Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Hitting the Highlights

Whew. My blogging muscles are a little out of shape, but I just wanted to pop in to share some holiday happenings around here. First of all, my Pop-Up Shop was a great success. Thank you to everyone who braved the nasty, rainy weather to come and shop! I moved some merchandise and met some new people which is always great fun. I still have some "smalls" left, so I'm thinking of starting an Etsy shop or some such option after the first of the year.

Here are some peeks of Christmas around my house (if you follow me on Instagram - where I spend a lot of my time lately - you've already seen a lot of these) . . .







Every year, my decor changes ever so slightly. This year we got a bigger tree and put it in a different spot (next to our fireplace). Our family's ornaments are already so colorful so when I saw the felt garland at Walgreen's (yes, Walgreen's - I'm so highbrow), it seemed like a no-brainer. Also, since the tree is so close to our mantel, I went with less greenery this year (I usually do a full garland of fresh greenery) and instead opted for a gold dot garland (I painted some Mara Mi garland from Target gold -  I found mismatched ones at Goodwill for $1. Gotta improvise, people). I also threw in some gold feather ornaments from Hobby Lobby and some bronze urchin-looking ornaments as well. As always, I love to see Christmas cards from friends and family first thing when I walk in, so I stash them on mirrors and greenery within the house.  Speaking of Christmas cards, mine will be going out soon, I promise. 

Oh, and here's a little Rockin Around the Christmas Tree to get you in the Christmas spirit from none other than our talented daughter Meg at her piano recital Sunday. So proud of her!

meg from Kathy McGee on Vimeo.




Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Gentleman's Gray & Pop-Up Countdown

Whew. December is here. Agggh. My kids were out all last week (ridiculous to have a week off for Thanksgiving, but I digress), we were out of town for a good portion of that week, then I returned home and got sick. Yay! But, the show must go on. I have been busy preparing for my Holiday Pop-Up Shop Thursday night and Friday. Please do come out if you're in the Nashville/Franklin area (see details below). Lots of goodies to be had. I'll be sharing sneak peeks on Instagram as well.

Now, on to Gentleman's Gray. Do you ever notice how once you buy a car or a sweater or anything, you start seeing it everywhere or at least a lot more than you did before said purchase? Well, in this case, it's a color. I've been working with a client on her office, and I suggested we go dark and dramatic since the rest of the house is more neutral. Dark blue is an accent in other rooms, so it seemed the logical choice. After painting some swatches on the wall, she went with my suggestion of Benjamin Moore's Gentleman's Gray. I must say, it looks amazing. While the room is not done yet (still needs some more furniture, lighting, accessories, draperies, etc.), I just snapped an "in-progress" photo the other day to show the room color.
Isn't it so pretty? To give you an idea what a difference paint can make, here's the before . . . 
Dramatic change, right?

So, I get my House Beautiful last week, and one of the features is designer Scott Meacham Wood's apartment in San Francisco. The color of his main living room? Gentleman's Gray, of course.
His room looks more teal but either way - same color supposedly. 

Then yesterday my friend Sissy from Blue Hydrangea blogged about her husband's office that she recently had painted. Of course, I loved it and commented that I had used a dark blue for a client called Gentleman's Gray recently. Well, she emailed me back because that was her color too. All that is to say, that if you're looking for a pretty, rich dark blue (have no idea why they call it gray??), this is a great choice. 

Now, on to the sale. Please see the details below . . . if you have any questions, please email me.

If you come Thursday night, there's a chance I might even have some wine. Hope to see you there!

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Mark Your Calendars . . .

Because this is happening . . .

I'm holding a Holiday Pop-Up Shop on Friday, December 6 at my house (address to come at a later date) in the Nashville/Franklin area. I'll be selling from my hoard of treasured goodies - everything from furniture (chairs, tables, etc.), lamps, mirrors and vintage art to accessories - think a lot of fun brass and marble goodies you can keep or give as gifts that would look perfect on your coffee table or shelves. I'll be revealing different items up for sale over the next couple of weeks (especially on Instagram), so stay tuned. While this sale is happening locally, whatever items don't get snatched up during the sale will be offered up online or Instagram for sale (I'm just trying to cut down on the number of items I have to ship at this hectic time of year). 

You won't want to miss it! 


