Then and Now . . .

Hi There . . .

It's that time of year, camp time (a.k.a mountain time).  We are taking Kate back for her third year to a place I love and she loves more and more every year.   She's a 4th generation !  Rockbrook hasn't changed much in 93 years.  It's quirky, it's old, it's covered in rhododendron, moss, ferns and wildflowers.  You make things, you sing, you brush the horses, you hike, and make new friends.   What I love the most about just being in our mountains near camp is just surrounding myself with the smells, sounds and lushness of nature, especially after a soft rain (and from the comfort of our porch).  My gypsy side tends to come out in the mountains, maybe because I was a camper in the 70's and I can remember and relate to the look.  As a kid I made jewelry, dream catchers and terrariums.  As a grown up I may still make terrariums, but I go to jewelry shows, and "pin" cool dream catchers."  I was one of those crafty types.  Tried my hand at knitting, but was never very good at that, old sari blankets were much more my speed.

Thought I would take my old memories and show you how I see them now.

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In art class from my early days, I learned the technique of silk screening and batik . . These patterns, textures and colors are rich and saturated, yet soft and carefree in their feel.

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We have all seen that the ombre look has made a pretty big appearance.  I do love the softness of it in fabric and paper.  Every time I look at Romo's new Astratto fabric line  (available at www.lucyandcompany.com)  I feel relaxed, artistic, comfortable.  The saturated colors in these fabrics and the hand painted look remind me so much of those early fabric printing classes !

I've also been drawn to these patterns and colors.  I have incorporated them both in two new designs for two new clients.  Stay tuned for a teenage suite and a family living room !

all available here

I love all the new fabrics, ombre, the batik inspired, the hand-dipped, the hand painted.  But finding the old to mix in with the new . . even better.  Here's a peek of an art project I am working on using vintage batik fabrics (stay tuned !)

Terrariums couldn't be any easier to put together, but the most fun part is the stroll in the woods to collect the perfect ferns, moss, rocks and roots.

Heading to NYC anytime soon (I am).  Twig is a shop in Brooklyn devoted completely to this art ! So if you dig twig(s)... add it to you to do list.

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What is a "dream catcher?"  It's one of those fascinating traditions of Native Americans.  The traditional dream catcher was intend to protect a sleeping individual from negative dreams (didn't you see Twilight?)  The negative dreams would get caught in the web and expire when the first rays of sun struck them.

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A new take on a dream catcher . . . inspired jewels . . . 

via etsy

. . . and no one does it better that Bri at Design Love Fest (and of course photographed beautifully).  Love how it adds texture and color to a wall.  

Not your conventional shape, but how I see it now as a design element!

Kate is notorious for finding leaves, sticks, petals and rock and creating center pieces on our table.  I explained to her she was on the road to being a mandala artist !

These are amazing.  Natural mandalas by Arizona artist Kathy Klein.  A mandala is a circular design symbolizing the notion that life is never ending.  Mandalas are used for meditation purposes and the Hindus were one of the first to use a mandala as a spiritual tool.  From an artistic point of view, I find these pieces beautiful, the designer in me notices the amazing attention to detail.

These pieces are called danmalas ("dan" the giver  "malas" of garland of flowers"), and after each is created and photographed by Klein, she leaves them as a give to whoever discovers them.  Can you imagine wandering in the woods and coming across one of these.  

I just ordered 12 of her photos, size 8 x 8.  Looking forward to framing and grouping on a large wall !

photos by  by Kathy Klein

Sari throw blankets have also made a big come back on my radar.  I have several at home and use them for various things - a splash of color at the foot of the bed, a picnic table cover,  even cut up and used in an art piece.  I have covered pillows, ottomans and chairs for clients.  I just love them.

I always wished I could knit.  I think it came from a brief blip in time living in Ireland, home of the real Aran sweater.   I have a thing for thick knits.

How do I see thick knits now, exactly the same way (Gwyneth makes it look pretty good).

. . . and I love a fat knit on on a bed, chair, or ottoman!

The good stuff always comes back for a visit.

Happy Sunday !

Install of the Day !

Hi !

We are back on the lake, and thrilled to be wrapping up the first floor for one of my favorite clients.  It went off perfectly last Thursday.  My thanks to Bree and Maggie for going ahead of me to meet our various subs and transform this empty, painted room, filling it with new, much anticipated goods !  The designing is the fun part, the work is the installation and I am so grateful for the crew that makes it happen.

The design . . .

It was time to get ride of the dated window treatments, wall paper and fixtures from the previous owners and bring the color scheme I started throughout that floor into the master bedroom and bath. Where did we start?  Fabric.  In the living, dining, foyer and family room on this floor I used a cohesive combination of grey, navy, Wedgwood blue, white, cream and a touch of kelly green.  In this space we continued the palette, but added a bit of yellow in place of the green.

I worked on the design boards, to give Joan an idea of the overall look.   The dresser and side tables are pieces that will stand the test of time.  Beautifully made and styled, high quality with looks as well as function.  Joan and I met and played with various fabric combinations.  We wanted a sophisticated look, yet not too too serious.

I arrived with Mekenzie to this . . . thank you Maggie and Bree.

I love this space.   We flipped the bed in the design to the wall between the two short windows.  While putting the dresser on that wall would seem like the obvious place, your options in softening that up would have been more difficult.  No long curtains on short windows, just don't do it !  So we flipped it and designed a headboard shape to scoop around the windows.  The two side tables fit perfectly under those short windows. Very symmetrical and the first thing you see entering the space.  

We now have the long wall for the large dresser and flaking chairs.

 This fabric, Joan fell in love with and I pulled everything from it.  Not too traditional, not too girly, with great color combination.

I layer rugs.  The floor is your fifth wall.

This is one of my favorites !  We splurged a bit and covered to occasional chairs with it.

Fun, eye catching side lamps atop these gorgeous side chests !

The windows overlook the lake.  Beautiful.  If you have to work a bit, this is the perfect place for it.  Calm quite, with a peaceful view.  Hum... maybe that would be a total distraction !  The great part about this desk is the ability to look out or in.

I chose, yet another pattern for the coverlet on the bed.  I do like a multitude of patterns!

Two large king size boxed shams, two 22" decorative pillows with applied capiz shells, and a bolster of the same window fabric.

Just off the living room, the transition compliments.

The slightly more formal living space walks into this family room with like colors, and . . .

The dining room, with it's amazing pattern Ikat grass cloth add just a little whimsy to this floor.

We did a little tweaking to the master bathroom as well on this install.  Originally covered with a dated vertical striped wall paper, we mudded the seams, primed over and painted it a simple cream.  That color matched the cabinet and tile work which instantly made the space seem bigger.  Don't kill yourself striping paper.  The oil based primer acts as a sealer and does the job.

We added new sconces, this adorable side chair, new blinds and cornices.

I made them large and hung them high to give the windows even more drama.

photos by mekenzie france

Great day, the sun was out, the lake was gorgeous and there were no glitches.  

Master bedroom . . done.  Stay tuned for a little transformation we also did that day.

Happy Sunday.