1.23.2016

Last Minute Touches

Hi

Man it's cold outside.  My northeast blood has thinned.  Charlotte is covered in snow and ice so we are all home bound. Spending the weekend working on a new project pulling all sorts of details to pull new client L.T.'s house together.  At the same time, pulling some great details for our own studio space.  With the major pieces in place, we needed a little fluff of our own.

This past week we installed one of the four gorgeous chandeliers Maggie and I found at Market last fall.  Isn't it killer . . .



I felt like we needed a little more eye candy, so started pulling a rug or two, pillows for the sectional, side tables and more art.
Layering is my favorite part.  Lamps, pillows, side pieces, and couldn't go without a little wall paper!!




Take a peek at all the pillows I pulled to add major texture.



Can not wait to hang the wool wall hanging I wrote about yesterday ! Filtered in a leather chair and ottoman.  A good spot for lap top work and informal meetings.


Our black basalt hanging chair is on the way and now softened up with a sheep skin and more pillows.


Love expensive pillows, they make sure a huge difference.  Yep, sometimes you just have to do it.


Cannot wait to just move it all upfront from the back (and have all that storage back there !)




1.22.2016

Crushing on . . The Wool Wall Hanging

Hey !

The wool wall hanging  - now this "micro trend" may have really started several years back, but it really was born in the 70's, and being a 70's girl I am happy  I found one that I love which is just a little different in that it's a felted as oppose to loomed.   Designed and created by Meghan Purcell, it is sure to have a presence on one of our big walls at the studio, mixed with other treasured art pieces.

Being a designer, I am all about textiles.  The more texture the better.  Tactile.  At the same time I love all things hand made, original, unique, one of a kind, just one of the reasons I don't like to shop with the big chains.  I just find I see their goods everywhere and there's nothing special about it.  I've talked about styling and accessorizing to mix in those special pieces that not only express your style, but just make you happy and this will no doubt be a piece like that !


Here's what Meghan had to say . . .  from her site (here)

Through the ancient technique of felting, I explore ideas of genuine connection in a modern and advanced society.  My art is a way to become reconnected to the value and satisfaction of the hand’s work, all while fostering meaningful connections to where I live.  The integrity of my work depends on a trusted relationship built with my local farmer.  Through this partnership, I can be assured that the methods of fiber production and sheep tending are handled humanely, sustainably, and ethically.  In return, responsible consumerism is practiced and an invaluable connection within the community is formed.  
My role as a contemporary fibers artist is to preserve a rich, handmade global art tradition while continuing to revive and elevate the fiber medium to high art.  My inspiration is born from all that is unhurried, natural, and simplistic.  Organic line juxtaposes geometric form and intentional edges, merging an ancient process with contemporary compositions often indicative of the American Western landscape.  Through formal design choices, I’ve created a direct interplay with organic material derived from Montana and compositions that are inspired by the landscape itself.  My interconnected process is depicted symbolically through woven design and intertwined natural materials.  My wool is never dyed and my found materials are never altered, allowing the natural state of my resources to tell their story. 

Gotta love a girl that keeps it simple, natural, organic and clean.  My inner self lives in the mountains of calm, beautiful and uncluttered.


Take a look at a few other pieces designed and created by Meghan and husband Jeff Purcell (available here)




 Another artist I've been following a while,  Rachelle Gardner-Roe, Kansas City girl.

 I really love how she mixes in organic elements in her felted wool pieces.




Wool wall hangings are popular.  You might remember the simple macrame type woven hangings, but what I am seeing these days are a combination of chunky yards, organic layers and color blocking in graphic patterns.  Tassels, branches, even shells are all being woven in.  I have even noticed one of my rug vendors incorporating wall hangings in their line up.  I searched Etsy and came across some of these gorgeous images . . . all under "wool wall hangings" - take a look and see if something inspires you to add to that blank wall.  Made one of a kind, it will be an original, a piece of art.









Not saying I don't love the loomed pieces !! Take a look at these beauties.









www.nativelinestore.com

Eye candy for a snowy day at home !






Heading West . . .

Hey There !

Been thinking a lot about our trip to Sedona come Spring, planning side trips, galleries I want to see, natural wonders abound to, dare I say, hike.  I am realizing that over the past year or so I have been pulling Southwestern inspired pieces without really realizing it.  A stag horn here, and Aztec fabric there, leather, feathers, hair on hides.  There is nothing I enjoy more than accessorizing.  It can be the hardest part of finishing a room and we do get called upon to "fix" that situation by our clients.   When we install a project (asked or not) we load up the truck with "stuff" and filter all those pieces in to really give that space a finished look and 9 time out of 10 they stay put, happy to stay.  Styling is key and I believe it should be collected.  One of the main reasons we are changing it up at the office is to be able to house all the accessories and such I continually find out there knowing they will end up somewhere fabulous.  I still love to walk past areas in my house where I have strategically placed things I love and have discovered over the years. 

I am really looking forward to another trip and hopefully another treasure to bring home.  Typically you might think of all things red clay related - oranges, reds, pattern filled, "Mexican tile like" but when I think of the Southwest I think of adobe mudded walls, desert flowers, big windows with endless views.  Touches of pattern, touches of reds, worn fabrics in a strong graphic print.  Leather I love, especially a worn caramel color.  Take a look at my version of Southwest inspired !


















On a snowy day like today, it warms me up !




1.18.2016

Something About those Bows and Arrows

O’-Si-Yo’

Maybe it's Edgerton's teepee, maybe it's the arrows?  Not sure what it is I am loving about the look, but I did just pull the coolest arrow grass cloth paper for another client and booked our Spring Break vacation to Arizona !!  I couldn't sleep the other night and watched back to back episodes of Tree House Masters where Pete Nelson had the most fabulous teepee placed on the deck of one of his client's Tree House.  Loved !  Anyway - I'm on a teepee and arrow kick.




This space (designed by fabulous LA designer Amber Lewis) has a similar feel to a project I am working on in Miami to install in March. . .


We plan to keep the space sophisticated with a black and white look then pop it with a little color.




Used the coolest brass arrows in Edgerton's playroom (here) creating a pattern on the wall.




tipi[1] (also tepee[2] or teepee[3][4]) is a conical tent, traditionally made of animal skins upon wooden poles. A tipi is distinguished from other conical tents by the smoke flaps at the top of the structure.[5][6][7] Historically, the tipi was designed and largely used by Indigenous people of the Plains in the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies of North America.[8][9][10] Tipi lodges are still in use by these peoples, though now primarily for ceremonial purposes.


Take a look at a few of my favorite teepee installations - all from my Pinterest  files . . .












How about the real thing - so long as it's a glam teepee !