Fresh Interiors For 2011

After The Holidays . . . One Step At A Time!

If your holiday decorations have made their way back to storage, you might be experiencing withdrawal from all things sparkly and bright.  It could make you feel a bit turned upside down!

The great reason for continuing to have all of those “pretties” placed about could be to distract you from some of the household “to-do” items you may have missed back in the fall.  (I have seen decorations left up until Easter!)

 

Now that the New Year has arrived, are you feeling a little challenged by the notion of adding one more thing to your list of resolutions?  How about considering this option?  Create a “love” list instead!  Isn’t it time to make 2011 the year of “Loving The Home You’re In?”™

 

I’m here to share with you how simple it can be by taking small steps, which add up in a big way.  You can lead a well-designed life! 

Rather than have you immediately focus on big areas or big projects, in the next couple of weeks, I’m going to share small steps to help you better embrace those projects when you’re ready for them. 

Here’s a good “Love List”, to start:

1.  Start with one room or a small cluster of spaces.  Getting one area completed not only makes for a positive impact, psychologically, it’s allows for a better focus of how the dollars are invested.  Trying to spread a one room budget, throughout an entire home, still leaves for projects unfinished.  Of course, expansion to other areas is totally up to you!

2.  Clear the clutter.  While this might seem obvious, clutter is not only about “junk”, but unless something serves a purpose, is a true treasure, or enhances the room, it’s hard to see the proverbial forest for the “stuff”.  This doesn’t mean you are 100% permanently removing those things, it just allows you to start with a fresh perspective.  For example, I’ll often have clients strip down bookcases, before I arrive, place the items on a table in a dining room, and we’ll “shop” in there, first, before eliminating or deciding to add or update the shelves.  The transformations are always amazing!

3.  Take a room assessment test.  Now that the room has been somewhat cleared, take a look at what’s going on in the background.  Do the floors or floorcoverings need attention . . . cleaned, replaced, or a new area rug?  Are the walls and trim scuffed and in need of touch-up or repainting?  Does the ceiling show stains from leaks?  Without lamps, is the room dark and relying on one lone ceiling fixture?  Do you have any trim molding details which are not in proportion to the size of the room or any molding at all?  As a designer, I take a good look at the bones of a space.  I can often tell if the homeowner is spending more dollars on furniture and accessories, in effort to compensate for some missing architectural definition or function.  Temporary or cover-up solutions are only band-aids and don’t necessarily address what the “design doctor” might really need to order.

No matter the style of your home, when completed, there are certain items that will make it sparkle and shine!

I’ll continue to share some special tips and advice, throughout the month, along with some regular posts.  I’m in the process of practicing what I preach, so the Horton household has been receiving some attention to the little things, as well as some business housekeeping.  A new logo, an updated website, and even a name tweak is in the works!  (Thanks to Aimee O’Boyle, at Creative Montage for her amazing talents!)

Stay-tuned!  2011 is going to be a great year for “Loving The Home You’re In”™ !

All my best! ~ Wanda

Christmas Countdown – Day 3

Snackin’

My Twitter friend, Amy Johnson, from She Wears Many Hats, has a great section in her blog appropriately titled “Yum-Yum”.  I was fortunate enough to stumble upon Amy’s fun site, about a year ago, and actually had the pleasure of meeting her in person, while waiting in line for a book signing by another favorite blogger and cookbook author, Rea Drummond, from the Pioneer Woman.  They both always have the best recipes for a favorite holiday category, I fondly refer to as “snackin”. 

I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely a sweet and salty kind of gal.  One just seems to balance out the other.  I thought I would share two of Amy’s fab and easy recipes to allow you to accommodate any last minute guests.  Sometimes, impromptu gatherings are the most fun!

Amy calls this recipe her “This-Was-Supposed-To-Be-Something-Else Cheese Spread”.  If you click on the photo, above, it will take you right to her special ingredients!  You could whip up a batch and keep it in the fridge for a few days.  (If you can keep away from it, that long.)

Presentation is everything!  The Vietri line of pottery has some of the most fun serveware pieces for holiday entertaining.  Even the simplest of snacks will look like you fussed all day if presented on one of these platters.  While I was in Chapel Hill, NC, over the Thanksgiving break, I dropped by A Southern Season, a favorite foodie hot spot.  They have one of the largest Vietri displays I’ve ever seen!  You can order online from them, too.

Mmmmm!  Almond Roca!  Buttery, caramely, nutty, chocolately goodness, gracious, me-oh-my!  Amy’s recipe can be found on the Tasty Kitchen site.  <Just click on this link for the ooey, gooey details!

