this home is sooo Athens

My daddy and all his kinfolk were born in Athens, Georgia.  Even though I didn't go to college at UGA, Chris did.  My soul bleeds red and black.  But it's not just football.  Athens is like a little Europe in the south.  The old homes, the quaint and quirky downtown with its ubiquitous "townies", the good food, the cheap beer.  I lived there briefly with a boyfriend I later married for 92 days.  (Yep, was married before.  I knew better...but didn't know better).

When I saw this home in October's Southern Living Magazine I said, "Yes.  Lindsay Bierman knows what he's doing."

This home has soul.  You can tell artists live here.  And that is soo Athens.

(Sorry no Darryl Carter post yet.  I had an "electric margarita" a la Urban Electric and then proceeded with two Liberty School chardonnays.  I am hurting too much to deal with downloads.  I know I can only have one glass.  I need to grow up.  I am a mom!  I can't do that.)

(Lucy, the homeowner who worked for Hable Construction, even looks like my friend from Athens, Rachel)

And the Athen's band:  (Do you have to ask?  If I were stranded on an island this would be the band I would take...and Murmur would be the album.)

And a quick update on a project:  We're almost done with her home!  Here Kate is finishing up the leopard stencil in champagne again.  (Can you tell I am loving stencils lately?)  Isn't that cool?  Happy Halloween Friends!!!   Julie

Ceri Hoover & her awesome designer fabrics!

Please meet Ceri Hoover & her gorgeous work & family!  She is what she told me when I asked her to fill my readers in.....


“My name is Ceri Hoover, wife, mother, and design-obsessed creator. I create functional, beautiful home accessories using designer fabrics and only the finest materials. I am a native of North Carolina and currently reside at the beach with my husband, son, two dogs, and our little fishy. I love all things designer but have learned how to be crafty when necessary. I just recently began sewing regularly and instantly fell in love with fabrics (Peter Dunham being my current favorite). There is nothing more refreshing than incorporating new pillows into a room! I also love cooking, Costa Rica, knee-high boots, Citizen denim, wine & cheese, and sand between my toes. I am thrilled to have found a successful creative outlet that I can enjoy at home with my son!”


And her work:

love the custom designer shades!  (more available in her shop, too)

(I'm dying to see more of her home, too.  Hint, Hint.)

Hello!  A pair of these?  Never seen anything like these.

Please send Ceri a note and tell her if you love her work!  Her shop is

HERE  (You can also find her add with the pretty pillows on this blog!)

Have a great Thursday!  Promise to take lots of pictures of Darryl Carter tonight at Urban Electric.

so why not dream big? (darryl carter & new clothes)

That is what Oprah has always told us, right?  "Well, this dream came true for you.  Now you'll have to go and get yourself another dream", I can just hear her telling a young guest who is amazed at their new-found stardom.

Think about this guy, Darryl Carter, not too long ago when his days were filled with studying for the LSAT and reading over legal documents.

  Now, flashforward to today--he is launching his new line with Urban Electric and he recently designed furniture for Thomasville.  Not-too-shabby for this lawyer turned decorator.

I am tickled to be invited to meet this master of neutrals, among other things.

I have yet to read his book, but I am looking forward to snagging one so I can bend his ear for a minute. There is really nothing not beautiful I have seen from his rooms.  He seems to collect like Suzanne Kasler (I adore how he styles his tableware), and has a love of white and mixing like Vicente Wolf.  Yet I find him warm and classical and soft and strong at the same time.  (He kinda looks that way, too)

I am excited to actually have some events I need to "dress" for, you know?  My boys being four and two, I have lived in Target tops and yoga pants for years  (but I still had to wear some cute Converse and funky earrings with them--my mom always preached to us that "Life is not a dress rehearsal."  That has stuck with me--even in the baby fog years)

So I've got a few fun events coming up this fall and winter...

Darryl Carter at Urban Electric, big Arteriors sample sale, SCAD students' art at West Elm (Savannah College of Art & Design), Sherry Hart giving a little lesson on styling at the Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Christmas House, The Lavish Conference, and Better Homes & Gardens coming to shoot!  Aside from marrying Chris and birthing these youngins', this is about the best year of my life.  

I want to work with what I already have, but I do want a few fun things:

a sequins tank

j crew

some dark boot cut jeans

gap

love this ruffled military coat (cute with jeans or a pencil skirt and tall boots)

Ann Taylor Loft

And this heather gray jacket

j crew

With these pants...

