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I just got back from a few, fun days at Round Top market. It is such a good place to see what is ‘hot’ and what is selling in home decor.
If you aren’t already aware, Louis Phillipe mirrors are very popular at the moment. We have this one for sale at the store now:
If I had taken a photo of all the sold Louis Phillipe mirrors I saw, there would be at least 30 pictures inserted here. And I don’t think I saw one under $1,000. Did I mention Round Top really isn’t about bargain hunting?
Instead of focusing on what was sold, I thought it might be interesting to focus on some neat details and key ideas you can take and implement yourself.
1) Pillow details.
I like a plain, knife edge pillow, but if you are using a ‘plain’ fabric, how about incorporating a nice accent such as you see on these pillows?
2) Custom Lamps/Lighting
There were so many vendors who had created their own lamps, using vases (as shown here) or found objects (such as corbels, iron elements or baskets). I always find sourcing the shades to be an added hassle, but you can really create something unique by turning something you already own into a light fixture.
3) Upholstery Accents
Adding a little personalized detail to your next re-upholstery project can really make your piece unique. How about this darling seat cushion?
4) Customizing your Casegoods with chalk paint
I am a sucker for chalk paint. I bought quite a few colors last time I went to Round Top and used it on a couple of items for the Southern Living Showcase House. I like Annie Sloan’s chalk paint.
Color samples showing clear or dark wax overlay.
6) Out of the box artwork
There were a ton of alternative artwork displays at Round Top. I really liked these reprints of old children’s posters displayed as a grid.
There was so much to see at the show. Lots of great people watching. A lot of unique things to make you laugh and ask yourself ‘Who would ever put that in their house’. Those were usually the first pieces sold.
It really is a great environment to refocus, be inspired and see how someone else can take something ‘everyday’ and transform it into something very special. Hopefully you will have the chance to check out Round Top for yourself, and find inspiration too. Next fair is in the fall!
I love the resources that are now available to us all online. From Pinterest to House of Fifty, I can usually find lovely eye-candy to look at and be inspired by.
I was recently introduced to Manner & Lane: A Southern Lifestyle Guide for Women. Manner & Lane is a bi-weekly enewsletter and website. I was born and raised in Memphis and attended university in Nashville, so I am a Southern girl at heart. I was very honored when Manner & Lane contacted me with this photo from my portfolio and asked me to provide some tips on creating an inviting guest bedroom.
The article is entitled “Home Away From Home” and can be read online here:
http://www.mannerandlane.com/2013/02/23/home-away-from-home/
I just had company this past weekend and the article helped focus me on the importance of making your guests feel welcomed and appreciated. It was a good reminder about ‘manners’ and the importance of placing others above yourself. I know I often get busy and forget about taking time to appreciate the individuals in my life.
I hope you will take a moment to pop over to Manner & Lane to read this and other articles. I found it very inspiring to be reminded about the importance of hospitality and enriching your life through the people and places you love.
In case you missed it, Linda Grimm, Silverton Custom Homes, and I had a great time on “Good Day Austin” this week, talking about the showhome. Time to see the home is running out!
If you haven’t gotten there yet, Sunday is the last day the home is open to tour. In case you’ve forgotten, Denise McGaha and I will be giving presentations on design starting on Saturday the 23rd at 11am. Hope to see you there!
I wanted to make sure everyone got the chance to walk through before sharing some of the photos. These photos are from a variety of sources (including myself). I am sure you can tell the ‘professional’ pictures versus mine.
So, let’s start at the beginning!
The entryway has a central pair of seeded glass doors. A pair of windows and benches flank the entry.
One of my favorite looks is horizontal planking, so I couldn’t resist requesting its use throughout the great room of the home.
This is a lake front home with beautiful views. Most of the homeowners in this area own homes as second residences, so that idea inspired many of the selections.
The great room has the ‘dining’ area in the middle, and also a little tabletop and chairs for a morning coffee by the view.
The kitchen is bright and fresh, with white cabinets and calacutta marble counters.
There is a not a ton of storage space in the ‘main kitchen’, but I think that is just awesome. Why clutter your everyday space with rarely used turkey roasters and extra pots and pans when you can store them in your…
Prep kitchen… with custom island built by The Gilded Stag
or your walk in pantry…
The downstairs also includes the master bedroom and two guest bedrooms. We staged one of the guest bedrooms as a study with amazing blue grasscloth wallpaper from Phillip Jefferies:
Silverton Custom Homes, the builder (in conjunction with Henley Homes) was incredible to work with. They were open to ideas and made each and every bathroom ‘custom’ with unique tile work, cabinetry, lighting and counters. Every space is special!
The master bedroom is in the back of the downstairs and also has beautiful, lake views.
The color palette throughout the home is essentially water colors (sand, greens and blues) with varying intensity throughout (such as the bright blue study).
