Rug Week!

Petra Bindel

Are you inspired by this image?   Yeah, Me too!

Who says an oriental rug has to be "old" and "daudy"?  This red/purple/navy base persian hand knotted rug is given a whole new feeling with pops of fun fabrics, modern artwork, and midcentury stools.  I have been so  inspired that I decided to bring my NYC rug dealer down for a 3 day sale PopUp sale!

All this  week, I will be doing Rug inspired posts.  Ways to these hand knotted beauties to make your home decor an awesome space. 

So..... if you are local....come by to see me!  There are also going to be fun little tidbits in my posts that might get you a deal on a rug....so keep reading!

Oh, and Happy Halloween Ya'll!

Halloween Inspired Bedroom, with a Persian Rug of course!

You PIN, I PIN, we all PIN for Pinterest

At the park the other day a friend of mine accused me of keeping secrets from her...surprised I said..."what on earth do you mean?"  She said...."Pinterest!"  Oh, sorry, my bad:)

I have had a Pinterest account for a while now, but haven't utilized it to it's full potential.  I just started using it for client collaboration...DUH!  I mean, it is so perfect for a client/designer relationship....especially at the onset of a project....when all of the brainstorming on both sides is going on.

I am working on another kitchen design and this tool has become so useful for cataloging all of the ideas.  I Pin, she pins, we both pin, she likes, I like, we both like, I comment, she comments...and the circle goes on....the only problem is there isn't a private "dislike" button, because we all know that seeing what someone dislikes cans sometimes be the quickest way to get to get to the root of a style.  Regardless, it is a tool I am going to go back to again and again, and I won't just be pinning aimlessly because I am in love with it... I have client's to think about!

Here is how our pin boards have been shaping up.  Notice a style evolving???

Happy Pinning my friends.

***  And sorry for my lack of posts....I have been super busy, and am having a problem finding time for everything.  Might cut back to only post 2X's a week....or whenever the bug hits me.  Thanks for understanding:)

In 1492....

In fourteen hundred ninety-two

Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

He had three ships and left from Spain;
He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain.

He sailed by night; he sailed by day;
He used the stars to find his way.

A compass also helped him know
How to find the way to go.

Ninety sailors were on board;
Some men worked while others snored.

Then the workers went to sleep;
And others watched the ocean deep.

Day after day they looked for land;
They dreamed of trees and rocks and sand.

October 12 their dream came true,
You never saw a happier crew!

"Indians!  Indians!"  Columbus cried;
His heart was filled with joyful pride.

But "India" the land was not;
It was the Bahamas, and it was hot.

The Arakawa natives were very nice;
They gave the sailors food and spice.

Columbus sailed on to find some gold
To bring back home, as he'd been told.

He made the trip again and again,
Trading gold to bring to Spain.

The first American?  No, not quite.
But Columbus was brave, and he was bright. 

 ** All images via Pinterest.

Happy Columbus Day!  I just might spend the day on Pinterest in celebration:)

Harvest Dinner....Farm to Table

The First Harvest Dinner at City Roots
Notice the Tractor in the background...priceless!

Sooooooooo, this is what I did last night....your jealous, right? I would be if I were you:)  Because it was truly an amazing dinner event.

My friend, Vanessa Driscoll from the green event planning company, The Southern Greenie,   116 Espresso and Wine Bar, Executive Chef Ryan Whittaker, City Roots Farm Manager, Eric McClam have come together and created a unique and fun dining experience for Columbia’s very first Harvest Dinner! I am here to  tell you  "It did NOT disappoint!"

City Roots Farm, everyone mingling while drinking their American Harvest Beet Juice Cocktails

I got to spend time with my bestie, Christie, and eat, drink, and be merry. Who could ask for a better night. Ahem...we all know this girl loves to eat, and have a glass of wine or in this instance a beer (or 3:;) with her meal. These sorts of Slow Food affairs are popping up all over the country, and I am so excited and lucky that there is an event like this so close to me.

The tablescapes were simple, clean and just plain pretty. 
Simple white plates with over scale napkins.  My kind of table!

Eating amongst the veggies.

What is a farm without a Baby Pig??...lets hope this little runt escapes his fate like our dear Friend Wilber...this little one week old was just grunting away, and was quite the mascot!

A true Farm to Table meal, served Family Style with a long table of 50 people.  You get to pass the big platter of food, chat and really get to know the people sitting with you.

I was lucky enough to sit next to City Roots Fam Manager, Eric McClam and chat about Farming, tractors, and Microgreens, and Heirloom tomatoes.

Microgreen salad served family style.

1st course....Dolmades wrapped in Baby Turnip Greens with a MicroGreen Salad.

