Wow. I actually love the heat.....but not this much heat.
What is a girl to do?
Cute idea from Eighteen25 Have a great weekend!
Friday, June 29, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Floor Lamp For Sale
Hi there. Another item for sale. Today it is a gorgeous brand new tripod lamp from Robert Abbey. Ebony finished wood with Polished Nickel accent including at the base of the legs.
Dimensions below but in case they are hard to see 68.75"H x 22.5" Dia shade. Retails for $505, selling here for $299 plus freight from Grand Rapids, Michigan. This is at one of my client's homes in Michigan, not in Birmingham.
E-mail me @ mstronginteriors@aol.com if interested.
I'm Shopping for... Spool Chairs
When I shared sneak peeks of a client's project about a month or so ago, I received a few emails asking about the spool chairs.
{Spool Chair in my client's home... Custom LL Textiles "Squircles" in fresh blue & oatmeal}
I loooove spool chairs. They're deceivingly comfortable and just have this relaxed & carefree vibe. You'd never see them in a stuffy room. My clients grew up together in the Northeast and we wanted to bring that feeling of "home" into their new house, which is here in the DC area, so I proposed a pair of spool chairs. I was thrilled when my client loved the chairs too & we decided on one of my fabrics printed on an oatmeal-colored groundcloth.
Spool or "bobbin" chairs, also called "Carver chairs were named after John Carver (c. 1576–1621), founder and first governor of the Plymouth colony in America. A chair of this design, reportedly owned by the governor, was displayed in Plymouth, Mass., in the late 19th and early 20th centuries."(source- Brittanica.com) ...Which explains why we they have that Northeastern / coastal vibe :)
We looked at a lot of different options before presenting two options (a lower end option and a higher end option) to our clients...
We ended up going with Vanguard's spool chair, shown here in white:
..And here in a dark stain:
{Vanguard Furniture}
...But I did fall in love with some others during our search:
{Hickory Chair}
It has box cushions so it's a bit more structured-looking. It also has casters like the version we selected.
= SOOO GORGEOUS!!!
{Noir Furniture... this was our other option, available in black.}
I saw this one, below, a couple of Markets ago, and it felt very rustic with their fabric selections & showroom design:
It's by the Penisula Home Collection Company & here it is in white:
I sat in it & while comfy, I have to say, the spool chairs with the arm cushions are much more comfortable. I would use if it were a spot for shorter sits, vs. comfy, cozy long ones.
Here's a beautfy by Motif Designs:
..And I loooove the little cushion detail in this one by Julian Chichester:
...Anyway, as you can see, they're available at a number or pricepoints & there are so many to choose from. (If you google it, you'll see even more options.)
If I ever have a lakehouse, I'd love one or two of these for their laid-back days-gone-by feeling...
Where would you put yours?
Also--- I need a HUGE favor for a friend of mine, Elise, who recently opened the Design Center of NOVA. She is applying to win a business grant and needs 250 votes by Friday in order to be considered. If you have a spare moment, please vote here!!
Just enter in "Design Center of NOVA" to vote!! THANK YOU!!
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Back From Boston
Today it is back to work after vacation...boo. Patrick and I went to Boston with one of my best college girlfriends and her husband and we had a great time. Boston is such a pretty city, I felt like I was on a movie set the entire time. We packed a lot into three days...
Oh yes, you are seeing correctly, that is a poncho I am sporting. I would have paid double the asking price of that glorified trash bag it came in so handy, how did I not pack a rain jacket?
I had to include this picture because behind us is the balcony where the Declaration of Independence was read for the first time. That gives me chills. Anyone who loves history must have Boston on their "to see" list. So much packed into such a small area, it is hard to wrap your head around it.
When I go on vacation I am completely okay with playing the part of target tourist- map in hand/camera hanging around my neck. I am thankful I married someone who doesn't mind being dragged into some cheesy pictures. (Off the subject...how big was the crush I had on Woody back in day?)
I know you don't come to H&H to see blown up pictures of the Cheers cast. Unfortunately, I don't have the pictures most readers would prefer to see- the shops of Newbury Street, the Brownstones, the quaint restaurants. We saw all of that, I just wasn't snapping away at the moment. But I do have one picture that might interest you. I did find a little time in the midst of all the touring and eating to meet up with two of my favorite bloggers, Stephanie for SabbeSpot and Lindsay of EverythingLEB. The last time I got to see these ladies was in NYC so we had lots to catch up on. It was nice. So nice. And I got to meet Remi, can you spot him?
Even though Boston was truely amazing and I would 100% recommend a visit to anyone, it was the first time we had left Henry and we thought about him the entire time. I knew when I saw this little patriot hat it was something my little man would need for future days. You are going to have to take my word it looks cute on because getting him to sit still long enough to capture on film proved to be fruitless. Here is the best I could do, half way off...
Monday, June 25, 2012
*images courtesy of style caster, with love from kat, open house, cultivate, amber interiors
Outdoor Fill-Ins
Some very reasonable fill-in furniture I have been eying lately for the great outdoors....
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
*images courtesy of barrie benson, simply smitten,high street market, the glitter guide/wit&delight, thank you ok
Thursday, June 21, 2012
A New Addition to our Team
I am SO EXCITED to announce that my husband David (or Dave/ Dav) is coming to work for our design business!! Today's his first day at Lauren Liess Interiors (which I now feel like I should have named "Liess Interiors") and we are seriously giddy. (Or at least I am.)
To view our e-design client, Anne's whole home tour, visit Little Green Notebook, here! Thank you so much to Jenny & Anne!!
We are booking for early August for traditional (in-person) full-service projects.
{I also just found out about Instagram pictures and am addicted. Thanks Eddie!}
He'll be managing the implementation phase of our clients' projects / timelines etc., handling the accounting and working on product development (you know, all the fun stuff ;) ;) For a while now, we've enjoyed going to Market together & meeting & making friends with others in the design industry, but now we'll be really freed up (schedule-wise) to travel when we need to & to get more accomplished.
Our goal is to not only have our business running smoother than ever before, but to free me up a bit more to spend more time with clients, more time designing (vs. paperworking & coordinating) and more time working on the fabric line. We've also been reading your emails about our online decorating services and are planning on bringing them back as soon as I get a bit more adjusted to the new baby/ being back at work/ etc. (I'll be sure to post as soon as the service is available... and thank you so much to those of you who've shown an interest!!)
{The living room of a very stylish long-distance client of ours, Anne. Her home was featured by Jenny on the Little Green Notebook . Anne took with the suggestions I gave her and seriously ran with them to create a gorgeous very personal home for her family. She's one talented mama!!! Photo by Amy Majors Photography.)
Bringing Dave into the company is a HUGE change for our family & for our business. I'm both nervous & excited. It's always been a dream of ours to work together. (We're sort of one of those annoying couples that likes to spend a ton of time together & never gets sick of being together... But we aren't PDA-ish, I swear!!!) It's a big step & we're hoping & praying that it works out. (And will be working like crazy so that it does.)
I know Dave will miss working at the highschool (where he was teaching English & was the English Department Chair) and I've been so proud of him & all that he's accomplished there. I hope that he loves this as much as that.
okay.. Did I say I was excited already?!!!!! Because I am TOTALLY FREAKING OUT I'm so excited- eeeeeek!!! :)
(That's me squeeling... and yes, I really do say "eeeeeek")
So anyway, things will be changing a bit around here, but definitely for the better!! Keep your fingers crossed for us!!
To view our e-design client, Anne's whole home tour, visit Little Green Notebook, here! Thank you so much to Jenny & Anne!!
We are booking for early August for traditional (in-person) full-service projects.
