M Designs

As you know, I went to the Round Top Antiques Fair last week. My friend Linda Burnside, with LGB Interiors came all the way from Columbia, SC and was my partner in crime. I don’t even know where to begin. We saw it ALL! There were so many vendors, and fabulous treasures – I’m almost speechless!

We were on a mission to find the perfect accessories and furniture for several clients, and our mission was accomplished!

We purchased a beautiful oriental rug; some wonderful antique leather bound books, and an antique Spanish bowl, just to name a few things.

And of course, I had to make a personal purchase, which was a beautiful hand embroidered denim shirt. I couldn’t leave without it!

I’ve attached several pictures of interesting products that we saw while we were there. The last picture is of my car – yes, we managed to fit everything in!

I’m already planning my next trip. If you love antiques, you should plan a trip and go sometime as well!

Today I will load up my car and head south to the smallest incorporated town in Texas….Round Top, population 81!  Salute!  Round Top is home to one of my favorite places to shop for antiques; the Round Top Antiques Fair.  This fair began 43 years ago, and is going stronger every year with more exhibitors and certainly higher attendance.

At Round Top, you can find everything from furniture, to dishes, quilts to light fixtures, and everything in between.  Many vendors are known for their ability to find eclectic, one of a kind items that you wouldn’t normally be able to find on your own.  The exhibitors search all over the world for the highest quality antiques to display to their repeat and new clientele.  Rest assured, even if you are a faithful Round Top attendee, you will always find something new at the fair.  (What is that saying….everything old is new again?)

The exhibitors are set up in four different venues, creating a quaint “fair like” atmosphere, but the quality of their products is anything but “fair like”.

The Carmine Dance Hall is heaven on earth if you adore gorgeous antique glass, crystal, silver, linens, and my favorite….china.

I especially love the display in the Continental Tent.  Exhibitors in this location offer high quality products from England, France, Spain, Italy, and other European countries.  You can find items ranging in style from country to formal, small or large, inexpensive or pricey.

I have been to Round Top many times, and wouldn’t dream of missing it this year.  If you love antiques like I do, this is a must attend event!  If you are just an antique “browser” or an aficionado, there is something at Round Top for you.

I haven’t posted this week because I am in the midst of a whirlwind…literally. We have changed our accounting system and are slogging through the details of learning an entirely new system. We have also been working with an out of town client on an exciting new project and have been focused deeply on getting the first phase complete before the client leaves town this week. WHEW..

Remember how everyone tells you to stop and smell the roses? Yeah right. Not in my world. But tonight I had a “moment” and now I have a much better understanding of what that means. I asked my son to take out the trash and recycling when we got home this evening and while I was preparing dinner, I looked out the window to see him dawdling in the front yard. I was distracted at that moment and didn’t knock loudly on the glass like I normally would, urging him along in his least favorite task.
About 5 minutes later he came inside and handed me this…..no words, just a sweet grin and a look of pride in his eyes.

My sweet boy took a moment to smell the roses and use the talent he was born with…imagination and an artist’s eye. This is his sculpture, created from a holly leaf from the neighbor’s yard and yaupon berries from a tree in our yard. Notice how the larger berries are on the larger projections on the leaf and they get smaller as you get to the bottom of the leaf.

I loved my gift, and more importantly I stopped and took the time to talk to him about his creation, how special it made me feel and how amazing his “eye” is in creating art.

Stop and smell the roses!! I hope you all find time to experience the beauty I did today.

When clients consider redecorating or working on an entirely new home design, they seldom consider lighting at the beginning of the project.  It is however, something that should be considered early on.

An effective lighting plan will have a dramatic effect on the space, but the lighting also needs to serve different purposes, depending on the room.

There are three basic types of lighting.  A well lit space should include elements of all three types of lighting:

• Task Lighting – used for things such as reading, sewing, or working on the computer
• Ambient or General Lighting – used to illuminate the room.  This can be accomplished with various table and floor lamps, strategically placed to give you adequate light to see and move safely throughout your home.
• Accent Lighting – used to add drama and create interest in a room.  Recessed lighting, wall sconces or track lights are perfect to spot light items such as furniture, paintings or various artwork, and fireplaces.

Gone are the drab, utilitarian lights of old.  Light fixtures themselves have become beautiful pieces of art as well, and can be found in any decorating style whether your taste is traditional, transitional, or contemporary.

Below are a few lighting tips:

• A desk lamp should be about 15” tall, shed light on the work surface and be adjustable.
• A properly hung chandelier should hang about 30” above the tabletop, and be 6” narrower than your table on each side.
• A standard lamp typically illuminates 40 – 50 square feet, so be sure to use several lamps in each room to avoid darks spaces.
• Be sure your fixtures are proportionate in size to your space and furniture.
• A reading lamp should be placed along your shoulder with the bottom of the shade even with our head.

*Photos from Currey & Co.

As a Designer and Decorator, it is very important for us to keep a portfolio of our work….after all, it’s not enough to TELL people what we do, we need to SHOW them.  We don’t photograph every job, however, there are those jobs that stand out, and we want to capture the end result.  The best way for us to do this is to hire a professional photographer, style the space and schedule a photo shoot.

I really love setting up for photo shoots!  It gives us the time on a job to ensure it looks like we envisioned it when we began.  It also gives the client a chance to see their home through our eyes.

