The Door

I am convinced that front doors can be one of the most important things we select for our homes. I also think that while I love many different types of doors selecting the right one for the appropriateness and style  of the house should dictate the style of door. For example it pains me to see a heavy iron clad door with a dark bronze gate affixed to the door that is somehow selected and placed on a traditional house . Rarely do I think this type of door looks good on a house.  Maybe if you own a castle with.a  Moat! 

However this  photo I found  on a Dallas Texas business website called Love that Door. 

www.lovethatdoor.com A client suggested I look at their website and this door I found I am so in love with. It's somewhat contemporary with it's X motif and small gold details. It would look amazing. Tell me what you think

Off to beautiful Knoxville Tennessee by way of Dallas Tx!! Happy Saturday

Old & Unexpected

Don't forget to think outside the box this old French bookcase is so unique and beautiful. It would look great as a bookcase, in a foyer , in a bathroom filled with white towels and soaps (; I could see it in a sunroom doors opened with pretty things in it or as a bar!

I had a client purchase it and we placed it in her dining room and loaded it up with all of her beautiful china and special dishes. The nice thing about a piece like this is you can use it again and again no matter what house you move to it will work in so many ways. The finish on this is gorgeous but you could always paint it and it becomes something new all over again. I could see this in a grey laquer paint with soft gold hardware so pretty . Be on the look out for interesting pieces and don't think you have to use them as you once thought!  Happy Saturday 

I know I am Crazy

I know I am crazy.  Flipping 12 houses in 12 years qualifies me for the crazy award. I love strange objects and these gourds have been my friends since 2006. They were picked up at a craft mall ( I know some of you are thinking really a craft mall!) yes they were on the floor in a booth without a home. Anyway I love the shape and texture the color is awsome. I have used them on mantels, in a bathroom, on a table, in a foyer and in white kitchens like  this photograph. So be on the look out for crazy things like this that may not make sense to your friends but make sense to you . These gourds look good and many have commented and asked where I got them and wanted them for their homes. So yes I am crazy but these gourds are interesting and that to me is good design. Buy what you love and figure out where to use later. Or if your like me use them in different ways in different houses !

Happy Friday 

From Crazy  

Keep it simple

I love simple! My husband says I am the least simple woman he knows well I am going to disagree. This room is simple. Classic white bedding and drapes. Texture from the woven blinds and the velvet coverlet at the end of the bed.bring in texture and interest.  The bed is a distressed metal. A casual slipcovered chair with chocolate piping. Wall color is by Benjamin Moore called London Fog one of my favorites. Perfect for this rainy Oklahoma day.

Happy Thursday!

Open shelves Don't Be Scared

I love using open shelves. Most clients are scared as they have the fear they will have to be neat  and organized and to some degree you do need to be organized. However most people have glasses in one cabinet, plates in another etc so most of us are organized we just didn't know we were!!

I like open shelves so I can see what I have and also if someone is stopping by for a drink they can find whatever they need very quickly! It makes being a hostess easy and casual. It also helps me not shove things in various cabinets and actually keeps me more organized. I love the display option . most of us have things that look beautiful displayed on open shelves. So next time your building or remodeling be open to that option it makes a home unique and gives you and everyone else the chance to enjoy your beautiful dishes. 

Sale sale sale

I love a good sale and I saw this at pottery barn in knoxville this past week.

Nesting tables are so nice you get three tables in one. They look great together or separate. These are in a soft gold bronze finish and have a bamboo shape with glass tops. These would great in a living room or even a bathroom next to a big soaking tub. They were $499 now reduced to $198

These are a great find for someone!

Happy Martin Luther King Monday 

The lost bathroom

Here is the bathroom space we created out of existing space along with the butlers pantry.(from my last post) We used honed black hexagon floor tile, a restoration hardware oak vanity with marble top, a gold  faucet and these to die for Barbara Cosgrove Horn sconces. This home now has a half bath that it didn't have before and the value of this home has now increased and we didn't even have  to add on to the home!

Happy Friday 

The Butlers Pantry

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am all about a butlers pantry. I go out of my way to incorporate that into new construction and renovations. You can always find some unused space to have a butlers pantry. My definition of a Butlers Pantry is as follows: a great place to house all the dishes,glasses, platters, trays, wedding gifts and miscellaneous items we want to keep. David my sweet and adoring husband knows I have a dish sickness. He let's me keep buying dishes in hopes that one day I will cook. Good luck with that dream. Anyway a buyers pantry can be many things depending on the space. I have added ice makers, second fridges, microwaves, open shelves, glass shelves and the list goes on and on. The Butlers pantry should be a space that is beautiful. A space you can show off and a place you can hide in when you want to get away. My last butlers pantry was a bathroom in a previous life and it was a great butlers pantry as it housed my coffee maker. I could pull up a stool and sit in there with The door closed have a cup of coffee and no one could find me!

