* v i s u a l * v a m p *

Happy Weekend! Follow Me To This Lovely Beach House!

2009-11-14T16:32:00.005-06:00

You won't be sorry to follow me to this lovely beach house HERE
Enjoy!

Carry On Teo Jasmin

2009-11-13T11:14:00.006-06:00

Teo Jasmin, the cool French design company has some great bags, that are large enough to use as a carry-on.

How fun to lighten the dreary load of the eminent holiday travel season with these fun and savvy sacs.

And of course what a fab gift to give too.

Go to Teo Jasmin HERE for all the information.

Do You Have Paraskevidekatriaphobia?

2009-11-13T08:57:00.005-06:00

I don't. But you can't deny the date. Here's a little light reading for you...

Friday 13th fears stem from history

KATHLEEN DAILEY

Issue date: 11/13/09 Section: Variety

About 21 million Americans suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia, the fear of Friday the 13th, or Black Friday.

They avoid daily activities that could potentially put them in harm's way and some are too afraid to get out of bed in the morning.

But why? Where did the superstition come from?

One theory suggests 12 is the most complete number. It occurs in common cultural references - 12 months in a year, signs of the Zodiac, labors of Hercules, tribes of Israel, gods of Olympus and apostles of Jesus Christ. Thus, 13 is considered irregular.

Friday has been considered unlucky, and therefore a bad day to start a new journey or project - stemming from the Canterbury Tales. Also, according to Christian scripture, Jesus was crucified on a Friday.

In the 13th century, the Knights Templar were arrested by King Philip in France on Friday the 13th.

Another belief comes from Norse mythology, in which Frigga, the goddess of love, was banished to a mountaintop and labeled a witch. Every Friday, Frigga would call 11 other witches to the top of the mountain to plot evils for those below. The 12 witches would gather with a 13th guest - the devil. Similarly, in Roman times, witches are said to have gathered in groups of 12 with the 13th member being the devil.

Another part of Norse mythology states 12 gods were gathered at dinner in heaven - Valhalla - when an uninvited 13th guest, the god of darkness, shot Balder, the god of joy and gladness. When Balder died, the world went dark, and from that moment 13 was considered ominous.

Likewise, in Christian scripture, there were 13 diners at the Last Supper, following which Jesus was killed. Many myths claim when 13 people dine together, ill fate awaits one of the diners.

There is no written evidence of a "Friday the 13th" superstition before the 19th century. The first written reference was in 1869 in the biography of Italian composer Gioachino Rossini. Generally, Italians separately regard Friday and 13 to be unlucky, but on Friday the 13th, Rossini died.

Read more HERE

Sssssssss Sensual S Chair Round Up

2009-11-12T08:22:00.000-06:00

I have always loved the S Chair.

Groovy and colorful and well priced around $200.

You can use one or many for impact.

They mix well with traditional things, giving a perhaps a dated look a boost.

They are kid friendly too.
And very comfortable. It's a great desk chair for sure.

And what fun to use them in a commercial setting.

Paired with the retro looking hair dryers is genius.

The S chair mixes well with any chair combination.

Even Barbie love it!

What a fabulous and easy way to make a big box store table look chic.

And look at this wonderful retro inspired dining room. The chandelier and white hide rug make it current.

The S chair can be a down right religious experience!

This is a church in Europe.

The chandeliers are pretty stylish too. I wonder if the parishioners are fashion forward too.

Verner Panton's cantilevered stacking chair (1960) was the first single-material and single-form chair to be made and has been produced by Vitra through three decades of development in plastics technology. It is made of one single piece with integral color that will not fade over time. As striking as modern sculpture, this classic piece is appropriately durable and easy to clean. A favorite for commercial use, it is also comfortable enough to use as an occasional chair in an office or residence.

Buy one HERE at Mondani on sale for $180. in black, orange, white, or red.

How Do You Decorate Military Housing?

2009-11-11T07:37:00.007-06:00

My step dad was recalled into the US Army during the Cuban Crisis. It threw our family into upheaval and adventure. There were six children then, two of them a set of twins still in diapers. And there was the family beagle. My mother piled us all in an old two tone (black and yellow) Mercury and drove us cross country to a new home on an army base in Texas. My dad traveled by train with his German shepherd (issued by the army). He was in the Canine Corps and the men were always with their assigned dogs.
We lived in military housing. Small concrete block boxes. But my mother had spunk and style, and she soon decorated our dreary digs with color and cleverness.

The photos below are not of my mother's handiwork, but of a young woman who was stationed in Germany in 2006. I found them and her story at Apartment Therapy, and I offer it to you today in honor of Veterans Day.

Like many, I thank everyone in the military, and their families too, for their service - today and everyday.

Name: Francesca
Location: Mannheim, Germany, US Army Base
Type: 2 bedroom, 1 bath apartment on a US military base in Germany. We do not rent or own, we live in Military issued housing.

Why I use color:

I live on a military base, everything is brown, gray, army green or white, there is no choice of apartments they are issued like the uniforms. Using color helps me forget what is outside my apartment, it is welcoming, exciting and inspiring. I am a happy colorful person and my home reflects my personality.

2 Good color tips:

1. When using lots of bright colors try to keep clutter to a minimum, otherwise it may end up just looking messy. You don't want all those people who don't use color to leave your house and say "See, that's why our house is beige!", they should leave thinking they need to add a bit of color to their world.

2. My entrance/hallway is bright yellow, it is happy and inviting but what was discovered last Halloween is if you put a black light in a yellow room the walls look orange. We had a huge party and everyone thought we had painted our hallway orange for Halloween.

2 good color resources:

1. Different countries, I travel a lot and I have picked up things from around the world for my house. Look for color ideas in picture books about different places. Greek islands, tulip fields in Holland, flamenco dresses from Spain, embroidered saris from India, the medinas in Morocco, ancient mosaics in Italy, oh I could go on forever!

2. Art, check out different color combinations in artwork. Van Gogh, Matisse, Miro, Picasso, Klimt, Toulouse-Lautrec, Botticelli and so many more.

