Here are some finished kitchen pictures of the Chi O Sorority house at Vanderbilt University. With not a minute to spare, we started and finished the project in a bit over a month.

So bus driver, MOVE THAT BUS…

The girls decided on the cuisine industrielle in the  vert de terre  &  tan color scheme.

I chose stainless steel appointments, St. Cecilia granite countertops, two commercial faucets and sinks, industrial pendants above the commercial grade island and a warm walnut stained concrete floor.

One of my favorite details are these wood and metal stools from West Elm.

It was a fast, fun and fantastic kitchen renovation. We made our deadline and budget (well just about), and I loved working on the house because I felt like I was a Vanderbilt student all over again. Girls, can I come back in 2012 and work on the next renovation…croise les doigts {fingers crossed} !

I hope that your 2012 is filled with lots of joy, peace, love, riches and bonne santé! Bon 2012!

I’ve recently started working with a fantastic new builder in Nashville, Ethan Colclasure. The two of us are tackling a kitchen renovation with a wamping deadline of the end of August (we just started last week…eeekk!).

We are a tough team and can get it done! We’re confident.

Here are the two choices:

Which one do you like best??

I’ll keep you posted on what they decide and what the final product looks like (fingers crossed that we met their deadline).

Just in case you’re wondering, this is the before and the demo that took place earlier this week.

This is a picture of the fireplace and mirror.

Color Study

The finished painting. This photograph does not do it justice.

Winter Figure

Do you have favorite subject to paint? 

My favorite single subject would definitely be my wife Blair; she has the best eyes and the contrast of her hair and skin is delightful. However, I am more interested in communicating with my viewer than simply recording reality. This means that the subject becomes a part of a conversation that requires an appropriate surrounding. Put the right subject in the right environment–magic.

If you know David, it’s hard to not know his passions. Often times you’ll find several of his passions & likes in his work–namely, his wife, good food, his dog & beer.

Yazoo and Red Pear

What’s your favorite beer?

Depends on the season and setting. My first favorite beer was Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale. In general, though, I prefer the strength of a pale ale like most of Yazoo’s Hop Projects, Great Divide’s Titan IPA or an imperial stout like Old Rasputin or Stone’s. If I had to say just one, with all other factors being irrelevant, I’d go with Trapistes Rochefort 8, a Belgian Dark Strong style ale whose notes of fruit, spice, and malt make it easily the most immensely complex beers I’ve ever had.

Tomato 7

I know that you’re an incredible chef–if you could paint a plate of any food that you’ve cooked in the all the world, what would it be and why?

I would love to paint a fish dish both before and after cooking. I’d take a whole fish, perhaps a Red Snapper or Sea Bass, and paint it with the herbs, citrus, and vegetables outside on a bright day to accentuate the color and freshness of the arrangement. Then perhaps after cooking, I’d set it up as a more traditional indoor still life and throw in a glass of wine and some utensils to let the viewer “eat” my painting.

This is one of my very favorite pieces of David’s…

Insouciance

I also like David’s charcoal & graphite sketches, because they seem a bit unfinished and allow you to finish them with your own interpretation. Here’s just one.

Figure Sketch

Melting

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Hm. I hesitate to say anywhere outside of the South, but I have always wanted to live in the UK with a loft in the city above a coffee shop, bakery, and butcher shop, and a cottage in the rolling hills of my ancestors. A guy can dream, right?

Three Crow

 Vacation pictures to come…

Photo a la House Beautiful

Photo a la Getty Images

Like life, your house has to have balance. There needs to be a flow from room to room with paint colors on walls, trim, bookshelves, window seats, built-ins and cabinets. It’s all to easy to mess up with the wrong colors, and the mistake can be costly.

To keep things in balance, I want to share some of my go to paint colors.

Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze

Sherwin Williams Downing Sand

Sherwin Williams Downing Sand on the Walls and Sherwin Williams Classical White on the Trim Photo and Design a la Natalie Hager Interiors

Porter Paints Vagabond

Porter Paints Vagabond on the Walls Design a la Natalie Hager Interiors

Porter Paints Antique White

Benjamin Moore Monroe Bisque

Benjamin Moore Kingsport Gray

Benjamin Moore Monroe Bisque on Facade and Benjamin Moore Kingsport Gray on Trim Rendering a la Natalie Hager Interiors

Farrow & Ball Lichen

Farrow & Ball Lichen on the Walls Photo a la Farrow & Ball

Sherwin Williams Classical White

Sherwin Williams Classical White on the Cabinets Photo and Design a la Natalie Hager Interiors

Porter Paints Delicate White

Sherwin Williams Opaline

Restoration Hardware Silver Sage Collection

Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray

Porter Paints Stone Gray

Porter Paints Stone Gray on Walls Design a la Natalie Hager Interiors

When in doubt, I like to go to Farrow & Ball. ALL of their colors are amazing and you can’t go wrong.

And what I always tell my clients is paint samples!!! You cannot mess up if you test a big swatch on the wall. Leave it there for a few days and see it in the morning, afternoon, evening lights and in darkness. 

Photo a la Getty Images

Happy balancing!

Northwest Glass in Mauve Rough by Ann Sacks

Lake Garda (Color ?) by Ann Sacks

Aura in Deep Blue Sea by Ann Sacks

Beau Monde Grace 2 Peridot by Ann Sacks

Beau Monde Hex Circle in Tanzanite & Chrysoberyl by Ann Sacks

Beau Monde Marilyn in Quartz, Agate, Amer & Tiger’s Eye by Ann Sacks

Beau Monde Polly in Absolute White & Pearl by Ann Sacks

Davlin (Color ?) by Ann Sacks

Northwest Glass by Ann Sacks

Obsidian 1″ x 4″ Mercury Herringbone by Ann Sacks

Trend Aureo by Ann Sacks

Ann Sacks, you rock…literally! Happy blinging!