A Little Trade Secret....

When I work on projects for clients, I always try to create special things that let them know I consider their project unique.  Here is a company I have found in my search for specialty products.  I wanted to share a great resource for custom monogramming call JuliaB's.  Not only does this company do beautiful custom monogramming but they also have an online vintage store.  While they are not cheap, I can't help but remember the old  addage,

 " You get what you pay for".  These are worth the money!

Check out the beautiful work of JuliaB's

As shown in Traditonal Home July-Aug 2011

Euro Sham shown in pattern Aix with monogram A06 letter 

"A" embroidered in 2 tone yellow and turquoise.  There are

so many options.  You are only limited by your own preferences.

If you want older linens, they have

Vintage Handtowels in the online store...

Loverly custom monogrammed cocktail napkins

in the online boutique...

Beautiful table linens....

These have little gold bead trim.

I especially liked these placemats and napkins, 

may be since it has my initial on them. Actually,

I think it has more to do with the graceful

scalloped trim around the edges.

Sweetness abounds....

Who could resist these beautiful baby pillows, complete

with the baby's name, birth date and a little bunny! 

I could picture this becoming a tooth fairy pillow, once

the bunny is lost...

The company also offers these beautiful coverlets with

scalloped or piped edges in silk or 100% Italian linen.

Also 100% wool blankets with whipped stitched edges....

I personally loved these coral linens with uniquely

scalloped edges....

Wouldn't these look great in the bathroom off of the 

bedroom with the linens above... oooh, so pretty!!!

Then there are the many beautiful monogram options...

Here is an example of one that I thought was really pretty.

  This reminds me of the "real" monogramming looks like.

We have the "quick" monogramming we can get at the mall,

and while it has its place, this is what really makes things special.

Many times when someone says monogram, you instantly think of 

something feminine, but I liked this option for men as well as women.

It is a little Tory Burchesque, don't you think?  

 Go check out the website.  There is something there that will catch

your eye I am quite sure.  There are any, many options.   

JuliaB's

(All photos courtesy of JuliaB's)

I'm off to Chapel Hill this morning, so hopefully I will soon have photos to post

of my project!!  Wish me Luck!

Hooper-Kyser House Update

I've just returned from the H-K House and things are progressing

nicely! The painters are almost done!

 I will restrain from posting pictures until things are a little 

better in order.  Lots of befores and afters to come!  Still on the

hunt for many things.  I am still trying to decide if I want to put ceiling fans

in the bedrooms or just a ceiling mount light or pendant.  This is a dilemma when dealing

with a historical project that will be lived in by a modern family.  Form versus

function?  When the house was built in 1814, there were no ceiling lights, only candle light

So any choice I make will be a modern update. What do you vote?  

Here are some options I found that could work.

The ceilings are 9 ft and the rooms are fairly large so options abound.

First we have this little guy, is is a little streamline but i think would

be clean lined and work in the room....

or I also like this option which would be more in keeping with the house....

so what do I do?  Go with form or function?  What's your vote?  These

are representative of the type things I am pondering.  When I make my decision

I will share with you.  Do you have a suggestion?

Hooper-Kyser House in Chapel Hill, NC

One of my current projects is the Hooper-Kyser House in Chapel Hill, NC

It is a grande old dame steeped in history.  It is the oldest house in Chapel Hill.

The federal style farmhouse is situated on almost an acre of land on Franklin street. 

 Built for William Hooper, who was a professor at UNC-Chapel Hill and grandson of

one of the North Carolinians who signed the Declaration of Independence.

  The house was also owned by Kay Kyser, famous big band director and his movie

star wife, Georgia Carroll, who left Hollywood and moved to Chapel Hill in 1951.  

Here is a picture of the front of the house.

This house is governed by the North Carolina Historical Association so there

are many restrictions as far as renovation, etc.  This is the original staircase.

This stairway and that wall are two of the structures that cannot be changed.

The wall the stairwell is on is the oldest wall in Chapel Hill!