Catting Around With Perennials

2009-11-10T18:07:00.006-06:00

Impressively Lush Catwalk Outdoor Fabrics Claws Its Way To The Top

Who doesn’t love a fluffy feline, perched for the world to see as though she owns all she surveys? And who could fail to fall in love with a beautiful deep-pile velvet, from one of the industry’s top high-style manufacturers? Perennials Outdoor Fabrics rises to the top again with the dramatic debut of Catwalk – the newest offering from Perennials outdoor velvets! But looks are deceiving -- Catwalk is no pampered princess. It can be used for your most demanding outdoor applications, as well as any indoor areas that require high performance without sacrificing high design.

Catwalk, the first jacquard-woven outdoor velvet of its kind, takes high-performance luxury into dangerous new territory with patterns that reach flamboyant new heights of ferocity and fun. Touch the wild leopard-inspired design, and feel a pile so lush you’ll fear the scratch of a startled feline! Surprisingly versatile Catwalk is available in four distinct color ways. A dressed-up tri-color of fawn, black and tobacco brown makes a charming Sophisticate. Alley Cat, in colors of nocturnal black and rich chocolate is anything but common. Chic and sleek in soft white and ivory, Cool Cat slinks its way into your heart. And stand back for the most untamed of them all: Crazy Cat sizzles with hot hues of orange, pink and lime.

The wildest thing about Catwalk? These are not mongrel prints, but true jacquard-woven designs with the high-class pedigree we’ve come to expect from Perennials Fabrics. With these passionate designs, exteriors will be styled like they’ve never been styled before. But don’t forget, they perform double duty indoors too; just one more aspect to purr about. From fiber technology, to design, to quality assurance, every step in the production process is under Perennials Fabrics care and control. All very good reasons why Perennials Fabrics have character and longevity, providing long-lasting protection in colors and designs never thought of before.

To the trade. You can order it from perch. New Olreans 504 899-2122

www.perennialsfabrics.com

Ikat You Can Afford

2009-11-09T15:58:00.011-06:00

Urban Outfitters has a great looking Ikat chair at a very affordable price.

Urban Outfitters Ikat Slipper Chair - Only $325. HERE

Ikat is here to stay. The bright bold graphic print just seems to work on antique furniture frames, on pillows, and on contemporary furniture. It's just the needed punch of bold color that often bridges your old things into the realm of the new and refreshed.

Urban Outfitters Ikat Slipper Chair - only $325. HERE

Contemporary Ikat fabric is not cheap, ranging from $50. a yard, and up from a variety of fabric houses, to well over $200. per yard from Madeline Weinrib who does the best interpretation of it.

Madeline Weinrib fabric on a 19th century frame - over $3000.

You can find affordable Ikat fabric direct from the source from a place called Uzbek Craft for less than $20. per piece, but you have to buy several pieces to cover a chair. They also have very well priced pillow covers. And Uzbek Craft has a great selection of that other beloved textile, the Suzani!

Do what Jefferey Bilhuber does - just add a little Ikat pillow toss

Material Girls has a great roundup on the subject HERE, and it's well worth taking a look.

Milk And Bread

2009-11-07T16:13:00.005-06:00

From the blog: This is my life...it is what it is

Dreams by Dina Kucera

I am currently off my job for awhile. So I am diligently working on my best selling book. How do I know it will be a best seller? Trust me.

My mother lives with me. In all the memories I have of the way things went, my mother's life has sucked. If you ask her, she says she has been blessed 'abundantly' in her life.

I'm lying in bed the other night. I'm thinking about how I get to have this dream of being able to sit and write my book. Thanks to my husband who works constantly, he won't stop, I've tried. He had a heart attack, he stopped, for ten seconds. He is a 'worker' and he has been a 'worker' since the day I met him. John works. Period. A few days out of work and he flips his lid. Can you imagine? I get to write my book. Good book or bad book, I actually get to sit at the desk and do it. Because of John.

So I lay in bed looking at the ceiling and think about my mom. You see, my dad was not a 'worker'. He just wasn't. He did the best he could I'm sure, but he was nothing like my husband.

So I wondered if my mom had a dream. If there was something special she wanted to do in her life, but she couldn't because she wasn't married to someone who could carry her through.

The next day I ask her, "Hey, mom. In your life, was there ever anything you dreamed of doing? Like art, or singing or dancing?"

She said, "I dreamed a lot about having milk and bread."

I paused. I stared at her and she stared at me. That was it. I was hoping for this really rich story. Something amazing and interesting that I didn't know about my mother. All she ever wanted was milk and bread.

Read more HERE

Happy Hazelnut Christmas Coming Soon!

2009-11-06T16:58:00.013-06:00

The entry hall display at Hazelnut in New Orleans

I stopped by one of my favorite shops anywhere, Hazelnut (5515 Magazine St., New Orleans).

Handsome Tom Cianfichi getting his store Hazelnut ready for
Magazine Street Retail Relief and the holiday season

Co-owned by Tom Cianfichi and Bryan Batt, it is one of the chicest stores around.
Tom was busy putting the final touches on this season's Christmas decor in time for this year's Magazine Street Retail Relief taking place this weekend.
Bryan is home in New Orleans on hiatus from shooting Mad Men, and sequestered somewhere in a secret location trying to meet the deadline for a book he's writing. It's a collection of short stories and memoirs, and I can hardly wait for it to come out.

Martini olive and sushi ornaments at Hazelnut! So cute!

Tom's Christmas windows have become THE shop windows to see in New Orleans. I can only compare it to the unveiling of Barneys windows in New York.

Some say napkin rings are out, but who could resist these black buckles at Hazelnut?

The staff (Katy and Ramsay) along with Tom haven't quite finished the windows. You know I will go back when they are and show them to you.

Foo dogs out? Not on your life when they are reinvented at Hazelnut in glam silver and gold

In the meantime the store is stocked with so many gorgeous, fun, and glam things for the holiday season.

Love these glitter reindeer wearing a fur piece around their necks!

I especially love the martini olive and sushi ornaments!

Sparkle plenty at Hazelnut in New Orleans

I just had to buy a little something, so I picked up this very spiffy peace sign cuff. Anything with a peace sign on it seems to be the gift to give this season. This bracelet was only $24.

