Happy Memorial Day--and Thank you

Thank you to all who have served in a war and to all the families and friends who endured the ultimate sacrifice that their loved ones made for our freedom.  I am enjoying this day in their memory and in their honor.

Today we've got so many beautiful flowers in our house!  There's a lot blooming outside, so I put a little bunch of gardenias in the powder room.  What a wonderful scent they have.  Here's a little, fuzzy picture of them.  The more I work on  my photography skills, the fuzzier my pictures become--what's that about?

Then I have this little bouquet of yellow on a table in the space-formerly-known-as-the-Train-Room.  Ok, let's get over that right now.  It's the library:

Notice the little picture of the skating nuns.  That was my mom's. Always makes me smile. 

In the kitchen we've got 2 bouquets.  We had a little soiree for a much loved friend yesterday (a milestone birthday!).  I went into the yard and cut a couple of hydrangeas and buddleia and put them on the table.  I do NOT have a knack for floral arrangment, so this was pretty good for me. There was a tablecloth for the party, but now it's in the washing machine.

See the strange thing in the center of the window?  That's the world's best hummingbird feeder.  Costs about $6 at the hardware store.  The sweet little birds come right up to the window all day long to have a sip.  Our  own version of "Planet Earth."

The guest of honor brought me flowers (Emily Post would be mortified).  I'm drawing a blank on the name of these beauties.  Maybe Asiatic Lilies?  They are extravagantly gorgeous with a powerful scent.

Just starting to open up.  Here's the first bloom that's welcoming the day. Hello gorgeous!

And then on the screened porch there are the iconic happy sunflowers.

  

There is no such thing as a bad picture of a sunflower.

And speaking of the screened porch, you know how much I love it and how happy I am when I get to hang the lanterns from the ceiling.  I'm going to hang more lanterns up this year.  Hub will surely roll his eyes--they're not his favorite decorative element.  Crazy man. They are FABULOUS!

Our slice of heaven--the best room in a much loved house.  Life is good.

Ciao,

Anne

Holding my breath for those drapes!

I'm working on some photos that will grace the new Drapes order page on the website and just can't help but laugh at myself. What was I thinking? This whole e commerce- launching a product line-while working with (patient) clients-and raising a grandboy is totally insane!  But completely interesting at the same time and you KNOW that we will get there.  It must be like running a marathon.  I wouldn't know, but it seems like an apt comparison.  I bet we launch in 2 weeks!  Watch this space.

While working on the aforementioned photos this evening, I'm also writing back and forth with our wonderful web developer as he struggles to understand all the patterns and colorways of each drape fabric and coordinating trim.  Poor man.  Even the most brilliant, talented and creative person can crack when it comes to fabrics and trims. I laugh at him and crack the whip.  He ignores me smugly, knowing that he holds the key to our success at reaching you all and showing you our amazing drapes. Then it turns out that I've mislabeled some of the swatches.  Oh dear.  I've turned in my whip.

Here's a photo slated for the "rejects" pile.  The photo, not the drape, the drape is fabulous.   It's our Ovals pattern in Steel with a simple white trim, edged in Slate:

I was trying to be artistic with the composition.  It's kinda fuzzy. 

Ciao,
Anne

Designer Secrets

I swear it takes me the whole month to read a magazine.  I love shelter mags because they can be a source of inspiration and entertainment.  Tonight I'm reading the latest issue of House Beautiful. "101 Designer Secrets" by Lisa Cregan caught my eye.  I'm often asked what the "rules" of home decoration are and people seem happiest with answers involving numbers.  I'm not saying whether I agree or disagree with any of the following, but the article was full of such answers, so I'll share some with you:

Hang artwork 63" on center above the floor for perfect viewing height.


When framing artwork, specify a mat with 8-ply thickness to create an impressive bevel.


A bed should be no higher than 23" off the floor.


A bench at the foot of a bed should be at least 2" shorter than the width of the mattress.


No more than 6 pillows on the bed.


Mount 5 robe hooks 68" high instead of a towel bar.


Dining room chandeliers should hang 60"-66" above the floor.


