Showcase House at the Adamsleigh Estate with Traditional Home

First, thank you all for your very polite patience! It has taken me way too long to show you everything I have been up to lately! My trip to North Carolina was jam packed full of interior design inspiration, and one of the most inspiring bits was the gorgeous Show House at the Adamsleigh Estate benefiting the Junior League of Greensboro with the National Media Sponsor, Traditional Home.

There was a brilliant line-up of top designers involved with the Show House....some of my very favorites! Some of the main rooms were done in partnership with some of the largest furniture manufacturers from High Point. 

First up is the Living Room which was designed by Miles Redd in partnership with Century Furniture. Miles has said that every room needs "a little bit of blue", and in this space he has included a beautiful array of blues: turquoise, sky blue, denim blue, navy, royal blue and teal. Mixed with shots of chocolate and persimmon, the palette is decidedly appetizing! As always, I love his mix of traditional and modern, and Century Furniture provided plenty of options for the mix...... 

My favorite thing in this room has got to be the area rug! Enormous and just exquisite....

Another of my favorite designers is Eric Cohler. Eric worked with Pearson to produce a fresh and fun Sun Porch. Eric brought a lot of punch to this space with bold graphic pattern and unexpected details. One of the most fun details in the space was the striped border pattern on the ceiling topped off with the star burst light fixtures. What a great way to add instant architectural detail to the space! Also fun is the fabric covered screen, the grommeted drapery panels and the graphic area rug.

Eric seems to have such a fine tuned instinct for putting fabrics, colors and textures together that are so unexpected and yet work so well. This is one of my favorite spaces in the home....just so bright, comfortable and interesting....

Next up is the Sun Room. Yes, that is right....this house is so large that it has a Sun Porch AND a Sun Room. (Honestly, I did end up inadvertently missing a couple of major rooms in the house before time ran out and we had to leave! Can you imagine missing the Kitchen and Dining Room?!) So...the Sun Room was designed by Bradshaw Orrell and Randy McManus. It is just the place for a rest on the divan, martini in hand. Cool turquoise washes the walls and white lattice recalls  a pretty garden....

Coral pops is way into the scheme here and there, and you can really see the beautiful sheen on the ceiling....

Suzanne Kasler partnered with Hickory Chair (more of Hickory Chair and their latest offerings to come!) to create a cozy sophisticated Den. Again, that graphic pattern keeps things lively in an otherwise serene and peaceful space...

The light fixture echoes the area rug motif perfectly! Suzanne is another design celeb, and another one of my favorites! It was great to be able to see top designers' work in person!

Next up is the Library, a space designed by Greensboro's own Ann Legette. Ann brightened up the wood paneled space with cheerful watercolored blues and greens and ivory upholstery. The curtains were a custom hand-dyed silk, and don't you love the tracery ceiling?.....

I was thoroughly charmed by the Front Foyer space designed by Jane Matteson. It was full of collected curiosities, vintage bird cages and bird nests, mechanical birds and butterfly and moth specimens. A naturalist's refuge.....

I loved the antique book art pieces that just enhance the fantasy of an era gone by.....

I had such fun meeting the Madcap Cottage duo, John Locke and Jason Oliver who were so charming in showing me the Breakfast Room space they designed.....

John and Oliver have a talent for mixing patterns and colors in such a fun "madcap" way. i would just love to stay in this space and have tea, and just gab an afternoon away with these two! I hope you all click on over HERE to visit Madcap Cottage and see all of the pillows they have designed! (Again...so much to share on these two fellows coming up!)

One of the things I loved most about this room was that John and Oliver kept the original flower motifs painted on the door above and worked them into their design. They have that appreciation of vintage treasures and how we can work them into our homes in a fresh way. Bravo!

You can see one their pillows in the chair below, which just happens to have their signature elephant on the front....

Our last stop today is what is being called the "Prohibition Room". My guess is that this is where the imbibing went on, and perhaps where the hooch was stored during those roaring 20's! It was located below decks...in the basement. Patrick Lewis and Cindy Smith of Circa Interiors worked with Lee Industries to transform the space into a cozy retreat....where perhaps one could imagine a seance being held...

Can you feel the free-wheeling ghosts of the Great Gatsby era congregating here for a cocktail?...

