Did you watch? Just kidding. It's like the most watched event in TV land. Congrats to the Giants! I really could care less about pro-football. But I am happy for the players that worked hard and earned their win.
Don't worry Tom...most men would say you still win.
I went to a Superbowl party that my friends throw each year but this year my friend Lauren helped with the decor. She started an event planning/vintage rental business called Muster Branch (website coming soon!). She only had a week to prepare but she did such a good job! See for yourself...
Post-game some of the decor got defamed a lil bit...
And now a lil Superbowl inspired interior decor...
As a departure from traditional artwork, maps can make a wonderful statement in your home. Depending on your interests, you can use nautical maps, street maps or vintage schoolhouse maps to adorn your walls. Their beautiful topography can inspire the entire color scheme for your room as shown below.
Feature them in their entirety as a wonderful conversation piece!
Decoupage them to the walls to create a sense of texture.
Or use a graphic map inspired tile in your shower!
You can cut the map up using a grid system and frame them out as shown below.
If you are big travelers, do what this couple did and put up a world map and put a pin in for each spot you visit (one color for him and another for her)!
Living on the coast, I have used nautical maps in decor on many occasions: to cover a large bulletin board in a playroom, to cover books in a beach house and to decoupage onto an old dresser top for a little boy's bedroom. Nautical maps are for sale at coastal sporting goods stores and vintage maps can be found on eBay and in antique stores and flea markets. Do you have any creative ideas for using maps in decor?
~Images: 1) Traditional Home 2) Elle Decor 3) Domino May 2007 4) Domino December 2005 5) Pottery Barn 6) Courtesy of Little Green Notebook Blog 7) Unknown 8)Keller Donovan 9) Domino March 2009
So I have mentioned many times that red is not my favorite color. [Thank God my dad doesn't read my blog because he would disown me seeing as how we are a HUGE University of Georgia family!] I think it stems from the fact that a) I am a summer...I mean my coloring so blues and greens and purples look better on me and therefore I gravitate towards those cool colors. Seriously, there is an annual charity event here called the RED Party and I have to go out and by something because I literally have no red in my closet. And b) I live in Charleston and I absolutely love the coast so this (I'm sure) influences the color pallet that I gravitate towards. Makes sense, right? Sooo...I feel the need to give some red love out because I do not hate the color red. Promise. I have decorated with it for clients many, many times. And since we have been seeing so much red on the red carpets I am thinking that this color will be showing up more and more in the decor world very soon. Don't ya think?
I especially like it done in small splashes so it doesn't overwhelm the room or make it feel heavy.
House Beautiful
Domino
House Beautiful
Elle Decor
Elle Decor
Southern Living
I will go on record however saying that their ain't nothin' like a Georgia boy in a pair of red pants! Go Dawgs! [That was for you dad.]
I've been seeing a lot of oyster sticks used in home decor lately, and I'm not going to lie I don't hate 'em! They look great and also bring a coastal vibe to any room. After a little research, I found that farm raised oysters would attach themselves to these sticks where they grow until they matured. Then these discarded sticks were collected, leaving the oyster's mark behind...lucky for us, as they make for great looking home decor!
via An oyster farm in Australia
Via This mirror brings the perfect touch to the beach themed bathroom.
Via These oyster stick lamps are great as a set or individually.
Via I love the way the oyster sticks accessorizes this room so nicely
Via I love the table and pillows together
(small) $40, (medium) $42, (large) $48 Here a some unique oyster sticks I have in the shop, set on custom made wood blocks.
So, what do you think? Are you in favor of oyster sticks as decor?
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
"Oh and by the way, I threw away all your little throw pillows. Yea. Cuz throw pillows suck. They serve no purpose. They're purely decorative." -Reuben Feffer
I once had a client tell me that she didn't want the new bedding in her master suite to be too "Along Came Polly"...meaning full of unnecessary pillows. I literally laughed out loud. And I totally agreed with her. Even as as designer, I understand that no one wants to spend "two years of their life putting on and taking off pillows." So my question to you is...how do you like to dress your bed?
