A Ghost Town Called High Point Market
Last week I visited a real, live ghost town. Well, an occupied ghost town. It’s complicated… let me explain. There’s this place in High Point, North Carolina, miles away from any major city or tourist attraction, and twice a year thousands of designers, buyers, and editors descend on it for one of the largest international...
“Shopping” Market
(above photo from Currey & Co. showroom) With all the best intentions of giving you a thorough report on my recent trip to Dallas Market Center, I come to you today with a brief mustering of notes and images. I mean, how exactly does one summarize 50 million sq. feet of design trends and home products? Exactly!...
Trends vs Personal Style
I’ve been mulling over the ideas of trends versus personal style recently. This time of year lends itself to that sort of discussion… “what’s in, what’s out, what’s the next hot thing”. When I sat down to compose a list of my own, though, I bumped against a funny obstacle. With every “passe” trend I...
Get Your Magazines in Order, my dear!
In all my anti-clutter, regular purging mania, do you know the one thing that I have so much trouble getting rid of? (ok, besides my weird collection of dried leaves and flower petals)… Magazines!! They are perhaps the least expensive publication a person can get there hands on and resale book shops everywhere have loads...
Sneak a Peek at Dallas Market
Let me take a quick hand count… how many of you wonderful readers out there are in the North Texas region? Excellent! Now, how many of you write blogs? Even better!! And, of those left, who of you discuss the topics of fashion and design on your blogs? I have a feeling there’s more than...
Christmas at Preston & Richard’s
Our household experienced a bit of a crisis over the weekend. I didn’t mention it yesterday because I was still in the processing mode of “omg, did that really just happen”. Our sweet puppy Ives unsuccessfully chased a very frightened black cat over our fence and into the outside yard, which could also now be...
Style Story… of the Williams family
I’m getting to the age now (listen to me sounding all grown-up) when friends of my family who were having babies when I was in middle school are now… in middle school!! It’s a strange thing to watch happen from a distance. I met these young’ins as pink, wrinkly newborns before the idea of driving...
The Locals’ Living Room… Brewed Fort Worth
So, speaking of coffee shops… All world-class museums and cultural districts aside (which i love), do you know one of my greatest frustrations with the city of Fort Worth? It’s lack of cool coffee shops!! Not exactly a pressing community issue, I know, but none the less there’s a need. Coming from Nashville where hipster...
Style Story… of Joslyn Taylor – Part 2
Welcome to Part 2 of Joslyn’s lovely Style Story! Not much has changed around here. I’m still struggling with “edit/post it disagreement” (a phrase I just coined this very moment). Let me explain… edit/post it disagreement |ˈedit pōst it ˌdisəˈgrēmənt| phrase, the overwhelming and often stress inducing disagreement within self when faced with the task of making tough decisions regarding...
Style Story… of Joslyn Taylor – Part 1
You’ll have to forgive my simpleton mutterings for today’s Style Story. I’m feeling a little less than competent when faced with the task of editing my words and photos from Joslyn Taylor‘s home. Truly, there’s so much to love!! My new friend (it makes me immensely happy to call her that), Joslyn, has curated her...
Breckinridge Taylor at Mecox Gardens
Beyond their studio space, Breck and Charles have been hard at work on a collection of furniture designed exclusively for Mecox Gardens in Dallas. As part of their collaborative efforts, the guys created a room vignette in the Mecox showroom using pieces from their line as well as other products from throughout the store. Here’s...
Breckinridge Taylor… Ambassadors of Style
Native Texans Breck Woolsey and Charles Taylor of Breckinridge Taylor have been hot topics on my radar since I first heard about their work from Leslie Pritchard. (Breck designed Leslie’s Dallas condo which you can see more of in her Style Story HERE.) I knew it would have to be merely a matter of time...
Earth Tones
Today’s post is such a tease! You see, yesterday I visited Joslyn Taylor’s earthy, California-chic home in Dallas. It wasn’t the first time but I was swept away by it’s informal glamour none the less. You may know Joslyn from her blog, Simple Lovely… well, check back before long because I’ll be sharing more about...
Feathering Your First Nest
Last week I mentioned a new column I’ll be writing for the D Home blog. Today, I got down to business with a post featuring this cozy spot that I recently set-up in my home office. As will be the case with every post, I also included a collection of ideas and resources for feathering...
Color Palette / Design That Reuses / Designer Spotlight / Favorites / Interior Design / Shop Around / Vintage Love
Living Vintage by Alt for Living
We can probably all agree that complaining is bad. It brings along with it negativity, discontent, and lots of other yucky stuff I’d rather not get roped into. But, today, I have just one teeny-weeny, itsy-bitsy complaint to submit. It’s about an aspect of the industry I work in… interior design. I spend a good...
