A Hexagonal Table Skirt for a Client's Foyer

You might remember my Palmetto State client when I worked on giving her living room a new look?? Well, she has asked if I could help her with her entry and family den!  Thank you Kim for the vote of confidence!

My client has a beautiful foyer where she currently has a mahogany pedestal table in the center of it.

I do love a beautiful table in a foyer.  It is the perfect piece to display your treasured collections of photographs, coffee books, topiaries, and blue and white ginger jars.  It's also a wonderful way to make a great first impression when people walk into your home.  Moreover, you can tailor your vignette as the seasons change.  They are also just very functional, it's a place to set your keys and sunglasses as you walk through the door.

When putting together thoughts for her entry, I wanted to keep the table in the foyer, but I wanted to do two things specifically, 1) soften the look of the round mahogany pedestal table and 2) modernize it.

So, to achieve that, we are going to do a table skirt to soften things, but we are going to modernize the skirt so it has a tailored look.  We are going to think past the typical round shape and do a hexagonal shape.   Here is some inspiration.

I love how clean and tailored the look is and you have so many options when it comes to designing the skirt.  So, how do you achieve this shape?  One way is searching for a hexagonal or octagonal table.  They are out there, but you will need to do some digging.  If you do a search on 'card' or 'poker' tables on ebay or craigslist, you can find inexpensive tables in this shape.  See below.

Or, you can try the DIY route.  This is the route my client will most likely take and it's all about having fiberboard or plywood cut into the hexagonal shape and securing it to the top of your table.  This article comes in handy if you are considering this route.  

I will certainly share pictures when it's all said and done!!  It's going to be so pretty!!

Visiting Draper James

My husband and I escaped for a one night getaway to Nashville this past weekend and it was exactly what we needed (other than more of it, but I will take what I can get)!  It took a combination of friends and neighbors to watch my little ones at home, but I guess that is what they call, 'parent life', huh?

Nashville was great!!  First time there and I absolutely LOVED it.  The beautifully manicured residential areas with pea gravel driveways, the cool/hip stores on 12th Ave South, the pedestrian shopping areas, Franklin's downtown, Leiper's Fork, and it's very down to earth, southern hospitality and friendliness.  It all was so good.

Of course, I visited Reese Witherspoon's flagship store, Draper James.  I love Mark D. Sikes, interior designer who designed the store, and his use of all things blue and white!!

It was so MUCH better in person and I truly was inspired.  I  'geek-ed' out ALL over this store and it wasn't until I came home that it struck me why the interiors of this store really left an impression on me.

It had every element of design that I love (and I mean really, really love when creating a home).  It was one of those Oprah 'A-Ha' moments where you get to experience everything you love in one space.

The store is designed much like a home which is such a brilliant idea and concept.  When you walk in you're greeted with a large table similar to a large round pedestal table in a foyer and a beautiful plaster chandelier that hung in the store's entry.

I am obsessed with the store's lighting choices and this chandelier had a Stray Dog Design feel, but I don't believe it is from them.  It was large, beautiful and made a statement.  And, I LOVED that it was whimsical.  It seriously was the last thing I expected as one of the design elements in this southern store and it was so perfect (in my humble opinion).

Next, your eyes are immediately drawn to the back wall where dark navy grasscloth hangs showcasing gorgeous artwork and serves as a backdrop to the store's countertops which are meant to mimic a kitchen island.  And, yes, the counters are thick slabs of marble!! 

Here, the built-ins are meant to mimic kitchen cabinetry or a butler's pantry.  I adore the antique brass utility latches on the glass fronts (I recently recommended this style of hardware to one of my clients) and the style of brass hardware pulls used for the drawers.  The combination of white and gold really speaks to my love for things a bit feminine, but the brass keeps things grounded which is classic and timeless.  The library boston sconce installed above the built-in cabinetry ties in the gold and white and looks brilliant next to navy. 

Pictured above are the modern counter stools pulled up to the store's countertop.  Another element I love is the bit of California thrown into an otherwise traditional, classic and all-American mix!  

This beautiful brass and navy lantern hanging near the vibrant blue whicker chairs imitate the 'family' or living room.  

Pictured above is the 'family room' and I love how Serena and Lily's blue tonal striped dhurrie is layered over a natural fiber rug coupled with the blue Bielecky Brothers wicker lounge chairs. The chairs were SO comfortable!!

I saw dentil molding, vertically planked walls and beadboard.  Above, an example of the store's full length mirror encased in beautiful molding!  The store's walls were either pristine white backdrops or wallpapered in either beautiful paper or fabric, as shown below.  

Above is Quadrille's Palampore Stripe fabric draped on the walls with navy grosgrain trim.  Beautiful!!

Above was another favorite spot of mine. It did the perfect job of resembling a kitchen nook.  Obsessed with everything about this space.  I love Carolina Irving's Palermo (whimsical) print and Patmos Stripe on the banquette.  All these fabrics work beautifully together!  

