Copper Highlights

Metalllics seem to be all the rage these days....fabrics, wallpaper, furniture finishes and all kinds of accessories bring metallic sparkle and bling to home decor.


We've seen high gloss chrome, brushed nickel and oil rubbed bronze, and now burnished gold is taking center stage.  But my heart will always lean to my favorite patina....copper.


I just love copper!  It's rich and warm, and it always ages with grace and panache!
Every chef covets a set of hand-forged copper pans....me too!

Vaux-le-vicomte chateau

Designers are taking this soft, mellow metal and using it in all kinds of unique applications.


Who doesn't love the copper farm sink?

or the incredible free standing bathtub...

This Japanese soaking tub is the ultimate in luxury, don't you think?  (Perhaps we need to bring along a copper step stool so you can actually get in!)

Craftsman Copper

Lighting designers have jumped on the copper bandwagon as well, mixing traditional and modern design elements with this antique finish.

Casa Midy Lanterns

Tom Dixon

Artistic Kitchen Designs

Industrial Design Imports

Copper is a great material for cut away panels and screens too.  
Think about the shadows this pattern would make in the light!   Yum!

Parasoleil by Kari Seydewitz

I do love the way that copper creates a beautiful verdigis patina when it's left to oxidize. 

My favorite color scheme too!

Strauss Furniture

Furniture makers have begun experimenting with copper.  The soft metal is more challenging to work with, but when it works, it's wonderful!


How unique is this!

Ferruccio Laviani

 Heaven for me when you marry the copper with drawers....I love drawers and cubbies!

Hobart Cabinet Co.

Distressed copper clad dining tables look great in outdoor spaces or homey kitchens. 

GI Designs

Tile manufacturers have been adding copper to their lines for a while now, 

Native Trails Tile

but penny tiles in copper are a new twist to an vintage design.

Cool Trends

And then there's the real deal!!  Talk about a "costly" floor!

Even Kitchenaide has gotten in on the act!

Wanna know how obsessed I am?  This is my kitchen ceiling.  Anaglypta wallpaper, faux painted by me....I needed a neck brace by the time I finished!  But I love it everyday.

So, are you a fan of copper too?  Jump on the bandwagon....there's plenty of room!

A Dallas Fav

This month's edition of D-Home Magazine reminds us of some of the most wonderful interiors featured in the magazine over the last 10 years. 

This living room, designed by Dallas designer, Myrl Talkington, was a real favorite of mine as well.

I love the beautiful, saturated color on the walls, the Aubusson rug and the rich coffered ceiling.  The abundance of rich fabric on the upholstery and drapes bring that feeling of casual elegance to this room.

 

Arched doors are always unique, and the detailed carving on these is magnificent! 

I don't even have words for this painted secretary....how about fabulous!

I'd love to know the back story on this piece, wouldn't you?

If I'd seen the glass coffee table in a showroom, I don't know that I would have thought about it for this space, but now that it's in place, the transparency of the glass allows the beautiful rug to show well.   Would you have pushed the envelop and placed this table, or something else?

Do you love the color palatte?  Robin's egg blue and yellow...a very traditional combination.  Even though the damask fabric usually brings a formal look to a room, the painted and distressed finishes on the chair frame bring a more casual feel.

I love the fringe on the oversized pillows too.

Photos of this room were first published in D-Home in May on 2008.  I think it's still a classically designed room that will continue to look fresh for more years to come.

What are your favorite features of this room?

To Paint, or not to Paint....is that the question????

Anyone who knows me knows that I will paint anything that isn't nailed down. 

It's easy for me, because, well....it's just paint! 

But last week I had the discussion twice with different clients questioning my advise to paint their ceilings.  It's interesting to me that there is so much angst about color on a ceiling.

When did the rule book come out that says that ceilings must be white?  And who wrote it?  I really want to know, because historically, ceilings in Europe were decorated more than any other wall in the house.

Versailles Castle - Paris, France

Now, mind you, I wasn't interesting in being this dramatic.

I wasn't even trying to get them to do simple clouds on the ceiling.

RONALD LAYMAN, Mural artist

or French style moldings....

or crazy stripes....

Sara Story, Interior Designer

I wasn't even suggesting a contrasting color....

(although, I'd do this for me in a heartbeat!)

I just wanted to take the neutral wall color on to the ceiling to minimize all the angles.

Like this....

or this.....

or even this....

I love a painted ceiling.  What do you think? 

Am I in a parallel universe or something?

Help me here!  

What's your take on painted ceilings?

Today's lovely things.

OK, I'm new to blogging. It reminds me a bit of teaching school (which I did for 17 years). I'm reading, researching, planning and collecting like a crazy person because I'm so interested in all the wonderful things I'm seeing on line. I've already got an idea file that will take me into the next millieum with post ideas.


How, oh, How do I decide what to write about!


So, I'm going to post some things that I am loving today. 

There's so much I like about this room.  I love the idea of a dining room that is large, yet intimate.  The soft color palette is repeated in textural patterns throughout the room, but because it's soft and blended, it doesn't feel busy.  I LOVE the high, weathered, beamed ceilings, the fireplace, and the crystal chandelier that looks like it came out of a 19th century French chateau.  I love the impressive moldings, the glass hurricanes and the curtains over the doors.  Sigh.......

I love pink.  I've always loved pink, and I am fairly certain that I will grow old (or older!) loving pink.  I'm so grateful that it is back in vogue....although for me, it always will be.  I think the chair is most intriguing, and I love its sleek shape.  I think Alice in Wonderland or the queen of England should sit in it.

It's a great idea to have seating at the end of the bed, and I really think these chairs are are very cool.  They are a little unexpected, and that makes them fun.  The juxtaposition of the contemporary shape on the chairs and the very primitive distressed furniture really speaks to eclectic design.  The soft color palette with the pops of coral and pumpkin makes this a very refined, yet casual space.

Gotta love a porch!  We're seeing new neighborhoods springing up in our area that have front porches and sidewalks around a central greenbelt area.  Maybe neighbors will get to know one another again.  It's a blast from the past that I think I could appreciate.
 

 

These next three rooms are the work of Interior Designer J. Hircsh from Atlanta.  I spent a great deal of time perusing his website, and I found so much richness to his room design.  Yummy.
 

I think ceilings should be interesting....coffers, beams, moldings, trays and beautiful lighting, and painted, of course.

I'd expect a gold leaf ceiling in a room with more of a formal setting, but I think it looks great anywhere.  Take a risk, people!

This room speaks to my love of casual and personal spaces. The saturated hues against bright white and the unexpected pale blue bedding tell me that the person who lives here is fun, sassy and free spirited....Just like me!!   The seagrass rug is great for this relaxed space.  Everything in this room works for me.  Did I mention that orange is my color?

This room has many of the same elements of the one above.  The addition of the soft taupe repeated in the zebra and the furniture color softens the boldness of the orange.  The graphic elements....the stripes in the drapes, the zebra patterns and the diamond patten on the pillow shams....all work together to create style and panache in this bedroom.  Gotta love the splash of turquoise, the color of the year.  Just what the room needs.

Loving this oversized mirror!  It does what mirrors are supposed to do, which is to enhance and reflect the beautiful space around it, but it does it in a unique way with the arch and mullions.  I think it makes this space. 

I usually gravitate toward spaces that have more color than this, but I was so drawn to the inviting chaise in front of the fireplace.   I  know that my blood pressure would immediately go down reclining in this wonderful space....good book, glass of wine, Chopin playing in the background....I can dream can't I ??

These are just a few of my favorite things for today.  I'm sure it will be something else for tomorrow.

Are you living with things that you love?  You should be, you know!