Around the Houzz: House Plants

Numerous people (clients, prospective clients, friends, etc) have asked me what I think is the easiest, quickest way to transform a home (or room) on a budget, especially on a renter's budget. My answer has always been paint, which obscures all signs of the people who occupied the place before you, memories of ex's, filth or simply breathes new life into a space without breaking the bank. But I recently added plants to my answer. Plants have an uncanny ability to make everything look and feel clean, fresh and alive while simultaneously scrubbing grossness out of the air we breathe. That shot of green (or many shots) does wonders for any space, and in my opinion, you cannot have too many. For high-end projects, I recommend choosing sculptural, statement plants that add texture and interest to a room, and almost act as a piece of art. But big plants don't come cheap. For the rest of us, I think just about any healthy plant will do. We used them liberally in our last apartment: plants became "curtains" over our bathroom window, they softened sharp edges and brought your eye up to the ceiling when placed high on a top shelf. But more than anything, they made our small apartment feel airy, breezy and a little more connected to nature. We only have one right now (sadly, our plants did not survive the freezing cold drive from New York to Texas) but we have big plans to get more soon.

With that, check out my most recent article for houzz.com was all about our leafy green friends: Bring In The Outside With House Plants!

The Well-Concealed Kitchen on Houzz!

Another ideabook by yours truly just went live on Houzz.com – ideas for cozying up your kitchen with furniture from other parts of the house! Hope on over to Houzz.com to read it:
The Well-Concealed Kitchen.

Neglect, a Birthday, and Austin Hot-Spots

Oh, dear readers, I'm the WORST! I've really been neglecting you. Its with good reason, though, I promise. The fun news is that I turn a whopping 32 today! TIME FLIES. I swear, just the other day I was a toddler wearing a birthday hat, stuffing my face with cake without a care in the world.

Ok, you got me; I've never lived without a care in the world

Check out the rad birth announcement my dad wrote up when I was born (note: he is an accomplished tennis player and all-around funny guy):

Favorite line: "Balls…..None." Get it? I'm a girl. 

It's been quite a ride, and I have high hopes for my thirty-second year on this earth. Good things are already happening. For one, Oliver and I got a grill and some deck chairs, so we can dine alfresco and enjoy this amazing Austin weather. Tonight, we are going to try out a new-ish (less than a year old) restaurant in our neighborhood that's said to be pushing the boundaries of Austin's emerging foodie scene, Foreign and Domestic. I hope I can remember to bring the camera and snap some shots to share with you. I've been a Forgetful Franny lately!

Work-wise, things are getting busy busy busy, which is wonderful, but I miss my little slice o'the blogosphere! I have a few posts in the works right now, but none are quite complete, so I thought I'd whet your appetite (and hopefully keep you coming back to me), by giving you a sneak peek into a very special tour we took recently (thanks to the Architecture Enthusiasts of Austin) of a few projects completed by the office of one of Austin's most outstanding architects, Michael Hsu. I have a personal connection with Mr. Hsu's office, about which I will expound when I write full review of these spaces, but here's a little quickie introduction to the work his office does….

We visited Haddington's, a new rustic American tavern on East 6th with outstanding finishes, not to mention yummy food and cocktails):




La Condesa, a hip, contemporary-modern interior Mexican restaurant in the 2nd street district"


Love that custom light fixture, created from off-the-shelf lighting parts!

Malverde, a chic bar located adjacent to and upstairs from La Condesa, Malverde should be bumpin'!


The mossy, "living" wall is a great touch to this space the blurs the barrier between inside and out – a perfect Austin design element!

