There was a little girl who had a little burl

Hamptons home office by Carrier and Company

Hello, all! I hope everyone is having a good week so far! I got sidetracked recently, brainstorming room ideas after I saw the picture below. It is such an interesting color scheme and it made me think of the burl table I just marked down over on Chairish. That got me thinking about other ways to style it and here we are!

Living room by Barbara Barry

I like how there is not much color here, but the room has such depth. It manages a balance of warm and cool tones that makes for such an elegant room. I know y'all are going to get sick of me posting stuff about the items I have for sale but I chose them because I thought they were beautiful: in form, in color, in style. This table in particular:

Its smooth curves and combination of olive burl and macassar ebony woods caught my attention immediately. The colors on it are so lovely and it somehow manages to ride the line between modern and classic.

Pretty book matched burl tabletop

I could go on and on. Ha!

Michael Smith's Palm Springs home via Architectural Digest

I saw a similar table in the Architectural Digest article about the completely renovated Palm Springs home of Michael Smith and James Costos. (It's hiding there in the back of the picture above.)

You guys have got to check out that article. The house is so neat!

Vignette with burl wood console by Lilly Bunn

Palm Beach living room by Cullman & Kravis

I really think this table could fit in many different settings, but I kept coming back to the idea of it in a room with similar warm tones.

Phoebe Howard from her book Mrs Howard Room by Room

Then I started thinking how neat it would be contrasted against darker walls, but still in a more casual, comfortable color.

Room by CeCe Thompson Green (a Bunny Williams protege) via DiCorcia Design

And, coincidentally, an olive green room by Ms. Bunny Williams herself

So using these images and the nascent autumn as inspiration , I came up with a room of my own:

Foliage / Lamp / Table / Bird Prints / Sofa / Pillow / Pillow / Curtains / Chair / Chair Fabric / Paint Color

Unless you want a moody, enveloping room (which is fun too), it's good to keep the curtains and larger upholstery in the space light. I love these Anthropologie curtains; they really do make me think of falling leaves! I love hints of a theme in a space, so that's why I did birds on the pillows and the framed prints. You gotta have fun with it!

I hope this gives you some ideas for your own home! Have a great day!

OKL Style

Design by OKL stylist Rebecca Robertson

Look at this beautiful mantel surround! The carvings are just beautiful and so unique. It's original to the old brownstone that Today Show's Natalie Morales lives in with her family, but is styled  in such a fresh, modern way with the mirror and x-base stool. Plus those touches of blue that tie into the rest of the room's color scheme. So great. Go check it out here!

Ode to JRD

Dining area in wine country estate

Some of you may not have heard of Jonathan Rachman Design yet, but I don't think that will be the case for long! He is a very talented San Francisco designer who has been featured in Sunset magazine, California Home + Design, as well as Better Homes and Gardens.

I wanted to feature him in my post today in honor of his One Kings Lane sale going on right now. If you haven't been over there to check it out, you really must go. His collection of vintage and antique items is so fun.

I love how Jonathan pays so much attention to detail. I mean, just look at all the tables, shelves, and such, and how artfully everything is arranged. Just lovely.

What a sunny space! I love banquettes! The chairs add that unexpected touch of whimsy.

There are so many different textures and colors here, but, not only do they not overwhelm, the space actually feels quite serene. What do you think about all that lavender?

Jonathan is also adept at working with a range of styles and on a range of projects. From modern....

To traditional...

From hotels and inns....

Lobby of Inn of Chicago

To boutiques...

Luxe shopping at Heidi Says

His designs really are beautiful, and I wish him the best with lots of continued success!

I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend!

Modern glam

Design by Patrik Lonn and Lambertson Truex for Tiffany & Co

Elementary, my dear blogophiles

This past weekend I was lucky enough to attend the 2011 Antiques and Garden Show of Nashville. My aunt and several of my friends live in that lively city, and it was so nice to be able to combine a visit with such a grand event!

