Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Art Openings

Can you see the depth of the encaustic/wax
I love my adventures....... as an interior designer I attend a lot  of events for inspiration, research and, making sure I'm keeping up with the world changing around me.
The Westport Art Center had an opening this past Friday and what a wonderful "buzzing" event it was. Lots of  interesting people, great "nosh", bouncing music and, some bubbly. There was one photograph( I didn't take a photo, I don't know  why) that was of a dining room with old wall paper, a gaudy gold chandelier,  window treatments that were once stunning but now hanging by threads, broken mirrored walls, stained wall to wall carpeting, no furniture and, obviously hadn't been lived in for years.What was interesting and,  you may think we're crazy but, both my friend and I could "smell" the musty-ness  of the room and, how at one time it must have been someone's pride and joy. Very intriguing how we could "feel" the past and present by just looking at a photo.


Another interesting piece had beautiful lines. Look at the photo below... see how many straight lines there are going every which way and,  accompanied by the vibrant colors,  the clarity of the furniture and accessories this makes this piece very eye catching.  I tried to figure out  who's furniture it was, I think I know all furniture manufacturers ..ha ha but, come to find out the artist +Duvian Montoya took it right from a +Crate and Barrel catalog. The painting sold.

Duvian Montoya




Einstein's Ring by Nash Hyon
Einstein's Ring was  intriguing because of the depth of the encaustic used for the inner circle and, how I was  drawn to it  from across the room.

I had a conversation with the artist Nash Hyon and, she put her Einsten painting on hold for awhile because it was not coming together. Time give us the space sometimes that allows the inspiration to come forward. Therefore, Ms Hyon continued after a brief hiatus and viola.....Einstein's Ring

Hot  Dog by Pascale Beneteau















A little music always helps
Proud Elephant
Master photographer  Mary Harold
Art is the icing on the cake for making a house a home.
Visit your local galleries and see what inspires you. You may take a home a beautiful treasure that makes that special corner of your room come alive. Terri

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Wool and Silk Rug Shopping

Window fabric is perfect with this rug
This week I had the wonderful experience of shopping for wool and silk area rugs with my client. I LOVE to shop for interior design products. It makes my hear sing that my client's home will be comfortable under foot, inviting, cozy and, sound proofed by using durable "heirloom" wool and silk rugs. Heirloom because these rugs can be passed on generation to generation. Look at how many antique rugs have  been purchased over the years. My client was concerned of high traffic with lots of grandchildren. Wool and silk rugs wear like iron and with various colors and patterns the unwanted can be hidden and easily cleaned. I always suggest to my clients to have the rugs(also furniture and even window treatments) Fibersealed. My story of fibersealing is, I had a white sofa years ago that was fibersealed  and  I (yes, I not my kids) spilled red nail polish on the sofa,  believe it or not it came right up......enough with the advertising.
A Soft compliment for the dining room 













 My client has several rooms that need area rugs so along with my large swatches of +Farrow & Ball paint colors that I specified for her home we went SHOPPING.....we found a beautiful broadloom that were making into a runner for the entry hallway that runs almost to the back of the home.... 27' x 5' ....it's a wool so therefore, will withstand entry traffic of mud, snow, and rain. It will also soften the long hallway, compliment the beautiful art work and, help with sound proofing. In the large living room which is opened to the dining room I had specified Blue/Grey colors on the walls. The client being very traditional over the years wanted a rug design of more transitional and not quite contemporary. To fill the large space we selected a 12' x 14' which  will "ground" the large room even though it will have two separate seating areas. The Dining Room is Hardwick White which is a deep green grey, the rug selected is a washed out looking antique but  has a slight transitional feel. The Dining Room is gorgeous! Wait till the Conrad Shade I ordered for dining room window is installed.......Im in love!! In the master bedroom we selected a contemporary "wave" design rug with a soft feel of oyster and a hint of pink/grey/taupe which picks up the color of the walls perfectly. The softness to the feet upon leaving the bed in the morning is the most important part of getting the right size rug in a bedroom.. You don't want your bed to fill up the whole rug and hide it, we could have also done 3 areas rugs around the bed but I like the look of one large rug...it "grounds" the whole space. I found the perfect faux sisal for the kitchen table area and a little runner in front of  the sink area... faux sisals are easy to clean, this one has a great design that compliments  the walls and gives softness to the feet.
 Here's to warm and fuzzy rugs and may our feet be always happy!
Conrad Shade for Dining Room

Faux Sisal for Kitchen













...send me photos of your favorite rugs

I love my job,

Terri