or is that the comforting scent of hot chocolate since it's getting rather chilly around these parts?? happy valentine's day!! i hope you all have a beautiful day and find warmth in whatever equals love, romance, and passion to you!
beijos,
beth
let the games begin...
so my mantra for dealing with participating in this years atlanta symphony decorator's showhouse is essentially, "don't freak out!". i almost did just that as i ordered the new marble floor tile for the upstairs powder bath i'm designing. this is, as i've said before, such a huge opportunity for me, and i just don't want to blow it!! or even just play it safe. i want to knock it out of the park and score one for the team on the opposite side of town!
i met with my plumber fantastic today, who proceeded to drain most of the color from my cheeks and flush me down the drain of reality as he disconnected the faucets and removed the toilets from the 2 powder rooms i'm redoing. this may not seem like a big deal, but for me, it's really real now. i'm ripping stuff out and it needs to be replaced and it needs to be fantastic and it needs to be worthy and most importantly, it needs to be completed by the time the showhouse opens!!!!!
below are just some random snaps. the first is the drop dead sexy black nickel faucet that kallista has bestowed upon me!!! next up is a shot from the street which is meant to show all the vehicles belonging to the men who are going to make the magic happen behind the scene! the plumbers, the electricians, the demolishioners, the random hottie with a tool belt... there is my good girl bathroom (i'm still deciding on the name :) without the toilet - and of course, my plumber informs me that the flange needs to be changed and hopefully we can work at it from below, and is the new floor tile going to be the same height as the old, and oh there's a leak at the sink... omg. sweating now. which leads me to the next pic of me showing my true crazy dorko side with the fantabulous pulls, custom made by matthew quinn collection, for the bad girl bathroom (still working on that name, too :)
coming back to the normal work life brings me to an update on my decatur shangra-la house! if you think everything always goes perfectly smoothly in design, well, you're shackin' up in my fantasy world! case in point. we've installed the floor tile that we all liked, but the color came out much darker than expected and the lady of the house "hates" it. that's a strong word and we can't be having that! fortunately the square footage is small and the additional cost to change the tile will be minimal in the grand scheme of things... the first pic is the super cool concrete for the back slide sink (crazy insane rad man!!) with new options for the floor. the next 3 shots are the new, custom cabinets in the kitchen!!! i can't tell you how happy i am that these actually look better than decent! i was nervous working with someone without having seen any of their prior work. we have a couple of tweaks, but otherwise exemplary work! please note the nausea-inducing orange hardwood floors that are due to be refinished!!
that's all for now...
beijos,
beth
let's talk showhouse...
hi there! i am incredibly honored and excited to be one of the designers selected to be a part of this years atlanta symphony orchestra's decorators showhouse!!!!! this is so huge and wonderful and terrifying! this is the 45th year of this showhouse, one of the longest running show houses in the country. people. omg. omg. omg.!!!!! ferme la bouche!
I have not one, but two spaces!! 2 powder baths - stay tuned, it's like having a multi-personality disorder!! they will be two very different spaces and i'm liking it!
this years house is "chateau soleil" on northside dr. please follow along on whatever social media site floats yer boat... decorator's showhouse, pinterest, or facebook.
here are just a few before pics...
there is a lot of yellow. when i told my dad i was one of the designers selected for the showhouse, which will be published by the national sponsor, traditional home magazine (yeah that's right!!!), he asked "can you do traditional?". um. let's just clarify, i can do whatever i need to do to show that i can do what needs to be done when it needs to be done that way. ;)
so above is the powder bath by the grand staircase, just off the main entrance foyer!! fabulous crown moulding!!!!
downstairs is the powder bath next to the "party" space. this space would be my naughty alter-ego ;).. my tease is that one of these baths will be on the cover of the magazine, because they will be so phenomenal, that they must be on the cover!! a gal can dream :)
a tremendous thank you to atlanta homes and lifestyles magazine who is a major sponsor/supporter/fairy godmother of this fantastic event!!
stay tuned for the changes that will be!
beijos,
beth
does this diaper make me look fat...
i'm feeling a little self conscious about my undergarments lately as i've been so busy there's not even time to retire to the ladies room. oh my...
life is great, but really truly busy and my mantra has been "don't #&%$ it up, don't #&%$ it up"! for those of you waiting on me, you can't know how much i appreciate your patience as i continue to navigate this self-employment/time management thing. man, it's tough, but every day i am so incredibly grateful for this tremendous opportunity to follow my passion, so pretty please, bear with me!!
