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July 2008
The scent of home…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We all want our homes to smell like eau de heaven, but sometimes, the reality is scent o’ kitty, or dying flowers, or worse yet — last night’s dinner.
That may be why I often like fresh breezes through open windows, a little known product called Febreeze, and luxury candles for comfort.
I’m a wee bit of a candle snob. There’s nothing like the scent of soapy, waxy cheap wicks to turn my stomach.
I’ve tried a lot during the past few years; the discount candles you find at big box stores, the Pier 1 variety, Yankee candles, home-made soy candles and even top of the line, like the Jo Malone pristine, crisp collection.
My favorite? Kobo’s vetiver and shaved vanilla soy candle ($32), which I typically buy from Armour & Co. Home Emporium on North Highland. Otherwise, you’ll find my house stocked with Voluspa’s Yuzu Rose Bubble Bath ($18).
Have any of you tried TasselAire? I was leery of these scented tassels, which you hang on your door, until one arrived on my desk. To my surprise, it didn’t smell like perfumed talcum powder or old ladies at my hometown church. The fragrance I tried — balsam — was fresh, sexy yet masculine. (I’m itching to try the lavender and rosemary.)
What are your tips for a sweet-smelling abode?
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Design books that inspire
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve been low on design inspiration lately, most likely because I’m low on cash to fund my ideas. I decided to put down the magazines and catalogs for a while and pick up a book I received about a year ago.
“Home: 50 Tastemakers Describe Where it is, What it is and What it means,” by Stafford Cliff (Artisan, $26) got two lousy reviews on Amazon, but I like it for the precise reason that the reviewers did not.
They were looking for “marvelously unique,” spaces, but I think the point of the book is to show the normalcy that goes into decorating most homes even if your name happens to be Celia Birtwell, Lulu Guinness, Tommy Hilfiger or Michael Graves (some of the tastemakers featured in the book).
Cliff states in the introduction that the most innovative designers in the world say the same thing about working with clients, “I ask lots of questions and get my ideas and inspiration from what they tell me.”
The message I get from that is to trust myself, which makes me feel a little better…
Which books help you get back on the design track?
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Ballard Designs tent sale
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Knowing we all love a deep discount, mark your calendars for a four-day Ballard Backroom tent sale beginning this Thursday through next Monday in Roswell.
I’m told the sale will include deeper markdowns on the already discounted overstock and dent-and-scratch items.
Sale runs 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (and Monday), and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Ballard Backroom, 1475 Holcomb Bridge Road in Roswell.
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Feng Shui in the boudoir
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It seems you can Feng Shui almost everything lately.
I wrote a story a couple of years ago about a guy who gave Feng Shui haircuts.
But back to homes.
Katie and I recently had a chat about Feng Shui that sent both of us scrambling to remove or reposition the mirrors in our bedrooms.
According to Feng Shui principles, mirrors facing the bed are bad if you can see your face or upper body in the reflection.
Why? Because at night when negative ch’i tries to leave your body, a reflection will bounce it right back. That’s kind of freaky. It made me wonder what other Feng Shui violations are lurking in my home.
Any Feng Shui followers out there?
How have you incorporated the principles of Feng Shui into your space?
Here’s a video with some basic steps for the bedroom:
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Making a guest feel comfortable in your home
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Nedra recently blogged about guest rooms, so consider this a spin-off: welcoming a guest into your home.
I don’t have a sprawling mansion with fully equipped guest quarters, so I turn to the little things to welcome my friends. I buy fresh flowers and candles to sprinkle throughout my house, especially in the guest room, and I also like to prepare a small basket of toiletries in case they’ve forgotten to bring special items, such as a toothbrush or floss. On their nightstand, I place a bottle of water and possibly some cookies or breakfast bars in case they get the midnight munchies.
Eventually, I’d love to have a large enough guest room to accommodate a reading area and a writing desk, even though I’m reasonably sure it may not be used. I suppose I like the warm, welcoming appearance of those timeless elements.
Now it’s your turn: How do you ensure your guest is comfortable?
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Designing a Green House
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m a believer in green living, though my efforts to this point can best be described as chartreuse.
