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At Home Room of the Week 8.4.09

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Modern Comfort.

Yes, modern can be warm and inviting and can make you want to sink down in a chair, put your feet up and read a good book. (Or your latest issue of At Home, as always).

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One of the comments I often hear about modern design is that it seems cold–which can be an issue of neutrals vs. color.  Look how Little Rock designer Eric Ford made this modern house sing by playing the blues.

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He started with that wonderful backdrop of green out the windows, and played it up with blue upholstery, pillows and accessories.  The base is neutral, but the attention-getting pieces draw your eye with their color.  The pair of modern classic Saarinen chairs and ottomans have been favorites since the 50s, yet the bright blue wool Eric used makes them feel fresh again.

And for a finishing touch:

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More color, thanks to a simple, affordable vase full of flowers, elegantly arranged by Little Rock designer Kevin Green.

Follow-up to Room of the Week 7.21.09

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One of our readers left a comment requesting more information about the home featured in our “Room of the Week 7.21.09” post. We dug up this photo of the waterfront home’s dining room and posted it just for you…

5 Tips for French Antiquing

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Renee Hunt of French Metro Antiques in Fayetteville had a few things to add about our recommended book, French Furniture: From Louis XIII to Art Deco. Renee also shared with us her 5 top tips for French antiques collectors.

Renee says,

It is an indispensable guide for lovers of French antiques. I first discovered the original version of this book published in French and was thrilled to find the English translation for my clients. It is a wonderful overview of all periods of French furniture and makes it very easy to learn to recognize the differences between all those Louis! I would recommend a reader start by distinguishing between Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI since those are styles that continue to dominate interior design. Next, group Directoire, Empire and Louis-Philippe styles since those are straight line, simpler styles that you often see mixed with contemporary interiors.

5 tips when purchasing French antiques

1. Identify the style

… after everything you have learned from Sylvie Chadenet’s book!

2. Identify the wood species

Walnut, oak, cherry, beech, ash and fruitwoods are commonly-used woods in French pieces.

3. Determine the age

The machine age started in the late 19th century. Therefore, cabinetry with smooth, machine-finished panels immediately tells you that it does not predate the year 1880.

4. Look at construction techniques

  Look for dovetails in both the front and backs of the drawers. Usually larger dovetails indicate a piece that is 18th century or older. Wooden pegs, instead of nails, were used in quality pieces all the way through the 20th century. Hand-carved pieces were made through the 1940s.

5. Look for restorations

It is not necessarily a negative to see restorations in a piece as many restorations are more than 100 years old themselves. It is the quality of the restoration that matters. Common places to look for restorations are the feet and the cornice where damaged wood was replaced or finish was restored.

At Home in Arkansas Book Recommendation

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This book

by Sylvie Chadenet comes highly recommended in the antiques world with 750 line drawings and brief descriptive texts of French furniture spanning four centuries. It’s a handy resource for experts like Renee Hunt at French Metro Antiques in Fayetteville (who recommended it to me), but it’s so easy to use that even novices should consider adding it to their reading repertoire.

Beginning with an illustrated glossary of terms (Did you know that a “chiffonniere” is a small, high table on legs and equipped with three drawers? Or that an “encoignure” is a corner cupboard?), it also includes a discussion of the social trends that affected each era of design. If you love French furniture, or just want a fun read for the ensuing weekend, you’ll have a tough time putting this one down.

PS- Have a look at these French furniture cameos on the pages of At Home in Arkansas… très belle!

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Louis XV-style table with marble oval top and curved legs with bronze shoes.

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Louis XVI-style table with marble square top and straight legs.

At Home Room of the Week 7.28.09

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Who knew lavender could be so lovely? Apparently, Little Rock resident Carrie Bell and her designer, Kevin Walsh of Bear-Hill Interiors, did. They painted the living room walls in Carrie and Ray Bell’s new place with Sherwin-Williams Elation, a pale-enough purple that it doesn’t overpower the neutral furnishings.

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Part of why it works so well is that Carrie and Kevin used the color throughout the room–draperies, lamps, accessories and even a painted side table. But they all work as accents, nothing too overpowering. They let this pair of faux-zebra skin benches be the attention grabber.

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Seems that the colors we love in our house work their way into our wardrobe too. Carrie looks lovely in lavender as well.

At Home with Color

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Does your living room need a paint refresher but you’re not sure where to look for an of-the-moment hue? Ever wished there were a comprehensive list of color trends from the designer runways? Curious about what colors are expected to steal the show this fall in home furnishings? Don’t wait another minute and check out Pantone Inc. It’s the world-renowned go-to source for professionals seeking the latest in color and trend information, so it’s bound to give you that boost of confidence you need when it’s time to touch up your home or wardrobe with a fabulous new shade. Plus, the web site is lots of fun to navigate. (Check it out here.)

We rounded up colors from Pantone’s fashion forecast for Fall 2009. And we’re curious: Which ones will you be wearing?