here are some brief snapshots of progress on 4 of the bigger projects i have hitting the fan right now.
here we are at decatur shangri-la. the first shot is the new, raw hardwood floor along side the hideously ugly orange-stained old hardwood floor. the new floors are going to be better than even i imagined!!! kids bathroom floor tile and shower tile (only a couple of mild issues to fix there!). the kitchen, which sadly still pretty much looks the same, except now we have what appears to be giant cocoons hanging from the ceiling. mildly concerning. in the master bath, things are progressing toward tiling...that's the shower in case you were scratching your head! lastly, mini sample of the super fab concrete for the kids bath trough sink (complete with unicorn horn inlays - oh yeah, it's gonna be so incredibly cool!!!!!), possible cabinet and wall colors!
next we travel up to the house on the ridge where the (cute) tile master, james, is hard at work transforming the master bath from framing and trash to a marblicious luxury retreat! the vanity and gorgeous urban electric co chandelier are hanging out in her bedroom and i know she's tired of sharing her space :)
moving on to the modern house, just a sneak peek at the fireplace, that i'm, quite frankly pleasantly surprised to see!! I have big, metallic, fantabulous designs on this facade but i don't know if they'll be realized... take a gander at those fantastically high ceilings!! and all that sexy duct work. yeah baby. we also have a small shot of the quintessential modern window playing nicely with sleek hardy board and brick (all to be painted). last up is a teaser of what's happening in the master bath. the japanese-style bath. it's going to be so breath-taking i can't stand it!!!!
last but definitely not least...maison zen-glam, down in serenbe! anyone care to add up all the miles on my car in the past 2 weeks?? i actually surpassed the 100k mark on my odometer and didn't notice for 60 miles!!!! (that pissed me off actually. i wanted to instagram that moment :( )
on the left is live from morocco! yeah that's right! one of the 3 custom doors being hand carved in morocco! omg omg omg!!! i know, get out of town!! i cannot wait to see these things in person! i also have a small shot of the fireplace tile (so beautiful), next to the ridiculously special concrete for the kitchen island and counter tops and the entranceway tile (which is not grey, but white). a little sampling of some lovely for the master bedroom, which is the view in the next framing shot. 2 of the carved doors will be in the middle there! that droplet of insanity is part of a custom chandelier to hang above the master bath tub and i am literally salivating for it's installation. using a spare diaper to wipe my mouth, pardon me. framing tub shot!
going to bed now...
beijos,
beth
i'm ready for my close up...
so. i was contacted four or five months ago by a magazine scout (the extraordinary lisa mowry!!) complimenting me on my website and design work. she told me she wanted to pitch my work to some of her editors to see if they might want to feature some of my work. omg. ok. she gets back to me with "hey guess what, just as i thought, they love your work, and we'd like to shoot your (my own!) house for not one, not two, but three separate better homes and gardens specialty publications!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
holy mother of mass media! i have had last week (when said photo shoots actually happened) on my calendar since and haven't said too much to anybody just in case i was dreaming. and i'm really falling out of an airplane. naked. with teachers yelling at me for not having my homework...
but yes, it really happened!! the photo shoot for 3 separate magazines, shot by the fantabulous emily jenkins followill!!! she is such an artist and an incredible business woman, i truly admire her! i was kinda in and out for most of the time and only got to see a few of the shots on the screen. i cannot wait to see them in print. ok, sorry, holy mother of mass media!!! seriously?!?! i have monogrammed the paper bag i am hyperventilating in right now.
don't think it's all pillow fluff and mirrors. no sir'ee! lisa and i busted our butts to pull everything together, primping and pimping, schlepping and rearranging, styling and profiling ;) a very special thanks to my assistant, rainey (yeah that's right, i got me an assistant just 'cause that's how i'm rolling...). omg. omg. omg. hyperventilating again!!!
also special thanks to atlanta made, bungalow classic, city issue, kudzu antiques, anthropologie, and crate and barrel, who know my credit card # by heart!!
i will definitely keep you all posted as to the publication times of each mag! be out on the lookout for a full house spread in refresh mag, a kitchen spread in kitchen and bath ideas and a bath piece in one of their specialty bath mags!!!!! i'm sorry, one more time, this time with feeling. holy mother of mass media!!! who's excited?? me me me me me me! thank you lisa, emily, and better homes and gardens.
