An Old World Kitchen

I have always enjoyed specifying  stone sinks in kitchens. Here is a wonderful example of a white marble double sink in Jean-Loup Daraux home outside of Paris. The book is Demeure and is a must have for any avid antique collector or designer.   I love the detail on the front of the sink and the back splash shape soon becomes the  focal point of the kitchen.
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Painted cabinets and carrera marble are the perfect combination for an old world kitchen. In our home we did make cabinets and painted them in our Toscana paint. Taupe with Black banding. We added panes on the  door fronts and installed  antique mercury mirror in them.

I prefer the back splashes in solid sheets of carrera, as shown here. Another alternative is white venetian plaster as a back splash.  We have the Italian all natural marmarino plaster at Amy Howardathome.com. You can trowel on white venetian plaster and burnish it to a high sheen. It will look a lot like the carrera marble. As an alternative to the marble counter tops. I enjoy doing antique Parisian zinc. We created a proprietary product that you use on sheet metal. It is an inexpensive way to create great looking counter tops. Have your local sheet metal fabricator scroll the4x8 sheets to fit your counter tops, pop them on with some glue and then antique. You can check out youtube video at Amy Howard at home and there is a video that gives a tutorial on zinc. 

Notice the combination of the stone floor, painted cabinets, white carrera marble tops. I would prefer to use an iron trellis in lieu of the fabric shown in these doors. That would give a more open look. I am headed out to Paris this weekend. So I will not be blogging next week. I would love to have you send me a friends request to Amy Howard on facebook.This is my personal account and will allow me to share my findings with you! 

Circa restaurant design

I love sharing inspiring interiors with you and telling you how to recreate some element  of them yourselves. This post is about a restaurant that I designed  here in East Memphis.  It was an old space that had sat dormant for years. The neighborhood is upscale and I knew that I wanted to create a restaurant that was not the typical Memphis look. I envisioned it edgy meets country club. On a small budget I went in to design the furniture and the interior space as well as the finishes. This first image is of the foyer. I created a custom venetian plaster that I was a darker value of most of the fabrics. I then came back with pearl mica powders and put them in my wax and waxed the walls to this pearl look. I needed impact of flowers at the foyer. Instead of a large arrangement. I opted for these 15 vases with the same flower. I loved the impact on a budget. It has now become the visual  signature for the restaurant.

This is actually the bar area. The walls are metallic with fabulously dirty  mercury mirror, that we make. I have fun mixing eclectic elements of 18th century intaglios with edgier modern elements.

Here is a better view of the venetian plaster with the mica pearl wax. I love the velvet and industrial edge seating. These were both from P. Kaufman contract. I made the banquets much taller than normal. This gives the intimacy that was needed for larger parties. The bubble light fixture gave us the whimsy that we needed.

If your travels bring you to Memphis. Please go see Chef John Bragg at Circa Restaurant. The food is great and the atmosphere, well..... you'll see.

A country estate outside of Paris

In honor of my upcoming trip to Paris next week. I am showing you my favorite Estate in Paris. Notice the awesome Trompe L'oeil wall behind this chest. The campania stone floor with the dressmaker look of these blue silk drapes are so French.

I have actually created walls like this years ago. I would use Benjamen Moore 926 as my base and use an ocher and blue gouache paint glaze over it. The delicate cartouche designs on this little chest are perfect with the shape of the leg.

I could curl up in this room and read right now. I love little tables like this one. They are the perfect for using colors that can have more impact in a room. We actually have a piece like this in the line. I love doing it in Paige blue toscana.

I adore the "grodiness" of the finish on this piece. Let's face it, fabulous old finishes on pieces sell the piece! When I go in an antique shop and find a piece like this. You better believe it is going home with me. Unless it is out of this world expensive. The last chest of drawers I tried to buy like this, was over $24,000. Hence, why I enjoy making painstakingly authentic looking antiques for our clients.

This view of the piece let's you see how beautiful the wear and composition is on this piece. There is a natural oval eye track. Not one area jumps out at you. I love the fact that the wall is a darker complementing value to the chest. It makes it have so much more impact this way. I cannot wait to get to the Flea Markets again. I will share with you what pieces are running like this  in the markets now.

Classic Gilded Furniture

I am always drawn to a room with varying textures . Texture, composition, color and great design sets a room apart from an ordinary one. The top of this desk is gilded and hand punched. The white and bole that you see are the layers of the preparation of the wood to receive the gold leaf. After the design was carved it would have been layered with gesso. The gesso is a chalky ground finish to apply the red bole. The red bole is an Armenian clay that is mixed with fish gelatin (to act as a glue)  and applied to the gesso ground. The bole is what is used in water-gilding to have the leaf adhere to the finish. After years of use you will start the see the wear of the gold leaf and these processes are beautifully exposed. What I wanted you to see here was the punching.