For the master I decided on a peaceful retreat in creams with accents of brown. The only color is in the oil painting, which fits into the color scheme of the home overall. It is very elegant, but at the same time, comfortable and approachable. Not stuffy or too precious.
The bath is a true luxury, from the stand alone tub, the jetted shower and marble and antiqued glass cabinets and doors.
One of the guest bedrooms is also downstairs, at the opposite end of the home. It is a large size, big enough for two chairs and an ottoman.
This bedroom has a bright and cheery bath with beveled, cream crackle subway tile and turquoise and purple accents.
When you go up to the second level of the home, there is a landing flanked by two bedroom suites. The landing features a coastal living sectional covered in the new “Crypton” fabric. Let me tell you, this stuff works! Unfortunately there was a little incident with the sofa and ottoman getting carried up to the top floor. First, both were covered with dirty hand prints and, second, the sofa back got streaked with a black line from the iron railing.
The hand prints literally dusted right off with a damp cloth. The black line (black paint?) took three tries. The last one I actually followed the directions and used Tide and a toothbrush and that took off the black line.
To the left is a room that is geared more toward a young girl. I used lime green and bright blue.
All of the home’s permanent elements (tile, counters) are ‘neutral’ for longevity and the greatest appeal. However, we customized with colorful artwork and mirrors which could be easily replaced if the future buyer would like to do that.
The ‘boys’ bedroom features a spectacular custom trundle bed also from The Gilded Stag. This room is also blue and green, but more of a peacock color scheme. You might recognize fabrics from Celerie Kemble, Martyn Lawrence Bullard and Kelly Wearstler.
This bathroom has a tub with an arch ceiling above. We used decorative tilework on the ceiling which helped to highlight the architectural feature.
Oh, and in case you didn’t see the view, yet:
The exterior looks out at the lake and has a fire pit and infinity pool. We had the outdoor throw pillows custom made by Austin’s own Square Feathers.
It is a lovely home throughout, I hope you think so, too! Oh, and by the way, the house is for sale, furnishings included. This could be your dream lake home. Don’t forget to get out there before Sunday the 24th!
Did I tell you Scott just took me back to California for our anniversary weekend? Probably not, because it was a surprise until the last minute!
We took a long weekend and had a great time visiting San Diego and Laguna Beach, where we were married 11 years ago overlooking the ocean from a terrace at the hotel below:
I don’t know how it was in your home town, but there was quite a bit of lottery fever on Friday afternoon in California and we got wrapped up in it. We stayed on Coronado Island and saw the lines to buy lottery tickets. Who wouldn’t wait a few minutes for the possibility of winning half a billion dollars?
Well, we bought a few tickets and meandered along Ocean Boulevard near the famous “Hotel Del” Coronado.
If we did win, we wondered, what would we do with all that money? It didn’t take me long to decide. I’ve always wanted to live at the beach and while I think the Florida gulf coast has the best sand and beaches, I prefer the climate in California. So, a beach front home would be my first purchase.
I don’t personally need or want a mansion, just a little beach cottage. And, walking along Ocean Boulevard, we came upon the perfect home for me. A little Nantucket inspired beach home. Doesn’t look too grandiose, don’t you think?
No one was living there, so we decided to walk up and take a peek in the windows. If I’d won the lottery, this would’ve been my front porch.
And the view to the right from my new front porch:
The inside looked just right to me. A lot of millwork- look at the bead board ceilings with coffers- I just love that, not to mention the wall paneling. The floors were a beautiful white oak, wide planks that would never show a spec of sand.
The kitchen did not have marble, but it was a sacrifice I could make for the location.
Through the front windows I could see 2 fireplaces on the main level, but neither of us thought this place had any ‘over the top’ features.
We looked it up online and the first photos show a classic beach cottage on the main level and in the master bedroom.
The master bath is fairly small, as you would expect, given the tight lots on Coronado.
I was ready to move in. We made bets on the price. We both thought close to $20 million given the location right on the ocean. What a nice surprise that it was only $9.8 million, a bargain. Apparently the monthly payment would be a mere $60,000, that is before taxes and insurance. Well, if we won the lottery, maybe this little cottage would be ours….
Only it turns out it isn’t a little cottage. The house has almost 5,000 square feet with 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms.
The laundry room has two sets of washers/dryers.
Here is the lovely, paneled hallway, only it comes with an elevator…
which could take you to a lower level…
complete with a panel glass window of a rock wall (?)
and a 2,200 bottle wine cellar.
Or you could take the elevator up to the roof top deck with fireplace, 7 person spa, outdoor kitchen and 360 degree views from Point Loma to the San Diego skyline.
As I mentioned, these are tight lots, but no worries. You can still park all your cars with ease on the built in turn table.