Thursday, November 14, 2013

The Look for Less

It's mid-November, it's freezing here and my whole head is killing me (especially my mouth/teeth) due to some freak sinus infection. I've been pretty busy working on some client stuff, but I just wanted to share with you a couple of finds I stumbled upon while out sourcing stuff. I saw this nice little tray at World Market the other day so I snapped a photo of it because you never know who might need a tray somewhere someday . . .

Then as I'm catching up on my blog reading, I see Mallory's post on her beautiful master bedroom for the One Room Challenge. As I'm looking more closely, I spy this photo . . . 
I thought, oh cool, she has that tray I just saw at World Market. But, I checked her sources and hers is actually the Arteriors Cinchwaist Tray (which you can find at Zinc Door)

Now, the tray from World Market actually has ball feet on it and it may be a little smaller overall, but if you're looking for a similar luxe look for less I say it's worth it. 



And another little find was this very chic black and gold clutch I ran across at Target . . . 

It looked very similar to some I had seen online for a lot more. For instance . . .
this clutch looks almost exactly the same to me . . . although this one is $92 online as opposed to Target's $24.99. 

Either the tray or the clutch would make great gifts for design savvy peeps. Speaking of gifts, I'm still planning on having a Holiday Pop Up Shop/Tag Sale of sorts in the next couple of weeks. Lots of items that would make great gifts for friends and family or to help you deck your halls for the holidays. Watch for details both here and on Instagram!



Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Resurrection

I'm going so many different directions and have lots of things floating around in my head, it's hard for me to focus right now (hello, ADD?). First resurrection. Not Jesus. Not Night of the Living Dead. No, I'm talking flowers, specifically cut hydrangea. This may seem random, but I've had questions about this. We've all had this sad situation occur . . .
This happened to me just one day after I bought this little grocery store arrangement. Uggh. What to do? First, take a little snip off the bottom then submerge the whole thing - stem, blooms and all - in lukewarm water.
Give it at least half an hour, come back and this is what happens.
Voila! Like magic, it's back to life. Now, I've only tried this with hydrangea so it may not work with other blooms, but just thought I would pass along the information.
And here it is back in its little fall arrangement.

Now, on to Halloween tomorrow. In our neck of the woods (as Al Roker is so fond of saying), it is supposed to be horrific weather - not just rain, we're talking severe weather like oh, I don't know hail, straight-line winds and possible tornadoes. Awesome. So, some neighborhoods/communities are trying to postpone trick-or-treating until Friday. I hope this catches on as I don't want to die (or even get wet really) for the sake of my kids getting candy.  My son decided to be an ICEE - yes, a sweet, syrupy beverage basically. He's an original. So, of course, this required a homemade costume, and I am SO not crafty. People mistakenly think I am because I'm creative in other ways, but arts and crafts are just not my thing. Here's the costume so far (not totally done yet) . . .

Luckily, my daughter's costume just required me to order some things online. And speaking of ordering things online (since this post is so random, why not just totally go off the rails), Madewell is having a little one day sale today (30% off select styles), and there are a few things I'm quite taken with . . .
 This skinny metal bow belt . . . I don't know why.  

And this sweater . . .
 
Now if I could just be as cool looking in leather pants, I would totally rock this look. I even like the model's hair. I'm getting my haircut this afternoon. Hmm.

And last but not least, I ordered this tote from Madewell a while back and get quite a few compliments on it . . . 


Of course, it's not on sale (I used a coupon I had on mine) but still not a bad price. I love it - lots of space and pocket for my keys and phone. You can even have it monogrammed if you're so inclined.

I apologize for what was probably the most random post ever, but I wish everyone a safe and happy Halloween!


Tuesday, October 22, 2013

New Website & Stuff

Hello, hello. I recently shared my new logos for both the blog and my design business. Now, I've officially got my business website up and running. So please do go check it out here: www.kinteriorsnashville.com . . .

You can also access the new site by clicking on the "About" and "K Interiors" buttons at the top of this blog. For now, My Interior Life (the blog) is staying right here where it's always been (blogspot address and all), but you can also access it from my K Interiors site (if you're over there) by simply clicking on the "Blog" button. Does that make sense? I hope so. I toyed around with the idea of trying to transfer my blog directly onto the new site (which I may do eventually), but if I do that all my subscribers will have to re-subscribe over there, etc. It was just too confusing for my little brain. So, for now I'm keeping the blog as-is.

