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Coastal Living
Hydrangeas are in full bloom here in Charleston and my-oh-my are they beautiful!!! Here is an helpful article from Southern Living on caring for and growing your hydrangeas. And here is one on drying them from Better Homes & Gardens. But hurry before their blooms begin to fade!
Photo Credit Margaret Houston via Garden & Gun Magazine
If you have ever visited Charleston, you have more than likely been to the City Market downtown. It is a must for tourists to buy locally made trinkets and sweetgrass baskets to mark their trip to the Lowcountry. To me, it is one of those things you can say "been there, done that" and check it off your list. However if you are my parents, you must go every time you visit your daughter and make her go with you. [You can't see me but I'm rolling my eyes.] And now I guess they will have a new excuse to drag me there as the Charleston's Historic City Market just completed it's 18 month, $5.5 million dollar two-phase renovation. The land was given to Charleston in 1788 by Charles Pickney with the stipulation that it always be used as a public market. (Many think this building was used to sell slaves before the Civil War, but this is untrue.) The building itself dated back to 1807 and had not received any updates in over 40 years. The updated 37,000 square foot space houses 148 vendors and provides shoppers with the illusion of an outdoor market yet the comforts of air-conditioning. Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about this...despite the cramped quarters, lack of temperature control and smell of horse manure from the carriages...I liked it looking old and authentic. [My apologies to the Department of Tourism if you are reading this.] But I have yet to see it so I will hold my judgments until I do.
The latest issue of Charleston Home Magazine features local interior designer Angie Hranowsky as she helped clients downsize from I'on to a 1940's home in South Windermere. Take a look at some of the pics...
For the full article click here.
SEWE (Southeastern Wildlife Expo) is this weekend in Charleston. Not familiar? It is the largest wildlife art and nature event in the nation. There are many events to attend including art shows, parties, concerts, petting zoos, dock dog competitions (my fav) and much more! And the weather is suppose to be beautiful!!! Hallelujah! Anyway, I thought I would honor the event with a post on antlers. Very apropos! Or as Michael Scott would say "apropospropriate."
Elle Decor
Country Living
Domino
Elle Decor
House Beautiful
Not a fan of harming animals? No worries, you can get a resin version almost anywhere these days.
I will be working the Charleston Home + Design Show this weekend if anyone wants to come see me! Here is more information on the event. And here are some images from the current issue featuring the home of Hollywood accessory designer and creator of Moo-Roo, Mary Norton.
120 South Battery
So I finally made it to the Charleston Symphony Orchestra Designer Showhouse and to say I was under-whelmed is an under-statement. I don't mean to disrespect the designers that participated but I just don't get it. They have this amazing downtown Charleston home that is a hundred plus years old with fantastic architectural bones and instead of working with all of that, they try so hard to "wow" you that you get distracted from all the goodness of the house itself. And the second thing that annoys me is that I don't understand why they can't choose a collective color scheme and style then let the designers interpret that style in their own way. Instead, there is a mismatch of colors, styles, furniture, etc. and not in a good way. I think they should design the house so that someone could conceivably buy it as is (which would be good since it is for sale). But what do I know? Maybe there is a reason for this and if so, someone please let me know!
You weren't allowed to take pictures so here are some renderings from Charleston Home Magazine Spring/Summer 2010.
I didn't get the four paper pendants in a kitchen. Hope the family doesn't cook any bacon or they are toast!
Loved the bed! Orange velvet.
Loved the grasscloth on the ceiling and the custom made shell chandelier.
Have a great weekend!
This weather is amazing...did I say that already? Well, it was a long winter and I am so thankful for the sunshine!
Oh yeah, I am still in the running for the world's longest blog award contest...if you haven't vote for me please click here to vote. It takes a second and you don't have to input any info. Thanks!
Charleston folks have been getting some good press lately and I like it! The current issue of Southern Living features tips for creating a quintessential Charleston Home which, of course, needs to be primed for entertaining (as us Southerners love to do)!
First up is designer, Jenny Keenan, who shows us the
"Elements of a Charleston Living Room."
Next is designer and store owner, Muffie Faith, of Elizabeth Stuart Design who shows us the "Elements of a Charleston Piazza."
Tara Guerard of the event planning powerhouse, Soiree, shows us the
"Elements of a Charleston Dining Room."
Click on the links for the full articles.
Today kicks off Charleston Fashion Week.
Not sure if these are boutiques, stylists offices or closets. Regardless, they give me mad inspiration. And as I try to figure out what the ___ to wear to the show, I am painfully reminded that I desperately need a new wardrobe.
[Pause with me while I pout.]
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[Still pouting.]
And speaking of Charleston Fashion Week, I wanted to give a shout out to my friend, Dee Ruel, who's jewelry will be featured in the show! Dee is crazy talented and unlike many of us who make jewelry as a hobby, she actually studied it at the Hui No' Eau art school on the island of Maui no less! I can see it now...Yeah, dad I want to go study in Hawaii. What, yes, I am serious! In addition to making jewelry, she is also a paper artist! She made me the cutest little calling cards. I wanted something to put in the package when folks make a purchase through Objects and she totally nailed it. Nailed it!
I mean really.
If you need cards, invitations or the like...Dee's your girl. And if you need to bedazzle your arms, ears or neck...Dee's your girl. Local? Check out her shop on Coleman Blvd. in Mt. P (she just celebrated her 3rd anniversary!) and if you are not local, no fear she has a website too!
In celebration of SEWE (Southeastern Wildlife Expo), which was this past weekend in Charleston, I wanted to show some sophisticated uses of wildlife-ish items in interiors. My father collects decoys (they are a large part of my dowry) and I really tried to find some chic images of decoys in decor and surprisingly couldn't find any. I know, right?
Designer Tom Scheerer
Elle Decor
House Beautiful
Steven Gambrel
Just promise me you won't do this...
Or this...
Or this...
Or this...
Please.
Such crazy weather lately. We got snow in Charleston! First time in 20 years. Here is a picture I took outside of my house of snow on a palm tree, not something you see every day!
If you have ever traveled along Highway 17 in Mt. Pleasant or visited the market in downtown Charleston, you have undoubtedly noticed the plenitude of sweetgrass baskets. An art form brought over from slaves in West Africa over 300 hundred years ago, this tradition of basket making has since been passed down from generation to generation. Originally these graceful baskets were used as working baskets on the plantations but now they are mainly coveted souvenirs for tourists.
Once a plentiful grass of the coastal dunes, sweetgrass is now difficult to cultivate due in part to the urbanization of Mt. Pleasant as well as the development of the barrier islands into resort destinations. Sadly, artisans now have to travel to Georgia or Florida to find an ample supply. Technically, sweetgrass baskets are made of several materials including pine needles to provide a contrasting color, black rush to add strength and strips of palm leaves to sew all these materials together.
Buyers Tip: The tightness in the design of the basket equates to the quality. (i.e. the tighter the pattern reflects a higher amount of workmanship involved and thus equals a higher quality basket.)
I try to support this local industry by using sweetgrass baskets when designing for my clients or as house warming gifts for friends and family. I especially like the idea of hanging them on the wall in a graphic pattern as I did here in my own home. Now I will say this is not for everyone as I tried it for a client once and she told me they looked like either dryers from a hair salon or inverted breasts hanging on her wall. Ha! Proof that clients can't always see your vision!