A close-up of the gorgeous textiles with the beautiful navy and brass sconce!!  LOVE!  

The store's fitting rooms - gasp - obviously, resembling a home's bedroom and/or closet area.  I am dying to use Farrow and Ball's closet striped wallpaper in someone's home!!  Again, dark navy doors with brass fixtures!! Here, we see a repeated design element of stripes.  

I love the play of vertical and horizontal stripes in the same space!! So fun!  And, the closet hooks!!  I need these!  I found a similar type here, but not in the brass finish.   

I've used the sconce's shade fabric in a client's project before and I love it!!  Perfect for a fabric covered lampshade.  

The color scheme was definitely blue and white, but I love how Mark Sikes threw in 'yellow' to keep things fresh, young and modern.  He has such an amazing eye and love all his touches of playfulness.

I will have to save the artwork for another post - it definitely was a highlight of the store as well as, the store's bathroom, believe it or not!! 

Visiting this store did not disappoint and it confirmed all the things I love and would like to emulate in my own home.  It gave me loads of inspiration and perhaps the little shove I need to finally finish some projects. 

Case in point, I immediately purchased this rug to go in my kitchen nook! :)

E- Design: A Stylish Entry for a Starter Home

A couple of months ago, a reader contacted me who wanted help with her entry.  She recently got married and she and her husband just bought their first home in Connecticut.

Like many starter homes, space is limited and trying to make a good first impression in a very small entryway can be challenging.  Fortunately, when space is limited, it allows you to stretch your budget because the number of items needed is less.

It was important to this young and stylish reader, that there be some sort of table to house keys, mail and a pretty lamp.  To accomplish this, I picked a demilune table that is perfect for small spaces.  It provides a usable surface, but it's shallow enough to be tucked away.

My reader also wanted the space to be chic, feminine, but also sophisticated.  She loves hints of colors especially pastels.  I knew a decorative rug was key to infusing the color she wanted and a vintage rug fit the bill.  The scalloped flush mount, mirror and table all play to the feminine side while the gray paint and ceramic lamp keep it sophisticated and grounded.  

So, there you have it!!  She loves it and can't wait to start implementing it.  If you need help designing a room, please feel free to contact me! 

Architectural Interest: Chair Rail vs. Wainscoting

Let's talk architectural trim.  We have no architectural interest other than our ceiling molding in our modest entry.  To make our entry 'shine', I wanted to do a recessed or flat panel wainscoting design.  See inspiration below.

But, after taking measurements, I decided against it mainly because our entry has a very narrow front hallway that leads to the kitchen (which gets a lot of traffic) and if we were to install the flat panel wainscoting, it would chew into the space making the hallway even more narrow.

I am now considering doing a chair rail which won't chew into valuable space.

Finding the exact chair rail to match our dining room (still in progress) turned out to be a bit of a challenge, but after some online searching I found a very similar match.  See here.

The plan is to paint the chair rail and wall space below the chair rail in BM White Dove and then do a textured wallpaper above the chair rail as a nod to classic design.  I have my eyes fixated on Ralph Lauren's herringbone textured wallpaper.

I plan on continuing the chair rail into our living room which flanks our entry.  I think the challenge is going to ensure that the chair rail fits seamlessly into the design and doesn't feel forced.

In regards to the color palette in our entry, I want to play off the drapery fabric that'll be in our dining room - John Robshaw's Prasana American Beauty that you see immediately to your left when you walk into our entry.

Some of these items might be a pipe dream, but I say start big and I'll see where it goes….;)

Hello August!!

Well, August is upon us and the throws of summer are still in full swing here!  Trying to get in the last bits of swimming, tennis, playdates and amusement parks before we have to worry about packed lunches, backpacks and schedules.  Here are a couple of beautiful pictures to get your week started off on the right foot!!

These colors remind me that fall is just around the corner.

How adorable is this outfit - so cute and comfortable to boot!  Just how I like it!!   

Inspiration: A House Tour in Georgetown

I hope you all had an enjoyable Thanksgiving!  We did and I am a bit overwhelmed at how soon Christmas will be here!  I love the Advent Season and so I am trying not to let all the crazy holiday stuff get to me too much.

Over the Thanksgiving break, I came across this Georgetown home tour on Apartment Therapy.

An aesthetic that is relaxed, comfortable, layered, neutral with touches of blue and green is perfect in my book!  All those elements I want to achieve in my own home.  Hope you enjoyed!

Our Entry - Progress

It has taken me entirely too long to decide on a paint color for our entryway.  Paint is not expensive, so if it is the wrong color, it can be easily fixed so there really are no excuses.  But, our entry leads into three rooms (living room, dining room and kitchen) and I don't have the exact colors selected for these rooms yet.  I generally know the direction I want, but not knowing exactly made selecting our entry paint color even harder.  I knew I wanted a neutral color, but which one?