kitchen shot from my iPhone. kitchen shot with actual professional equipment in the mix. my dining table, favorite art piece
and beautiful peonies (cause you know i always have those in place ;). the 3 amigos hard at work, but smiling through it :)
beijos,
beth
happy new year...
happy new year to all!! i have to say, last year was pretty incredible! i look back on where i was this time last year and i am amazed, inspired, proud, a little worn out, but tremendously optimistic! pardon me here, but my heart is truly aglow :) i am so appreciative of the love and support i've received and am so excited for 2015, which already includes 3 magazine spreads and a showhouse!!!! to be out there working with other creatives, meeting cool and interesting clients, and spending my time drawing, musing with fabrics and tiles, and feeling deep down that i'm doing the right thing; that sparks my soul!
a few quick updates while we're here...
yes.
1. that is a framed house in serenbe!!!! maison zen-glam!!!! unfortunately, there is no heat, so we were freezing our buttowskis off!
2. that is a framed big-ass shower-to-be up on the ridge! i may commute between the pantry in serenbe and the shower on the ridge :)
3. that is an actual injury on the job!! the electrician down in serenbe snapped the tape measure on me. it's the same type of thing as some brat getting off the see-saw while you're up in the air and you then drop to the ground!! i know he didn't mean to do it, but wah it hurt and left what now looks like a melanoma on my finger!! can't wait to show my kids, they'll think i'm so tough ;)
i wish you all a wonderful new year. one filled with love and laughter, pride and perseverance, friendship and adventures, and by all means, fabulous design!! (call me...)
beijos,
beth
forget about the ball, i'm dropping names...
now 3 weeks ago, i attended the atlanta homes & lifestyles "home for the holidays" designer showhouse and it was gorgeous!!! here's a little sampling of things that caught my eye...
starting at the top, one of my favs, beth webb, did the dining room, and i was so in love with the ceiling i could barely look at the rest of the space (which was lovely!); next is the gorgeous fireplace and wood in the fireplace in the living room by susan ferrier; the next shot is a rug people! i know, you thought it was some kind of etched art too, right?? you got that those are pink jelly beans, yes?! and they are real. there may have been a few more in there before i entered the room ;). courtesy of barbara heath; fantastic art in the bedroom by carter kay interiors; crazy for this vanity top by b.d. jefferies; i have a thing for moss. my therapist encourages it. thank you carter kay ;) oh, babs heath, i ate your jelly beans and coveted everything in this bath! the quirky little stool, the exotic, yet sexy wallpaper, the plain-on-it's-own floor tile elevated to high design with the company it keeps!!
moving on we have a fabulous lampshade made of feathers (i'm wearing this bad boy as a skirt or a party hat!!) in the study by danielle rollins and bill ingram; check out the octopus (recent uber trend; why, i'm still not sure) who seems like he belongs as part of some roman architecture but is on the front of a dresser in the upstairs apartment of michel boyd; crazy about the earthy elegance of the fireplace dress up in the sitting room by amy morris; i wanted to draw little hearts on this fabric covered wall (yes, that's whimsical peacock, partridge, rooster, whatever the hell kind of bird that is, fabric!!) by my design crush brian patrick flynn!! who doesn't love a man with 3 first names? his mother must make up extra names to add on when she's really mad. ahhh, gold tinsel. who doesn't love something that should be tacky, but shakes out to be elegant and festive and fun!? cheers to you, susan ferrier! i found myself pursing my lips in an attempt to communicate with this wall sculpture chosen by b.d. jefferies. next up, pomegranates. what a gorgeous use of nature as decoration in the kitchen by mark williams and niki papadopolous (my picture of their insane fridge/freezer custom panel combo did not turn out as i saw it in my head, so instead i give you their pomegranates). you coulda used one of those poms to initiate cpr on my chest after taking a gander at that phenomenal ochre chandelier in the breakfast room. yeah, don't you wish you were sipping your coffee from your "world's best mom" mug under that magnificence??!! back upstairs to the michel boyd lair and we have this edgy photographic art piece that just pushes the envelope. and i really love to see that, especially in a showhouse.
beijos,
beth
her dad...
earlier today i was having fun in design lala land searching for some chairs for a client when my phone rang. i looked down and saw it was my best friend, whom i had just seen over thanksgiving. i answered and she asked where was i. i said, slowly, "at home. what's happened?" she said her dad died this morning. unexpectedly, but with her mom and one of her brothers at his side.