Peace sign cuff I purchased at Hazelnut - only $24.
They also have peace sign earrings and rings

Call the folks at Hazelnut for prices on the things I've shown you (504) 891-2424, or check their web site HERE

Click on image to see more details.

I'm Loving This Table!

2009-11-05T23:00:00.005-06:00

Styled by Valorie Hart for perch. New Orleans

So fresh and chic for the holidays. Go HERE to see more photos.

Meet Fellow Blogger Christiane Lemieux

2009-11-04T20:21:00.010-06:00

Christiane Lemieux is a mother of two and a half (the half being a big old labrador Jake - who comes to the office every day with her) and is married to Josh, who is also her business partner. She is the Founder and Creative Director of DwellStudio and DwellStudio for Target.

Christiane graduated from the Parson’s School of Design with a degree in Fashion design. She also has a degree in Art History from Queen's University in Canada where she hails from. Christiane is inspired by travel (Canadians love to travel because it's so cold up there and they are always looking for some sun), design, and all things creative. Most importantly, she is trying to figure out how to live a life of adventure and bring her kids along too. She says that kids make everything more fun. The concept of working, being a parent, spouse, all round good person and living a balanced and inspired life is intriguing to Christiane...she has in no way figured any of it out but hopes to try.

I met Christiane when she visited New Orleans this past August. It was her first visit, and she was smitten! They say when you come to New Orleans in the summer, and you love it, then, man, you really do love this city. They also say that when New Orleans wants you here, it exudes a magical spell that makes everything go your way so you'll stay forever. I know, because that's what happened to Alberto and me in 1999! And I think this is what happened to Christiane too, and I expect her to be getting a house here sooner than later.

Among all of her accomplishments Christiane is a fellow blogger (her blog is called The Studio Blog).
And she wrote something very nice about New Orleans called How You Dwell HERE.
Her blog is fresh and hip, and I urge you to add it to your blog list, and drop Christiane a line to say hello.
Like many of you, she's an avid home decorator (her home was published in Domino and the images you see are from that issue), a working woman, a wife and mother.

And by the way Chris, I'm still trying to find out how to get that sign for you!

Darn That Eddie Ross!

2009-11-03T08:40:00.009-06:00

First let me tell you that Alberto and I absolutely love and respect Eddie Ross and Jaithan Kochar, and cherish their friendship tremendously. That being said, I would like to wack Eddie with a wire hanger!

Last year he published a little how-to project on his new blog. It was an immensely popular project and post, with scads of people writing in saying they were doing the project. That post and that idea has haunted me all year long. It involves making a wreath with about 80 round Christmas ornaments, a wire hanger formed into a circle, a glue gun, and a pretty hank of ribbon. Of course you can buy a similar looking wreath at Target for around $25., but where's the sport in that?!

I have had my eye out at yard, garage, and estate sales, and searched eBay and Craigslist looking for some vintage ornaments. Of course I didn't want to pay too much. Who does?

Finally last weekend I found a huge box at an estate sale. I was already "checking out" when I saw it hiddden near the door.
"How much for the box of old ornaments?"
"$100."
"$100.???????!!!!"
"What do I know, I'm Jewish, make me an offer!"
"I'd like to pay 50 cents, but I'll give you $20."
'Sold!"

So I got my box of the 80++ ornaments, amongst them some drek like 1980's twee, and treasures like a few New Orleans Saints (Go Saints!) ornaments, and over a dozen truly beautiful vintage beauties destined to be displayed in a mercury glass blow. And there were plenty of just-how-I-like-them tatty ornaments for the project.

I have chops. I have been a hired (glue) gun for Martha Stewart (amongst others). I have hand wired thousands of flowers, and hand tied thousands of bridal bouquets. I have made thousands of bows. I have pouffed and fluffed thousands of napkins. In other words, I fear no project, especially one like this that seemed so easy peasy.
And this is my little bone to pick with my dear Eddie (and Martha for that matter). Even if they don't actually say one of their DIY projects is easy, they imply the ease when they do it for us on camera.

This project was not easy. First I did not go back and read the instructions. There are no wire hangers in our house, so I had to scrounge one I found banished in the garage. Bending it in a circle is not that easy. My circle was a little irregular.

Then I just started to happily string the ornaments on the wire hanger. Ooops! I forgot you had to glue gun each and every one of the 80 (!) little silver caps of the ornaments BEFORE you string them along. They started popping off, flying to the floor (don't you just hate the sound of an exploding Christmas ornament!). So I removed them all, plugged in the glue gun, went to Eddie's post to read the instructions, blah, blah, blah.

I had some large balls, some medium and small, but no tiny ones. My wreath did not take on a circular form very easily to say the least. I tried to hot glue some filler balls to the balls already wired on. This was a disaster (I took them off and peeled off hot glue globs). I turned the wreath every which way to see if the balls would fall into some pleasing resemblance of Eddie's gorgeous wreath. I did this for over an hour, futzing and fussing!

Then I tried to hang it somewhere. Eddie showed his hanging on a door. Well my wreath was so fat, it had no flat side, so it didn't work on a door or in a window. What was I supposed to do, suspend it like a mobile? And I had some empty space on the wire hanger, where I could not make it work by filling in with ornaments, so the pretty band of ribbon Eddie showed as a hanger, was a total flop for me.

But, I did not give up! I used the hook from the hanger as a way to hang the thing, and finally found the only place it would work, which is hanging off the edge of the fireplace mantle. I wiggled and jiggled, and put a pretty satin bow in the gap at the top, and finally it looks kind of cute. Or does it? It took me about three hours of huffing and puffing, and laughing so hard at the image of brilliant Eddie watching not so brilliant me execute his "easy" project.

Here's Eddie's masterpiece! Go to his blog HERE for the easy instructions!
And do send me a photo of your Eddie wreath!

Blog Press Release: Perennials Fabrics

2009-11-03T00:21:00.006-06:00

Perennials Outdoor Fabrics Offers Customized Textiles

Every designer has one (or more!) of those stupefyingly demanding customers who take so much additional effort to be pleased, especially in the area of interior design where the look of an entire project determines a signature style. You can show swatch after swatch, and somehow there’s nothing that hits the sweet spot.

