URBAN NESTER

Today I'm over at Urban Nester, answering a few questions about design, style, and how on earth I made up the name Sanity Fair. Stop on by! I'd love to see you!

-SF

Shopping with Eddie Ross, Part II

So here's Part II of fabulous shopping fun! Top Design Contestant/Bravo TV, Martha Stewart editor, and designer Eddie Ross led a group of design aficionados through Atlanta's Scott's Antique Market last Saturday. Southern Accents magazine also showed up to document the fun - here's hoping that story makes it into an issue soon!

Jaithan, me, and Eddie are all smiles at the end of a profitable adventure - there was so much to see (and buy)!

Fabrics:  one of the biggest surprises (for me) at Scott's was the large quantity of beautiful fabrics in full bolts.  I'm used to seeing scraps for sale here and there, but this is enough to do large pieces of furniture.  

Some of the finds were real shockers - including a bolt of deeply discounted Kelly Wearstler fabric!!! 

Talk about a steal. Isn't this beautiful?

Eddie fell in love with this colorful crewelwork with touches of melon and celery shades. If you follow Eddie's blog at all, you know what a fan he is of crewel - and how good he is at making this style look fresh and new.

Prints:  another of my favorite finds was this booth of prints and old maps from Prints Charming Soho (recently featured in Martha Stewart Living). Framing is an obvious choice, of course, but obvious isn't Eddie!  Here, he suggests blowing up this wonderful pattern and transferring it to stencils for pattern on a floor cloth, wall, or fabric.

Another great idea?  Decoupage - and rather than damaging a beautiful sheet from, say, the 1830s, buy a few favorites, copy them, and then decoupage those copies onto a piece of furniture or decorative box.  Hang the originals nearby for a great coordinated look. There were plenty of beautiful options to chose from at Scott's!

P.S. When framing small natural prints like these, blow up and copy the tiny Latin print at the bottom - and add it to the matting when framing for an art gallery look.

Or, you could go completely insane and decoupage a patterned paper (or wallpaper scraps) onto an entire bureau. Eddie really liked this plaid example. It would be stunning in a gentleman's bedroom - just steer clear of bathrooms and other damp spaces unless you like the look of peeling paper. Butcher's wax is a great way to protect a decoupage surface and keep it gleaming.

Glass:  Eddie used to run a catering company, and as a result, he knows (and loves) his glassware. After we all pawed through piles of gorgeous silver, crystal, and plates and stood around pondering what would be "practical" to buy, Eddie made my favorite comment of the day: "Do I need this? Can I live without it? NO! You can't!"

A lovely pitcher in hobnail glass.

More beautiful crystal. One of the wonderful things about this booth? Each piece is priced for separate purchase. If you collect a classic pattern, you can always replace those inevitable crack-ups later with a trip to the local antique mall or flea market. As Eddie pointed out, "why have it if you don't use it?"

Keep scrolling to see Part I, and more of Eddie's fabulous ideas!

Shopping with Eddie Ross, Part I

I'm back! Thanks to everyone who offered such sweet well-wishes for my trip. After a fabulous week touring around Georgia, visiting antebellum mansions, antiquing, and hanging out at Flannery O'Conner's home, I am blogging again, loaded with memories and marvelous pictures (you'll see all in good time). 

However, the FIRST thing I have to share with you is a wonderful trip to Atlanta's Scott's Antique Market yesterday with former Martha Stewart designer, House Beautiful editor, Top Design contestant, and all around fabulous guy Eddie Ross. Eddie and his partner in crime, Jaithan, led myself and some other very lucky ladies on a treasure-hunt through the market. What fun! While we ooohed and awed over finds, Eddie dispensed practical tips and inspiring ideas for designers-in-training.  

First lesson: looking beyond the surface (of mustard horror). Eddie demonstrates how to find a piece of furniture with good lines and turn it into something special. This chaise would suit a smaller room, and as Eddie pointed out, it had lovely wooden legs (a good reason to nix the skirt when reupholstering).  P.S. Be sure to save any nailheads when you reupholster - new ones won't have that lovely patina.

