Your Holiday Table

Merry Christmas!!  We are only a week or so from the BIG DAY!!  Are you ready?  I have the added “To Do” of packing for a trip this season, as we are traveling to St. Louis to spend Christmas with my husband’s family.  My husband's grandmother turns 90 on Christmas day so in addition to celebrating Christmas we will also celebrate her!  I am looking forward to family, fun and memories!

I am sure you are preparing for family gatherings and thus want a table that is warm and inviting for your guests.   I have some ideas for you!  I attended “Illumination,”  the annual women’s Christmas event at my church this past Tuesday night.  There were over 70 decorated tables to savor and wow, the creativity was abundant.  I have several to share with you and hope that you can get some ideas to share with your family as you gather together to celebrate the Season.  Enjoy!

      

This is the table I decorated for the event.  This “Winter Wonderland” included silver, glass, mirror, white and blue.  As you can see, instead of the typical place card, I gifted each guest with an ornament bearing the letter of their first name.  This personalized each guest’s place at the table and gave them something that will hopefully bring back happy memories of the event as they hang it on their tree for seasons to come.

 

         

I don’t know about you, but I love using Magnolia to decorate with at the holidays.  I thought this centerpiece was elegant and natural and the best part is, many of us can go right outside our own back door and clip away!  What a nice touch!

                             

These are a few of the more elegant tablescapes. Each very different and unique it its own way.  Which is your favorite?

 

 

          

You can’t forget the Reason for the Season!

 

        

Last, but not least….A more unusual take on things….Yes, that’s right- Coke and Star Wars!  Tables I am sure the kids would enjoy!

 

So, I hope you have found a couple of ideas to use in your home. May your table be beautiful and your memories be sweet as you celebrate with your family!

 

Wishing God’s richest blessings to you during the Season and in the coming year!

All my best,

Tammy

Instant Room, Edition 3

Sorry for delay in getting out Edition 3 of my Instant Room Series. 

Things have been busy at the shop and I have been out of town

for the past week and a half.  My husband’s brother was married

out in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  We had a wonderful time!  It was

a nice change of pace;  The landscape, the company we kept and

the weather brought an enjoyable escape from our daily lives in

North Carolina!

 

This edition of “Instant Room” will explore one of my favorite

rooms- the Powder Room.  I love assisting clients with powder

bath spaces.  Typically Powder Rooms are smaller spaces that

can offer that “wow factor” that clients may not be willing to pull

the trigger on in other spaces in their homes.  Because Powder

Baths are often spaces that you don’t spend a lot of time in,

you can jazz things up and not tire of the selections you have

made.

When I think of “jazzing up” a space, I typically think of selections

that may be a little more outrageous or over the top.  You may

think that because most modern spaces tow the subtle and

understated line, that so called “over the top” or a little more

unusual selections may not be the right choice.  But, you can

give any space some extra pizzazz.  You just have to make

careful selections that maintain the style you are conveying

throughout your home.  Let’s get started…

 

Let’s begin with the walls.  To change things up a little, I

decided to combine several types of wall coverings to

make the space more visually interesting.

For the wall color, I chose Sherwin William’s “Koi Pond.”  This

color would cover all walls except the sink wall.

I LOVE this wallpaper!   It is actually made from scrap pieces of

wood.  The artist who designed the paper is Piet Hein Eek.   You can view

this and other of his designs at: http://pietheineek.com.  The paper

would be placed only on the sink wall, but not the entire wall.  I can explain

the placement once all the components are introduced.

This glass tile is by Crossville, in color Champagne.  Although it is

shown in a 1x1 piece, it also comes in a 2x6 subway tile, which is what

I would select.  The wallpaper would be installed floor to ceiling on

the sink wall.  In the middle of that wall, the glass subway tile

would be installed, then the wall-mounted faucet would be installed

into the tile.

This faucet, Kohler’s “Falling Water” wall mount lavatory faucet (vibrant brushed

bronze finish), will look great with the subway tiles, wallpaper and wall color and

will also accentuate the sconces and light fixture.

