Kelly Wearstler's Fern Tree for $28 a yard!

Last Friday I made a quick trip out to the amazing fabric store Haute in Marshall, VA (*no longer in Middleburg. New address is 8393 West Main St. Marshall, 540.364.1221) hoping to find fabric for the family room couch I'm having reupholstered. JACKPOT - Kelly Wearstler's Fern Tree for Schumacher in charcoal grey/ivory at $28 a yard. (Later I read on Pink Wallpaper that this fabric retails for over $200 a yd)

I had a brief moment of hestitation so I'm so glad my friend Anne was there to encourage me to get it - especially since a number of other shoppers started eyeing my prize. Now the only question was would there be at least 12+ yards? I wasn't sure as the bolt didn't seem that large. After 5 yards we found the fabric was cut. My heart started pounding a bit (I know - it's "only" fabric) Well we got to 12 yards and I saw there was more so I kinda shouted out "I'll take it all!" I felt like I was in a casino putting all my chips on Red. My winnings - 18 3/8 yards. Although my husband reminded me it technically wasn't a "winning" but a purchase. Don't quite agree with that...

So now, here's my dilemma. Which way do I run the fabric? Vertical or Horizontal??
( Horizontal Repeat - 3.5", Vertical Repeat - 18.875")


This is not my couch (mine is more straight lined) but it gives an idea. So, what do you think?

(image of couch via Pink Wallpaper. Sorry for the lack of links. I'm posting from my ipad and forgot how to do this)

Distinguished Eye Candy

In a recent blog post about her love for white, Canadian House & Home Design Editor Kathryn Bala posted a picture of her loft that appeared in House & Home's January 2010 issue. I'm noticing how a few elements, such as the leather bound books, worn wing back chair, period portrait and ticking stripe pillows take this space in a formal, distinguished direction. Also love how she paired the round, modern bulbs with the zinc finish chandelier. Photography by Donna Griffith.

Patterned Floors in Mary Douglas Drysdale's Living Room

I'm still thinking about the patterned floors in Mary Douglas Drysdale's living room at the Richmond Symphony Designer House. Here's some close-up pics of the floor that Tom Hickey and his staff at Rising Tide Inc created based on Mary's design. Beautiful work.

Love this floor too! Hope you're having a good weekend. I'm off to San Francisco later in the week.

Barn Sale in Vienna

Sharon Hayden of Fabulous Finds is holding one of her well known Barn Sales this Saturday September 25th from 8 am - 4 pm, 1870 Hunter Mill Road Vienna, VA. I went to the last one and came home with some beautiful vintage Italian sconces. A portion of the sales will be given to the Susan G. Komen Foundation in honor of her friend Lucy, a cancer survivor. Go here to see more of the vintage items that will be available. (If you can't make this barn sale, Sharon also offers her finds via her website between sales)

Colored Intaglios

Have you ever seen framed, colored intaglios? I recently saw them for the first time in the dining room of The Jefferson. Makes me wonder - are these colored plaster, Coral or Carnelian?

These two images are from a French blog here - the first image is a collection of both cameo and itaglios. These were noted as coming from the collection of the late Yves Saint Laurent.
Have you seen intaglios that aren't the typical white?

Tricia Huntley's Lake Geneva Transformation

A few months ago DC based interior designer Tricia Huntley of Huntley and Company mentioned on her blog, Luxe and Lucid, that she had a project in Lake Geneva, Switzerland. Recently she posted the results of this Montreax apartment transformation and it is luxe and gorgeous. This bedroom is a beautiful mix of patterns and textures with various stripes repeated throughout. I love the textile hanging behind the bed.
Here's just one peek into the living room. Love this chair! Along with the furniture, Huntley and Company installed the wallcoverings, lighting, textiles and accessories. The 1970's faux tortoise multi-faceted table is from Georgetown's Darrel Dean's Antiques which Tricia blogged about.
I've never seen this tie treatment for a bedspread - love this detail. Notice the zig zag pattern in the stitching of the spread and in the pillows.
Here's Tricia gazing out at the incredible view of Lake Geneva from the apartment. For more images of the interior and a fun, behind-the-scenes looks at the installation go here.

Artist Tina Steele Lindsey

My recent post on designer Capella Kincheloe generated alot of interest in the beautiful artwork featured in the living room. I always think it's a great compliment to both the interior designer and the artist when people are drawn to the overall beauty of the room as well as the contribution the art makes to that beauty. Well, the talented artist behind that piece and many more is Tina Steele Lindsey. Tina works mainly in abstraction and figurative work using traditional methods. I could spend countless hours just gazing at these pieces, lost in thought and enjoyment, and am very happy to be able to share more of her work in this post. Image above titled Anissa

Zoe
Discovery
Snow on Cedar
Nocturne

The following is additional information for each piece.