Eddie called mantel accessories "fireplace jewelry." There's certainly plenty of bling to choose from here!  I asked Eddie about other uses for fireplace accoutrements in the South (while we like our fireplaces, we don't really need them) and he suggested using fireboxes as planters.  The firebox in the lower RH corner would be charming lined with moss and planted in bright daffodils to contrast with the dark metal. 
I also had fun meeting blogger Susannah (blue dress), and her sister. Susannah is starting her own customized jewelry line, Goods To Adorn.  Also joining was fellow blogger of the Blue Hydrangea who came all the way from NC to be part of the fun. The members of the tour were as inspiring as the market!

One of my favorite stops was at a vintage clothing booth, loaded with Lilly Pulitzer, saris, and bright baubles. Here, Eddie shows how to evaluate fabrics for use as one-of-a-kind decorative pillows around the home. 

He pointed out that with unique fabric and some light beading (costume jewelry!) you could come up with a completely unique look - and avoid big cost on a small item. Said Eddie of the high cost of accessory pillows: "it's offensive - it's called a throw pillow!" I would have to agree.
I asked Eddie to pause for a pink and pink picture - but he advises reupholstering that headboard!

A booth full of beautiful linens. There are so many uses for textiles - window hangings, table decoration, throw pillows, cut and hemmed into napkins, etc. And, they make wonderful presents!

Jaithan peaks over the edge of the narrow textile stall to keep an eye on the action.

A lovely group of monogramed hand towels. It's all but impossible to find a monogram that matches your own, but Eddie suggested collecting sets of three towels, one with each of your letters, and hanging them in order in your bathroom. A great way to make a unique piece work for you. 

Atlanta designer Sarah Youngblood (standing closest to Eddie in a French antiques booth) and I tried this idea out on a pre-monogramed tote bag later in the day - but decided to have the letters stand for a funny favorite title or motto. It turned out that the ALM monogram on her zebra patterned-bag stood for "A Moxie Lady." As Eddie said, "make it your own!"
P.S. Don't you LOVE the gray and cream chest of drawers in the center of this picture? Beautiful. This dealer dealt exclusively in French pieces, most of them painted in soft grays and creams. She also had shelves stocked with uncut 19th century French books.

As you can see, it was a great day, loaded with inspiration. Stop by tomorrow for a few more of Eddie's hints and tips - including glassware, using printed fabric, and framing! 

Meet the Designer: Adrienne Lemmond

Recently I had a chance to sit down with talented designer Adrienne Lemmond.  I've known Adrienne for years, and she has a great eye and a knack for making everyday objects seem special. When I heard she had just opened a shop for Etsy, I couldn't wait to see her creations.  The idea for the line began when Adrienne became pregnant with her first child, and she had a difficult time finding baby items that didn't feel impersonal and mass-produced. So, she decided to take things into her own hands (literally) and create what she couldn't find.  The result?  Her charming line of custom-made baby things and nursery decor, LilaGrace Designs. Adrienne squeezed out a few minutes from her busy schedule to talk with Sanity Fair about her work and inspirations!

The Minky Blanket, LilaGrace Designs.  Fabric can be custom ordered to match the nursery.

Sanity Fair: The colors and patterns you use are so beautiful.  What inspires you?
Adrienne Lemmond: Mostly looking at other people’s creativity (browsing Etsy, design blogs, store displays). And a clean and organized house!  A few sites I look at: makingitlovely.com, amybutlerdesign.com, and heatherbaileystore.com.

SF: Who is your favorite fashion designer?
AL: Kate Spade: I like clean lines, and simple designs without a lot of frills, and she does that amazingly. I also love just about anything from Anthropologie. I like how everything from Anthropologie seems like a unique, one of a kind piece that you would find after searching for hours through a vintage shop.

The LilaGrace summer baby dress with flower buttons.

SF: I love the whimsical style of your nursery decorations.  Who is your favorite interior designer?
AL: Definitely Candice Olsen! I love her uses of blues and tans, her use of glass and natural textures, and the overall feel of the rooms she designs. They seem very luxurious but livable and approachable.

