A Treasure Trove

Ann and I went to Raleigh on a recent trip to work on a little boy's room (more on that later). She was painting a very killer bullseye (no pun intended) on his wall, and was about to run out of paint. While I was out shopping buying more paint, I came across this amazing shop, very near the the hardware store and just had to venture in. Studio 123 at Seaboard Ave. in Raleigh is now one of my favorite places. They have all kinds of vintage and new furniture, art and accessories. Check it out (and don't tell Ann), I was buying paint. 

 Ok, could do an entire room around these. 

 Anywhere, they would go anywhere. 

 Love him and the color!

 Divine. Brass is back AND with lucite. Two of my favorite things. 

 This is one of those shots like the "I Spy" book where you can select 10 things on a page (that you love). Start with the vintage screen, the bamboo table, the credenza... How cool would the screen be as a headboard. Might just have to go back... 

Ah ha! A brutalist piece. Remember our find from the brutalist era? See here. The wood on this piece was in better condition. Don't you just love it AS IS? 

I mean, how could you NOT go in? I love the Dwell Studio wing back, the orange ming side table and the iron/brass bar cart. Next time you run out for a quick errand, stop by. It will be worth it and take Ann with you because I will be hearing about this tomorrow.
Bye bye birdie,
~H

123 Seaboard Ave., Raleigh, NC 27604 ·  Get Directions
Phone	1 919.600.8051
Website	http://twitter.com/#!/SBStudio123
Hours	Mon - Sat: 10:00 am - 5:30 pm

And the winner is...

Us because we are going to London! Oh no is that rubbing it in? Sorry...

The winner of our giveaway is...

Eddie Ross!

We LOVE Eddie and Jaithan. If you are not checking out all that Eddie is doing you should be. Follow him here. You can pretty much find him anywhere... he has a column in Southern Living and Woman's Day. He has worked for Martha Stewart, House Beautiful and has tons of big name clients.

He even used to travel around the country checking out flea markets for work. Puh- lease!

(we hope you are this excited when you get your cowhide cuff in the mail)

Dear Eddie- We love you (and Jaithan too) We want to be you when we grow up. We want you to come visit us and we will take you to our secret murder junk shop.  We call it that because we never know if we'll come out alive but if we do, we know we'll have something good. Worth the risk. Anyway, congrats on winning the hide cuff that cute Jen made. We hope you love it.

Bye, bye Birdie,

~A&H

London... and a giveaway...

Hi ho hi ho , across the pond we go. So.... we can't wait any longer, we have been dying to tell you. Tickets are purchased and it's official.... We are off to London!

We have been working with an amazing client on her mountain house. But, she lives in London. We are going to see her and go with her to.... (wait for it) THE LARGEST ANTIQUE FAIR IN EUROPE! Have we died? Is this heaven?

What if we run into Wills and Kate? (er um excuse me, Katherine) What would we say?

Not to worry, we have been practicing our expressions a bit...

Bloody- a great swear word HOWEVER it sound's silly to the Brit's when Americans use it. So as much as we'd like to drop the B bomb, we will refrain.

Jolly- means very. Jolly good= very good

Ace, Brill- means cool... We like brill. (though kids mostly say it) Hoping it will come to the states!

Arse- you know...

Give us a bell- means call me though I wouldn't give you a bell, I would ring you.

Anyway, we are jolly excited and can't wait to go (the end of this month) and show you lots of pics!!!

And onto the Giveaway... oh bless your heart (southern expression- sounds funny when the Brit's and people from the north use it)... Did you think London was the giveaway? It's not but you have one more day to win this...

cowhide cuff from cute Jen!

To enter:

Visit Jen at Fotojenik and tell us you did for one chance

leave a comment on any post we've written in October or November for another chance

Become a follower for a chance

Winner will be announced tomorrow!!!

Good luck and Cheerio!

(Bye, bye Birdie)

~A&H

Very Bold and Ballsy

My good friend and client called recently in a panic:
Client: Hooper, help!
Me: What's wrong?
Client: I've ruined my living room!
Me: What exactly did you do?
Client: I painted the entire room, trim, walls, fireplace... Farrow and Ball's "Hague Blue". 
Me: Awesome! I can't wait to come up. Don't panic, it sounds fabulous. She sent me this picture.

I couldn't get to Raleigh fast enough for this so called, design emergency. One, I adore "Hague Blue" and two, anyone willing to do this is ballsy (to say the least). I love a client who is willing  to take risks! 

