Upholstered Bergere

So excited that several of the Material Girls (Lauren, Emily and I) will be part of the Design Bloggers Tastemakers Tag Sale on One Kings Lane!  OKL, which I now affectionately call it within my office, selected 10 of their favorite interior design blogs to participate in this grandiose event. Of all of the various projects inside the design world which I have been involved in, this one is definitely right up there towards the top…working with my fellow MG contributors is always a thrill. I am reminded of my previous years as the owner of an antiques store in Cincinnati and also of my exhibit’s within the antiques world at shows in Chicago, NYC, The Hampton’s and LA.  Bringing me back to my roots a bit

In prep for our big debut, I thought I’d feature several of my favorites on OKL today.  Be sure to stop by the Design Bloggers Tastemakers Tag Sale on One Kings Lane beginning Tuesday, February 28th at 6 PM PST!  Can’t wait!

Valerie Nesting Cocktail Table

Industrial Coffee Table

Pyrton Club Chair

Manhassett Console

Upholstered Sofa with Canopy

Would lovee this in my garden!

Pink Chenille Slipper Chair

Lauri Table, Gold Leaf

Fashion Designer Jason Wu launched his exclusive collection for Target today in stores and online. The 53 piece collection includes accessories, handbags, dresses, and separates which all retail for under $60. Rumor has it pieces have already hit eBay and most stores sold out in minutes!

Jason Wu for Target Trench Coat in Black

Jason Wu for Target Peplum Top in Gold, Pleated Skirt in Black,  & Lace Clutch.

Jason Wu for Target Flared Dress in Black with Nude Patent Leather Belt

Jason Wu for Target Collared Cap-Sleeve Pleated Blouse in Red, with Pleated Skirt in Navy Floral.

Jason Wu for Target Straw Cluth

Looking forward to meeting Jason Wu this coming week during Fashion Week in NYC, sponsored by Brizo!

A very special thank you to Christian of Maison21 for nominating my name for the event! Check out the giveaway he is currently featuring on his blog for a Brizo Faucet, and read about his own trip to attend Fashion Week with Brizo!

{Jamie Dietrich New York Show}

I have been trying to get my hands on the fantastic pieces of Jamie Dietrich forever, but I seem to have a tough time coming across them.  Jamie’s signature vintage bottles, crosses, pedestals, coral and much more are so beautiful and versatile.  Then, out of the blue, a friend of mine called me from West Elm in NYC of all places to tell me about these fabulous “coral on pedestal objects” that she’d come across.  I instantly knew she was talking about Jamie Dietrich pieces and I had her put them all on hold for me!  En route to my Chicago showroom as we speak

{Dietrich piece at West Elm NYC}

{Dietrich at West Elm NYC}

{Dietrich West Elm NYC}

I was so happy to finally get a hold of Dietrich’s fantastic work and cannot wait to place them in my projects.  I wanted to share her work with you, but like the pieces themselves, images on the web seem to be hard to come by!  Dietrich’s website does not include photos of her work, so I found what I could on her Facebook page.  Jamie, if you’re reading this, please share your work with your eager MG readers!

Jamie’s company overview on her Facebook page:

“Jamie Dietrich’s vintage bottle art uses only authentic bottles from the 1800s to early 1900s, decorated with handmade crystals and shell work. Jamie Dietrich’s pillows use either silk velvet fabric, in many stunning colors, or vintage hemp fabrics from Europe. JD Vintage also designs handmade jewelry, shadow box shell art and floating framed vintage prints. All of our decorative collectibles are handmade unique works of art.”

Dietrich pieces can be found at the following showrooms:

-Kenneth Ludwig Showroom at the Chicago Merchandise Mart

-Dori Sanders Showroom at Dallas World Trade Center

-Bassman Blaine Showroom at Los Angeles Mart

-High Design Showroom at Americas Mart in Atlanta

{Jamie Dietrich New York Show}

{Jamie Dietrich New York Show}

{Jamie Dietrich New York Show}

{Dietrich’s work on Signature Jordan blog}

{Dietrich at Brown Boxie Trading}

Inspiring vignettes of personal collections…

{Found treasures}

{Art, books, & accessories}

{For the vanity…makeup brushes & jewelry}

{Nautical}

{Artwork & photography}

{Books}

{Dishware}

{Art supplies}

{Vintage photographs}

What things do you collect?