J crew

a plan white tank

gap

And these amazing necklace..

J Crew

Can you picture it with some heels?

And a few more things....

Would love this with jeans

Free People

and these babies...

Free People

with some long, cotton socks

Free People

And a velvet blazer

Anthropologie

almost done...look at these!

Free People

And lastly, check out this outfit from Paris from South of Market's Blog

How great is her outfit!!??  Can I wear this at 37?  Maybe if the skirt was a little longer?

Happy Wednesday.......Julie

are we influenced by Europe?

well, the short answer is, "Of course we are."  Yet, sometimes, I peruse dreamy images from across the pond and it truly seems like another world.  

(Oh, I could design an entire home around the color of this door)

Is it just that their homes are older and can't help but have more character?  Just like how we love a rugged Paul Newman or Robert Redford as they seem to deepen with age, is this the lure of Europe's homes?

Or is it more; like the souls of those who have lived here before are added to the spaces' DNA?

One benefit to our country's economic strife is (in my opinion) I see Americans striving for more with less.  Better materials, fewer square feet.  Craftsman cottages beat out McMansions.  

This is what I think I see in these homes from Marie Claire Maison--emphasis on beauty, finishes, timelessness.  These homes do not shout "look at me"--"I am hip"  "I have money"  "I am somebody".  To me, these homes aren't shouting anything.

They whisper.

Even this loud wallpaper is soft.

Am I generalizing in saying that these homes are obviously European?

What is it about these spaces that is so hard to nail down?  Do you feel that people in the states tend to overdecorate?  What do you think about these homes vs. American homes?

sorry it's a little deep for a Tuesday.  I'm in a mood.

Y'all are the best, by the way------Julie

(Katherine--you had a no-reply name in your comment.  I did get those organizers at Target.  They are the Real Simple line they carry (they are at the end of the aisle where I go near the stationary).  Email me again if you wanna.  If mine has anymore I'll mail you some.

Also, that bar stool from yesterday is "Toledo" --1st Dibs.  Pretty pricey but I recall seeing them elsewhere.

I'll post Kate's fabric source tomorrow for her playroom built-ins.  I saved it on another computer.

How is the best way to answer questions?  How do y'all do it?  Just leave a comment on the post and y'all read the post again?

Okay, bye.  Really this time.

update on projects & winner of Ikat fabric!

Here are some fun pictures of a few updates on some projects.

I say fun...but I know that decorating online was more fun for me than for Katie and her husband in Mobile, Alabama.  They worked their tails off to make this space a comfortable, beautiful and practical room for their girls.

Here is what it looks like now....

And before the custom built-ins, the cushions (so easy to wipe clean!) and pillows

(the little sweeties were a little cramped)

Now they have a place to study, play and watch movies.

Katie already has some crazy good skills, though.  I was really only someone to bounce ideas off of and to help source furniture and fabric.  She knew what she was doing!  

She said the girls are loving their new space.

And we have had so many ideas that we have moved throughout the house...

to the breakfast nook...

(I have posted this before--the addition of the fabric to the back of this cabinet)

To the living room:

moving things around and Katie bought some fabulous new pillows...

To the entry...

instead of spending a fortune, we (I say "we" lightly) repurposed the bench she had (and disliked a lot) by giving it some sanding, priming, and high gloss white paint.

all new fabric, too...

Her chairs were given new life with some new chocolate linen...

(sconces will most likely adorn both sides of them)

And the dining room light got a face-lift...

(All Katie!)

Next we are working on some new bar stools for her kitchen...perhaps something natural, rustic and modern like these:

(her kitchen is almost all-white, so wood really adds some warmth)

Lighting adds warmth, too--and here is the new Arteriors pendant in my client's kitchen:

(yes, just phone pics)

The matchstick blinds replaced the wooden shutters, and new cotton panels add a little softness to the nook.

Okay, and since I'm on a project theme, I just have to share how much I think our basket light that Chris and I reworked looks like the one from Mrs. Miller's home from House Beautiful.

Don't you think it is close?

I also found it quite similar to this one from Candelabra

(but this one is close to $400)

You have been patient!  The winner of the three yards of fabric is:

#5--Abby & Her Boys!!!

Have a great Monday....Julie