Wednesday's What If's!…Mr. Dan Carithers!

Ok…I'm back from vacation and ready to continue with my "What If " game that I told you about just a mere two weeks ago! It seems like we were away for a month on one hand and then it's as if it flew by on the other!  And now it's just a new summer routine! I don't do well without a routine..I will just go ahead and say that up front! This summer is already throwing me for a loop and I won't even get into the fact that starting in mid August I will not a have reason to get up in the mornings! 
Seriously…no more kids at home to make breakfast and lunches for? What will get me up bright and early and then make me walk 3 miles outside or do my treadmill upstairs?  Ok, I'm going to try and not go there just yet! I'm hoping that I will enjoy more time diving into my work at the shop and maybe..JUST maybe I will have time to go to that Pilates class or Pure Barre class that I've been holding out on!
Anyway…. I'm ready to talk about this Wednesday's "What If Designer" and I must say that if I could, I would choose Dan Carither's not only as my designer but I would have loved to have learned from him and be his friend as well! All of us at my shop think he may have been in to shop with us before and I know for a fact that he has had his assistant call before because I've talked to him! Of course I had to act nonchalant about it but, hey…it was for Dan Carithers!! I'm telling you the truth! Calling about our creamware! 

Here are just a few of my favorites that I've seen over the years of Dan's work. Retired or not, I'm so glad we have his design direction to follow and we can still learn from him just by seeing his incredible talent!

This is such a great picture of Dan with his beautiful wife!

I'm in love with this whole room! The sofa..the screen, the glass coffee table with a shelf underneath it! It's to die for!

His work is timeless and that is a trait I admire very much! I'm not trendy at all with my interiors but I do like to add a little bit of whimsy here and there or throw in an unexpected mix of patterns every now and then and I always see a little something like that in a room that Dan has created as well.

Ever the distinguished Southern Gentleman!

These rooms are some of my favorites!

Another love we have in common is collecting! And we seem to like to collect the same things!

Especially when it comes to Transferware, Creamware or Ironstone!

Just look at all of the incredible Creamware on the walls!

This child's chair was one of my immediate favorites when I first saw it when the magazine came out! I also have the animal print on a chair in my house and doubt I will ever tire of it!

The feel of these kitchens and dining areas have always been an inspiration to me!

He is also one of the best when it comes to preparing your home for entertaining!

And his beautiful living rooms, family rooms and bedrooms can certainly speak for themselves!

Obviously, there are a lot of Dan Carither's fans out there already as I've seen many blogs from a year or so ago as I was re-searching this…so I know I'm not alone in my love for Dan's work!

 I love the fact that this room seems "real" simply because of the child's playhouse! That is definitely what our house is like when my 5 year old granddaughter comes over and I love it!

This may be one of my all time favorites…I love this bedroom and could so see myself re-doing ours to look similar to this one. 

I wish I had been able to see the show house that a lot of these photos were taken from!

This chinoiserie grandfather clock is exquisite! Wish I had seen this when I did the post on Chinoiserie Love! 

And then there is his furniture line! ( there's that beautiful sofa again!) To think I've been searching for a new sofa and chairs and all along all I had to do was ask him! I love his beautiful furniture! It's simply perfect!

We might have a fight at my house if I had this! I would definitely be found enjoying life in it every morning and every evening!

Timeless elegance is the best way I can describe how I feel about the work of Dan Carithers.

When you look at this picture there is no denying the fact that Dan Carithers had a wonderful affect on a lot of people! It's obvious to me that he not only designed and created beautiful rooms but he also was a wonderful leader and created loving and beautiful friendships as well! And as much as I want to build my shop's reputation for good design and quality antiques, etc…it's simply not a substitute for great leadership, good friendships and long lasting relationships!
Hope you enjoyed this Wednesday's "What If's!" I know I sure did!
I hope you have a great week!