the adorable serial redecorator- amanda nisbet

this weekend i made an attempt to start cleaning my office of all of my "organized clutter"...i started w/ the best section, my magazine tear outs. i place all of my ripped pages in a manila folder to later be filed away in my inspiration binders. it was this huge pile where i ran across amanda nisbet, the actress turned self-trained new york decorator. i was so intrigued by the picture that i immediately got on my computer and googled her to see what her design looks like. amanda's design is anything from bland and is definitely not your typical calming "white" room. her general rules in design are making each home have a assuring color palette, choosing bold fabrics (she loves reverse toiles), and having big, comfortable upholstery mixed w/ crystal lamps or lucite tables. i found her interiors to be fun, daring, and as far from "white" as you can possibly be! amanda was most recently featured in O Home where she used some magnificent lucite bar stools and an awesome coral pink paint color against chocolate brown shelving...check out her website to see pics!

once i started googling, my office cleaning ceased and i am surrounded by torn magazine pages w/ no home and no attempt to be organized....what can i say, i get easily distracted!

reason # 437 of why i love jay jeffers...

FEARLESS...the man is not afraid! and for this, i confession my love (i don't think my husband will have a problem w/ me having a designer crush...i'm sure jay isn't into people like me!) i mean, that man can turn a room into a freakin' showcase in a sec. and his powerful design is just so daring yet sophisticated and never once would i describe his rooms as "understated". why don't these clients exist in c'town. not here, they are soooooooooooo traditional...people its okay to not have every room in your house how your great grandmother intended!

pink is my favorite color

i have a problem...i am obsessed by the color pink. i don't know exactly when this happened. i feel like when i was a little girl my favorite color was purple...isn't this when your love for pink is suppose to develop? well, mine hit probably right after i got married. i noticed all of my clothing was pink...a turtleneck (wow, that sounded so conservative), a patagonia jacket, a pair of pink cords, pink high heels, pink bum around pants, pink dresses...my husband started banning me from buying anything that was pink...he would say "one day you are going to hate this color and you will be looking in your closet and be so sad b/c that's all you own." i think that made me want the color even more (you know when someone tells you not to do something, it makes you crave it even more)...so i started my own company and what do i do? i have my logo designed...pink and chocolate brown...business cards, letterhead, and envelopes. next, i get pregnant and what do i find out- its a girl...so naturally, i fill the room w/ pink! i can't help it. finally, i start a blog...what's the name PINK wallpaper. so i confess...my name is shannon and i have a problem. i want to live in a sea of pink. just when i thought i could move on from this color, i found myself telling my husband last night "i think i want to paint my desk pink"...he rolled his eyes and said you have got to be kidding me......

no, don't worry this isn't turning into a baby blog!

i promise for all of you anti-baby peps, i am not turning this into a baby blog but i couldn't resist sharing these beautiful pieces. i was excited about the comments that people left about the love/hate relationship with PB and thought it would be fun to share some things that in my book would not be found in a mass produced catalog...so here are some amazing "anti- PB" pieces. and as many people stated, its not the pieces that you put in the room that make the space but rather the creative process that you go through to make it your own!

the amazing lunar library is from growmodern and is something i want for my family room! i love the lattice inspired detail. dad & warren- can y'all make this for me?! the beautiful baby book is also found at growmodern...i wish i had gotten one of these for tay but instead i am the terrible mother who didn't record anything since she has been born...don't hate me for this. i have always adored this ducduc merino wool blanket...something about the massive letter just makes me smile! it's like BAM- i'm a girl. and lastly, i love the celery cribs...i think this is way too modern for PB to knock off....so if you are looking for a "different" piece for your nursery this could be it. i also think its quite clever that it has a chalkboard panel on the sides...much better then your kiddo writing on the wall.....gotta go, my baby just did a super flip and is half way hanging off of her bouncy seat..................

my love/hate relationship

i have to say to was a little POed when i opened the new pottery barn kids catalog. there on the glossy pages in front of me was an oval crib just like my daughter's....one that i searched long and hard for, going to another state to b.braithwaite in order to order a "unique" crib. i love my stokke crib and the unusual shape and the fact that only two companies offered oval sheets. i wanted to be slightly different, on the cutting edge b/c after all i am a designer and people expect things. pottery barn is a massive design source for the general public and a leader in design trends. it's even a style that my clients describe themselves as wanting..."the pottery barn look". i continued to flip through the magazine when i arrived to a giraffe propped against the wall...another sigh of disappointment. my husband and i spent hours painting this giraffe (we rented an overhead projector, i had the giraffe bodice printed onto clear projection paper, and we sat there at night and traced and painted it onto the wall). now there is a wooden cut out available... finally, i arrived to the fabric page, there sat all of my designer Hable fabrics now available on upholstery offered through pottery barn. i cannot compete with pottery barn prices and Hable fabric is in the upper $100 a yard w/ a minimum order of 3 yds. huge sigh....

so you are probably wondering what the "love" part is in my relationship w/ pb after all of the hates i just listed....well, i think it is a great source of ideas and they do a really good job of creating a look that appeals to the general public and designers alike. they just make my job a little harder at times when they pounce of something that is usually offered "to the trade" only. but that is my job, to be on the cutting edge and constantly searching for the latest and greatest...

atlanta homes and lifesyles

we spent new years in atlanta (football game...not my number one choice of ways to bring in the year but it was fun none the less). in our hotel there was a magazine of atlanta homes which somehow happened to make its way home w/ me (i justified it by thinking of it as if it were the toiletries they offer in the bathroom...just another friendly jester to welcome you). it's a very good magazine. i especially loved this one house which was featured in an article titled "the un-white house". the architecture was amazing. it was a contemporary house built in a traditional bungalow neighborhood. the architect used angular walls and windows that really make the house stand out. it has loads of light pouring into the house and the kitchen is beautiful. i love the limestone ann stacks tile they used in the backsplash, very modern- sleek and sophisticated. i was also pleased to find that the magazine had a great website. (i can now access the mag even if i am not staying in an atl hotel!)

welcoming 2008

i am so sorry that i have been away for so long (although it was kind of nice)! today starts back my "normal routine"...no more traveling, no more fatty eating, no more husband at home to enjoy the day with. it's sad that it's over but we had an amazing holiday. i cannot tell you how wonderful it is to have a sweet baby to share in the joy of Christmas. it made everything so much better...even though she is too young to know what is going on and she enjoyed the wrapping paper far more then any presents!

now it's time to face reality and start fresh in 2008. i didn't make any specific resolutions- although i did think of some general things i would like to do in 2008. i really just want to make this year happy, healthy, and as much as possible- stress free! so i an attempt to get things going right, i started my day off with The Firm- totally kicked my butt and i am sure that i looked hysterical doing it. my dog was very confused; he wanted to lick the resistance band and sit on my yoga pad w/ me. i am glad i did this in the privacy of my own home and that my husband is at work b/c he would totally be laughing at me! i am also going to try and read more (mom, doesn't this make you proud) and watch less tv. right now i am reading An Affair With a House (well its actually more of a design/coffee table book but it still counts). now that tax season is approaching, i want to be better at my books for 2008. i need to enlist someone to help me organize(any volunteers :)) . and lastly, i want to TRY and be less messy. i told my husband last night, that it's just really hard for me. but i was reading Shape mag and they suggest that a clean house makes for a happier person....i'll let you know how i do! Happy 2008...design post will begin again next week.