Style Addicts

The New York Times has a pithy article about regular folks "over propping" their homes, and of course then posting the pictures of their over propped and over styled homes on a blog or Facebook or Twitter.

If you have at least three of the ten things on their list of over used items, then you are over styled with props making your home a performance. Boo hoo.

It's hilarious. And of course I have a few of the things on the list ha ha.

I am guilty! Bar cart, vintage typewriter, color matched books! All in one photo on a blog!

Here's the list - how many do you have? If you have three or more you are guilty guilty guilty.

• Books arranged by color
• Vintage typewriter
• Edison (light) bulbs
• Terrarium
• Monogrammed towels
• Taxidermy
• Le Creuset Pot
• Bar Cart
• Fresh Flowers
• Vintage Fan

Are you laughing? I beg to differ with a couple of them, like bar carts, which are a staple in homes in the South and used on a daily basis, and fresh flowers, and even vintage fans, which again are useful and so much cuter than modern fans. And monogrammed everything in the South is a way of life, not necessarily a photo-op.

It's there! Hiding in a corner masquerading as a book end, the dreaded vintage typewriter! I confess it's my house!

What's worse, a new fan pretending to be vintage, or a vintage fan? We use it everyday!

Guilty! I arranged some of my books by color - Cute orange chair painting by Annechovie

So all you Dorothy and Dan Drapers out there, keep making your house cute no matter what, and use lots of stuff, and please post pictures. It used to be you had to peep into windows when you took a walk to see how people decorated, now the blogoshpere is one huge fabulous picture window. And you know we all want to see what other people have!

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Does Your Decor Tell Your Age?

What's young? What's old? Can you tell the age of a person by how they decorate their home?

From House of Fifty - Does Your Decor Tell Your Age?

I have been getting some nice email with some interesting comments on an article I wrote for House of Fifty. Go check it out and tell me what you think. If someone never met you and saw a room you decorated and designed, could they guess your age? And is there age-ism in decorating? Do we care if our rooms look young or old?

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Do You Collect Folk Art?

This post is a reminder that the Thornton Dial show at The New Orleans Museum of Art will close after the final day on Sunday, May 20. The museum is open until 9 PM on Friday. If you have not seen this show, get over there now!

Thornton Dial at work

We had a couple of guests for Jazzfest who stayed over during the week between the two weekends of festivities, and we suggested going to the museum to see the show. We all had a wonderful time, an emotionally moving experience.

Jane Fonda collects Thornton Dial and loaned a piece of it for the show at NOMA - This is her loft

The Thornton Dial show amazes you with creative virtuosity, but even more with the emotions you will certainly experience. You will cry and you will smile. The show is hung like a four act play. It starts out hard and heavy, and moves into humor and life, and then into romance, and finally leaving with you with a sense of hope and redemption. If you live in New Orleans, you are a fool if you don't see this show.

Alberto and I have a very small and modest collection of contemporary Southern art, done by what some call folk artists, or outsider artists. I have always been attracted to folk art, and somehow owning a few pieces naturally occurred when we moved to Louisiana.

We got this piece from Mary Proctor when we were evacuated to Tallahassee, Florida after Katrina - We were out on a drive and saw this incredible junk yard of a place decorated with folk art - There was  a little shack called a museum and we entered- No one was around, and once we walked though we went out into the enormous yard and saw hundreds of pieces of art - All of a sudden we saw a woman sitting in the dirt in the shade and shadows, and she was making art - We made the accquaintance of the amazing artist Mary Proctor - This drowning girl made us think of New Orleans and Katrina

I loved the folk art museum in New York and was familiar with a wider vernacular of American folk art from attending exhibitions there, but there is something extra remarkable about the Southern self-taught artists still living and working today.

