Install of the Day !

Hey There !!!

Back at the Pearce's house to finish up their main, open concept living room.  We worked together on their master (here) a while back and phase two just finished up yesterday with all the details.

They lovingly built their "dream home" last year and we are working room by room to create something special for their much anticipated new home.  Jef and Leslie designed every inch of this when it came to the build and I was happy to help find the perfect pieces to combine their unique personalities.  Leslie - all girl who love a little glitz, Jef - musician and hunter. . . yes that's right, how different could they be !

This living space is wide open.  One room that steps up into the custom kitchen, design by Jef.   My goal was to mix his rustic vibe with her love of a little glamour.  We also had two dogs to take into consideration, i.e. dog friendly fabrics, rugs and textiles !

Take a look at my inspiration for Barbie and GI Jo . . .

First of all . . this space needed to work with the gorgeous kitchen Jef created !  We needed a good flow as it was wide open . . 

Clean, simple, artistic with that pop of red Leslie wanted !  We had custom made -  both the sectional and the recliner to fit the space and style of the house.  The leather on the sofa is a light taupe/grey and perfect for the dogs !  Sleek style for this modern room, but "rustic" in it's texture.  Layering in a hair on hair hide rug and the perfect coffee table.  We kept the windows simple with bamboo blinds. 

 It was such fun yesterday bringing in the custom red recliner !

The details are always the thing that bring a room together and I gave a lot of thought to these.  I wanted to mix rustic with glam and that can be challenging, but I found a few pieces that do just that.  The side table above, gold leaf with a wood stump and what about this lamp - shiny metallic antlers for the hunter meet glamour girl !

Another pop of red to balance the chair . . . with a mid-century modern vibe.

The combination of the lamp, mid-century red desk and George Nelson clock all work !!

Speaking of George Nelson, unfamiliar ?  Amazing mid-century designer who created pieces for Howard Miller in the late 40's.  There are some 150 different designs for these iconic clocks !  The first created was the "ball clock" (top row, far right)   Take a look at all his original designs !!

So when I spotted this red Spool/Spindle in the original box - had to bring it over !  I thought it was so perfect in combining the colors and style.  It's one of those special accessories.

So Jef is a hunter.  Though Leslie was reluctant, I felt these in the stairwell would be beautiful.  With this modern look and the white walls, they are simply more like "art" in this application !  Love them.

So to further mix the two styles, this hair on hair hide in a modern graphic pattern, was the perfect choice I thought.  And . . the ultimate in dog friendly !

From the ground up and to complement the leather sofa I got more than lucky on these pillows from Slate Interiors !  The patterns are perfect.  The first being a Kuna (see below) and hard to find.  The others were major scores included a fabric from Ground Works !  Normally uber expensive by the yard, these were already made up and on sale.

The coffee table, the perfect round shape for an "L shaped sofa, but also the perfect mix of rustic and the glam of shagreen (a type of rawhide consisting of rough untanned skin, or shark skin, this of course .. faux)

Simplistic yet a pulled together.

Lastly,  I came across a framed Mola to add just the right amount of color splash.  With their red accent choice, this piece not only is the real deal, the guitar image was perfect for Jef.

What's a Mola?

Mola (pronounced MO-la) means blouse or clothing in the Kuna language.  It's a word that describes colorful patterns made of cotton fabric and thread created by Kuna women of Panama.  They are generally attached to the front or back of women's clothing.  So this piece, to me, combined Leslie's love of clothing and Jef's love of music, plus the color was perfect !

Take a look at a few more patterns . . .

To learn more, this is a great book.  I just love all the texture !!

I love that the main living space flows up to the Master Bedroom !! We've started something good here I think !!

all photos by Mekenzie France

Thanks to all !!

Happy Red . White . Blue !

Hi There . . . 

In the spirit of the red, white and blue, take a gander at these hair on hair hide works of art   The beauty of these pieces, and every other style, pattern and color available, continue to amaze me (showcased more styles and colors here).    Who is this creator?  Kyle Bunting.  Get your Star Spangle Banner on . 

all photos snagged from Kyle Bunting's site

I recently read an interview Claudia Juestel (founder and principal of Adeeni Design Group and Design & Architecture editor of SFLuxe) had with Kyle back in 2011.  I especially loved learning the back story on just where the idea of his future business started, hatched, and launched.  I am always in awe of people who can take a great idea and persevere to actually turn it into something truly amazing and successful !

"My parents were both from central North Carolina, and on my mom’s side of the family, my grandfather and uncles were high-end wood workers. They did custom furniture and millwork. These were the guys that you brought in for the insanely complicated, very expensive work. So my dad had this crazy idea. He told them, “Hey, build me some table frames and I’ll glue them together and stain them. And then, because I keep getting these milk rings all over our furniture from the boys, and I’m tired of hearing their mother complain about it, and I’m tired of it ruining our good furniture, I will cover them in something more durable”. He took a piece of plywood and went to a leather place and asked for the most warp-resistant and durable leather they had. They turned him on to some cowhide leather, and he bought it. He started cutting it up into little pieces, glued it onto the plywood, and dropped it into the interior of a frame, and the table was done. I was about ten years old and I remember that all of our friends and neighbors thought that it was a really cool idea and looked pretty neat.

My dad also used to drag me around, and we would take the tables and go to rodeos and shows in Texas where they were selling oil equipment and things like that. Bankers, ranchers, and oil guys would say, “Wow, that’s a Western-looking cowhide table top, I’ll take two!” So my dad would get my uncles to make the frames, and he would make the tops. So, fast-forward 25 years when I caught the design bug. I had some old pieces and things my dad had done for me, and I had just met my future wife Libby. And without going too far down that really corny lane, she is my muse for me, my real inspiration. Libby just brings it out of me."

So back in the day, these hides were designed and created in their true natural palette of earth tones. Beautiful then and now, but Claudia learned from Kyle it was Cheryl Rowley who sparked the color direction  and "opened his world."  Kyle went on to say ". . . she taught me to be wide open as to what could be possible with color and teaching me to trust designers."

These amazing pieces of art are made by hand in their studio in Austin, Texas, in a surprising six weeks or less.  Kyle - I want nothing more than an 8x10 multi color Kabash before I die.  You inspire me as well with your pattern and color combinations!