Carrier & Company Chat at the Antiques & Garden Show

As expected, the Antiques & Garden Show of Nashville did not disappoint. Amazing vendors filled the showroom floor with eye candy for days. Seriously, I felt as if I was wandering around in a bit of an interior design-drunken stupor. Here's just a small sampling of the pretty . . .

Following my shopping, I had the pleasure of attending the Design Panel Lecture featuring designers Jesse Carrier and Mara Miller of Carrier and Company, Mary McDonald and Nathan Turner. Robert Leleux was the moderator who kept the questions and laughs flowing. The main discussion revolved around travel and how it affects and informs their designs. All the panelists had different experiences, but agreed that tying in the client's pieces from traveling along with their own trained eye was the best combination. Mary and Nathan are good friends and travel companions who have traveled the globe together and collected not only beautiful things, but hilarious stories as well. They really should write a book.

Sorry for the horrible iPhone photo. I was far away and not one to get up and snap pics.

Afterwards, I had the privilege of interviewing one of the design panelists, Jesse Carrier. To say I was excited is a bit of an understatement, and admittedly I was a bit nervous (I even brought my book Positively Chic Interiors with me and forgot to get him to sign it . . . such a rookie move).
  
Editor's Note: Interspersed throughout this article, I'm sharing photos from one of my favorite Carrier and Company projects that is featured in their book and online in their portfolio. It is both the original design they produced for former Men's Vogue and Town & Country Editor and current Esquire Editor Jay Fielden and his family, and the second incarnation after the family home suffered a fire. I too have designed for a family following a house fire and it can be a daunting and emotional journey. I've put the earlier photo of each room first,  followed by the second version. I'm fascinated by the differences and similarities. 

Jesse could not have been more gracious and kind. He and his wife Mara were college sweethearts from FIT who both started their careers working with outstanding talents in the design world. He with Thomas O'Brien then Jeffrey Bilhuber; she with Sills Huniford Associates, Marcy V. Masterson and Sara Bengur. The birth of their son Jack 11 years ago also marked the creation of their company, Carrier and Company. For them, it just made sense to join forces to tackle both design and parenthood as seamlessly as possible. Their individual histories and tastes combined with a level of trust make theirs a successful design union.

The couple's designs are most notable for being so diverse or as Jesse described it, "We have an aesthetic that's not totally identifiable." While some designers are known for a certain "look" that clients come to expect, Carrier and Company enjoy the challenge of working with clients to express their personal style. According to Jesse, "We have to be very flexible in our designs, and we are strong believers in connecting people and places. A home in the Hamptons is going to look a lot different than a home in Connecticut or Texas or Florida."

 

When asked if they're ever fearful of repeating a look, he said,  "While we might have our go-tos and our tried and true fabrics or pieces, we never use them the same way twice. I noticed in putting together our book, there are certain elements that tie through some of our projects - formulas that we may repeat, not necessarily pieces."

 

During the panel discussion, Jesse referenced editing and how it's essential when working with client's pieces and styles. I asked him how that translated when working with couples who were combining households or just changing styles after years together.  "When working with couples, it is helpful that we are a couple," Jesse said. "There is some sort of sympatico sensibility. There is a trust level. We understand that dynamic and can educate the client about what will work and what won't."

Lastly, I asked what advice he might have for new designers. Jesse stressed the importance of interning and working under mentors. "The biggest mistake we see is impatience," he said. "In our industry, there a lot of designers who find this career path people later in life, and there's a sense of you got your degree, now you can just put a shingle out. We went to school and then learned so much more in our internships and jobs. Having worked under someone who's done it for 20 years is invaluable experience."

Carrier and Company create interiors that are effortlessly timeless yet fresh, inviting yet refined. I gather such inspiration from their book . . . it truly is one of my favorites.

The Antiques and Garden Show of Nashville

Hello . . . anyone there? Yes, it's me, Kathy . . . and I'm blogging. What, you forgot I had a blog? Yeah, me too. But if there's one thing that will inspire me to dust off the old blog dashboard and hammer out a post, it's the Antique and Garden Show of Nashville.

