Stacy Hyde - Dallas

While I was in Dallas I had a chance to visit Stacy Hyde - a great design store located at 2933 N. Henderson Ave., 214.370.4933 (couldn't locate a website). The very first thing that catches your eye when you walk in is this colorful, super-sized monogram pillow.

I've read that sunburst mirrors are on the "outs" but I think hanging it over another mirror is a terrific idea. To me, the sunburst mirror is a classic and this presentation gives it a fresh look.

Loving this one huge initial.


Fun lampshade. This has DIY potential. Cut and fray flower petals out of linen or cotton and attach them to a lampshade for this textured look. Check out the blue door in the background - isn't it beautiful? Love the color and the panel pattern.

Washington Post Stand-Alone Home Section - RIP?

Every Thursday Washingtonians and bloggers around the country look forward to the Home section in The Washington Post. In particular, we've come to greatly appreciate Terri Sapienza's coverage of the design blog scene. As far as I know she was a pioneer with her acknowledgment of bloggers through Blog Watch - Picks to Click this Week.

However, this afternoon The Washington Business Journal reported "The Washington Post is bolstering and renaming its Thursday extra section, which will cause the Home section of the paper to disappear." The article by Tierney Plumb goes on to say, "The Home section will be included in the new product and tailored to each county, according to a Washington Post spokeswoman, as opposed to the section’s current function of covering a variety of areas for the entire D.C. area."

Exactly what this new coverage will be is yet to be seen. I have no idea if there is any impact on the Home section writers who have provided coverage to the D.C. design scene for so long and so well. I would encourage bloggers and readers to write to The Washington Post to express your opinions and share your hopes for The Post's future home & garden coverage.

A Greek Diversion

I have more to post on Fredericksburg but here is some Greek color and design that recently caught my eye. After taking a virtual vacation visit to the blog Oia Santorini, I happened upon these photos of the Aigialos Hotel. The colors & composition in the first photo bowled me over.

Love the color combination in this room...

and these rooms too.

A Cottage Kitchen

Here's the kitchen of the Fredericksburg cottage - idyllic in every way! The patina of this kitchen table was so beautiful. Painted mix & match chairs were gathered around the table. My absolutely favorite part was this very unique hutch/cupboard.
A spot for everything. This is so clever. Keeping my fingers crossed that I'll find one of these someday.

Beadboard, open shelving and scalloped wood borders.

The kitchen had touches of red accents. Hard to see the broom here but if a broom could be cute, this red one was adorable.

More of the table because I love it.
Here I am feeling clever after I noticed how the key lime tart from Rather Sweet looked resting on top of The World of Interiors with its green cover. Rather Sweet is a very well known bakery and completely worthy of its reputation.

In the living room the plans for the kitchen were framed. Here's a close-up of the kitchen design of one of the walls.
I think if you click on this photo you can view the rest. Definitely shows how much thought and care went into this memorable kitchen.

My stay at The White House - Hill Country TX Style!

I've just returned from 11 days in Texas and if I was a free lance magazine scout I'd be calling Country Living right now to tell them about The White House in Fredericksburg! (this cottage is available to rent - I don't receive any form of payment for this recommendation - I just think it's a great place to stay) It's a two bedroom cottage with painted white floors throughout and a restrained neutral palette with black accents. All the exterior and interior doors were painted black - this is the front door. As soon as my best friend and I entered we started clicking away with our cameras. We decided it's got to be one of three options - either (1) the owner is a talented designer, (2) is not a designer and is naturally talented or (3) hired a talented designer.
Everywhere you looked there was something pleasing to the eye. The living room centered around white slipcovers paired with a fun zebra ottoman and a ticking stripe bergere chair which was so comfortable. I peaked under the slipcovers and found a disparate mix of fabrics - a great reminder of the power of slipcovers to unify a look.

The cottage was filled with seagrass and sisal, keeping everything light and casual.

Isn't this shelving really interesting? Love the turned detailing. I'm not usually a fan of dolls on display but who was I to temporarily relocate her for this photo? - she stayed happily perched.

