New Book from Phoebe Howard

Great news for lovers of Southern style and fans of interior designer Phoebe Howard: she has completed her first book! The Joy of Decorating will be on store bookshelves Spring 2012.

The book is a culmination of years of work and was put into production during the last year and a half. From the publisher, Stewart, Tabori & Chang, here's the book's summary: "In her first book, Mrs. Howard walks readers step-by-step through some of her favorite projects. She also shares how she and her husband design and decorate inviting and inspiring rooms in their stores. Featured decorating projects include houses and apartments in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, Bermuda, and New York, and address the most common decorating issues and problems she hears from her clients and customers. Co-written with well-known Southern writer Susan Sully, this lush book epitomizes the grace and elegance of Southern interior design."

Many of you are already familiar with Mrs. Howard, but if this is your first encounter with her, here's a little intro. Years ago, Phoebe and husband Jim Howard opened their first store, Mrs. Howard, in Jacksonville, Florida, "hoping to demystify the decorating process for their customers". Their goal was to showcase Jim's architectural and decorating talent, and Phoebe's knack for decorating and merchandising. Five years later, Max & Company was added featuring a younger more modern aesthetic. There are now Mrs. Howard and Max & Company stores in Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, FL, Atlanta, Georgia and Charlotte, North Carolina. Phoebe's style is classic, Southern, clean-lined and pretty. Her designs appear to have accomplished her goal of "demystifying the design process". While my personal design style leans somewhat more heavily on French and English influences with a considerably greater amount of "clutter", I admit that everytime I look at spaces styled by Jim or Phoebe, I feel calm and rested. The spaces always look uncomplicated yet exquisite. Phoebe and Jim have a sixth sense for scale and balance, and I love the balance they forge between keeping rooms both pretty and practical.

Signature Phoebe Howard: clean lines and neutral tones in this Atlanta residence.

Enjoy this pictorial tour of some Howard projects...

Other views of the home featured on the book cover, above and below.

Gorgeous details in this East Hampton home:

Beautiful custom-made slipcovers with self-tie detail.

Ahhh... peace and relaxation, with a touch of patriotism for some pop.

Gorgeous, no?!

Each week on her blog, Mrs. Howard Personal Shopper, Phoebe features before and after photos from recent projects. For a project a few weeks ago, Lindsey Kelley from the Atlanta store, helped these clients furnish their living room, below. The clients already had silk curtains and a rug. Neutral upholstery was used and the colors from the rug were incorporated with lamps and pillows.

Before:

After:

Lovely transformation!

In another before and after series, the cabinets in this kitchen were raised to the ceiling to add visual height to the room. As a "surprise" element , the island was painted navy blue to add another layer of color to the room.

Before:

After:

A remarkable difference!

Phoebe's blog also features a weekly Q&A in which she answers a wide range of questions from the proper height to hang artwork to how to handle family antiques. Each question is answered with beautiful photos to illustrate the concept. The picture, below, was one of several photos used to support her answer to the question of how to incorporate family antiques. Phoebe's answer HERE was, in part, to decorate with pieces you love, antique or not, and to only use an antique that enhances the beauty of the overall space.

These lovelies do the job marvelously!

I am excited to see what Phoebe has in store in the book. It will be $50 and is available for pre-order. Special pricing will be offered for blog readers, and signed copies will also be available. To reserve a copy, email: lkennelly@jmhoward.net. For more Phoebe-style design inspiration, visit their website HERE.

I'll talk to you soon, friends!

-Keri

Glamorous Garage Sales

Glamorous garage sale sounds like an oxymoron, I know. But every time I think of a beautiful garage sale, I think of the tag sale that author, fashion designer and tastemaker Carolyne Roehm held at her Sharon, CT home a few years ago. The "Tag Sale" as it was called was pretty enough to make the pages of Veranda. Many of the items for sale had been featured in Ms. Roehm's book A Passion For Parties. Tables used to hold the lovely wares were painted white and some were set with large bouquets of sunflowers which were also sold at the end of the day.

 

The lovely Carolyne Roehm, herself, arranging sale items. 

 

The tables were arranged with items of like style and color.

Some shoppers brought their pets along, which Carolyne Roehm says gave the day a "festive air".

I remember seeing these glasses in one of her books and loving them. Oh, to have been there!

While most of the things were sold outside, the better and more fragile things were displayed in Ms. Roehm's studio.

Carolyne Roehm's Weatherstone estate is breathtaking based on the pictures in her books. Just being there must have been a fun afternoon in itself. This past summer, she had another sale which she said would not be the "pretty" tag sale "just your classic old fashioned yard sale, with a mix of things from garden hoses to some of my beloved ribbons and silk flowers." But I doubt anything that Carolyne Roehm touches could be anywhere near ordinary.

