"i'm just going to look, i'm not gonna buy anything"

i uttered those words to my husband as i walked out the door saturday morning. i was heading to a design center's warehouse sale just a few miles from my home. they hold the sale twice a year when they have overstock and too many items that they've cleared out of model homes. they have quality, name brand furniture, rugs, artwork and accessories at up to 90% off.

most people show up 2 hours before the sale starts to wait in line for the doors to open. i don't. i show up 1 hour after it starts, after the craziness ends. they tell you to bring stickers with your name and phone # on them so you can walk run through and label the items you want to buy. it's an honor system. you don't touch another person's marked items.

i spotted this sofa stacked with items that weren't marked sold. the sofa wasn't marked sold. i gasped. i checked with several clerks and they too agreed it wasn't sold. i slapped my sticker on it. i texted a photo of it to hubby. i had been wanting to update one of our living room sofas for awhile now. this was the look i had in the back of my mind. and i found it. the perfect color, wooden spindle legs, rolled arms, and comfortable... all at an unbelievably low price. there wasn't a thing wrong with it. fast forward a few minutes and it was on a delivery truck to my house.

"i'd have been crazy not to buy it." those were the other words i uttered to my husband later that day.

as you can see, someone else likes it also.

wisteria

i had only ever received their drool-worthy catalogs, and visited their online store,  ...until saturday. i made a trip to wisteria dallas, by love field airport, where there is a flea market in the back of the store. the front of the store is gorgeous. i was in awe of their beautiful furniture, pillows, lighting, and accessories. i managed to snap a few photos.

i bought one of these. everyone needs a chinese calligraphy brush... don't they?

this stopped me in my tracks. i would have bought it if not for the price tag. just a little a lot out of my range right now, but it is gorgeous.

and this. just beautiful. i've seen this fabric before but can't recall the designer. i adore it. and those lavender pillows were just the right shade.

i really wanted this for a side table in our living room. but again, the price was a little out of my range. (and actually, when i got home and looked through my wisteria catalog, i saw it for less... what's up with that, wisteria?)

i bought one of these tall navy jars.

loved the ikat chandelier shades.

i would have gladly taken this velvet sofa off their hands if it was half  one-third one-quarter the price.

i'm not sure when my love affair with green started. i didn't decorate with it at all in seattle, but i do decorate with it here in dallas. maybe it's because i miss the lush green of seattle and am trying to subconsciously bring it into my home here.

and, another chest like the green one above, but in cobalt.

i have to say that i was disappointed with the flea market section of the store. i saw several furniture pieces heavily damaged that were the identical price as the same items in the front of the store in perfect condition. and i found only a few items heavily marked down.

i now request that all our visitors requiring airport pickup fly into love field airport so that i can stop by wisteria enroute. it truly is a beautiful store with beautiful merchandise. and very helpful sales associates.

a special package

i'm sending out a very special package today. tobi fairley was kind enough to include me in a blog post a few weeks back. i asked if she would like a complimentary set of my calling cards. she did!

i threw in a little extra something for her. shhhh.... don't tell her. they're on the way to her now.

and did you happen to see her and her home in the latest traditional home? if not, go here. i'm in love with these dining room chairs.

and this room. gorgeous.
and a snippet of her foyer. fab.

thank you dear

for making me wish i was back here with the flu that you so graciously passed on. i'll get back to bed just as soon as i'm done shipping current orders from here and finishing my state business taxes which are due monday.

and dear readers, i'll be back soon with a discount from overstock.com!

image from here via here

eye catching

this was one of the best rooms (in my opinion) in the latest issue of lonny. it's from marlien rentmeester's home in the pacific palisades. the family room is done in shades of eggplant and burnt orange, a fresh color combination. what a great room to spend a weekend afternoon. lots of natural light, fireplace, beautiful artwork. the only problem i'd see is.... do you stretch out on the beautiful sofa or in one of those comfy chairs. hmmm....

a treat for you

client amy ordered calling cards from me recently. as i do with a lot of clients, we chatted via email about calling cards and well, other stuff. amy emailed me some of her design work. it's absolutely beautiful! i am so impressed by amy's remarkable talent. before i show you her work, here's a little bit about amy, in her own words.

"I am mom to a 20 year old daughter who is presently studying in Paris, France. I am a native Floridian. I attended Boston University School of Fine Arts and University of Miami School of Fine Arts where I recieved a BFA degree. I moved to New York City after college where I was an Art Director in advertising. I lived in NYC for 12 years. I moved back to Florida when my daughter was 2 years old and embarked on my interior design career. I was educated in interior design at Miami Dade Community College. I worked for 2 interior design firms before opening my own business. I also paint as you have discovered. I love anything that has to do with the Arts. I have always been an artist. Even as a little girl, art is all I ever wanted to do. I spent my childhood going from one art class to another. "

ok, now sit back and enjoy amy's talent. (click on pictures to enlarge.)

