Private Residence

/

We started working with an Alpine family on their charming home this fall. The space had such good potential, we couldn't wait to make it reflect more of who they were. The kitchen, nook and family room were calling for finishing details, and as we tweaked and fluffed we fell in love with the design of the kitchen nook. It started as a dark area that wasn't getting used and loved as much as it deserved.

The family needed a functional, charming and fresh space for their great home. We started by removing the bar height square table and finding space for an amazing 76 inch round table. This really opened up the area and the circular table made the space more comfortable and inviting. We incorporated a curved banquette and upholstered only the back in an indoor/outdoor fabric. This left the wood seat easy to clean and wipe up. Four off-white leather chairs were tucked around the opposite side of the table. The lighter fabrics helped to break up the wood tones and give an airy feeling the space needed. We layered the walls surrounding the banquette in a gallery of their family pictures, interspersed with some fantastic carnation platters. We finished design off with a simple off-white drum pendant over the table; turning a once dark corner into an open, inviting area for the family to gather around. The changes to the space should finish up just in time for the holidays.

- Natalie

Market Watch - Thom Felicia

/

Seeing Thom Felicia is always a pleasure. he is the LIFE of the party. Any room he's in becomes instantly brighter.

He introduced a lot of new pieces this market to his furniture line. It is inspiring to see how Thom pulls it all together - His use of color - a dance between all the perfect neutrals and shots of vivid colors. This market, the color was fushia! RASPBERRY! See how Thom does it. (And we saw it in other great designer showrooms too... Stay tuned!)

Thom's rooms are sophisticated, but they're casual enough to be comfortable in. His use of color is almost playful! Every detail is dialed in and well thought out. Thom designs the rugs, the art, and the furniture. We carry all three of his lines - If you're going to do it... Do it right!

- Jessica

Market Watch - Rugs

/

I love me a great rug!

It was love at first sight - We saw each other from across the room! And I ran to her... stared at her hand-knotted construction and proclaimed, "This is IT!" This is our new rug line!

I set out to find another new rug line this market to add to our offerings. I needed something well-made, casual, but loaded with style. That seems to be what most of our customers and clients want.

Half of what I bought was flat-weave construction - wearable on both sides. (Yep, you can flip it over and it's woven design is the same on both sides.) Or sumak construction which resembles a small tight braid. Also reversible!

- Jessica

Market Watch - Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams

/

This was a highlight for me this year. Their showroom is so meticulous and well-styled. Not overly decorated - so you can put your own ideas to work. New this market was the Black Label Collection (available for Spring 2012). It boasts larger scaled, super comfortable diverse collection of silhouettes. You'll have to wait until February for the first shipment arrives here to see them. They won't let me share photos until then... They're worth the wait! I can tell you this - most of the frames we bought are slipcovered! The look is relaxed and loungey.

Our favorite market moment was being invited to eat dinner at Mitchell and Bob's home!

They have a rad mid-century modern home in a neighborhood near High Point. They employ a full-time chef to cook for them at their factory. During market he cooks lunch for everyone who happens to be stopping by. And he prepared our food Saturday evening as well. Everything was delicious! The atmosphere. The people. The conversations.

Because I can't share any of the pieces from the new collection, here are a few goodies we love from the current line!

- Jessica

Market Watch - Oly Studio

/

Welcome to Oly World - It's been with us from the beginning of the beginning for Alice Lane - Oly Studio.

You open the door to their space, and you've opened the doorway to heaven. I hear the Ahh Ahhhhhhhh (angels singing). It's so pure and inspiring. Every time I visit Oly it's like my compass gets pointed back to true north.

We use the line to pepper in their occasional pieces here and there throughout the homes we design and the showroom. It adds that unique, inspired styling. The sparkle, shine and designer quality to any space. It's incomparable.

Enjoy the new introductions available Early Spring 2012.

Inspiration in Unusual Places - Fall Wardrobe

/

Fall is in full swing bringing cooler temperatures and crisp air. Let fall fashion colors, patterns and textures inspire your interiors! Peaches and salmons mixed with greens makes for a lovely outfit or powder room wallpaper.

Mix patterns - make sure the colors compliment each other and that the scales vary.

A rich raspberry mixed with some lighter and more subtle coral shades give your outfit or room some drama and flair.

This season, Aztec and Native American patterns are huge. Add them as accents with pillows or small rugs.

[photos from Anthropologie, Rue, Lonny, and The Marion House Book]

Market Watch: Cisco Brothers

/

Adam and I are in High Point, North Carolina at the famed Furniture Market. We love this time of year! It is Christmas for us. We are here scouting out the latest and greatest to bring home to you all - First stop, Cisco Brothers! It's known for it's high end casual. I melt. I had to get there first thing - first day! Because I love their one-of-a-kind pillows.  I can only buy them 2 times a year when I'm at Market. I usually have to pick from whatever is left. Not this year! I gobbled up all my favorites. The pillows are made from vintage saris and scarfs - down inserts, unusual sizes. They give any sofa, chair, or bed that Cisco flavor, which is traveled, collected and inspiring.

I bought a boat load! They should ship next week. We'll give you a holler when they get in! Or you'll just feel it in the air.

Here are a few more things to look forward to in the coming months.