Brittany and Nicole

Don’t get me wrong, we love our quirky little 1930’s house.  It has lots of charm (original doorknobs, warm wood floors, scalloped built-ins, and french doors.) It’s also fun living near White Rock lake, Mockingbird Station, Greenville and Lakewood.

This house has been a great first house for my husband and I..but let’s be honest…one bathroom, closets that only fit half a season’s worth of clothes, and a living room that doesn’t fit anything larger than an apartment sized sofa, are things that are wearing on us just a tad.

{an example of our oven}

With our lease expiration in May fast approaching, the clock has started to tick on finding a larger place.  We’re toying with the idea of buying something and I have to admit that I’ve been doing what must be typical of every interior designer (right???)- something I like to call obsessing.  I check the MLS for new listings every single day trying to find the “perfect” house in our price range. My realtor has dubbed me the “picky” client as I always seem to point out what is wrong with every single house (“oh I need a separate formal living and separate formal dining”, “is that carpet in the kitchen?”, “does this backsplash give you the heebie jeebies?”, “does the orange undertone in these wood floors bother anyone else here?”, “Zoey can’t live in a house with a detached backyard”)

Okay, okay she’s right- maybe I am picky…but I think the main problem is that I improve spaces for a living and so I am out there every single day seeing the latest and greatest so when I see the not so great, I immediately have to comment on it. Of course no house will be perfect and really, what fun would it be if it was? My husband has been dying for us to get a fixer-upper so we can work on it together these next few years.

Until then, there’s nothing wrong with dreaming of the perfect house, is there?

There are so many images on MLS that make up “my dream house” but since that 12 million dollar house on Strait Lane is a little bit of a reach for me , I thought I’d compile my favorite images of realistic houses that we’ve actually been looking at into a virtual “dream home” for ya’ll to see- enjoy!

Hollywood Heights, Santa Monica, M Streets or Lakewood? I’d be overjoyed to live in any of these East Dallas neighborhoods. You don’t get a lot of space for your money, but because I die over those Tudor exteriors, I’d gladly give up square footage for curbside appeal with one of these cottage cuties-

An updated kitchen can be hard to come by for the right price in this neighborhood, but I managed to find a few white kitchens that I’d be happy to bake my cookies in (and I look forward to joining the rest of the world with a modern oven and dishwasher- woo hoo!)

I love a formal living room.  I know it’s not really practical this day and age, but I think I’ll always want to have one.  It’s the one room where you don’t have to feel guilty about purchasing unique vintage chairs that are on the smaller side, delicate mirrored coffee tables and clean lined, dainty tight back skirted sofas. This room can be all about PRETTY.  If your husband is anything like mine, he doesn’t care what goes in this room, as long as he has a “man cave” or a comfortable den, so this room truly becomes whatever you want it to be- bliss!

Of course, a family room is important too, but unfortunately most of these smaller houses in East Dallas only have one living area, so in this case, I’m loving how these homeowners mixed the formal with the informal to satisfy both parties in the family.

Arched doorways, painted wood fireplaces, and crown moulding give these houses architectural interest and extra detail.

My husband came across this listing the other day and said that he wants this exact room as his “man cave”- I can deal with that!

In general, I love me some dark wood floors, white trim and gray (or off white) walls!

I’m a nut for a clean and updated looking bathroom.  You can see that this homeowner was on top of the ball when he chose to use white marble in this guest bath.  I always say that every space needs a touch of black- he must have thought so too!

White subway tile is a very affordable way to give a bathroom an instant makeover.  Normally you see white cabinets with white subway, but I like how this homeowner went against the norm and stained his cabinets a deep brown. It warms up the small space nicely-

This room was done by the homeowner, who is an interior designer (can’t you tell)?  Most bedrooms I stumble across on the MLS in our price range aren’t this put together.  Notice the custom cut sisal around the perimeter of the room, custom window treatments and upholstered headboard. You can tell that this homeowner is with it.  Perhaps if we buy this one, he’d consider throwing in the sunburst mirror for free?

