Were all mad here...

I'm sorry, but I want that...
It would be the perfect piece to fit nicely into my mad little world.

. . .

Just give me a gilded frame and some fantastic new upholstery!

Bizarrely Fantastical

Queen Anne meets Lady GaGa

...and they design some chairs.

Woah...

L.O.V.E it

Woah...

One of the most amazing interiors I have ever seen. What is this look?

Dapper rockstar...?!?

Just look at it...

Pink Ribbon House 2010

The Pink Ribbon House® project is a unique and collaborative philanthropic experience dedicated to raising funds and awareness for breast cancer research and patient care at the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center at Baylor College of Medicine.

My boss/owner of the spectacular showroom that I manage has taken part in this event for many years now. It’s a very big deal and a huge honor to be a part of it. She is responsible for designing the workhorse areas of the house; family room/kitchen, veranda, pantry, office, utility room, and mudroom. She sought to prove that you can have functional spaces without sacrificing beauty, even in high traffic areas.

Her inspiration for the French Country family room/kitchen was a 19th century shop counter she found on one of her buying trips for Maison Maison. In keeping with the French Country theme she designed a spectacular tile with smoky gray and buttery yellow hues to evoke the warmth of that classic look.

The veranda was meant to be an extension of the family space… a living room al fresco.

For the office, she created a feminine sanctuary, a respite from the chaos if you will. Within that private space she designed a niche that housed an area for hobbies from sewing to scrap booking.
Her addition of bead board paneling in the pantry had a two fold function; one for aesthetics and one for durability.

I am fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to take part in some of the design process, from fabric and paint selections to actually being able to stage the custom built-ins, place art, and accesorize! Over a year ago I was flipping through a magazine while I was waiting to get a manicure and I saw this bizarre bookcase display, it intrigued me so that I snapped a picture of it with my phone because I knew someday I would make use of this fantastic idea. Sure enough, it is my inspiration for the show house bookshelves that flank either side of the fireplace/concealed flat screen paneling. This house is truly fantastic and I cannot wait to see the finished project.

Below are some snapshots of the work in progress. Stay tuned.

Above are the bookshelves that I will be staging. They are very shallow in depth and there will be only five on each side. I taking a more minimalistic approach and going for a more sparse effect for the shelves, they won't be as heavy as my original inspiration.

Fireplace/Concealed Media Cabinet

Laundry Room


Kitchen/Family Room

Mud Room

Office

Spring is near...

Well friends, it’s almost Spring, and soon the Earth will awaken. The trees will sprout their leaves and the flowers will blossom, and even though the sun shines hot there is still a chill in the air. Gorgeous days (like today in Houston, TX) ought to inspire. For me I am impelled to show you the loveliness that is splendid Spring décor. Why not bring the cheerful outdoors in with an infusion of Spring color that is sure to lighten ones mood? There is no such thing as bad color, just bad use of color. Be courageous with your color choices… if it speaks to you, then it works. Run with it.

Our Spring inspired showroom…

Humble Dream Dwelling

Having moved back in with my sweet, loving, supporting parents after coming home to finish my degree, time has passed and it is about that time for me to fly the coup and create my own little nest. I have a pretty cool chick lined up to be my roomie and we found an old renovated garage apartment with a spiral staircase and hardwood floors! It's as cozy as all get out, but one problem, closet space... We are the same size and thrilled that each of our wardrobes are doubling... but where are we going to put all our fab attire?!? We'll figure it out.

Surely it doesn’t come as a surprise that I am overly enthusiastic about decorating our humble little abode. My roommate is eager as well, lucky me, she has an eye. She proved that when she brought over a back up bottle of wine (of course I had one too!) to the antiques shop (maisonmaisonantiques.com) that I manage and helped me revamp the showroom till 9pm! I felt I had gotten a little in over my head, and although I could have managed, it would have been tedious at those late hours with out a friend to help. It’s amazing how a daunting task can turn into a blast with some music, wine and a good friend! As my wise boss/shop owner says, “Must have wine to design!” I hear that!