These sconces, by Minka Lavery Lighting (from the Compositions Collection, in Aged

Patina Iron Finish) will be mounted on the mirror over the sink- one on either side.  They

will provide soft lighting and will be a favorable accent to the wallpaper.

Now for that extra touch of excitement!  I could not resist this BEAUTIFUL piece by Currey &

Company.  It is so adequately called the “Goddess Chandelier”.  It will hang over-head and

provide those who enter a pleasant surprise.  I think this chandelier gives us that

touch of unexpected that every Powder Bath needs!

I decided to carry the Marbled Cork flooring into the Powder Bath that is also present in

the Kitchen.  This will provide a nice consistency between spaces.

 

What an impressive space!  We have “wow” with tasteful, interesting touches! 

 

I hope you have enjoyed reading this edition as much as I have enjoyed putting it together! 

As mentioned previously, I love Powder Rooms and as with the our other Instant Rooms, I would

love to see it come together in a real home! 

 

I look forward to continuing our journey!    Our next space to delve into will be the Master

Bedroom.  Hope you will join me!  Best Wishes to you!

Instant Room, Edition 2

So far, we explored a Modern Living Room.  I hope you enjoyed that post.  This week we move on to the Kitchen….

 

The Modern Kitchen

  I wanted to carry the color palette of the living room into the kitchen, so I continued with the

  browns, blacks, grays and soft golds.   Bon Appetit!

 

Cabinetry Selections

Cabinets, Countertop Material, Backsplash tile, Cabinetry Hardware

For the Kitchen cabinetry I wanted to choose a cabinet style that was stream-lined and clean. 

Armstrong Cabinetry provides a great option.  Their  “Moderno” Collection offers just what I had in mind

The Toffee finish is not too light and not too dark and coordinates well with the other

pieces of our Kitchen puzzle.  Now for the counter top material.  After having Staron quartz

by Samsung (yes, the TV people!) installed in my own kitchen a couple years ago, choosing

counter tops was a no brainer!  I LOVE my quartz!  Ease of maintenance is what makes me love it most. 

Quartz does not have all of the color and pattern, or “movement” that granite and some

other surfaces express. Our virtual modern kitchen needs the “quietness” the lack of pattern in the

quartz provides also stays within the parameters a modern space calls for.Because most of the other elements

of the Kitchen are understated I thought it would be fun and interesting to implement

a backsplash material with some pizazz!  The “Squareweave” pattern from the

Ann Sacks Mosaics collection gives us just enough color and pattern to both coordinate

and accentuate the overall feel of the space.                                                                              

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lastly, we need our hardware, which I often refer to as the “jewelry” of kitchen cabinetry.  The hardware adds the finishing touch. 

I wanted to make careful selection, as I wanted the hardware to compliment and not take away from all the other choices.  Rocky

Mountain Hardware, as always, gave me much to choose from.  I selected the Olympus Pull for the drawers and the Shift Knob for

the cabinets in the Silicon Bronze Light Finish.  Too bad this isn’t a real world kitchen- I would LOVE to see all of this come together.                      

                                                           

Plumbing Selections

Sink and Faucet

Sink selection often comes down to personal preference.  I happen to prefer a cast iron sink. The Kohler Smart Divide

I chose for our virtual space is great.  I also like the Almond color the sink comes in.  The faucet, also by Kohler, has

nice lines and also a heftiness to it that exudes a look of quality and performance.  Again, another nice fit into the

puzzle that is becoming our beautiful virtual Kitchen!     

                              

      

Flooring Selections

Flooring and Area Rug

In an effort to include items that are environmentally friendly I chose cork flooring for the kitchen. (Please visit corkflooring.com to

read about the many advantages of using cork for flooring applications).  On an aesthetic level, I love the color of the cork and the

pattern it adds.  To break up the pattern a bit, I chose the Stark Area Rug.  I love the strie pattern (tight stripes) of the rug!                                

 

 

 

 

 

 

Furniture Selections

Dining Room Table, Dining Chairs, Bar Stools

You may notice a sort of similarity to the furniture items I have selected. I wanted keep the pieces clean and sleek.

