I have a wonderful team. My installers, Jeff and Joe, like to keep things simple. Here is a project I'm working on that had a dilemma. You see in my neck of the woods, we have many, MANY two story whatever... family rooms, foyers... you name it, we have it in a two story version.
Two story installation of drapes is not for the faint of heart. Trust me ~ it can be a bit scary. I am not afraid of heights. Heck I have parachuted before. But sometimes when way up high on a ladder, one may need to stretch to reach what's needed.. or sneeze... or have the ladder start to slip a little. At least when I jumped out of the plane, I knew the parachute would open and I wouldn't crash to the ground. That is not the case here. So up they go. I still say a prayer every time.
Then the magic happens and I appreciate their efforts so much. But what if a designer is faced with two story almost everywhere in a room. Here's the situation... the window to the left of the fireplace is partially over a landing of the stairs. One of my installers, Joe, has a saying..."It ain't nothin' but a thing." And he's right. If the room demands silk from head to toe ~ you give it to it freely, without reservation or complications.
Even if the ladder needs to be placed in an unconventional manner, you smile at the sight of it and marvel at the effect.
Once the room is completely furnished in all its splendor, the quirk will disappear and all that will be left is enjoyment. See... it ain't nothin' but a thing :-)
Aren't these lovely? One of my favorite nature photographers, Byron Jorjorian, just came back from a trip to Michigan. The colors are spectacular and the scenes peaceful. I can almost smell the fresh air. I interviewed Byron for my blog a while ago and have featured him before because I have always loved his work. His photographs adorn some of my most enjoyable projects. Thanks for the view Byron!
This is the view from my back door. I grew up is Rochester, NY so I am VERY familiar with snow even in October. Now I am in Northern Virginia and this seems quite surreal to me. All I can say is SNOWBALL FIGHT!!
I had a wonderful and successful time at High Point Market. From the fantastic Hickory Chair 100th Year Anniversary Party to finding the right treasures for my clients to seeing old friends and spending time with my dear friend, Paula (the other Paula). It was just the rejuvenation I needed.
As you may know, I was also looking for my new home. I felt so inspired and things were just clicking for me. I saw these at Halo Style ~ they made me very happy! I had not thought about something like these for my home but when I saw them. I fell in love. And love it such a wonderful feeling :-)
The one thing that Jim and I wanted was to get our art and photos up. The bare walls were making me crazy! We started that process in the family room ~ where we spend much of our time together.
I placed the triptych from our last home's living room above the mantel. I like them there. The fireplace screen is being made and the drapes have to be hung and the side table that my friend Andie is painting needs to placed.... all in good time!
We love our family photos. I configured this arrangement combining three from our last home. It seems like an ode to Lauren. Wait, there's more...
Those are all Lauren below. Ok, so the room is a bit of a shrine to her but that's the way it is in our family. Lauren is the center of everything. In this photo, I particularly like the truck outside the window ~ nice (not)! Where are those drapes?! They are actually hanging in my closet upstairs but the hardware has yet to arrive. Soon, soon.
Oh yeah, like the dogs playing patty cake?! Those are book ends. Do you see any books? Some day everything will be in its place. Hopefully it will happen before I get to old and forget where everything is!
More art will be hung soon. For now, it is at least some of it is placed where it will live.
Don't worry fellows ~ you'll be able to see over the railing soon!
My dear friend, Andie, who's artistry will appear in my home, convinced me to show my home in process. She said "the wallpaper inspired me to something to my home." I'm all for inspiration! As you may know, I painted the entire house before we moved in. The wallpaper went up in the first week. Where did it go? On the ceiling of course.
I used a Candice Olson wallcovering from York. The metallic background is a silvery blue. The textured motif is real sand. I placed it is the cathedral ceiling in the music room...
It looks dark in the first picture but it isn't really. I also placed it in the dining room tray ceiling...
The ceiling color is Brittany Blue by Benjamin Moore. I love the softness of it all. The metallic and sand shimmer when light hits it. I am so looking forward to the drapes being installed ~ that is happening very soon ~ YAY!. That will make it even cozier. Fabric adds so much. I opted for linen drapes in these rooms one shade darker than the White Chocolate walls.