Making the show even more exciting was the fact that one of their guest speakers was the lovely and talented Charlotte Moss. Some bad weather threatened us, but my Mom and I braved the icy roads north and, along with my vivacious Aunt Kathi, made it to Moss' Friday morning lecture... And, let me tell you, it was worth it!


Charlotte Moss, being a good sport, having her picture taken with me


Moss' passion for what she does was clearly evident throughout her speech. I loved her description of her upbringing by a mother whose passion for interior design inspired hers, saying that her mother has been her role model and was even where she learned to decorate. (A sentiment to which I can certainly relate!)

"I grew up with a mother who spent her life making things better... I'm still trying to be my mother", said Moss. She also discussed how, sometimes, men don't "get" the decorating process, and may have to be circumvented in order to get things done: "I thought decorating was something that happened when your father went out of town... My mother always had a project lined up". She said this taught her that, in decorating, you "had to have a plan, had to be organized, and had to be fast."

Moss further discussed her personal style (crediting her Southern heritage as its most significant contributor), and beauty (which she records in all its forms on her C'est Inspire' blog). Moss takes a camera with her everywhere in order to record the diverse sources of her inspiration (which include travel, house museums, gardens, and architectural details, to name a few), saying her staff is generally left with the daunting task of cataloging and organizing the thousands of pictures she takes.

So, Moss asks, "How do we create the beauty that leads us to the decorating?" She says that, in order to translate the beauty found in the things that inspire each person, you must have an open mind and be fearless.

Moss says she looks to women of the past, such as Fleur Cowles, Leslie Blanche, Pauline de Rothschild, and Elsie de Wolfe, for empowerment. The room above represents a "convergence of chics": watercolors on the wall belonged to Katharine Hepburn, the anemone flowers were a favorite of Fleur Cowles, the chair by the desk belonged to Doris Duke, and the pattern on the D. Porthault sheets on the daybed was a favorite of Jackie Kennedy.

For this Kips Bay Showhouse bedroom, Moss placed a beautiful canopy bed in the center of the room.... much to the distaste of one of the attendees. Apparently this woman approached Moss (looking her up and down and making a back-handed comment about Moss' apparel) and asked Moss what possessed her to put a bed in the middle of a room. Moss, fed up with the woman's attitude, said, "Why the hell not?!", turned on her heels, and walked away! Ha!

"Why not" was a sort of mantra for the lecture (even appearing on the back of the note cards left on our seats). She encouraged everyone to experiment in their own home, saying "your house is your laboratory". Moss says that she doesn't follow any strict rules when layering patterns and objects, using a sort of trial-and-error approach and combining things "hickeldy-pickeldy", instead. (Moss' sense of humor penetrated every aspect of the lecture.)

Overall, it seems that Moss feels that if you spend time truly absorbing the beauty around you, the things and ideas [for your home or projects] will "find you". So, this is exactly what I did for the next several hours on the main floor of the antiques show!....

The intricate gardens and endless booths melded together into one, huge, beautiful space.

There were rugs....

Lamps and light fixtures of every kind....

Beautiful flowers....

And strange, yet intriguing, objects....

A couple of my favorite booths were those by Margaret Doyle Antiques (from Cumberland Foreside, Maine)...

And Bob Withington Antiques, also from Maine...

I am a huge fan of spiral staircases, and this one definitely stole my heart! They had it affixed to the wall so you could actually walk up it, putting you two stories in the air!

Another favorite of mine was Laval Antiques out of nearby Atlanta. They had the most beautiful collection of antique textiles and tapestries. I was like a kid in a candy store!

Mid-century modern pieces were a new addition to the show this year, such as those at Ronald Wells antiques and gallery.

In one of the gardens, layered up for the 20 degree weather outside that day!





My Mom (left) and Aunt Kathi (right) next to a collection of blue-and-white pottery

But, what it all really came down to was a magical day with the people I love!

Here's to a great week ahead!