gracious to my Stalking ... and simply Fantastic.  It was bizarre, I was telling my friend about her new house, moving from the City to the Suburbs.  And then I stopped.  Mid-sentence.  Kind of scared myself.  I think she knows I'm a very positive stalker!!

What a perfect day!  and I have to say ... Thank you Thank you to Lee Jofa and the Boston Design Center for putting such a wonderful Aftenoon Soiree together for all of us!

Ahhh ... back to reality today ... Have a wonderful Weekend!

xo,

kim

Dining Room ... Done!

This space is finally done.  All the little details in place and it is now home for wonderful dinner parties.  And the Mr. has chosen to use it as his office when he is home.  The best complement I could ever receive.  

It all began with a plan to bring in some light. Remember the shimmer of the ceiling?  

And this chandelier?

Beautiful Kravet silk now frames the windows, pulling out the subtle trellis pattern on this Lee Jofa grass cloth.

The Clam Shell dilemma I was having a while ago?  Real or fake?  Then I saw this Coral at Brimfield.  And one day, while looking for a few baskets I happened upon this beautiful one made out of mother-of-pearl.  Much better than the fake resin ones.  Much more affordable than the Coral!  Add some oomph ... bring in orchids and moss.  I am not generally a fan of "faux" flowers.  But there is this store ... Perennial Designs ... I will gladly take any of their faux!!

 The warmth comes from the mix of textures.

Silk ... & ...  Grasscloth

Orchids ... & ... Shell

Gilt ... & ... Wood

Let the party begin!

xo,

kim

This Photo

was all it took ...

Traditional Home

to get my butt in gear!  I have been working on a room with a very good client.  Which has made me REALLY want to fix my sunroom.  And then I saw this in the June issue of Traditional Home.  Now I KNOW I need to do something ... NOW!

Here's where the room started ...

This is Don's and my room. The kids run the house.  They get the living room, the family room, the basement, and everything in between.  We try our best to keep this ours.  The Sofa needs to be recovered or slipped.  The leather chair is fabulous and we will keep it.  The coffee table has actually been changed out for a table my mom gave me.  It is fine, but not us.  Think brass and glass ... we want something more comfy.

This photo was obviously taken at night ... but shows you my gorgeous (they are!) Lee Jofa roman shades.  We toyed with this 17th Century Bench as a coffee table ... it was a disaster.  Too long, couldn't hold anything ... we moved on.

This is how the domino effect happened last weekend ...

Don hated this chair ... the kids, Byron (the dog) and I didn't mind it at all ... but I got it. It was too big and overstuffed and kind of ugly!!

No one else wanted it either. I put it on Craigslist for $100.00 ... NO TAKERS!! Not One. Not even one of those scam people took notice.

We took it to the Sherborn Swap Shop.  Do you have a swap shop (it's at the dump!)? It is truly a wonderful thing.  I see this ottoman and think that it would be the perfect size to recover for our "new" coffee table. Oh, I wasn't really planning to swap ... however this is the beauty of the swap shop!

It was covered in animal hair, I don't judge, the chair we dropped off was covered in animal hair.  But this wasn't "our" animal.   

My plan was to vacuum and put a slip cover on and be done.  

That was not Don's plan.  He wanted it to be rid of any thing previous.  Men are kind of weird that way. 

So he started ripping, it was kind of a strange thing to watch ... I didn't ... I went away and came back to this.

This is seriously some perfectionism at work ... every staple came out.  Please don't say a word about the tool room ... it is a disaster!

So much for a vacuum and a quick fix.  Now all I have left is a plywood box.

And a great set of legs on casters!

The interesting this about this venture is that he loved doing it ... I think he may become a furniture builder in his next life!!

Stay tuned ... alot to do in our sunroom ... actually, now much more than when we started!

xo,

kim

Design Center Therapy

It is Wednesday ... and I have so much to do that my ADD is in full swing ... I spent last night trying to organize my thoughts, my day, my to do list, my taxes, the laundry ... it was just too much!

But here's what got me through it.  I spent the day at the Boston Design Center ... a veritable feast for my eyes and fingers (yes, I touch everything!).

I am gifting you only one image today ...

Suzanne Kasler for Lee Jofa.  Frantic, yet calm.  Colorful, yet serene (I am working on calm and serene). Ready for Spring, but not yet in Full Bloom.  This made me smile when I flipped one of the large boards and it sprang to life for me!  I will be looking for a place to use this ... let me know if you have any ideas!

Happy Wednesday ... hope you find your inspiration and that one vision that keeps you moving forward today!

xo,

kim

A Little Glimmer!

I think I am having One Room Challenge Withdrawals!!  For those that weren't following, for the past six weeks,15 of us bloggers were in a challenge to get One Room Done!  Well ... we completed that last week ... you can click on the One Room Challenge Button on the right to start from the beginning or go here.

So ... I feel the need to show you what else I have been working on.

Rookie Mistake Number One!  I didn't take before photos ... the room just kind of evolved!  I was working with my client on painting her kitchen area ... and it just seemed natural to carry the paint right into the dining room ... then we started REALLY looking at the dining room ... I got ahead of myself and then found us in the middle of everything with no before photos!!

The room was yellow ... a chair rail ... and a beautiful table and chairs (will show you when the room is COMPLETE!) 

Here's what is happening right now:

The Dining Room is not big but we wanted it to have a Big Impact.  We chose Benjamin Moore Metallic Paint - Bronze for the ceiling.  We wanted to echo the bronze/gold stencil in the wallpaper but not have it too shiny.  Three coats over the painted ceiling we started with.  The Depth and The Sheen are gorgeous.  You look up and feel drawn in ... not stopped by the lower ceiling.  

Close up of the Lee Jofa Wallpaper ... grass cloth with a gold stencil ... stunning!

Lamps that mimic the pattern on the walls ... and the Crowing Jewel, Metallic Ceiling.

You can see that our drapes are not up yet ... they are coming ... and you will be able to see them in the next Big Reveal.  I have a hard time keeping a secret.  We also have some fabulous Brimfield finds ... remember these? 

Well, they have a new home in this dining room and you are going to be blown away!!

xo,

kim

Art Walls ... I am becoming obsessed

The Home Observer Fall 2011

While we are in the room re-do mode ... Callie, almost 17, wanted a more sophisticated space.  But still  a place for a few of her special things ... here's her Art Wall ... 

Here's what makes it special ... The "C" I found at Scott's in Atlanta, the clock my mom gave her when she was born, the Audrey Hepburn photo ... well, just because it is Audrey, the Eiffel Tower picture that my mother-in-law gave me because she knows I love all things French, the photograph of the purple hydrangea ... I took this in the Claude Monet's garden at Giverny on a trip with Don, the painting of Catalina Island that I did when I was with Don on a trip in Southern California, Keep Calm and Carry On ... from Brimfield and the two tiles from a little local shop that she loved and the "manners" plaque I had found years ago.  The "little bitty" piece from a farmers market in Charleston ... three coke bottles all lined up.  She's a Coke kid ... no Pepsi served here!!!

She snagged the settee that used to be in our bedroom ... an antique from my Aunt Elise (Callie's namesake ... Callie Elise!) I had it covered in my first ever purchase of  Lee Jofa fabric ... ooooh, I love that piece, the fabric is yummy. Guess she's worth it!  It makes me smile that she has already begun her "coffee table" book collection ...  She gets a new one each year for Christmas.

Also working with a couple of clients on their own art walls ... I will be sharing those as they materialize!

xo,

kim