Detail of a mobile for a little boy's room, in three shades of blue.  

LilaGrace Designs also offers butterfly mobiles for girls. 

SF: What is your favorite vacation destination?
AL: My favorite vacation spot is the beach. I love going to the beach because it is so relaxing, there are no schedules to keep, and the minimum amount of clothes and makeup are required!

SF: Who is your favorite artist?
AL: My favorite artwork is by Maxfield Parrish. The colors in his illustrations are so rich and lush. If I had to narrow it down to just one or two favorites, I would choose “Morning” (below) and “Daybreak.”

A few more favorites...

Baby wipes cases made beautiful - just don't confuse this fabric travel case with your cosmetics bag!

The Bip and Burp cloth set - available in a rainbow of colors.

Tomorrow:  a LilaGrace Designs tip for stylish do-it-yourself nursery decor!  

All images, LilaGrace Designs, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7260510.

Meet Vern Yip!

I was so excited when I learned designer and host of HGTV's Deserving Design Vern Yip was coming to the Junior League of Huntsville's Spring Market. What nuggets of wisdom would he have to share? A lot, it turns out. He was just as relaxed and affable as he seems on TV, and a great sport. He wanted to meet everyone! Vern stopped to say hello to Sanity Fair, and answer a question for you readers:

Sanity Fair:  "What inspires you?"
Vern Yip: "Seeing new things and meeting people inspire me." On his show Deserving Design: "getting to know people [and seeing] their presence manifested into the space" is a really important part of the show. It's about "ordinary citizens doing extraordinary things." On travel: he loves to travel - it "expands horizons" and influences his work.

Vern also had some great advice on establishing your own personal style: "put something in your home because you love it and it makes you happy." Achieving an individual look is "about making sure your home is a true reflection of who you are." Mixing and matching designs is a great way to do this, according to Vern, and it's important to "think of your spaces creatively." He pointed out that one of the hottest trends right now is the home office, and you can easily turn a spare bedroom or empty dining space into a fantastic area to work. It's also cheap - "reallocating space is a wonderful way to save money."

Saying hello to Vern Yip.














Taking a few questions from Sanity Fair!














Talking to the audience about great design. He was really funny - calling fushia and purple "colors that don't make husbands happy" and telling the audience that his mother wanted him to be "a doctor, or a doctor."














This is one of the images Vern shared with us at the event. This restaurant was located in, of all things, a former gas station. The client wanted the ceilings higher, but that would have been a costly change. Vern's solution? Silver leaf the ceiling. The metallic sheen bounces the light and makes the room feel more spacious. No more oppressive ceiling! (No word on if he had to redo the floor for oil stains.) I also love the use of grass as a space divider here - everything else in the world of flora and fauna gets shoved into restaurant designs (why do we think dusty plastic flowers whet the appetite?). This use is fresh and unobtrusive.



















Another view of the restaurant - very serene. You can better see the silver squares applied to the ceiling.






























Here's a little bit more of his work. Vern advised us to "stay monochromatic in your color schemes" for small rooms, and he does that very nicely here. I love the apple "squares" as an extra touch.




















Hurrah! - it's more CORAL! Both the accent color AND those fab chandeliers. Notice the use of personal photographs in these rooms. Vern Yip's designs are really reflective of the people he works with - this is a living room from his show for inspiring people, Deserving Design. Nothing makes a space feel more like home than seeing the faces you love most.




















LOVE this space. I'm a huge fan of Asian fusion, and this functional hallway carries off an ethnic look with polished flair. A tough spot though, because people won't want to leave the hall and go into the actual rooms!



































A BIG thanks to Vern Yip, for sharing his advice and time, and to Katy, of the Katy Forester Blog for taking the pics of me with Vern!  Be sure to catch new episodes of Vern's great show, Deserving Design.  Every week he re-does a room (or two) for someone who has faced a special challenge.  It airs every week on HGTV on Saturday, at 3:30 Central. 

Restaurant images, from Vern Yip. Other rooms, Deserving Design.