The picture below was from a project where we incorporated a butlers pantry into an existing laundry room. We moved the laundry and had enough room for this butlers pantry and a much needed half bath. The space was initially underutilized and we reconfigured and ended up with three spaces ; laundry , butlers pantry and a half bath .

We used stock black cabinets , open shelves, subway tile with grey grout, soft gold sink and faucet , gold library lights and of course a marble counter top. 

Will post the beautiful half bath tomorrow 

Happy Thursday. 

Lighting (Lecture) is important

Here is my lighting lecture. If you are building or renovating make sure you have a budget for lighting. So many times the builders allowance is not sufficient for speciality lighting and that is an important part to making your home look amazing. Custom lighting is not out of reach. I tell clients the kitchen, dining room and foyer are places to spend money. You can save in areas like bathrooms and bedrooms. Here are a few lights I saw at the Atlanta Market this past weekend. I have used several in the past and they are all beautiful. Next post we will talk about some of my favorite discount lighting when the budge is more limited. 

Happy Tuesday!

The painted door

When building or renovating I have usually suggested to my clients to paint the ugly white door. Most of us own the builder grade boring interior door. The door usually has 4 or 6 raised panels. Most clients paint their doors the same color of their trim which is some version of white. So Boring! I have painted interior doors Benjamin Moore  high gloss black, Rustic taupe and  Revere pewter, 

Painting doors can really make your home look custom and adds character as if it's been there forever. Most clients are scared to paint the doors but once they do they have loved the look. Remember it's just paint! If you don't like it you can always repaint.

Happy Monday  

Atlanta market

Just a few photos of the Atlanta Americas Mart

From this beautiful black door with silver door knob, book signing and meeting top designer Suzane Kassler, gorgeous chair with acrylic legs, grey lamps from Currey & Co, my favorite white dishes by the potter from Peru,

Pillows and a cool wood floor application, barn frames from my favorite frame co, and last but not least no market would be complete without a Chick Fil A sandwich with my good friends!

Simple is sometimes the right approach

My husband always says he is a simple man and reminds me I am not simple . I disagree but that's another story ! Simple can be a easy design solution. Don't overthink the space. Ask yourself can we save the cabinets and paint them? In this kitchen it was a yes. Can we add a backsplash of subway tile? Yes. Simple, elegant and a cost efficient option. Use a grey or darker grout for a unique vintage look. Lighting is also a simple way to change a look. Here we used a pottery barn option. The floors we initially thought were too yellow once we painted the cabinets that wasn't an issue any more. Again saving money! Where we splurged was on these gorgeous marble counter tops. They made this kitchen amazing. Simple but amazing!

Off to the Atlanta Market will send my favorite finds tomorrow. Happy Simple Saturday.

Staircases and scuff marks

I love painting stair risers. Not in all houses but in this house the stairs hit you in the face as soon as you open the front door. In most homes if the stairs are wood you have wood treads (the part you step on) and the riser (the part you see in front) personally seeing scuff marks on the white riser drives me crazy! I also am not a huge fan of a big ole oak newel post as this one was originally. 

So a quick and easy fix is black paint high gloss! I love when the spindles or balusters are white so you have a graphic impact of black handrail with the white spindles but these were iron. I left the iron alone and painted the handrail and newel posts black along with the risers.No more dirty scuff marks to look at and a little black is always in style. It's my favorite color hides a multitude of sins when you haven't been to the gym!!!

Anyway, frame some of your kids art with great Pottery Barn frames, Target and Walmart and even Hobby Lobby have great frames. Get all same color mat but in different sized openings. Don't worry if the whole art project can't be seen even a small amount of it looks good. Your kids will love it and it is so fun to showcase. You can add to the collage as your kids do more projects.

Freezing cold here so stay inside and work on your staircase!
Happy Thursday  

Seeing Red

I have to admit I have never had a Red dining room until I inherited this one. I don't like red, I have never suggested it for any of my clients. I don't own any red clothing (because I don't look good in it) I don't own Chanel Red lipstick or even Target brand red lipstick ( I am secretly jealous of women who can wear red lipstick) 

Anyway, red walls with a pickled pine tongue and groove ceiling and some pink porcelain tile in my mind is not a good look. Dark colors make rooms look smaller and I know the designers that I follow will say Red is warm and inviting in a dining room and it makes you want to eat etc. FYI I do not need a reason to eat!!  I like light and white and bright, it relaxes me if that is possible. 

Upon inheriting this room it didn't appear large enough for a china cabinet, round table and side board. Upon painting it Benjamin Moore Natural Creme on the walls in a flat and White Dove High gloss on the wood ceilings it all changed for me. Plus, adding the furniture there was really plenty of room. I can't forget the light fixture and yes I have been using some brass lately but this light just can't compete with the light from Low Country Originals. This light is made using hand strung oyster shells and it is truly beautiful. The two ladies that own and started this lighting company are so amazingly talented this light could make any room look good. 

I am still jealous of anyone that can wear red lipstick but you can keep your red dining room as I am just not interested. 

Happy Wednesday. Happy January. Keep Warm. 

SJ