Tomorrow is our final installation day for the DC Design Showhouse. We have almost everything installed except for the custom concrete parsons table (which I've just been informed is non-existent due to it breaking into pieces). SO my assistant and I are off to the design center today in a mad dash to find a replacement table.
Wish us luck that a showroom manager takes pity on us, because we need this piece TOMORROW!
Ps. I truly stand by the belief that there is no such thing as a design emergency. (That is, unless I come home tonight emptyhanded ;)
We'll be twittering during our search today!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
The Non-Emergency Design Emergency
Walt Disney World
y'all helped me so much yesterday w/ the mailing....hello, why did i not know that?!!!
*images courtesy of pigeon + pudding, disney world
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
i love this quote....seriously. i'm pretty sure that all moms that stay at home w/ their children probably feel the same way. a working mom has to learn how to juggle things. it's taken me a while....but i am learning. what am i learning? well let's take today for instance- by the time 10:00 got here, i have already: feed myself and the kiddos, showered, bathed my kids, got dressed, dressed my kids, dried/ straightened my hair (the only reason i did this was b/c my hair needs to be cut so badly i'm running out of options), loaded the kids in the car, loaded 15 boxes into the car, dropped tay off at school, had an impromptu paint consultation in the parking lot of the school, drove to the post office, carried 15 boxes and walker into the post office, mailed 15 boxes while i sat walker on the counter at the post office (i debated the floor but i thought people would judge me), had a conversation w/ the postal worker about how to be more efficient w/ my mailing and what to do w/ a teething baby (i guess she felt the need to give me advise b/c walker was eating my keys and drooling all over the counter), did a major victory dance when i left the post office b/c i mailed 15 boxes by myself w/ a baby on my hip (i do this every day and it is seriously the most challenging part of my day), drove home, paid the mortgage, gave walker a bottle, put him down for a nap, did a post at the designer's attic, and now i am finally sitting at my desk getting ready to answer emails....thank you lord for providing coffee and work. i love being a mom and to have work in this economy is a blessing. i know that all of you moms out there probably go through the same kind of things on a daily basis. it makes me feel proud. you should too....try doing a victory dance (i did it to florence + the machine this AM). it's very powerful. and everyday when i leave the post office, i say- i did it...all by myself :)
*1st pic taken by taylor (she's 3 and can't quite get the camera in the right position)
Little Victims... Photoshoot Prep
Since Spring isn't really doing its thing quickly enough for me, I am seriously craving green:
I love what plants do for rooms. Sometimes when I look at magazine rooms and cover up the plants/ flowers in them, they seem pretty lifeless. There's something about a pretty explosion of green (no matter how small) that I just love.
Our house looks like a greenhouse right now because I picked up a ton of plants for the DC Design House and some upcoming photoshoots I'm doing with my good friend & photographer, Helen Norman next week. This little orange tree will sit in a kitchen I recently finished with a vintage-styled green subway tile backsplash & dark walnut cabinets:
I found this cool pot at Merrifield Garden Center and filled it with this pretty little guy (I already forgot his name) for my room in the showhouse:
Love these moss pots:
And this gardenia is staying in my office for a while because it just smells like Heaven:
I picked up a bunch of herbs & topiaries for another kitchen:
I truly love plants. But I'm not very good with them. They tend to die here. My house is sort of like a plant hospice.
...BUT... the other day my assistant Meghan said I had a "green thumb."
I have played this compliment over and over in my head since then and even relayed it to my husband who argues she must have been being sarcastic.
I'm hoping I can change. I'm really trying.
There are plants in my house that have been here since September. Yay.
ps- loved all the comments from yesterday about vines. It's so fun to see that dialogue between the "romantics" and the "practicals." I definitely fall on the romantic side, but it's sort of like eating cookie dough... I'm sure once I got my first case of salmonella, I'd be done with cookie dough.
Monday, March 28, 2011
do you ever find a song and it's just totally you....i do it all the time....and then i listen to it on repeat for an entire day and then i am tired of it. this weekend, this was my song....still not tired of it (but i am probably pushing it). on a different note, i just got a lulu dk chant pillow on ebay...if you love lulu like i do, check it out (someone needs to buy that twin duvet cover)!! happy, rainy monday.
*bottom image courtesy of brown dress w/ white dots, the urban farmhouse, kml design, kristen panitch gramercy
Climbing Vines
I've always wanted climbing vines on my house. I remember reading a book when I was a little girl that pictured a red brick house covered in ivy and how I wanted it. Yeah, I know, it's bad for the house, but I love it anyway. There's something so incredible about a wall of green and vines growing up a home. It blurs the line between the home and the land, which is something that the houses I truly love all have in common.
{Betsy Burnham}
I attemped to grow jasmine vines up a trellis in front of our house last year but they died in a harsh winter storm.
{image from 123rf.com}
Now I'm holding out for an evergreen clematis, which I grew up all over a fence in our old townhome and really took a beating. I'm having a hard time finding it again though. The last garden center I stopped at asking for it looked at me like I was nuts. :(
{image by Cassie Lee}
I would go nutty for this on my front walkway steps:
{image from bigstockphoto.com}
I might try it although I'm not sure if the treads on my stairs are deep enough.
{Image by Galen Frysinger}
Climbing vines give buildings a sense of permanance.
