Rubbing Shoulders with the Rich and Famous

Well, I suppose the terms "rich" and "famous" are relative. To me these people are famous or at least well-respected in the design industry. Successful, published, trend-setting, etc. At both High Point and Las Vegas markets we bumped into and planned to bump into the following celebrity designers:

Elle Decor magazine had an event to publicize its newest book, Style and Substance, and their Editor-in-chief Margaret Russell was there to sign copies. It was fun to see her in person - she is so classically pretty. And certainly as petite as she appears on camera. She was one of the judges for Bravo's (late) design reality show, Top Design.

Right behind us in line to meet Margaret was Tobi Fairley, a designer from Atlanta. She was featured with several other 'up and coming' designers in Traditional Home Magazine this year. I remembered her name and when someone came up to her entourage and said, "hey Tobi!" I put the pieces together. She does beautiful things - here is a bedroom of her design.

In Las Vegas we went to the Safavieh showroom and were treating ourselves to breakfast danishes and quiche, when some lady came up to us and said, "Don't you KNOW who that is?? It's Jamie Drake", like we were idiots. I didn't recognize him and on top of that he wasn't hosting anything, he blended right in. We went over to meet him and he was very nice. Jamie Drake was named by Traditional Home as one of the "20 Icons" of design and also named to the Interior Design Magazine Hall of Fame. He is incredibly well-known and in my opinion, incredibly talented. I love the way he uses pink.

Darryl Carter is a another very respected designer, based on the East Coast. I love his combinations - the color he uses is subtle and soothing and he has a great attention to detail without being overwhelming. His rooms are livable but each of them also has it's own personality/style. He designed a furniture line for Thomasville that is fantastic. Great proportions and beautiful shapes. He also came out with a book called The New Traditional. Thomasville hosted an event to debut Darryl Carter's pieces. He himself was there - signing books and gifting them! He was tremendously nice.

Last but not least in any way - Candice Olson came to HP for one day to introduce a furniture line she designed for Revco Intl. She is probably the most recognizable designer right now in the U.S. and Canada. Her show Divine Design has run seven seasons - and she's about to launch a new show on top of that. She wrote a book that I think is super fabulous - complete with her incredible renderings of course. She also has her own upholstery, art, lighting and rug lines. Meeting her was a MUST for me. I've been watching her since she began and still love her creativity and glamorous transitional style. In my opinion, she was doing 'transitional' before the word 'transitional' was even coined.

What an incredible treat to meet her. There were only a few people in front of us when we got there - and it still took 25 minutes to get to the front... Candice was chatting with everyone as if they were friends of hers. She is even more vibrant and personable than she appears on tv. Kathy and I talked with her for a while and heard all about her new projects and things. She is so genuine which is refreshing considering her busy schedule and fame. I told her that my mom and I have a tradition of watching multiple tivo-ed Divine Design episodes when I'm up visiting Montana. Mom LOVES Candice and likes to pick apart the ingenious design elements that she comes up with. I think Candice really liked the story, if I do say so myself. :) She wrote a personal note to my mom and when I got home I mailed it along with a book and our picture to her. Mom was silent, then squealed in excitement and disbelief... yes, I actually can keep a secret! She had no idea that I would be meeting Candice. It was so fun to surprise her that way - thank heavens for web-cam chatting.

High Point Market - October 2009

Prepared for a long post? Last week Kathy and I spent a week in High Point, NC for the bi-annual home furnishings market. What a whirlwind trip. I keep describing it like being in a casino in Las Vegas - "what day is it?", "what time is it?", "how long have we been here?"and "did I wear this yesterday?"

Speaking of wearing the same things over again... it turned out to be bitterly cold for four of the six days. What to do? I bought an open sweatercoat a few weeks ago as an afterthought, and all of a sudden I wondered how I ever lived without it. I wore it everyday.

Equipped with our 600 page Market Guide, we had little time to waste. There are over 130 different buildings - and 15 of them house multiple if not dozens of showrooms. It can be very overwhelming, especially if your boss would really like to see everything. Needless to say, we didn't see it all - but we gave it our best. Here are a few of my favorite finds.


Natural Curiosities - an L.A.-based company- had some very cool pieces, including prints placed between sheets of lucite and hung from hardware that had them almost free-standing from the wall. Very fun... and so was chatting with their owner - a 30-something who had the style, accent and London-esque qualities of Jude Law.

