High Point Market Round 2

During the rush of Market I was able to stop into showrooms I knew of but also discovered some that are new (to me). I made sure to try and check out everything from upholstery items to lighting to accessories lines and I swear, if you have a need for some sort of furniture or accessory, you will find it at High Point Market.

One of the my favorite items to source (and stare at), is lighting. Visual Comfort never disappoints. I was especially giddy when I was able to say hello to Thomas O'Brien who, like Thom Filicia, I worship. The man is a genius when it comes to design. 

These sconces are perfection. The modern shape with the classic brass make them the ideal light that I can picture fitting in so many projects!

Four Hands had some spectactular lighting as well. Big fan here!

Unfortunately, my camera died after this shot but this sconce from Chelsea House is fantastic. Since it only holds candles this can fit in so many settings!

High Point Market Round 1

I mentioned in the last post that Market is a rush of excitement and feelings of being overwhelmed for us newbies. Before we left I had a list of showrooms I wanted to hit up but once you are in those large buildings it is so very easy to get off track. 

Taking photos in every showroom is important since you think you will remember everything you see during the day. Exhaustion coupled with sore feet helped me quickly realize that photos are necessary because my memory is not nearly good enough! 

Our first stop was Vanguard. They have amazing upholstery and casegoods. It was here that I got to meet one of my VERY favorite designers who has a collection, Thom Filica. Meeting Thom was like a crazed boy band fanatic meeting One Direction face to face. I wanted to scream and shout and tell him how I have read his new book about 10 times but I remained calm for the sake of everyone with me at the time. This was a lesson in restraint for sure! 

Luckily, I have photos of some of his ridiculously good creations. Even the vignettes are perfect!

I love this vignette with the shiplap walls. Great hardware too!

I can almost guarantee that I will have this mirror in my home. Can also customize with any fabric. Seriously crazy about it!

Adorable and surprisingly comfortable!

My other favorites from Vanguard.

The fabric on this bed is crazy awesome. I love the hit of pattern with the all-white bedding!

Amazing card table that you can customize with color. And who doesn't love a nailhead detail? 

Went NUTS for this sofa. Fabulous detail for a floating sofa in a room. Such a conversation starter!

Lots more pics to come from my other favorite showrooms!

What's your favorite childhood memory?

I am deeming this the recap week of High Point Market. After finally getting back into the swing of things I have organized my mess of pictures a bit so this week will be all about what I learned and swooned over at market. It really was like being a kid in a candy shop. At the end of each day I was so tired from being on my feet for so many hours thinking about (or trying to recall) what I saw in the showrooms that I fell asleep in record time. 

One of the many highlights of my trip was sitting in on an interview that All the Best Blogger Ronda Carmen (whose book is wonderful!) gave to both Barry Dixon and Amanda Nisbet. If you follow me on Instagram (@perfectlyputtogether) you may have seen me post this photo. 

I have such an appreciation for these two designers since I heard them speak. Amanda Nisbet has one of the best personalities and is HILARIOUS and everything that Barry Dixon said about designing had me hanging on his every word. Here are a few photos of their work that I admire. 

Barry Dixon

Both Amanda Nisbet and Barry Dixon spoke about some of the trials they face with clients but the main point of the discussion was around what they believe makes a house a home. I must say, everything that came out of Barry's mouth was like music to my ears. I can see how clients would just say "Go ahead! Do whatever you want to my home because it is going to be beautiful!". He spoke about how windows are "the soul of the home" but the one thing that has stuck with me since was one of the questions on his client questionnaire. He always asks clients "what are some of your favorite childhood memories?".  

Barry mentioned that it is always important to make a home reflect each and every person. Amanda reiterated this as well. They both love to bring out pieces that clients may hide because they are "old" or "not on trend". Amanda loves to take the children's artwork of her clients and frame or display it in a special way. She thinks it is crazy when people hide this because it is not "pretty enough".   Barry loves to take (and use) old china or artifacts that remind people of their upbringing.  

