Fabulous Room Friday 05.17.13

This week’s fabulous room is this gorgeous sun porch by one of my all-time favorite designers, Eric Cohler. The room is part of the Adamsleigh Showhouse in Greensboro, North Carolina which Traditional Home sponsored. The house opened last month, coinciding with High Point Market, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to go see it in person.

This room exemplifies why I am such a fan of Eric’s design work. I love the way in which he mixes classic and contemporary as well as his appreciation of bold color and patterns. His work is always beautifully layered, sophisticated, and chic while feeling fresh, never stuffy.

{First, I am completely obsessed with this gorgeous parchment and brass coffee table from Pearson. Isn’t it chic? I also love the shape of the sofa and the fact that Eric selected a bright, playful ikat for the French chair. He mixes styles and time periods so well. There are several bold patterns in this space—the chair, the screen, the rug, and the striped ceiling, but they all work quite well together and don’t compete for attention.}

{How incredible is this striped ceiling? His Star Flush Mounts are the perfect accent! I noticed that Eric also included a couple of other pieces from his lighting collection—the Rome Floor Lamp and Caged Table Lamp in the sun porch.}

{Image No. 1 via Traditional Home | Images No. 2 and 3 via Apartment Therapy}

Get the Look: Betsy Burnham

{Living Room designed by Betsy Burnham as featured in House Beautiful}

Interior designer, Betsy Burnham’s work is well known for its laidback, sophisticated bohemian vibe. It’s the perfect version of polished California eclectic style. She takes design risks embracing bold colors, ethnic textiles, and almost always includes a nod to Chinoiserie and Hollywood Regency in the spaces she designs.

{Living Room Designed by Betsy Burnham as featured in Lonny}

{Design by Betsy Burnham | Photo via Lonny}

{Pink Quadrille Sofas are the Focal Point of this Living Room designed by Betsy Burnham and featured in House Beautiful}

{Living Room designed by Betsy Burnham as featured in House Beautiful}

If you’re a fan of Betsy’s work, be sure to log on to One Kings Lane on Monday evening beginning at 8:00 pm CST as she will be hosting a Tastemaker Tag Sale featuring some amazing pieces reflective of the style she is famous for. Here’s a sneak peek of a few of the fun finds that will be part of the sale. I love the leopard chair and vintage Gucci ashtray!

Life Lately…

{Fresh Peonies in a Mint Julep Cup to Brighten up my Entryway}

The past couple of weeks have been fantastic. It’s been a bit of a transition period for me. After two years as Director of Marketing at Visual Comfort, I decided in February that it was time to go back out on my own again and my last day there was May 1st. I learned so much while with the company and was able to meet so many fantastic people, but I felt it was time to finally tap into what I know is my calling and start a new chapter. While it is always unnerving to leave a secure job with benefits to start a new venture, I have no doubt that I’ve made the right decision. There really isn’t anything like having the flexibility that comes from working for yourself. I feel like I have my life back and things are just as they should be. I’m not quite ready to unveil my newest project just yet, so stay tuned! I will share everything with you over the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, here’s a glimpse of what I’ve been up to recently!

{Lauren, Meg, and I went to the opening of the Houston Decorative Center’s Spring Market which included a keynote presentation on branding by the handsome John Robshaw and fabulous Mary McDonald.}

{We celebrated Fabian’s birthday. It’s crazy to think that we were 19 and 20 when we first met and now here we are at 31 and 33. Where does the time go? If you live in Houston and you haven’t had Mom’s Chocolate Cake at Benjy’s, drop whatever you’re doing and go order a piece immediately if not sooner. It is off the charts!}

{I was finally able to visit my friend Daniel at his gorgeous store, AREA. They recently moved to a new location and as always, the store is full of chic finds in artfully arranged vignettes. Daniel has an amazing eye.}

{I also spotted this super stylish vignette featuring a plaster console table and some gorgeous brass goodies at AREA.}

{We saw The Great Gatsby this weekend and loved it. Sure, a lot of people are saying it was more style than substance, but sometimes, I’m okay with that. The movie was intoxicating in the best way possible and I can’t get this beautiful song out of my head. Obsessed!}

{I’ve been busy finishing up several design projects around my house for a photo shoot that is happening next week. I had beautiful, new linen curtains with Greek key trim made by The Curtain Exchange and could not be happier with them. They’re gorgeous and transformed my house. I also learned a ton from Georgina, the founder of The Curtain Exchange, so look for a post including everything you could ever need to know about curtains and a full project reveal to come soon.}