This is a black cat made from corrugated metal by artist Charles Gillam that hangs in the laundry room

Life imitates art - Kitty Kitty Bang Bang with the black cat art by Charles Gillam

Le Tango by Charles Gillam, a wood carving done for Alberto and me (I had red hair then) that Alberto gave me for my birthday - In my dreams I have my eye on a Thornton Dial piece for my birthday this year if we win the lottery

The Funeral by Lottie - The description written by the artist on the back says "She put him away fine and looking out for another one" - Contact Lottie in Patterson, Louisiana at 504 395-6677 -  I love this painting for the Grandma Moses quality of it, showing so many delicately painted details

Words in folk art are an important component, the art not only conveying a message but spelling it out - This saying is now identified with New Orleans coined by the famous artist Dr. Bob  - I loved this one because the background looks like old wallpaper to me - Note how the frame becomes part of the work of art

We commissioned the French artist Simon to do this sign for us - His signs are seen all over New Orleans, but especially on Magazine Street near his shop

This sweet painting of magnolias was done by dear friend Anne Farmen as a gift to me - She passed away at age 90, and painted this a couple of years before that

This amazing piece was done by Mary Gillam the sister of Charles. It is made from found objects, and I just love it!

Does folk art have a place in your home?
Go to all the links and check out these amazing artists.

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Who Has An Over Dye Rug?

The over dye rug has been trending for a couple of years. Old worn vintage oriental carpets are bleached out and then over dyed with pale or vivid colors. The effect is an interesting and pretty pentimento. Sometimes smaller rugs are stripped and dyed different colors and then put together in a patchwork form.

An over dye rug via Desire To Inspire

Prices vary wildly from the thousands to the hundreds, and the mainstream has caught up fast with this boutique item.

This over dye rug is from Overstock, and comes in teal and pink - The 8 x 10 i only $387.

Rugs USA has a terrific affordable selection (and also Moroccan rugs) - I love this color called Obstinate Orange

Kilim.com has some lovely vintage wool rugs - This beautiful pale rug is a 5 x 8 for a little over $1000.

Flor is doing carpet tiles in many colors from the most pale blue to the vivid colors - An 8 x 10 is $480.

Of course I am attracted to these rugs, the worn patina style and in all the variations of colors possible. A pale bleached out one with just a touch of color is soft and romantic. The brights in lime greens, hot pinks, and teals excite.  I appreciate a good patchwork design, though it is not something I visually respond to.

The over dye patchwork rug

Clever bloggers are doing DIY projects with the over dye. I  have done it on slipcovers, blankets,  toss pillows, and throws, but never on a rug. But hey, a gallon of bleach, an old rug, the bath tub, and some dye can add up to a nice project.

Blogger Kristen Davis has a great DIY tutorial

Have any of you introduced the over dye rug into your decor? Or your client's decor? Or done a DIY over dye rug?

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she's in 3rd now but at least Slim Paley is #2 and maybe can win over #1 

but please still vote for Jenny - only one days left

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Dirty Nasty Decorators

Am I the only one that thought Fifty Shades of Grey was a new decor book? Instead it's cheesy romance style soft core with bondage and S & M that has taken over every best seller list (with mainly women readers).

Not my shade of gray, especially when the M in the S & M is always the woman. I read The Story of O when I was in my young impressionable twenties, and at first I laughed at how stupid the premise (and prose) was, because I was a young woman fortunate enough to live during the time the feminist movement was born. To me, no woman who had love and respect for herself would submit to bondage, spanking, and abuse as part of having sex. Sex was meant to be fun, not torture.

But I digress. My good old source, The New York Times published a thought provoking article about the shades of gray practiced by decorators and designers. I list a few from the article that I find hilarious:

• The two (decorators) were paid in cash delivered in Gucci bags for their work decorating the many homes of (the client)....when prosecuted for money laundering and warned by a federal agent that the client was a drug dealer, their lawyer said that, "We had an argument that they didn’t have to take the agent’s word for it that he was a drug dealer and that they believed (the client) had legitimate businesses. Of course, a guy who delivers cash in the middle of the night didn’t help their case.”  

