Happy Birthday MILIEU!

Launching a new shelter magazine is daunting in the best of times. It is especially courageous in this digital age that has seen the demise of so many beloved magazines. Pam Pierce has talent and vision and drive and believes in unicorns and happy endings. Well maybe not unicorns, but she has done something extraordinary with MILIEU magazine. It has made it to its one year anniversary, and I am sure there will be many more to come.

Pick up a gorgeous hard copy wherever shelter magazines are sold.
Or subscribe to MILIEU HERE, and you can also check out MILIEU online.

This issue is extra special to me, because I have the honor of having one of my design projects featured in it! Peter Vitale did the beautiful photography, and Pam oversaw the shoot. I placed myself in their hands as the lovely assistant, always eager to see how someone else would handle a photo shoot. It looks amazing! Former NOLA resident Suzanne Levert wrote the article with insight and verve. 

As usual I like to take along as many people with me when something good happens to me. I use local merchants and artists in my design work as much as possible. I featured photographer Lisa Conrad, art from Gallery Orange, home furnishings from Eclectic Home, Source, Renaissance Interiors, and AKA Stella Gray. Local craftspeople Shading Places and Mitchell Settoon also did great work for me and got a shout out.

I also connected fellow New Orleans designer Donna Masselli with MILIEU, and I am proud to see that she got the cover! You know how I love New Orleans and all the talent here.

Joni Webb from Cote de Texas did a wonderful post about this issue of MILIEU so take a look at that too.

I have been posting few and far between. I apologize. Grief will not be hurried. Just working to make a living exhausts me. I so wish Alberto was here to see this issue of MILIEU. He did a lot of things for me on this project, and the clients Erica and Kevin loved him. He was always so proud of me and my work. He would be thrilled for me.

Anyhoo, it goes without saying: Have talent, will travel. Keep me in mind for styling, decorating, designing, and writing...xo xo

Interior Design Case Study - Updating A Twenty Year Old Decor

I just finished a great project. A young (to me) couple with children had been in their house for around twenty years. The lady of the house engaged my services. She is an artist, a blog reader, and she has style. She and her husband had already done a fabulous kitchen renovation a couple of years ago, and now they were ready to update the rest of the downstairs rooms.  All "after" photos by Sara Essex Bradley. All crappy "before" photos by me from my notes.

Updated decor done by Valorie Hart for a client

Budget was a concern, so I started by talking about what we could re-purpose and keep. All the major pieces of furniture had good bones, and the homeowners still liked them. So remodeling, re-upholstery, and some paint were the order of the day. The furniture layout was fine, with just some minor tweaking needed.

Updated living room by Valorie Hart

Living room before

The club chairs were reupholstered by Leonels in a gray Ikat - We also had them add a swivel base since this is the only living room in the house where TV watching and socializing take place - We kept all the furnishings except for a large armoire that was outdated and overpowered the room

Before - This armoire was gifted to someone else - it overpowered the room

In place of the armoire - a mirror and a simple bench

Mitchell Settoon painted two matching French style chests - The paintings above were done by the homeowner

How the chests looked before Mitchell did his magic

How pretty the chests look now

White linen panels replaced the old drapes - They were dated but in good shape and were re-used in the dining room - We  re-used the existing rod and hardware here in the living room - I asked Jennifer from Shading Places to do the drapes - And yes we kept the ceiling fan, a necessity in New Orleans

Since the armoire housed the computer and we took it away, the console behind the couch was turned into the desk - A new Ghost chair was added - Note that all the lamps were re-used but updated with crisp white drum shades

The couch got a re-vamp - a washable linen slipcover, and a new bench cushion to replace the original three seat cushions

The couch has a new linen slipcover done by Leonels - Side table from AKA Stella Gray - pillows from Source

The couch before - still in good shape so a new slipcover and a more stylish bench seat cushion were all that was needed - Note the dining chairs in the background

This cane back chair (one of a pair) got a new seat cushion and a furry pillow

Here you can see the updated cane back chair done by Leonels, and a great view of the club chair they also did - Note new lampshade that gave a lift to the old lamps

Here's how the club chairs looked before - And you get a glimpse of the old drapes

We keyed off the kitchen paint color, continuing it throughout the living room, hallway, stairway, and dining room.

Even though I did not design the kitchen I wanted to show it to you - The homeowner opts out of window coverings because she loves the light and view of the garden

I changed out the old chairs for these modern ones - The old ones were French country with rush seats, very uncomfortable and a little dated for the new kitchen - I wanted to add a mix of mod with trad

A nice detail of the open shelving in the kitchen

The music room paint was in good shape and looked good with the other color choice in the rest of the rooms, so it remained as is. The dining room got a darker saturation of the wall color on the ceiling. The powder room was painted black.