Today is March 2nd and the move in date is soon – it can’t come quick enough. Having been in love with furniture since I was 19/20ish I have collected some fantastic pieces that I have repurposed and refurbished, some are too large to come with, but that’s ok, they will be waiting for when I upgrade – but the ones that will fit, I can’t wait to get them in there! I am on the hunt for a few key pieces as well. I will post photos of the before and after. Stay tuned.

Until then, here are just a few photos of a space I saw on apartmenttherapy.com. Who says small spaces can’t be overwhelmingly fantastic? That cloud like bed tucked away in that sun filled corner… how devastatingly beautiful is that? You could lie in bed on Sunday mornings and work on your tan… what a dream.

Is a frugal Christmas a merry one?

I think it can be.

This year I have bought only two presents. One for my mom and one for my dad. The only thing that saddens me about not having bought any presents is the fact that I don't get to wrap much! And seriously, wrapping presents is one of my favorite things to do.

There is always next year...

Making memories into ghosts...

Simply Beautiful

GOD!!! I love this look! I mean I REALLY FREAKING LOVE IT!

Merry Christmas to Me...

I came so close the other day to buying a manzanita branch, spray painting it white, setting it in a little ceramic pot and making it my new place to hang my bangles and necklaces... glad I didn't... because now I know I want a candelabra!

Just like this one...

My dream room...

Green on the Inside

High maintenance but totally worth it!

. . .

Smitten for this Kitchen

I love everything about this adorably bizarre kitchen. The retro fridge is such a neat buy. If I lived in a small house with a cozy kitchen, I would get one for sure. All I need room for is my veggie burgers and wine…

What I also find intriguing is the dissimilar colors of “shaker style” cabinetry. It is weird, I don’t know if I would spring for that, but it is definitely interesting. I would use different hardware… maybe something from Anthropologie!

The stove and vent hood, although small, looks very high-end. Chrome is the ‘way to go’ for kitchen appliances, undoubtedly.

Everything about the kitchen deserves a mention… how about that chandelier? Once again, LOVE the idea… I would choose a different style (maybe something from here), but again, LOVE the idea! I am all about the ambiance. Imagine cooking by candle light and the glimmer of a chandelier… how pleasant.

Want to create the illusion of more space? Well, just simply lean a gilded mirror against the rear of your range! Effortlessly brilliant... and fancy!

Oh ya, and the birdcage… that was actually the first thing I noticed. I have one a little bit bigger than the one that is pictured in this kitchen. This photo has given me the idea to hang it in the kitchen (when I have my own) and use it as decorative storage.

And last but not least, the Kelly Green walls!!! My favorite color! Since the white subway tile covers half the wall as the back splash, Kelly Green serves as the perfect pop of color!

Love it all! Excellent find Marion!

Black Friday, please...

For the first time in 9 years we had a traditional Thanksgiving! It was my parents and my custom to go to Galveston and feast at Landry’s every year. My dad and I would devour as many oysters as our cravings would allow and then we would start to eat! Landry’s offers such an extensive spread (buffet style) and we love it, but this year we decided to go with the time-honored home cooked meal and it was lovely.



I was always too young to cook when we went the traditional route, but now that I am 25 (and enjoy cooking) I wanted to whip up a few sides myself!

I made a celery root and potato puree, maple-glazed carrots and parsnips, and fresh cranberry sauce with caramelized ginger and sugar (this recipe came out of Domino Magazine a few years ago). It all turned out delicious; however, my timing was a bit off. I believe that is the mark of a true chef, flawlessly timing every dish to where it is served piping hot on the table. I’ve got a lot of room for improvement. We were line up at the microwave, lol.

Nevertheless, we all gobbled till we wobbled and had a great time… and I am thankful for that.

. . .

