Professional Photos Make a World of Difference:)

It feels like Christmas this week, with two projects shot by professional photographers. Today I am sharing the photographic work of Jennifer Kesler, who shot a condo I designed one year ago.  The property is now under contract, so we got in to style and shoot just in the nick of time;)

I already did a post on this READ HERE (with my bad pics), so I will not bore you with the details... I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I do.  The quality of light is superb.  She has talent!

Thank you Jessica and Sandy, for letting us in one last time.  And a huge heartfelt thanks to Jenn. You are amazing!

Room by Room-Transforming a Home

I have a wonderful client, who has not only passed my name around to everyone on her street, but she keeps coming back for more, time and time again.  We work on one room at a time, with 3-6 month intervals between projects.  It's always a happy day when Judy calls again:)

We started with her family room, then did the master bedroom and bathroom, some kitchen accessorizing, the guest room, and the basement for her teenagers.

Her taste is traditional Southern.  She loves florals, antiques, and color. Her buzz words are "cozy" and "family friendly". She does not enjoy spaces that look like a decorator just took over. 

Here is the FAMILY ROOM I helped her with two years ago:

Here are the BEFORE pics below:

The CHALLENGE:  a small room, with LOTS of BIG chairs, and three of them, plus the sofa and the media center had to stay.  The Oriental rug with blues and camels also had to stay. No lighting, or tables for lamps.

The SOLUTION: Paint the blue walls a classic neutral. Huntington Beige by Benjamin Moore.

 It had just enough green in to make the green velvet swivel chairs (which we could not reupholster) work with the rug.

The custom tufted ottoman in tweed helped to marry the colors, and accent the blue in the rug.  Custom pillows on the newly covered couch pull in more of the blues and greens.

Since the large espresso leather chair and ottoman had to stay, and I could not change the layout, I opted to keep the fireplace ebony stained.  I highlighted the mantle with an antique French gate with a "B" for their last name. New brass library sconces, a pine console with matching antique lamps, burlap drapes and a tree for texture, and black and white portraits add a modern touch.

In the KITCHEN we added a huge botanical, and some new red and white striped cushions...

Next, on to the MASTER BEDROOM.  I cannot find my before photos, but to get the picture, there were large, dark mahogany pieces, vanilla walls, and a round particleboard table without a skirt....and piles of books and pictures.

We warmed it up with new paint, a custom headboard, blue floral bedding, art, custom painted furniture, linen drapes, lighting and a repurposed chair.

Pottery Barn bedding above. 

 A favorite reading corner.

 A view from the dressing mirror.

 Antique lamp and linen headboard detail.

 Stripes and dots for a new look on an old chair.

 Smocked linen shade and antique architectural fragment.

The most recent transformation happened in the GUEST ROOM.  Unfortunately, I often forget to get before pictures, since I get so wrapped up in the project.  This was a radical change.  The room was a holding ground for several large pieces of pine furniture, and dozens of vintage dolls in glass cases.  The color scheme was coral, vanilla and grass green floral and gingham bedding.  I am sure it was all very nice in the 80's, but a little update was needed...

 We stuck to the budget, and saved on great pieces like the blue headboard, embroidered drapes and a painted lamp at Tuesday Morning. 

We kept some of the antique pine pieces for warmth and character.  The needlepoint is a family heirloom.

 Newly upholstered antique wing chair and pillow from Target. 

 A gift to Judy from me; a vintage Audubon egret. 

The electrified gas lantern came from my antique booth.

The next job will be to tackle the stairs with paint, a new runner and art.  I will keep you posted on progress:) Thank you so much for following.  Have a great day!

Good Things

Isn't that Martha's line? It was a good day. I completed the design plan for a darling new client.  This has been one of the most fun projects ever.  She fell in love with this image I showed her on Pinterest, and so I ran with it.

Tomorrow morning is the presentation.

Here's a sneak peek....

Love a girl who's girly, yet gutsy enough to want a lavender velvet sofa.  Hoping she loves The Plan.

Speaking of Pinterest, my daughter likes to text me recipes.  I rarely follow a recipe, but thought it would be fun to do something special for her, since the boys were out at Monster Jam. Here is one of her latest suggestions...

Spaghettini with Spinach, Garlic and Lemon
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
1 lb spaghettini, angel hair or spaghetti pasta

6 tablespoons olive oil
8 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
zest of one lemon
juice of one lemon
10 oz bag of baby spinach
salt and pepper to taste

Method
In a skillet heat, 6 tablespoons olive oil over medium low heat. Add garlic and cook for 10 to 12 minutes to gently cook the garlic.  Add lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

SO EASY! I didn't have any lemons, but it was good anyway.  I also added pine nuts at the end, and fresh Parmigiano.

After dinner we went to the movies to see that new Julianne Hough movie. It was sold out, so we opted for The Silver Linings Playbook, and I'd say we lucked out.

WE LOVED IT! Great love story, acting, directing, and the actor looks EXACTLY like my little brother. See...

The best news of the day came from Lauren, who shot our house for Cottage Journal, which will be out next Christmas. She told me they want 20 images for the spread!  Fantastic news!!!  Thank you, thank you Lauren!

The only problem is, I'm sick of our house already.  Bianca thought I was nuts to say so, since we just finished the updating a few months ago.  On second thought, she agreed, " Well, I guess it's like wearing the same outfit every day." She's always been good with words.

PRECISAMENTE-

A New Look for The Tomlin Group CPA Firm

Tax season is upon us. And, yes, I have a bookkeeper's nightmare to try and make sense of on my hands. But instead, I have been busily helping a local CPA firm revamp it's look in time for the rush.

We started with very formal, dark furniture, damask silks, and Oriental rugs....BEFORE PICS:

  A big move to gorgeous new office suites meant carte blanche on new flooring, paint, and carpet, but almost ALL of the furniture had to stay. And it was my job to give them a fresh new look. Their only requests? Keep it elegant and don't make it look like an antique store.  I proposed an updated version of Ralph Lauren, and the rest is history.

We kept the old camel back sofa, recovered the wing chair, and brought in new accessories in brown, stone, and a blue-green palate for the reception area. The charcoal wood floors were risky, but really updated the space, and clients of the firm always comment on how great they look. :))

Greek key detail on the newly recovered wing back.

Velvet and tweed pillows by Sudi from Scott Antique Market. Original "Breakaway" painting by Atlanta artist Lynn Raney.

Restoration Hardware console on the other side.

Antique lamps from Scott's.

In the conference room, we repurposed the client's chairs from home with a new herringbone pouf from Target and brass lamp from Restoration Hardware.

The Chippendale chairs get new life in menswear fabric. The carpet is actually the blue-green of the stripe.

One more look, and a list of sources:

Original Oil Painting- Lynne Raney
Tripod lamp- Kemp Hickey at Scott's Antique Market
Tangier Rug by Martha Stewart-Home Decorators
Metal backed chair- Restoration Hardware
Mirrored Coffee Table- West Elm
Metal antique lamps- Scott's Antique Market
Tweed Pouf- Target
Large glass bottles-Target
Custom pillows- Sudi at Scott's Antique Market
Diamond Tweed on wing back- Boca Bargoons
Green Distressed Table- Queen of Hearts
Lamp on table-Home Goods


Good luck on your taxes :) If you are in a bind, The Tomlin Group is an Atlanta institution. They would be happy to hear from you.

BUONANOTTE