Lady with the Green Thumb
This Summer I successfully potted and nurtured three green growths on my front porch… basil, rosemary, and THIS guy (not sure of his exact variety… anyone know?). I watered them daily and protected their delicate leaves against harsh sun rays and pesky bugs. You would’ve been proud of me, truly! And everything was going so...
Wall Treatment
Yesterday, I made a visit to Michelle Nussbaumer’s Ceylon et Cie showroom in Dallas (remember this post about her son?) while assisting my friend Abbe of Studio Ten 25 with a few design projects. I’ve always been a huge fan of Michelle’s culturally curated aesthetic. She has a very distinct eye for bringing together the old and...
Simple Does It… The Style Story of Emily Landham
Simplicity – the kind that is easy, beautiful, comfortable, and also still inviting – is so difficult to achieve! At least, when the idea of parting with your precious, “never-can-be-replaced-again” belongings is so hard to arrive at. Sure, I’ve touted the merits of regular Spring and Fall cleaning often enough and waved the flag of...
A Closer Look… with Sam Sano
Well, friends… I’m almost back from my Tennessee travels and just in time to share a very special blog post. Sam Reitmayer Sano is a graphic designer in Dallas, TX and a person to whom I owe much thanks. When I first moved to Dallas and was in search of work and industry acquaintances, Sam...
Nooks and Crannies
…we so often forget them in favor of the more important spaces in our homes with grander potential. But they have as much potential for unexpected charm and character as anything else! Take this master bath from Denise’s home, for example. It would have been easy to leave it untouched and unembellished. Why decorate a...
Style Story… Denise & Scott McGaha
Denise McGaha is more comfortable in creative “chaos” than organized placidity. She prefers the bustling activity of a multi-tasker over the perfectly manageable schedule of a “nine to five-er”. In fact, too much ease makes her nervous. When I met Denise, who I’ve assisted on several design projects over the past 10 months, for our...
What Home Means
What home means to us… this is a subject that’s been jostling around in my mind for the past few weeks. I’m incredibly blessed to have a wide variety of friends and family from all paths and stages of life and each with a unique perspective on home life. Being within and around these homes...
Lightening in a Vase
“Making lemonade out of lemons” is a cliche statement but undeniably appropriate in so many situations. I don’t have to dwell on the electrical difficulties David and I have been having this past week. (You may have seen me mention it HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.) Needless to say, our situational issues have thrown a...
More from Susan
I was truly blown away by the pure number of beautiful moments in Susan’s Dallas home. Every where I turned, I stumbled upon another shot that couldn’t be missed! This makes for the worst kind of editing process. It becomes painful to weed away the out-takes, which is why I’m cheating today and sharing an...
Style Story… Susan Baten
Susan Baten is a woman of more actions than words. For that reason, rather than sharing the usual audio interview, today the photos will speak for themselves. To fully appreciate Susan and her home, you have to understand her line of work. She flips and decorates houses… really nice houses!! Think the grandchildren of Mark...
Every Angle
Have you ever considered the angles of your home? Probably not… I mean, why would you unless you were photographing it, right? For the past five homes that I’ve photographed for my Style Story series (yes, it’s five already!), I’ve learned to carefully consider the importance of every angle in the home. Not only does...
Modern Elegance
A large portion of what makes the Craine home so elegant and attractive are the iconic furniture pieces that Cindy and Patrick chose for their home. This red Eames chair not only molds to the body perfectly but the lines of it’s silhouette are wonderfully simple and pleasing as well. The beauty is in the...
Style Story… Patrick & Cindy Craine
Patrick and Cindy are my neighbors but I had never met them until the day of this shoot. For months, I drove by their unexpectedly modern house amidst our neighborhood of eclectic – and most definitely more traditional – homes and wondered about the unique family and furnishings that must live inside. Well, I finally...
New Pillows – Quick Tip
I tout the virtues of second-hand shopping more than enough on this blog but I’m afraid you’ll have to endure my praises still. Last week, while scouting for an exciting patio project (keep your eyes open for that one in May), I came across these mustard, camel, and navy velvet pillows. At $1 a pop,...
Inspired Design
Last weekend I had the tremendous pleasure to visit with Barry Dixon at the Arteriors Home 2012 National Sales Conference in Dallas. (Did you know that I’m their social media writer? Take a look at all the other places I blog on my new PRESS page.) Barry spoke to the group about his personal history,...