Have you been before? If not, you must vow to go this year. It is scheduled for next Friday through Sunday, Feb. 3-5 at the Music City Center in downtown Nashville. Hundreds of vendors representing the best in antiques, interiors, art and garden design set up to showcase their wares and talents. Fabulous does not begin to describe the spectacle. And while I absolutely love walking and gawking at the beauty, my favorite parts of the show are the designers they feature during keynote speeches and design panels. You might remember how I about lost it the year Miles Redd came to town? Well, the major star power this year is almost unparalleled. Do you know who the Keynote Speaker is?? Are you ready for this?

 

Yes, Nate Berkus, the genius himself. Can you stand it?? The Keynote Speech will be moderated by Tori Mellott and take place at 11 a.m. on Friday, February 3. 

And the Design Panel Lecture this year . . . I die. Some of my favorites . . .

 Married design super stars, Jessie Carrier and Mara Miller. I have loved them for years. You might recall the post where I drooled all over their designs back in 2010. And if you don't have their book yet, you must get it. I might bring it with me to get it signed.

 And, oh Queen Mary . . . does she even need an introduction? I adore Mary McDonald as you may recall when I met her at High Point Market several years ago. She complimented my jewelry so I'm pretty sure she'll remember me next week when I attend the Design Panel. I'll probably wear the bracelet for good luck.

And Nathan Turner, Mary's cohort in design crime from Million Dollar Decorators. He has such a great sense of style, and don't you want him to be your best friend too? Here's to hoping he calls Mary "Mims" during the panel discussion. 

 Famed design author and former editor of Domino and managing editor of Lonny, Robert Leleux will be moderating the panel and asking all the insightful questions.

It is called the Dream Team, and for good reason. The Design Panel lecture will be held on Saturday, February 4 at 11 a.m.

You should definitely come to the show . . . you will be inspired. I hope to see you there! 

Blogworthy

For all of you Seinfeld fans, the Blogworthy title doesn't need to be explained. For everyone else, you can watch this clip.

While I'm not hoarding blog content like Elaine is hoarding contraceptives, I feel like nothing really "blogworthy" is happening right now.  I'm not sure the reason for this. Sure, I've been busy, but everybody is. Part of the reason is that I've been reevaluating my technology usage lately and realizing that I would rather spend my time with my family and, in general, just being a more productive person. While I've been busy working with clients, nothing is a great before and after moment worth sharing or photographing. Working on my own home always grinds to a halt when I'm busy elsewhere, so nothing new to report on that front (naked dining room floors are still naked). Elsewhere, my kids are busy growing and thriving and finishing up 6th and 2nd grades respectively (I can't believe they are 12 and 9).

Blogging has never been my job . . . I don't get paid or have advertising on it. It's always been a hobby at best, but one that I've loved. Getting to connect with people near and far is amazing. It's true that blogging is a little community, and I've been honored and blessed to meet many blog friends both online and in the real world (and it's weird how much people are truly reflected in their blogs - they are just as funny and sweet and charming in person). So, what am I trying to say? Am I quitting blogging? Not really. I still want to be able to share projects and/or finds/ideas with you when I feel something is worth sharing. I feel that the blogging world is getting a little cynical (we've all read the vitriol over at Get Off My Internets), and I feel like if I don't have anything earth-shattering to share, it's not really worth anyone's time. So please know that I will occasionally pop in when the time/content is right. In the meantime, you can find me on Instagram posting away!

Fess Up Friday Guest Post

Happy Friday! Today you'll find me over at the Little Black Door where I'm fessing up to breaking a real decorating taboo (oh no! what could it be???).

Here's a little hint as to what my secret might involve . . . 

Please pop over and check it out. I know you all must read LBD already because Elizabeth is one of the best bloggers around . . . seriously love her humor and her style. 

Also, earlier this week I was fortunate enough to get to tour the HGTV Smart House here in Nashville. It's not open for tours to the public, but it will be available to win starting April 15. So please check back for a little preview next week. 

Happy weekend everyone!

Should I Go Naked?

Nothing like starting off a Monday with a provocative question, right? Sorry to disappoint you though if you were hoping for some talk of skin . . . today, I'm talking about my dining room floor. You see, I'm kind of going through some growing pains with my dining room, and one of the changes I've already made is ditching my rug. What? Oh yes, I went naked. But the question is should I stay that way? Let's back up. In case you can't remember, here's what my dining room looked like with a rug . . .

