Phoebe Howard Home on QVC

Y'all. Phoebe Howard is launching a home line (mostly bedding, I think) on QVC...TODAY. I love QVC and I love Phoebe. I've seen several designers go down this path of bringing lines to TV-shopping, but with the exception of Nate Berkus, I'm not sure anyone has really nailed it. So I have my hopes on Phoebe because that lady has some great taste. She will not lead us astray.

You can pick up the embroidered pillow above and other bedding items starting at 11:00 am EST - if you're home and can turn on the Q,  I'm sure it will be a great show if only to watch Phoebe who is a nice, engaging personality.

Next up on the House Tour is the living room! Enjoy your weekend...see you Monday!

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That Green Lamp

I think lamps are a bit of a design secret weapon. When treated like a thoughtful design element, they can really make a space.

Now, the lamp isn't the only thing making a statement in this bedroom below by Phoebe Howard. The entire space is bananas, but that lamp sure does catch my eye:

Design by Phoebe Howard, Photo by Erica George Dines via Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles

I love how she's used black and green together...that bed! But back to the lamp - I really love it and found this pair on Overstock for a steal of under $200 for both.

And I'm happy to report that a client loved the lamps as much I do so they are going in her bedroom. I've now seen them in person and they are so pretty - the green hue is spot on and the brass detail is a tasty little treat.

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Quilt as Headboard

I l-o-v-e quilts. Love them. Charming, cozy, graphic, geometric, colorful - they can have so many interesting qualities that can really liven up a space. And I'm slightly obsessed with how Phoebe Howard used this quilt as a headboard, really upping the sophistication factor.

Image via mrshowardpersonalshopper.com

They even used the leftover to make coordinating  pillows. That is some smart thinking.

If you found the right quilt - likely a vintage one - you could maybe try your hand at something like this for a bedroom. I especially love the idea of matching twin headboards using different quilts in the same color scheme.

This vintage quilt from Etsy might do the trick for a twin bed:

Or maybe this quilt if you like your quilts soft and monochromatic like the one Phoebe used:

If you are generally in to quilts like I am, check out my latest ideabook on Houzz where I put together some of my favorite colorful quilts out there on the internet:

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Friday Crush

Design by Phoebe Howard, image by Josh Gibson via Good Housekeeping

A current project has me checking out neutral bedrooms and I am loving my discoveries of gorgeous, serene spaces. This spindle bed totally caught my eye and how it plays up a texture in a very monochromatic room. I don't love every single thing in this space (I'd switch up the art and curtains) but I love the concept. Your eyes and brain can rest at the end of the day in this space.

Have a wonderful weekend...see you next week!

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Embracing an Awkward Space

Due to my obsession with Phoebe Howard, I'm always popping in to the Mrs. Howard Personal Shopper blog, which often showcases before and afters of work being done by Phoebe and her associates. A recent post about a nursery caught my eye.

The before (a small office space):

Photos via www.mrshowardpersonalshopper.com

See that window situation? Makes furniture arranging a bit tricky...especially for a crib AND a twin bed. But professionals are real good at figuring this stuff out, like Vaughn Connerty from the Mrs. Howard Atlanta store who gave the client this sweet, beautiful solution:

See how Vaughn just made it work? Windows? Who cares? Vaughn placed the bed in a slightly asymmetrical fashion and loaded up the corner with framed watercolors. It's not perfectly perfect but it totally works. I love everything about this space and its soft sweetness. Note to self: get some pleated lampshades.

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Divine Bar from Phoebe Howard

A divine bar from Phoebe Howard...

Photo by Laurey W. Glenn via Southern Living

This photo mixes so many of my favorite things! Chinoiserie, Phoebe Howard, Southern Living, booze....it's music to my eyes. Let's note some items:

1) The color scheme of aqua + tobacco punctuated by white is gorgeous

2) I always love mixing in a bit of rattan or natural fibers...the ice bucket is a great choice here for color and texture and I love it on the silver tray

3) Note that this bar is a great idea for an impromptu set-up...if you don't have space for a permanent bar, just get yourself a large silver tray and keep it handy for entertaining. Then you can set this up anywhere for your party.

I would like to be a bar stylist if my web design career doesn't work out. I'm obsessed with bar vignettes and how gorgeous they can be...which probably comes from my love of entertaining. And now that we're ramping up the holiday season, I have this urge to throw fancy parties and redecorate the house...and then I come back to reality. A great reality that we're in baby mode, not party mode, but still...I can have the urge.