Designers know that the exciting array of choices available through Perennials Fabrics can solve nearly any problem. But for the absolute perfect choice, Perennials goes one better: they will custom make any fabric you can possibly, possibly imagine. This company is the best in the world at what they do. World-class fabrics that work indoors and out, in textures from the toughest wearing awning weight to light-as-a-feather sheers, and everything in between.

And now…what? I’m going to have Maserati make the exact car I want from a drawing on a napkin? Well… yes! Prints: bold and graphic or subtle or whimsical. Give them that camera-ready napkin drawing and watch them go. Sheers: think romance, blowing with the passing breeze. Bring in a fabric swatch or a Pantone color. Woven: think design and details. Perennials is famous for hard-wearing jacquard-loomed fabrics in dazzlingly complex and subtle designs. Even trimming: custom cords, knots, puff balls and more!

Of course there are minimum lengths for custom-made fabric and specs to follow, and with customized comes cost. But that’s understandable when you’re dealing with the best of the best. Perennials Fabrics are routinely chosen for the top residences and contract applications around the world.

As a designer, your favorite thing (other than collecting your check at the end of a long project and opening the champagne) is designing! Knowing that you have the freedom to create the perfect, customized fabric for your most important projects makes your life easier and the whole world a lot more beautiful.

www.perennialsfabrics.com
PO Box 1267, Dallas, TX 75225 - USA,
214.468.0777 (v), 214.878.5448 (c)

Albert York, Jackie's Favorite Reclusive Aritst

2009-11-02T10:50:00.014-06:00

What makes someone become a recluse. Are you born that way? Does it happen because of the way life treats you? Are you happy as a recluse, cocooned in your own world without bother? Do you get lonesome? Do you like people?

Jackie collected him. I posed once for him when I was 19 or 20 years old.

Everybody in the Hamptons knew of him. He was the Hamptons version of JD Salinger or Andrew Wyeth.

His long time gallery informed the world of his passing.

He was an artist's artist. He painted very slowly, often destroying his finished work before anyone could see it, only to start again.

His life's work amounts to around 200- 250 paintings. They are small gems painted mostly on Masonite or wood. If you own one you are very fortunate.

He was known around the neighborhood because he did odd jobs. It was the paradox of working to survive to paint, but the work took over and he stopped painting.

Finally, he found a steady job gilding frames, and the time to paint again.

Most of these images are from the web site of the gallery that has been representing him since the 1960's, Davis and Langdale Company HERE.

The small, boxy and wholly idiosyncratic paintings of Albert York, have garnered the artist a coterie of admirers so unobtrusive in their fervor as to constitute the most genteel of cults. If "cult" seems too strong a word, one might consider the peculiar figure the artist cuts.
Reclusive, enigmatic and, one imagines, more than a little stubborn, Mr. York was the furthest thing from a careerist one could imagine: He worked slowly and didn't let a picture out of the studio since 1992.
Mr. York's allure can, in part, be traced to the integrity of his contradictions. He was solitary if not as constrained as a folk artist, and as cultured if not as cosmopolitan as his collectors and admirers.
Haunting and eccentric, Mr. York's depictions of forests, flowers, damsels and Indian chiefs meld the mythic, the biblical and the densely personal. Putting brush to canvas with a torpid ease, Mr. York infuses every pat, slur and mottle of oil paint with consequence. (This accounts for his high standing among painters.) A somber sfumato envelops the work from the 1960's, imbuing it with a dire, perhaps even repentant nostalgia.
Pictures of a more recent vintage trade the richly atmospheric for the impenetrably symbolic-their sign-like mysteries don't entrance so much as rebuff.
Nonetheless, Mr. York was, in his own dourly indelible manner, a treasure. He never underwent a temperamental makeover to start cranking them out like Robert Rauschenberg. The Davis & Langdale gallery is about as good an opportunity as we're likely to have any time soon to puzzle over Mr. York's homely, humble and mesmerizing pictures.

Albert York 1929-2009
Read his entire New York Times story HERE

Sourced from the NY Observer and The Davis & Langdale Gallery

All Saints Reprise

2009-11-01T10:39:00.009-06:00

We were ready for Halloween kids at our house!

We went to a tango Halloween party last night. Some of us were talking about the small number of trick-or-treaters coming to our respective doors these days. Unless you live in a gated community, it seems like kids trick-or-treating house to house in a city is nearly extinct. Of course safety issues are valid, but in our cases the kids, parents, grandparents, all of them our neighbors, know who we are.
One person suggested that Halloween has sadly been taken over by adults. And it's true - the street is filled with costumed revelers far from childhood years. The decorations festooning the outside of homes are getting more elaborate each year, and they are hardly childlike. This year I saw an entire New Orleans style cemetery (complete with crypts and theatrical lighting) created in someone's small front yard.

I didn't put up Halloween decorations (click on images to a larger view) until yesterday when I got home from work. It was kind of fun decorating for the moment at hand. I have tons of stuff in the shed, so it was easy to haul out a couple of boxes and be ready a half hour later for trick-or-treaters.

It was a cool night, so we wrapped up and wigged out, and opened a bottle of wine and sat on the porch waiting for the kids.

Cholo looks so cute next to the giant Snoopy. This giant tacky suburban lawn ornament cracks me up!

My wicker fan chair awaits my best Morticia Adams fantasy. I love the crows! Do you use them too? A friend of mine set a whole bunch of crows out on her front lawn and the real crows had a fit, cawing and screeching until she removed them!

So I'm taking down the Halloween stuff, and thinking about making a journey to the cemetery to partake in another New Orleans tradition. I am reprinting the following post I did last year about today, All Saints Day.

