We have our first completed room in the art house!

Our clients closed on this property less than two months ago. Since then, it’s been a whirlwind of activity. We painted, replaced carpet with hardwood floors, re-tiled the master bath and remodeled everything in the kitchen/breakfast area except the cabinets. And that’s just the downstairs!

The family moved in just before Thanksgiving. That began the full court press to find furniture before Christmas. We won’t be 100% successful since we had to order a few pieces, but we’ve made a good start. This is a family that loves to read together, so getting a comfortable, relaxed environment for these book lovers was a priority. Here’s the study before:

And after:

The only new furniture in the room is the fabulous ladder bookcase against the back wall. Everything else came with the family in the move. The lower bookcase holds the children’s books, and the center of the room is kept open so they can sprawl comfortably on the rug while Mom and Dad occupy the chairs. We wish them many happy hours together in their new study!

Here’s some great gift suggestions from The Artful Home:

The Artful Home is one of my favorite websites. It’s all about unique pieces, created and produced by the artists themselves. I especially love that little perfume bottle (lower left corner). One of my dreams is a collection of etched and/or engraved perfume bottles displayed in a mirrored cabinet in a huge bathroom. I once saw a photo of a similar collection in Donatella Versace’s bathroom. Magnifico!

In my case, I’ll have to start by getting a bathroom large enough to hold a mirrored cabinet. Right now, there’s barely room for Tony to walk behind me when I’m sitting in the chair blow-drying my hair! But dreams gotta start somewhere…

www.artfulhome.com

It’s been easy to pick on Brad Pitt and his shopping extravaganzas (see “Brad Pitt Goes Shopping” and “Brad Pitt Goes Shopping Again”), but he’s also been up to some good. His “Make It Right” Foundation has commisioned 150 affordable houses to be built in New Orleans. 15 have been built so far, and here’s a look at two of them:

Brad Pitt Houses

The houses are colorful, flood-resistant, and cost around $175,000 each. That’s about the total of Brad Pitt’s last furniture purchase, but hey, this helps balance things out, right? Besides, high-end furniture designers have to eat, too.

Read the whole story at: 

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/11/29/travel/29cultured.html?ex=1275368400&en=48d11c29a2a96008&ei=5087&WT.mc_id=TR-D-I-NYT-MOD-MOD-M126-ROS-1209-HDR&WT.mc_ev=click

It’s pretty cool.

Pantone 15-5519 Turquoise

Turquoise! It’s a lovely green-blue, isn’t it? Nice and soft, like the semi-precious stone, instead of the plastic necklace-bead brashy-blue kind. The first thought that comes to me is a turquoise ocean with a beautiful white sand beach. It seems like I’ve seen a beach like that…where? Hawaii? The Caribbean? Not Greece — that part of the Mediterranean is almost the same blue as the sky. Amazing.

This Color-of-the-Year stuff really has legs. Two years ago, the COTY was Blue Iris, a delicious violet shade. It worked its way through design, from fashion to industrial, even finding its way to vacuum cleaners and washing machines. Last year’s COTY was Mimosa, a perky yellow that is trickling its way through fashion into home design now, coinciding with a slow return to a sunny economic outlook. How did they know?

Here’s what I mean — check out the rug in this newly decorated industrial loft:

Here we have a totally cool, contemporary look warmed up with a wonderful mimosa-infused area rug. Isn’t it great with the greys, blues, and whites? BTW, this is the San Antonio loft of one of the Dixie Chicks (can’t remember which one) as featured in a recent Metropolitan Home magazine. Not our design, alas, but one that certainly inspires. I have already passed this look on to  clients building a crisp, contemporary home in Dripping Springs. I hope they add the window treatments. I just love how the white wall of curtains blends effortlessly into the window wall. Tres chic! Practical, too, when our fierce Texas sun makes its appearance again next summer.

So enjoy the Color of the Year, and look for it to work its way into your home in about a year.I think I’ll start digging through my wardrobe, looking for turquoise to wear now!

Phase One of our Art House remodel is complete. Wow! It was hectic, but we managed to get things done in time for the family to move in the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Here’s how the house looked on Move-in Day:

We used Laura Ashley Sage in all three rooms (also upstairs in the TV room) to unify and soften things. Carpet downstairs was replaced with Brazilian Cherry hardwoods, which are already darkening up nicely to blend in with the older Brazilian Cherry in the Living Room. And we used a wonderful Saltillo-style tile  in the entry, kitchen, and backsplash with random hand-painted accent tiles throughout. You can just make out the new granite countertops as well. The best of the original “artsy” touches have been retained and look even better with their new complimentary surroundings.

Next, we’ll add furniture, artwork, and everything else this fantastic family needs to settle in! We’ll keep you posted…