• The decorator called to testify in the John Edwards case inspired this article.  The donation to Edwards is called Bunny Money, because the cash in question was provided by social icon Bunny Mellon. Mr. Huffman (the decorator) testified, “She said that we were awfully foolish with the ‘furniture business,’ ” referring to Ms. Mellon. “But we were having a wonderful time doing it.” 

• Mario Buatta, still feels guilty about designing a bedroom for the mistress of a man to match the bedroom he had already designed for the man and his wife. "I could never face the wife. I felt very icky.” 

• Mr. Buatta did turn down a job for a “pizza king,” who wanted the Prince of Chintz to design a kind of dungeon in an A-frame house on Long Island. As Mr. Buatta recalled: “I told him, ‘I don’t do this. I do English style.’ And he said, ‘What kind of a meatball are you?’ I heard later he’d been found dead in his car.”  

• “People hate sales tax,” said Noel Jeffrey, a gentlemanly Manhattan designer. Like most decorators, Mr. Jeffrey has had the occasional female client who will pay for things out of her own account rather than have the bills sent to her husband. 

• William T. Georgis, an architect who works mainly in the art world, said he never did a bondage room, but he does have a few panic rooms and gun rooms to his credit. Also shoe closets for “1,757 pairs of shoes,” he said. And vanity drawers to contain “350 tubes of lipstick,” and a round glass guest room for a voyeur. “He loved it!” said Mr. Georgis. 

• Decorators certainly see a lot — they can’t help it. “Decorators know where the safe is hidden,” said Celerie Kemble. “They know when someone is building a room under their house that might not show up in plans filed with the Department of Buildings. Or the hidden sex room. Think about ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.’ Someone had to design that room. And how many of those ‘wine cellars’ are really wine cellars?” People often choose their decorators for their discretion, she added. 

• The other Bunny weighs in:  Bunny Williams, the very traditional Manhattan decorator and chair of this year’s Kips Bay Decorator Show House, said: “When you read this in the paper, and it’s ‘the decorator,’ I just get furious."

• Decorators going rogue, as it were, are hardly in the majority. But even some of the big names have had to turn down requests for, well, fudges. (VV here - Fudges????  Does fudge make fraud sound nicer?)

Go read it HERE.

This article is the real Things I'm Afraid To Tell You (the latest blogosphere chain letter going around).

Got any good shades of gray to add? Discuss.

One Thousand Shades of Gray the new decor book I think I will write

And vote for Jenny today HERE

she's in 3rd now but at least Slim Paley is #2 and maybe can win over #1 

but please still vote for Jenny - only a couple of days left

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The Incredible Patina Style Of Peterson Moon Yokum

Do you ever wonder what happened to the people you crossed paths with? Peter Yokum spent seven years at The Art Students League in New York in the 1970's. I took classes there then, and also was an artists model there. We were both 26 in 1975.

Peterson Moon Yokum in 1975 - Read a great interview with him that took place then HERE

Yokum, went home to New Orleans, and little did I know back then that I would end up living here some 25 years later.

The front parlor with the amazing ceiling - and a mantelpiece with a Napoleonic style. 'The Smithsonian wanted to buy this from my grandaddy because of this highly intricately carved honeycomb and bee design," Yokum said. As a stylist I would have removed the fan before a photo of this gorgeous room was taken

A closer look at the Napoleonic fireplace mantle

His family home, a grand Creole townhouse (and believed to be the oldest house in New Orleans) called Casa Hinard in one part and Case Hove in another, is legendary. It is a study in the beauty of patina style bar none. Often rented out for Hollywood movies always on the condition that nothing can be changed.

The Creole home of Peter Yokum is the oldest house in New Orleans - The building is of "significant historical and architectural value, " said a spokesman for the Williams Research Center of The Historic New Orleans Collection. There are plenty of conflicting dates, stories and theories as to when what was built and who owned it at what time, but "absent any records that may have been burned, it is a possibility" that a portion of the structure dates to the 1720s".