{image from 123rf.com}
I love it when they completely take over like this:
{image from trendr.tv}
And I cannot get over this ivy-covered turret:
{image via ehow.com}
And, finally, here's a secret garden:
{image by Gap Photos}
What I wouldn't give for a secret garden.
If I could completely wall in my backyard with hedges & vines, I would. I'm a pretty social person but I do love private outdoor spaces.
I am soo ready for March's lion to give way to the lamb.
It's time.
Come on Spring!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
The Mad Hatter & a question
The Mad Hatters arrived today for my room in the DC Design House and I am in love:
Our curtains & pillows will come in on Monday and I cannot wait to see the Peter Dunham fabrics!! I'm also mixing in a few of my own along with some others so it should be pretty collected-feeling.
We hung art work today and I've been looking at the photos, wondering if what I selected is too disjointed? I approached the room as I would have a room in my own home, so instead of choosing pieces that work perfectly together, I went from my gut with pieces that I loved. Looking over the photos tonight, I can't tell if it looks like a totally crazy person did it or if it has that only-slightly-crazy Alice-in-Wonderland-feel that I love... I am toying with the idea of swapping out some of the more random pieces for ones that fit a little better (it is a showhouse after all)... or keeping it real and a bit off the way I typically do in my more personal spaces.
Any thoughts???
{My first Mad Hatter Wing Chair with a taupe velvet in front.. remember flash makes furniture look bad but people look better ;) }
I had recently seen pictures sent from the factory of the chairs and knew that they looked exactly as planned but didn't know until I sat in them that they'd be exactly what I wanted. They are sooooooo comfortable... And they're big and they surround you and make you feel seriously cozy. (Can you see how tall the back is?? And I'm a tall person.) You can sit in normally and really easily snuggle up with a kid or pet, or you can turn sideways & pull up your feet and it's perfect.
Here's the side view which shows off the insanely gorgeous Michael Smith / Jasper Fabric called Grace (in Willow). (Available through John Rosselli in DC)
I could take a nap in this chair:
Our curtains & pillows will come in on Monday and I cannot wait to see the Peter Dunham fabrics!! I'm also mixing in a few of my own along with some others so it should be pretty collected-feeling.
We hung art work today and I've been looking at the photos, wondering if what I selected is too disjointed? I approached the room as I would have a room in my own home, so instead of choosing pieces that work perfectly together, I went from my gut with pieces that I loved. Looking over the photos tonight, I can't tell if it looks like a totally crazy person did it or if it has that only-slightly-crazy Alice-in-Wonderland-feel that I love... I am toying with the idea of swapping out some of the more random pieces for ones that fit a little better (it is a showhouse after all)... or keeping it real and a bit off the way I typically do in my more personal spaces.
Any thoughts???
Move-in Day!
We move into our room at the DC Decsign House today!! I CANNOT WAIT to see the Madhatter chairs from my new line in person. (They're covered in the most beautiful Michael Smith floral.) They arrived at our shipping warehouse this morning at 6:45 AM, just in time. They are our first prototypes.
{sooo excited}
Our Stark rug is arriving along with the chairs and we're hanging the paintings & prints today. The custom concrete piece I'm having made BROKE last night when it was being moved at the factory so we're in a bit of a pinch to get it finished in time. eeeksters!!
We'll be doing twitter updates today- first time ever so we'll see how it goes- on the process. To follow, go here.
Wish us luck that nothing else breaks & have a great day!!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
German Favorite Antiques
This weekend I headed to one of my absolute favorite antique stores- German Favorite Antiques in Leesburg, VA- with my best friends from college visiting, to pick up some items formy room in the DC Design House.
{Gorgeous wooden angel... not in the DC Design House room }
They have the most interesting things- many of them found in Germany & sent over by the container. I picked up an incredible antique drop-leaf table with the most beautiful patina to sit in the showhouse room along with some paintings, etchings and books.
{There're always interesting collections of every day objects a German Favorite Antiques.}
Most items in the entire DC Design House will be for sale with a percentage of the proceeds going to Children's Hospital. All of the items from German Favorite Antiques in my room will be for sale.
I found the cuckoo clock for my baby Justin's nursery @ German Favorite Antiques:
And his old mushroom chart:
..And honestly waaaay too many things for me to recount. I love this place.
Evelyn is always in to help you pick out that perfect something:
...And if you're in Leesburg shopping (which is such a fun day in this nice weather!) check out the restaurants! I always forget the name of this one but it's one of our favorites. It's something like Old Leesburg Inn or Pub or something like that. (If anyone leaves it in the comments I'll be sure to update :)
{me & my "cheeses" as we refer to one another because we love each other as much- no definitely more- than cheese: muenster, chedda (me), feta and prov}
I'm not sure it gets better than best friends, shopping (without paying... the items are on loan) and eating. (Our husbands & my kiddos were with us too... and all were very patient.) I had one of the best weekends I've had in a long time and I'm still laughing thinking about its ridiculousness.
me: our house looks like a bomb went off, seriously....i think, i will go into the bedroom and dump out our drawers just to make it look a little better.
hubs: it's awful.
me: i know. i am suppose to have a play date this afternoon....we are totally going to the park. no one can come into our house.
hubs: if someone knocks on the door, just run outside and start crying and act like we got robbed.
he's a genius :)
*images courtesy of camilles styles, design darling, the alternative bride, traditional home, shelter
