Delicious Silk Swags

These assymetric swags really are delicious. Luscious cream colored silk from Bach International. Lined and interlined. Beautiful hardware by Paris, TX. Gold bullion fringe.
And here's the little secret. The whole design was determined by the fact that we didn't want the large dogs to be able to reach the window treatments. An elegant solution to a mundane problem.

Here's the drawing my client found online that we started with:

Lessons from a Model Home

I haven't had a Field Trip Friday in awhile, mostly because I haven't been around too many Fridays. But, on Sunday, I did visit a model home, one of my favorite things to do. To me it ranks right up there with shopping.
Of course, for the last couple of years there have not been as many model homes, as there have not been that many new home sales. In my part of the world, Northern Virginia (and for you out-of-towners, we always differentiate ourselves by saying Northern Virginia - there really should be 2 states - but that is a story for another blogpost)the economy has been bouncing back and we are starting to see a lot more home builder signs. New developments are popping up and some others that weren't quite complete are starting to fill in.
I love all the new ideas I get from my "tours".Plus it is a great way to gauge design and color trends.
I visited Huntleigh at Creighton Farms, which I believe is an Aldie address. The builder is Stanley Martin. Hey, if you are a golfer, they have a really good deal right now. If you buy one of their new homes, they pay the initiation fee for you to join the golf club at Creighton Farms. The clubhouse is nearing completion and it if SOOOOO beautiful. And Aldie is perched on the edge of Virginia Hunt Country. Views of the Blue Ridge Mountains could be seen from the neighborhood.
This particular model was a study in the use of black, white and blue. Really sophisticated. I was only able to take a few photos - and so sorry; as usual with model homes you don't know who the designer is, so I am unable to give credit.

I loved this piece of furniture. If anyone knows where it came from let us all know! This was set up as a casual wine bar. It was also a bit of design strategy. This piece is sitting where your kitchen table would be. See the sunroom/breakfast room on the right of the picture where the table is? That is an optional room, that you would pay extra to get. It certainly made the entire kitchen more grand.
Another view of the wine bar:

Here's the kitchen. Don't you love the mix of black and white cabinetry? You can't see the granite which was beautiful and subtle. I really like the barstools and those nailheads fit the scheme perfectly. Where can I get that gigantic centerpiece with the fake artichokes??

Here is a view of the optional breakfast room and my favorite idea of the day. Look at those XXL boxwood spheres! They are hung from tiny white hooks in the ceiling on fishing line. There is also a huge silver candleabra on the table. By now you may have noticed that most of the accessories and artwork are oversized.

A view of the master bedroom and it's gentle mix of black, whites and gray-blues.
Here's a closeup of the bedroom window treatments. It is hard to see the wallpaper, which was only in the sitting room area, but was so discreet and pretty.

One of the bedrooms, decorated for a child, was cute and introduced a little of the color red. Love the burlap bunnies.

Finally, this triptych of photos that is shown at the beginning of this post is actually hung in the upstairs hallway. A view of the hunt - very Virginia.

Is Curvy Better?

Sometimes, oftentimes, it is better to float your furniture in a room instead of lining it up against all the walls like a doctor's office. I know, sometimes you just don't have the space for that.
Here are some great looking pieces I found when I was researching a curved sofa. Floating a curved sofa is so much more interesting than a straight sofa. And think how much cozier and more "conversational" it looks.

Curvy AND with great legs! This sofa was shown in the Luna Bella showroom at High Point Market.

Curved settee from Schnadig.

From the Charles Ray showroom at High Point Market.

Also from Charles Ray.




These two small pictures are from the Lazar catalog.


And here is one of them in real life - a living room I did with a beautiful view.

More Window Treatments

It was a busy week last week. Lots of design consultations and 2 drapery installations. You have already seen the traditional dining room valance. Here we are in a bedroom.
The homeowner is a fun, spirited woman,who, suddenly finding herself in an empty nest, decided to go for it in terms of fabric choice. We didn't even run it by her husband.

This lovely print is from Kravet. Since no bedding had been chosen yet, we only had a deep green wall color to coordinate with. I am not a huge fan of green, but I liked this one. And although this is a very deep shade,this bedroom had cathedral ceilings so instead of feeling closed in, there was a certain amount of airiness so it was more cozy than claustrophobic.

We installed new pleated shades for light control - and these double honeycomb shades are really insulating. The biggest trick was deciding where to start the shade on the arched window and where to hang the rod with the stationary panels.
Then we matched the height to the side window. That is a little design trick so that your eye travels around the room at the same height. It also visually lengthens the smaller window.

We made a little matching pillow for the bed, but can't show it since we threw it on a bed, that had the old comforter, that didn't go with the new fabric at ALL! What color bedspread would you choose? Lavender, the palest green or yellow matelasse would be nice. But I think a crisp cream duvet cover with an embroidered edge in lavender would be my choice.