The punching on the wood is done with a small round tool and is lightly hammered, making this indentation into the wood. It is painstakingly time consuming. However, you cannot get this look without it. I love how it is the top to a table. You can also do this technique on embossed leather and have a similar effect.

This piece truly is the most spectacular bench I have ever laid eyes on. I am drawn to Scandinavian and Gustavian style benches and painted furniture. However, this piece is spectacular. Animal legs of any kind on pieces are highly collectible, but then to have the addition of the genre scene! The printed velour is in the category of Fortuny; very desirable and is the perfect crowning glory for this piece.  

For my decorative artist friends, I know your heart is stopping on this one. Carolyn Roehm's book "A Passion for Interiors" is a must read. Enjoy

Inspiring Painted Furniture

Everyone knows that I have long been known for my fetish of painted furniture. I have always seen furniture as my canvas. I love the fact that it took a team of  artisans to create an exquisite piece of furniture. Woodcarvers, painters, gilders all working together in harmony to make something that we can use and enjoy everyday.

Last night I treated myself to some "me time".  My own personal Teavana concoction, listening  to Yo Yo Ma with my new Dr. Dre headphones from Christmas and reading Carolyn Roehm's book "A Passion for Interiors" (given to me by the beautiful Jill Cohen).  I study beautiful interiors for inspiration and enjoy dissecting each and every detail that draws me in. Here the fantastic blue color of this console and the bole and gilt accent details, send me!

Notice the detail on the column pedestal. First of all pedestals are really difficult to find. This one is dreamy! The Greek Key detail on the floor is repeated on the column. The base of the column is completely gilded and then the urn and acanthus detail is painted on top of the gold leaf . If you want to replicate something like this, it will be important to use a toscana paint to have a very chalky dead finish to it. Most water based acrylic paints are going to have a sheen to them. I would follow with two waxes to seal your art work. One with an ocher color and the other a darker tint to add color and age.

Artwork that is monochromatic has the greatest impact to me.

I could literally sit and look at this image for hours. The green velvet bench and the complementary blue and gilt finish. The dead grays and blues with perfect wear and age. I really would suggest you get Carolyne's new book. Her taste is impeccable and her home is exquisite. The next time you need a creative escape, if just for a couple of hours, her book is perfect for it.

Maison et Objet here we come!

If you ever want to die and go to Heaven in the design world - Maison et  Objet in Paris is it. This is where design, furniture, couture and creativity collide! The international market place of furniture design, fabric design and accessories are all  in one place... 2 times a year.  Here are some images of the upcoming fabric introductions for Maison et Objet 2012.

I simply adore this palette! Be looking for lots of new paints colors and finish colors from the show to start coming into the US by Fall 2012. Everything from wall coverings, fabrics, wall paints, furniture finishes etc. Look at the multiple of uses of multiple sizes of  stripes and one strong pattern. The impact is fantastic.

Today is January 4, 2012 it is also  my 20th wedding anniversary. I am blessed to be married to my best friend and partner in business and in life. Gene is taking me to Paris and Brussels for our anniversary. I promise to take lots of photos from the flea markets and we will take you through the process of how we interpret some of the worlds most beautiful antiques into new furniture designs.

Showhouse Master Bedroom

Here is the master bedroom that I did for the National Cancer Society Show house. The idea was to have a very serene color palette with a little glam. This is one of our best selling Keats Beds. I love the intaglios that are hanging above it. Notice the palette of monochromatic colors and how calming it is. I enjoy using cooler and more serene colors. 

This stanley nightstand is finished in sterling silver leaf and light antiqued mirror. The collection of antique paintings and gilded fragments give the mix of texture needed with these divine lucite lamps.

This little Gracie table added just the needed deco look of glam for the room.

The entry was not very large. So I used this acrylic console and some industrial ottomans. I love how the vases full of tulips seem to float. The painting is an en caustic that from L. Ross galleries here in Memphis. I have always loved abstract and contemporary art that is not expected. 

In the hallway I was able to design this little niche with all these yummy accessories. The fragment is 18th century and looks so organic on the acrylic stand. Something that would just sit around and not have any great purpose. Now you can give it a place of importance by having it on a lucite stand. The books are ones from the Paris Flea Market. Tying some vintage ribbon around them or twine can take them from loose books to a statement piece. Adding elements of humor in your home will make you happy. When I select art it is always an emotional connection. I loved these sheep and the whimsy that the artist  gave to them.