Who can resist a life-size taxidermied peacock? It was only $3600. I have a fascination with peacocks. I almost had a peacock-themed wedding... quashed by the thought that forever people would say, "who was that Lauren girl?" "OOH yeah, she was the one with that peacock wedding, how frightening!" This bird was so beautiful. I want it - except for this... how does it ship and how would you ever pack it if you moved? "Can someone in the front seat hold this for 15 hours?"

Loved this beautiful display at John-Richard. All faux amaryllis and sprayed metallic branches, ready for shipment. This reminded me of the trip Taryn and I took to see Linds - we took the train down to NYC for a day and went to Saks - the columns of the huge two-story main level were covered in beautiful white branches...floor to ceiling, like the most glorious Preston Bailey winter-wonderland. The chair below was another great find at John-Richard. I loved the more feminine shape of this classically-known bergere. Add the flax linen and contrast piping and it becomes timeless. The set of transitional bullseye mirrors below was in the same showroom - how lovely!

Wesley Hall has a great permanent showroom that is several thousand sq. ft. This was one of their upstairs groupings. Beautiful light fabric combinations and double ottomans. Their upholstery is the best in quality and comfort I've found. They have great fabrics in-house and even better custom capabilities.

This is the facade of Market Square. Many of the buildings at HP have been converted from old warehouses and factories. This building is square in shape and has an encased courtyard with two large water towers and all kinds of above ground pipes, all painted red.

French Laundry Home and Justin Camlin were two lines I was saw for the first time. Sometimes casegood (wooden furniture) and upholstery companies will combine to make their showrooms more complete and cohesive... these two made a fantastic pair. I loved the freshness of the furniture with it's unexpected detail and painted finishes. French Laundry's pieces were all covered in linen and rice grain sack fabric. This slipper chair was my favorite, and so cozy!

Had to stop by NDI - they do fantastic faux botanicals for residential, commercial, and some of the most fabulous hotels in the world. I loved this display with the virbinum against the muddy charcoal wall. It costs $600 but think of all you'd save on cut flowers over a lifetime, right?

Barclay Butera had an absolutely beautiful showroom front and center on the first floor of IHFC - called Interhall. He is so good. He is a designer who also has a furniture line, and showrooms in Newport, Park City, & New York. If only the guy working the floor hadn't followed me trying to make me feel uncomfortable, I would've taken more pictures. I'm buying his book.

How stunning is this barstool? Beautiful shape considering it is basic... but did you notice the nailheads? This was at Charleston Forge, but was a barstool custom-designed by a one of their desiger customers. I HAVE to track down these nailheads.

Paul Robert is another terrific upholstery line that we carry. They had some great pieces and lovely new fabric introductions. This calligraphy fabric is definitely a trend, in fact, I think I saw something similar online at Potterybarn?

Paul Robert showed a lot of slipcovered furniture - a return to shabby chic? The detail I loved on this was the ruffled flange on the cushion and the pleated skirt. At Legacy Home, a bedding company, we saw a bed with almost this same chocolate/robins egg combination, complete with flange. This looked like that bed concept made into a chair.

Market wouldn't be market without my drooling over the Baker showroom. What's not to love?

Somerset Bay is my most favorite casegood company right now. They have stunning pieces in all kinds of painted finishes, and the quality and attention to detail is what makes it. A few weeks ago I placed a dining set in cream and white in a client's house. It looks so fabulous and I can't wait for the barstools to arrive. I have been lusting after the above secretary since we first laid eyes on eachother. I've seen it done in a dark finish with a creamy interior - so incredible.

Mom, this banquette is for you! Old Hickory Tannery is known for their crazy frame/fabric combinations ( I saw a chair done completely in shaggy sheepskin), but this piece was just outstanding to me. I love the square frame with rounded thin arm & pillow back, nailheads in all the right places and the dressmaker skirt.

Decoupage/re-bound books are becoming more and more popular. I think I posted on some parchment colored books from Vegas market. These have calligraphy on the spine and were also rubbed with a metallic paint. Had to have a dozen for the showroom.

We stopped by Roma - a great art/frame company based in Italy. At first I thought these laquered frames were a little garish, but they grew on me. I wouldn't be surprised to see this as a new trend. What do you think of it? (hard to take a picture of a mirror without getting yourself as it turns out)

Harden is a fantastic company - the epitome of classic, American-made furniture. I loved the transitional lines of this chair and I can't even explain how comfortable it was.

