What Do You Think Of Plants In The House?

I am not one for house plants. I know they can look nice and give refreshing oxygen to the air, but somehow they always remind me of sad doctors' offices, or office building lobbies, or the old look from the 1970s of macrame plant hangers.

Groovy house plants - Two trends! Macrame and terrariums!

Of course, times have changed, and plants have become a more styled layer to a room.

House plants have become a stylish layer again

Simple and modern and sculptural little house plants

Terrariums are back in vogue too  - K?

Are you into terrariums?

Do you keep house plants in your home? If so what kind and where? If not, why not?



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French Quarter Mod

This classic French Quarter house was built in the 1830's. But wait until you see what is behind the stately shutters.

Creole cottage circa 1830 in the French Quarter

It's a totally contemporary decor, done by the owners Leslie and Hal Stokes, who collect modern art and modern furniture. It's on the market now HERE.

And look at what is inside!!! Love the floating steel staircase!

The dining room - I believe the table and chairs are by Mario Villa

Marble floors run throughout the entire home

The open kitchen has everything concealed behind sleek cabinets

Check out the wine storage

The guest bedroom is at street level, and the French doors you see are the ones with the green shutters on the outside of the house

In the guest bath - Stainless steel bathroom fixtures, a walk in shower, and a high mounted toilet make it user friendly

The large master suite is on the second floor

It includes a nice size home office tucked in at the tops of the stairs

The outside space is spectacular, a long deep lot with a lap pool, and an out building for the laundry and storage

The best part is a seven car (!) parking area at the back of the house

Since it's up for sale now, and I am so happy that I got to experience this lovely home and lovely couple when I did the event decor for a fundraiser in their home.

I did a party in the courtyard for the Stokes - Event decor by Valorie Hart

It was a seated dinner for 60 and I decided to use the pool for one very long table. I felt communal dining with family style dining enhanced the mood of a fund raiser.

The pool before I had covered with Plexiglas so I could put a table on it for a dinner party

Steel trusses were installed

Sheets of thick Plexiglas were laid on top of the trusses

It was magical - I added an extra table adjacent to the pool as the guest list got bigger - Event decor by Valorie Hart

Detail of the table setting - Event decor by Valorie Hart

Event decor by Valorie Hart

Event decor by Valorie Hart

I always wanted to publish this house in New Orleans Homes and Lifestyles, but never got around to it. I found this little shot I took when I did the party. I think Sara Essex Bradley might have some scouting shots we did together somewhere, and if I find them, I will post them.  Hal Stokes is Dr. Stokes who is a hand surgeon, so the couple has an amazing collection of hand themed objects.

I snapped this picture of a pair of amazing vintage Italian hand chairs in the home of Leslie and Hal Stokes

Their two cute little doggies are named Digit and Midget.

Is it Digit or Midget? I snapped this photo when I was installing the event decor

Leslie tells me they are onto a fabulous new project, and I wish them well and a speedy sale of their lovely mod French Quarter home.

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What Do You Think Of Using A Wallpaper Panel?

Wallpaper can be costly to buy and have installed. It also can be overwhelming in terms of committing to a whole room, or even just one entire wall. And it's a daunting DIY project.

Yes or No?

So lots of people just use a panel (one or more) as an accent on accent wall kind of vibe. Sometimes it gets framed out with simple molding.

This is interesting - It's very expensive Clarence House wallpaper done on a board without borders, and then used as a leaner

Another leaner, but framed this time

This is a classic way to frame wallpaper panels

Kind of quirky - Using dowel rods, wrap the two short ends of your panel and secure with glue. - Hang using some ribbon

Have you done this with wallpaper? If not what do you think?

Check out this Etsy shop Accentuwall for really cute and affordable peel and stick wallpaper.

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See You Tonight!!!!

Come to Modern Market tonight for a fun party. You can shop after hours, and check out my new book House Proud. I will be signing copies.

From House Proud by Valorie Hart - Large paintings by fellow blogger Nicole Cohen of Sketch 42

It's TONIGHT Y'all Wednesday Nov. 6

See you tonight!!!

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Find Your Place

From Wish Magazine (article by Karen Taylor Gist, photos by David Grunfeld):

"Creating a tasteful setting doesn’t mean rewarming the same old look year after year. Your grandmother’s china might be perfectly at home with trendy flatware, or a handmade-pottery place setting might suit your style better than crystal and silver. Here are fresh takes on the Thanksgiving table from five area designers."

