Home for the holidays at Frank Lloyd Wright's

I dragged Read to Frank Lloyd Wright's first home and studio in Oak Park, Illinois. I am so glad I did. He on the other hand, not so much. To see and touch (which was not allowed, Read) the work of a genius that was way before his time was not only inspiring, but I could see today's design in almost every room. 

Incredible and breath-taking for a home built in 1898. We got a private tour of the home by the very knowledgeable docent of the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust. Not because we were important, simply because we missed the scheduled tour times due to Read's expert city driving. 

The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio (1889/1898) served as Wright's private residence and workplace from 1889 to 1909—the first 20 years of his career. Wright used his home as an architectural laboratory, experimenting with design concepts that contain the seeds of his architectural philosophy. Here he raised six children with his first wife, Catherine Tobin.

In 1898 Wright added a studio, described by a fellow-architect as a workplace with "inspiration everywhere." In the Studio, Wright and his associates developed a new American architecture, the Prairie style, and designed 125 structures, including such famous buildings as the Robie House, the Larkin Building and Unity Temple.( Credit to the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust)

Portrait of a genius

Warm and Sunny depiction of rear exterior. Not my photos. In my photo, it is dark, snowy and there are no leaves on the trees. Beautiful regardless.

Front exterior

We loved these carved columns. Wright built this home to start a family. The columns are made up of a stork and a tree of life design to depict fertility. Must have worked, he had 6 kids. 

The stained glass in this entry to his studio (seen right) is made out of 1000 pieces of glass per window. 

The wooden light fixture (yes, I said wood) is hand carved and designed by Wright to illuminate the dining table. His straight back chairs were designed to enclose diners and create a sense of space within a space. 

This is a picture of his studio where his draftsmen would work off the each side at large tables.

This stairwell and hall were built to include the oak tree that Wright didn't want to cut down, so the branches descend into the space. The neighbors thought he was odd. He was "green" before green was in! 

Check out the ceiling and extremely modern pendants in the master bedroom. Oak Park did not yet have electricity, but forward-thinking Wright knew it was coming, so he wired the house for electricity and later added these pendants. 

I think this was one of my favorites. This is the playroom for his 6 children. It has a balcony so the children could practice and perform plays. It also has an grand piano that was built into the wall and suspended over the back staircase. Since they didn't have an upright piano, Wright didn't want to consume space with a large grand.

This is a picture of the studio where the magic happened. Above and surrounding the center of the room is a hanging balcony suspended by chains. It is an early depiction of the cantilever trends we see today. 

I wish I had more pictures of the details, but we were not allowed to take personal photos. Read, of course, kept sneaking off to take some shots with his phone. Typical. Also hard to do since there were only two of us on the tour. My hope was to bring some of it home to you. I hope I have. 

Bye bye birdie,

~H

Credit to: Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust

Art Institute of Chicago

I went to the Art Institute of Chicago and it was amazing...just being able to see these incredible works in person. It's like seeing a very famous celebrity (much admired, which doesn't usually come hand in hand)in real life.  Check out these pictures I took with my oh so handy camera phone (legally). 

"Cow's Skull with Calico Roses" by Georgia O'keeffe, being recreated by an art student. Fascinating to watch.

"American Gothic" by Grant Wood

"Water Lillies" by Claude Monet

       

  "Ballet Dancers" Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 

Claude Monet

                     

"Bordigera", Claude Monet

           

"Poppy Field", Claude Monet

"The Bedroom", by Vincent van Gogh

                        

Self Portrait, Self Portrait

"Madame Roulin Rocking the Cradle", by Van Gogh

                    

"Two Sisters", by Renoir

Now feeling much smarter and very cultured, I am off to explore this wonderful city. Headed to Oak Park to see Frank Lloyd Wright's first home and studio. Stay tuned...


Bye bye birdie...
~H


Credit to: Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago: Inspiration is everywhere

Read and I are in Chicago and it is my first visit. He is here for work and I am here for everything but. 
I have spent the last 24 hours completely alone since Read is off in meetings and Gail and Oprah are in Australia. It has been fabulous. Yes, totally alone, except for my new friends at the Art Institute, the very nice fitting room clerks at Urban Outfitters and the oh so chic fellow shoppers on the Magnificent Mile. 

 Woke up early to buy Joffrey Ballet's Nutcracker tickets. Read can hardly wait. The Joffrey Ballet performs in this amazing auditorium and I just couldn't resist these chandeliers with the Edison bulbs. Beautiful huh?