After indulging in some tasty treats, it’s always nice to have a good napkin to dab at the corners of your mouth.  I found these at the end of the last holiday season and stocked up! 

23 Days and Counting! ~ All my best! ~ Wanda

It’s In The Mail – The Gift of Designing Christmas Greetings!

Now that Thanksgiving dinner has settled, one of the first things I like to address . . . no pun intended . . . is the stack of greeting cards I’ve carefully selected to send to family, friends, and clients.  I don’t have a one-size-fits-all approach as to how I design an interior, so selecting cards shouldn’t be any different.  I’ve got a mad passion for beautiful paper, patterns, and lettering.  Email cards can be fun and fast but I love to send salutations which can be held in the hand.  (It’s one of the reasons, if it were up to me, bookstores would still be thriving, too.)

If you need inspiration for your Christmas card list, all you have to do is log-on to the website, Etsy.  I could spend hours searching through all of the designs!  There is something to fit everyone.

Sweet Letter Press displays a peaceful image in current colors.  There is a fab fabric from Lee Jofa and designer, Eric Cohler, which captures a similar, graphic aesthetic.

A fresh interpretation of the lodge look.  I keep hoping to use one of these patterns for a client!

This fun card, from dodeline design, brought to mind a fabulous wall display I saw, below, in the Halo Styles Showroom at the High Point Market. 

Almost hard to believe they all didn’t end up in the landfill!  (Image courtesy of the Kandrac and Kole blog.)

Sentiments expressed, en Francais, always take on certain je ne sais quoi .  I have a wish to someday make it to the Maison & Objet, in Paris, the city of lights.  It’s a trade show of magnifique proportions.  (Wonder what the French would think of my southern accent?)

One Etsy vendor, petitepear, enthralled me with breadth of her designs.  I especially heart her gift tags, as shown below:

When I saw the fine examples of papeterie, above, it reminded me of tagging along with Eddie Ross, during one of our recent antiques’ shows.  He shared a great tidbit about silver in the video I recorded, below:

A friend of mine, Beth Swanson, has a darling antiques shop, Olde Tyme Marketplace, located in the old mercantile building where the “The Color Purple” was filmed, in Marshville, NC.  These gift cards would be right up her store’s alley!

Beth is the consummate recycler.  Just look at what she’s done to this old pail!

The dog lover couldn’t help but to be won over by the little black pup with the wreath collar.  Another friend, Tammy Taylor, is “owned” by her sweet black lab, Reagan.  I just know she would share a big “AW!” if she opened this card.

Tammy is also a talented interior designer in the Charlotte area.  She just recently created a room at the Southern Christmas show.  She was recommended, by the folks at the show, to appear on a “Charlotte Today” segment.  (Smart people, they are!) Tammy was so calm and cool and offered a lot of great tips for trimming the tree!

Any Eames enthusiast would be gaga over the “tree” of DCW plywood chairs!  Santa can still get these from your Herman Miller dealer. 

A design classic!

The card above, is reminiscent of English Transferware.  It’s done in letterpress printed on antique presses using soy-based ink and 100 percent cotton paper - tree free and made from recycled fibers.  Wouldn’t it be a lovely accompaniment to this? . . . .

The relief pattern, around the border of this charger, makes it extra special.  At under $60, I think it’s a gorgeous buy!

Yes, I could find a whole universe of cards for, well, the whole universe on Etsy! . . . 

Let’s hope you’re on a first name basis, if you decide to try the magic powers of the Mistletoe card!  (Smile!)

I live not too far from the barbeque capitol of North Carolina - Lexington.  As long-winded as we southerners can sometimes be, when we’re spinning a tale, we can also oddly enough assign a short nickname to a food which requires hours of cooking over a hot pit! 

I hope you’ve had fun with me while browsing through the “card section” on Etsy!  By now you might be able to tell, I love connecting the dots of design.  A card is not just a card.  It’s about the detail and thought which went into the design.  It’s about the unique quality being shared with an individual.  It’s about a gift from the heart!

From my heart to yours . . . All my best! ~ Wanda

Final Contest Alert!  I’ll be giving away an autographed copy of Vicente Wolf’s “Lifting the Curtain On Design”!  All you have to do to enter is to leave a comment on any two of my posts, beginning with the 2010 High Point Furniture Finds – Post 1 thru November 30th – Ends November 30, 2010.

I’ll announce the winner the first week of December 2010.  I hope you’ll enjoy a festive month!

My Lovely, Labor-less Day ~ (And a need for focus.)

