Classic Weekend Eye Candy

The interiors of Pablo Paniagua from the always brilliant Nuevo Estilo. I'm happy to be home after a week of travel for work.  Hope you have a great weekend.

Light & Dark - a beautiful contrast

Designer Candace Barnes is a master at playing dark and light off each other. Hope you enjoy these interiors. On an unrelated note, I haven't mastered new Bloggers "centering" function. Any tips for me? (photographer not known)

Must See Georgetown Row House!

The Washington Post's Jura Koncius hit it out of the ball park yesterday with her feature on decorator Michele Evan's Georgetown row house she shares with husband Council member Jack Evans and their six children.  Tearing down the walls of the 18 foot wide first floor, a large living area was created with this incredible kitchen taking center stage.  This may be my favorite kitchen of 2012. Notice how Michele repeats the strong rectangular lines throughout the space.  Love those spot-on perfect pendant lights. (Photography by Katherine Frey)

In addition to being beautiful, the kitchen is unique and functional. There's a built-in coffee maker and a potting area with a soapstone sink and fabulous brass bridge faucet.

A dining area with a limestone table is nestled in the front bay window overlooking the street.

A neutral palette of soft creams and grays with touches of caramel create a restful living space.  I'm noting the balls in the fireplace - wonder what they are made of?

Michele created an incredible backyard with large dining and outdoor tv lounge area.  The article notes that with their patio heaters they can use the space 8 months of the year and last year hosted Thanksgiving dinner outside for 18.

Be sure to check out the full Washington Post article here, where you can also see the library ladder in the kitchen, the breakfast area, renovated basement and much more. Hope you have a great weekend.

Cheap Leopard & my DIY Ottoman

This Laura Ashley ottoman started out as a blue/white check which never went with anything in my house but at $300 I didn't want to pass it up. Many years later and I've finally "reupholstered" it myself with a purple gray linen to play off the sofa covered in Kelly Wearstler's Fern Tree (bought at discount from Haute.)
This summer I bought a purple gray leopard scarf from 2 Chic while on vacation in Marblehead. House Beautiful just did a spread on animal print. For only $20, this scarf was a cheap way to bring in a fun print (and protect the linen from daily use).
But, with the leopard it just didn't sit quite right in it's old place.

So here it is in front of the other sofa in the family room. As you may be guessing, my family room is a bit eclectic; furnished and decorated not by an upfront master plan but rather from a "let me try to piece something together..."

I've never shown my whole family room and have it as a goal to post about it in the next month.

Eye Candy: Juicy Color in the Kitchen

Forget a cup of coffee ( or OJ) in the morning, the juicy color in this kitchen will be sure to give you a boost. My favorite is the orange Viking stove - pairs well w/the butcher block and neutral counters.
Designer Mark Molthan Via Dallas Home here.

The St. Regis, Virtual Clint & Me

I don't think I would ever get tired of having a tv "in" my bathroom mirror or staying at a St Regis.
Similar to the room at the San Francisco St. Regis, the bath area opens to the bedroom space. Makes me wonder if I'd like something like this in my next home (the doors close and their is a separate water closet).
A great fridge area in the entry.

The furniture seemed to be from the Barbara Barry collection.
Rooms with entries alway feel better. This one was practical too with two closets and a fridge area. Isn't it nice when hotel rooms are beautiful and make you think about design ideas?

Back from Scotts - mega post

It felt like a mega post considering how slow Blogger was loading pics. A quick business trip to Atlanta was perfectly timed for a Sunday morning visit to Scotts. Things are definitely quieter then, with a few dealers packing up, but there were still alot of great finds. Can only imagine what it was like Thursday afternoon. This is my third visit and first in 2012. One thing I noticed was the absence of intaglios and the abundance of moss. To bad this urn couldn't fit in my carry-on.
Imagine a library designed around these gorgeous pillows or this stool.

Imaginative buoy lights
Coral - ever popular. It does make you wonder where it's being harvested and the damage caused to the reefs. I used to buy coral but have decided no more purchases. Also, turtle shells were everywhere but you have to wonder what the environmental impact of that is too.
Fab mirror


Rosemary (I think) topiary - wonderful fragrance, want one or two.
You've seen circles on stands before. Now they're interlocking.
Really liked this.
Smart use of a painting to create faux architectural interest
Audubon reprints
Clean lined antiqued mirror. Would have bought this if I lived in the area.
Very nice faux bois lampshades
Iron base table with an old crate as its top
A treat of little hot donuts fresh from frying-up, why not? I rationalized them as good motivation to swim longer than usual at the hotel pool. (felt compelled to say that) What did I buy? One yard of peacock blue mohair that's a perfect match to some I already have.

Never too soon for Christmas. Santa is lurking in the back.

Respecting the Ranch House: #1

I grew up in a ranch house, live in one now, and in my current neighborhood am watching them routinely being torn down to oftentimes be replaced by unfortunate mega-boxes. While ranches aren't perfect, their strengths and benefits are often overlooked. So here's to a new series about the liveabilty and allure of ranches and ways to sensitively bring them into the 21st century without going the route of the pop-up.

Featured in the Sep-Oct 2009 issue of D Home, Lori and Rick Golman, the owners of this 1950s ranch, admit it wasn't love at first site. “It’s a basic ranch house. It was affordable, but you wouldn’t drive up to it and go, ‘Wow,’” she says. But the Golmans looked past the 1970s decor and realized the house was exactly what they needed. It had good bones and a great floor plan." (article by Laura Kolsteny, photography by Timothy Kolk)
Their remodeling plays on the strong connection ranch houses can have with their outdoor environment. Love this pool area with the wall of tasteful sliding glass doors. It expands the feel of the space and brings the outdoors in, a popular trend today.

The simple aesthetic of the architecture is a perfect backdrop for a mix of antiques and modern elements.
Finding a way to elevate the ceiling in select rooms can make a ranch home feel more expansive and architecturally interesting.
Have you ever lived in a ranch house? What did you love about it?
To read more, head here.