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Also, don’t forget about our pillow giveaway that’s going on now! Leave us a comment here by Monday, May 31st. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, June 1st.
This is the home of a client who lives in San Juan Capistrano, California. She discovered our shot while staying at her second home in the River Bottoms of Provo. We worked with her on a bathroom remodel and some furnishings for her home here before having us fly out to work on her California home.
At first glance you may not think the Before and After shots are very striking – But look closely and you will see that the lines are all cleaned up and there are a few eye-catching contrasts thrown into the mix to give the room a shift from traditional to transitional.
The shell of the room did not change. The rug remained and the drapes were newly hung when we got there. The tufted sofa and mirrored chaise is done in a crisp Belgium linen. Behind the sofa we replaced the traditional console with a beautiful chalky gray blue carved console table with a hand-pieced limestone top. Hugging the coffee table is a walnut butler’s table that can also be rotated to hug the chaise from either front or back in the open area. It makes for a great place to set a book or a drink.
The Sophie Armchair by Oly Studio juxtapose the fireplace covered in an unexpected zebra stenciled hair on hide and two gold Arteriors floor lamps flank the fireplace on either side.
Our client recently acquired the new painting of the ocean over the fireplace and just stopped by the store last weekend for a few finishing touches for the mantle. The room is almost complete, but we couldn’t wait until it was done to share! It looks great!
New pillows are in for spring and one lucky winner will be able to choose one of the three lovely pillows pictured below.
Enter to win by following these rules:
The giveaway closes Sunday, May 30th and the winner will be chosen at random and announced on Monday, May 31st. Please leave your email address so that we can contact you! Good luck!
This week we wanted to share some of the current projects we are working on. Everybody loves before and afters!
This is a home that we are working on in Highland, Utah for a single woman. We tried to give reference to her Asian culture in a few different ways. The 2-door Asian chest centers the room and provides a great base to hang her Grandfather’s calligraphy practice sheets over top. We drew color inspiration from the branches and leaves in the trees as a jumping off point and anchored the room with a Thomas O’Brien’s Corsaro Rug in Ocean Blue.
The linen sofa has a subtle gray striping and is loaded with velvet, leather and silk pillows by Oly Studio. The coffee table and O’Hara stick-and-ball chair are both from Annie Selke’s collection through Vanguard. More calligraphy practice sheets finish off the room with custom draperies that have a net like graphic woven into the body of the fabric. The Tobias chair by Oly fills the corner with an unexpected white frame and tobacco leather. You may have noticed the dog pillow and dog sculpture on the floor near the chest. Our client is a dog lover and rescued two dogs of her own from a local shelter.
This room, though small is loaded with luxuries and levels interest! It is personal, sophisticated, and gives a nod to the past. All the frames are lined with history whether it be old photographs of her parents and grandparents or her grandfathers work with a brush and inks.
She loves her new living room and we do too! We are looking forward to finishing up the other rooms in the house and sharing those too!
[photo from Country Living]
I couldn’t agree with Mariette Himes Gomez more when she said, “Collecting is an impulse deeply embedded in the human psyche, and the secret of making your treasures look interesting is all in the art of display.” Collections can really define you and give your home a strong sense of character. It’s the ability of turning ordinary objects into a gallery of your travels and a glimpse into what inspires you!
[photo from Country Living]
[photos from travels to Market]
[photos from The Quilted Giraffe]
I once had a client who collected pewter and had it scattered all about her house. Although charming as individual items, when grouped together it told a fantastic story as the teapots, saucers, spoons, and chargers gathered atop a sideboard in her dining room and became a collection!
[photos from travels to Market]
If you collect plates, display them vertically on a wall or flanking a mirror. If you collect maps and globes arrange them in a way that you can compare different territories and how they have evolved over time. Quantity is an amazing tool when decorating your home. The eye loves repetition and this is when common objects can truly become artful medleys!
[photo from Southern Accents]
[photo from Apartment Therapy]
Keep in mind the most interesting collections usually happen gradually, so there is no need to go out and get it all at once. When you are traveling or even shopping with your favorite people, pick up something to remember the outing by. I love looking around my house and seeing pieces that evoke and memory and your guests will appreciate the interesting voyage your home becomes as they admire your collections!
[photo from Country Living]
[photo from Hall Ready]
We like to pride ourselves on searching far and wide for the most interesting finds to make for an inspired home. One of our tricks is having Kandi James scout for antiques all summer long while she is staying at her summer home away from home and beyond…
Here are a few of her rare finds that are available now at Alice Lane. And once they’re gone… they’re gone. You can’t duplicate an antique or the amount of patina it’s accrued over the years and years of use and age. They just don’t make ‘em like they used to. Charming!
We have suitcases, reel-to-reel projectors, cameras, an old typewriter, binoculars, books, shoe forms, silver tea pots and pitchers, old school bells, and architectural elements like corbels, columns, gables, we even had an old mantle!