Honestly, this home was so large, I truly did not have time to finish the whole tour! I cannot believe I missed the Kitchen and Dining Room.....but that is what happened. I almost missed the shuttle for the trip back to High Point! However, I still have LOTS to show you in my next post. There is a whole second floor to go through, so I hope you are ready for more amazing design in the days to come!

OFr more information about the Showhouse, click on over HERE!

Have a beautiful day!

High Point Market: Pearson

For those of you who follow me on facebook, you already know I was in High Point Market, North Carolina a couple of weeks ago. This was my first trip to High Point Market, and honestly, even after doing my homework, I still was blown away by the sheer size of this Trade Show! After reading various blogs about how much walking is involved in coming to the largest Furniture Trade Show in the world  , (I did pack more than one pair of comfortable walking shoes!), I still had no idea of the magnitude(11 million sq. ft. of showroom space, 2000+ exhibitors!) not only of the number of showrooms (180!), but also of the amazing amount of coordination of transportation, food preparation, education seminars, etc. that was involved. It is truly a gargantuan undertaking that takes place twice a year where the local population increases from 6,000 to over 75,000 seemingly overnight. 

High Point is smack in the middle of North Carolina. We flew into Greensboro, about a half hour outside of High Point via Chicago (a whole other story!), which took most of a Saturday (my day began at about 3:00 am....). We decided to go directly to High Point from the airport, check the luggage and start hoofing it to the showrooms straight away. I have sooooo much to share with you, including lots of photos from the Showcase House at the Adamsleigh Estate sponsored by Traditional Home Magazine. (Miles Redd designed the Living Room, so stay tuned!)

So, without making you wait another minute, on with the show!

First up is the Pearson Showroom. Pearson is a wonderful upholstery manufacturer and also produces great occasional furniture pieces. I had the privilege of touring the Showroom with Jennifer McConnell, Vice President of Design, and Anne Martin in PR and sales out of San Francisco. Jennifer was a fabulous wealth of information. She, herself, is responsible for all of the fabric selections, furniture designs and the design of the High Point Showroom. Thinking of it all strikes awe in to my heart. She is one lady with energy to spare!

As we entered the Showroom for our appointment, the first thing we saw turned out to be one of my favorite areas of the Showroom. Jennifer had selected this fantastic Asian inspired cloud/sky fabric in shades of blue for ottomans and pillows. Knocked my socks off! Paired with a beautiful linen print of a foo dog in indigo and orangey red on pillows and chairs, blue velvet sofas and a navy diamond patterned fabric on a pair of slipper chairs....loved it!

There was so much to see, I cannot remember what we saw next. I am just going to show you all of the things that caught my eye. Jennifer has a great talent for putting things together, and I sort of made a little gasp when I saw this vignette....

I have a thing for navy and indigo, so I was particularly smitten with the arm chair with this over scaled navy and ivory chevron pattern. I liked the combination of chair with the pale wood dresser and the Moroccan mirror with just a cop,e of accessories to set it off.

Next up, a room with what I think might be my favorite occasional table of the entire trip....

This space was decorated in black, fuchsia and white, and was so much fun! These brand new black and white Bunching Tables were so great. They added such a large dose of punch to the space. From a distance, one might assume these little gems were painted in stripes....but NO! The tables are actually veneered with Black Agate Stone and White Wax stone. Just an example of the quality Pearson adheres to! Loved the black and white chair and the fuchsia floral linen print on the chair in the back....great combination of things!

Another occasional table I liked was this Drinks Table. It is wrapped in a grey Italian Leather embossed with a Python pattern. Click on over HERE to see the entire table with its perfect little feet. I also thought the bench upholstered in the cut velvet was a very smart piece that could be used in a hall, or at a dining table. I do love multifunctional pieces of furniture.

So...many of the spaces were just full of great upholstery pieces....and since this is what Pearson is known for...one would expect no less. This space had such a great star shaped ottoman and the curved sofa was beautiful! Don't you love the persimmon velvet on the sofa?

Another space had these very cute hoofed stools (new this season) and another cool bunching table. I also thought the daybed was classic and very cool.

There were just a lot of fresh and pretty vignettes.....

Jennifer has a way with collecting antiques and accessories to compliment her Showroom!....