The article that uses this photo in Southern Living is a good little Q&A with Phoebs and how she goes about stocking the bar...check it out here.

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Cozy Bathroom from Phoebe Howard

I don't post about bathrooms much, likely because they typically don't use a lot of textiles (which are my favorite).  But this bathroom from Phoebe Howard is absolutely delightful!

I love how the wallpaper and wooden vanities give the bathroom a sense of warmth and coziness. And the antique windsor chair is a great addition to the space to make it feel lived-in. The matchstick blinds also help the space come down a notch in elegance. A really nice balance of upscale finishes (hello tile!) and warm, comfortable elements. And the peek into the adjacent bedroom isn't bad either!

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More Pillowed Beds

I can't stop thinking about that bedroom I posted the other day. And it has me really itching to make some changes to our master bedroom. Our bedroom is 75% there, but it never finished coming together and parts of it feel kind of blah.

I found more pictures to fuel my crazy, this time from Phoebe Howard:

 Photos via phoebehoward.net

Phoebe is a genius when it comes to soothing neutrals and soft aquas, grays and creams. Our bedroom isn't quite this light and bright, but I adore the beds with their cozy + elegant look. And again, I'm really drawn to the collection of pillows which is totally new for me.

I'm trying to figure out how to make this happen. Our basement is taking top priority because we're almost done and then of course there's the nursery and I still haven't gotten around to finishing up my home office which is crucial to get done before baby comes.

Hhurrmmphh...#decoratorproblems

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The Joy of Decorating

Y'all know I love Phoebe Howard and I'm not sure what rock I have been living under that I just found out that she has written a book. It's called The Joy of Decorating: Southern Style with Mrs. Howard and I happily placed my order for it on Amazon. Should be arriving tomorrow!

I can't wait to have a lovely book from one of my favorite Southern designers. Phoebe is all class and elegance in her designs but she also knows how to have a good time. And she's real nice.

I have written about Phoebe many times on this blog so click here to see my favorite images of her work and read about the time I met her.

Hope you get this book and enjoy it as much as I know I will!

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Dreamy Lilac Bedroom

Lest I allow a full week to go by without mentioning the current it color lilac/violet/purple/plum/lavender, I give you this completely dreamy bedroom from Phoebe Howard:

Image via phoebehoward.net

This gorgeous bedroom is actually one of the jaw-dropping vignettes at Phoebe's store, Mrs. Howard, in Atlanta. Not sure if they still have it set up, but I saw it in person when I visited two years ago and the space does not disappoint.

Some points:

1) Although the right shade of lavender can be hard to find in coordinating tones for bedding or accessories, you can always paint your walls your favorite shade and then keep the rest of the room white and neutral. 

2) My favorite piece is the wood chest. It creates a beautiful contrast against the pastel lilac and whites of the room.

3) As a piggy-back to yesterday's topic, Phoebe has the bed in the center of the bedroom here. I remember thinking that is was quite a striking arrangement and really liked it in person. What do you think?

Can you tell I really like Phoebe Howard? And lilac/lavender/plum/violet? Recurring themes on this blog...

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Back-to-Back

Via Phoebe Howard

Via La Dolce Vita

Oh, to have a space large enough to create two seating areas back-to-back! And it doesn't hurt that both examples are waterside.

I l-o-v-e Phoebe's take at the top with a palette of greens and whites mixed in with wood tones and natural elements. The little sofa side tables are awesome. Worth noting is how she put a console table between the two sofas - adds some interest and height to the center of the room with the lamp.

The bottom example (sorry, don't know designer/source) is decidedly more modern approach to a watery view. That sofa is likely custom seeing as how it's two-sided and I don't see those very often. The furniture here is not quite my style by I really, really enjoy the crystal chandeliers.

In a large space, do you think splitting it down the middle with a back-to-back arrangement works? Or do you prefer to set up seating in smaller vignettes that leave the center of the room open? You know, if we're talking in hypotheticals?

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Phoebe Howard Coastal Living Kitchen

This kitchen designed by Phoebe Howard is in one word, amazing. I am staring at the wood lower cabinets, thrilled at their chic look against a slightly different-toned wood floor. And all tones popping off thanks to the sea blue subway tile.

Photos by Tria Giovan (I think) via phoebehoward.net

Spectacular, right? I am seeing more and more designers choosing to do one color for top cabinets and a contrasting color for lower cabinets and I have to support this decision. Because it can create a phenomenal result.