Babycakes

I got it for Christmas. It sat in the box for a month. And once I started using it, there was no stopping me.

For friends coming over on Friday I made Apple Cider Donut holes. Those are in the forefront of the picture, under the dome. On Saturday morning, I made French Breakfast Puffs on the green plate in the background. I favored Saturday's version - so much denser and better taste. I think the apple cider gave the donut holes just a little too much kick, although the texture was really light and fluffy.

I had made Cake Pops about a week ago for a party. You call them Cake Pops, but we called them Cake Balls because, face it, that's more fun to say.
The machine comes with recipes which I am working my way through. These are really easy to do.
You just fill the little reservoirs with batter (I use a melon ball scoop)close the lid and cook them for 5-6 minutes.
To buy your very own Babycakes maker,click here ! But don't wait a month to use it once you get it.
Beware! Very addictive! To make AND to eat!

Traditional Valance

Take a pretty blank canvas, add a traditional valance in a traditional print fabric and what do you get? Sounds boring, doesn't it? Keep reading.
My client has trusted me with her window treatments for so long, that now we count houses, not years. This is house #3, downsizing from house #2, which was huge and we worked on about 8 years ago. House #3 is not small at all, but feels that way in comparison.
My client has very traditional taste and a color palette that she chooses not to deviate from, due to so much of her "stuff" purchased within the palette.
We started with a dining room window that already had cafe shutters. She did not want long panels, just a valance. We decided on the valance style pretty quickly. Finding the right print was not so easy.

We finally chose this Duralee print because it had the colors we wanted, plus it coordinated with the fabric we had already used in the living room. You might remember that room from a previous post.
The print in that room was more of an updated traditional, with a younger vibe, that we found at Kravet.
So you see, you don't have to buy your fabrics from the same places for them to play well together.
The client had a rug in the dining room with quite a bit of blue, so to repeat that, we lined the side cascades in the same blue. It stands out quite nicely.
We were also lucky to find this beautiful tassel fringe in red and blue from Stout Brothers.

The whole thing looks soft and pretty and adds a lot of interest to the room, without blocking out more sunlight.

Flower Gift

Here is a Quick and Easy for all you DIY'ers out there.
My friend had some minor surgery and I wanted to take her some flowers. OK, I bought the arrangement at Costco. It was pretty but I am not one to leave well enough alone, so I dolled it up a little.
I liked the square vase. I wrapped it with a piece of burlap ribbon, then topped that with a pink satin ribbon, the color of one of the flowers in the arrangement.

New Furniture I Love

In my studio, we've just started carrying a line of furniture I adore. It is called Caracole. There are some pretty traditional pieces and a few crazy ones. While I love traditional furniture and rooms, I DO love a crazy piece thrown in there.
Here are a few creative pieces that would certainly give your tired rooms a lift!

This is a fun chair in an animal print, but the most important thing to note is that it is 47" tall! That's almost 4 feet tall! That's practically up to my chin!

This pretty sette is really not too far out there, and would fit in so many room styles. Love it's clean lines. While it has the look of a chaise, I wouldn't limit it to a bedroom.

I love this storage piece. There is a bit of a reference to a French piece with the metal "grill" over the doors. In fact, it reminds me of a wine/bookcase I saw in a French themed restaurant the other day:

Look behind both the woman in green and the woman in red. It is hard to see the grill but you get the idea.

Two New Ideas in Kitchen Design

It seems we are all concerned with the state of our kitchens. I am frequently asked questions like,"Are granite countertops still "in"? or "Do I have to replace my appliances with stainless steel?" Some of the questions are motivated by our desire to be on trend, and some are concerns about maintaining the value of one's home.

I LOVE kitchen design. I'm fascinated by all the different finishes, from custom cabinetry, to countertops and appliances. Since I like to cook, I fantasize about all those toys, um, utensils. I visualize a kitchen full of people enjoying good food.


Recently I was in a kitchen appliance showroom, ADU in Chantilly, VA. Here was a cool trend I learned about: glass over stainless! Think about it, stainless appliances have become the standard, but the one issue with them is the maintenance of the stainless front. With glass over stainless, you simply clean it like you would any piece of glass.

This wall oven is by Gaggenau. Inside there was another kitchen trend, that I was told that they have been expecting for awhile. A rotisserie for meat.
Look carefully at the rotisserie inside the bottom oven.
Now, my outdoor grill has a rotisserie and I love using it because you don't have to babysit it while it works. And it is kind of fun. Imagine coming home from a long day away and being able to put some main entree on the rotisserie and let it work while you change clothes and get the rest of the meal ready. What took those appliance people so long? To see a really quick video of the Gaggenau at work (and a sneak peek at the glass over stainless front) click here.
Now, I bet you suddenly have a craving to go buy a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store. While you are driving, think about how much longer you will keep your current oven before you replace it with this one!