The dining room - The furniture had to remain - Old living room drapes were reused in here - We just added new off-the-rack curtain rods - The room was repainted and we chose to do the ceiling darker - I moved the china cabinet to an opposite wall, leaving a better focal point for another great painting done by the homeowner, and flanking it with over size hurricane candle sconces from Global Views - An antique style chandelier was changed out with the old fixture - An antelope print rug from Modern Flooring was added, and I also had Leonels recover the dining room chair seats with washable durable faux leather

Moc Croc  I used on the dining room chair seats

The dining room before - I moved the china cabinet to an opposite wall (and restyled it)

Dining room before - A new chandelier was added, and the old living room drapes were reused in here

The dining room details now

A fireplace renovation was in progress when I came on board, designed by the homeowner and executed beautifully by her brother-in-law, Michael Ray Ernst. She was inspired by something like it she saw on various design blogs.

Though we weren't starting the project from zero there was a long punch list to get done in three months.

The music room - We kept the paint color, removed some outdated gold silk drapes, rearranged the furniture, restyled the bookshelves, and added a pair of leather slipper style chairs that are perfect for guitar playing

There was an old worn out stair runner, and at first it was not in the budget to replace it - I wanted to do the antelope print runner, and when we ordered the dining room rug the homeowners stretched their budget to include the stairs - It should be noted that this stylish print is the most forgiving of wear, and perfect for a family home

The powder room got painted black and a new mirror, medicine chest, and light fixture were added - I used a pair of chairs from the kids' early childhood for towels and TP

The powder room before

The entry hall with a view into the music room - A new light fixture (from Eclectic Home) was added

The hallway light fixture before - We are replacing the front door with a solid mahogany one that will be painted black inside and out

The entry hall chest before  - I thought I was going to move this mirror

 

The entry hall chest now  with a fantastic paint job by Mitchell Settoon - It made the mirror work, so it stayed - We added a small Jonathan Adler lamp with a bright lampshade

I love working with the things people love. I found a cache of wonderful paintings done by the homeowner in the her shed/studio. Hearing the famliy stories while hanging a gallery wall of several generations worth of wedding pictures was so much fun. Hunting for affordable fabrics and accessories is something I thrive on. Having a dream crew of local talent and vendors is a blessing.

Before -  A gallery wall of family photographs was attempted in the dining room

 

I moved the gallery wall to a focal point in the living room - There are several generations of wonderful family wedding pictures, and there is room to add more photos as the years go on

This home has good bones, a great foursquare type layout, and is a place filled with love, stories, art, books, music, and comfort. I am so happy to have helped infuse new energy and my love into it to last the next twenty years for this lovely family.

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The Restoration Hardware Swedish Demi Lune Chair Controversy

I did a post about one of my projects HERE, and I got so many great comments (thanks everyone!). One of them got me thinking, and I wanted to answer it fully.

Here's the comment:

HI Valorie! Love the choices you and the clients made! I am wondering if you would weigh in on the "controversy" regarding the chairs? Did you use them against your better judgement? Did you feel that they did/do not deserve the controversy? I think they add a distinctive touch in the right space, but, of course,a whole room of deconstructed items looks ridiculous-and would never exist in "real life" but even though one might be able to afford that ancient crusty one-off antique, you still might recover it or use it in a personal way. Love that your choices are always individual and reflect so much personality. Totally going to try and steal that studded wall detail somewhere!
Cheers! Meredith

Haters ganged up on this chair - Joni says. "This is all wrong, the proportions, the stain color. Hideous. Can’t imagine what they are thinking!"

In case you are wondering about the controversy, take a look at Joni Webb's post when Restoration Hardware introduced a line of deconstructed furniture. The post is entitled "Are They Serious?"

Joni says "This settee and all the other pieces in Restoration Hardware’s newest line “Deconstructed Upholstery Collection” – are all bare of the top layer of decorative fabric. I mean – seriously, WHAT??? And no, you can’t order the frame WITH fabric. You read that right."

As always I enjoyed Joni's thorough post. Lots of research, great writing, and tons of photos are always a part of Joni's blog posts. And she elicits tons of comments so you get a good idea of what people are thinking out there.

Joni especially hated the Restoration Hardware Swedish Demi Lune Chair. I did not hate what RH did. Of course I would love to use an antique or vintage piece, or maybe even a higher end reproduction like the one Tara Shaw does. And using deconstructed upholstery on furniture is nothing new or radical.

Hideous? Yes or No?

I chose to use the RH chair for my client because she liked a Klismos style dining chair. While the budget was good, there were limits, and there were places to spend, and places to be thrifty (but beautiful). I also was trying to provide an collected look with a mix of furnishings. The couple is not a fan of antiques or vintage pieces.