Now it’s Black Friday and I could give a rat!!! I personally know a few loons (you know I love you guys) who braved the masses at 4am for the ‘door busters’ and ‘steel of a deals’. It’s true what they say, I was told people were wrapped around our local gargantuan shopping center waiting to get into Best Buy for their PS3’s and flat screens. I know we have a lousy economy and people are itching to save, but I find myself preferring to cough up the extra bucks to save myself from that mess!

I told my boss that I didn’t mind coming into work today just in case we had any traffic, and I don’t mind, I love my little world here, but I have only been visited by two people! We don’t have any door busters… any slashed prices… sorry! Black Friday is a day for massive retail conglomerates, not charming little antique stores – and so be it, that is fine by me.

I thought I would start pondering my Christmas list of what to give my loved ones and what to answer back when I am asked, “What do you want for Christmas?!?!?!”

This is fun. :)

As we all know, it is much easier to know what we want for ourselves than for others. I pretty much want everything from Jayson Home & Garden. This Quartz Votive is so me! I love the mix of nature and opulence. Like organic meets gilded glam...

It takes time and thoughtful effort to conjure up ideas of what to gift my friends and family. I'm sure none of them would appreciate this Phrenology Head as much as me. It's fantastically weird. I want it.

And this little guy, isn't he a hoot?? (lame, I know)

I think owls are so neat, and I think he would look great perched on the floating shelves that I don't have in my bed room. :) haha

Mmmm, and this lustrous Lancaster Tea Set.... a bit of whimsy never hurts anyone.

Perfect to display in the kitchen of the house that I don't have with the glass front kitchen cabinet doors that don't exist. One day my humble dreams will come true. Until then, I shall merrily collect these objects while working my way up in this world.

And now for furniture...

The Greta table... what a perfect little gilded accent piece. I also wouldn't mind Christopher Spitzmiller shedding a little light on it either!

And it would all look damn good next to this bad boy...

Greenwich chair, won't you be mine?

I am going to buy you, and reupholster you, (not that I don't like your Zenith-Moss Silk, I just want charcoal silk velvet) and sit in you, and read my magazines, and blog, and watch Dexter, and sip coffee, and nap... and love you forever and ever!

That chair, mark my words, will be my first big purchase once I fly the coup!







Palma Desk, your second. You, with your sexy sawhorse legs... that industrial, homemade allure gets me every time!

I would LOVE to post what I intend on buying a few people for Christmas, but I can't because some of the frequent this blog.

Until next time...

Cameo, Cameo, where art thou Cameo?

I was at Nordstroms last week shopping for a pair of earrings to wear with my lovely bridesmaid dress. I was torn between classic gold hoops (I had some from Stella and Dot but lost them, maybe they will come out of hiding one day) and these super cute Kate Spade grape clusters. I ended up going with the classic gold hoop, but anyway, I found this cameo ring while on the hunt and fell in love with it. It wasn't a splurge as far as cost goes, but it wasn't on my list and I always try not to stray from my list...but nevertheless, it was totally worth it. One should never feel guilty about pleasure! Of course the ring I bought from Nordstroms is a reproduction.... and that's ok, but I manage an antiques showroom and its only natural for me to want the real thing... so here it is. This is what I have my eyes set on now.

Coralie Bickford Smith's Penguin Classics

These books are a pretty much "must have" on my list. I bet my mom never thought she’d see the day where her daughter asked for books for her Birthday and Christmas. For the most part I request design books, ones that get read from cover to cover. However, Christmas is coming up and although there is a ton more design books that I want, I have found something else; books that you couldn’t pay me to read in school (I could barely get thru the Cliff Notes) and now I want them… not to read, but to put on show. Does that make me a classic literature poser? I don’t’ care. These are without a doubt the prettiest books I have ever seen! So Santa, I have been a good girl… will you get me these books for Christmas? I may even read one… maybe.

I always get so excited thinking about what I want to gift my friends and family for Christmas (and what I want for myself too! I like to think I’m giving, but I’m not totally selfless, who is?) All this Christmas talk has me giddy. Anyway, check out these books. Tell me how cool they are.

Buy them here!