Here we have the dining room.  As you can see the chair rail caps a horizontal

wide board wainscoting.  The boards are so old and rough that we had to paint

all the trim with a satin finish, because we didn't want to magnify the imperfections.

It took my painters and me a couple of tries before we got it right, but now it is

beautiful.  All these pictures are before we painted.  Note the beautiful wide

plank pine flooring.  It is just beautiful.  A little uneven but very pretty!

As you can see, the house has beautiful windows which stretch to the floor.  When I say to the floor I mean all the way to the floor!  There are some broken panes of glass, so I had to write the historical association to ask for permission to replace them.  We are still waiting for their approval.  The old glass is so pretty, I hate to have to replace any of it. 

This is an interior wall now, but once it was an exterior wall, before the house

was renovated and the sunroom, bath and kitchen were added.

This bath is off the upstairs hallway.  I love the application of the mirror 

on the window.  I think it is a very clever way to use the space.  It allows 

just the right amount of privacy and light. 

Aren't these the cutest stairs you've ever seen?  They go up to the third floor.

"What's up there, you ask?"

This is was Kay Kyser office.

The last homeowner, left these behind.  I am guessing that they are important to the house.

I am trying to find out who they belonged to.  Hopefully, we will be able to get these pieces refurbished and use them.  If we can get the drawer to close properly, wouldn't that cabinet be great!  I can think of several uses for it!  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my furniture guy can stabilize the table.  if so, we are going to paint and use in the breakfast room.  The top of the table is tongue and groove flooring.

This is the rear of the house where the addition was added.  This

really made the house livable.  I love all the windows!  The roof on the addition

is flat.  You can walk out on it from the third floor room.

I hope you enjoyed the introductory tour to the Hooper-Kyser house.  

The painters are working hard as I write this.  Hopefully, I will be able to share what's going

on inside soon!  Until then, I'd better get back to sourcing furniture and rugs!  

p.s. Did you know Franklin Street in Chapel Hill is named for Ben Franklin?

Objects of Interest...

 I ventured to Chapel Hill, NC on Friday to check on the progress of 

my project there.  Along the way, I stopped at a couple

of shops. I find it intriguing to see what people chose for their shops. 

   A shop owner has  an allotted amount of space so, they have to choose 

carefully what they want to take up their real estate. Their choices tell

a story of what they find interesting and worthy.  Often times their choices are very personal. The average person has no idea the number of showrooms and lines a shop owner has to cull through to make these decisions.  

Here are a few of the things I discovered on my journey.  I wish I had taken photos of the interesting tables I purchased.  I was so excited, I left them at the project without photographing them,  so I can't show you now but I will later.  I cannot wait to show you the house and all the things going on there.  It will be fun!

I found this antique putti from France in a little store called 

Dovecoat in Fearrington Village in Pittsboro.  Don't you love

his sweet face.  I have always had a thing for angels but even more

so now.  Not sure where this little guy will 

go but may be in a grouping of objects in a bedroom? 

I loved these wooden lanterns.  I wanted to hang wooden lanterns on either side

of the master bed.  These would have been perfect.  They need wiring but

other than that they were great!  The only problem is I found out that

we cannot hang any lanterns because the wiring will not reach.  This is

what you run into when you are working with a house that is 197 years old.

I found this painting at Rococo in Charlotte, NC.  I loved the colors!  The shop is owned by Cindy Caudle, who is a friend of mine.  She and her partner, Cathy  have

beautiful things.  Stop in and see for yourself!

Here it is a picture of the painting in the house!  This is the dining room.

This is before the walls were painted.  It went so well with the

green mantle that I decided to keep the green mantle and

add brown to it!  It is so much more interesting two -toned.

Once the room is complete I will show you a picture!  

You can see where I was trying out whites on the wall?   

The piece below was also at Dovecoat.  Sorry my picture is so dark

but if you look closely, the drawers are numbered 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

I thought this might be fun in the media room to store games and videos in.  

