MISS MOOX: Kay Douglas

Here goes, Decorganizing Wednesday...

If you are really popular (like me) and having a hard time figuring out what to do with all of your party invitations, take some cues from these creative folks.

Designer Lindsey Harper

Designer Mary McDonald for Domino

Use an old door or shutter.
P.S. I tried this once and the tacks wouldn't penetrate [pause for giggles] the old wood so check first!

Designer Kay Douglas for House Beautiful

I have a random wall in my kitchen that is about 30" wide and I have filled the entire wall, floor to ceiling, with invites and photos. I tried using the chalkboard/magnetic paint but it wouldn't hold a magnet (despite three coats) so they are just tacked in. I am real excited about the day when I get to spackle this wall![she says sarcastically] Therefore, I highly suggest using cork instead.

When you are done displaying your invitations, you can cut them up and use the pretty printed parts as tags for gifts (or so says my inner Martha). Anyone have any other creative ideas for displaying party invitations? Leave a comment!

Another one of my design crushes is Kay Douglas owner of South of Market. If memory serves correctly, she fell into design after a trip to Europe where she bought so much stuff that she had to buy a container to get everything back to the states [my dream!]. This sparked her to open her store [ my dream!] and from there a design business grew.

Kay's design aesthetic is simple, clean lines with both French and Belgium influences. She is quoted in a House Beautiful article as saying "You know how some people are not comfortable with silence — they have to fill it up with words? The same can be said for a house. Some people think it has to be filled with stuff to be beautiful. It doesn't. That's what I think this style is all about." I dig that! Check out more on her House Beautiful article here.

Kay masters the look of mixing old industrial pieces with clean, modern lines brilliantly! Her stores (located in both Atlanta and Charleston) are filled with neutral linens, iron lanterns, old wood and/or metal furniture with occasional pops of colors in pillows or art. Like this...

Kay loves to repurpose objects like turning this simple industrial object into a piece of art.

Or this basket into a pendant light.

Coastal Living also featured her vacation home in Rosemary Beach, Florida. Take a look at some of these amazing photos!

Read more on Kay in this article featuring her Atlanta home in Traditional Home Magazine.

~Images: 1-5) House Beautiful April 2005 6-8) southofmarket.biz 9-12) Coastal Living

A friend of mine's husband just built her a daybed suspended by chain on the porch off of their master bedroom. It is heavenly (well, it will be when the weather is cooler)! We were discussing ways to "dress" the bed and the idea of covering the chain in rope came up, much like designer Suzanne Kasler did in the Watersound showhouse pictured above. It got me to thinking of all the cool uses this heavy, nautical inspired rope could be used in decor...

I am not sure if they originated the idea, but I know Lee Kleinhelter of Pieces Inc. and Kay Douglas of South of Market, both use the rope to cover electrical cord when converting items such as baskets into light fixtures. I especially love the raw, texture mixed with industrial pieces!

The guru of creative thinking Martha Stewart has many ideas for using rope in decor. On her site you can find tutorials on creating a nautical inspired lamp and barstools. I have also seen rope used to cover the arms of a chandelier, as the "frame" for a mirror and wound around a cyclindrical table base. [I don't have time to search for these images but I promise to attach later on if I come across them. My apologies!]

And if you aren't excited by the raw look of the rope, try painting it! You can get the wonderful texture while achieving a much sleeker look! Do you have any other creative uses for rope in interior design? If so, let's hear it!
~Images: 1) Coastal Living Oct 2007 2) Suzanne Kasler 3) Pieces Inc 4 and 5) South of Market