Just your basic jute rug from West Elm, nothing fancy. I have patterned Persian rugs in rooms that adjoin this one so I never wanted any distracting colors or patterns on the floor of the dining room. So, I've always had some version of a jute or natural fiber rug (prior to this one I had the diamond jute rug from West Elm). And while I've always liked the look of these neutral natural rugs, they do have their downsides. A. They shed (there is always a pile of sandy/dusty/gritty material under the edges of the rug), and B. I have two dogs and a cat, and let's just say they sometimes think the jute is grass, and well, you can guess the rest. Which leads to C. The natural fiber rugs are hard to clean. So, after a while, mine was looking pretty worse for the wear, so I took it the the recycling center. Now, my dining room looks like this . . . 

I actually don't mind the bare floor, but I don't like the clashing browns of my dining table and floor. It was way less noticeable when there was a buffer rug between the two. And if you follow me on Instagram, you've probably seen these . . . 

Yes, I bought some new dining chairs. I got them at the Habitat Re-Store . . . they were such a good deal and I absolutely love the shape and black color (which needs some serious touching up, etc.). And, of course, they need new fabric so I got a swatch of this just to play around with. 

Which led me to think about painting my walls a creamy color . . . 

One thing leads to another. It's inevitable. So, basically now I want to change my entire dining room (table, chairs, walls, possibly chandelier, etc.). No big deal. To me, our current dining room looks a little formal, and we're not really a formal dining kind of family. More of a casual group.

Which leads me back to the floors . . . for now, I'm keeping them naked. Once other decisions are made, I'm sure it will become clear. Until then, here are some dining rooms I've been drawn to with naked floors . . .

Sources: all via my Pinterest Dining Room Board

Now, if I could just convince my uncle to switch dining tables with me, I'd be set (he currently has my dearly departed Grandmother's oval Saarinen style table which I covet). 

What about you, do you like the bare/naked dining room floor look?

A Quick Before & After

Today, I thought I would share a little "before and after" of the break room I recently redesigned at my husband's office. It was great fun working on this space because, as you might imagine, I had a great deal of creative control and could work with some items I already had as well as some new pieces. Also, I don't always get to do a full "install" for clients, rather just a piece here or there so there's not always a dramatic "after" photo to share.  Without further ado, here's one of the afters . . .

Please excuse the graininess - these are iPhone photos and the lighting is not the best (something I will tackle soon). 

And a before so you'll see how absymal it was before . . . 

Hello, boring beige and brown. That is his bachelor sofa - he hasn't been a bachelor in about 18 years, so that tells you we were working with some serious leftover furniture. Now, you might be asking yourself, "Kathy, how could you let the break area at your husband's office look so bad??" Well, the truth is, it was at the bottom of every list I had and at the bottom of his budget list as well. And while we accomplished this on a serious shoestring budget, it still cost money (that comes out of our pocket ultimately).

The other pieces, I honestly had nothing to do with either. I think they were things he picked up because they were cheap and readily available when they needed a table or shelf. Seriously.

So, we literally threw out all the old furniture as it was fairly broken and stained (put it at the curb with "Free" signs and it was gone within minutes). I picked out some new commercial carpet in a charcoal gray with hints of blue (this is a commercial building that he leases), had the walls and trim painted out in Restless Sea by Behr and then started layering in furniture and accessories. 

I rearranged the layout of the room and oriented the new credenza from Overstock (the only truly new piece in the room) on the longest wall. Then I floated the $20 faux bamboo table from Craigslist (it was a heinous speckled yellow, so I just painted it white for contrast) in the middle of the room to allow for more seating. I brought in chairs and stools that I already had from estate sales to pull around the table. Still need a couple more chairs, but for now it will do. 

I accented the room with vintage rugs (also from my stash - the smaller one I just got at an estate sale this weekend) and pulled in oranges, corals and pinks for accent colors (did I mention my husband is the only male in his office of six people) with the art and my husband's underwater photography.

I gave them a new little coffee/microwave station and added my homemade Rothko-inspired art (also inspired by Jenny from Little Green Notebook) for some color and interest.

Overall, it's done, just still needs some small fixes here and there (lighting and window treatment). I'm pretty happy with it, and the ladies who work there are thrilled, so it's a win-win. I hope you've enjoyed this little before and after.