her dad. who has at times been like a second father to me.
her dad. who i've known for 40 years.
her dad. who i only saw get upset once. when cathy and i (mostly i, probably) were performing some not so ladylike dance moves in their front yard. we were maybe 6, but i still remember it.
her dad. who when each of his kids went through their own separate trying times was there for them to literally pick them up and love and support them unconditionally. the emotional rock of their family.
her dad. who has not aged since he was 45. neither has his hair!
her dad. who's piano playing i could listen to all afternoon.
her dad. who still sings proudly in his church choir. who will be singing from heaven tomorrow morning.
her dad. who has been married to the same woman for 45+ years and is an inspiration.
her dad. who i always seemed to be seated just next to at the dinner table. it was a great spot.
her dad. who has such a witty, intellectual, but somehow relatable, sense of humor. and such a hearty, genuine laugh.
her dad. who apparently was the only other person, besides myself, who actually liked the bourbon balls deje (his wife) used to make.
her dad. one of the first of my friend's parents to communicate with me via email. given that my dad barely knows how to turn a computer on, this was impressive!
her dad. never without a smile, laugh, or pleasant thing to say.
her dad. gone way too soon.
you will be missed, jim.
beijos,
beth
hacking is what i do on the golf course...
so i approached thanksgiving this year thinking about all the wonderful blessings i would write about in my blog. maybe a bit cliche, but sincere and heartfelt. the past several months have truly been amazing and i am thankful beyond words for the loving support of friends, family, and new clients that are propelling me to the career of my dreams! i still haven't even told you all the good stuff. 2015 is going to be incredible!!!
anyway... i woke up on thanksgiving grateful to be with my kids and at my dad's (even more grateful he's still here to celebrate with), only to realize my business email had been hacked. i knew this because there was an email in my personal account from my business account asking for prayers and support. hmmm. i don't need to ask for prayers and support. i went to catholic school, i have a direct line of communication to the big guy for all that pain and suffering thank you very much! 3 changes of my password and 6 hours wasted on thanksgiving online, including 1 hour and 15 minutes on hold with yahoo and i think all is good. rest assured, i do not have a cousin in ukraine needing a bone marrow transplant, nor one in nigeria needing a plane ticket from hell. if i did, i, genetically speaking, would probably have one beautiful year-round tan and a super sexy accent. but i don't, so we know those email pleas are not true.
when i was searching the internet for info on hacking i came across some pretty interesting images, color and design-wise, and i'd much rather think about stuff like that. so here's my photoshop ode to being hacked...
beijos,
beth
mommy, where are all the channukah decorations...
my son is driving me nuts lately with all the whining about the lack of channukah decorations. i'm sure there is a politically correct way of explaining the over commercialization of christmas. oops, did i just say that?? oh come on, i'm not alone. i know most of you let out a slight sigh of exasperation when halloween is barely over and red, green, and ho, ho, ho is being crammed down ya throats! i heard something on the radio the other day about 2 women who have already set up camp outside of their local walmart for the black friday specials. really ladies??
i prefer to just enjoy the sights and sounds of winter celebrations when nature intended i enjoy them. in december. so in prep for winter glee, i have put together some pretty winter decorations with some channukah thrown in for my son.
my favorite winter memories are driving up and down the streets in chicago with my grandparents oohing and aahing over all the fantastic lights strewn on houses along with the cheesy, blow up reindeer on the front lawn. every year neighbors upped the ante with increasing tackiness! it was great fun to guess which household would declare bankruptcy due to their enormous electric bill. my prettier memories are walking along a snowy state st in downtown chicago with all the lights surrounding the storefront windows. beautiful. i also loved the freshness of evergreens throughout the house, the warm aroma of mulling spices on the stove, marshmallows melting in hot chocolate, and of course as many twinkly little lights as possible, inside and out!
so i've been drowning my kids in hot chocolate, firing up the evergreen candles and stocking up on cinnamon sticks in anticipation of the winter decoration fest that will happen at my house. i will have a peacock feather wreath on my front door, and paper snowflakes on the windows, and a big glass container filled with the ever-multiplying dreidels we have! and lots of twinkly lights, because channukah is the festival of lights!! what's your favorite christmas, channukah, and/or winter decoration??
beijos,
beth
gut check...