So maybe this house was a little more than just the two of us needed. Of course, I wouldn’t complain if someone gifted it to me, but since we didn’t win the lottery (I don’t think we even got one powerball number right), this home is definitely not in our future. Or, should I have said “in our immediate future?”
So we said goodbye to our little home on Coronado. Still, it was fun to imagine for a little while. Have you ever found your dream home? If so, tell me about it- I would love to know what made it your favorite place!
I mentioned on the last “What’s New Wednesday” post about our latest collection for the store, the Barclay Butera Lifestyle Collection. Scott and I have appreciated Barclay Butera’s style for some time. His look is classic and chic, clean and comfortable. Barclay Butera’s look often reminds me of Ralph Lauren, but he grew up in Southern California and infuses a slightly more casual, approachable feel.
I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen this image from a design client as an inspiration room. It is by Barclay Butera from the Belaire Show house. All images from the Barclay Butera website, unless noted.
When I worked for Jaguar Cars, one of our marketing activities was to sponsor the Hamptons Showhome with the magazine Home & Gardens. Barclay did the entry and it was very impactful when you walked into the home and saw this amazing shell chandelier he custom created.
Barclay Butera’s style is very recognizable, although he breaks his ‘look’ into specific lifestyles: style, beach, desert, etc. His color palette and formality change with the environment and style of the home, yet he still manages a consistent look.
This home is one of my favorites from Corona del Mar, CA. It features prominently in his book. In beach cottage fashion, this home is very small, 2 bed, 2 bath and about 1300 square feet. Often we think if we have a small space, not much can be done with it. Not true! This open living area is basically the whole ground floor with ‘living room’, ‘sitting room’ and dining area next to the kitchen.
I love a beachy look and Barclay Butera does this really well without a ‘themed’ look. His beach style is more plantation/british colonial than seashells and bright colors. I feel this gives a more sophisticated and chic take on an inviting and comfortable atmosphere.
I love this image which shows a great way to place a TV in your bedroom without making the TV the dominant focus on the wall. You barely know it is there as it disappears above the sideboard. As armoires have gone by the wayside, TVs are getting prominent placement in many rooms. I don’t have an issue with that as it relates to how we live our daily lives. However, it is nice to notice a put together room and the décor as opposed to the giant TV on the main wall of the room.
I really like his use of symmetry. Anyone that knows me, knows I hate furniture and rugs on angles or a ‘messy’ feeling in a room. Symmetry is defined as: imprecise sense of harmonious or aesthetically pleasing proportionality and balance. This is often achieved through pairs. Notice (above as one example throughout) Barclay Butera’s use of a pair of lamps with a pair of vases or hurricanes or vases on his table tops.
Barclay Butera has gone from decorating homes to creating lifestyle collections of the items he needs to create the spaces he envisions. For a couple of years at Heather Scott Home & Design we have carried his artwork:
His fabric, available through Kravet:
and his rugs from Merida, a company most known for their natural fiber rugs (custom sisal and jute):
We are now really excited to be the exclusive dealer in Austin for the Barclay Butera Lifestyle Collection. This is a comprehensive offering of casegoods (tables, buffets) as well as upholstery (dining chairs, sofas, ottomans). We now have a large selection from many of his collections available in the store.
Here are some pictures from the High Point market representing several of these collections:
These are some of our favorite pieces we now have in stock:
This mirror would look fabulous over a buffet, flanked by a pair of awesome lamps and hurricanes.
This nighstand/chest has so much character we couldn’t resist it. The piece looks aged and rich and has incredible detail.
This dining table is about 72” without the leaves, and has great detail on the legs. The table is also on casters for additional style.
We love these chairs and the banquette to go with any dining table. Yes, you can scotch-guard the fabric if you are worried about maintenance. Sometimes something looks so good you just have to have it!
As you can see from the length of this blog post we are extremely passionate about this new line for our store. You may recall from earlier in the post, we focused on a home that only had 1,300 square feet and yet looked larger and ‘put-together’ with a lot of furniture and accessories. No matter the size or current style of your space, this furniture line can open up your home and enhance enjoyment in your favorite environment! We are confident you will love the product as much as we do, and will find a place for many of these pieces in your homes. Be sure to put us on your shopping agenda over the next few weeks to see all of the new product.
Scott and I are very excited to now be carrying the Barclay Butera Lifestyle Collection. When we lived in California, we loved the Barclay Butera shop in Newport Beach. I think I’ve read his book about 50 times. In High Point, NC, just last month, we decided to order several of his items and they have already started to arrive!
Many pieces came yesterday during the first rain storm (complete with thunder and lighting) that Austin has seen in about 9 months. It was a little crazy, but definitely worth it!
One of our favorite things were this pair of dark, blue velvet head dining chairs, complete with arms and casters. Stephanie, one of our employees, first words were ‘those are gor-geous’ and she says it with the long g-o-r-g-eous when something is really special!