Calling All Saints

Our first trip to New Orleans in 1999 coincided with Halloween and All Saints and All Souls Days. Although we are Catholic, we had never participated in the traditions of going to the cemetery on November 1.
Our friend Sabina took us to our first All Saints cemetery experience to St. Louis #1 and St. Louis #2, probably the two most famous ones since they are in The French Quarter.
We have no family grave to tend, but we go to take care of the grave of our dear departed friend Miss Anne. It's nothing really, just a little kindness that makes us feel good. The cemetery is very peaceful, and doing some little mundane chore, like sweeping off the the headstone and leaving flowers and some trinkets, is very comforting.
Our loved ones rest far way from us, so having an adopted loved one to tend to makes us feel a part of this time and place.
All over Louisiana, people are tending the graves, washing tombs, sweeping up, planting new flowers, leaving trinkets behind.
Sabina and I made a yearly visit to St. Louis #1 and # 2. We have no one there, but we visited our favorite tombs, including Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau's. You mark an X on her tomb, asking that she guide you and grant a wish in the coming year. Sabina is no longer here (she moved away after Katrina), and I just don't feel like doing this without her.
We'd also bring candles and flowers, and candy, and sometimes little bottles of perfume. I'd bring tango things too, and a personal trinket from my jewelry box.
Though it's a family thing, it is also a solemn day for the church, and the priests come to add their blessings.
It's a custom that has been going on for nearly 300 years. It takes place during the day, unlike other ceremonies in the New Mexico that take place at night.

All Hallow's Eve

2009-10-31T13:41:00.003-05:00

Enjoy your tricks and treats!

Shop Keepers Homes 5

2009-10-30T11:05:00.014-05:00

In this edition of Shop Keepers Homes, I give you Andrew and Shannon Newsom, proprietors of the online emporium Wistera. They also have a blog HERE.

These two have impeccable design pedigrees that come down family lines. Andrew's is Lisa Newsom, editor of Veranda; and Shannon's is Jane Moore, a Houston interior designer and antiques dealer. The couple also share a dedication to social change, evident in the catalog's devotion to a different nonprofit group in each issue.
They are experts at romancing the home.

Once upon a time this newly married couple looked for, but couldn’t find, beautiful antiques and decorative objects to furnish their first home—at least, not at a price they could afford.

So they got the idea of starting a catalog to offer such merchandise, which became a web site, and, in classic Internet start-up style from its earliest origins at a kitchen table, Wisteria.com was born.

Wisteria.com got started on this kitchen table

Wisteria.com marries high-touch sensibilities that distinguish its catalog to the high-tech sales medium of the web.

Andrew is president of the company, and co-founder Shannon, writes most of the catalog copy that also goes on the site. She brings a distinctive first-person voice to the company that offers a tip of the hat to the early Banana Republic and J. Peterman catalogs in its ability to not just sell, but romance a product.

Inventory is sourced from around the world. By finding small, local suppliers in Third World countries, the Newsoms have found a way to keep prices lower than for comparable goods produced elsewhere, while offering the unusual and unique in a spare, clean-looking and easy to navigate site.

“Pottery Barn sells great products, but given the measure of their business, they have to be standardized in what they sell,” Andrew says. “We are small enough that we can find and sell 200 to 400 units. A huge company couldn’t do that.”

The artful photography that characterizes the catalog loses nothing in its translation to the web site, and the web medium makes contributes of its own: incremental sales and a younger customer.

Market research had determined that Wisteria’s core customer contains a large group of those in their 50s. “That catalog buyer has both disposable income and time,” says Andrew. “My sense is our Internet audience has disposable income, is decorating their first home, but doesn’t have a lot of time. They get online at night after they put their kids to bed and they shop then, because it’s more convenient.”

Internet sales are increasing in dollar volume and as a percentage of overall sales.
“There’s an opportunity here to go deeper than our catalog in telling more about the products and the story of the brand,” says Andrew.

All images (except for the top three which are from the Wisteria catalog) are of the home of Shannon and Andrew Newsom, and are from the hot new design book Swedish Country Interiors by Rhonda Eleish and Edie Van Breems. The book is not only filled with beautiful images, but with very insightful writing on the subject. You'll really learn something when you read this book by two of the foremost experts on 18th and 19th century Swedish antiques. Buy it HERE or at your local book store.

Some of this post is excerpted from various web sources.

Guest Blogger - Dina Kucera

2009-10-29T10:57:00.008-05:00

Well the fat lady is singing , and it's over. This Yankee lost the South by 31 votes.
Frankly I'm a little relieved. It was alot of work campaigning and asking for votes.
I thank all of you for the thousands of votes I got over the past few weeks. And I really thank you for putting up with the horrible login and voting system at Apartment Therapy.
A special shout out to Gina from Willow Decor for putting up a post about me yesterday.
And thanks to my Alberto for working so hard for me on this project.

I'm sure you need a little break from me, so today I am presenting guest blogger Dina Kucera. She's a wife, a mom, a stand up comedienne, a writer and occasional blogger HERE.

Losing Is A Feeling, Not An Event
By Dina Kucera

I see a little boy, six or seven, wearing a baseball uniform. I ask if he played a game. He said yes. I asked if he won. He said, "We don't have winners or losers." I thought, oh yes you do sweetie. Your parents are lying to you, sugar.
I look up at his father and he says, "They just have fun playing the game without all the completion." What?

When I was a kid, we had winners and we had losers. Period. Sometimes you won. Sometimes you lost. The key is finding the thing that you win at the most. Wondering if you would win or loose WAS the fun of the game.
Mentally handling 'winning' was easy. You smile and coast through your sweet life until the next challenge. If you were deemed a 'loser', your brain went into automatic 'wait until we meet again, I will annihilate you if it kills me'. It's called competition and it is something we face every single day of our lives. You may be six or you may be sixty, we all crave that feeling of winning.
When I was in the ninth grade I was a gymnast. There was another girl on the team named Andrea. We were in constant competition to beat one another. I could not miss one day of school because Andrea might learn a great stunt while I was out. One day Andrea said to me, "Your socks are inside out." This provoked me into channeling Nadia Cominich and becoming the greatest gymnast that cafeteria has ever seen. Shortly after that, still in ninth grade, I was pregnant with my first child and quit school which a another story. But who really won? Andrea? I think she went on to college and got a law degree. Big deal Andrea. Your dress is inside out.
My point is that it's wrong to try and shield the kids from any sad emotion.
They don't have winners or losers?
You can not function in the world without knowing how to respond to losing. It's the same as hearing the word 'no'. It's everyday of our life, it's a part of our life, it is life.
A sports guy said, and I quote, "Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser."