hello!! it's nice to be back from the dead. i don't even remember the beginning of the week, but i'm pretty sure i spent most of it in bed with a miserable cold. sadly, when you own your own business and you are sick, the world does not stop (nor are you paid sick time! i must have skimmed over that part in my contract). fortunately my illness did not involve anything gastrointestinal, but not being able to think straight or follow up appropriately with clients had my intestines in a bit of an anxious wad.
i did manage to make it to my client on the ridge where demo on her master bath started this week!! seeing tile ripped out and walls coming down gives me that upside down tummy feeling you get on a roller coaster. ok, well, maybe not that intense. i don't actually like roller coasters, but i looooove demo! oddly, after the giddy feeling passes there's a wave of holy crap what am i doing to this very nice lady's bathroom??!! fortunately, i really do have extreme confidence that this bath is going to be spectacular! i promise to share the after pics, but for now let's have a look at the gut job in progress!
glorious, isn't it???!!! i got butterflies in my tummy just uploading these photos again. (this is probably some sort of weird, un-named syndrome...) but, that's also how i know i'm doing the right thing, because it's so exciting, and a little bit terrifying, like a roller coaster is supposed to be! hopefully the end result is a beautiful new master bath she loves and not a barf bag.
in other news...the butterflies in my stomach yesterday were more active than ever as i got word of some reeeeaaalllly big news!!!!!!!! i can't tell you exactly what that is until after the press conference. that's right!!!!! the press conference!!!!! news so big there's a press conference (or maybe just a little one-liner somewhere that only a select few might happen to catch a glance of). nah!!!!! it's huge news people and my stomach is flipping out!!!! can't wait to share! stick around.
beijos,
beth
let's do the numbers...
so I think it was wednesday morning when i began my day with an email from houzz stating they had used one of my portfolio pictures in a feature article. this was very exciting and i couldn't wait to see which picture it was as the article is about preparing your house for a party! i like a good party, so now i'm even more curious to see what it was that i did to get party ready, without remembering actually throwing a party!!
here's the link, in case you missed it...
and here's the picture...
of course i love this shot! the curtains were one of the initial inspirations for the space. the rug is from re:loom (a beautiful organization with a mission to help people move out of homelessness); the buddha brings serenity to the cooking experience (much needed around these parts ;); the art is from cuba; splurge pot from staub in my favorite blue hue!; and lemonade that had the neighborhood folks lining up down the street. (not really but my kids drank it for weeks after the shoot)
i am so honored that a photo was used in an article, but what's even more impressive is the tremendous impact it's being in the article has made on the number of people "saving" this photo to their own idea books. it went from 259 the night before the article posted to 678 after 24 hours to 1k+ in 2 days!!!! this is mind blowing to me. ok, i know the power of the internet, but to see the true reach one can have is kinda incredible!! thank you houzz 1k+ times!!
beijos,
beth
some dust and a whole lotta plywood...
ok, yes, it's been a while! busy is great, but doesn't give me a lot of time to come up with the beautiful, fascinating, and highly comical blog posts you've come to expect. i've been over here taking on new clients at a fairly steady pace and just waiting for any project, seriously any project, to start. i've been toying with writing something about the agony of waiting and relating it to watching a slug sleep, water boil, or miley cyrus show some real talent...
alas! there is finally some progress happening!!! first up, a project i was originally going to call the "belgian farmhouse", but the missus didn't care for that too much, so we agreed on "belgian modern". now that i've driven up the drive a couple of times i've decided to refer to it as "decatur shangri la". it's the kind of place that is so close to hustle and bustle, but when you're there it's like, "where the heck am i???" big house, needs lots of love and demo, in a lush, beautiful forest, complete with bubbling brook just yonder. the type of home where you don't need any window coverings cause no one can see you through the trees!
anyway, lovely people, awesome home and opportunity (for all of us!). demo of some ugliness started last week, so we're moving, people! below are some demo shots of the kitchen and master bath.
kitchen - will essentially stay the same, except for a bunch of new gorgeousness!!
master bath demo - first of all, what is that stench?? that can't be good. second, just take it away.
i will keep you updated on the progress!
next up project has been far more of a whirlwind than a waiting game. i was asked to design the interior (and exterior finish) of a new construction modern house. ok, sounds fun, i can do that! and the family is leaving the country in 2 weeks and needs to make all the decisions before then. um, ok. and framing has already started. ok. and the designed and framed fireplace doesn't actually work/fit as a real fireplace. um. and the remaining budget for finishes is reeeaalllly tiny. uhhhhh. oh, and, this house is slated to be on an upcoming home tour in the spring. wait, what?? no pressure.