Ahhh . . . It’s that time of year, again.  A long weekend, for most of us, to either take a break from our regular work week, via scheduling one last mini vacay ~ or ~ by taking another look around the house to see if a short term project can be completed. 

At first, my thoughts were heading towards this:

 

I had almost arrived to the point of turning a stubborn, grassless patch into a raised planting bed.  Luck would have it, the tiller is receiving some repairs.  At least my husband views it as his good fortune.  He loves to run the thing, just without having to keep it in a straight line!  (Brooke Giannetti and Jonathan Legate, two other interior designers, have aptly shared their summer gardening experiences and inspired me to consider taking a little more time to create my own “farm to table” experience.)

So then, I considered painting a small room, or two, or three!  Yes, interior designers can be a “bit” behind on their own home projects.  My pros are usually assisting clients so I’ve had to become more handy with the brush.  I don’t so much mind the painting portion of things . . . it’s the moving of furniture and stripping down of wall objects which don’t move me to do the happy dance.  What does excite me about painting, aside from the results?  Paints with no odor, no VOC’s, like this.

A few minutes later, my thoughts meandered back to the garden – sort of.  Wouldn’t a planter make a great option to the whole tilling thing?  It has been so hot in North Carolina, I think the garden centers are holding back on putting out the lettuce seedlings.  So far, no seedling sightings.  This idea went into the “to-be-determined” file.  (F-i-l-e . . . Did you ever notice . . . it’s so easy to change the ‘f’ to a ‘p’?  The concept of organization just flew out of the window!)

My last blog post was about pantries.  I’ve been in the mood to look at repurposing an area in my kitchen.  These shelves look like they would expand a small area for some wonderful storage!  I could definitely stand to capitalize on some better space options.  But wait, I’m considering using a different cabinet design and finish!  A bit of a kitchen face lift, if you will.  No amount of “Butlery Botox” will do the trick.  (I’m looking forward to reading more of fellow blogger, Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo’s updates on her own pantry/laundry room re-do, via her posts.)

Mmmm . . .  kitchens . . .cooking . . . food!  I wanted to take a break from thinking about what to do on my break.  I imagined these could help me boost my concentration level.  (Okay, just imagining.  I’ve sworn off rich, caloric cupcakes until at least forever!)  Cooking Done Light has a great substitute, here.

Just last night, I was chatting with a pair of my Twitter friends, @AnneLubnerDsign and @Norbridge.  (Where else can you simultaneously chat with a lovely Florida-based interior designer – Anne, and Juliane - an elegant antiques’ dealer from Toronto?)  We were recapping some of our favorite vacation spots.  In the midst of the conversation, I mentioned what a great project it would be for me to clean up my photo files.  (I’m sure my other Twitter friend, talented photographer, Bruce Barone, has some great tips.)  I love being organized, and some of the pics from vacations, past, were buried in folders with dates and not titles.  The danger in this?  I would be back at the desk, on the computer, and not really taking a break.  So . . .  it was back to the drawing board. 

Then, I had an epiphany . . . .

Step away from the drawing board!  Step very far away!

I realized it’s sometimes difficult for a creative, entrepreneurial type to let go of wanting to push ahead on projects, be it for clients or for myself.  I am definitely one who tries to have a balance but who can also let the scales tip more towards responsibilities and obligations, rather than fun.  It’s not a totally bad trait for your interior designer to have that degree of dedication.  It has benefitted my clients for the many years I’ve steadfastly been in practice.  It also is not a good idea for your interior designer to never take a break.  All paperwork can make for a dull designer.  Heaven forbid that should ever happen!

(I love the name of these little mountain homes – The Fiddlestix Cottages!)

I quickly decided to make a few calls, while crossing fingers, that someone would have last minute accommodations for a party of four, (well, two humans and two fur people), be close to some great restaurants and shops, while being wrapped in the privacy of some lovely trees.  Didn’t ask for much, at the 11th hour, did I?  I had turned this over to divine intervention.  If it was to be, it would be.

(I’m pretty sure Divine Intervention lives here.)

Well, what do you know!  I’m going to breathe some crisp morning air, have my coffee overlooking the trees, and maybe even wear a sweater!  (Saturday morning’s lows will be 49 degrees.)  I’ll be strolling in and out of shops, walk my dachshunds with my husband, dine at a nearby organic restaurant, and will attempt to slow the hands of the clock, for a few days.  (My friend, Marcy Feld, has inspired me with her posts about special summer days, spent in her country home.)  Sometimes last minute planning can bring big rewards!

Thank you to everyone who has been part of my team.  I hope you will have a Lovely Labor-less Day, too!