I am loving these 8' tall foo dogs flanking the entrance to the Peninsula Hotel on Michigan Avenue. They are decorated with a bow the size of me and reminded me of my $12.99 purchase from Homegoods, only slightly larger and heavier.

Ok, this might just be my favorite. Read thinks it is very strange that this is my favorite, but I can see beauty in anything. 

That, or I need some type of intervention. Absolut Vodka sponsors some of the bus stops on South Michigan. Aren't they just the most stylish bus stops you have ever seen? I mean, they make me want to take public transportation everywhere and have a vodka tonic while I wait. 

Which do you like best?

I am liking the lemon trees and Eames chairs. How about you?

Tomorrow, I am off to the Art Institute of Chicago. 

Don't tell Ann, she LOVES the Art Institute and will be jealous. 

Bye bye birdie, 
~H


Credit to: The Chicago Auditorium, Absolut Vodka

Isn't it Hootiful!

Before Hooper left for Chicago she gave me my Christmas present early! Yahoo... I love early gifts! And I really love this one. He looks great in my house! Maybe when Elf on the shelf flies home we'll have owl on the prowl that never leaves! Though he'd be hard to move around every night but anyway...

Thanks Hooper! (Can't wait for you to unwrap your dish rack!)

Bye bye Birdie,

~A

Dear Santa...

I have been very good this year.  Except for when I yelled at my kids (a couple of times), took a store bought cake to the Fall Festival cake walk and told my husband a tiny white lie about the cost of something I bought at auction. It was a teeny one, really.


All that aside, I really want a crock pot and a dish rack. 

Yes, I know, tall orders, very stylish gifts that every girl dreams of.  But, I am going to step out of reality for a sec and send my fantasy wish list all the way up to the North Pole.  Think of it like Oprah's favorite things, only sanctioned by Birds of a Feather (which is clearly just as popular).  While you're at it, just like Oprah, can you grant all of these wishes to our readers too? Just a friendly elf-like suggestion. 


So, if you decide to forgo the crock pot and dish rack, then perhaps you could place a couple more things under my gargantuan tree?


When all of my Christmas gifts magically appear, perhaps I could store them in this lucite trunk? I know, it is not cheap, but this is my fantasy...

This, I could put just about anywhere and it just makes me happy.  

Every girl dreams of a doll house. You remember...Barbie Dream house, complete with Ken and pool? My seven year old found this one and passed it along. What designer doesn't want to play house in a mini replica of a gorgeous mid-century modern. Think less play house, more "architectural model". See it here!

The thing I love about this house is that all of the people are made out of wood. As I explained to my seven year old, they are, therefore, pretend. Which of course, means that they cannot spill red Kool-Aid on the tiny white Eames style sofa. Isn't it fabulous?

In all seriousness, I use my IPhone for everything. Clients get tired of me showing them fabrics, furniture and finds on my tiny IPhone. Having recently discovered the "Mark On Call" app, I could use this new IPad to show off room designs, layouts, floor plans and more! Right there on the job site. Or look up recipes for my new crock pot. 


Santa, don't you want me to be more efficient? You could use one too! I am sure there is a "Naughty and Nice" app.

If not the IPad, why not the Galaxy Tablet by the Droid people? 

Does anyone know which is better? Pros and Cons?  

I like to call myself a "Mac-head" because it makes me sound artsy and cool."Droid-head" just doesn't have the same affect??

The latest book by style icon, Jonathan Adler is being called "part style bible, part decorating guide, and part self-help book". Let's be honest, I could use a little self-help. I feel better already just looking at the cover! 

Order a signed copy here!

Finally, this is a must have. I could wear it in my new bathroom.

It is from Garnet Hill and is a little pricey, but it is 

Eco-friendly cashmere and is described on their site as... 

So stylish you could wear it as a long belted sweater during the day, so exquisitely soft you'll want to snuggle in it all night long. 

Really? I could wake up in it, belt it and off I go? And, I would feel so carefree, I could juggle Christmas ornaments.  

Bye bye birdie, 

~H

Credit to: ElementsofStyleBlog.com, Brinca Dada, Mecox, Apple, Jonathan Adler, Garnet Hill, Samsung

Open House!

Holiday Open House!