[photos by Ashlee Raubach]
It’s the vintage character paired with new updated styles that make great spaces impossible to duplicate and can give your home style and substance!
What gives a room heart and soul?
The collections of people who live there. That’s what makes a room interesting.
We as designers can give a home it’s backbone – well-designed rooms with perfectly proportioned furniture, a nice flow in the traffic pattern, the right lighting, wall colors, finishes, etc. But it’s the collections of the people that live there that really make a house come to life. It’s fun to stare at the books in one’s personal library or the art on their walls, the photography in the picture frames. I study the interesting objects on the tables… It’s all part of their story.
We have been working to get a photographer out to shoot the fabulous Kandi James’ home. She is a collector with a trained eye for spotting the good stuff at antique sales.
We are privileged to offer a few of her goods for sale at Alice Lane. They add such wit and history to our store, and I love what it can do for a room!
Here is a little teaser. We will have the rest of her photos on our Portfolio page soon!
[photos by Nicole Hill Gerulat]
Mother’s Day is one of those special holidays that oddly enough, a lot of women hate. I don’t get that. I love it. Not because I want to be adored and worshipped by my husband and two girls and skip out on doing the dishes on Sunday… but because I think of my mother who is like Mother Teresa and the greatest example of motherhood. The warmest feelings well up inside of me when I hear the word “Mother”, and the image of my mom in my mind is the most comfortable place I can go to in my head. She is sunshine.
So what do you give the woman who gave you life? I’ve been asked that a couple of times already this week. Here are a few ideas for those of you still searching for the perfect gift.
Give her a memory – Buy a lovely picture frame to frame a simple candid photo, a time in your lives that will make her laugh out loud or quietly take in a moment. I also love a good quote in a frame. You could even quote Mom! Or something that you know would be meaningful. You could put it in the window where she does the dishes with a set of new hand towels.
New sheets! I’m surprised at how many people don’t own a pair of real luxury sheets. My favorite thing in my bedroom are by far my linen sheets! You sleep better. And who couldn’t use a really good night’s sleep (night after night)?
[photo by Ashlee Raubach]
A new rug in front of her kitchen sink. That would brighten up her space! Or in the laundry room? It will make her everyday tasks seem a bit brighter, happier and softer under foot.
[photo by Ashlee Raubach]
A lovely gift would be to organize any closet, pantry, or drawer of hers in the house and notice if there is something that you could buy her to make the process of whatever you’re improving better. New hangers, organizers, bins, baskets, whatever!
[photo from Lonny Magazine]
[photo from Real Simple]
Flowers. We have some lovely estate planters at the store that would flank a doorway in a real traditional classical way. Plant flowers or box woods in them and brighten up her entryway or back porch.
Grab a lovely vase and then run to the grocery store or Costco for some off-the-shelf flowers and she’ll know it’s from somewhere special because it’s not contained in a standard way. Don’t forget the love not. That’s the best part!!!
[photo by Ashlee Raubach]
Mom’s are simple. They already love us – so naturally they’ll love any way you want to love them back!
We’d love to hear some of your Mother’s Day gift ideas. Do share…
I had the opportunity to meet Annie at the High Point Market last week. Many of you are familiar with her work, even if you don’t know her name.
Annie is the visionary behind widely acclaimed home textile companies, Pine Cone Hill and Dash & Albert Rug Company, and licensed collection Annie Selke Home. her kaleidoscopic design aesthetic has yielded thousands of creations, from vibrant bedding and whimsical rugs to innovative furniture and upholstery.
We are proud to carry her lines of furniture and bedding at Alice Lane!
You’ve seen her work everywhere… across the pages of your favorite decor magazines. (Over 300 pages in the past year alone. That’s an impressive press archive!)
You can imagine my surprise upon entering the section of Annie’s furniture gallery within the Vanguard showroom. When I spotted the designing goddess sitting in bed, under the covers, fully clothed… and on the phone! How perfectly quirky! I knew I liked her already.
After getting off the phone, we spoke for awhile about the line and how much we enjoy designing with it. Then it was picture time… She scooted over in bed and I hopped up with her.
In the latest issue of House Beautiful, Annie is quoted saying: “For me, comfort is the greatest luxury.” I couldn’t agree more. If you’re going to go to the effort to decorate or redecorate your home, always insist on the most comfortable seating and liveable fabrics!
Below is a gallery of Annie’s work. Many of these photos are taken in her own home.
Town Settee, O’Hara Stick & Ball Chair, Atlas Cocktail Table
O’Hara Stick & Ball Chair
Hayworth Chair
Victorian Platform Bed
Annie’s Home
Alice Lane is a street. Alice Lane is a furnishings boutique. And now the magic is everywhere because Alice Lane is also a blog.
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