Wednesday's What If's….Leta Austin Foster

Well, here we are again and it's Wednesday!

 They sure are coming around a lot quicker it seems since I started my

 "What If" Wednesdays! 

I'm really glad, though. It's making me stay on my toes and keep up to date with a lot of designs and designers that otherwise I might not take the time to read about. 

Case in point for today's designer…"What if I got to hire someone that designed exactly like the icons I remember studying and those that I've always admired if for nothing else for their conviction on style?" Do you know what I mean by that? That they aren't swayed by the trendy looks but they stick with their gut instinct? When I think of the way my husband's grandparents house was decorated I remember that it felt glamorous but liveable. Regal but not stuffy. Elegant but understated! Does that make since? It reminds me of the way Sister Parrish and Rose Cummings pulled together such glamourous rooms of the past. Which is why when I saw Leta Austin Foster's design portfolio I immediately fell in love with her! Some of her rooms I seem to gravitate to more than others but they are all exquisitely thought out and in her own words, "Every design must be unique and no detail should be compromised!

After all, she is doing everything I've ever  dreamed of doing and then some! She now has her own shop and is blessed to have two of her daughter's designing right beside her! How fun! India Foster and Sallie Giordano. And not to forget Lizzie! Elizabeth Dinkel is a top designer in Los Angeles!

What a team of three beautiful daughters as seen in this great blog Stylebeat. 

Just take a look at the assortment of Leta's work and keep in mind that alot of it was also assisted by or done through one of her daughters!

Besides the fact that she has her own shop and gets to work alongside her daughters…I also knew I loved her when I saw these glorious, glorious beds!

I've always been a sucker for beds like these! My DREAM would have been to own a pair of three quarter sized bamboo beds for my son's rooms but these are a close second!

And when I saw this pair of twin canopy beds I just knew Leta was right up my alley! I saw these on the incredible blog that we all know and love, The Enchanted Home! I actually ended up having a beautiful pair made for my daughter many moons ago and still love them today!

I love the soothing quality of these rooms as well!

Look at that beautiful chinoiserie screen! Unbelievable!

And these beams are breathtaking! 

As is this bedroom which is remarkably like my own! 

I think you can see just by the work itself that Leta Austin Foster is a woman of convictions when it comes to great style and that she has definitely passed that down to her talented girls as well!

Inspired by the women she admired, she has enjoyed a fabulous career as an Interior Designer and was also able to open her own shop as well! It's called  The Leta Austin Foster Boutique.

As I sit and reflect on these last few pictures that I found of her's I cannot help but be excited when I read the article about the opening of her shop. With the downturn of the economy today and the fast rate of how our business is slowing down it is definitely encouraging to find someone that has the same business philosophy as yourself and one that spurs you on to keep on keeping on!

And….I can't imagine having someone as influential as Pierre Frey himself enter my shop and then bestow the tangible gifts that he did to Leta…what he may not realize is that the intangible gift of encouragement probably went way beyond his expectations!

Take a look at the article below and know that this pretty much sums it all up for me…I will always look to those that have gone before me on this same journey and have succeeded! 

Open for Business: Leta Foster's design firm finds success in the details

View Larger 

Leta Austin Foster FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHT: When Pierre Frey’s son visited her shop, he was so impressed that he had the exclusive Noël line shipped to her that day. “I didn’t think they would ever be interested in a shop as small as mine.” MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT: “I don’t think we would have gotten through the hard times if I didn’t have the decorating business.” BIGGEST INFLUENCE/MENTOR: Ruby Ross Wood, Rose Cumming and Sister Parish ...all iconic designers who defined glamour in the early 1900s. “I love what those women did. They influenced my store because I wanted to have the things they would use.” SECRET TO SUCCESS: “I don’t know. Maybe it’s just getting up every morning and making it the best day you can.”

By KAKI HOLT

Special to the Daily News

When Leta Austin Foster established the design firm that carries her name, she vowed attention to detail would be her trademark. Because she could not find the decorative accessories to give her look just the right finishing touch, she started her own store. Nine years ago, she bought the shop that Mizner had built in 1924 and turned it into a magical emporium. European accessories reflect their French, Italian or British origins. Her hand-embroidered linens (Lan de Chateau favored by the Duke and Duchess of Windsor) might run $6,000 to change the sheets

Other local designers shop at Foster’s store for their own clients because they’re always sure to find something different. Everything from throw pillows to children’s clothes can be monogrammed. Custom orders are customary. “Though we are targeted to high-end clientele, we do have lines for the middle market. I believe a store should be open to everyone.”

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHT: When Pierre Frey’s son visited her shop, he was so impressed that he had the exclusive Noël line shipped to her that day. “I didn’t think they would ever be interested in a shop as small as mine.”

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT: “I don’t think we would have gotten through the hard times if I didn’t have the decorating business.”

BIGGEST INFLUENCE/MENTOR: Ruby Ross Wood, Rose Cumming and Sister Parish ...all iconic designers who defined glamour in the early 1900s. “I love what those women did. They influenced my store because I wanted to have the things they would use."

SECRET TO SUCCESS: “I don’t know. Maybe it’s just getting up every morning and making it the best day you can.”

What a fabulous article and I love her thoughts on every aspect of the design business as well as a retail business! I'm confident in my shop and I've never stopped loving what I'm doing…even though it gets tough at times like this!

Her secret to success is crucial and I hope I never forget it!
I want to get up everyday and make it the best day that I can!

It's always a great idea to look at those that have gone before us and head their advice…of that I am certain!

Have a wonderful, wonderful Wednesday!