Pulled pork with veggies and German spaetzle.

The Chef Carving the Pork Belly...I had a front row seat:)

I mean really, talk about KNOWING where your food comes from...we got to sit in the fields where some of our meal was harvested...much of the meal was represented by the very people who either Harvest or Raise the food we were eating...or know very much about where it came from.  We had everything from a Micro Green salad to a Pork Belly roulade (via Righteous Ranch) with Dirty Rice, and each course was paired with a different New Belgium Beer. 

 I did not get a photo of the Desserts, but the girls from Pink Magnolia furnished the dinner finale.  Including cupcakes, apple pie, and cookies. They were delicious too, and I would be remiss if I didn't at least mention that I ate my fair share:)

I am salivating just remembering....as the sun set, my belly was full, and I was happy as a clam. After the meal, some people congregated around a fire by the farm building and chatted about food and traditions.  And quite frankly, that is what it is all about.....Food bringing people together... A night that I hope to enjoy again soon.

Sooooo, if you are in town, you must go to Harvest Dinners  get your tickets, because they are starting to FLY out the door:)

Have a great weekend, ya'll.  I am so inspired to pull out the table into the yard and have a harvest meal myself....yay Fall!

Rustic Chic Re-Style

Don't mind the Yellow Lab...Ellie in the photos.  She just loves the Cowhide rug...a girl after my own heart:)

I have finally taken photos of the "other side" of the room of my Rustic Chic Re-Style.  You know the one with the 1 hour Sawhorse Table?   Today, I am going to reveal the Before and Afters and the rest of the room and a few of the key details.

This room encompasses my philosophy of not under-estimating the power of  a fresh coat of paint, buying a few key pieces, and then bringing back in the things that you love.

Here are the befores

An awkward floor plan...and seeing the TV right when you walk in the door.

This was painting day, so the dark drapes and all of the chochkies had already been removed.

A Loveseat that blocks a whole part of the room that isn't used to it's full potential.  oh, and the infamous
"college lamp from the 90's!"

The beautiful blue ceiling, yellow walls, and Green window panes.
(this is one instance that green was NOT my favorite part of the room.)

 The afters.

The shelves are now filled with all of the personal pieces.

Backing the suzani pillows with a pop of poppy velvet is just the punch of color we needed.

So here were my goals for this Rustic Chic Re-Style

Paint a neutral color on walls AND ceiling.

I used Benjamin Moore Spanish White on the walls and the ceiling.  This is a trick to make the room feel much larger.  Then I painted the Window mullions BM Black.

Make a functional floor plan by defining the spaces into living/dining.

We relocated the dining space from the kitchen (and made the kitchen area into a little keeping room, reveal for another day. Rearranged the living room area by placing the TV on the far wall opposite the fireplace in a tv cabinet. (I didn't take a photo of this angel.) This way it isn't the first thing you see when you enter the space, but can be enjoyed from all angles.  The dining area can be used for dining or as a desk the rest of the time.

Buy a few key pieces.
Luckily we could purchase a new sofa.  This is the White Slipcovered Sofa from Rooms to Go.

I went to Scott Antique market and purchased the Cowhide Rug, the black spindle lamp table and decorative M for less than $500.

The lamps, coffee table (a piano bench), green chair ($10) and dining chairs were all Thrift store finds.

The French leather chair was from my favorite Consignment shop Worth Repeating.

We made a new dining table with sawhorses (meant for a canoe) from outside and a door...read about that here.

The shelves flanking the fireplace are  Campaign Shelves from World Market.



Pillows and Fabric

My Client loves to travel and is very outdoorsy and totally girlly all wrapped up in one awesome package.  Thus the Rustic Chic.  One of the best ways to bring in the personality of the client is with fabric and pillows.  I picked this suzani fabric from my local shop (I don't know product info) and had custom pillows made.   The Linen ikat type Curtains were a score at $5.00 a yard from the back room at the local fabric store.  I just frayed the edges and hung them totally rustic and perfect for the space.  Also, hanging the drapes at the ceiling makes the room feel so much taller.

Bring in the client's pieces.

Now that we had a base, wall space and a good floor plan.  Bringing in all of the thing that are unique to my client makes it totally hers. There are only a couple accessories that we bought.  Most of it were things she already had, just displayed in a different way.



So there you have it folks. A Rustic Chic Re-style that suits the owner to a "T".   A sophisticated, bright, and happy space with a little Rustic and a little Chic thrown in.

Oh, and I have a portfolio tab on the blog now with all of my interior projects.  Click under each picture to go to the flickr streams with all the before and afters of the spaces.

Have a great week ya'll.