Hope to see you sooner rather than later (as it's been lately).

Inspirational Things

I find inspiration literally all over the place, but since I'm fairly plugged in to Instagram and the blog world, I find my fellow blog friends to be a great source of it. I just wanted to share a couple of noteworthy projects lately that have captured my attention and admiration.

First, sweet Erin of Design Crisis. Her beautiful home recently graced the pages of a new quarterly Texas shelter publication called Bungalow (why can't we have something like this in Tennessee? Seriously lacking in this area). I'm sure you've seen her blog and home before, but if not, you must check them out. Erin knocks it out of the park with her thrilling mix of vintage furniture, rugs, accessories and art - my God, the art. Bungalow obviously took notice with a great article on her. Not sure I can pick a favorite but her bedroom is currently killing me softly.

Next up, Ally of From the Right Bank. I've long been an admirer of her style and blog and keep up with her through Instagram mainly these days. A photo she posted yesterday stopped me dead in my tracks. Did you see it? 

She used scrubbable vinyl wallpaper that she found at LOWE'S to transform her wet bar. It's sort of mind-blowingly unique, I think. Talk about making a statement. You can read more about it and see the before here (the before looks pretty good by the way; I just love that she had the vision to make it so different). Makes me want to run out to Lowe's and then wallpaper something. Anything. Maybe my dogs. 

Anyway, I just wanted to share these two inspiring ladies/spaces with you. Enjoy! Now, let's go do something creative.

Sick Day Shenanigans

Staying home with a sick child can throw kinks into one's plans. And while I could have been doing all kinds of productive things with my time at home today (working, organizing, etc.), I told myself that I needed to stay near Pierce on the sofa. With my laptop. So, I started looking at Craigslist. And sometimes it takes just one thing to set off my brain. Today, it was this vintage sofa . . .

I know some of you think I may be sniffing glue, but I love a good vintage print sofa. It might be a little over the top, but the colors are so pretty and saturated and the design is so unique. Here are some rooms that showcase a vivid sofa to great effect . . .

both photos via

So, I poked around a little more on CL and found some other finds that I thought might work in the same room - a faux bamboo dresser, gold vintage mirror, Moroccan brass tray table (that my friend Bri is selling) and two faux bamboo wing chairs (there are actually two different CL sellers selling the same chair - they would just need to be painted to match). I mocked up a little inspiration board with the CL finds supplemented with some Nate Berkus lamps from Target, a rug from World Market and some homemade art courtesy of Jenny Komenda of Little Green Notebook (I borrowed her actual art for the inspiration board but check out her post to see how you could create your own). 

Paint the walls a vivid blue (or complementary hue of your choice) and you've got a room like no other. I'm calling this one Vintage Girl because I can totally see this in a young lady's home. So fun and fresh. 

It was fun exercising my creative brain for the heck of it. You never know what a little Craigslist searching will yield. I do this kind of sourcing and boards for clients as well, so give me a shout if you need any help spiffing up your place.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! I know we're now several days into 2014, but my children finally went back to school today so I have some time to blog. Plus, I started the new year being ill so I'm just starting to feel a bit like myself. I've been reading all the resolutions/goals people are throwing out there, and it's very exciting and invigorating.

I don't really make resolutions, but I do like to take this time to stop, reevaluate and make some goals. I started this blog four years ago yesterday (happy blogiversary to me), and while I've never been a daily blogger I do feel like it's a big part of my life. It's opened so many doors and allowed me to make some amazing friends both locally and far away. I won't get all gushy, but I do plan to continue blogging this year and hope to share more projects with you as I do.

Sorry, my husband sent me this a while back so I couldn't resist throwing it in.

Thanks to everyone who keeps reading . . . it means a lot. Which leads me to my business, K Interiors. In 2013, I took on a few more design clients, revamped my logo/identity and finally established a business website. I would love to take on more clients in 2014 and grow my business further.

And on a more personal note, as always, I plan to spend lots of time with family and friends enjoying those around me. It makes me incredibly weepy when I think that my children will be turning 12 and 9 this year, so I want to soak up these fun ages while I can.

Now, off to get some stuff done. What are your hopes and goals for the new year?