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All images courtesy of Neiman Marcus.

At Home Room of the Week 7.21.09

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Ever wished you could find out a few more details about the rooms you see on our pages?

Maybe some insider tips or the decorating whys, wheres and hows? The behind-the-scenes scoop and reality check?

Wish no more–your personal two-way conversation about those photos is here. I’ll post a favorite room each week and give you all the details, you can ask away with your design questions or add some comments of your own.

This week, my candidate for MOST IMPROVED ROOM:

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Nice, huh? A beautiful lakefront living room (in Eden Isle, on Greers Ferry Lake) by Little Rock designer Cortney Singleton. But here’s what she started with!

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Bye, bye Brady Bunch…hello 2009. She took the room from 1970s drab to current, fresh and family friendly with just a cosmetic makeover. Her tips?

*Paint, lots of white paint, on the paneling, trim and molding. She kept the ceiling beam dark for contrast, and as an eye-catching place for that great chandelier

*Curtains, white linen for a crisp beachy look

*Slipcovered furniture in a tea-stained color, so it would contrast with the walls and show dirt a little less than plain white

*Striped carpet, my favorite Dash & Albert line (it’s from Cobblestone & Vine, as are the furnishings). Those bold stripes wake up any room, and they’re pretty good at hiding dirt too

I can imagine a balmy July day spent lounging on that sofa, flipping through the pages of a favorite magazine (At Home of course, or maybe Coastal Living with that lakeside setting), then heading through the doors to enjoy a Greers Ferry sunset.

Fayetteville artists preview their latest work

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Stop by the I.O. Metro store in Fayetteville on Thursday for a chance to meet some talented local artists. The store is featuring their work and highlighting some of the latest trends for showcasing art in your own home.

It’s this Thursday, July 16th, from 6 -9 p.m., at 108 E. Joyce Blvd. in Fayetteville.

Check out some of the stunning pottery from ceramic artist Winston Taylor.

Kudos to a Little Rock designer from our CEO, Dan McCarthy

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Dan McCarthy, the chairman and CEO of our parent company, Network Communications, Inc. (NCI), based in Lawrenceville, GA, blogs about the housing market AND is a forerunner in social media networking.  This week, while he was researching how the design community is using social media, he discovered one very up-to-date Little Rock designer, and gave her a shout out.  His post follows–

ViralHousingFix http://www.viralhousingfix.com/
Tracking ideas and innovation in media serving the local market

A Little Rock designer gets it: Social media is a lively conversation

I’m heading up to Boston this week to see our staff at New England Home and to do a presentation at a networking event about how the design community can use social media to help grow their businesses.

Pulling the presentation together has been fun and has given me an excuse to spend time browsing Facebook, Twitter and the web at large to see what some high-end design professionals are doing.

High-end design is so intensely visual and satisfying on one hand, and so much about the intersection of aesthetic and personality on the other. Designers have been using the web for a while as a useful place to present their portfolios, but very few are able to communicate the breadth of their vision and their personality through their static marketing sites.

Social media can give them the tools, the venue and the opportunity to share their personal vision in a more intimate way with a larger group of people.

In looking around for examples of design professionals who are using social media to these ends, I stumbled across Tobi Fairley, a designer in Little Rock, AR. (We publish At Home in Arkansas, based out of Little Rock. It’s also the town where my grandfather grew up and a place I really enjoy visiting.)

Fairley is doing an terrific job using social media to give us a look into what she is seeing, what she likes and what she’s doing. A prospective client who has interacted with Fairley across the multiple platforms she uses is going to have a good sense of who she is and how she works. This is the kind of connection that can create confidence in hiring someone for an expensive, personal service.

Take a look at Fairley’s body of social media work.

Her blog: http://tobifairley.com/blog/.

Her Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/tobifairley.

Her Tumblr feed: http://tobifairley.tumblr.com/.

You can also find her on Facebook. It’s a good social media footprint that she’s tending very well and is sure to help grow her business.

Symphony Designer House Duet now open

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As the official media sponsor of Symphony Designer House Duet, we are excited to announce that the houses are now complete and ready to tour. The houses will be open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., and Sunday 1 to 4 p.m., through May 17. They will be closed on Mondays, and no childern under 10 will be admitted.  

For ticket information and directions, call the hotline at 501-688-3000. The houses are located in the Hickory Grove Subdivision, #21 and #23 LaScala Court, Little Rock. 

This Thursday, April 23rd, from 12-3 p.m., the At Home in Arkansas staff will be your tour guides!  We hope to see you there.

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At Home in Arkansas offers you a look inside the state's most inspiring homes. The magazine features monthly advice from the experts to help you plan your next remodel or redesign, entertain at home, or find Arkansas's best kept secrets. It is your definitive guide to the state's finest homes and gardens, design professionals, fashion and entertaining essentials, and premier shops and showrooms.

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