I've also been hoarding some things recently that I plan on selling. My thought is to have a Tag Sale locally (probably at my home) in the next couple of weeks (haven't worked out all those little details yet), but also sell items through my website or Etsy eventually as well. Please let me know your thoughts on all of that. Here's a sampling of some recent finds (Instagram followers, sorry for the repeat):

So, if you're looking for some decorating help, please check out www.kinteriorsnashville.com. And, if you're looking for something special for your home (or someone else's), please stay tuned for more information about upcoming sale items either on the blog or Instagram

As always, thanks for following along in my design journey!


Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Worlds Away New Introductions

Two posts in two days . . . I'm on fire. I got an email this morning from my Worlds Away rep sharing a preview of pieces that are being introduced at High Point Market starting October 19. She mentioned that this fall High Point show represents the single largest product introduction in Worlds Away’s history. While the usual gilt and lacquered pieces are represented, I think you'll see a definite Mid-Century Modern/Mad Men inspired trend as well. Kind of exciting and different for Worlds Away. Without further ado, here are the pretties . . .
This fabulous green lacquered faux bamboo bar cabinet with over-sized Greek Key pulls and gold leaf base. The inside is mirrored. It also comes in white.

More glam and lacquer in the form of shelves this time (they're also available in green). 

Now, on to some of the Mid-Century Modern/Mad Men inspired pieces . . . 




And just to really drive the Mad Men reference home, these last two chairs are even named "Don" and "Joan."

Of course, as always, Worlds Away has some stellar lighting options as well. Here are some that caught my eye . . . 





If any of these beautiful Worlds Away items catch your eye, please contact me for pricing and ordering.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Design Love

I don't know about you, but fall is my absolute favorite time of year. Today, it actually feels like it here in Nashville too which is so exciting. Jeans and boots are my uniform, so I'm so happy to be able to pull them out. I seriously don't even know where the time goes, but it seems I'm busier in the fall too (which can be good and bad). I also tend to find inspiration all over the place - whether it's while driving the kids to activities or shopping for clients, there's just so much to take in. Of course, there are the typical sources of inspiration too. I just posted this little photo on Instagram . . .
While it may be an occupational hazard (or a sign of hoarding tendencies), I am somewhat addicted to shelter magazines and tend to buy more this time of year as well. I'm a sucker, I admit.

I grabbed the new Domino over the weekend as well as House & Garden (which is only at the bookstore since it's British). Of course, I devoured them both, but some photos from H&G stuck with me . . .

This extremely modern urban space contrasted with this country home . . .
I could be equally happy in either place. That's what I love about design . . . even if I may not consider something exactly "my style," I can appreciate it and learn from it.

And speaking of design, you may have noticed that I recently had new logos designed for both the blog and my design business, and I couldn't be happier with them. Thanks so much to the talented Beth Mathews for working so hard on these for me!


I hope you love them as much as I do. A new website for my business is in the works that will tie in to the blog, so look for that in the weeks to come.
 

Monday, September 23, 2013

Shopping for Inspiration

Sometimes you're looking for something specific, and sometimes you just want to be inspired. That was my goal this afternoon. I had some time in between fabric shopping for a client and another appointment, so I hit up an antique mall. Often I'm drawn to items specifically, but sometimes it's just the vignette or combination of textures and colors that gets me.

Here are some pretties that caught my eye today . . .

These lucite, brass-plated and glass shelves would look amazing anywhere.

 I love over-scaled sconces especially with palm fronds. I, of course, would gilt these.

My phone didn't capture the true vivid orange hue of these vintage barrel tub chairs with original fabric, but they were so arresting. The legs were painted to match and the brass casters finished them off.

Awesome mid-century lamp.

Great, graphic carnival lithograph. Who doesn't need a "Freaks" sign in their home??

Nice natural, masculine vignette with wood, leather and metal.

 Ornate needlepoint ottoman on casters.
The colors in the needlepoint were so rich.

 And speaking of colors, the orange, blues and citrus greens in this rug were amazing.

Loved this trio of abstracts in different metallic frames.

Traditional blue and white pottery with more modern art, layered with a gold mirror and marble lamp make for an interesting mix.


And just to show that anything can be art, these are chalice covers that have been framed. Having been raised Catholic, I think these might be really cool to have. So unique and graphic too. I could group them with the chalice I actually bought at an estate sale recently. I couldn't resist - I told my husband I found the holy grail. He was not amused.

Another piece of interesting art, I'll leave you with this oversized photograph of old rope mounted under acrylic. My husband might have a similar photo somewhere. Need to go look.

Did you find anything inspiring? I know I did.