Host: Ann Schutte & Hooper Patterson

When: Sunday, December 5, 2010

Where: Ann's House

So,  we sent out Open House Evites to 150 of our closest friends this week... If you are in Wilmington and you didn't get one, you were supposed to but after a few hours trying to master Evite and add to facebook (but not all 300 friends) my A.D.D kicked in and I abandoned the cause.

But anyway... YOU ARE INVITED! We are so excited to showcase the talents of many of our friends...

Jen Griffin makes these beautiful totes and so much more...flower broaches, hair pins, leather earrings... She is a great friend of mine and so talented. She is a photographer and can take a stick and make it look like art! Can't wait to see what she brings to open house!  You can find Jen's shop Remnants on Big Cartel....

 You can also check out her blog Fotojenik (on our blog roll)

 Melissa Tyson Upham is another friend... we went to art school together (oh the stories I could tell...) and she is an amazing jeweler. Jeff- if you are reading this I will be oh so kind and go ahead and purchase everything I want for Christmas.  To save you the trouble because that's just the kind of thoughtful wife I am...

check her out... http://melissatysondesigns.com/store/

(Ring size 6 ...please...)

Shellie Jernigan is a talented soul... her shop is Pillow Happy on Etsy and she is a busy woman! Her pillows are beautiful and in demand! I could fill a room with her fun designs...

Heather Jernigan has Sawgrass Candles on Etsy. She makes these lovely soy wax candles scented with essential oils. They are beautifully packaged and  make great gifts! I love pretty candles, can't wait to see her new scents!

*We will also have Jay loves Lou (Etsy), all natural soaps, Soundside Carpentry Frames, Christmas wreaths, message boards and a great offer from Blue Whale Portraits (blog roll)if you come to our Open House!

It should be a good time!

 Now I'm off to clean my house with a leaf blower! Does that seem weird? 

See ya there!

Bye, bye Birdie,

~A & H

credit to: Fotojenik, Etsy, Melissa Tyson Designs

Christmas is right around the corner

"Elfie" has arrived. With Christmas 25 days away, Santa's helper is perched with a view of my sweet little sugar plums ready to report back to Santa every night on just who has been naughty and who has been nice. 

This morning, I overheard Hutson deep in conversation with our little elf.

"Hi Elvie, it's me, Hutson. I just want you to know that Graham has been very bad this year. She is bossy and mean and pushes me a lot."

With all of the Christmas chaos about to start, I wanted to share some pictures that will warm your heart and bring it all back to a time when things were really simple. Wrightsville Beach Magazine (a great read from our neck of the woods), has inspired me with an old-fashioned Christmas. 

Click here to step back in time and may your days be merry and bright, even if your little elf has nothing but bad things to report.


                          Bye bye birdie,
                                ~H

Credit to: Elf on a Shelf, Wrightsville Beach Magazine

What would I do...

Are you so tired of seeing this furniture... I hope not, because it is AMAZING! Just needs the right family. I have always wanted to do a fun modern space and just have complete freedom to create.... let's just pretend for a moment you gave me that freedom ...what would I do with this furniture?

Here goes....

I would put this dresser and headboard in a guest room in a carriage house for a young couple... In an old carriage house with dormer windows and sloped ceilings and wide, uneven pine wood floors... (are you with me?)

white walls, thick white molding and tons of light...

I would layer the bed with white... texture and lots of pillows....

 Definitely toss in a little zig zag....

Hooper put these in a clients home and I have been loving them ever since.... These would be the bedside tables I would choose...

And I am so sorry to kill the budget with these $600 paper mache artichoke lamps but really... don't you just NEED them?

Because I am mindful of budgets...this would be another great option & $160.  Less sculptural then the other lamp but still pretty cool... In fact I'm starting to like it better... a little cleaner, very pretty shape! If I was Oprah I would give you one! Lamps for all!

Above the bed would hang Target 1974 by Jasper Johns (in honor of my birth year...)  With all that white wouldn't this be perfect?

Of course.... there would have to be some hide underfoot.... Isn't this just the right look for those plank floors? If your guest happens to be a card carrying member of  PETA, you might want to have a backup rug in the closet.... A faux hide perhaps?

Throw a little chair in the corner.....

Put some wooden tops on the dresser (You can never have enough wooden tops!)

and...Voila! You have a rad guest space!

So... if you are that young couple with a guest room in a carraige house with sloped ceilings and pine floors...Give us a buzz and we will mack it out!

May all your design dreams come true...

Bye, bye birdie,

~A

Credit to: West Elm, Shades of Light, BoConcept, Art.com, Overstocks, Premier Prints