 

                     West Elm Dover Dining Table                                                     

                  

              West Elm Modern Windsor Dining Chair

              

    

                 West Elm Rustic Bar Stool

   

 

 

Lighting Selections

Mini Pendant (Island), Large Pendant (Dining Room Table)

I chose fixtures that would continue that look of sleek, trim and clean. 

 

     Murray Feiss Parker Place Mini Pendant                

                    

          Troy Lighting Redmond 6 Light Pendant

                            

Wall Color

Imagining  that our floor plan is open and spacious, I wanted to carry the Living Room wall color into the Kitchen.

Adding a new color could introduce an element of fussiness that could take away from the space, rather than

accentuate what is there.  I never want to add anything to space that can “jar” the eye or the senses!

         Sherwin Williams- Buckram Binding

                       

    

Fabrics

Okay, now to my favorite part….the FABRICS!!  The fabrics add the icing on the cake to a space. 

The Duralee floral that I selected is what I may call an updated floral, due to the scale of the pattern

and also the color combination.  I really like this fabric.  It also does a great job of coordinating all the

hues of the space.  I would use this fabric on the window treatments.  The Duralee stripe would be used

as seat cushions on our West Elm Bar Stools.  I especially like the stitching of the fabric.  It adds a needed

texture to the space.                                                                                                  

                       Window Treatment Fabric                                                                               

                                                     

                            Bar Stool Cushion Fabric                       

             

So, how do you like it?  I hope this shows that you can do modern but still have a warm, inviting environment. 

I like to refer to these spaces as “Elegant Modern.”   I also hope that as you read this blog and blogs to come that

you realize that every decision that is made in a space is one that matters and relates to something else.

The selections your designer makes are ones that have been thought through and all of those little details are what make all the difference!

 

Stay tuned for the next room!  What will we tackle next?  You will have to wait and see!!! 

Instant Room

Hope you are having a great summer!  After taking a little “blog break” I have decided to change the format of things a little. 

If you have read recent blogs I was doing a series called “Have You Seen This?”  I would share items that I would  find in magazines, on the internet, at market, etc.  I thought it would be a fun change to begin not just sharing the items, but pairing them together, since this is what I do for my clients.  Thus, “Instant Room” was born.  In this series, I will choose items for what we will call “virtual rooms”.   Not real rooms, with real clients.  Just spaces that I use to “virtually” show how to put a room together from items that I find using the internet only.  This quick process does not, by any means, mirror that of a real design project.  There are so many important little details that go into designing just one space.  This is meant to hopefully give you a little insight and maybe even some good ideas that you can use in your home!

So many times I hear both clients and those who visit my shop say “I know what I like, I just can’t put it all together to make it look good!”  Do you ever feel that way?  If so, I think you will enjoy this new series of blogs where I decide on a decorating style, then go room by room, coordinating furniture, fabrics, flooring, lighting, etc.  Hope you enjoy….

 

So, what style will be first in this “Instant Room” series?  Because I do not get the opportunity to complete very many projects that fall into the “Modern” category, I thought that would be a great place to start!  Here we go…

 

the modern living room

Let’s begin with a sofa.  I found this great piece, the “Bantam Sofa” on the Design Within Reach website (www.designwithinreach.com).   I like the neutrality of the color.  I like that is not gray, which is what I see in many modern spaces.  Gray can be very dull, so I decided to go with this linen-like color to avoid the drabness of gray.  (To all the “gray lovers” out there….I am not opposed to grays, in fact, I wear gray a lot!  It just seems that it has been used so much in modern design, I just wanted to go in a little different direction!) 

 

What about some throw pillows for the sofa?  You will need one to rest your head for that Sunday afternoon nap, right?  We need a fabric for the pillows.  I chose this Duralee fabric, which incorporates the sofa color, but will also coordinate other pieces and fabrics to come.

 

Before we go much farther, I should introduce the wall color, which is such an important piece of the puzzle.  To stay in the “modern” category I wanted to keep the colors rather monotone, so I decided to choose a wall color that would do just that.  “Buckram Binding” from Sherwin-Williams provides a soothing, neutral backdrop for the room.