You know who had this attitude? Nadia Cominich. All the greats! Michael Phelps! Robert Downey Jr.! Bea Arthur! They all wanted to win! And they did! Michael Phelps didn't say, "I just have fun flipping around in the water in my speedo." Are you kidding? He said, "I will win."

So let's get out there! Get that parking spot! (In a courteous way).
Take your place in the grocery store line! (If it is truly your turn).
Whiten your teeth and smile at everyone!
Never allow your husband to win an argument!
Wake him up and remind him you won the argument!
Let's get out there and kick some ass!

Because guess what! There are winners! And there are losers!
And unless I have to paint a picture or make something out of clay or balance a checkbook, I am a winner! I won! How do you like that Andrea!

The Apples and Oranges Debate

2009-10-28T11:58:00.016-05:00

It's ANOTHER day of voting. You have to do it AGAIN TODAY. So Stop reading, come back later and PLEASE vote HERE now!

It's do or die! There are two entries left in the South, and this transplanted damn Yankee is one of them!
Let's hear a whoop whoop for New Orleans queen of the South!
But now I must get tough and compare my room against the other.

Mine(above) is truly better! Really! Step into my office. Just look at that KELLY BAG on the pouf! See the WHITE COW HIDE RUG! Aren't you swooning for those lamps with silk shades from PARIS!!! And the original Jack Mayberry painting called "Map". Of course a custom slip cover in CHARTREUSE on the comfy VINTAGE wing chair.

Theirs (above): How could a chrome lamp beat out silk lampshades from Paris. And a wire chair! Hello waffle butt! No more wire chairs ever!

Mine (below) has great book shelves styled perfectly! Check out the BRAYTON blackamoor, the antique Italian BOTANICALS, the fabulous CHANDELIER, and if you go to a larger image theres a framed photo of AUDREY HEPBURN that is a personal, family photo. And hey I got HORNS too! And TOILE!!!

Theirs (below) have book shelves too. What a yawn. And look at that hot mess of of prints hanging on the wall. It looks like my living room five years ago! You know the one that Rate My Space hated so much! And what's a kitchen stool doing there. What is that a desk? And tsk tsk all those ugly wires and cords showing. And hey, a kitty cat in the shot is playing the cute pet card. I know because I've done it myself!

Mine (below): Now this is the money shot! Look at those MAJOLICA OYSTER PLATES! That desk, a French table from FRANCE!!! A peek of silk TURQUOISE drapes! You can't see it, but the desk chair is a GHOST CHAIR! And THE COLOR!!!!!! Creole Tomato Red! Now that's hot!

Theirs (below). And what's this? A messy couch with some toss pillows?!

Mine (below): Here's my secret weapon! NEW ORLEANS GRIS GRIS! Look at that altar tucked back into the corner! Don't wreck your MOJO! Vote for New Orleans, or else I can't say what will happen! Also please note cute begonia MAJOLICA, ginormous glass HURRICANES, and a better view of the fabulous horn!

Theirs (below): I accuse my opponent of dirty tricks!!!! How dare they put a perfect living accessory is the form of a cute dog in the shot! But it can't make that fuzzy throw look good!

Mine (below) Well I have something cute and adorable too! It's my SKELETONS!!! And one of them is so adorable in his Mardi Gras mask! And Apartment Therapy featured them in a post yesterday about GOOD DESIGN Here! And look at that color on the walls, and the fireplace with a TOLE CANDELABRA over it, and more Majolica, and that arch way, and those antique chairs from Spain recovered in chic WHITE LEATHER, and oh oh oh the SUZANI tablecloth!
Seriously, all the rooms entered are as cute as can be. But please vote for mine anyway!

And listen, there is a different vote EVERYDAY. So don't think if you already voted you are done. Oh no! Apartment Therapy wants you there EVERYDAY!
So what are you going to do TODAY Wednesday October 28????

Please, pretty please...

Vote for me HERE!

Why Do We Compete?

2009-10-27T06:52:00.006-05:00

Ginormous thanks to everyone playing along with me in the Apartment Therapy Room For Color Contest. I won the last round! You have voted me through twice. If you still have the inclination you can vote for me again today HERE.

Apartment Therapy certainly knows how to milk an idea! There will be a couple of days more of voting, to get to the final two. It is exhausting for all of you, and a tad stressful and exhausting for me. Maybe they're weeding us out, both voters and contestants. Only the strong and determined (like a dog with a bone!) will survive this.

I watch Dancing With The Stars. I've been a regular viewer and fan since they started.
Even though I'm a dancer, and have been a performer going to many an audition, I have never really officially competed for anything. So watching this show fascinates me.

Alberto and I entered a tango dance contest this past summer, never expecting to win first place
(USA Salon Tango Champions!). It was a remarkable experience. We didn't really go out there to wow them, of knock out the other contestants. We didn't have a strategy. We did our best, and enjoyed the experience together. We had a great time back stage with the other dancers. We talked and joked and encouraged one another. We were all in it together.

When we went to to Buenos Aires for the world championships, it was a much larger situation, and people came from all over the world with serious intentions and game faces were on. Still, the back stage camaraderie was there, with a genuine regard and respect for one another. Sure everyone wants to do well, and win, but largely the point of just being there resonates the most.

Every week when I watch Dancing With The Stars I have tremendous admiration for what the celebs and their teacher/partners accomplish. Everyone works hard, respects the other contestants, and wants to win, but they mainly value the process it takes to step up and put yourself out there.

Why did I enter a decorating contest? I surely can buy a plane ticket to New York (the first prize is a trip to New York). Do I think I'm better at what I do than others? Do I need to show off? Do I need re-enforcement from my peers? Is it exciting to try to win something? Am I proud of my accomplishments?

Well yes and no.

I do like sharing my projects with all of you. It's wonderful to have feedback, and eyes that see and appreciate. You all have your own projects and decorating dreams and schemes. We all share what it's like to save up for just that special chair, or fabric, or finally have the means to tackle a renovation, or buy a new place.

I also love to put a little shine on the city of New Orleans. I'm proud to live and work here. I love this city with emotions I don't even understand. So when I can show something pretty about New Orleans, and get people liking New Orleans, well it's some kind of pride of this place.