how would you like to open those french doors (above) and see that every day? i think it's just gorgeous. from the beautiful, soothing wall color to the stunning sunburst mirror to the small antique mirror down below to the pops of pink. or how about opening shuttered doors to this view. love the rug.in this contemporary/asian influenced bedroom below amy upholstered the wall and bed in a brunschwig and fils fabric. love the pillows!
ah, if only i could get ready in a space like this every morning (below). amy filled me in on the sources for this vanity area. the mirror is from Williams Sonoma Home. the sconces are from Restoration Hardware. and the hardware is Kallista. subway tile from Country Floors. amy designed and custom made the vanity herself.
here's another bathroom amy designed with a steam shower. amy says, all shower plumbing is Dornbracht. the sink/vanity is Villeroy and Boch. the linen cabinet is a custom design by her and the hardware on the linen cabinet is by Valli & Valli. all the woods are oak. the floor is a fabulous stone by Ann Sacks. the wall tile is Jerusalem stone by Ann Sacks. the shower ceiling is a slab of Jerusalem stone. and again, i love the pop of that orchid amonst the stone.
and lastly, a teenage girl's bedroom. amy says "she wanted orange, so I gave it to her!" the bed is done in white leather and manufactured by an italian company. the night table is by Cassina. The silver lamp is Williams Sonoma Home. the white shag carpet is Ralph Lauren. and the bed linens are johnathan adler for bed, bath and beyond."
and that beautiful piece of artwork above the bed.... amy did it! i told you she was talented.
amy's one of those designers where i feel like i could trust her to totally make over my house with minimal direction. i love her style! i hope you liked viewing her designs also. unfortunately amy doesn't have a website. i know, shocking. amy, you must get a website! we beg you. but for now, if you'd wish to contact her, please let me know. i'll put you in touch with her. thank you, amy, for letting me show off your talent.

in love

a few weeks ago house of turquoise did a post on a house designed by lakbdesign. the house was painted entirely in wythe blue by benjamin moore. i haven't stopped thinking about it. so i thought i would share.

look at that awesome kelly green parsons table.

at first i thought.... wow, i'd never think to put kelly green with aquas. then i remembered....
silly me. i've paired those colors together.

the kitchen is gorgeous. click on photos to enlarge and get the full effect. i love the mix. the industrial stools mixed with the ornate chandelier. aqua mixed with red (even though i'm not a huge fan of red). the smooth, shiny granite with the rustic farmhouse table. mixed metals.

it has all my elements of a great kitchen.... a little glamour, a little rustic-ness. fireplace. tv. farmhouse table right there. lots of natural light. huge fridge. open shelves.

love. it.

farmhouse table

steve and i are in the market for a new dining room table. we're reconverting the dining room back to a dining room. it was my office for the last 2 years. i envision an enormous farmhouse table and mismatched chairs. grey walls. very informal. french doors that lead to the patio. we're (and by "we", i mean steve) installing french doors as phase 3 of our first floor facelift). the kitchen facelift was phase 1 (which i still must post photos... just having trouble getting good photos), phase 2 is moving my office to the formal living room (which opens up the dining room to become a dining room again).

we've been searching online for the table. here are our top runners. in 2nd place, this from crate and barrel. simple lines. european white oak.

this is my first choice, from restoration hardware. similar lines. more rustic, which i like. and extendable.
notice the tolix chairs in the first photo. i'd love to scatter a few of those around the table. they don't look too comfortable, so i was thinking about skinny pads for them. a la this photo, from photographer helen norman.
and, now that this has arrived, i could sew them myself! that is, after i dredge up all that i learned in 7th grade home ec.

pink...

it's growing on me. this room is helping. a lot.

image via here

company made me do it

guests do it every time. unknowingly of course. but their visit forces you to get to that nesting to-do list. my in-laws are coming march 25th. the kitchen will be done the week before... given that absolutely not one thing goes wrong with the install. *crossing fingers*. otherwise we'll be prepping meals on plywood.... like now. and staring at pink cotton candy insulation as a backsplash... like now.

my photos from the upstairs hall are being moved to the foyer for this project. which leaves some blank wall space upstairs. can't have that, especially for company. already in the space is this desk, tucked into a recessed niche.

above it is an oversized floral canvas oil with tons of color. turquoise, chartreuse, orange, red, yellow.

i'm planning on this fabric for a roman shade at the end of the hall. heaven forbid if my neighbor should ever see me dart out of the master bedroom naked to retrieve something from the dryer right next door. bad day for them. this'll nip that in the bud.
the blank wall space will be filled with this art from here. i love marlene's prints. we have another one in the family room.
and this art from here.
i have some other photographs from alicia. they're simply stunning.

what do you think?

for the love of turquoise

do y'all remember this episode from the oprah show? cutie nate berkus makes over the main living areas of colette's home in alabama.
i loved this makeover. the above photo has stuck in my mind for years. i love the chest. the color. the high gloss. and turquoise IS the 2010 pantone color of the year.


this is the chest in my foyer now. it's red. i've come to dislike red. i'm thinking of painting it that turquoise this weekend. and doing a gallery wall of my photos of the local defunct train in black frames above it. what do you think?
my only hesitation is the wall color behind the chest. it's a yellow-camel. maybe if i made steve a really, really good dinner and let him watch what HE wants to watch on tv, he'll wallpaper the 2-story wall behind the chest in grasscloth. but first i'd have to get him to like wallpaper. he hates it. hmmm... i think i'll have to work with the paint color as is. i'll let ya know how it goes!

5 minutes to spare

so i thought i'd daydream at one of my favorite sites, alys beach. according to the site, it's a resort town located along the gulf of mexcio, whose design was led by internationally acclaimed town planners, Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company. i perused their vacation homes. and drooled.

i'd love to cook in one of these kitchens.
eat my meals at this banquette.followed by a snooze on this daybed infront of a fire.
and some reading on this sunporch.then a dip in the pool.
gazing at this view.
finally, a hot shower.
or should i soak in the tub? or both?

and then fall dreamily asleep in this bed.images from here