I was honored to be asked to do a table setting for this!

Valorie Hart does a Thanksgiving table setting for Wish Magazine

The table setting is inspired by the hunt. Vintage and modern elements are combined with textures of autumn. Vintage Eva Zeisel plates in the Norleans pattern rest on a halo of turkey feathers. Modern flatware in black is a conversation starter. Hair on hide serves as a “tablecoth”. The “centerpiece” is a metal antler sculpture festooned with a stem of flowering Chinese Lantern. A sprig of rosemary is tucked into the napkin tied with an oversize gift tag used as a place card.

Vintage dinnerware from Caravan Finds at The Shops at 2011; Almoco flatware (comes in black, gold, silver) from Design Within Reach; Metal antler from Perch; Hair on hide from Tandy Leather; Glassware, copper colored candles, napkin, and “Hello” tag from Belladonna.

Go check out the whole article in Wish Magazine.

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Table Top Lust

I am a shameless lover of things used to set a table - plates, linens, flatware, glassware...
So I have had a blast this morning looking at all the goodies Howard Slatkin is selling at One Kings Lane. Run don't walk! ALL proceeds go to charity.

Here are a few of my faves:

Howard Slatkin at One Kings Lane - Set of 8 vintage green plates

Howard Slatkin at One Kings Lane Set of 11 vintage place mats with napkins

Howard Slatkin at One Kings Lane Custom gold-plated 88-piece set of Michael Aram twig-shaped flatware with 18 soup spoons, 18 dessert spoons, 18 knives, 17 salad forks, and 17 dinner forks

Howard Slatkin at One Kings Lane Set of 12 "Brach Knight " J.E. Caldwell dinner plates.

Howard Slatkin at One Kings Lane Pair of gold metal and glass photophores

Howard Slatkin at One Kings Lane Antique Venetian set of six gilt-painted glass plates with six matching bowls - Love the Chinoiserie theme

Self-described anti-minimalist Howard Slatkin has a just-released book, “Fifth Avenue Style,” describing the creative process behind his 16-room New York apartment and his love for detail and luxury. Proceeds from this sale will go to three charities. howardslatkin.com

Happy shopping!!!!

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Howard Slatkin Is Having A Huge Sale!!!

You all know I heart Howard Slatkin HERE and More is More HERE. His new book Fifth Avenue Style is on fire! I hope you all can get it.

He is taking part in a "Tastemaker Tag Sale" at One Kings Lane which runs November 2 through November 5. He's participating in the sale in order to donate all of his proceeds from the sale to charity.

Howard Slatkin at One Kings Lane Nov. 2 -Nov. 5

Howard's sale consists of two parts--approximately 250 design and decor books from his vast collection (he recently conducted an inventory of his books from his different residences and realized that he had many duplicates) and also approximately 250 lots consisting of furniture, linens, tableware, and other objects. His book, Fifth Avenue Style will be featured in the sale, and autographed copies of the book will also be included.

From the bookshelves of Howard Slatkin to yours!!! Photo by Tria Giovan from Fifth Avenue Style

The sale begins on November 2 at 8:00 AM Pacific and runs through November 5 at 8:00 AM Pacific. Like I said, Howard is donating all of his proceeds from the sale to charity. 

I am sure you are going to find that missing, rare, book for your collection, or maybe pick up something pretty for setting your table for the holidays, or some perfect grace note of an accessory for your home, or a gift for a design maven you know. And you'll be doing a good deed too whilst shopping!!!

Howard has edited books from his collections for the sale at One Kings Lane - You might get a book that was in this room on these shelves! Photo by Simon Watson

I am thinking of taking a cue from Howard, and going through all my stuff and holding a sale with the proceeds going to charity. What do you think? Maybe a yard sale, where I could partner with other designers and decorators who have so much stuff that they have collected for themselves or clients that they are not using. I think it would be fabulous!

A couple of the books in the One Kings Lane sale by Howard Slatkin

There are two vintage books on my holy grail wish list - I wonder if Howard has these in his collection!!!

 

So get over to OKL tomorrow and shop Howard Slatkin!

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