I’m in the process of converting all the incandescent bulbs in my house to CFL.
But I doubt my floors are made of sustainable hardwood.
I purchased a high efficiency washer.
But I haven’t convinced myself that investing in thermal or insulated drapery is a stylish option.
I’ve stalled on painting my walls because while I want to use low/ no VOC paints, I’m terrified that it’s harder to get the look I want with them.
That’s about where my eco-friendliness (as far as my home is concerned) hits a wall, mainly because I haven’t quite figured out how to make an environmentally responsible choice that is both stylish and affordable.
Things are changing, I know. And I’ve recently discovered sources like IdealBite, which gives free daily e-mail tips on eco-living.
But I’d love to know what fellow Atlantans are up to.
How have you greened your home and done it with style?
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Where do you go for inspiration?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My friend Heather just moved into a new apartment and asked for my help in making it her own. I knew that she and I have different tastes — I’m going through an ultra-girly French-meets-modern stage, while she definitely likes things with less frills and cleaner lines.
To give her a quick design overview, we drove through the Howell Mill district before heading to Buckhead. We toured Savvy Snoot for high-end Mid-Century modern design consignment, Ballard Backroom for affordable European knock-offs, and Bungalow Classic (website under construction) for its clean, classic yet ethereal feel. Next stop was Design Within Reach to test her contemporary and modern tolerance, and we finished the day in the brand spankin’ new Pottery Barn at Lenox, as well as Anthropologie for a healthy dose of feminine furniture comfort.
We didn’t buy a thing, but that was the point. For her to envision her new space, she needed to see and touch and feel some real product and design. The result? She discovered she likes Barcelona chairs (photo from Knoll.com, she fell in love with Madeline Weinrib’s carpets at Bungalow, and can get down with a Chesterfield sofa. What did I learn? Don’t pitch any product that is ornate or particularly curvy, and focus on darker woods for her pad. (I also decided that I should just save my pennies and buy those incredible Emeco Navy counterstools for my kitchen. They will last forever!)
When you are short on ideas, where do you go for design inspiration?
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A Guest Room that Works
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When my sister and her family recently came to visit, I scrambled to pull together the guest room.
An AeroBed (the one that actually sits 22 inches from the ground and comes with a bed skirt) solved my immediate problem, but the question remained about what to do with the study/ bedroom.
If 90 percent of the time the room is used as a study, and 10 percent of the time it is used as a guest room, is it worth it to invest in a sofa bed?
I’ve explored all manner of day beds, some of which I think would create a nice sitting area when not in use, but most will only accommodate a twin sized sleeper.
I’m sort of into this leather look sofa bed from Apt for $898 (the chairs are nice too), but it looks a little futon-ish.
How have you turned a room that is primarily used for some other activity into a welcoming guest room?
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A two-timing table - bachelor’s dream come true?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Flipping through my “Furniture Today” newsmagazine, my gaze fell upon a slick metal and wood dining table. It’s clean lines reminded me of something I might find in Design Within Reach or a contemporary furniture store of the like.
Then I noticed inset pictures of this four-legged wonder transformed into a pool table. Apparently, you just flip the top and voila! A pocket billiards game, or perhaps a boards game, depending on how you customize the piece.
I think this is a grown up frat boy’s dream, maybe one even I can buy into. The Fusiontable by Aramith (a Belgian company) is marketed as a table for all rooms - everywhere from your dining area to office conference room. (I imagine this puppy in a cool downtown loft where space is of the essence.)
If you’re a serious pool shark, you may be able to win back the money it’ll take to make one of these yours. Available in a number of wood, cloth and base options, the table retails anywhere from $5,995 to $8,995, a spokesman said.
The table was introduced in the United States just last month. For more details, check out www.fusiontables.com.
What are your thoughts on this kind of double duty dining? Finally, incentive to keep the kitchen table clear of clutter?
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How to Lose a Sofa in 10 days
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In keeping with yesterday’s theme, here’s Keep, Spruce or Pitch, Part II
I’ve lived in every region of the country and at some point in move, I’ve had to shed furniture.
In Chicago and LA, getting rid of unwanted furniture was all about the yard sale…and when that failed, you called Goodwill, Salvi or some such, to come cart the stuff away.