And when I saw the Apartment Therapy contest, I thought it would be great to share one of my rooms, to make some new blog friends. I love looking at what he other contestants entered.

The photo above is of the room by Traci from Richmond, Virgina. She and I went head to head twice in the category labeled 'The South", and she gave me a run for my money. So Traci if you are out there, I salute you and your pretty room.
There is so much talent out there! I did not enter with the idea, of oh boy I'm gonna win this thing!

So here I am, a real P.I.A. (pain in the ass), asking you all to vote for me not once, but multiple times. From just a bit of innocent photo sharing, I have morphed into a competitor! I am proud of what I do and I want to win! I am proud to have all of you voting for me, and I want to bring home the prize to merit your faith in me.

So please vote for me again...and hopefully AGAIN...until Apartment Therapy is done toying with us all - I think the final voting is around November 2.

And, again, heartfelt thanks!

Please vote again today: HERE

You have 24 hours, until midnight (2 AM on the west coast).

It gets easier once you have registered. So many of you have suffered the process on my behalf. AT needs to do something about the way they have us navigate their contests.

Vote Today! Another Round In The Contest: Apartment Therapy Room For Color

2009-10-26T08:07:00.007-05:00

This is the link HERE

My competitor is a strong! A slim margin separated us in our last run-off.
So please vote today. If you voted before you are already registered, so it will only take a moment.
If you haven't voted before, please go through the process, even though it seems a bit confusing at first.

Only 24 hours to vote for me in this round!

And here's Cholo's baby picture taken when we first got him three years ago (and before the settee got recovered). I'm really trying to soften you up! I can't go out and kiss babies, but I can send you a cute puppy photo. Cholo says: "Please vote for my mommy!"

Vote HERE

Does Anyone Still Dine In The Dining Room?

2009-10-23T08:47:00.017-05:00

The most popular floor plan in today's homes is the open floor plan, where a kitchen, dining space, and sitting room known as a family room are in plain view of each other. Separate formal living and dining rooms are seldom used if they are included with a home's open floor plan. Older homes are renovated to create the open floor plan by knocking out walls between smaller rooms.
The first casualty of non-use is usually the dining room. Hermetically sealed and seldom used, except for holidays and maybe a special occassion, one can feel the waste of floor space. Lately this room gets made into a "library".

Martha Stewart

The notion of having a library in one's home as opposed to a home office, is a unique concept for the modern home. Most of us read books, and some of us may collect books. The Victorian idea of having huge rooms with huge bookcases to house leather bound books is a romantic one that evokes a comfortable home.

But totally giving up on the idea of a dining room is just too much to handle. We can't let go of having a dining room, even if it's seldom used. We just like to have it around just in case.
But by adding some bookcases or book shelves, and staging the table with books and such, there it is, your library!

You can add all the bells and whistles, like a library ladder, book stands, comfy chairs, etc.

But you must always keep the option there to clear the decks, and set the table for the occasional
dinner party. Somehow dining amongst books is very cozy, and slightly romantic.

If you have the luxury of another dining space, your could devote a room unto itself as your library.

The apartment of Jacques Grange in Paris

I got inspired to post about this after seeing Artie's (from Color Outside The Lines) dining room cum library. I love the way he faces the chairs out, and layers everything in the room. I wonder where he would put everything to transform the room for a dinner party.

Artie - Color Outside The Lines

Even in an open floor plan house, you could stage your dining room table as a library space.

Martha Stewart - I love the little stools, so reminiscent of Renaissance era library

The idea of having a table dedicated to reading, or doing homework is just so appealing.

If you live in a small space, clearing off the dining table, whether in the kitchen or a dining room is what happens when the kids need to hit the books.

By now many of you are familiar with my dining room turned office. I can't bring myself to call it a library, a term that seems a bit grand for a Creole shotgun cottage. I can't even take credit for the seemingly necessary element of installing bookcases in the dining room to morph it into a library. The pre-existing built in shelves (done in the 1960's) were actually cupboards. I took off the doors and styled them as book shelves for my over size design books. The minute the books were displayed the identity of the room reads: Library/Dining Room.

When we first moved in I used a round caterer's table, the type with folding legs, as my desk. I added a floor length tablecloth, thus creating the dreaded skirted round table.

The dreaded skirted round table used as my desk

I actually had many dinner parties in this small room, placing ten guests elbow to elbow around the round table. I stashed office things in a bedroom closest for the night, and set the table accordingly.

The dreaded skirted round table used as a dining table

I thought my actual dining table was too large for the room, and staged it in the kitchen with a buffet set on top of it. It seemed a terrible waste of a great table. The kitchen really wasn't suitable for it to be used as a dining table.

French dining table staged with a buffet on it - the wing chair eventually moved to my office

Now I use the large French style table as my desk, and the room is strictly dedicated to being my office.

The round table is folded up in the garage, and seldom used.

The dining room seldom sees actual dining anymore - at most it's dining on a tray at my desk
Go HERE to see this entire story

We are doing less dinner parties these days, and when we do invite people over, we stage the kitchen for dining. Large dinner parties (for 12 or more) are set up to resemble the chef's table in a restaurant kitchen.

The chef's table in our kitchen - go HERE to see the whole story of this party

Smaller groups for up to six cozy up to our small round table in the kitchen. And, Alberto often opens his laptop on the kitchen table, evoking visions of doing childhood homework.

So, what's in your dining room?

What's A Servery?

2009-10-22T08:19:00.012-05:00

The vote is in! My Modern Creole room made it to the next round thanks to each and everyone of you! The next vote takes place on October 26, and y'all know I will give you a heads up ha ha.

In the meantime after all the color we saw at Apartment Therapy's Room For Color Contest, I thought I'd post something pale. In my search, I came across these images, and forgive me, just did a little cut and pasting today.

I guess you can say, you've been served! In a good way of course!

Thank you again my gentle readers, friends, fans, enemies, Face Book friends, family, and most of all Alberto for helping me make it through another round of voting.
That's the good news - the bad news is that you will be asked to do it again!

And now for the burning question of the day: What's a servery? Is it a made up word? No it is not! Read the official definition HERE and see more images.

