Fantasy Shopping at The Iron Gate

This past weekend we took a quick trip to neighboring Nashville. We'll share a few highlights from the trip over the coming days. For now, let's start with our fantasy shopping trip to The Iron Gate. (Check out their blog.)

If there were such a thing as a Fantasy Shopping League – and why wouldn't there be – Iron Gate would be a first draft pick. 

When you step into this little shop on Franklin Square, you are immediately whisked away. I'm not sure if is the scent of Zodak candles, the soft light of the skylights, or the beautifully curated array of found objects. The combination is intoxicating and a triple threat to my wallet. 

Here are a few of the objects we found irresistible: 

Love the silver wheels on this modern bar cart.

Sofa perfect for telling secrets.

Not 100% sure what this is, but the beadwork & color are fantastic.

Decorative lantern – amazing shine.

Ethereal chandelier

Modern rustic lamp

Furry and soft pillow. Super chic until your shopping partner,
Carrol, suggests adding googly eyes and yelling "Cookies"!

Twinspired by Boy Detective

The case of Encyclopedia Brown's boyhood room

Donald J. Sobol, author of the beloved Encyclopedia Brown series, passed away last week. The books have been in circulation for 50 years running. NPR ran a great story about the series. It got us wondering what would the boyhood room of the boy detective have looked like. 

Let's start with a base from Serena and Lily's 
boy collection.The lantern turned bookcase is perfect.

For the boy detective who can never stop solving,
a puzzle rug.

A collection of well-loved Hardy Boys books.
He probably also had a copy of Nancy Drew, 
but too proud to show it. 

As perfect as the lantern is, it won't hold all of his 
encyclopedias. He needs a bookcase, but how about 
a folding one?

More bookshelves, of course. 
This time as stairs to his bedroom.

And, of course, a classic eyeglass case.

what are you tolerating?
On my summer reading list is the novel bel canto by American author Ann Patchett. The book follows a group of terrorists and their unsuccessful attempt to abduct a third world countries' political leader. A hostage situation ensues and the story reveals how the terrorists and the hostages survive living in a house together. It is an interesting exploration of human nature. Our needs, loves, and what one is willing to tolerate.

It made me think, "What am I tolerating in my life?"

I immediately thought of the nonfunctioning light in my kitchen pantry. The light is burned out, the bulb broke off in the socket and instead of dealing with it, we put duct tape over the light switch to keep the other family members from turing it on. 

I say we, but in fact I had no part in all of this mayhem. I have, however, tolerated a pitch black pantry for more months than I care to admit.

Well, no more! It literally took me four minutes to fix the lightbulb. That includes getting out and putting away the tools and screwing back on the light cover. 


Our question to you is "What are you tolerating in your home?" 

Is it a drawer that sticks, or has no handle, or both. Take the time to repair the problem. By eliminating the problem you will eliminate the frustration you feel every time you reach in the pantry for barbecue sauce and pull out soy sauce.

h.d.buttercup unrequited

We've been conducting a long-distance romance with H.D. Buttercup, a one-of-a-kind furniture store. Sure it's one-sided – but don't we all have one of those relationships? When a recent trip out west coincided with the grand opening of H.D. Buttercup's San Francisco location, it was time to see if this long distance love affair (okay...obsession) had a chance.

The trip didn't disappoint. Here's one great idea from the store...wall of plates. It's been done a million times, but H.D. Buttercup took it to a new level.

H.D.Buttercup in San Francisco

Additional view at H.D.Buttercup in San Francisco

Below are a few home versions that are different, but offer an equal wow-factor

  

Here's a great example of a simple version for your home
from Homedit blog. I love the asymmetrical layout.

Another great example from Apartment Therapy's review of abchaos.
See the entire Abchao house tour here.

If you're wondering how to hang your own collection of plates, Sarah Richardson has a great tip – use epoxy adhesive to attach hardware brackets to back of plates. This will allow you to hang plates while eliminating those unattractive wire plate hangers.

If you can't find plates you love – and a little bit fearless – make your own. Sarah Chiat is the first one we saw use this technique. A few notes if you try it yourself:

• Not knowing what is already on the plate can make reglazing ceramics challenging. 
• Definitely don't use an underglaze. 
• You can use a china glazes, but it will make the plate not food safe. 
• An option we tried (but it is not the same ceramic-look), is acrylic paint made for glass and ceramics. You'll need to bake it or let it sit for 21 days. Then finish with a high gloss clear glaze.

If you decide to try it, share your results with us. If not, you can always live vicariously through the designs above. 

shesaid.shesaid.
Hilari's show is cancelled...

The hostess with the mostess isn’t invited to the party. HGTV will not be producing Hilari’s show.

As I watched this week’s Design Star, I thought to myself, “I wonder who is going home? Danielle or Brittany?” It never occurred to me that it would be Hilari. She was engaging, personable, entertaining and created rooms that were equally full of personality. The judges complained about her lack of design content in her camera spots. I’m confused. She said she was adding the decorative wooden elements to add architectural detail to the room – that seems like designer talk to me. I thought she should of won based on her addition to the front door alone.

I am chalking the decision up to editing. There must be more to the story that is sitting on the cutting room floor as to why Hilari is gone.

That being said, Danielle and Brittany are both skilled designers and the finally should be interesting to watch.