With your pillows layered?
With your pillows stacked?
With only your sleeping pillows and shams?
With one large decorative pillow?
With a couple of decorative pillows?
With a bolster?
With round decorative pillows?
With euro shams only?
Or with a mix of euro shams and decorative pillows?
However you like to dress your bed, stuffed animals past the age of 10 is...not...ok.
I am sorry but no rebuttals are allowed on this issue.
~Image: 1) Courtesy of allmoviephoto.com 2) Elle Decor 3) House Beautiful Feb 2004 4) Unknow 5) Dream Bedrooms 6) Coastal Living May 2009 7) Southern Accents 8) Decor Mag 9 and 10) Southern Accents 11) Unknown
Fall is one of my most favorite times of the year. Cool crisp mornings, pumpkin spice everything (duh), oversized cable knit sweaters, and getting to cuddle up with my favorite blanket watching Bravo. And just like spring, it gets me in the mood to reorganize everything in my house, office, and shop (come see!!). I love the change in season for home decor too. It's always fun and interesting to see which fall fashion trends influence fall decor trends. I'm really loving some of them this year. Let's take a look...
Leopard Print will always be one of my favorites. I'm already wearing my leopard flats every other day, they pretty much go with everything to me. I love adding a touch of animal print to a room in a throw pillow.
via.
via.
via.
Shades of emerald green-- works so well with loads of other colors and adds a touch of drama to a room. You can find lots of emerald accessories and furniture in our shop!
via.
via.
I'm obsessed with all things malachite and you can usually find vintage pieces at Eclectic but check out this fabric by Jim Thompson...woah!
via
Emerald glass jugs available at Eclectic.
Last but not least, a little touch of glam. Harpers Bazaar's trend report points out that many designer fall collections shimmered with embellishments.
via.
via.
Gold sea urchin at Eclectic!
Gold tree side table available at Eclectic.
What's your favorite trend this fall?
Eclectic is a Charleston, South Carolina based full-service boutique interior design firm in specializing in the design of residential projects including entire homes and the styling of individual rooms. We also offer virtual e-design services.Please email sidney@eclectic-idg.com for additional information.
Eclectic is a retail shop/design studio located in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina (just over the bridge from downtown Charleston, South Carolina) selling an array of vintage mid-century pieces, repurposed items, new products and locally made art with a fresh Modern meets Coastal aesthetic.
I was flipping through the June issue of Traditional Home magazine and came across this wonderful "Texel Ottoman" by Thomas Eyck and absolutely fell in love! I cannot imagine the work that went into creating such a piece!
via Texelaar Ottoman: $2,145
Since I live on the coast, it seems I am naturally drawn to anything nautical inspired.
via I love this idea for a boy's room
via Wow.. this mirror is amazing!
via I love when I see people use nautical themes in their outfits as well
Over the years, I have collected a few nautical items myself some of which I have repurposed and have for sale in my shop. (see images below)
Burlap Anchor Pillow: $68, Extra Large Antique Bottle: $175, Vintage Life Preserver: $155, Yellow Life Preserver Mirror: $185
Some nautical decor around the shop
Duralee Coastal fabric in Navy and Red
Eclectic Interior Design Group is a full-service design firm based in Charleston, South Carolina working on both residential and commercial spaces. Please email sidney@eclectic-idg.comfor additional information.
Eclectic is a retail shop/design studio located in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina selling an array of vintage pieces, repurposed items, new products and locally made art with a fresh Modern meets Coastal aesthetic.
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.
So I went to hear a band last night and their manager described them as "Americana." I had never heard that term before but I liked it! And in an unrelated story...we once stayed at a house on Tybee Island for a friend's bachelorette weekend and the decor of the house was Tommy Hilfiger/Ralph Lauren-ish mixed with lots of sailing inspired accents and my friend described it as "Ameri-Nautica." Loved that! So God bless America, Americana music and Ameri-Nautica decor!
I am obsessed (OBSESSED-whispered like the son on the show Middle) with art lamps especially the swing arm variety and especially in unexpected places like this brilliance...
via Pink Wallpaper
Elle Decor
Elle Decor
Domino
House Beautiful
I put one in my powder room over the rustic wood mirror and it is pretty badass. I would take a photo but it is hard to get a good picture in a tiny powder room of a light and a mirror...something I have yet to master. I hope that a nicer camera and photography classes with combat that one day. Until then just picture my powder room being a total badass.
This is a project I worked on at Wild Dunes Resort. Now that their children are grown, my clients were ready to redecorate their second home with a little more sophistication that matched their current style. Although the furniture arrangement remained pretty much the same, we updated all of the furnishings and decor while adding some finishing touches that were lacking. We painted the room in Restoration Hardware's Silver Sage and covered the backs of the built-ins in a light taupe grasscloth. I wanted the inside decor to mimic the outside views of the marsh and intercoastal waterway so we kept all the fabrics, art and accessories in soothing tones of creams, tans, browns and blues. ~Images: 1) Before of the Living Room 2) After of the Living Room 3) Before of the Built-In Bookcases 4) After of the Built-In Bookcases
I must admit that I don't always read the Editor's Page but this one caught me as it had photos of interior designers in old movies, two of my favorite old movies in fact, Pillow Talk and Breakfast at Tiffany's. As well as an image of Grace Adler (I'm using her TV name because that's how I know her)...I would watch Will & Grace episodes over and over again, the first time for the plot and to laugh hysterically and the second (and third and fourth and fifth) times to look in the background at Grace's interior design studio. It is always fun for us, as designers, to get a peek into how other designers do things!
Anyway, Michael Boodro, Editor in Chief of Elle Decor talks about what designers do as well as the benefits of working with an interior designer on his Editor's Page in the June 2013 Issue. Then within the pages of the magazine, clients provide testimonials about their experiences working with some of the most beloved designers in our industry and talk about how their relationships evolved as well as what lessons they learned during the process in an article entitled, Succeeding by Design. I think it is a great read for anyone who is considering hiring an interior designer! [I would provide the link but I couldn't find it online]
Some of the Testimony Headings: Trust Your Designer, Have Fun, A Good Designer Thinks Ahead, Sometimes The Designer Knows You Better Than You Know Yourself, Don't Get Overwhelmed...just to name a few!
I love this overall statement Michael Boodro makes, "So even if you never hire a designer yourself, chances are you have already benefited from one of the things they do best-provide inspiration."
So true!
Eclectic Interior Design Group is a full-service design firm based in Charleston, South Carolina working on both residential and commercial spaces. Please email sidney@eclectic-idg.com for additional information.
Eclectic is a retail shop/design studio located in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina selling an array of vintage pieces, repurposed items, new products and locally made art with a fresh Modern meets Coastal aesthetic.
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!
I feel asleep! I cannot believe that I fell asleep during the Oscars. Boo! At least I dvr'd it but it is not the same. Anyway, I saw the red carpet and that is (almost) the most important part. I have my top three dresses and I will liken them to a room...
Mila Kunis can do no wrong these days!!!
1 Stunning
House Beautiful
Red is my least favorite color but it seems to be popping up all over the place this Award season. Jennifer Lawrence looked RED HOT in this Calvin Klein (genius) dress.
2 Sexy.
Elle Decor
She looks like a mix of Barbie and Bewitched so I had to pick the room I did!
Finally had the casters added to my project table. Now I look like a four year old sitting at my desk because my seat is too low. It is hilarious! But I must add, doing wonders for my posture. And yes, I did think of this before I added the casters but didn't think it would matter that much. I was wrong. Next up...I am painting the desk top grey. Pics to follow!
I went to the Wine&Food Festival of Charleston. I had never been before but if I ever go back, I will go later than 11 am so that I can drink more wine! I know that kills all true wine connoisseurs but I'm sorry, I refuse to spit it out. Anyway, I was loving all the wine barrels and thinking of all the things you could do with them...
Table is the obvious answer but I wanted more so I did a Google search and there was some crazy sh*t out there like pet beds, lazy Susan's, coolers, vehicles (yeah, you heard me). My dad is a landscape architect and he would use them as planters in our house growing up. Here are some other things I found...
via Elle Decor
via inspiredbride
And everyone know's this guy, the chandelier that put BoBo on the map.
Tyler Florence's shop in Napa
Any other ideas???
Went to happy hour (are you sensing a theme?) at the new Rice Market on East Bay. It was the old Boathouse and before that Arizona's if you are local. They had some cool things going on with the decor!
Driftwood stair railing...(the owner said they found all of the pieces locally)
Cool twig light fixtures...(anyone know if Ann Yancy made these?)
Dropped off a few things to be painted for my online shop, Eclectic Finds. If you haven't gone yet, go check it out!
Admittedly (see, I got it now!), I am not the biggest fan of the holidays. I mean of course I love Christmas and all the parties and spending time with family-laughing, sharing fond memories, partaking in some spirits, eating good food, watching my nephews ruthlessly tear open gift after gift-but it is also super stressful! I mean this is the busiest time of year for my business then you add decorating clients homes for Christmas (which I love because I rarely get to do my own!) and then there is shopping for presents and traveling and making everyone happy and blah, blah, blah. But I am really trying this year. Really! I hope to be more like this...
Thanks for letting me vent :)
Now I am going to talk about some of the things I really dig as far as Christmas decorating goes. I was at a friend's house the other night and she had those lights on her tree that alternate between clear lights and colored lights. How have I never heard about these before? Brilliant. Totally solves one of life's many debates. [For the record, I am pro clear.] I am also loving anything natural and earthy-driftwood, paper whites, birch, seashells, garland, burlap, moss, boxwood...oh my.
Love.
Not the biggest fan of things that scream Christmas.
Unless you are going to an ugly Christmas sweater party. Who came up with this idea? I want to be your best friend. If you are a guy, I might want to be more than friends.
And red is my least favorite color (except when it comes to the GA Bulldogs) so I tend to go for the creams, golds, silvers, greens and even, perhaps, a Tiffany blue. Typically, I love when you can incorporate holiday decor into your normal, everyday decor. Like this...
The brilliance that is Suzanne Kasler. You go Atlanta.
Here are some other images that inspire me...
Let's face it, pretty much everything she does kicks ass.
Ditto for Ruthie. Love the atypical color scheme!
Eddie Ross you are a rock star. This makes me want to take back my red comment.
~Images: 1-2) Google ? 3) via MFaMB 4) ? 5) via Toby Fairley's blog 6 and 7) Cottage Living 8) eddieross.com
Oly is a Berkely based company started by Brad Huntzinger and Kate McIntyre in 1999 which boasts a product line full of gorgeous home furnishings, lighting and accessories that have an updated take on classic pieces. As described by Elle Decor, Oly's look is "sexy French meets postmodern organic." Yeah, that is what I meant to say. Some of my all time favorite pieces are...
Luca Dining Table
Robert Side Table
Jenny Chandelier
They just opened their flagship store in Manhattan. (see below) Heavenly. Coming next: jewelery, candles, fashion and even music. Er, music? Hmm. Whatever they do I am guessing it will have their signature style.
I absolutely cannot live without my L.L. Bean Totes! I have many of them, all various sizes, all chocolate brown and all with my initials SAW (not sure why people think that is funny?). I use them for carrying all my samples, client folders, measuring tapes, etc. when going to appointments. Sometimes I take them to the farmer's market. Sometimes I take them to the beach or on the boat. I also use them for overnight trips. This classic will never go out of style!
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