One of the most enjoyable things about market is that most of the showrooms have their own fresh floral arrangements. Potted orchids everywhere, among other unbelievable arrangements. How goregous is this? The antique iron urn, white lilies and all that beautiful greenery - heaven!

Saw this chair in Sarreid - made of old reclaimed radiators and miscellaneous pipes. Who sits on that? I told Kathy that would make a great 'time-out' chair. The salesperson walking with us said the buyers for Anthropolgie were in earlier that day and bought 50. Go figure!

Halloween 2009

It couldn't be Halloween without the big party Ben's mom throws every year. Talk about going all out! Soup in bread bowls that were colored and shaped like pumpkins, delicious appetizers, yummy desserts and a whole parade of activities afterwards.

All the kids were in costume and ready for action! Cookie decorating, pin-the-nose-on-the-witch, a large spooky pinata, donuts on a string, and a goodie bag for each of the grandkids. (the bags were much too big and full for kids that small if you ask me... share, anyone?)

Kathy does a great job and the party never disappoints. Here are some shots from the evening.



I made meringue ghosts - found online from Sunset Mag. Also tried Devil's Food cupcakes with marshmallow filling. As you can see - my ghosts turned out a little, how do you say, differently. I need a pastry bag, and a lesson! No more ziplocs.. Luckily no one at the party saw the professional pic. As for the cupcakes, the filling was only marshmallow creme, and I would have preferred something more like the filling you find in hostess cupcakes... with more of a creamy as opposed to sticky/airy texture. Not that I know anything about baking, but trust me, I know a LOT about eating and that is my recommendation for what it's worth.

Bad lighting + motion= psychadelic picture. Thanks Reese for letting me borrow your Pippi Longstocking/witch headband for the occasion, it was a hit!

Little Halle was dressed as the cutest little Dalmatian. Her collar had hand-appliqued gems and "pup" inscribed on the tag - a little customization by her beautiful mommy McCall. Ben couldn't get enough of her.

Off to HIgh Point

Seems like we've just recovered from Las Vegas Market and we're off again to High Point... the market of all markets. The entire city comes alive. Some companies have their own free-standing building, while others have space in large, multi-level buldings. It's a place unlike any other, you have to experience it to believe it.

I'm thrilled for the chance to go. So great seeing new introductions in person. It's hard not to splurge, "I'll have one of everything, please!" We'll try to cram as much as we can into six days - a bit of shopping for clients, ourselves, and some extra for the showroom maybe? Hopefully the red-eye flight in won't slow us down. No time to waste!

Not Even Kidding

Think I resurfaced a picture from January 09? Nope. Took this picture today while I was driving away from the house. I woke up freezing and said to Ben, "It's not even October yet!?" - okay, actually yes it is. I just needed another six weeks of pretty fall color and a morning chill. Too bad - bring on the firewood and slippers!

Las Vegas Market, Fall 2009

Kathy and I just returned from the September market in Vegas. Being there only for two days (between Studio 5 shows), we had a lot of ground to cover. High Point is the big market for furniture dealers and designers, however, the Vegas market has many accessory and lighting vendors so it's worth a short trip to see what's new in person. Here were a few of my favorite finds - pardon the lousy camera shots.

mini-crystal chandelier and sconces from Robert Abbey - almost Deco and so beautiful!


have I mentioned before that I love Venetian mirrors - this size was so unusual and so glam

antique books re-bound in blue and ivory leather and printed with vintage calligraphy - so great for bookshelf filler!

this vignette at Global Views was so great looking! It felt like a scene from Pillow Talk

my favorite market find - a silver leafed stump lamp at Arteriors - you have to see it to believe it. $600 each? I'll have a pair, thank you!

this picture isn't great - but we ordered a pair of these preserved boxwood planters - they are about 20" tall and the perfect indoor accessory for those who kill live plants. they look ten times cooler in person

Market was ALL about white, cream, flax and grey & greenery. This display captures it all - we saw so much reclaimed wood, white-washed teak, 'salvaged' pieces of everything from light fixtures to coffee tables, etageres, and so much more. If you've seen recent issues of Restoration Hardware you'll know what I mean. It's a really striking look - but in my opinion - pretty hard to implement. First, you'd have to eliminate anything with ornate pattern or too much color, including artwork, accessories and furniture that was too fancy. If you had a one-room apartment and the will to do it, it's fabulous...and makes a GREAT display, but how would you design a whole house this way? Where is the interest? And what about the need for rich color, seasonal displays or any softness? Here are some pics from RH.