If you remember this post, I was completely set on white (see inspiration pictures).  But, as dreamy as the inspiration pictures look, our entry lacks natural light, architectural details and space/height.  We plan on rectifying this in the future, but for now, this is what we have.   So, a white color with no natural light and no pretty architectural details seemed wrong for the space.  

Also, there was the furniture to consider.  Ideally, for our entry, I would love to have an antique piece as the foundation.  Something like this would do…

But, right now that is not in the cards given that I'd like to save money for a new dining table and chairs.  So, I am stuck with using a cream colored shaker console that my lovely husband found at the dump (when we lived in CT). :)  :)  

So, after testing a thousand paint choices, I went with BM Edgecomb Gray at half strength (50% lighter).  Why half strength?  Because I wanted it lighter.   And, I'll be honest.  When we get natural light in our entry (always in the afternoon), I LOVE it.  Beautiful color.  Perfect.  But, in the morning, with little natural light, it seems a little too dark to me.  But, I think, until we can get more natural light in there, any color will not look 100% right.  

So, this is what we started out with…..this was the previous owner's decor….

BEFORE

And now PROGRESS - BM Edgecomb Gray at 50%

Here's another view - midway painting…you can see the difference between the original and new color 

So, the jury is still out, but I think it is a significant improvement.  I threw together a quick idea board of where I am going with this space.  See below.  

I definitely want to use the green pagoda lantern in our hallway.  It is the perfect size and I love the color!  I also plan on upholstering/slipcovering two storage cubes to fit under the console.  You can see the fabric choices above.  I haven't decided.  I might not even go with either….we'll see.  But, I do know, I want to finish this space quickly.  I'm tired of thinking about it and I am ready to move onto to the next room!! 

PS: In case you're wondering, I can't wait to rip out our carpeted stair runner and replace it!  I also plan on painting the banister black, hang sconces and pictures.  The list goes on….

New Scenes around our House

I finally joined instagram!  Come follow me here!!  I can't get over it……it is a whole different level of stimuli and inspiration.  It's pretty insane….I have no other words for it.

Around the home front, I have been making strides in certain areas of our home.  I am very excited for the kids to start school next week and hope I can start making faster progress, but here are some snapshots.

Our Entry - in progress

We are painting our entry this holiday weekend.  The entry is already primed and I am still undecided on the hall color - see swatches on the wall.  I am leaning towards the color swatch on the bottom row third from the left.  When I asked my husband what color he liked, he responded, 'leave it as is (primed), it's cheaper'.  Typical! :)

BTW, the whitewashed mirror is my latest find at World Market.

Our family room - in progress

Earlier this summer, I bought Serena and Lilly's outdoor/indoor 'captiva' pillows in chambray.  It's more of a summer look, and I've enjoyed the change from my original pillows (which are more for the fall).  See below picture.

Do you have a preference?  Excuse the wrinkled linen!! :)

E's room - in progress

My daughter's window treatment is finally up!  Love, love, love it.  It completely makes her room.  I am so close to finishing her room, I can hardly stand it!!  See previous updates here.

I have more home updates on my instagram account so hop over and follow me here!!

Well, I do hope you all have a lovely and safe long weekend!!  See you next week!

Porthole Mirror

I am happy to report that I am alive and well after an on-slought of illnesses in our home (that lasted about 10 days).  When it rains it pours - stomach viruses, sinus infections, etc.

Luckily, neither my husband or I got the stomach virus and we were able to celebrate his birthday this past weekend.  We went to Edward Lee's restaurant 610 Magnolia!  I highly recommend it if you've never been or are visiting the area!

So, lately, I really like porthole mirrors.  Kinda of a strange thing to fixate on....but,  if I had a a waterfront  home in New England, I would fully embrace it!  

I love the above vignette from Hudson Interiors.  If you like porthole mirrors, you could pick up this one (pictured below) from Target to create a similar look.

Since I might get a lot of questions as to why there is a porthole mirror in our entry (being that we live in Louisville and well, water is nowhere in sight), I might settle for something a little less obvious, but that has a similar feel.

I really like the mirror pictured below (of course, all the blue and white porcelain helps too!).

It has a similar porthole look and I like the black frame.  I recently picked up this mirror from Target (see below) and I have to tell you I really, really like it.  In fact, I like it so much, I went back and purchased another one.  Thinking of painting it and using it in my daughter's room.  

The frame is slightly distressed and I like how it sits deeply into the frame making it feel more like a porthole.  This black mirror works nicely in our entry against our white walls and I like how the round shape breaks up all the lines from our entryway walls and console.  So, if you're on the hunt for a great round mirror - this might do the trick!  I hope to have pictures of our entry soon!