End tables should be no less than 30" high.


Bedside tables should be 36-38" high


A rectangular table should be 36" wide.


Give yourself at least 36" of space between the dining table and wall to pull out chairs comfortably.


Wall sconces in a bathroom should be installed 66" above the floor to the center of the fixture.


Drapery panels should have a 1/2" break at the floor.


Put light switches 36" off the floor and 1 1/2" - 2" off the door trim.


When ordering fabric, add 2 yards so that you never run out and you can replace a ruined cushion.


15 watt bulbs simulate candlelight.


Sofas should be 6.5'-7' long.


Install an outlet 28" high behind a console table to allow a lamp to be plugged in with no unsightly cords dripping off the top.

Hope you enjoyed those numbers.  Read the whole article in the May 2012 issue of House Beautiful;

Ciao,
Anne

Fabulous technology for your.....mirrors!

I'm sitting at the mechanic's shop, getting the oil changed and tires rotated.  Loving their Wifi.  I think I hear Kelly Ripa on the waiting room TV.  What's her show called now that Regis has retired?  She's got such a friendly, happy voice.

The article below is by Mike Elgan, and was sent to me from Houzz.com (you know I love that site).  Read it at your leisure and take the time to watch the various videos when you can.  You won't regret it.  Very exciting advances in mirrors that will be used in amazing ways around the house.  Some of it I don't want (no emails on the bathroom mirror, thank you), but others I can't wait for!

Let's see if I can successfully embed the article.  Every day, a new skill...

Magic Mirrors Emerge From Fairy Tales

Houzz- Kitchen Remodel, Bathroom Remodel and More »

I think I did it!  And the day is just beginning.   What will I tackle next?

Ciao,

Anne

Browse Furniture on Houzz- For Example:

Armchairs · Bar Carts · Buffets And Sideboards · Dining Chairs And Benches · Love Seats · Ottomans And Cubes · Rocking Chairs · Side Tables And Accent Tables ·

Be sure to look around

I enjoy reading the reminders that Gretchen Rubin often send me from her Happiness Project blog.  A little nugget of wisdom for the day, often to give me a gentle nudge to look up from the desk and be aware of the life that's going on around me.  She recently wrote about the "arrival fallacy."  That's where you think you'll be all set once you get to a goal.  The truth is that you're all set right this very minute and, once you get to the goal, you know there's another goal just beyond.  And then another, and then another.  I am so guilty of that.  Yet I truly believe in staying in the present moment.  How can I believe in one yet practice the other?  Will work on that.

And to that end, I went outside to the yard yesterday to see what was blooming.  A couple of photos to share with you:

Pretty white peony.  Smells divine.

Gorgeous raspberry double peony.  Peonies are my favorite flowers.  Please remind me to plant more this year.

The little irises are blooming, but a tad on the pitiful side this year.  Gotta figure out what to do for them.

Nothing stops Lamb's Ears.  So nice to touch.

We used to get a big patch of black-eyed Susan's on top of this rock wall, but the deer decimated them.  Last Fall I noticed some baby buddliea's (butterfly bush) growing in that spot, so I left them alone over the winter.  Look how big they are already!  Need to move them, as they're too tall for this spot.  But a nice gift from Mother Nature.

That was a nice stroll in the yard.  Then today I picked Grandboy up early from after-school care and took him to Goodberry's for a concrete--flavor of the day was sweet cream and we had hot fudge sauce blended in.  For those of you not familiar with Goodberry's, it a frozen custard that is absolutely supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.  Oh yeah.  Life is good!

Ciao,

Anne

E commerce = jack of all trades

We're moving along, getting closer to putting our beautiful draperies up on the website, but the learning curve is mighty steep.  A LOT of time has been spent photographing the fabrics, trims and drapes.  We shoot pictures, then look at them on the laptop, see all the mistakes we've made, shoot more, look at more, see more mistakes, and on and on.  Photography is definitely an art.  And a skill that I do not have.  But I'm learning.  And trying to enjoy the process.