I'd be remiss not to mention our most fabulous accommondations at the Bellagio. Who knew the hotel has such fabulous pools behind? I'd only ever paid attention to the fountains and the fabulous atrium garden. Here's the view from our room where we probably only spent ten hours in two days. If only we'd had time to lounge!

Outing with Niki, Blythe, and the boys!

After market and the shows wrapped yesterday, I was thrilled to meet up with Blythe and Niki for a quick bite downtown. They are two of my dearest friends dating back to freshman year at college and even though I see them on average only every few years, I LOVE them and feel like we'll always be in touch. As of three weeks ago (and a year ago for Nik), they both have darling baby boys. What beautiful mothers they've become! I decided they represent all that is good and desirable about being a mother... still v. active, conversational, and fashion forward to name a few.

Find Your Style: Home Decor

This week I was invited to do two segments on KSL for the "Home Decor" week... part of "Find your Style" month on Studio 5. Brooke and Darrin invited three designers to fill out the theme with segments on identifying current styles, finding your own style, and incorporating your style using what you have.

Click to see the segments that Natalee and Angela did.

My segment Tuesday focused on getting deeper into the differences between the five current styles I identified: Transitional, Mountain Traditional, Coastal, Contemporary, and European.

You can click here to view the page and video on Studio 5's website - or watch from here (and read my article below)

With great local boutiques and online access to thousands of furniture, accessory and bedding resources, these days it seems overwhelming to design your own tasteful, personalized spaces - there are just too many options! The problem is not that we can't finding things we love, it's that when we start combining those things… we can end up with something a little off, a little too, je ne sais quoi, eclectic?

Here is a list of the most current styles right now. With a few resources and tips to get you started, you'll be able to identify your style and suddenly, your rooms and spaces will become pulled together and cohesive.

Transitional
Transitional seems to be the "in" word these days in the design world. Simply, transitional is a twist on classic traditional design. In this style you'll see the use of very traditional and enduring furniture in tables, hutches, and accent pieces. The transitional twist is to pair these pieces with upholstered furniture that is covered in lighter-colored (mostly neutral) and more current fabrics. In this style we see the use of color in bold strokes, either by throwing dramatic toss pillows on a neutral sofa or using a patterned upholstered headboard that pops against an otherwise all white bedroom. To finish things off, transitional spaces use current accessories, such as mirrored furniture, metallic accents, glass objects, things that are eye-catching and spark conversation.

Mountain Traditional
As much as we don't like to admit, Utahns have a reputation for being a little slower to trend and more hesitant toward change. Many Utah homes are the same way! There is still a very strong trend toward what I call "Mountain Traditional", a style that combines cabin living with high traditional design. Here we'll see darker wood-stained furniture, heavy casegood pieces (casegood is design-speak for "tables, dressers, chests, hutches, etc., wood furniture), rich and heavy fabrics on sofas, drapery, rugs and bedding that is often deep colors of red, gold, sage, and other warm dark tones. You'll often see the use of accessories and details like tasteful antlers or fur, antique leather books, worn brass lamps and fixtures that finish off the style.

Coastal
Alongside Transitional, Coastal style is very big right now. "Coastal" is the new "cottage." Most of the country lives too far from the coast to have authentic beach-homes, however, we're seeing elements of this style used all over the country! This style is simply categorized with the use of lighter color palettes. Whitewashed or muted painted cabinets or casegoods, heavy white millwork in baseboards and crown molding, and the use of light wall colors are key identifiers. Instead of heavy fabrics, Coastal style lends itself to natural fibers and softer, washed fabrics… think jute rugs, linen upholstery, sheer gauze-like drapery, and overall less formality in design. The trick to staying away from too "romantic" or "cottage-y" of a space is to choose your furniture and upholstery with cleaner lines and shapes in mind. Cut out the fussy and ornate carvings, too much appliqué, and other overly feminine details.