Loved these benches. I first thought the base was metal, but it is wood and available in any of Pearson's wood finishes. Sleek and sophisticated!

Here is a better look at that botanical fuchsia linen print! Love it.....and green velvet gets me every time.....

Another pretty vignette...and LOVE the sofa! Sort of a wing back style....

The bedroom vignette had pale lavender walls with this berry red printed linen....such a great and unexpected combination!....

This fresh take on a flame stitch pattern in bright white and navy was one of my favorite fabrics at High Point....

There was lots of navy, as I mentioned, so i was in a little bit of Indigo Heaven. I especially liked the combination of the wall color, a particularly nice shade of updated teal, with all of the navy .....

Cutest little bench with that pretty printed linen again, this time in blue and orange....

Pearson has a myriad of furniture finishes and over 1500 fabrics to choose from (as well as allowing for a customer's own fabric), as well as custom capabilities to truly create one-of-a-kind pieces. 

I am looking forward to working with Pearson to produce beautiful creations for my clients!

Many thanks to Jennifer McConnell and Anne Martin for such a wonderful introduction to the new Spring additions to the Pearson family of furniture!

Stay tuned for lots more about High Point Market 2013!!!

Neighborhood Stroll

Capitol A's car parked in front of home on the Curtis Park Home Tour. Our very first house is right across the street! 

Every year about this time, my little neighborhood of Curtis Park puts on a Home and Garden Tour. All of the neighbors seem to stretch out, wipe away the Winter cobwebs and reconnect with all of the neighbors and friends they have missed seeing during the rainy months. This year the weather was in full cooperation and the gardens were in full glory. The Curtis Park neighborhood was developed starting in the early 1900's (our house was built in 1911) stretching into the 30's and 40's.The neighborhood surrounds a wonderful park, by the same name and there are  Craftsman Bungalows, Spanish Revival, Tudor and Mediterranean and Monterrey style homes throughout the neighborhood. 

Every year the Home Tour features a cache of vintage cars, courtesy of the Capitol A's Model A Ford Club, that park in front of each home on the tour. They trade places throughout the day, so we see them all driving around honking those horns, the drivers wearing their vintage 20's style garb. It is perhaps my favorite part of the tour!

This year, the gardens on the tour were so pretty. I especially liked this garden. It has followed a trend I am seeing in our area where front yards are being used not just for a largely unused lawn, but for spaces for entertaining. Seating, water and fire features are becoming much more popular. I think it is because of the strong connection between neighbors in Curtis Park, people are prone to inviting friends over for a drink on the spur of the moment...even as they are passing by on the way to the park!

This yard is one a really liked.....citrus and olive trees, small fountain, decomposed granite and lots of shade make for a perfect spot to enjoy summer evenings....

Inside this home, what struck me most was all of the art that had been collected....

There were plein air paintings, contemporary portraits....

as well as art collected on travels abroad....

I also thought the Master Bath made interesting use of a furniture piece...

The next house we saw stayed true to the vintage feel of Curtis Park homes with the very charming black and white kitchen with bead board walls, vintage stove and simple face frame cabinets.....

The black and white bath looks like the original tile was kept in pristine condition...

There was even a series of small deco floral relief tiles set into the subway tile. So pretty!...

I loved the idea of planting rows of plants, some of which are edible, in the garden off the kitchen. I sort of expected Peter Rabbit to pop up any minute....

This brick cottage had an abundance of beautiful roses, many of which were heritage roses....you know the ones....they still smell like roses?

Mom decided this was the perfect place to stop and smell those roses...

Makes it a bit hard to understand why growers have turned away from scented roses in favor of anything else, no?...

Gorgeous and one could hyperventilate just standing there sniffing in that heavenly scent!

This Spanish revival cottage had a wonderful drought tolerant garden perfect for their location. There wer no shade trees over this part of the yard and it is south and east facing...so sunny pretty much all day. The summers in Sacramento get hot, for those of you unfamiliar. We get temps over 100 with some regularity in the summer. This garden should look beautiful all year....

 It was so much fun to stroll though the neighborhood, run into friends and neighbors and enjoy the beautiful day. If the bike stands were any indication, I was definitely not alone in that thought!

Next year, I am going to find out who owns the Woody and ask for a spin!