Zoe - 22x28 oil on canvas
Nocturne - 24x30 acrylic on canvas with black frame
Anissa - Nancy Price is handling this piece, 30x48 acrylic on canvas - phone 601.982.4181 Nancy Price Interiors
Garden Party - 28x30 acrylic on plexiglas w/ 2" wide natural birch edges - special purchase through Tina
Discovery - 16x32 acrylic on plexiglas w/ 2" wide natural birch edges - special purchase through Tina
Snow on Cedar - 24x28 acrylic on stainless steel w/ 2" wide natural birch edges, contact Clemens Bak - Gallery 4463 404-808-9971

Tina's work was recently featured in a story by Camila Pavone of High Heeled Foot in the Door for HGTV; you can check it out on Tina's blog. Hope you have a great weekend!

Mary Douglas Drysdale at the Richmond Symphony Designer House

An opportunity to experience a room by Mary Douglas Drysdale is not to be missed. Last Friday I had the chance to do just that at the Richmond Symphony Designer Showhouse. Mary designed the living room with a nod to America's past and an eye to the future. It is an unparalled combination of bold pieces and subtle, meaningful details. The result is an elegant, seamless room that is both welcoming and stunning.
A Great Dane sculpture by Mark Perry is the focal point above the fireplace - unexpected and enjoyable all at once.
A curved settee is paired with a monochromatic graphic pillow. The seating in the room was enveloped in Sandra Jordan's alpaca and curved and straight lines were balanced throughout the space. Artwork subtly referenced our nation's past and its future direction.
Here's Mary with the uber talented Tobi Fairley who created a stunning Stair Hall with traditional furniture treated with modern painted finishes and fabrics. I loved the color palette too - light blues with accents of red. Go here to see a rendering of the space.
My dear friend Anne with Mary - who was the epitome of graciousness. You may have noticed the bare feet. Depending on the shoes you had, the protective foot coverings could be a bit slippery. But this brings me to another element of Mary's design - pattern. The gorgeous patterned cognac floor with light and dark accents (hard to see in my photos) and the pattern on the curtains were designed by Mary. Tom Hickey of Rising Tide Inc. is the decorative artist that beautifully executed the floor design.

Is this all the photos?

Yes, I'm to say. When I attended the Gala, it was unclear if any photos could be used so I limited myself to photos of the designers (although as you see here I couldn't resist taking a few photos of Mary's room.) For bloggers attending Press Day, the only room allowed to be photographed was Mary's. Be sure to visit Jeanette's A Passion for Home in the next few days as she will likely have more images of the room to share.

Is it worth the drive if you live in DC?

Yes, many of the designers in this showhouse created fabulous, creative and inspiring spaces! Set on 8 acres on the James River, the gardens and landscaping are a treat unto themselves. The Designer House remains open through Oct. 11 - details here.

Italian Stringing

When Joni of Cote de Texas wrote about curtains as her #4 Top Ten Design Element, she mentioned a term I had never heard before: Italian Stringing. It's a method of holding back curtains without any obvious visual means. Well, while at The Jefferson this past weekend I noticed that the curtains in their recently redesigned dining room were just that - held back but without a tieback.
Here's the behind-the-scenes look showing the string and metal rings. Yes, the waitress thought I was a bit strange...

Back next post with more from Richmond, including Mary Douglas Drysdale and Tobi Fairley.

Perfection in White

John Jacob Zwiegelaar of John Jacob Interiors is one of my all time favorite designers. Only in his early 30's, he opened his Cape Town firm in 2005 and already has an impressive portfolio. This home appeared in the May 2006 issue of House & Garden South Africa. I hope you enjoy looking at it as much as I do. It's almost Friday!

All images via the site John Jacob Interiors here.

Road Trip to the Richmond Symphony Designer House

I first heard about the Richmond Symphony Designer House back in April from A Passion for Home. The showhouse is taking place at George and Anne Anderson's Tudor home "Rothesay," located on more than eight acres of land overlooking the James River.

In addition to talented Richmond designers, the showhouse will also feature the work of Mary Douglas Drysdale, Tobi Fairley, and Phoebe Howard as well as the gorgeous lighting of New Orleans' Julie Neill. That's alot of talent under one showhouse roof!

The showhouse opens Sep 13th but if you'd like a sneak peek consider attending the Gala this coming Friday night Sep 10th. Two friends and I are planning to make it a fun get-away trip and are staying at The Jefferson.
Here's designer Tobi Fairley at measuring day. (Photo by Jami Carlton)
New Hampshire designer Randy Trainor of CRT Interiors and homeowner George Anderson in the library during the Bare Bones Party. (photo by Jami Carlton)
Above, the living Garden Room wall by Kelly Brown of Kelly Brown Interiors. For more information and behind-the-scenes looks, check out the Designer House's Facebook site here.

A Creative House #

Home owners in Chatham, MA seem to really pay attention to the details. Love this scallop house number.

Not that anyone was waiting to hear this news but the 16 year old computer genius was able to save everything from my hard drive - including all my pictures from the last 3 years! Then I had him turn my computer into a Linux - goodbye Windows forever. My husband now has the Linux, I have my son's iMac and my son got a new MacBook Pro. I guess that's some form of + trickle down economics.

Hope you have a terrific Labor Day weekend!