Needless to say, when I arrived at her doorstep. I was drooling over her "design emergency". Not only was it Hague Blue, it was... wait for it... LACQUERED. I'm talking high shine, gloss, light bouncing off of everything LACQUERED. I would lacquer my children if I could. What do you think? Let me tell you how we got here...

We kept her coral chair in the corner (sentimental and gorgeous). 

 Hung this baby over her antique chest and added a crystal column lamp. 

 Accessorized the built-ins with white and color that pops against the dark blue walls. It also lightened up the space.

 Took a fab brass chandelier out of her attic... and found an antique gold/glass coffee table for steal...Rummage sale... 
$15 bucks.

We kept this Jean Harlow portrait over the mantle. What screams Hollywood glam more than a Hollywood starlet? We added some antique candlesticks and family heirlooms. 

 Peach (in a good way). Not 80's peach, vintage peach. 

 Threw in some amazing pillows and one very cute little girl...

 Killer artwork from client's eclectic and wonderful collection...

 What do you think? The art on walls pops against the Hague Blue.

 The sisal rug and velvet bench add texture. 

 Notice the cornice and beautiful drapes. I found the fabric on Matters of Style Marketplace and instantly fell in love. Look at the detail and the unexpected color.

Look at all of the reflection and light in a very dark painted room. It is lush and cozy and right up my alley. 

Thank you dear client for taking a very bold step most would be too afraid to take. I love the result!
bye bye birdie...
~H

Giveaway!!!!!

I am so excited about this giveaway! Cute Jen from Fotojenik made me these cuffs for the fall. They  are my all time fave accessory. I wear one or the other EVERY DAY! (can you say one trick pony?)

Anyway... Cute Jen made one for you! We asked which one you wanted and you said.... drum roll please.... The cowhide!

Soooo.... you might just be the proud owner of the coolest cuff ever by next Friday....

To Enter:

Leave a comment on any of our post written in October or November between now and 11.10.11 for 1 chance

Become a follower for another chance

Check out Jen's blog Fotojenik and tell us you did for another chance

The winner will be announced 11.11.11 (next Friday!)

Have a great weekend and Good Luck!

Bye, bye Birdie,

~A & H

I spy with my little eye....

Something red! Guess what we saw at market...red! Hooper didn't, she blocked it out. She hates red. I however, don't mind it (in little doses of course). I knew it was time- It's been trying to sneak it's way back in. I know you enjoy that I am a bit of a geek so I will indulge you. This is why red is coming back:

We have seen blues, aqua's and over the past few years, the aqua's have turned to teals. Soooo... guess what is right across from teal on the color wheel? RED!!! ( Be patient with me, I'm trying to put my 4 years of art school to use... thank you Mom and Dad for letting me go...)

Red is naturally a good combo with teal. Strong, but good...

Here it is with a lighter blue...

Red and chocolate are great together as well with a little bit of teal in the fabric. Are you ever tired of seeing that fabric? Me neither....

Red is considered a restless color. I think I could sleep here. Let's be honest, I think I could sleep anywhere these days.

How fun is this from CB2. If you are scared of red, try it in small doses. I love this stool!!!!

How bout you? Think you could add a little red back in your life? I'm not talking a 1990's red dining room. Just a pillow here or there...

Bye by birdie,

~A

Happy Halloween! 

I'm loving this pumpkin with nail heads. My sweet client's mother made it for her and it is the perfect addition to her front stoop. 

Months ago, her bedroom looked like this.... a little scarey

Now... What a transformation! 

 The vaulted ceiling called for something dramatic, so I designed a 6' tall upholstered headboard. 

I love the fabric and the nail head detail...

 I added drapes to soften the window, changed the paint...

 And brought in beautiful Noir dressers. One for her and one for him...

 I love the finishes and the modern shapes. 

 Her grandfather made this sweet rocker, so we brought it in to mix the old with the new. 

 Another cool twist on a traditional dresser. 

 Added some accessories and family photos...

 Threw in some colored lamps from Pier One -- love the color and texture!

 Bright pillows from ZGallerie...

And re-matted a series of shell pencil sketches for the walls.

My client fell in love with this tufted chair so we turned this corner into a reading nook. 

What do you think? Quite the make over. I love a Halloween transformation! Have a wonderful, safe Halloween!

Bye bye birdie,

~A&H