We need some additional seating.  Again, from the Design Within Reach website, I found this great chair.  It’s straight lines keep us in line with the modern feel of the space.  The “Krefold Lounge Chair” is the perfect fit.

Although the cream leather shown on the Krefold Lounge Chair is gorgeous, how about something a little more striking and glam?

 This faux croc fabric fits the bill, no questions asked!!

End tables, where are you???  I need a resting place for my beverage, my eye glasses and my favorite new novel!  The straight lines and slim look of this end table really caught my eye.  I like that there is open and closed storage as well.  The “American Modern Side Table” is a perfect addition to our space!  (Can you guess where I found it??)

 

                                                            

The “Skagen Cocktail Table”  compliments our other pieces quite well.  In keeping with the modern feel of the space, this table adds just the right amount of curve in the legs, but just enough straight line to accompany it’s side table accomplice.  (Design Within Reach).

 

Now that we have established our furniture pieces, we need an area rug.  Again, thank you Design Within Reach.  Here comes the gray!!  The “Grace Rug” does a great job of grounding our sofa and lounge chairs and also coordinates with the gray in the sofa pillows. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now for the finishing touches!  Lighting, art work and window treatments!  (Accessories- Design Within Reach)

Baton Table Lamp

 

 

 

The Sunflower Clock

“Rubio, Sky, Moon & Hawk” by Bonnie Edelman

 

For the window treatments, simple, stationary drapery panels (fabric by Duralee) will provide simplicity and softness.  The drapery hardware by Helser Brothers will add a touch of bold that is appropriate for a Modern space and adds something that we do not see in other parts of the room.

 

And, just like that, we are done! 

Now, I would like to mention, that unlike the shows you see on TV, this process is not one that can be done in a weekend.  Lots of questions have to be asked, a budget has to be established, details have to be attended to and a time line has to be created to make it all come together to produce the envisioned result.  Also, I do not usually suggest that you hit one website or store and make every needed selection.  But, what this does show, is that with a little thought and some good help, you can choose those items you like and put them together in a way that makes you savor your space. 

 

Thank you for spending a snippet of your time here today.  Be looking for our next space- the modern Kitchen!

Have You Seen This??

Long time, no see!  I have been buried under piles of paperwork for a little while.  I have had several design projects going, not to mention tax season.  I am thankful for the design projects, but could really do without the tax preparation! 

 

I have several items I wanted to share- brand new items that were showcased at High Point’s Spring Market!  Peruse these and make your wish list!!

Check out this fab wing back chair!!  It’s Bernhardt Furniture’s update on a classic.  The pink velvet (yummy!) adds a modern twist, while the nail head detail gives that touch of traditional.  The bluntness of the wings and hard edges offer a fresh, up-to-date design that will surely offer all you need in a chair-conventional and modern all rolled in to one!

 

Looking for a transitional piece?  This Lombard two-door cabinet should fit the bill.  I love the door detail with the centrally-placed knob. The weathered wood finish combined with the ogee feet, again, give you that little bit of old and a little bit of new!  Style and good looks abound!

 

I absolutely LOVE this light fixture by Currey and Company!!  As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am quite fond of pink, so this piece is right up my alley!  I love the empire style coupled with the pink crystals.  Called the “Maharani Chandelier,” this piece is sure to conjure visions of opulence and wealth.  I can see this piece in a modern, elegant dining room or in a teen girl’s bedroom or bath!  The pink gives that sense of fresh and fun, while the design whispers timeless and classic. 

 

What is better than a brownie a-la-mode?  Why a black, lattice-patterned area rug, of coarse!  In my humble opinion, black and white, boldly patterned objects are hard to beat.  Designed by Jill Rosenwald for Surya rugs, this rug has everything going for it!  Enduring and ageless!

 

I want to stop before I share all my finds at once.  Stay tuned for more….

 

If you would like further information on any of the items, please contact me via email at tammytaylor1@gmail.com, or by phone at 704.908.3740.  I would love to assist you with giving any of these beauties residence in your home!