Photo Hello Magazine

And then there was actress Teri Hatcher's garage sale that she held with her daughter Emerson at their home. The public was invited and charged $50 for entry. Shoppers were served cupcakes and coffee as they browsed among designer items and unworn clothes. Teri raised $20,000 for her efforts, & the money was donated to a selection of local children's and family charities.

These two sales were far from your garden-variety garage sales with faded plastic garden gnomes, discarded toys and dusty paperback books. Like everything Carolyne Roehm does, hers was first rate. And Teri Hatcher's sale was apparently among the stars. This weekend, I'm holding a garage sale of my own and while I won't be serving cupcakes and coffee (or charging $50 for entry, hee hee), or decorating the tables with large bouquets of sunflowers, I think I will take a cue from these luxe sales and do a little "styling" of my own.

A little touch of glamour might go a long way! Enjoy your weekend!

xo - Keri

So Long, Sweet Summer

Ignoring the back-to-school hoorah and the arrival of apple cider, decorative haybales and cornstalks at the supermarket, I have been persistently clinging to every last bit of summer. I'm not ready just yet to trade in my red, white and blue ribboned sandals for Smartwool socks and boots. But there was a distinct chill in the air the other night, and I reluctantly pulled my long sleeves down over my arms and a hoodie up over my little one's ears. Like it or not, Summer is off to visit another part of the world. So before I bid goodbye, here's one more long, wistful glance back over a long, beautiful summer.

Earlier this year, Veranda magazine featured a beautiful English garden in the North Cotswold village of Temple Guiting. It was my favorite garden-tour-by-proxy, so I've decided to visit it again as I turn the page on the season. I hope you enjoy the "tour" too!

The fulfillment of a boyhood dream of owning a house in the Cotswolds, a region of Southwest England known for its beautiful countryside, show-stopping gardens and storybook stone cottages, the property was purchased as a weekend retreat and has on it a centuries-old limestone manor house that has been inhabited since at least the fifteenth century.

By 2002, the manor's 14 acres were wild and the stone walls of the gardens were dilapidated, so the owner hired Jinny Blom to create a series of gardens that would be both user-friendly and true to the property's historical roots.

Jinny Blom is a former therapist and a self-taught gardener who jokes that, "My hobby got out of hand." I always love to see someone whose avocation becomes their vocation. Her style is, in my opinion, magical. Not only that, but she believes in what she calls "bulletproof planting" so that the plantings are not terribly high-maintenance, and the owners can spend more time enjoying the gardens than tending them.

The gardens are a mix of English and French design with loose, cottagey plantings lent formality by a framework of clipped hedges and stone walls and topiary. They are colourful, yet the palette is limited. Simply the best of both worlds!

As summer leaves for another year, I'll definitely miss the fireflies, warm breezes, chirping cicadas and my red, white and blue sandals, but soon I'll warm up to the sights and scents of Fall-- orange and red leaves, pumpkins, pansies and something yummy baking in the oven with the scent of cinnamon & nutmeg wafting through the air, and I'll be loving that too.

So until next year, goodbye sweet Summer.

xo - Keri

Garden design: Jinny Blom     all photos - Veranda

Children's Rooms in High Style

Restoration Hardware Baby and Child 'Belle' crib

For a long time I have envied UK shoppers whose selection of chic, affordably-priced, French-style furniture seems enormous compared to ours here in the US. And while many UK companies sell worldwide, the shipping costs for large items can be quite prohibitive. Well envy no more (or not quite as much) because times are a-changin'! Restoration Hardware's launch of their new Baby and Child line is certainly a step in the right direction. Full of furnishings easily adaptable to French, Belgian and English styles, they are not only easy on the eyes but easy on the pocket book as well. The glamorous 'Belle' upholstered bed, shown below, is only $1299 for Twin size and $1499 for Full.

The 'Belle' upholstered bed is a vision of understated glamour

As a matter of fact, there is something distinctly familiar about this bed. Let's have a look at another angle.

Ah, yes; there it is! It bears a resemblance to Suzanne Rheinstein's bed, below, in all its loveliness, featured in her book At Home.

image via Greige Design

Well, what's not to copy about anything Suzanne Rheinstein has laid her talented hands to?! I found myself checking the available sizes on the Restoration Hardware bed to see if it comes in King. I could just see myself snuggling into it.

Gone are short-lived nursery styles, and in are pieces to grow up with.

The 'French Wing' headboard is perfect for the sophisticated young lady; use it with navy tartans for a distinctly masculine vibe in a boy's room.

Did you notice the vintage-style nursery rhyme prints hanging on the wall?

How many times have I searched for prints like these that didn't cost $200 EACH?!

Reproductions of images found in an antique book of nursery rhymes, printed on tea-stained paper. One for $39. Set of six $199.

So many clever features in this room, from the silhouettes to the miniature Professor's chair.

Of course there's lots more where all of this came from, from bedrooms and bathrooms to playrooms and study spaces. Enjoy shoppping it HERE.

And remember, kiss those sweet little heads when you bid your babies bonne nuit!

xo -Keri