From Martha Stewart: The small dining room can be accessed through the double doors in the servery. The space includes freezer drawers for storage, plus an ice maker and warming drawers for entertaining. Two dishwashers ease clean-up, and the marble floor can be vacuumed and washed with a damp mop. The wall color is matched to the cupboards, and the gentle, cool tones make a cohesive whole of many diverse features.

See how clever storage, fine materials, and surprising details make this space shine.

Martha did not want the cupboards to look like ordinary built-ins, so she designed a pair of long counters with marble tops; on one of them are glass-sided cabinets. They look so light and keep the area very airy in appearance.

Here is a view of two of the islands and the ovens behinds them, looking into the kitchen from the servery. It's where Martha sometimes has breakfast.

The office functions as a media center. There's a large-screen television for watching programs and DVDs, plus a computer, printer, and scanner for email, projects, research, and accessing recipes. Several small cubbies hold messages, paper, and supplies. At the desk, you'll also find telephones and a Sirius satellite radio.

A very well-used part of the kitchen is the cappuccino counter; there's the grand machine and two grinders -- for regular and decaffeinated beans -- for fresh grounds. On the machine, Italian cups stay warm, and everyday dishes and the like fill shelves.

Martha keeps a vintage juicer near the deep vegetable sink, where she rinses and preps produce. She has a few paper towel holders around the room, and old enamel brackets with milk-glass shelves hold kitchenware. The windows let in sunlight, which at times is tempered by translucent shades.

And one last burning question: Is a servery the same as a butler's pantry?

The Polls Are Closing Soon - But You Can Still Vote!

2009-10-21T21:18:00.011-05:00

Three hours left until the polls close for this round of voting in The Room For Color contest at Apartment Therapy!

Go HERE to vote - Pleeeeeease!

This is some crazy contest! I don't know how politicians do it!
One morning I saw an innocent post at Apartment Therapy, and took some photos of my most colorful room, my office. I was half asleep and in my pajamas, and didn't make too much of an effort to style the photos. I did it as a lark, a fun little thing to be part of the blog community.
Lo and behold because of all of you I made it to the next round.
And if you go HERE you can see the chart of the next rounds to come!
This is worst than intramural high school sports!
I have been begging you all to vote for me, and if I make through tonight, I will have to continue to grovel for votes.
The prize is a good one - a trip to New York, and you all know how much I love my old hometown and how often I miss it!
So I'll be up for awhile watching the returns come in.
Thank you all who posted for me today: Brooke - Velvet and Linen; Jenny - My Favorite and My Best; Girl World Decor; Renae - Renae Moore Designs; Nathan - Laurel Street; Mitchell - Optimism and White Paint; Kwana - Kwana Writes; Emily and Lauren and the girls - Material Girls; Caroline - perch.; Joni - Cote de Texas; Fifi - Fifi Flowers.
Sorry if I don't do links - all of them are on my blog list - I'm just worn out from all of this excitement!
And thanks for the dozens of e-mails I got today, and all the comments too!
And thanks to my campaign manager Alberto for working Facebook, and our mailing list!

enter by 10/12, choose your finalists every day through 10/18, vote on finalists through 10/29, final four through 11/2: east, west, north, south, international, all palettes

Brackets: South

Round 1

Voting Ended
on 10/20

Voting Ended
on 10/21

Viasul Vamp! Vote Now
until 10/22

Vote Now
until 10/22

Voting Begins
on 10/22

Round 2

Voting Begins
on 10/23

Voting Begins
on 10/26

Round 3

Voting Begins
on 10/27

Round 4

Please Do This Today At Apartment Therapy

2009-10-21T00:00:00.003-05:00

Vote for The Vamp and for New Orleans!

It's a bit of pain the way Apartment Therapy has set up their Room For Color contest.
You have to register to vote.
And now you have to vote again for those who have made it to the next round!
If you already registered when you voted in the last round, this time should be easy peasy.

I made it to the next round with my spicy Modern Creole room!

I've been in New Orleans for ten years now, but I bring a little of my New York City decor style to my love for my adopted city of New Orleans.

The room you are looking at is my office.

You peek through an original archway into my office, which is flanked by a pair of vintage skeleton charts. One of them sports a Mardi Gras mask.
The color palette is Late Creole Tomato (a coral based red), Vibrant Turquoise, and Sophisticated Chartreuse.
Generous built in shelves house a collection of design books. A white cowhide rug makes the space cozy. A pair of pale aqua lamps with couture lampshades from Paris grace the desk, which is an antique table from France. Nestled into a corner is a Gris-Gris altar, filled with mementos found and given to me over the years. During Katrina, our home was spared, and many credit the power of this altar for saving it!

So please vote! A vote for this room is a vote for New Orleans, as well as for The Visual Vamp!

But please vote right away! You only get 24 hours to cast your vote in this round. If you pull me through to the next round, you'll be ready to make me a winner!

Go HERE to vote NOW! Look for the skeletons! I'm in the section called "The South". Remember you have to go and vote today only, Wednesday October 21.

Thank you so very much!

Thanks!

* v i s u a l * v a m p *

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All Saints Reprise

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Shop Keepers Homes 5

Guest Blogger - Dina Kucera

The Apples and Oranges Debate

Why Do We Compete?

Vote Today! Another Round In The Contest: Apartment Therapy Room For Color

Does Anyone Still Dine In The Dining Room?

What's A Servery?

The Polls Are Closing Soon - But You Can Still Vote!

Brackets: South

Round 1

Nicole's 'East Coast' Studio

Elizabeth's Apple of Her Eye

Sarah's 'Pumpkin Patch' & 'Citrus Blast'

Lindsey's Louisiana Light Undertones

Kristen's Castleberry Hill Loft

Toni's Sky Blue Living Room

Samantha's Autumnal Bathroom

Catherine's Festive Foyer

Valorie's Southern Colors

Marjorie's 'Coconut Cream' Florida Room

Traci's Pastel Pop in the Living Room

Avery's World Market

Christie's Urban Nautical

Alek's Retro Paradise Bedroom

Michael's Love Affair with Color

Lindsey's Cheerful Loo

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Please Do This Today At Apartment Therapy