Cooper’s Beach, Southampton, Photo a la Moi

This summer is HOT! Sometimes you just need to take a break from the heat and escape for a weekend to the water. What better place for a weekend getaway than The Hamptons! This group of villages on Long Island, NY is a popular summer destination because of their long stretches of picturesque beaches, variety of chic shops and boutiques, and trendy top-tier restaurants – there’s something to please everyone!

Last weekend, I flew to New York to celebrate my best friend’s 30th birthday with her. Instead of staying in muggy New York for the weekend, we decided to pack a bag, rent a car and drive to the lush beachside town of the Hamptons. The trip was so beautiful that I had to share a bit of it with you.

While Angela drove through the Hamptons, I stuck my head and my camera out the window and snapped away.

The Hamptons are home to many celebrities and are best known for their Cape Cod style architecture.  Unpainted shingles, a steep roof with an overhang, and centrally located chimneys define the Cape Cod style homes.

Beautiful hydrangea bushes line the storefronts and streets in the Hamptons. Here’s just one of the many hydrangea photos that I took.

One of my favorite details of Cape Cod style architecture are cedar shakes. Both stained and painted, cedar shakes (or cedar shingles) typify New England buildings. You can see them on this stretch of storefronts below.

More hydrangea planters, a white sided shop and patriotic flags.

Cedar shakes and white trim.

More cedar shakes and white trim.

More cedar shakes and white trim…are you getting a feel for the style homes that I love?

While I could look at the exteriors of these beautiful buildings all day long, what I really want to know is What Do These Beautiful Homes Look Like Inside?.

Homes in the Hamptons are typically characterized by a pale color palette and subtle details.

Below are some photos of foyers with a neutral color palette and lots of tiny details in the architecture, lighting, and furniture.

A Weekend Retreat, Architectural Digest

At Home in East Hampton, Architectural Digest

East Hampton Illusion, Architectural Digest

Here are some fresh and relaxing living rooms from the Hamptons…

A Weekend Retreat, Architectural Digest

At Home in East Hampton, Architectural Digest

Easy Living in the Hamptons, Architectural Digest

The Hamptons draw some inspiration from the French Country style, as seen in this updated country kitchen.

Easy Living in the Hamptons, Architectural Digest

Take a look at these calming master bedrooms…

A Weekend Retreat, Architectural Digest

At Home in East Hampton, Architectural Digest

Not all homes in The Hamptons are designed in a traditional style – here are some photos of some contemporary spaces…

At Play by the Sea, Architectural Digest

Easy Living in the Hamptons, Architectural Digest

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Summer is in full swing and with the 4th of July right around the corner, it’s a great time to brighten up your home with some bright colors and playful prints!  One of my favorite ways to add color and detail to a space is through crewel.

Crewel embroidery, or Crewelwork, is a form of decorative surface embroidery that uses a variety of stitches to follow a design outline applied to a fabric.

Here are some of my favorite applications, and some photos to inspire you!

Playful Crewel from Lee Jofa

Floral Crewel from Lee Jofa

Monochromatic Crewel from Lee Jofa

Crewel Embroidery can be used on decorative pillows…

Pillows from etsy.com

Pillows from etsy.com

Pillow from pbteen.com

Pillow from Ankasa

…and lampshades…

Lamp shade from Anthropologie

Lamp shades from crewelfabricworld.com

…in artwork…

Artwork from etsy.com

Image from flickr.com

Ankasa Fern Textiles from Trowbridge (above) can also been seen in Carrie and Mr. Big’s apartment in Sex and the City 2!

Ankasa Feather Triptych from Trowbridge

…and on larger furniture pieces to tie an entire room together!

Image and upholstery fabric from Brunschwig & Fils

Image from houzz.com

Image from houzz.com

Image from houzz.com

Image from houzz.com

Image from thegoodsdesignblog.com

Image from houzz.com

Image from stylebeat.blogspot.com

Image from Traditional Home

Image from houzz.com

Happy Red, White, and Blue Crewel!

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Meet Kelly…

Kelly recently graduated from O’More College of Design and after interning with Natalie Hager Interiors this past spring, I hired her as my wonderful design assistant!  She is an ambitious, talented designer and a wiz at AutoCAD.  Kelly studied interior design because she is passionate about creativity and art, she is very organized, and she says it is “always what I’ve known I wanted to do” since she was in high school.  When Kelly isn’t designing, she is spending time with her husband and 10 month old daughter, Stella, spending time on the lake, or going to zumba classes!  Kelly is drawn to light, fresh spaces with vintage, eclectic details, and finds a lot of inspiration from Elle Decor.

Meet Lauren…

Lauren is my summer intern all the way from Colorado!  She will be entering her senior year in the Interior Design program at Colorado State University in the fall, and she came to Nashville because music and performing arts are great sources of inspiration for her designs.  Lauren is studying interior design because she has always considered herself to be a creative, people-person, and she sees significance in creating beautiful spaces where we live, work, and play.  ”Although I’ve only been in Nashville for two weeks, it already feels like home!”  Lauren describes her personal design style as eco-eclectic, and she is very passionate about designing spaces with a focus on sustainability.  She will be testing for her LEED GA credentials (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Green Associate) in August!  When she’s not designing, Lauren is most likely spending time outdoors, reading, cooking, cheering for the Colorado Rockies or New England Patriots, and she loves to shop!

Come by the office sometime soon – Kelly and Lauren are looking forward to meeting you!

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I moved my office to a great location in Berry Hill.  The building houses Designers Gallery along with other leaseable office spaces.

The office has been so fun to decorate; I’ve transformed it from one large open room to a multifunctional space on an AFFORDABLE budget!

Check out the pictures!

Welcome…

Here’s the lobby – my favorite part of the building because of the original terrazzo floors and retro staircase.

Come on in!

A good spot to drop my bag and hang up my jacket.

This console and two lamps provide a nice focal point when you enter the office.

I love all the natural light!

I divided the room with Khadi Blockprint Panels that I got for a steal at West Elm ($10 ea).

To hang them I went to Home Depot with the measurements I needed and had them cut to size 1/2″ metal electrical conduit.  I suspended the rods with 1/8″ metal rope, 1/8″ wire rope clamps, and  1/8″ aluminum stops , which cost about $130 for all 12 panels and hardware.

 Here’s the informal conference area where I meet with my clients.

My materials library – this is where the magic comes together!

Storage boxes from IKEA:  Kassett magazine files ($4.99 for pkg of 2) and Kassett Box with lid ($9.99, pkg of 2)

Here’s Kelly’s workspace, which was once my grandma’s desk and chair, and is now a vintage modern piece.  Lamp from World Market, $49.99

My workspace

This is my client chair.  It’s a found piece from Retropolitan ($125) that I painted Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze ($5) using a high-gloss finish.  I reupholstered it with a scrap piece of fabric from Hable Construction.

A homemade book shelf.  I stacked wooden crates from Michaels to create a sturdy and modular unit.

And of course it never hurts to have some sweets to keep you going!

(Container Store, $9.99)

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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!

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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.

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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

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Vacation pictures to come…

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