{We recently had this custom built-in made for our family room and my sweet and handy husband installed a pair of Dean Picture Lights by Alexa Hampton over the weekend to finish the piece off. I’m really happy with how it turned out!}

What’s new with you? Have you seen Gatsby? I’ve talked to a lot of other bloggers about this and the general consensus seems to be that readers don’t comment as much as they used to. I think Pinterest has a lot to do with. Now, if we see something we love on a blog, we tend to pin it as opposed to leaving a comment about it. It’s always great to hear from you, so please know that your comments and feedback are always welcomed and encouraged!

{All Images via Instagram}

Get the Look: Gwyneth’s Flirty Brights + The Tracy Anderson Method

{Gwyneth wore a Victoria Beckham dress and Michael Kors colorblock sandals to the opening of the Tracy Anderson studio in Brentwood.}

Whether you love her or love to hate her, there is no denying that Gwyneth Paltrow has been looking AMAZING lately. She’s always been beautiful and has always been someone that I’ve admired, but it seems like she’s really gotten comfortable in her own skin lately and it shows in her radiant appearance. While she is always quite chic, she takes risks and sometimes ends up with some fashion misses like her recent sheer panel debacle. However, she handles it all with grace and a sense of humor! Recently, Gwyneth’s pal and business partner, Tracy Anderson opened a new fitness studio in Los Angeles’ Brentwood neighborhood. Gwyneth showed up in a flirty ensemble that showed off the results of her hard work as a devout follower of Anderson’s method. She looks fantastic!

{1. J. Crew Knit Princess Seam Dress in Seaside Coral | 2. Lanvin New Partition Clutch | 3. ZARA Basic Ankle Strap Sandals | 4. Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis Series}

I recently decided to finally take the plunge and give Anderson’s method a try. I’ve heard for a couple of years now that the workouts are killer—really challenging and long (a minimum of 60 minutes), but everyone who has suffered through them has seen real results. I am starting with Tracy’s Mat Workout which was the first video she released. I figured it would be better to give this a shot before committing to her Metamorphosis program. The workout is definitely hard, but shockingly, because I usually do not enjoy exercise, I love it! I was so proud of myself when I did it for the first time on Monday and made it all the way through the video! I guess I really like the fluid movements even though I probably look like an idiot while I try to follow her lead!  I am feeling very motivated to stick it out and hope to eventually graduate to Metamorphosis. Have you done Tracy Anderson’s Method? Did you see noticeable results? I’d love to hear any feedback you might have!

A Nursery with a Twist

A friend of mine recently shared the news that she is expecting a baby. Naturally, being as design-obsessed as I am, I immediately started asking her about her plans for the nursery’s décor. Since she doesn’t know if she’s having a boy or a girl yet, she hasn’t really begun to envision what the nursery will look like. She did mention that if the baby is a girl, she doesn’t want to use typical “baby girl” colors and doesn’t want the room to scream “baby” either. I immediately envisioned how I would design a nursery to meet her criteria. I think what I came up with is pretty chic for a baby’s room and the pieces I chose are timeless and will continue to work in the space as the baby grows up. In spite of the blue and white color palette, I definitely designed this for a girl. While I feel the essence of the nursery is quite feminine, with a few tweaks, it could work just as beautifully for a boy!

{Sources: West Elm Niche Six Drawer White Lacquer Dresser (to double as a changing table) | Magalie Mirror in White, Quatrefoil Floor Lamp from Circa Lighting | Baby Animal Prints by Sharon Montrose | Odette Flush Mount from Circa Lighting | Oeuf Sparrow Crib | Double Fortune Ceramic Stool | Quadrille Kazak Navy Pillow (to go in crib)| Surya Smithsonian Hand-Tufted Rug | Preserved Boxwood Topiary (similar) | Pine Cone Hill Chambray Linen Ink Panels | Layla Grayce Seco Swivel Glider | Aegean Fretwork Pillow}

{Additional Items for Nursery: Serena & Lily James Crib Bumper | Pottery Barn Navy Changing Pad Cover | Serena & Lily Hayworth Shelf | Pom Pom at Home Organic Linen Crib Skirt|

What are your thoughts? Do you like the idea of using colors that are traditionally regarded as “boys’ colors” for a baby girl’s nursery?