The client liked this style of chair HERE

I proposed the RH chairs because of the shape, the ability to customize color through a huge selection of fabrics offered, and because of price. We needed a minimum of eighth chairs, and some of the Klismos chairs came in around $2K each. We were definitely not going to spend $16K on dining chairs. And to my delight, the simpler lines of the antique look of the RH chair was attractive to the client.

The chair I chose

I chose the navy blue duck for the fabric. The color played back to the navy couch in the family room. The duck because the couple entertains their large extended family, and there are toddlers to contend with. The dark navy is forgiving of dirty little hands, and the duck is indestructible,

The navy blue couch in the family room - I keyed off this for the color choice of the dining chairs - I did not choose velvet (like the couch) because I thought it would start looking The House of Velvet - And besides the canvas duck I chose is more durable for the heavy family use the dining chairs will get - They are also used as pull-up chairs in the family room

The quality of the chair for the price is great (and we got them on sale!). The distressed wood also is forgiving of wear and tear. If it gets nicked up, it adds to the patina. We were surprised at the white stitching and considered pulling out the threads. But after a day or two, we loved the stitching because it graphically underscored the design of the chair.

I love how the chairs pair with the table - The navy blue fabric gives the chairs a custom look

I paired the chairs with a unique dining table. It's modern with a twist. The legs have brass casters like an antique, but the tripod design of the legs looks modern. The color is traditional, and the hand scraped finish makes the table more user friendly. It is an oval that has two leaves to accommodate the family. The table is done by Caracole and it's called "It's Got Legs". We purchased it locally through Eclectic Home. Clients (and I) in New Orleans support the local shops as much as possible.

It's Got Legs

As far as reacting to negative opinion about this chair, I obviously did not let it sway my decision to "sell" this chair to a client. I liked it for all the reasons stated above, and I am confident in my choices. That being said, if the chair was not right, it would have been returned. I did tell the client about the negative things bloggers had to say about the RH line. She reads the blogs. Her reaction? First she said that she trusted me, and next she said she doesn't care what others say if she likes something, and third it's her budget for us to manage in a smart way.

Don't hate me

Both the clients and I love how this chair looks in their home. And it is comfortable. I don't know how many homeowners would spend $16K on dining room chairs. I might get someone one of these days that has the criteria to do so. But in the meantime, I do not think that a lesser budget should get lesser design. My job is to make it work, and make the clients feel happy in their home and proud of how it looks.

A funny side note about Restoration Hardware.  At the Miles Redd talk and book signing the other night, he was asked a question from the audience about RH. Being the gentleman that he is, he didn't bash them, but he smirked and said real antiques are always best. Don't get me wrong, I cannot stand when any catalog room is reproduced, when a homeowner buys every piece of furniture shown either in a showroom or in a catalog picture. But I think RH  does a good job filling a moderate (to expensive) price point niche with well designed pieces. Their customer service is good too, though some pieces take way too long to be delivered.

What about you? Have you ever not used something because bloggers and their readers hate on it? Or bought something everyone loved? 


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Sources For Refreshing An Art Filled Home

Thanks for the positive response to the revamp project Refreshing An Art Filled Home. Here are some sources that some of you asked about. The homeowners like to shop locally as much as possible, so that's what we did.

Leopard stair runner from Modern Flooring, ask for Tom

Metal and stone tables from Eclectic Home, ask for Michelle, cow hide rug from Tandy Leather on Airline Drive

Custom pillows made by Leonels - Robert Allen fabric from Fabric.com

Re-upholstery on French chairs by Leonels - Orange fabric on chairs Interior Fabrics New Orleans

White linen for drapes from Interior Fabrics New Orleans, drapes (and Roman shades not shown) made by Shading Places

Sitting room

Sitting Room chandelier and reclining Buddha from Eclectic Home, ask for Michelle

Sitting Room chandelier from Eclectic Home, ask Michelle

Slip covered club chairs ordered from local Pottery Barn

Pieced cow hide rug fro Argentina Lifestyle By Cara

Mirror (in the room but not shown), side table, and lamp from Eclectic Home, ask for Michelle

Sideboard painted by Mitchell Settoon, art char by Ashley Longshore, both in New Orleans

Zentique Louis Tufted ottoman purchased locally at Eclectic Home, ask for Michelle

Large blue metal ottoman tray from Eclectic Home, ask for Michelle

Guest Room

Lamp and nightstand Eclectic Home, ask for Michelle

Second nightstand - I used two different ones - from Eclectic Home, ask for Michelle

Existing brown furniture repainted by genius Mitchell Settoon

Other things not shown in photos:

Chinoiserie light fixture for upstairs hall from Eclectic Home, ask for Michelle

Chaise for master bedroom from Eclectic Home, ask for Michelle

Chest for back entry hall from Eclectic Home, ask for Michelle

Back entry Hall

Since some of you asked about the rest f the house, I'll try to go back later and take pictures of the family room and the dining room and kitchen. Thanks again for your comments.

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