Contemporary
For those who love the feel of loft-living or more industrial spaces, Contemporary is your style. This design style is categorized by the use of concrete floors or countertops and other hard surfaces, metal accents in furniture and accessories, abstract pattern in fabrics, and overall more bold design choices. Contemporary can be difficult because many people think anything goes - and that is certainly a misconception! Be careful to choose pieces that are still complimentary of one another. Those who love contemporary are drawn toward more minimalistic design and furniture that has strong square lines and dramatic features. Color wise we see both the use of very strong bold hues working together or very little color at all - the key is in the shapes and the feel evoked as a whole.

European (French/English)
The European style is probably the most enduring style of all. Think of very traditional elements using antiques in furniture, accessories and art. Fabrics that coincide with this style are classically paired, various layers of texture and color in large-scale florals and toiles combined with smaller-scaled checks and gingham patterns. Pastoral or floral artwork and wallpaper are used often in this style. Look for rich use of color in true primary tones like cherry red, royal blue, and colonial yellow. Tables, chairs and other wood pieces are typically finished in a medium stain or painted in historically muted tones.

Find Your Style: Relationship Advice

What a great idea to bring design and relationships together! Today's segment featured Studio 5's relationship contributor Matt Townsend as he talked candidly with us about 'struggles' couples face where their own home design is concerned. It was a blast to be a part of such a fun piece. Click here to watch or click "play" below.

I totally forgot you "go" here!?

Today after the show wrapped I went straight to the airport to catch a flight to the furniture market in Vegas for a couple days. I had a voicemail from Tessa saying she was in Vegas flying to SLC on her way to Montana. I had a feeling it was all too good to be true. But sure enough, our time at the SL airport overlapped and, due to my plane's delay, we spent nearly two hours visiting and sipping dc. Talk about a perfect and once-in-a-blue-moon occurance!

When we finally said our goodbyes, I asked the nice gentleman seated next to us to snap a quick picture. Since he basically listened to us gab for two hours, I thought I'd give him a little background. Here's me: "Would you take a picture for us? You see, we're sisters, and we didn't even know we'd be here at the same time, isn't t that so funny? Yeah, I know, it is! AND, look at us, we're both wearing pink scarves too!" He took off pretty quickly after that. whatever. Then I said, "to the blog!"

Oh Tessie-poo - I love you! So great to layover with you!

Happy Birthday, Ben!

Don't you just love when your birthday falls on a weekend day, especially a Saturday? Ben's 29th birthday was today and I'm thinking he had a pretty perfect day.

We went to breakfast at this quaint little joint down the road, the "Silver Summit Cafe" - ok, it is a gas station cafe. But it's V. good. Then we came back for pre-game / game-day, whatever you call it on ESPN. Then five hours later it became lunch time... so we went back out. This time to the Windy Ridge Cafe near downtown Park City. I haven't been there in a few years but really liked the food and the ambiance of the outside patio. Perfect lunch splurge for a birthday.

Then, home for the BYU v. Tulane game... with constant switches back and forth to the televised PGA event. So many games, so little time!

Because most of the day he hung out with me, I tried to give him the "happy birthday" fanfare at least once every hour. To make him feel like he was sharing the day with more than me. After all, can you ever get sick of people wishing you happy birthday? In this case, maybe yes.

For dinner we drove into Salt Lake and met up with Matt & McCall at PF Changs. After competing with the Greek Festival-goers, the SL Dine o'Round, and too many high schoolers (who looked like 6th graders) having their pre-homecoming meals, we finally got a parking spot and a table, and had the most wonderful meal. Being treated to dinner is such a...treat! Complete with appetizers, many entrees, and three desserts? wow!

That's the last time I ask a valet guy to snap a picture.

Can you guess what we did once we got home? More ESPN... gotta catch the post-game wrap-up, right? I like to think I'm tolerant of Ben's channels, especially if I have other things to occupy me... laptop, design mag, long chats with sisters/mom, etc., but finally I said, "TOO much ESPN"! Enough is enough.

Happy Birthday Uncle Boo!

A Sad, Sad Day

First Blueprint closed, then Domino. I recently found out that Southern Accents magazine is closing. Is someone playing a dirty trick on me?! This is horrible news. I'm still completely deflated.

SA has been the magazine I most anticipate. So much of my design style and influences came from living in the South (my family was there ten years) and SA was not only a much-needed tie to that very memorable period of my life but also a source of continual inspiration unmatched by other design publications.

I hope that some higher power will bring Southern Accents back as soon as possible... until then, I guess I'll have my tearsheets.