What’s involved in a photo shoot?  It’s an all-hands-on-deck effort.  M Designs “styles” the space prior to the shoot.  As you can imagine, people live in their homes and they NEVER look like the photograph on a daily basis.  However, we need to have lots of prep time in advance to prepare the space.  We work with the photographer to style the shot and though I would love to hire a stylist on each shoot, most of the time, we style our own shots.  This includes providing props, which could include fruits, veggies, or food items for a kitchen shot, perhaps dishes and linens for a dining room shot, linens for bedrooms and bathrooms, and pillows and accessories for living areas, and ALWAYS fresh flowers.  We select items that would coordinate with accessories that are already in the space and make that photo come to life!

Once the shopping is finished, we arrive at the client’s home and proceed to “style” the space, putting each accessory in just the perfect place….sometimes moving items many times before the perfect shot can be captured.  This step happens 2-3 days before the shoot so we can take test shots to see what is still missing, or what needs to be edited out.

We work with a professional photographer on each shoot.  We also work with our builder and remodeler clients to style their photo shoots for their photographers as well.  I highly recommend working with a professional for a number of reasons.  First, they are extremely experienced in lighting a shot.   This entails a number of lighting elements, from actual lights, to reflectors, to standing outside a window and shading it while we take a shot.  Secondly, they can instantly tell you which shots will be the best and what will be the best angle to show your work.  We have often moved a piece of furniture 2 inches while they stand at the camera and check the shot for accuracy.  Lastly, our photographer does clean up in Photoshop at the end of the shoot.  This involves removing ceiling fans or plugs that are distracting, adjusting color to match a sample on fabrics, and taking out shadows that we weren’t able to remove in the field.

When you work with a professional team such as we do, it makes our job easier.  Without great photography, you aren’t able to show your work in its best light.  As designers, that is our calling card, and we are only as good as our last photo shoot, so we need to constantly document our latest projects.  Photo shoots are a lot of work, but they are fun, and the end result is always fabulous!

Last week my favorite Kravet rep came by to show the new fabrics by Thom Filicia for Kravet.  First let me say, AMAZING price points.  And secondly, what a breath of fresh air.  Take a look…I was instantly inspired for a few projects I am working on and I hope you will be too.

I have kept a library of tear sheets in our studio offices for over 10 years now.  Many of these notebooks have images from now defunct publications.  From Met Home to Southern Accents, to Domino, this library is a treasure trove for all the designers in my design studio.  My ritual every summer of compiling tear sheets and filing them gives me inspiration for months.  As we embark on a new round of projects, I need fresh inspiration from the past and I hope to get it this week.  What does your tear sheet library look like?

As I mentioned last week, M Designs had the privilege of hosting an open house/house warming party for one of our favorite clients.

We worked with this family on the entire project of creating their dream home, from the architectural drawings to the window treatments.  This amazing home has a courtyard entrance, concrete floors on the interior and a clean, modern style.  It is absolutely beautiful and was such a thrill to see in its entirety, once the family moved into their new home.

M Designs would like to thank our clients so much for allowing us to work with them, and to host this great event for their friends in celebration of their new home.  Below are some photos from the party.

As I prepare for a photo shoot for one of our recent installations, I am left to ponder how to best style the deep teal library we designed for the Mrs. of the house. 

While this room faces south, it receives bright light most of the day.  This created a requirement for a cool, sophisticated color palette and we turned to our favorite teal palette.  This was over a year ago, before turquoise became so very HOT…so are we abandoning teal now for the younger, fresher turquoise? 

Below are my favorite teal inspirations…just don’t forget that popularity often fades and we are left to depend on our tried and true friends…don’t forget teal…it gets along so well with turquoise.

Photos from Lonny Magazine

Fabrics by Trina Turk for Schumacher Fabrics

I am excited to profile my friend and associate Kevin Procaccino, Owner/Architect of Kenandom Design Consultants, LLC, an award winning architectural design firm with a reputation for excellence across the country for the past 20 years.

I first met Kevin at a Dallas Homebuilders Association luncheon.  We found out that we were close neighbors and had mutual friends.  His warmth and talent make him such a great fit for our clients and I am most impressed with his listening skills.  As a designer, I find this is the most important asset to a design consultation, and Kevin takes in every detail of a client’s desires, translates them effectively, and with accuracy.

Kevin and Kenandom incorporate a wealth of experience and skill into a company that has gained a reputation as a leading design firm.  “The experience we bring is evident through our work ethic, innovation, and enthusiasm to each project and every client”.

For over 23 years, Kevin has been creating award winning designs for both individual clients and national corporations.  Throughout his career, Kevin has received numerous national and regional design awards such as McSam Design Award, Best in American Living Award, and Mirm Design Award.  He has also been appointed to numerous judgeship positions including:  Judge, 2009 Ft. Worth Spring Homes Tour and Judge, 2010 International Builders Show. 

I know each time Kevin works on a project with M Designs, he incorporates his fundamental design philosophy of innovation, livability and distinction, and it is always exciting to see what he creates for our clients!

Thanks to all of our blog followers and readers.  When you are here reading, please feel free to leave us a comment.  We love to hear from our readers!

We are also on Twitter.  Be sure to follow us there as well.