The Hall Before the Show
I recently had the pleasure of photographing the TCU Percussion Orchestra for a performance in which my husband, David, participated. It was a special presentation for local middle school students at Fort Worth’s Bass Hall, a beautiful piece of relatively new architecture in an art deco/ nouveau style. I got there early to set-up and...
Around Town / Design That Reuses / Designer Spotlight / Favorites / Interior Design / Old Things / Shop Around / Thrift Love
A Night at the Thrift Studio
Oh dear, dear, dear…. we are already half way through the week and I haven’t spoken to you once! The weekend is well over and I am a full week and a half behind in telling you about what I did the weekend before! Despite my tardiness and delayed posting, however, here I am –...
A Pretty Perch
I have thoroughly enjoyed the finished product of my gallery wall venture (originally featured HERE). Besides it reminding me of a home project I did actually complete (yes, I have trouble with unfinished projects), I also love that it creates such a strong visual statement near the entrance of our home. It greets our visitors with,...
A Simple Tablescape (yes, that’s a word)
A couple weeks ago, I pulled together a few odds and ends to create a simple table scape on our living room coffee table. Up until that point, our table sat bare and lonely… nothing on it to keep it company. I had grown so accustomed to the empty surface that when I added a...
Gallery Opening!
Several hours of work and much deliberation later, my paper templates are filed away and my gallery wall of personal photos and artwork is complete!! (or, at least until I decide to make the next batch of changes… things are always evolving around here!) Take a look at the beginning of this project HERE. My...
Work in Progress… Art Gallery
What does one do when the budget is tight? FINISH those projects you once started and left undone!! I am finally taking things to the next step with my collection of framed photos and artwork that I intended to create a wall collage with far too long ago. Now that I’ve set my mind to...
Take-Out Anyone?
The kitchen is a space in the home mostly focused on functionality… and rightly so! But it can be just as rewarding to play with its aesthetics as well. Case-in-point: This cleverly decorated kitchen from the Elle Decor Modern Life Concept House in New York recently featured on one of my fave blogs, From Me...
Must-Reads
Part of my “job” here on this blog is to scour the internet globe for resources and ideas (ok, well I do it mostly for fun), things that immediately grab my attention and hold onto it long enough to remember for the next time. That is the trick… next time. Those internet destinations that do...
Mad Men = Mad Style
Photo Credit: David Walker It’s a well know fact that my roots are in the hills of middle Tennessee where I grew up. But Tennessee isn’t only home to moonshine and bluegrass (although I am a big fan… of the bluegrass, that is). In fact, my Southern homeland can be quite sophisticated at times! This...
Out of the Box
For the past four and a half years I have lugged my collection of china and crystal in silver Dillard’s boxes from one rental home to another. And at every stop they have remained hidden in those boxes, stowed away in some storage closet, and only wishing for the chance to showoff. Well, their day...
Let There Be Brass
Photo Credit: Lonny Mag Aug/Sept 2010, Design: Callie Jenschke of Scout Designs I was so excited to purchase my mod yet sophisticated vintage brass lamp when David and I first moved into our new home. With its graphic shade and warm, metallic base I think it is the perfect launching point for the rest of...
Thinking Outside the Table
Another household item that can often be found floating around my house without a place to rest in are my books. David and I have an ever growing collection (which I love!) but I think we’re running out of places to put them! For those with the same predicament, here is a wonderful solution. Photo...
Where Now?
You know how easy it is to procrastinate….we all do it! I would like to think that I don’t, but the sad truth is that occasionally, every once in a while, when I am feeling a bit lazy…I put things off. Up until recently, my artwork has continued to remain sitting on our floors. Well,...
An Old Love
My recent return to sketching has re-kindled an old love for floral patterns. (Like I ever really lost interest in them in the first place). After a few short days, my notebook is now overflowing with wispy sketches of tea roses, zinnias, and bachelor’s buttons. Beyond my sketchbook, floral patterns have been graciously blooming on luxurious...
Bright Idea
Have I ever told you the story about this unusual art accessory? Well, if not…here goes. When David and I moved into our first apartment in Fort Worth, we decided to change out all of our light bulbs from incandescent to fluorescent lights. Less energy, less heat, and lower electricity bills! But what to do...
Waiting Patiently
As I continue to arrange the contents of my life into our new home, it seems as though my artwork and wall decor are taking a back seat in the process. Of course, that makes sense…I can’t know for sure where each piece will reside until I have organized the furniture. So, they wait, patiently,...
No Time to Waste
Yes…I have finally returned from my relocation vacation (well, “vacation” may not be exactly the right word). Although I missed sharing my daily snippet of style and design inspiration, I have to be honest…the time away gave me a wonderful opportunity to consider and reflect on my work here…past, present, and future. If I took...