More of this beautiful kitchen and home (the Coastal Living 2011 Idea House) can be seen via CoastalLiving.com or Phoebe's site.

What's your favorite part of this cooking room?

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Watery Gourd Lamps

I really, really like these new gourd lamps by Suzanne Kasler for Ballard Designs:

The colors are a perfect collection of watery neutrals:

And the scale of the large version makes a statement:

Is this the perfect lamp? Possibly. I'm quite enamored with it. I think any color would be very at home in a Phoebe Howard interior:

What do you think? Or perhaps you've ordered one? I want one (or seven) real bad.

 

Chocolate Phoebe

Let's start our week by delighting in this fantastic chocolate space by Phoebe Howard:

I love the herringbone decorative treatment in the fireplace, the rug, the Chinoiserie coffee table, the horn-ish garden stool/end table, and the fact that the whole room (including ceiling and moldings) is painted a glossy chocolate brown. Phoebe is so great at making a cohesive room that is so pleasing to the eye - she works with harmony as opposed to discord.

I spotted these images on the Mrs. Howard Personal Shopper blog - they are from Phoebe's room at the 2010 Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Christmas House.

Hope your week is off to a great start!

 

Neutrality

I live a life awash in color. I design with color...my wardrobe is pretty colorful...and my home is, for the most part, a color explosion. And yet, I love to look at beautiful, neutral interiors. I'm not sure I could ever commit to such a monochromatic, soothing palette but it's eye candy to me nonetheless.

Case in point, this home designed by (the amazing) Phoebe Howard. Sophisticated, classic, neutral and stunning:

All images via phoebehoward.net

Your senses can relax in these spaces. Love.

Do you opt for neutrality in your own home?
 

Mrs. Howard in Charlotte

I mentioned Friday that Carter ran a marathon this past weekend. He was outstanding. Came in one minute under his personal best time, on a particularly hilly course in Charlotte, NC.

Now, let's talk about me. I trekked all over kingdom come to catch him at several stops around the route. It was part motivation to cheer him on and part having no clue how far these distances actually were that I walked miles on Saturday. And sometimes the walk turned into a panicked jog as I fretted that I would miss him at a stop.

During a particularly panicked sprint, I was hustling down East Morehead Street, but stopped when I saw this:

Mrs. Howard's Charlotte location. Home to Phoebe Howard's genius. So, though I was in a rush, I paused a moment to pay my respects. Thankfully it was too early and the store was not open or I *may* have ditched my cheerleading duties.

Here are some jaw-droppers posted on the Mrs. Howard blog from their opening last year:

Click here to see more images of the beautiful store...

A Favorite

I never tire of studying this space by Phoebe Howard.

It is one of the rooms in her shop, Mrs. Howard (or at least it used to be, I'm sure they've made some changes to it). But for such a grand space, it's so beautiful and easy to absorb. Phoebe is SO good at working one color family while making a room feel layered and textured.

I prefer small spaces, maybe because I think they are easier to design, but this is my ideal use of a large space. Filled with beautiful pieces and objects that work together and make you feel at home. And, of course, with touches of Chinoiserie throughout.

Bedskirts

I had a thought on bedskirts. I think a lot of people see them as an afterthought, which is a shame. I'm assuming this of others, but I find that many people pick out bedding and bedroom textiles that they love and then pick a bedskirt that will play a supporting role as demurely as possible. They don't really want the bedskirt to be noticed.

And, to be fair, many bedskirts are pretty heinous and can quickly render your gorgeous bedroom ugly. But, I actually prefer bedrooms where bedskirts play a leading role. I subscribe to the school of thought that bedding should be white and pretty simple, so for me, the bedskirt is the perfect place to add some color or pattern.

This picture below is what got me thinking about this. I love the bedskirts in this room by Phoebe Howard. Their deeper tone and fullness draw your eye and make the room for me. If the skirts were blah and toned down, this room would be missing its magic.

Image via www.mrshowardpersonalshopper.com

In our own bedroom, our bed actually doesn't work well with a traditional bedskirt, so I opted for a boxspring cover. But, the idea was the same to use the bottom portion of the bed as an opportunity for pattern. If I did something plain to cover the boxspring, I think this room would lack some pizzazz.



If you like the cover, I wrote instructions on how to make your own - click here. I really like the look and plan to do it again in a guest bedroom.

So, if you are decorating your bedroom, think of the bedskirt as an opportunity! That's my message for the day.

What are your thoughts on bedskirts?