So I've got to get back to work, but will leave you with this photo I took of one of our drapes.  There are a lot of mistakes here--wrong ISO setting, wrong focus, wrong exposure.  But it's still kind of pretty.

Ciao,

Anne

Finally starting to roll out the fabrics for our new drapery line at DeCocco Design!

We've been working on photos of our fabrics to put on the website--days of taking photos in every light, from every angle. You know how hard it is to tell the true color of an item on your computer screen?  We won't be able to solve that issue for the world, but we're doing our best to get color and clarity on our end.  Today I thought I'd share some of the pictures to start wetting your whistle for the fabulous drapes that have been in development all these long months.

We're going to have beautiful blues.

We're going to have gorgeous greens.

And ravishing reds!

Poppin' graphics...

Elegant dots...

Handsome textures...

Fabulous stripes...

Updated coordinates...

For every room.

That's just a sampling--I'll try to post more soon, but I'm on the run every minute to get this new venture up on the website in just a matter of weeks from now.  Can't wait to show you the trims that we've found.  Nothing makes a drape look custom like a fantastic trim.  Our fabric/trim combinations are not found anywhere--I know because I've been looking for them for years!

Back to work.  Thanks for checking in.  

Ciao,

Anne

Bay windows are a designer favorite

The Raleigh News & Observer was so nice to ask me to write an article for their "Ask A Designer" series.  It appeared in today's Home section--here's the link: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/03/31/1964910/ask-a-designer-what-will-make.html.

The whole section was packed with lots of designer tips as well as gardening info, which I love to read while eating my Saturday morning blackberry pancakes.

However, the layout of my article was unfortunate, as they did not include a picture that I repeatedly referred to!  Readers must have been a bit puzzled.  So, taking matters into my own hands, I'm showing the correct picture in this post.  How handy to have a blog!

Here's the "before" picture that the reader provided, showing her design dilemma:

It's a bay window area in her master bedroom and she doesn't know how to finish it.  Nice problem to have, right?  It's a lovely space, looking out at a wooded area. The reader and her hub want a spot to sit with their coffee and newspaper.

This is the "after" picture that I created:

I used a neat design softeware to build the room right on top of her picture.  Clients love to have as much help as possible to visualize what their space could look like.  The drapes in this picture are based on one of the fabrics that DeCocco Design is using in our new line of semi-custom window treatments.  The chaise is from West Elm, but folks in the Raleigh area can get the same look and shop local at Dexter Furniture on Glenwood Ave.  They've got a great selection of fabrics, so customizing the chaise to the space would be easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Hub is painting a new wall color in the Library, in preparation for installation of lovely drapes (again, using one of our fabulous fabrics--I cannot wait to show them all to you!).   Stay tuned for how that turns out!

Ciao,

Anne

Home decor items that caught my interest

This is the Gould Cocktail Table by Harbinger. Look at that orange lacquer finish and those brass corners and legs.  It would look fantastic in my house and definitely bring a smile to my face!  But it's almost $5,000.  Wow.  I've going to have to think about how I could get this look for a little less (a little?).

Then I saw this:

It's the Matter Lamp from Schoolhouse Electric, a favorite lighting source.  I like it a lot.  Not sure I'd buy it--it's $239, 22" high and the base is made of cast concrete.  Their description calls it "elegant."  Can't agree with that, but  it is kinda groovy.

At DeCocco Design we're getting closer to unveiling our fabrics for the new drapery line. My impatience knows  no bounds.  Every step of the online retailing process moves at a glacial pace.  Well, it feels like that to me. But we're almost there!

Have a great day--it's Friday!

Ciao,
Anne

Spring is here!

The first day of Spring is somehow always a bit of a relief, isn't it?   Maybe it's my New England roots, thinking "we made it through another winter."  Here in NC, making it through winter isn't nearly so hard!

Snapped this photo this morning right before Grandboy headed off to school.

This time I moved the camera over to the left a smidge to show you the redbud in bloom (the purple) and the beginnings of flowers on a dogwood.  You can also see a bit of the red sky we had this morning.  And now it is raining and thundering.  Give it a minute, it will change.

Ciao,

Anne