I am off to High Point Market shortly. I adore going to Market when one of the people I am hunting treasure for is me!
Today I'm going to share a secret with you. I am completely gray. It's true. I started going gray when I was 22 years old thanks to genetics ~ dear ol' dad. I also got an analytical mind from him so its not all bad. I have friends who have that silky gray hair and have it completely natural. I envy them. I have the kinky, frizzy kind. Those that have it know exactly what I am talking about. It is not as bad as what is shown above... but pretty darn close. I color mine back to my natural color ~ the same color as my daughter's hair.
You can see in the picture above that is was before I discovered the miracle potion. With the invention of hair products that continually improve, I have perfected the defrizz hair cocktail. Seriously, I have. I have tried numerous products and several cocktails until I got it just right. Are you ready?!
addand
and you get this...
This is an exaggeration! If you have wavy hair, your hair will remain wavy just not frizzy. I have wavy hair.
Now the proportion of product is important too. Products are always telling you to use about the size of a dime. I can safely say, a dime will never cut it on this hair of mine. I started off using the recommended amounts only to have my hair laugh at me ~ which is never fun. Here's the potion...
Use the size of a large nickle or small quarter ~ equal parts of the Lanza and Bumble and Bumble Styling Lotion to fill one large nickel and then add a full nickel's worth of the Bumble and Bumble Defrizz. My hair is just below my shoulders so if you have shorter or longer hair, the amount of potion you'll need may vary. Rub all the ingredients together in your hands and then apply to ends first then work your way up to the scalp. Comb through and style. DO NOT USE A HAIR DRYER AT ALL. Let your hair dry naturally. Once your hair is dry or at least almost dry (the dryer the better), comb with a large wide tooth comb or your fingers. DO NOT BRUSH IT. It is true you will have a wet head look for a period in the morning but it doesn't look to bad. I go to my BNI at 7:30 in the morning. They have never seen me with dry hair unless I have lunch or dinner with a member.
My hair is so much healthier than when I was trying to blow it out straight AND the cocktail makes my hair soooo soft.
There you have it. Give it a try and let me know how it works for you.
On another note ~ many of you know I am a music lover and inspired by it all the time. I just heard that one of my all time favorite musicians/song writers has been nominated to the Song Writing Hall of Fame. He and his band, The Who, are already in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but Pete Townshend has been nominated for the honor of Song Writer's Hall of Fame.
I say ABSO... FREAKIN'.... LUTELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why?
I am a designer mainly of interior spaces, accessories, furniture, and such. I am also a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend. I am a music & art lover. I talk about my daughter all the time. I laugh out loud and dance every chance I can get. I believe in giving back and moving forward without forgetting the past. My blog is primarily about interior design, my family..... Click on my picture to know me even better.
I have a wonderful team. My installers, Jeff and Joe, like to keep things simple. Here is a project I'm working on that had a dilemma. You see in my neck of the woods, we have many, MANY two story whatever... family rooms, foyers... you name it, we have it in a two story version.
Two story installation of drapes is not for the faint of heart. Trust me ~ it can be a bit scary. I am not afraid of heights. Heck I have parachuted before. But sometimes when way up high on a ladder, one may need to stretch to reach what's needed.. or sneeze... or have the ladder start to slip a little. At least when I jumped out of the plane, I knew the parachute would open and I wouldn't crash to the ground. That is not the case here. So up they go. I still say a prayer every time.
Then the magic happens and I appreciate their efforts so much. But what if a designer is faced with two story almost everywhere in a room. Here's the situation... the window to the left of the fireplace is partially over a landing of the stairs. One of my installers, Joe, has a saying..."It ain't nothin' but a thing." And he's right. If the room demands silk from head to toe ~ you give it to it freely, without reservation or complications.
Even if the ladder needs to be placed in an unconventional manner, you smile at the sight of it and marvel at the effect.
Once the room is completely furnished in all its splendor, the quirk will disappear and all that will be left is enjoyment. See... it ain't nothin' but a thing :-)
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