The chairs are $787.99 a piece. They would look really special during a holiday celebration!
We hope you’ll come by and see all the other new pieces we received as well!
I’m just back from “Design Camp”, a 3 day course of design from A-Z (i.e. A is for Art, B is for Budget). It was a fun, refresher course on the basics of design. About 36 women from across the country (and Canada) headed to this course taught by Tobi Fairley.
Allison Nease, our Business Operations Manager, and I went to learn from Tobi’s group the key elements of their design process. Anyone can attend, no design experience necessary. There is another camp coming up in January and space is still available. You can get more information here:
The event was also a great ‘girls trip’ which included all inclusive transportation, in these lovely limos (yes, the pink hummer was for our group):
as well as meals (served Southern style, which means no one ever went hungry) and lodging.
We brought our own project floor plans to work on. I brought Scott’s office, which he has been asking me to design for two years and I just haven’t made the time.
We were reminded of the importance of taking the time to develop a thorough inspiration board for each project, whether digital (online/PowerPoint) or physical ones such as these:
One night we had a reception at a local store, Cobblestone & Vine. I really enjoyed looking through and seeing all their lovely displays. It is interesting the style differences from the South compared to Texas (slightly more tailored and traditional).
Business entrepreneur Annie Selke, founder of Dash & Albert and Pine Cone Hill was at the reception signing copies of her new book, Fresh American Spaces. We have a few of Annie’s pieces from Vanguard Furniture for sale in our store now. They have great lines and a fresh look.
Her website is here if you would like to explore more of the fun companies Annie Selke has started: Annie Selke Website
I think that for many of us, once we leave school, we get busy with life and forget how important it is to continue to challenge ourselves mentally. Continuing education in our field, or even new areas of interest, is a good way to improve your skills and stay on top of new techniques and technologies. I am really glad Allison and I took the time and opportunity to brush up on our design knowledge and skills, and were able to do so in such a fun environment. I encourage you to check out the Design Camp program and consider it for yourself! I can promise I’ll be implementing a lot of new tools and techniques I learned in the coming months!
I am regularly asked where my design style and inspiration comes from. My style is often described as ‘coastal’, even though I currently live in central Texas. My taste has been defined by the places I have lived, which include seven states and three countries. Those personal experiences have allowed me to appreciate a number of design approaches. I do have to admit a sweet spot, though, for my time in California and the homes which are there. I am going to share some of the key elements of ‘California Style’ which have influenced by design approach.
Scott and I were lucky enough to live in Orange County, which is in Southern California (south of LA, north of San Diego). We owned three houses there, probably because we had the habit of visiting model homes on the weekends and “ohhing” and “ahhing” over the great design. The homes were never very large, but they were full of usable space. The floorplans were always open and the indoors and outdoors flowed seamlessly with french doors and year round perfect weather.
The weather lends itself to that casual lifestyle- you may go to the beach in the morning and a friend’s pool in the afternoon. It is a wonderful area to walk to local shops and restaurants because the weather is sunny and comfortable year-round. There are a number of fabulous home stores in boutique settings. When we lived in San Clemente we loved to park on Del Mar Street (near the Pier) and walk to all the little home stores, including Christopher Lee Ltd.
In the Newport Beach area we loved Juxtaposition Home, Tuvalu Home, Barclay Butera and Les Interieur. It is a lot easier to decorate a beautiful space when you have good resources. These shops all carried a mix of quality items (real wood furniture), livable upholstery (even white slipcovered sofas), and interesting accents (unique lamps, pillows).
California is the residential base for many individuals that appreciate design. It is the home of many luxury automobile designers, clothing and athletic sportswear (Oakley, Roxy) and even electronics designers, such as Apple. I believe having this many creative minds in one place lends itself to the interior design culture in Southern California which places designing the interior and exterior of one’s home as a priority.
It isn’t about being ‘showy’, but it is about really enjoying life as you live it everyday. As a result, California Style can generally be described as casual, comfortable, open, airy and relaxing.
Color palettes are often neutral or inspired by the colors of the ocean: sand, sea blue, sea glass green, soft yellow and white. It was rare to see a home with bold, bright colors or even jewel tones. Floors were often sisal or seagrass covered, upholstery in durable white denim slipcovers and wood pieces often had a lot of ‘character’ (meaning not your grandmother’s precious dining table). There were never any worries about kids tracking in sand or scratching up tables that are meant to be kept perfect forever.
The laid back atmosphere allowed homeowners to kick back and just enjoy every day living, a concept which I think we could all benefit from in our hectic lives. In my interior design, I have tried to incorporate this light palette, airy atmosphere and laid back living for myself and for my clients that want that look. I would suggest you consider incorporating some of the elements of ‘California Style’ into your space to improve your happiness with your environment.