There are so many generations of treasures in this house, including paintings by his mother, Rita Hovey-King, a Newcomb College graduate who used her maiden name on her work. "She was a helluva painter, " he said. The shop on the ground floor of the house that fronts Toulouse Street, was once the Hove perfume shop, which she ran after she took the business over from her mother. And long before that, it was a gunsmith's shop. Now you can find Yokum's art gallery on the first floor

The door to Casa Hove via

Take a look at a round up of images of this incredible patina style.

The front gates opening to the porte cochere and courtyard, called The Money Gates because they came off the old US Mint, and are said to bring good luck to those who rub them - The original gates were melted down to make bullets during the Civil War

Fan light windows have original hand rolled glass

The dining room with old plaster walls that have not been repainted for hundreds of years

Some of Peter Yokum's art - When he was interviewed at age 26 he said he likes to paint  "Faces, nudes, landscapes, still lifes, anything that's pretty, anything that moves me, anything that I feel is worth capturing." I wonder if he has any paintings of me from the 1970's ha ha

Talk about art in the kitchen! I wish there were a larger photo so we could see the old porcelain sink and vintage stove - I love the way the small brass desk lamp is used as a picture light

Old family treasures, art work, and an old brick wall make for a perfect patina style vignette - Yokum makes his own paint colors, he says "It was taught to me by my instructor, Frank Mason, at the New York City Art Students League. He calls it the Maroger medium." The Art Students League was the place to study classical painting, with the methods of the old masters taught  to students. When I was there I learned what rabbit skin glue was, and all about painting with glazes.

Peter Moon Yokum in his studio - He also plays music - "I got a little group. We drink a little liquor, get all fired up and play some music, make some noise, " Yokum said.

Peter Yokum in his courtyard - "Everything's intact. I don't want to mess with anything, " he said. "Cypress railing, I don't care if it's chewed up, me. I'm going to keep this old cypress railing. Cypress basically lasts forever. These posts are all original. Wouldn't change anything until I don't have another option, and even then I'll try to go get the old stuff."

Some images from Our Louisiana Magazine. Sadly they do not have the story on line. But read these two fascinating articles one from Nola.com HERE, and one from the interview with Peter Yokum when he was 26.

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Trina Turk At Banana Republic

There are two kinds of girls. There are those who put every cent into decorating their home, and there are those who spend their money on their clothes. Now we home decor girls can combine both!

Banana Republic has released a special sneak peek of Trina Turk’s capsule collection. Known for her fun prints and bright colors, Turk’s collaboration with Banana Republic is the perfect combination of rich girl style with affordable prices. The 60-piece line, which hits stores and their online marketplace on June 7th, won’t have a price tag larger than $185.00!

“We went into our archives, and we probably started with about 30 prints that we felt were iconic Trina Turk prints that had that Palm Springs feeling,” Turk said in an interview with USA Today. “Then it really became an editing process where we worked with the Banana Republic design team to narrow it down to what we feel are the best of the best, which are five prints.”

Trina Turk at Banana Republic June 7

The collection is good for girls of all ages, with skin baring pieces or more covered up designs. And when you tire of your dress, top, skirt,  orshorts, you can turn it into a toss pillow!

I could wear these! And so can you! Trina Turk at Banana Republic

I love the dress - It reminds me of the Trina Turk Paradise Pool fabric

Okay, I will take the first dress and the top from Trina Turk for Banana Republic

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Online Shelter Magazines Are Huge This Month

The top three online shelter magazines, rue, House of Fifty, and Lonny, have all dropped their May issues. And each one put out huge issues with lots of pages and good content. It's really been a treat to spend time looking at them all.

Lots of reading to do this month in the online magazines - I spy Debra Shriver's book Stealing Magnolias in this picture in Lonny - Stealing Magnolias is the best book about New Orleans, to gift or to keep for yourself

Lonny focused on road trip to Morocco, and there is a huge feature on Maryam of the blog My Marrakesh. Her house is amazing. And I love the piece on Jamie Meares too.

