Horseshoe Crabs - a fun accessory

Horseshoe Crabs - they're kind of cute, aren't they?  It's best to find them dead on the beach or in an artificial form - especially because their blood contains amebocytes, which play a role similar to white blood cells, and medical firms  harvest them, bleed them for their "blue blood" and 

then return them to the sea. Plus, they're important to the ocean ecosystem.

 (Design above by Marika Meyer)

Design by Laura Garcia, Lonny March/April 2012, photography by Patrick Cline

Bronze Limule Sconce, here

Painted silver, from etsy here

Happy 19th Ryan!

Happy Birthday Ryan!! Wishing we were in Boston or you were here!  Love, Mama, Dadda & Julia  xoxoxo

DC Design House Bare Bones: Part 1

This past Saturday was the Bare Bones tour of the upcoming DC Design House and it left me very excited for the soon-to-be unveiled final results (April 13 - May 12, 2013)    Set in a new construction home with well proportioned rooms and scale, there will be 24 spaces - so to keep it manageable I'll be doing a 3 part post over the next two weeks.  First up is the morning room by Iantha Carly with a striking patterned Phillip Jeffries wall covering for the walls and a line-up of gorgeous fabrics in rich hues.   The Kravet Couture plaid is my favorite and will be covering a midcentury chair, love it!

You may remember designer Susan Jamieson of Bridget Beari from my post on her faux agate walls in the Richmond Show House.  Susan has a chic master bedroom with soothing colors (including paint from her own collection)and strong lines planned.  Notice the antiqued mirror panels on either side of the bed and the repetition of the geometric shapes.

Victoria Neal is creating a sophisticated family room filled with texture and a mix of furnishings.  I'm particularly looking forward to seeing the coffee table in person.

Charles Almonte will be boosting the classic elements of this Powder Room (space #10 - this house has 2 first floor powder rooms) to a whole other level with Farrow & Ball lotus wallpaper and strong accents of pink through accessories.  Should be one of those spaces that make you feel and look better just by being in it.

Andrea Houck is tackling the Side Hall and Bar.   Forget the existing granite and say hello to new onyx counters, faux painted walnut cabinets and a stunning pendant fixture. 

Two more Bare Bones posts to follow in the next week or so.  The DC Design House benefits Children's National Medical Center, for more information head here.

New Sponsor: Ex Voto Vintage

"I love your necklace, where did you get it?"   Isn't it great when someone notices your jewelry and is so taken by it they want to know where to find it?  That's how I feel about the jewelry from Ex Voto Vintage - this blog's newest sponsor.  Elizabeth Adams takes pieces discarded, left behind, and forgotten and revamps them, elevating them into one-of-a-kind jewelry statements.When she was born, her father’s mentor gave her a locket and a small card with the handwritten blessing: “May your life be as beautiful as you are.” Today, Elizabeth includes a different, hand-selected, blessing inside each locket of Ex Voto, just as with her first locket.

Also, a portion of the proceeds from Ex Voto jewelry goes to The Cure Starts Now Foundation for Pediatric Brain Cancer Research. Which brings me to another point - I've decided that starting this year, sponsors of this blog will be asked to make a contribution to One Simple Wish - an organization that grants the wishes of foster children.  I feel it's a win -win for me to know that my efforts on this blog mean contributions to an organization that is committed to directly helping children.  Thank you Ex Voto!

Here are just a few of the unique and stunning pieces from Ex Voto Vintage.  I love how the necklaces can be layered to compliment each other too.

I have a feeling when my daughter sees this bracelet it's going to appear on a birthday wish list!

If you're in Montgomery, AL, you can visit their showroom in historic Old Cloverdale at 1037 Woodley Road. Showroom hours are 9:00-5:30 Monday through Friday and 10:00-4:00 on Saturdays. (closed on Saturday during the summer months of June, July and August)

To see more of  their beautiful collection, head here.

Eye Candy: Luxe Comfort

Couldn't you spend a whole day in David Kleinberg's library?  The walls are covered in linen and railheads - a creative, paneled effect.  More here at New York Social Diary, photography by Jeff Hirsch.