And I almost forgot about storage!  Since our house is bursting at the seams currently because of no storage space, I’d add some extra built-ins to our make believe house like the below-

Since this is a dream, I suppose I’ll add on this indoor side porch too.  It makes such a cute sitting area-

Of course, the backyard is very important too.  Even though our house is tiny, we have a great backyard with a deck (it’s probably larger than our house) so I know that is one of the things that we will miss. Here are some other views from the back porch of my pretend East Dallas home, that I wouldn’t mind waking up to every day-

And while we are at it, let’s throw in a guest-house for EJ Interiors to office out of-

Well I suppose it’s time for me to wake up from my house dream and get back to reality. Until next time!

Not only do I love the look of Flor, but also several of my projects, my own home, and now my own dogs (as part of the set) have been featured in their campaigns.  We actually have a shoot later this week with the FLOR Photography Crew at the home of one of my clients-sans dog models. And, one of my oldest daughter’s roomies was the model in their latest catalogue.  She had a blast at the shoot with our Wheaten Terriers, Jane and Frankie, but stole the show!

FLOR is a great solution for affordable, custom sized carpeting, and the broad selection is amazing.  The look of Flor trends toward modern with basics to suit any decor style.  I have the “Fine Feathers” pattern installed inside my offices. Having worked closely with Chip and Cynthia over the years, it was so much fun to “peek” into their home. It comes as no surprise that the home of this creative director in suburban, family-friendly Elmhurst would have a very midcentury look…I love it!

The look of Flor…

What an charming 1940’s ranch home.

Dying over this orange couch.

Love the original stove and oversized chalk board…perfect for a home with creative little ones.

Fabulous onyx entry table.

Such a fun room for the little guys.

I could get some serious R&R in this patio area…

Please visit the Chicago Home + Garden site for more images of this amazing home and much more!

Occasionally it’s refreshing to see interiors that are airy, light, and bright. While dark colors can be exciting and dramatic, lighter colors tend to be more soothing. Often times, clients request warm colors for the sake of having some richness to their rooms. Yet, this past week I did a paint color consultation for a client’s new home where we went with “barely there colors” paint colors almost devoid of anything but a hint of color.  Sometimes it’s nice to “lighten up!”

{image via Hometown Girl}

Tone on tone, whites and creams.

Benjamin Moore Elmira White HC-84

{image via Pinterest}

A crisp white, bright entry!

Benjamin Moore Decorator White 1-04

{image via Home-Styling}

Light with a subtle hint of pink.

Benjamin Moore Mirage White 2116-70

{image via House & Home}

Cool blues and grays.

Benjamin Moore Wales Gray 1585

{image via Pinterest}

Off-whites and grays.

Benjamin Moore Owl Gray 2137-60

{image via Pinterest}

Cabinets painted in greige with a soft white contrast.

Benjamin Moore Ozark Shadow AC-26

{image via Pinterest}

A tone on tone affect with a hint of warmth.

Benjamin Moore Lancaster Whitewash HC-174

{*for E., for giving me the great quote}

The beautiful, handmade pieces in their new collection reflect the company’s passion for quality design, and we couldn’t be more impressed! Boasting 60 brand-new styles, the collection continues to focus on fanciful mirrors yet also includes their first headboard and nightstand designs. Whether you’re looking to re-vamp an entire room or find that one unusual piece to complete a space, the looks at Made Goods are sure to stand out and make a statement!

Some of our favorites: (it was hard to choose!)

Celeste Mirror

Catherine Drum Chandelier

Benjamin Table

Florence Mirrors

Gavin Headboard

For those of you in NYC, stop by Made Good’s new collection launch from January 28- February 1 at Pier 94 Booth 45020-23.

Since last week’s, “Furniture Friday,” was more luxury oriented, I thought I’d share an great, inexpensive online source for Parson’s Chairs, Carrington Court Direct.  I have used them with COM fabric and it turned out great!