Jamie Meares in  Lonny - I love this Jackie print - I had no wall space for it so I got a client to get it!

Of course I was so happy to be included in rue, and House of Fifty, and loved the rest of the content in both magazines.

So happy to be in rue - A corner in my bedroom

There are tons of take-way ideas in all three magazines, so hunker down and read them all.

I have had two sheets of the same handmade paper for two years, as  seen on the back wall in this room by Jamie Meares - The take away idea is how to frame them, shown here floating on linen with a pretty silver frame

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Vintage Living

It's no secret that using vintage home accessories, whether from a flea market, thrift store, boutique, or a fancy place like 1stdibs is ingrained as a part of adding nuance and layering in home decorating.

And fashion on the red carpet is often described as "vintage" when a glamour girl is queried about her beautiful dress.

I wore vintage clothing exclusively for about 10 years of of my younger years, and still pick up a piece or two. Vintage looks good on younger girls, or more advanced girls (as seen on the Advanced Style blog). Somewhere in the middle you have to choose to wear it judiciously. But man I love vintage clothes, shoes, bags, and home furnishings.

The bottom line, is that vintage living has entered the mainstream as part of a lifestyle, so it is no surprise that a new magazine is in the making, called Vintage Living.

Vintage Living - I love how glam it is!

You can become a mogul of sorts and get in as an investor. Check out this link HERE. How fun to be a venture capitalist and part of a start-up for just a couple of bucks, and get in on the ground floor of this very exciting project.

Go to Kickstarter to read more about Vintage Living Magazine

Do you have a favorite vintage piece of clothing or accessory? Piece of furniture or home accessory?
Where did you get it?

An old Polaroid photo of me in one of my favorite vintage coats with matching hat - When I was young I dressed old ha ha

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Decorating With Chanel And Hermes - Sources For My Bedroom In Rue Magazine

Love these photos via La Dolce Vita. What girly-girl doesn't love Chanel and Hermes?

Using Chanel in your decor - photo via La Dolce Vita- go visit to see the whole fab space

Anne Harwell of Annechovie does the best prints of a Chanel perfume bottle that are so cute and affordable.

So cute! Ger it for your house! Anne Harwell at Etsy

And what girl doesn't want an Hermes purse?!!!!

Love how the purses are displayed as decor - photo via La Dolce Vita

Anne also does a fab print of a Kelly bag, and it comes with your choice of background color. I love them all, but I love the one with the Hermes orange background the best!

You can affor4ed this Kelly bag!!! Anne Harwell at Etsy

I got four of them and used them in my revamped bedroom. I framed them in black with white mats (frames from a big box store) to play back to the black trim on the lamps, and the black trim on the accent wall.

Decorating with Hermes as seen in rue magazine - photo by Sara Essex Bradley

I upholstered it in green linen (from fabric.com - they are out of what I use, but I gave you the link for something similar). I purposefully chose black trim on the hotel bedding (from an eBay store), with the oversize black monograms in a font called Tango (done by Uptown Embroidery).

I used extra green linen to make a bed skirt. The upholstered  headboard and  slip covered bench are done in Schumacher Nanjing in Jade Green. The headboard is very affordable from Country Door. I had the double piping removed by the Leonels the upholsterer, The chevron Missoni style rugs come from a big box store, and I put two together to make a larger rug,

The lamps are vintage that I painted to look like alabaster, and the oversize shades came from Lowes.
The nightstands were a close out that I got about six years ago, and have been painted a couple of time.
The color is Benjamin Moore Kelly Green.

The flower ball chandelier is discontinued, but it came from perch. and I am sure they could find you something similar.

It takes a village to make a pretty room, and I thank Anne Harwell and Mitchell Settoon for their help, and rue magazine for including me in the current issue May/June 2012 issue.

Next time I will share some sources in my living room.

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