Natural rugs kick ass. They fit into any decor and add a great texture. They come in many weaves and patterns. Here are just a few!
House Beautiful
House Beautiful
House Beautiful
House Beautiful
Domino
I love layering animal skins over them! Like this...
Domino
Or a hand knotted rug like this...
Anyone know where I can get a round, natural rug like this???
While on my way to Atlanta, I stopped off in Columbia to do a little shopping! One of the places I HAD to go to was MACK HOME, a store my good friend's cousin, Marnie Clayton, opened a while back along with fellow designer Anna Kemper and manager Heather Jenkins. Marnie is not only adorable but a fabulous designer with a great eye! I can attest to that as I have spent some time with her at market and she always amazes me with what she finds! See for yourself...
Be sure to check out MACK HOME next time you are in Columbia, South Carolina!
A few other places I like to hit are House of Rugs on Carlisle Street, City Market Antique Mall on Gervais Street, Old Mill Antique Mall on State Street and Chic Antiques on Huger Street. If you know of anything I am missing out on...leave me a comment!
I bought a lot of stuff both for clients and my new online shop. But here are some of the things I had to pass on...
These draftsman stools were awesome but SO uncomfortable I couldn't handle it!
Reframed this original art would have been killer!
As promised, I would share a bit more from my meeting of Martin Lawrence Bullard, famed interior designer to the stars and star himself of Million Dollar Decorator. I felt he was ridiculously over-the-top on the show but super likable in person! While at ADAC, I was able to hear him speak along with Susan North, Senior Vice President, Design & Creative Directorof Schumacher, about developing your own line and of course pumping his own fabric line for Schumacher.
He talked about getting his first big client, Cheryl Tieg, which happened to receive lots of press in shelter mags and therefore led to many, many more big time clients. [Every designer's dream!] When asked how he got hooked up with Schumacher, Susan credited his work on the Greenroom at the Oscars and his ability to impeccably mix fabrics combined with his worldly aestetic. He had lots of colorful anecdotes about his travels and how they inspired the prints he created. One in particular was when his former assistant left him to marry the richest man in Turkey. So she went form schlepping after him to managing a personal staff of hundreds. Gotta love that!
In addition to his fabric line, he also has many other licensing deals in the works including a furniture line, eco-friendly cleaning products, a mattress line, a line of rugs for The Rug Co. and tiles for Exquisite Tiles. He is also the spokesperson for Jaguar. You should hear this man say Jaguar. It is brilliant. I J'adore him! Oh, he also said that he was asked to be the spokesperson for male Spanks. He was insulted and declined. Hey, a guys gotta have standards!
I hate this photo of me...I look like a 50 year old business woman. Not that there is anything wrong with a 50 year old business woman...it's just not the look I was going for. But it was funny as I was getting on the elevator, an impeccably dressed man in his early 50's looked me up and down and said "Missoni?" Then just nodded yes before I could answer and turned around all proud of himself. My shirt is from T.J. Maxx but he's right, it does look Missoni-esque. Anyway, the encounter made me laugh inside myself!
I should mention that Martin had pink socks to match his shirt.
Here is his book. Admittedly, I have yet to go through it but I am real excited to!
And I should also mention his inscription...I asked him to write something "naughty" so he wrote "Big delicious kiss to you!" Love it!
Some of these you will see again in "after" photos of client's homes!
In case you can't tell, I have such a schizophrenic design aesthetic. Everything I like is a mix of several opposing styles...Coastal Living (i.e. rattan furniture, coral and other natural items, coastal colors, sea inspired artwork), Domino (i.e. kitschy flea market finds and modern accessories) and Southern Accents (i.e. traditional pieces, gold framed art, Oushak rugs). Sometimes it is a stretch to blend them all together (and I am not entirely sure that I always succeed) but luckily, I named my company Eclectic so I can at least pretend, right?
How cozy is a flokati rug this time of year? I was curious how these rugs came to be so I did a little research...
The origin of the modern day Flokati was a serendipitous moment. In the village of Samarina, Greece, villagers raised goats and sheep as their primary source of trade and commodity. They started using the wool as blankets to protect themselves during the harsh winter temperatures. The Samarina shepherds had left one of their woven wool blankets in the waters of the Pindus Mountains, unattended for nearly two days. Once they remembered their wool blanket, the shepherds returned to the stream where they had left their wool blanket and noticed that the backing felted, and most importantly the wool had unraveled and flourished. This was the first, fully flourished Flokati rug. Little did the shepherds know that the wool they relied on to stay warm would become a luxury for millions upon millions of people around the world for centuries to come. As tourism increased and travel became easier in the mid 20th Century, the Flokati burst onto the American scene in the form of the Flokati rug. (Information provided by flokati.com)
They come in different colors also.
Check out this flokati poof!
~Images: 1) Designed by Pimlico 2 and 3) Elle Decor 4) Traditional Home 5) Unknown 6) Domino 7) Country Livng
I'm a big fan of the outdoor living room. I feel like I have been really negative this week, maybe because I didn't feel good. Plus I was bummed that I had too much work to do and couldn't spend all week with my nephews in Beaufort as I had hoped. Regardless, I wanted to end the week on a good note! I love the idea of a decorated and lived-in outdoor room that you can actually enjoy! God bless you outdoor fabrics and polypropylene rugs. Here are some prime examples...