Wide Open & White

Open floor plans, where spaces flow into each other, can be the hardest to decorate.  Designer Gretchen Mann unifies it all with white and touches of greenery throughout.   I also love her choice of artwork with gilded frames.   Fun camel too!    Featured in Cottages & Gardens, photography by Peter Margonelli, more images here.

Hope you have a great long weekend.  

I'll be finishing my dining room and shades for the guest room.  

Sneak Peek Veranda - Frank Babb Randolph!

Sneak peeks are the best and this one is a stunning standout.  Veranda's March/April issue features the Georgetown home of designer Frank Babb Randolph.  The look and feel is ethereal; light filled rooms are wrapped in layers of soft neutrals with touches of pastel accents.  The classic design feels right at home in our nation's capital and Randolph beautifully mixes contemporary art with French, English and American antiques.

Symmetry, unexpected art, unique accessories, and repetition of  color - love it all!

Simple at first glance but then you notice the details - especially that extra tall headboard with the neutral patterned fabric.  I've seen all the images (could only feature three here) and can tell you it's a real treat!  Can not wait for this issue to arrive in my mailbox...

Veranda

CANCELLED Hearst's Designer Visions: Open Feb 16th

I just received notice that the event has been CANCELLED.  If you know of anyone who was planning to go, be sure to let them know.

Had you heard - Hearst’s Designer Visions showcase will be open to the public on Saturday, February 16, from 12 noon – 4:00 p.m, last admission at 3:30 pm. Admission is $30, with the proceeds benefitting DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS)  Location: 250 West Street (entrance on Hubert Street), in New York City.  Tickets may be purchased in advance through DIFFA or at the door.

These chic, beautiful apartments were designed by David Rockwell / Rockwell Group for House Beautiful, Antony Todd for VERANDA and Matthew Patrick Smyth for ELLE DECOR. Admission includes the showcase Journal and the opportunity to tour the three Designer Visions residences in downtown Manhattan overlooking the Hudson River and Tribeca.  I love that each of them have a distinctive look and feel.

Design by Antony Todd - VERANDA

Design Matthew Patrick Smyth - ELLE DECOR

From Snowy Boston

Captured these images off of my son's facebook page.  He's having a great time.  Posts included a video clip of one of his friends skiing down a street in Mission Hill at 1:30 am.  Wish I was there, really.  I love snow.

MassArt, photography by Ryan Carroll

Many Second Looks

I've had this on my desktop for months, looking at it frequently.  I think it's the quiet palette, the winter white drapes and those gorgeous steel blue lampshades.   Design by Lisa Sherry Interieurs, featured in Lonny.

Hope you have a great weekend.  I have a lot of to-do items on my list.  How about you?

Eye Candy: Color Connection

Strong doses of gold and white carry your eye through each of these three rooms.  On a different note, I love these moldings. Traditional with a modern bent.    (Interiors by Brown Davis Interiors)

From 27 to 77

I'm here in LA for work with the added bonus of getting to visit my sister and her family in Santa Monica.  From a chilly 27 degrees yesterday morning headed to the airport to a balmy, sunny 77 - not bad.  Hope you're having a good Monday.

Road Trip - Haute Fabrics!

Last Saturday my husband, daughter and I went on a road trip to my favorite fabric place - Haute Fabrics in Marshall, VA.  Not sure how Julia and I convinced Dan to come w/us - I should have taken notes for next time.   So, what did we score?  Julia has a great eye and picked out the dusty pink Vervain chinoiserie silk above (in the middle) for drapes for her bedroom.  It's even more beautiful and sophisticated than this photo shows.

  Love this zig zag.

Beautiful blues.

Geometrics and florals.

 Walls and walls of trim.

In this room I found a super soft  Schumacher mohair in this gorgeous shade of green.  I'm planning to put that on a a bench in the library/dining room with the floral I bought for drapes.

Every time I head to Haute I always find something to be excited about.  Here's the info if you're up for a road trip yourself:

Haute Fabrics 8393 West Main Street - Marshall, VA 20115 - (540) 364-1221