OVERSTOCK.COM PHOTO SHOOT

I am lucky enough to have had Scott Davis shoot my house twice now - once for Fox Group Construction's portfolio, and the other time for Overstock.com.

It was quite the ordeal to have them come. We basically had to move out of our house for two days. They moved all of our furniture on the main floor into other rooms, but they were great to work with and really professional. They put everything back to its original place when it was all done, and it was like they were never there. Pretty impressive considering how much they had to move around. You can see for yourself in the photos.

I never actually saw this campaign, but Scott sent me his favorite photos from the shoot, (which turned out great). It was entertaining for me to see my home in a whole new light. It's amazing what different furnishings do to the same home.

the living room styled as a wintery bedroom

living room as another bedroom setup 

dining room

product shot in the kitchen

living room with overstock furniture

And just to refresh your memory of what these rooms look like normally...

living room

dining room

Quite the change, right?!

PROJECT SNAPSHOTS: WANDER LANE

entry @ wander ln. - circa lighting chandelier

As the year ends, so have a lot of my projects! My Wander Lane project was one where I was hired to help with the building of the home. The Fox Group was the contractor on the project, and had started building the home as a spec home but sold it to my client before many of the finishes had been chosen...and that's where I came in. The layout, wainscot and floors were done, (not painted or stained) and my client and I designed and chose the rest as we collaborated with The Fox Group. 

Because I didn't help with the furnishing of the home, I can only show a handful of the photos that aren't furnished. I hope you can get a feel for the home with these few photos, and I hope to get a few more photos to show you. All photography is done by the talented Scott Davis.

kitchen w/handmade tile backsplash, visual comfort lanterns, honed black granite countertops

wainscoting and west elm pendants lead to the master bath

visual comfort sconces, client's mirrors, limestone countertop, custom cabinetry, benjamin moore gray owl paint, thassos marble tile wainscot

visual comfort sconces, gray wainscot room, herringbone floors, carrara marble fireplace surround

More photos to come soon!

MY DESIGN BFF - DARRYL CARTER

This is a picture of my best-friend, Darryl Carter. OKAY, he doesn't know he's my best-friend, but I'm pretty sure we would be if we ever met! Or maybe not, but I do LOVE his style. Oh, do I love his style, and let me count the ways...

1) He loves white as much as I do. (take a look at all off his interiors - all white walls!)

2) He has a minimalist approach to design. (I too think less is more)

3) He has a definite American vibe. (I lean more American than anything else)

4) His designs are so classic, meaningful and unique! (you all know how much I believe in meaningful design)

5) He uses a lot of American antiques. (I LOVE a great American antique, but antiques need to be balanced with modern, or the less-is-more approach)

6) He is based out of Washington D.C. and has a very "D.C. style" (My design aesthetic came from loving my grandparents style, which is very D.C., because they lived in Washington D.C.. It's where my Mom was born and raised and where half of my family was born)

Mr. Carter is a self-taught designer who happened to be an attorney before he became one of the great American designers. Because I too am a "self-taught" designer I always love to hear the success stories of other people who did not go to school. 

And now for Darryl Carter's greatest-hits. And Darryl, if you happen by this post, call me! 

all images via pinterest

 Let's start with my long-time favorite...

A lamp on the floor?! Kind of like it in this space.

Love all the white w the black accents.

A very unconventional dining area - so cool.

That zebra chaise is ah-mazing!

Loving all the white + the glass shelves that see through to the kitchen.

Warm whites.

Super cool kitchen - look at that antique table turned into an island!

Beautiful bedroom with more white + black + zebra

Shelving genius + I love the white painted floor.

Antiques in the bathroom + the chevron floor.

Love this classic bathroom

Antiques but in a modern, eclectic set-up.

I'm a sucker for a kilim/antique rug in a kitchen

Wainscot + white + wood

Beautiful designed round table setting

More zebra! And I'm loving the piano decor.

He used the trendy chalk-board idea in a more modern + classy way

Maybe the only thing by BFF is missing is some gold in his designs. Or he could start a new design firm called White + Black next to my design firm White + Gold! What do you think?

Also, as you look at his work you definitely see a lot of repeats (zebra rugs, black accents, traditional sconces, white sofas). As a designer I have this fear of people thinking I'm a one-note designer, but in a way my friend Darryl has a little of that going on and I don't mind it one bit. What do you think? Is it good to have such a definite style that defines you, or is a more creative approach better?

WAINSCOTING - A LOOKBOOK

If you have seen pictures of my home you know that almost the entire main floor is covered in wainscot so it's safe to say I love wainscoting. My love affair with wood work on walls started with my grandparent's home in D.C. and continued into my teenage years when I was enthralled with Parisian interiors and now I just accept wainscoting as a way of life. It's always going to be a part of my interior design 'bag of tricks'.

So with that said, I thought I would post my favorite pictures of wainscoting to inspire you.

Let's start with my favorite :)

And here are my other favorites...
These are more traditional/European
 

These are board + batten or more modern/updated wainscoting...

Do you have a favorite style? Are you more traditional or modern?