Sweet Swedes!

Dormer

Gorgeous Chandelier

I love look the look and feel of Swedish and Belgian design. It is always so light and airy, refined and elegant, but casual and livable at the same time. It seems as if I am hearing all my client's say they want some sort of Swedish influence in their home, steering well away from dark heavy designs like beefy furnishings and bedding and choosing to simplify their home and I think, their minds too! A few of my favorite pieces from avidHOME to bring in the look without the price tag of the real antiques without sacrificing the look! Although some are French inspired, the washed finishes of these pieces lend themself nicely to Swedish design.

As featured in Veranda magazine below, our cast iron finials look great on a mantel

Column Top

French Estate

Here is a sample of some of my current work - I have been running around the past few weeks trying to accessorize a model home that I am doing for a builder. This French estate is located in the heart of Preston Hollow in the Dallas area, most of the homes in this area have certain restriction on how far they need to sit back from the street and lot sizes that need to be maintained, so the area almost feels as if you aren't in the hustle and bustle of Dallas but really you are and everything is so close! This home is a palatial 14,000 square feet and includes a living, dining, great room, huge gourmet kitchen, theater, etc...the list goes on. I had a very limited budget on the furnishings and most of the items have been reused from previous models so please don't judge too harshly - and it is not quite finished. There are a few tweaks that need to be made! I will posting more photos in the next week or so as I finish the house up.

Houston: Antique Destination

After jetting down to Houston this weekend to visit some family, I had a couple of hours to kill and immediately ran down to Alabama St., where there is shop after shop of some of the South's best antiques. Houston's take on antiques is more casual than their Northern counterparts I am sure, but I think most people like living in a more casual enviroment that doesn't look like a museum and having to constantly live in fear that their kids (or themselves) are going to break a priceless antique. I thought I would share my pics from my quick stops along the way...enjoy!

Of course I had to put a sunburst on here - and brag about our collection as well! This one was huge and had an antique silvered convex mirror.

I love bullseye mirrors above beds and fireplace's - may be cliche by now...but it is timeless and will always look great!

(I have a source for some little ones at great prices that I am trying to update our site with.)

I think I am going to call the shop and see if they still have these exquisite trays, they were a robin's egg blue with gold etching and are so wonderful. The patina on them is fabulous!

I also fell for these Greco inspired French wood lamp bases. I picture these petite lamps in pair of chests perched upon a stack of antique books.

And last but not least, a beauiful French display cabinet. I have retrofitted these several ways for clients including changing out the glass and adding antique mirror fronts, or just keeping the glass and adding antique mirror to the back to bring in the light and make collections sparkle. I have also changed the glass out for wire mesh with fabric behind it in a little girls room to hide a TV - it turned out so cute!

Designer: Geoff De Sousa

Traditional Home

When flipping through one of Traditional Home's best productions ever, I came across this designer who is very well known throughout the San Francisco area for his design work and also his hi end to the trade showroom, desousahughes . He designed this room for the San Francisco Decorators Showhouse 2008 and it is simply devine! He pulls together a masculine mix of bold shapes and colors and juxaposes those lines with feminine touches like the hand embroidered drapery panels by Holland & Sherry .

The color palette was inspired directly by the Jean de Merry painting of horses that is composed of 36 hand-painted glass squares which is the statement piece in this room. The ink blue silk walls simply make the art pop. I also like how he chose to keep the beautiful wood floors exposed to carry out the caramely rust color throughout the room and also notice how he pops the yellow from painting in touches like art and flowers.

Check out the embroidered detailing on these luscious velvet drapes! He also created wood cornices to mimic the millwork throughout this 1905 Pacific Heights mansion. The long vertical mirror acts as another window, bringing more light and depth to a darker space.

Two Jean-Michel Frank chairs upholstered in Judy Ross embroidered textiles flank the sofa on the other seating area on the opposite side of the room - which used to be a ballroom!

Starburst Mirrors - Classically Timeless

Photo Jan Showers Interior Design

I absolutley love Jan Showers take on French deco design, with these walls glistening and the reflection of light bouncing off the smooth surfaces through out the room is a show stopper. The sunburst acts as a great focal point and all the design and symmetry of the room is pointed right at it. This would make a beautiful entryway and set the tone for ultra glam home (and it's owner!).

Photo House Beautiful

A collection of anything can make a big impact especially when it is grouped together such as these sunburst mirrors. Interior design by Suzanne Kasler.

This is a modern take on the ubiquitous starburst mirror, with it's chrome plating and straight edge rays gives some tension to the design of the straight lines of the headboard and the striped fabric.

Margaret Chambers, one of the top designers working in Dallas, uses this starburst mirror to add height to an otherwise squat bed - especially since the ceilings are so vast and also adds balance to the room to play off the adjacent wall filled with prints.

From Thomas Pheasant for Baker furniture - the constellation mirror.

avid-home.com

These two are from my avidHOME shop's stock and it is truly a great look at a great price (and the same one I mention below as hanging over my bed.)

In my relentless and sometimes (usually) exhausting hunts for the perfect accent piece for above a client's grouping of artwork or the such, I find the all encompassing starburst mirror. Typically they are French in orgin, sometimes Italian from the 1920-1940's with a collectors dream of a pantina finish of crusty old gold gilt leaf and a silvered convex mirror. I like to do them above groupings to bring the eye up and add an unexpected element besides the usual look of being placed above a fireplace - though I do have one above my master bed - but have been thinking about putting it in the center of a grouping as well above my living room sofa. Although this look has exploded in the last year or so, it will be a timeless investment. If you can't shell out a few grand, check out our collection - from the classic lines as shown here to more modern version with a brushed nickel finish.

http://avid-home.com/mirrors.html

Favorite Sites for Home Design

Photo www.housebeautiful.com

INSPIRATION SITES

www.housebeautiful.com/

Find inspiration that portrays a fresh, unique approach design from contempory, French, to classic...Also great recipes and tips for entertaining

http://www.dominomag.com/

Check out the forums for great tips and sources from other shoppers in your area, and not, also great photos

SHOPPING

www.avid-home.com/
But of course we're into self promotion...! No, but seriously, the concept is to bring hi-quality, unique decorative pieces for the home including furnishings and antiques that are not found everywhere else. We strive to bring an eclectic (but edited) selection of some of the greatest design out there - whether old or new.

http://www.1stdibs.com/
Find one of a kind - mostly with one of a kind prices(!) but if not to buy, then to gain inspiration from. I think you have to see something truly beautiful to gain insight as to what is of quality and craftmanship. There is also some profiles of the world's top designers along with a little portfolio of their work...very interesting.

http://www.momastore.og/
Tip: Check out some of your favorite museums online stores for unique and interesting accessories - for the home or yourself!

http://www.etsy.com/
For unique handmade things no one beats this site, usually great bang for the buck. Great for photography prints, artwork, decorative objects and jewlrey.

http://www.ebay.com/

This should be self explantory....

http://www.thisnext.com/

This is similiar to etsy except products are usually not handmade but new, get recommendations on just about anything...and make friends doing it!

ORGANIC LIVING

http://www.vivaterra.com/
Very comprehensive site featuring eco-friendly products


https://wildflowerorganics.com/
Organic living for the modernist...and modernist baby? - Check out the eco-friendy bottles...