So i've had one meeting with this lovely couple and we are off like gang busters! oh, hell yeah, i've got this, and it will be done, and it will be freaking amazing, and it will be the star of the home tour! and i may be committed for ideas of grandiose, but hey, it's worth a shot, right?
sho nuf there is actual construction happening here! See how i'm highlighting my arch nemesis, the fireplace (it's that narrow appendage on the side of the house, slightly akin to giving someone the middle finger).
there are other fun updates, but i've run out of wine and i'm actually really tired, so you'll have to stick around...
beijos,
beth
sunday comics
could it be?? the original game of clue??
it was the interior designer with the spear in the cave...
beijos,
beth
somewhere beyond the sea...
i have a friend who recently moved into a sweet loft with soaring 20 foot ceilings. he asked for some advice on finding the perfect "aegean sea" color for one of the walls. (only after i began searching for aegean sea images did i realize i was misspelling aegean in my communication re the matter!!) of course autocorrect kept highlighting agean in red, but i refused to consider i might actually be spelling it wrong because autocorrect has done such damage to it's own reputation, why would i believe it?? anyway, thoughts of the aegean sea took me back to some very cherished memories of days gone by. including time spent in, on, by, overlooking the actual aegean sea with my dad. it is a magical place and every bit as beautiful as you can imagine! a memory marred only by the fact that i spent a month at age 15 with my dad in europe and at this point was sunburnt, had my hair brutalized by a "hairstylist" in athens, had spent waaaaaay too many hours on italian trains next to live chickens (seriously) and was severely homesick for my normal life of cheerleading camp and american food! of course, i wouldn't trade that experience or the laughter of my dad and i recalling our adventures for anything!
my other special memory is taking ballroom dancing lessons in an elementary school cafeteria in hoboken, nj with my then boyfriend. i had previously been a professional ballroom dancing instructor (seriously) and this was his attempt to connect with me on that level! i will never forget navigating the cafeteria via fox trot to bobby darin's "beyond the sea". he tried hard and it meant the world to me :)
i decided to take myself on a mini color vacation and soak in the beauty that is this color i'm just gonna refer to as aegean sea blue.
gorgeous, isn't it?
beijos,
beth
i feel the earth move...
oh happy day!!! earth is moving down in serenbe at maison zen glam!! no sir, that is not your neighbor watching deliverance, those are squeals of sheer joy coming from me that i am seeing actual dirt being moved around the lot, slightly similar to a child pushing their vegetables around the plate, but i'm calling it real and documented progress!! thar's progress in them hills!! chatahoochee hills that is! ok, clearly i've completely lost my mind at this point. but i am genuinely so happy for mr and mrs zen glam to be getting somewhere with this house!! granted, all great things truly take time and effort and planning and coordination and most likely a few tears, but now we're moving and grooving (said with a perfect trying-to-be-cool-white-person accent)!!
look!!!! they sent me proof from date night 9.26. now, if we could only come to consensus on the entranceway tile... :)
beijos,
beth
and a partridge in a pear tree...
hi there! did you miss me?? it's been a bit and that's because channukah, christmas, my birthday, which isn't until next april, they all came early!! i have been immensely blessed with so many new clients i can't think straight. and i'm giddy with excitement!!! every time i open my email it seems someone new is contacting me to discuss their project. it's like shaking the present trying to guess what's inside and hoping it's what you really want!! and it's all exactly what i want! i've just given in to weeping in public from sheer joy and good fortune. laughing out loud and talking to myself also happen regularly, but i blame that more on age and the fact that the world needs more emotion in it. it's ok, people, let it out, share those emotions...
anyway... back to that partridge, did you know there are literally thousands of images for partidges on the internet?? i didn't realize it was such a popular search item, nor photographed that much. i did feel the image of cooked partridge legs sticking up from a baked pie was a tad unnecessary and gross actually. but i digress. the point of my blog title today is that i've been counting up the numbers of various projects i have going on now and it's starting to sound a bit like the song (sort of. humor me.).