Amanda Nisbet

 She really has a way with color!

I have thought about this a lot and both my grandmothers come to mind when thinking about my childhood. One of my grandmothers did not have a love for interiors (she had 8 children to raise!) but loved her bright lipstick and costume jewelry. I definitely see myself loving these things as well and often think of her as I put on some old jewelry of hers that I have inherited. I was even gifted her wedding band that I wear everyday and never plan on taking off. My other grandmother was a bit "fancier" and had what we call a "touch me not" house. Lots of breakables everywhere! One thing she particularly loved collecting was anything Lladro. There came a time when I could not even look at another piece of that collection but today, I would love a piece or two of hers to add to a bookshelf in my home. 

I truly believe that there are special things in everyone's home that should be put on display. This is what makes us who we are and what makes our homes a piece of us. It takes time to put a home (or rooms) together just right but adding an old photo or breaking out your grandmothers china takes only a moment. 

So tell me, what are some of your favorite memories of childhood? 

Lots of excitement to be had here

Lots of exciting things have been going on around here lately and I cannot wait to share more with you. My class schedule is finally coming to a close. Although I love every part of learning about interior design, as well as school, I am ready for a break!  Now I will have much more time to devote to this little blog.  

I was lucky enough to visit High Point Market two weeks ago and had an amazing time! My camera is filled with lots of pictures that I will share with you soon. I even met some of my design idols who had me practically looking like these guys on the showroom floors. (Yes, I can be this lame)

It really is amazing how I have the same reaction meeting big-time designers as I would if I were walking down the street and bumped into Leonardo DiCaprio. 

Finally, there is a mini blog redesign going on here that should be ready shortly. I cannot wait to get back to this blog and appreciate all the readers that (may) still be around here. Lots more to come so check back soon!

Designers make mistakes too

There has been a lot going on here lately. I have some exciting things in the works and cannot wait to spread the news (soon). I hate to admit but it has taken me a long time to make decisions on our home. When we first moved in here I was ready to tackle a few projects but long work hours paired with class at night and homework on the weekends filled all my time.

Since I left my full-time job last summer I have finally had more time to work on the house in between my class schedule and part-time work.  When we purchased our home the kitchen and entry had some VERY ugly ceramic tile that had many cracks. The rest of the first floor had some even uglier Pergo flooring (vinyl strips made to look like wood). Case in point.

Note: There are many more things wrong with this picture and that chair rail you see is one of them (that will be another post!)

After deciding that a floor with no breaks was the way to go, we finally put hardwood down everywhere and I could not be happier. It's warmer and for a few days I did not want to put any furniture back so I could stare at it and slide like Tom Cruise and his dance scene in Risky Business.

Since we were on a roll with getting things done, I decided to pick a paint color asap and get the room painted so it could all go together. I SHOULD have listened to myself and words I would tell a client such as "take your time, try out colors and live with them before making a decision". My goal was to go with a grey with blue tones. We put up a few samples that looked good to me and decided to paint. BIG MISTAKE. I actually like the room at night but as we all know, I have to look at it during the day. It is much more blue that I wanted and I see (dare i say) periwinkle, depending on the time of day. It would really be a gorgeous color for a single room but this needs to go throughout the first floor with our open plan and it just will not work.

Taking a risk in my own home is great but in this case, it did not work out. I have always preferred neutrals which is the way I should have gone and luckily, this is just paint and I can easily change the color. Now I will go to my trusty neutrals (which is what I should have done to begin with) and happily walk down the stairs in the morning without having to run into this color.

Anna Kohler's new line

Do you all remember this image?

Anna Kohler had her apartment featured in Renovation Style years ago. She is one talented lady and who can forget her amazing kitchen?

I would like to note I someday wish for a wall of marble in my future kitchen!  While looking back at these images I learned that she had opened My Chic Nest which is a new furniture line. There are some very pretty things.

I highly recommend you take a look. You can also follow her blog My Chic Nest.  Cannot wait to see what else is in store for this talented lady!