Hope you enjoyed the bits and pieces of my shopping excursion.

More later....Enjoy your Sunday!

OMG! Look What I Found On First Dibs!!!!!

Talk About Jewelry for a Room......

 Magnificent Rock Crystal and Gilded Chandelier late 1970's

This Magnificent Chandelier was Designed by Coco Chanel in 

Collaboration with her Jeweller, Robert Goosens. 

Measurements:  39.5" H x 31.5"D  

Specifications: Materials/Techniques: Stone and Metal

Creator: Coco Chanel/Robert Goosens

                                                             Photography courtesy of Lamberty

                                             It's never a good sign, when you have to call for pricing or

                                                 if Coco Chanel's name is attached to the description...

                                                                  Do I dare call?  Just for the fun?

Brown Paper packages Tied Up With String...These are a Few of My Favorite Things....

I was so excited yesterday when the postman rung my door bell and

left a package on my front stoop.  I couldn't wait to open the box.

Getting a package is soooo exciting, and this just what I needed to

brighten my day and inspire me for my new project....

Don't you love the wrapping....

Inside the package was a signed copy of Giannetti Home's founders

Brooke and Steve Giannetti's new book "Patina Style".  

I have admired their work for a long time.  Their work is timeless!

Here is a description from the book,

"The Giannettis have developed a design style that embraces Patina, the beauty that the passage of time brings to objects in your life."

"Patina Style is a color palette, a romance with subtlety, an attraction to natural materials and architectural details,  and is at once old-world and mildly industrial. Patina Style gives insight into materials choices, methods and treatments that result in spaces that celebrate the beauty in the old, the imperfect and the slightly worn."

 To see  some of their work and read Brooke's  blog, Velvet & Linen, click here.  

To order their book click here.  

Here are a couple of pictures from the book...

I cannot wait to get my work done, so I can sit down and enjoy every page!

I promise you will be mesmerized...

Sign,Sign, Everywhere a sign, do this, don't do that... "Can't you read the sign"

Sorry, couldn't help but do this post on the signs we saw in China.

Obviously things sometimes get lost in translation, in these

instances, we understood exactly what they meant but it was still funny!

Sign at the bottom of escalator at the airport..

(Slippery when wet)

Bathroom....

The food in this restaurant really wasn't ugly....

(Homestyle)

I think this was a business license...

Sign at the Summer Palace...

(Steep Hill)

Sign at the base of a sculpture in the park...

 (Please do not step on the monument)

A very pleasant directive...

I have to say that I was quite impressed that they had the english translation on every

sign even if it was a "loose translation"....  Hopefully, you got a chuckle out of this as we did!

For the Love of Pinterest....

Are you as in love with Pinterest as I am?  If not, you don't know what you are missing!!! Go to Pinterest and check out my boards.   If you don't have an account for yourself, set one up, download the "pin it" bar on your bookmark and start pinning!  You can create your own boards(categories of interest) then pin items you want to save.  Think of it as, your personal visual library, of all things you find online that you love and want to keep up with in one place.  If you are considering several items to purchase, you can compare them side by side by pinning them! Want to keep up with those recipes that you find online, pin them! You can also "follow" other peoples boards and "repin" items

they pin that you love!  It's so much fun!  I will warn you though...It's addicting!

Here are a few of my recent pins...

 I "pinned" these photos to save for inspiration!

Hope you will enjoy pinterest as much as I do!

Start Pinning!!!!  www.pinterest.com

Is this what they call functional art?.....

Can you tell what this is?.....At first glance I thought it was coconuts....

Look a little closer....

did you figure out what this is yet?????

yes, it is bowls being shipped.....did you think they were as interesting

as I thought they were?    Is this called "Art in Motion" or what....

Sewer covers can be art...

I have a friend who takes pictures of sewer covers and then makes them black &

white and frames them.  The collection makes an awesome statement hung

together on a wall.  I am starting my own collection....

What do you think... Good idea?  

I think it is a great way to mark where you have traveled?

China, July 2011