One of my favorite spots in the cottage. You see it as soon as you walk through the front door. This oversized mirror visually expands the space and is a great backdrop for the very unique black metal table.
Have you ever come across wonderful frames sans glass for great prices? I've often seen these at estate sales and thrift stores but thought, once I paid for glass, the savings would be gone. Love how the empty frame is used to "frame" these two prints. Notice what's in the trough table - interior design magazines (international to boot)!! Behind the white doors is a closet housing the flat screen tv.


Vintage lighting fixture in the living room. It has amazing detail.

Another very stylish and practical idea - a narrow, wire shelf for face cloths. I'm on the hunt for one of these after seeing this one.

Here's the bedroom I stayed in - featuring black, white and yellow. Love the frame-on-frame here!

The cottage is full of little touches that make the space. The painted armoire is crowned by a straw satchel and interesting bird cage.
These two pics are from the second bedroom which featured soft blue & white bedding (which I forgot to take a picture of!) Love the little blue jar added to the cross bars on this bamboo bedside table.
Hope you've enjoyed the tour. The NEXT POST will feature my favorite room in the cottage - the KITCHEN.
Fredericksburg was a wonderful place to visit and I want to give a special thanks to Hill Country House for sending me the most amazing and extensive list of stores and restaurants. Ann's tips and suggestions made all the difference! Do check out her blog- she's been in Boston for the last month and has been sharing her wonderful finds there.

Wood Sinks

I've been in Texas - business & pleasure. The fun part was a recent visit to Fredericksburg and of course, design stores in Dallas. I thought I'd be able to blog while on travel but it hasn't worked out! So here's a very old post when about 22 people read my blog - hope you haven't seen it. Or if you have seen it, thanks for reading my blog all this time!


Aura walnut sink. I absolutely love this dark wood sink.

Aura wood sink

Aura walnut integrated basin

Aura butternut sink

Aura sink

William Garvey teak sink

William Garvey integrated sink

William Garvey sink

Aura, a Canadian firm, was the first company I came across that crafts custom wood sinks. As noted on Aura's site, "AURA custom wood sinks are made from solid wood and can be crafted in virtually any size, shape or design, from a wide range of wood species. All the sinks are sealed in a clear protective finish to preserve the wood's natural beauty. This hard protective finish creates an impenetrable barrier which prevents water and moisture from penetrating the sink."
The English bespoke furniture maker, William Garvey, also makes wood sinks. As noted on their web site, "The Garvey company made their first sink in 1978, for a local client who wanted to transform the chore of washing up into a pleasure. In the early days the sinks and baths were made from natural teak with no additional finishing. Teak is chosen because of its natural waterproofing properties – it has been used for hundreds of years in the marine industry for this reason – teak also has natural antiseptic properties, which is a bonus for its use in baths and sinks. Now their sinks are virtually maintenance-free as their TeakSeal™ finish is incorporated into the teak itself providing a tough, easy-to-clean product that will stand the test of time. Their first sink is still in use to this day, and the owners love it so much that they took it with them when they moved."

Back to regular posting July 23rd. Hope you're having a great summer!


Also - if you happen to be in the Washington DC area, The Kellogg Collection is having a huge sale from July 16 - 26th, click here for locations.

DC Designer Series: Dolly Howarth

It has been a while since my last DC Designer post and I'm happy to return to it by featuring the work of Dolly Howarth of Howarth Designs. Love Dolly's confident use of strong color and thoughtful selection and placement of furniture. She designs room that let the artwork stand out; such as in this space with the blue abstract painting. It is quite striking against the red stripes. The flaired leg table also plays off the torch-style sconce beautifully. (Images posted with permission. All photography by Angie Seckinger)

I think this cabinet is a beautiful piece - an unexpected color and the perfect size for the angled wall.
The Washington DC area is known for its red dining rooms but this one is anything but the typical. Traditional furniture is paired with a contemporary carpet and accents of blue for a fresh look. Even the chandelier has a bit of twist with its oversized crystal pieces. photos: Angie Seckinger
A warm and enveloping bedroom with curtains that span the room. The metallic finish on the bedside bureau adds a touch of glamour to this restful design.
photo: Angie Seckinger
Love these upholstered chairs!
This kitchen is an artful mix of traditional and contemporary. Fun backsplash tile! Notice the wood drawers on either side of the stove - they tie in with the wood used on the island. This was just a small peek into Dolly's designs - to see more click here.