I have a busy week ahead, but I will do my best keep up with you. Happy Monday, and happy birthday to ME! xoxo

Hand-Smocked Window Treatments

I recently wrote this little fact sheet for ehow.com on hand-smocked window treatments. My article was limited to 200 words (I think I wrote about 250; what can I say, I'm verbose!) and it got me in the mood to expound a little on the subject. I can't say I didn't know what smocking was, I did – I even own a few sun dresses with smocking details on the front (and my Aunt Barbara added a hand-smocked embellishment to a dress she made for me when I was little). Maybe because its somewhat familiar, I've always sort of overlooked it. Well, this little blurb, which I wrote in exchange for some money, piqued my interest, so here I am, modifying my fact sheet for the blog in order to quench my knowledge-thirsty readers' questions. A version of the article also appears on examiner.com).

First things first: what is smocking? It is an embroidery technique used to gather fabric to create a ruffled repeating diamond pattern. In curtains, it runs the length of the header.

Smocking detail via The Shabby Nest

Unlike other embroidery methods that are purely decorative, smocking is unusual in that it was often worn by laborers. Developed in England in the 13th and 14th centuries and used extensively in apparel through the 18th and 19th centuries before elastic was available, smocking allowed practical garments for farmers and other workers to be both form-fitting and flexible. It was also employed in garments like cuffs and necklines, where buttons were undesirable.

Painting by Ambrosius Holbein, 1518, showing smocking on garment; Image courtesy Wikipedia

The use of smocks declined among farm workers in the late 1800s, but the embroidery technique later became a popular specialty detail added to high culture dresses and tea gowns. Decorative English smocking resurged in the 1920s and became even more popular in 1940, when the smocking pleater was invented, saving time and making it possible to use the technique on a variety of fabrics. Soon designers were inspired to add smocking embellishments on a variety of garments and, finally, curtains. I believe we saw a lot of smocking in the 1970s, which lead to our current terrycloth-ish-beach-cover-up-with-stretchy-smocking-fad

Due to its intricacy, smocking is best used on light- or medium-weight fabrics; solid silks and cottons are most common, but those with small or simple patterns work well without overshadowing the delicate details, and historically cashmere, pique and crepe de Chine were also smocked. According to Good Housekeeping: The Illustrated Book of Needlecrafts, “any fabric can be smocked if it is supple enough to be gathered.”  

A variety of patterned smocked curtains are available at Elizabeth's Embellishments:





Luxurious hand-smocked curtains in different embroidery styles, from Varang

Hand-smocked curtains evoke an old-world, casual elegance that coordinates with many decor styles, but is most often combined with dressy feminine country or cottage-style decor. For best results, hang smocked window coverings with a decorative curtain pole or track using drapery hooks.


Check out Pottery Barn's options:

After poking around the great wide interwebs for smocking photos, I realized smocking is all over the place right now! Isn't it funny how something can be right under your nose but you don't see it until you're forced to really look at it?

Hand-smocked pillow cover by artfire.com


DKNY's Watercolor Field Daisy and Willow Flowering Print smocked decorative pillows





Juicy Couture's smocked purses


Smocked pleated silk lampshade from Besselink & Jones in a recent World of Interiors 

We end this tour on a country casual interior, featuring Bella Home Fashion's Chandler Collection smocked curtains:

Detail


In situe

Harlem HOUZZ Tour

I don't usually post on the weekends, but I couldn't resist publishing this right away because I'm so excited! I recently wrote a quickie post on houzz.com, the site that allows you to find ideas from designers and DIY-ers all over the country. I'm so honored to share with you the wonderful story about our New York apartment (prior to our Austin move), Houzz Tour: Killy and Oliver's Hip Harlem Apartment: Color, Clever Storage and Editing Turns a Tiny Apartment Into a Gem, written beautifully by Houzz contributor Lily Gahagan.

This is by far the most in-depth look at our (beloved) former apartment, complete with small-space decorating tips and explanations of the driving forces behind our design decisions. Sending out a huge thank you to Lily and the Houzz team!

