So I am helping a Bachelor friend with his place and all the flooring needed to be replaced. We decided to go with stained concrete in the living room, kitchen and entryway since he is a man's man (i.e. he hunts, fishes and has a dog). I figured we could just put a drain in the center so he could hose it down once a week (lol)! I am dying to see how they turn out! He is also having wall to wall seagrass installed in the adjoining rooms. Yum!
I stained the concrete floor on my sunporch myself. I kinda did it sponge painting style except with two paint colors and a plastic bag. Don't tell anyone.
So, we all know that Charleston is a mecca for the hottest eats, shops, and creative talents. I mean, there is always something new and exciting going on (well, maybe just new to the South...lol). And with all the incredible architecture, The Holy City acts as a mecca for interior design inspiration as well. Case in point, Reclaimed Designworks a remarkable showroom selling reclaimed floors, beams, mantles, custom furniture and so much more located downtown on East Bay Street. We are pretty lucky to have a resource like this at our fingertips!
Using reclaimed wood can be simultaneously rustic and modern so it fits many decorating styles.The boards and beams have all kinds of character with their distress marks, patinas and edges which gives each piece a unique quality. In fact, I think using this wood is a way to make your home personal, because no two pieces of reclaimed wood are the same right?! And the possibilities are endless...
Whether using reclaimed wood for your flooring...
via
Or your Ceiling...
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Or for back your splash...
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Reclaimed wood makes an amazing impact! So now you are probably wondering, where can I get some of this cool wood? At Reclaimed Designworks, duh! Their wood is recovered from dismantled barns, farm houses, and factories that have outgrown their usefulness. Besides being the conversation piece in your home and looking fabulous, using reclaimed wood helps save a tree or two, or twenty... and we all should want to do that! And not to mention, the guys who work there are so helpful and full of knowledge... stop by and check it out...and tell them Sidney sent ya ;)
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.
I am still kicking myself for getting bamboozled into buying a (very expensive) Treo three days before the iPhone debuted (for less than the Treo mind you). Seriously? Ugh. And the technology on the iPhone keeps getting cooler and cooler further enticing me into Apple's web...
Most designers would agree that the interior design industry, as a whole, is a little behind the times (technologically speaking). I like to think that this is because design is such a tactile and emotional experience so it can be hard to capture the same feelings via a monitor. I know that I prefer to see, touch and feel items before recommending them to a client. Even with AutoCAD, most designers still like to use graph paper and drafting tools. I am somewhere in between, I prefer the old-school techniques yet I appreciate and experiment with all the new technology.
Last night I was reading the September issue of Traditional Home and saw that the iPhone recently debuted an app called "Ben Capture Color" where you can take a photo of an object who's color you like and within seconds you will be given an bevy of paint colors that closely match the object you photographed. Amazing! And this is a FREE download! http://www.apple.com/
Ben Capture Color App
There is also an app for interior designers (or wannabes) called "Mark on Call" which was created by L.A. based interior designer Mark Lewison. With this application, you can layout a room (to scale) then put down flooring, add architectural details and try out various furniture and appliances in the space you have created. Furthermore, you can add color, fabric, wood or stone from your own library or the applications preset options. Check out this full tutorial on You Tube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn51PgJYO0E. Super cool! I will put this into the category "why didn't I think of that?"
Mark On Call App
Oh, and the irony is that I splurged for the Treo so that I could have a camera on my phone to take pictures while I was out on shopping excursions! I am so three years ago. ~Images: Courtesy of Apple
Saw some progress on the kitchen reno. Electrical rough-in, cabinets installed, flooring patched and stained...
Check out the cute cabinet installer posing for the camera!
Here is the new construction I've been working on...we actually did drywall this week but I just found this photo on my phone so I thought I would share it.
I also finally got to go to Wren (which I talked about here) while in Beaufort visiting my parents at Christmas. Check out what I ordered...
Seafood Mac n' Cheese! It was as good as it looks and I didn't feel an ounce of guilt for eating it. Look at the big ass baked potato my mom got...
You can barely see it under all the fried onion rings. This place ain't for quitters.
I really liked the decor. A LOT. Check out how they had jute rugs hanging as room dividers.
Speaking of hanging stuff... [No, I haven't hung (hanged?) myself yet for those of you who follow me on Facebook. But I'm getting close with that kitchen reno mentioned above!]
I finally hung the burlap drapes over at my booth! Please stop by and take a look...lots of good things for sale at Southern Accents.
Sometimes you have to improvise while on the job. I didn't have a straight edge so my client's kid's Peter Pan book had to do...
So this weekend I'm going to the Mac n' at the Drome, a benefit concert for Mac Leaphart who is recovering from a brain tumor. Terrible. If you are local, please go and help this talented musician out while listening to some great music!
This is my bedroom. It is beckoning me from the next room...I am SO tired that all I can think about is my bed and that I want to be in it! I am sorry for the lame post but I have been going non-stop and I am exhausted!
Some info on my room (if anyone is at all interested)...the nightstands I found separately (each at a different flea market). I about wet myself when I found the second one and realized it was an exact match to the other one! Think I paid $15 total for both of them and had them lacquered the same (Benjamin Moore Navajo White). I still need to change out the hardware but have yet to decide on some I like...it has been four years. The headboard is a rattan product from West Elm that I had a slipcover made for because I didn't love the rattan once it arrived. I used the same linen fabric from the headboard on the panels and bedskirt (which you can't see in this pic). The ottomans are from an Eclectic upholstery line. Coverlet and shams are Pottery Barn (I hate to admit that-damn you Pottery Barn!-but I dig the paisley print and it has all my fav colors in it). Coverlet is from an Eclectic bedding line. Lamps are Arteriors. Wall color is Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue. Chair is grandma's recovered in a cream, nubby linen. Flooring is wall to wall seagrass. Sunburst mirrors...ah, can't remember! That's all you can see! Is my duvet cover driving anyone else crazy in this picture of is it just my anal retentive ass?
Have a great weekend!
Don't forget to enter my contest by the end of today to win the cutest pig pillow you have ever seen...(Katie if you are reading this doesn't Ashlea need this pillow?!?!)
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