Georgetown Wreath Inspiration

December 2009 I took pics of some of the decorations in Georgetown and proceeded to misplace them on my hard drive for 2 years. They've been found!
This simple, wide chartreuse ribbon accents a classic boxwood wreath. Magnolia leaves accent the evergreen swag.
Love the gesture of this diminutive wreath balancing the brass knocker on the other door, and wow, those door knobs!
Two matching swags are perfect for this double door. Adore the X motif in the window.

Long blue ribbons and matching bulbs are elegant and pretty.

Our tree Christmas Eve 2009. The only thing pictured here, that is still in this room, is the seagrass rug. My favorite part; the tinfoil star my husband and I made for our first Christmas together in 1986. It's a bit small in scale as our apartment tree was only 3 ft high then.

From the Stacks: A London Flat

New series - From the Stacks: We'll be taking down the Christmas decorations from our crawl space attic after my daughter's birthday party this coming Saturday. I'm very excited as right now they're blocking a whole box of older magazines. Luckily I could reach this issue of British Homes & Gardens, Oct 2003, featuring Jasper Conran's London flat. The story title read, "A Modern Classic." I wholeheartedly agree. (Design by Ann Boyd, photography by Andreas Von Einsiedel)

Now That's a Vanity

I came across this image on DC designer Darryl Carter's facebook page. I don't remember seeing this bathroom included in the Elle Decor Nov 2009 spread on his townhouse.

Besides the vanity making a gorgeous statement, check out the bridge faucet!

I Need These

Technically this is "From the Stacks" - a tear sheet from Real Simple Nov 2003.

I love these eyeglass holders & I really need them as evidenced by the last 1/2 hour spent searching for my reading glasses. These are from LaLoop.

From the Stacks: New Series

My husband was skeptical. "No, really, I still look at these old magazines and tear sheets."

"Even the ones in the attic?"

Yes.

And, now I blog about them too. This new series might last a while. I haven't even opened the box of British Home & Garden from the 90's.
These images are the front and back of a tear sheet. Source, designer and photographer not known. The magazine paper was impressively heavy though.

(*I always try to give credit to images. If anyone knows who this might be, let me know if you have a chance.)

Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles: Thanks for the Mention!

Thank you to Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles for mentioning my post about Atlanta and their August '11 issue in this month's From the Blogs column, pg. 10. Hands down one of the best shelter magazines out there!

Eye Candy: Sophisticated Elegance

Canadian designer Sloan Mauran's renovation of her 1891 Queen Anne style Toronto house is a standout. First featured in Canadian House and Home back in Feb of 2006, Sloan was ahead of the curve with her use of warm brass accents throughout the house, including the kitchen drawer handles. For more images of this beautiful home go here. Photography by Ted Yarwood.

High Point: Drexel Heritage, Thomasville & Lane Venture

Although I've already posted about some highlights from High Point, there are a few more things to share. The upholstered furniture at Drexel Heritage was really fun and it extended to combinations with wood as in the mirror above.

Thomasville has a wonderful industrial inspired line called Reinventions and their inspiration is authentic as they turned to their own vintage factory pieces. The Shop Floor Chest is directly inspired by a chest that held tools early in their history. My picture doesn't quite show it but the handles are marked with their name.
Loved the Apprenctice Adjustable Activity Table.

Lane Venture had one of the smartest and practical features on some of their outdoor pieces - a ledge for additional seating! I tested it out and it's perfectly comfortable and balanced. Could definitely imagine how handy this would be during a party or with a large gathering of kids by the pool.
The other standout was how much the slipcovered outdoor pieces looked as if they were intended for interiors. My favorite was the english roll arm sofa. This look would allow you to use these pieces in a family or rec room instead of traditional furnishings.

My Reno: Getting X Stair Rails

What do you think of my current stair rail?? Luckily I don't have small children and this barrier of furniture and random piles of wood and plastic has prevented anyone from falling over. *(The blue tape shows where a new window will go. The new lower level windows and doors are in.)
Monday the stair rail fabricator is coming to measure for the X stair rails - which will be very similar to these. After months of indecision I've decided to go with this design and have a solution planned so they will pass code. For inspiration: (1) the above gorgeous stairs and entry by Canadian designer Scott Yetman. The image is via the blog Home Bunch - go here to see his whole house.
and (2) these amazing stair rails from Suzanne Kasler (photographer not known).

Hope you have a great weekend!

Forget White Book Covers

These bright pink covers are from the beautifully styled Hable Construction section of Hickory Chair's High Point showroom. They're now carrying a new line of Hable's fabrics. If you're judging a book by its cover, these are fab.