All photos by Frisson

Nothing New Under the Sun & Stripe Roundup

I had a professor in graduate school who used to listen to us ramble on about how unique and cutting edge our designs were, then in his deep, guttural-yet-sing-song-y voice, he'd bellow, "Well, there's nothing new under the sun, that's what I always say." Thanks, Gus. You know we haven't slept or eaten in, like, WEEKS, right?

But he's right. Sort of. I submit there are new things under the sun, but they are often informed by old things. Ya' feel me? Gus has been practicing architecture since the year one, and has worked at Pratt for something like forty years, so he's pretty much where everything today derives from.

WELL! I was poking around the interwebs last night when I came across this interior shot of a hallway on Country Living:

Home of Jane and Billy Pritchard of Stray Dog Designs; photo by Victoria Pearson

And it reminded me of our own hall in our last apartment:

I certainly didn't think we reinvented the wheel with our navy stripes, but yowza! At least we know our instincts are on the right track ... Maybe Country Living is going to come knocking on my door soon. Fingers crossed :)

If not, at least Apartment Therapy gives us some love. As I poked around for more stripes images, I came across this "Get Striped: All Kinds of Striped Inspiration" story, featuring our home office (#13)!

I'm loving that turquoise chandelier with tiny striped shades in the Pritchards' hall–that's a great detail! Their's is clearly neither a rental nor an apartment, and I believe they shoot the catalog for their store in their home, so let's just say they have more resources. No matter! I think we did a lot with a little!

Obviously, its no secret that we love stripes, but clearly we're not alone.

Jeremy and Kathleen showcased their own striped hall on Apartment Therapy and their blog

The brown stripes in this galley kitchen are quite sophisticated:

Photo by Simon Upton for Elle Decor


Photo courtesy Anne Coyle Interiors


Mixing a pattern and a stripe at Elle Decor

If its good enough for Carolina Herrera, its good enough for ME:


Coral + Yellow = BOLD

Via Elle Decor

The tiny settee with small-scale stripes against the wide-striped wall, the mini-lamp, the abstract art surrounded by other work, gallery-style – this is a beautiful vignette:

Photo by Thiebault Jeanson for Elle Decor

Another perfect vignette:

Source Unknown

Oh my, that copper tub!

Photo courtesy Elle Decor

This is just too much fun, with the varying pinks, the formal silhouette of DOGS and the ornate picture frames (that I suspect were formerly mirrors with Syroco frame. We have an identical mirror!)

Photo courtesy House to Home

Oh, hello, gorgeous burled wood table with lucite legs!!! The stripe pattern behind you is lovely, too:

Photo courtesy Lonny Magazine

Designer Markham Roberts jazzes things up by putting the stripes in this room on a diagonal:


Designer Ned Marshall mixes silvers and golds to create this elegant stripe-infused room:


I'm loving the wide stripes on this sofa:

Source Unkown

Got some money to burn? Then upholster your walls in Osborne and Little fabric:

Design by Collette Ward Interiors

Photography John M. Hall captured the beauty of this opulent coral bedroom:


But stripes aren't just for walls. They are fantastic on floors and ceilings and exteriors.

Beverly Hills Hotel photo courtesy Second Floor Living


Jenna Lyons' nursery, via Domino


Umbrellas at The Viceroy Hotel, by Kelly Wearstler

Or just put them everywhere, as in this hallway from Domino:


And they don't have to appear only on soft things: paint them onto floors, create them with tiles:

Design by David Mitchell Interior Design


Photo courtesy Decor Pad


Design by Jeffers Design Group; Photo courtesy House Beautiful

This image (from Domino Magazine) sparked my love of horizontal stripes in small spaces offset with whimsical florals:


All this eye candy is fun, but Gus' insistence that there's "nothing new under the sun" still applies:

Mosque of Cordoba (Spain); completed in 987; Photo courtesy Ian Pitchford via Wikipedia


Notre Dame de la Garde, Marseilles, France; completed in 1864; Photo courtesy MJA Studios

Notre Dame de la Garde, interior:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia