Southern Living Idea House in Louisiana

I just got my Sunset, Country Living, and Southern Living all in the mail on the same day.  Don't you live that?  There are so many images I need to share!

For any of you who don't live in the south...I thought I need to share SL's beautiful Louisiana Idea House for 2010.  Enjoy...

(don't you love that lighting in this spa bath?)

I am obsessed with "tile" entry rugs!  Is this not fabulous?  Don't you think that always choices that are the riskiest usually are the most spectacular?  I want a client to let me do this one day.

what a perfect exterior

peg board entry!  Complete with Hunter boots.

pause:  I told you I got some, didn't I?  Chris asked if they are decor or clothing...

SL is getting funky...I like!!

gorgeous galley kitchen with banquette

Do you love this mirror?!!!  A decorative artist did the wall...not wallpaper!

dreamy outdoor area with Ballard seating

this chandelier in the master bedroom is a mixture of sea urchins & ctystals!

OK...this is the GARAGE apartment!

the bedroom in this apartment

What a great house, no?

more at

Southern Living Magazine 

One more thing....look what arrived Saturday!  Can you have real love for an unreal object?  I think so.

Julie

Good Enough....or Perfectionist?

One thing that is great about Chris working in the film industry is that he has some of the coolest and most artistic friends out there.  Our friend, Brad, spent his entire Sunday taking pictures of our home.  I mean all day--he didn't leave until after eight.  "The light changed," he said...so he had to shoot it in every light possible.  How great is that?  Oh, but he didn't actually spend all day at our home.  He first went to church where he volunteers in the nursery.  How cool is he?

This will probably be another long post.  But you know what?  I'm going to stop warning y'all of that.  I like to talk and I like to write.  There are plenty of wonderful blogs out there with short and sweet posts, filled with tons of eye candy, like Little Blue Deer & Delight by Design.  I'm not one of those.  Okay, moving on.




Back to Brad.

how funny is this?  He covered his red shirt so it wouldn't reflect the red in the shot.

While shooting, he asked, "Do you like seeing pictures of your house?  You can see what is wrong and how this or that is out of place."  You know, I thought about it, but said, "No.  I don't mind.  This is as good as it is gonna get."

I switched around our "daybed' room...as promised  (returning the stools, though.  Chris wants something more durable.  Definitely understandable!)

I have learned this about me...and about life.  I think if you wait until a relationship is perfect before getting married....you'll never get married.  And if you wait until you have just enough money saved to have kids....many of us would never procreate.  And for me, if I waited until our home was perfect to take pictures.  Well, you get the drift by now.  There would be no pictures and no blog.

I followed Brad around, cleaning & snapping shots

But no one's home is ever perfect.  Am I wrong?  Is yours perfect?  I just moved the piles from room to room.  Whatever room Brad was in for the moment was clean....when he moved, so did the junk.

I can't wait until we see his pictures....and I will share them with you when I do!

more of my pictures of the redo:

I found this mirrored desk for $100  (not quite as great as a lucite, but tons cheaper!)  Down the road, I would love to pair this with one of my dream chairs, the Verner Panton:

so far I'm digging the new setup

And speaking of pictures, I have none of the outing with Eddie and Jaithan.  That is because I didn't make it.  My little one was under the weather.  I really can't leave them when they feel bad.  I remember how much I needed my mama.  I'll have to learn to just post things after they happen.  I have to remember that with kids, plans are more of a maybe than a definite!

But here are some pics from our outing to see She & Him.  Here is the W Hotel Midtown Atlanta:

I just think it will be so dated in about three years.  Just my opinion...too hip for me! :)

the great view!

the view above from the W's restaurant, The Spice Market

the funky outdoor lounge

the storm looming overhead

We stayed in the Botanical Gardens' library while we waited out the thunderstorm.  Good place for conversation.

No pics of the show--not allowed.  Zooey & the band were wonderful!

So back to the question at hand:  Are you more of a take-it-as-it-is kinda person...or an admitted perfectionist?

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(I believe an IKEA customer image via Simply Seleta 

via Nest Egg 

Anthro ad

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I definitely am the former...for good or worse.  

Here's the transformation again:

before

just a cuter before...

during...

more during...a blank canvas!

after!  

more to come this week! 

 Julie

Karma

Well, this post isn't really about karma...but my oldest one said the funniest thing this morning:

"Mom, Wyatt threw Thomas at me!"  (this being said after big brother has stolen two trains out of little brother's hands)

"Well," I said, "Karma's gonna getcha."

"Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Who's Karma?"

(Okay, well it sure was funnier at seven a.m.)

It is hard being little.

I think these guys, especially, deserve to live in a little glamour.

You know, a lot of people say they want to live in their dream house when the kids move out.  I do get their point.  It is hard to keep things clean and I am always the "wipe-your-hands-now!" sherrif.  Pretzels and apples are fine to eat on the couch.  Grape juice and strawberries....not so much.

I say live now.  I do say use as much outdoor fabric as possible (wipes so easily!) and slipcover and bleach whatever you can.  But, I do say live somewhere YOU think is beautiful.  Especially as moms...how many hours do you spend looking at those walls?

a tired mom, but loving her home.

I have not regretted one penny we have put into this place.  The boys say how pretty it is and how much they love their home.  I'm not being boastful....just saying how money spent in your home is money well spent  (well, Wyatt isn't talking yet...but he sure smiles a lot)

Don't boys love black dot tile and dark grout?  I thought so.

I think they love their kitchen.

We sure make our own parties a lot at home!

So Liam's room needs a little help.  It is a little doubty and not living up to its potential.

Here is his current bed (Thanks to our Irish friends Patrick and Debbie who gave it to us!)

Liam wants his room green, and I couldn't agree more!  (My favorite color!)

I am thinking a shade like Georgian Green (Ben Moore) on the front door:

But make his room simple & Scandinavian...similar to this:

I plan to paint his bed green as well (so the entire bottom half of his room will be same color.  Keep the Navajo White on the top)  I can see it in my mind!)

Next add a reading/play nook inspired by this:

Some rustic toy storage cubes inspired by Anthro shelving:

And a Panton Junior chair from Design Within Reach to pair with an antique rolltop desk  (a steal at $50!)

Can't wait to show you this reveal!

Julie

(image credits unknown...I am getting better about saving credits, but these old files I didn't source.  I had no idea I would begin blogging.)