In New York, my first moving sale involved hanging five signs on a college campus. About 2 hours later, the apartment was empty. For my second NY “sale,” I left a lamp and table on the curb and watched as two dudes stopped, examined and strolled off down the street with my discarded items.
Here in Atlanta, I need to lose a sofa, and I’m not sure of the best way to do it.
I don’t have a yard, so that kills the yard sale. Craigslist seems a popular choice or ajc.com classifieds. And yesterday, after visiting Finders Keepers, a furniture consignment store, I thought maybe I should give that a try.
How do you get rid of furniture that you no longer want, but that you consider too valuable for a curbside donation?
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Keep, spruce, or pitch
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My kindred spirit roommate recently told me a most terrible tale: her aunts and mother, who do not share her love of antiques, once overhauled their mother’s home while she was away on vacation. As their dear old mum cruised unknown waters, they tossed out antique furniture, linens and china dolls, thinking they were doing their elderly mother a much-needed favor.
They were wrong. Grandma about lost her mind along with the valuables sold in a yard sale. I imagine any relaxation she gained was quickly replaced with rage.
Once my astonishment gave way to clear thought, we pondered the concept of “one woman’s trash is another’s treasure.” I cherish the old scratched china plates I pluck from flea markets, or the beat-up furniture whose character outshines its flaws.
I know the pieces I want banished from my house, but none of them are antiques, and I doubt they’ll survive the decades they need to be labeled as such. Do you have pieces in your home you can’t wait to trash? Better yet, do you have any beloved furniture you saved from the depths of someone else’s despair?
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Wine Chillin’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Years ago it was acceptable to have a wine rack on the kitchen counter to store bottles of wine, but now it seems even the occasional wine drinker is investing in dedicated wine chillers.
My strategy has always been to stick the red in a cabinet and the white in the fridge but according to a recent story in House Beautiful, all wine needs to be stored between 53 and 57 degrees with 60 to 70 percent humidity to make sure it matures properly…which means the fridge is too cold.
Those of us with minimal space are advised to consider small countertop coolers that hold six to eight bottles.
Above is a slightly larger Target version for $220 that holds 18 bottles of wine and features the latest thermoelectric cooling which requires less power than a traditional fridge. (This version doesn’t offer humidity control.)
Something that large would only fit in a corner of my dining room, which could look kind of odd. Serious collectors are having wine cellars built into kitchen cabinets, vacant closets or credenzas that look appropriate in any room of the house.
Do you think a free-standing wine cooler or wine cellar is a decor eyesore? What is your strategy for storing wine?
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Flora for the Home
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My thumb is so NOT green, it’s purple.
Having grown up in a house full of plants (my mother was the “talk to them and they will grow” type), I’ve concluded that it was my weekly chore of watering all those plants that drove me to the other side.
I now have four plants in my home and all except one were donated.
I’ve pretty much killed the orchid (that’s the poor thing on the right). The violets seem to be on the brink of death. And the lucky bamboo, fortunately, is a pretty sturdy plant.
But anyway, it all got me thinking…
Are plants really an important part of home decor?
Maybe I can just get rid of them all together. My particular mix of greenery certainly doesn’t seem to fit together well.
Where do you stand on plants as decor?
What kinds of plants do you have in your home?
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Buying furniture: A click away or in person only?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Call me touchy, but when it comes to furniture, I’m a hands-on kind of girl. I love strolling through furniture stores (from the flea market to high end) taking in the feel of fabrics, the fit of cushions and the smells of everything in between.
Having this visceral relationship with furniture is so powerful that I can’t imagine buying furniture online. I’m afraid it would be like online dating, where the odds are high that the person on your doorstep doesn’t quite add up to the photo you first saw.
Am I alone in my paranoia? Surely I can see where shopping from home is likely a savings, but I would miss the one-on-one furniture contact.
Have you purchased any pieces from the internet? How did they measure up?
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Pottery Barn blitz
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I have a confession: I lost my mind in Pottery Barn this week. Why? Sales, sales and sales.
Nedra recently wrote a story about the Pottery Barn expansion at Lenox Mall. The store is moving to a new location within Lenox and will be the largest PB in the United States.
But before they move locations, they need to move the merchandise off the floor so that they don’t have to transfer it to the new abode. This means products (with the exception of most tableware) have been slashed to up to 75 percent off.
I ventured to the store last night after work, (around 8:45 p.m.), to see what was left. The product is pretty picked over, but you can still go for a decent selection of dining chairs, urns, candles, frames and outdoor accessories. I walked away with a floor lamp and shams.
Sale ends Sunday!
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My worst painting mistake ever…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Maybe it’s because I had lived in thrilling New York for four years, but when I moved to Baltimore, Md. post-college, I was bored. I knew no one, I didn’t really care for the city, and my job was less than exciting. As a result (and because I’m a homebody), I dove into decorating my apartment like a soccer mom in a whites sale.
I needed to get my wild colors phase out of my system, so this apartment became my romper room. Cherry red was slapped on the living room walls, a mauvey, moody brown in the bedroom, and a happy yellow was applied in the guest bedroom.
Except it wasn’t so happy. In fact, it was downright shell-shocking, scary and garish. All I needed were some purple velvet drapes and Elvis memorabilia and it would scream: Viva Las Vegas!
(It looked not unlike this photo I found on some poor soul’s flickr account.
Perhaps all colors can be beautiful, but it’s about location, location, location. What was your worst paint mistake? Did you stick with it or fix the fiasco?
(For the record, my new home is painted in simple white tones: a creamy Benjamin Moore “Navajo White” and BM’s slightly silver “Wind’s Breath.”
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Dressing the Window
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When I lived in New York, my home was a tiny studio apartment, but the saving grace was three giant windows. I don’t think I would have survived in such a small space without light.
I slapped up cream-colored linen curtains on a tension rod and called it a day.
Fast forward to my condo search in Atlanta and I can’t even count the number of windowless boxes I saw before finding the six-window unit I now own. My realtor, Candace Fuqua, joked that I was solar powered.
But now, confronted with so many windows, I’m completely baffled as to how to dress them. The choices seem endless: energy saving, room darkening, sheers, blinds…grrrr. Never having invested in “real” drapes, I’m generally shocked at how much they cost. And it doesn’t help that I haven’t quite nailed down my decorating theme.
Katie spotted these beauties (right) from Restoration Hardware, which I now want as well, but at $319 per panel (and that’s the sale price) we’re talking $2,000 and right now, mama needs a new car…
How are your windows dressed?
What was your strategy in finding the best window dressings for your rooms?
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Find style, sustainability at Verde Home
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of chatting with Laura Walker Baird and Paul Baird, co-owners with Kent Schneider, of Verde Home, the Westside home furnishings store that specializes in fusing style with sustainability.
Laura (pictured at right) is an interior designer by trade and an antique hound; Paul and Kent have extensive experience in the floor coverings industry.
They all decided to open a store in Brickworks, the commercial complex at 1000 Marietta St, that aspires to be Atlanta’s hot new design district. Build out is ongoing, but there is already a growing presence of clothing (Luxe, 1FIVEO, Willis & Walker) and home furnishings (InterfaceFLOR is on the way) retailers.
Green may be all the rage right now, but at Verde the goal is to offer high design that is aesthetically pleasing, said Paul. The fact that items are sustainable is an added bonus.
I had a love affair with a console (see below) made from South American hardwoods in Peru. The story behind it, how forests in Peru are managed to ultimately build a sustainable furniture industry, only made it that much more appealing.
Verde uses coded tags to help shoppers understand how items are eco-friendly such as a tree symbol for pieces that are FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified or the symbol of a plus sign with an L for particularly durable items.
Among the other goods in the store are designs by Atlantan Reed LaPlant, an architect who has turned to furniture design. On display is a LaPlant designed hard pine table from wood that used to be flooring.
This is definitely a high-end store, though much of the price depends on the specific materials requested. Upholstered furniture runs about $2,000 to $4,000. A sofa with organic cushions on reclaimed teak frame was priced at $6200, while a bird stool (see pic at right) goes for $290.
Has anyone had a chance to visit Verde Home? What are your thoughts?
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