11 bathrooms
8 rooms of french moroccan zen glam furniture, with a dash of bohemian and chinese
6 rooms of modern furniture
5 more rooms of modernness
3 kitchens
3 master bedrooms
2 playrooms
2 fireplaces
1 foyer
and a partridge in a pear tree...
beijos,
beth
you...light up my life
so, before the awards ceremony earlier this week, there was other excitement and it had to do with lighting. lighting for project zen glam down in serenbe. kinda like the chairs for client vivid, i've now looked at many, many, many potential dining room lights for project zen glam. this doesn't bother me, cause it's fun and the dining room light needs to knock it out of the park!!! (background check...i'm a chicago cubs fan who remembers when the lights came on in the stadium - first night game ever at wrigley field - 8.8.88 - so with any big talk about lights i immediately go to that little bit of trivia). yawn, yeah, whatever...
ok, so after looking at dozens of large chandeliers online and in person, i decide to head to one of my favorite vintage | antique complexes to peruse their offerings and low and behold, as i come around a corner, i spy the perfect dining room light. it truly took my breath away! we're searching for something dramatic, but not overbearing, interesting, but not crazy obnoxious, wonderful, but not in every other dining room out there. behold the test tube chandelier!!! at 58" wide it's the size i've been looking for, the glass tubes are numerous, but light and airy, the iron ties into some of the other fixtures and to the simple iron stair rail. i could not be more pleased with this find and of course to make it so supremely perfect, mrs zen glam loved it too, complementing me on my supreme shopping skills!! i had to answer some questionnaire recently about what my skills are and one of the things i put down was shopping. now, to some this may seem really frivolous, but just to recap, i have a masters degree with honors from emory and i've spent about 20 years saving the world in healthcare, so i'm totally ok spending the next however many years being a damn good shopper. :)
alright, alright, on to the pictures!!!!! here's a peek at some of the lighting for this fabulous project, starting with lame photography via my cell phone...
first up, incredibly awesome (i say wonky, she says crazy) 4' wire basket with beautiful articulating lights for her writing room! this is the kind of stuff that makes design reeeeally fun!! next is the phenomenal glass tube chandelier, stunning. the third is a great wire mesh lantern that hadn't even been tagged yet. we both saw it and and agreed, it needed a home in serenbe. even better, there were 4 more!!! so these are the quirky guys that will illuminate the downstairs gallery hall!!! omg, let me take a breath i'm so excited!! truly, one of the best things about design is working with people that are ok with pushing the boundaries a bit and want things that are a bit out of the box.
here we have some of the other spectacular lights, some approved, some on my wish list :) all the lights so far are a great combination of interesting and elegant and i just love that!!! the light on the bottom right is one i ran past at adac the other day and i know nothing about it except i'd love to see it in the downstairs studio next to mr zen glam's reflection chair.
"you light up my life" was a sappy love song by debby boone, but it's actually uplifting, in a pathetic bell-bottom, feathered hair kind of way, very similar to how i feel about this project, cause "you light up my life"!!!!!! such a design dork :)
beijos,
beth
me and an award and some good looking people...
this week started off absolutely swell as i received my trophy from atlanta homes and lifestyles as one of their bath of the year winners!!!! i'm not sure how to express the gratitude and excitement i have over this?! it's tremendous and i am so deeply honored, it's just wonderful! and just to remind everyone, this win was the impetus for quitting my "reality" job and pursuing my "fantasy" job full time.
i was joking that a trophy for bath of the year might perhaps be a golden toilet or maybe even a silver bidet. so i was pleasantly surprised when i saw the real deal and it's beautiful!! a special thanks goes to oldcastle surfaces for creating such a lovely piece. it is glass, etched with my particulars (last name spelled correctly and all), with a pretty little accent of stones and sparkly mosaics. i tried to take some pictures, but thanks to the glass, i fear it needs it's own glamour shots session to get it right. complicating a solid shot are the fingerprints and some lipstick marks. don't ask.
anyway...here are a few shots of some beautiful people and fellow winners!!
stan dixon (hottie), mary kathryn timoney, jo rabaut, georgia rappole, matthew quinn, me, and john coulter
porcelanosa hosted the party and let me just say i closed the place down, thanks to nicole, rep extraordinaire, who gave me a tour of the showroom and sent me home with 50 lbs of catalogs!! never mind the free wine. there's even a complimentary trip to their plant in spain if i can somehow manage to spec porcelanosa products in, like, 15 projects. no sweat.