- Jessica

How-To: Style a Tray Table

/

Let me introduce you to the simple beauty of the versatile tray table. The tray table is no longer used just as the cocktail lover's best friend - but as a resting place for your favorite food and beverages, your most special serving dishes, your prettiest cake plates, or even your mother's linens.

In one of my most recent projects we had an empty, awkward corner in the kitchen. Rather than filling the corner with art or useless accessories, we decided to fill the space with a functional and stylish tray table.

We loaded the tray table with all of her favorite things from ice cream dishes to serving trays to cake domes. The portable tray makes it so simple to serve your party guests - it's an effortless entertainer's dream!

"Entertaining is not about making an impression", says this internationally known event and party planner, Colin Cowie. "Instead, it's about being welcoming and calm and making your guests feel comfortable. Your presentation can still be chic and stylish and elegant, even in the relaxed environment of your own kitchen."

So what better piece than the versatile tray table to lift your style to a new level!

- Christy

St. George Here We Come!

/

Jessica and Suzanne will be in the St. George area the first week in November. We are scheduling appointments for any of you design-lovers that are interested in our services! What do our design services entail?

The process typically begins with a First Time Consultation - The designers will visit your home, talk to you about your hopes for the space and your personal style... just get to know you, measure and take photos of the space.

After gathering this information, they will come back and start to fulfill all of your dreams! They will then give you a presentation, either in-store or via email, that contains a floorplan, a rendering, a packet of the selections and a spreadsheet with a breakdown of the pricing. Here is just a sprinkling of what the presentation will look like:

Here is a breakdown of how it works:

To schedule an appointment or for any questions give our project manager, Alisa, a call at (801) 222-9028.

Show n' Tell - Jessica's Bedroom

/

My bedroom - It is the room that I use the most. Somedays I get home when everyone is in bed. When I creep up the stairs in my heels with tired legs and open the door - this is what I see.

Pulling your Master Bedroom together is like designing for your soul. What speaks to you (and your spouse) - not what's popular or trendy. What makes you want to melt in ultimate comfort and peace. You should wake up in this perfect little cocoon and fall asleep each night there.

Our Master Bedroom is the first room I did in the house. I needed to be comfortable and at peace with my surroundings before I fell asleep at night, and to be able to wake up the same way. This has been a gift in my life. Everyone should get to experience their own heaven on earth in their room - Whatever that is to you. You should attain it, on any level. Your personal space should be a great beginning and end to EVERY day.

People always put themselves last. The Master Bedroom is usually at the bottom of their list. It's a sin! How can you start each day feeling great about whatever is about to challenge you?

My room is a story of natural fabrics and fibers. Linen sheets, feather down inserts, cotton percale duvet cover, silk shams, hair-on-hide and leather pillows on the lounge chairs - The colors are all natural. Slight variations in tone. And a few shimmery metals to add sophistication.

I won't make my bed on Sundays - that gives me permission at anytime of the day to get back in it!

I need to say for the record, this is a home that we have been renting for the past 3 years while we've been busy building our business. So, it's not MY home. But it feels like it now. We should all make ourselves comfortable wherever we may be. Temporary or not. There are enough things that make us uncomfortable out there. Our home shouldn't be one of those things.

- Jessica

[photos by Nicole Hill Gerulat]

Show n' Tell - Jessica's Home

/

I've read somewhere that the Entry is like the appetizer for your home. It gives you a sampling of what's to come... This is my entry. Sparkle and shine, angels and mohair - pear and metallic finishes and a little pop of color to keep it from getting too serious!

Here's a little more detail - and why. A mirrored console is always a good trick. Mirror gets along with everything, because it reflects it's surroundings. I nested a mohair ottoman below it. Low in contrast to keep the eye from stopping and brings a little warmth and texture. At the center of it all is Isabella, by James Christensen. I love just about any winged figure - it is angelic. She is peaceful and brings a reverence. Isabella is a patron of artists - allowing them to paint with encouragement and love of their art. The wings were painted on her because she served as such an inspiration to his (James Christensen) calling as an artist. I have always loved the arts. I majored in them. And knew from when I was a young girl that I wanted to be an artist. So with that - I had to bring Isabella home to watch over my entry. All the other details speak to the art. The lamps have a layered feathery texture - the carved finial also has a repeated feathery motif. And of course the carved wings that hang above Isabella.

I have a staircase that feeds to the upstairs opposite the entry. On the other side of the staircase is a keeping room where we gather for conversations while meals are being prepared. It's a catch-all for all our comings and goings. A quick place to land and pull on our shoes, read a magazine, talk on the phone or entertain a neighbor that stops by for longer than a minute. It's easily one of my favorite spots in the house. What makes it my favorite? - The graceful linen loveseat. - Oversized detailed silver floor lamp. -Hand-knotted Martha Stewart Liana rug. - Carnation wall sculptures.

Across from the loveseat is this contemporary Asian Chest. It's a great secondary surface just off the kitchen - where we can set up a dessert buffet if we are entertaining. The original oil painting is by Chelsea James.

The kitchen table has been with me for over ten years now. It's a robin egg blue french farmhouse table. I've had white linen aprons made to tie on the kitchen chairs - with every intention of having them monogrammed with white thread. Someday I'll get around to that!

This is where we gather, eat, visit, do homework, watch the deer out that side yard window. It's a comfortable spot adjacent the kitchen we can't ever seem to get up from once we sit down.

[photos by Nicole Hill Gerulat]