________________________________________________________

I can’t believe they cancelled Hilari Younger’s show. There are only 2 reasons I can fathom why:

1. She talks a lot, but never says anything.
2. Haters! Clearly, Vern and Genevieve are threatened by her.

The first may be the reason I like her so much. She is fun to watch. Her rooms are beautiful. At times, even a fantasy. In my opinion, that’s exactly what HGTV needs. Let’s not do another show chalked full of practical tips like “make an old piece new again with a fresh coat of paint”.  Let’s freshen up HGTV with a new coat of paint – the paint color being “Haute Hiliari”.

LOOKBOOK: Jonathan Adler

Earlier this year, we did a Genuine Faux interview with Jonathan Adler. In retrospect, we realized we failed to demonstrate why a faux interview with Jonathan Adler was worthwhile. We decided to demonstrate by sharing a few or our favorite pages from his recent books, Happy Chic Accessorizing and Happy Chic Colors (both available at Jonathan Adler's website). These books are full of whimsical twinspiration and worth the investment. They genuinely make us happy. 

We'll leave you with this...if our home were broken into by a criminally-bent-designer-want-to-be, these would be the books that person would steal. They are that good. And while we'd be furious that the books were gone, we would: 

• One, repurchase the books immediately. (We wouldn't even wait for the insurance check to come in.)
• Two, hope the books bring the criminally-bent-designer-want-to-be as much happiness as it has us.

Happy Chic Colors and Happy Chic Accessories

Liz Lange's country home. Love everything about this
room including the colors, patterns (just look at the
tufting next to the zigzag), and the floor plan.

Stairwell in home shared with husband, Simon Doonan.
The repetition of the circles on the wall, stairs, and
the rug at the bottom of the stairs are brilliant. However,
we would suggest avoiding them if under the influence.

Barbie Dream House – see more at
Jonathan Adler's website. I want to be Barbie –
and not because of her 18" waist.

Love the whimsy, yet sophisticated feel of this room.

Liz Lange's NY apartment. Each piece in
the room – mirror, rug, lamp, bookcase,
orchid – they are all a piece of sculpture.

TWINSPIRATION STRIKES TWICE:

Carrol and I went fabric shopping – different times, different days – yet still managed to come home with the same swatch. We'll almost the same. Is that twinspiration striking twice...or once?

LOVELETTERS:

Dear Purdy Angled Paintbrush,

I love you. If I have you I need no other. I don’t need painter’s tape. I don’t need edging tools. With you, I can accomplish anything: baseboards, corners, ceilings, and the narrow area between doors and windows. Your angle makes the task of cutting in a breeze. You hold just the right amount of paint without dripping and you clean up easy with soap and water. Purdy, you and I are the Batman and Robin of the DIY world: a Dynamic Duo.

Yours forever,

C & P

Is Hilari Vanessa's Doppleganger? 

Who else thinks it's perfect that Hilari Younger from DesignStar Season 7 got the 80's room in episode 5? She did a great job, but I would expect nothing less as Vanessa Huxtable's doppleganger. 

If you don't remember Vanessa Huxtable (played by actress Tempestt Bledsoe), it is understandable. She was the middle-child. As a refresher, she is from the famous, hilarious, and endearing Huxtable family from The Cosby Show. Maybe that is why we love Hilari so much! 

Hilari Younger from DesignStar (left);
Vanessa Huxtable (actress Tempestt Bledsoe)
from The Cosby Show (right)

she said.she said. 

This week, open shelves in the kitchen

For several years now open shelving in the kitchen has been widely used in all the shelter magazines, tv shows and blogs. I have to say, I don’t get it. The kitchen is the most difficult room in the house to keep clean.

• food

• household dust

• grease

• condensation from hot water

You combine any two of those items and you have a substance that will survive a nuclear war. 

Be honest, when you have to change the light bulb in the kitchen and you grab the fixture isn’t your first response “UGH! Why is this so sticky?!” What do you think every item on the open shelf is going to feel like? 

If space is tight, edit your belongings. If you want to display a special collection, glass front cabinets are a better option. If you insist on following after an unworthy trend at least put the shelves as far away from the sink and stove as possible. 

I have a difficult time abiding by any decorating choice that just creates more work. The best design is suppose to make your life easier not your chore list longer.

__________________________________________________________________________

 

What did the kitchen cabinet say to the open shelf? "I said tapas, not topless!" 

A bad joke for a bad idea - open shelving in your kitchen. If you wouldn't go topless in your kitchen, neither should your dishes. 

For me, open shelving in a kitchen is like the five second rule for your floor. Okay, so maybe it's 15 seconds, but it still exists. If you think the five (or 15) second rule isn't true, watch recent MythBuster episode. 

Sure they are beautiful, open up the space, and make dishes an arm distance away. The last point is the bone of my contention. If your dishes are just an arm's length away from you, then they are also arms distance from the grease and grime of everyday use. 

However, there are three exceptions to when open shelving is acceptable:

1. You sell them for a living

2. Your spouse sells them for a living

3. Nope, now that I think about it there are only two

Take my advice, if you want an open feeling in your kitchen, use glass front cabinets, keep the a light color, and add under cabinet lighting. Fair warning, if you don't heed my advice, I'll keep telling jokes. 

Sure this is beautiful, but I'm not drinking
out of those glasses.

This is Drew Barrymore's kitchen.
Perhaps she has someone who cleans her
dishes everyday.