me and brad hanner, important person at ah&l, me and matt quinn, and me and robert soens, my contractor for my winning project
so above we have some of the good looking males in attendance. brad is really lovely and we had some nice bonding time over all the insane tile offerings on display in the showroom! matt and i go back to a very funny time when my ex husband and i were attending the opening night gala for a showhouse in atlanta. i overheard someone giving "congratulations" to my ex (who is a surgeon, no where close to the design industry) and when i asked him about it he asks me who matthew quinn is. um, why? well, he says, apparently i must look like him, because everyone keeps congratulating me on such a nice job. matt and his team had done a few of the kitchens and baths in this particular showhouse. i proceeded to scold him profusely for impersonating a design god! it's funnier when i tell that in person.
robert is my contractor who was in charge of making the winning bathroom happen and i'm so grateful to him! not only is he a good friend, but he gets my style and my obsession with perfection.
the kick ass shoes i wore, me and kelly carlisle, favorite gal at matthew quinn (now a published kitchen designer extraordinaire in her own right!), and me and georgia rappole of jo rabaut design
these shoes are perfect, a little tough, a whole lot sexy, and comfortable as all get out! they make me 4 inches taller too, which is icing on the cake. actually it's the bride and groom on the cake! they're about that tall, right?
i love kelly. she used to work over at matthew quinn collection, his hardware "jewelry" shop and was so on top of things! not only did she know everything about everything, she was quick to respond with quotes and has fun with an impromptu sing-a-long to the oldies but goodies in the showroom (this is something i look for in my reps). we had so much fun chatting and singing whenever i came in the shop. she moved on up to the big house, design galleria in adac and i haven't seen her in about 2 years. i can't say how nice it was to see her. happy, looking good, in love with a great guy, moving up in the design world!!! so thrilled for her and even more thrilled to have her back in my life!
georgia on my mind, girl!! she works with jo rabaut and together they created one of the other winning baths. georgia and i had a class together at scad and she is just a super cool chic! she is also speaking at scad this friday to all the new students and their parents!! i'm so proud to know her in many ways! it's also always fun to see people who knew you way back when. like when you had crew cut short platinum blond hair, a la billy idol. she actually told me she prefers me with that blond crew cut look!! hmmm. given that we have very similar hairstyles now, i think she's angling to live vicariously through my crazy hair bravery.
again, such an honor, this award. i can only hope to continue to produce the level of work that would deserve such recognition again. as you can read above, the other winners are the real deal and are completely established as known talents in the industry! wow. wow. and more wow. i am so excited for tomorrow!
beijos,
beth
are you being served?
if not, you're about to be. in client vivid's brand spanking new fabulous dining room!!! that's right people, we finally found the perfect chairs! bet you'll never guess where?! go on... guess!!
target target target!!! i was flying through the other night (with rowdy kids in tow and probably in flip flops completing the white trash look) and just thought i might take a gander at the offerings in the furniture section. and there it was, in all it's glory. perfect size, perfect shape, perfect color, ridiculously ridiculous price. the target angels were harmonizing a perfectly pitched angelic version of "whomp there it is". i'm not sure how much i've extolled the virtues of modern technology, but as martha would say of my iphone, "it's a good thing". i quickly sent some pictures (actually it wasn't quick at all because for some reason my phone wasn't sending the 4 shots i was trying to send via text, and after i reattempted to send about 3 more times, and almost sentenced my phone to death by foot stomp, i had to revert to emailing the pics individually). this all took maybe an extra10 minutes, but when you've found the perfect chair after sitting on 30 of them, one gets a tad impatient...
anyway, client vivid, being equally excited about the chair and the price, on a sunday night, drove her butt around town and called various targets securing 9 of these chairs (we only need 8 but at this point she's going into full tactical mode and getting an extra in case one of the others is damaged or something - impressive actually).
ok. enough about the chair. we had a super fun time at crate and barrel ordering the table and the super cool end chairs and the light and some cute little owl pillows (for the fall ya know)! she also had that wonderful moment where she saw her dining room as it will be. elegant, exciting, comfortable, within budget, the first thing people will see when they enter her house. this makes me really happy. truly.
on to decorating!! as we were rearranging almost all of the store displays, we found some wonderful options for the centerpiece. I had one of those weird design epiphany moments of, hey, green gum balls would look incredibly fantastic on your dining room table!! and she's considering it!
or possibly, gorgeous succulents in a sexy low metal planter. stay tuned for the final reveal to see which made the cut :)
or
oh, decisions, decisions...
beijos,
beth