So, Do You Have A 'Safe Place'?

I must admit that when I was considering these phenomenal pictures from House Beautiful this month for my next blog post I had no idea at the time that I would be seeking shelter in my bathroom as my only "Safe Room" in my house thanks to the numerous tornadoes that have wreaked havoc on us here in the Southern United States! 

When I woke up this morning after standing vigil by the television..literally... since my husband was sound asleep and rightfully so as he left this morning for Atlanta for a business trip….I was tired! 
But you cannot take tornadoes lightly in our neck of the woods! 
Especially when you are being told that it is headed right for your neighborhood! 
We were told at least 500 times to get to our safe place…that interior room on the bottom floor of your home. Our only "Safe Place" would definitely be in our hall bathroom.
 Our powder bath if you will!

But, suppose you have a bathroom like either one of these? What a "Safe Place" that would be! You could hunker down with the best of them! Not to make light of surviving a tornado because they have been devastating, but these bathrooms are simply glorious! I love the fact that they stuck to the original scheme of the 1930's style home and didn't venture away except for the necessaries! As the article states, "It appears as if nothing was touched!" Now that is saying something! The retro mood is enhanced by the bold, acidic color of the tiles, the restoration of the shower doors and the juxtaposition of black in the room…yes, we've always known that one should have a touch of black in every room. 
I was taught that from day one from the best designer I've ever known…Mrs. Emily Neel. She would be so very pleased with these bathrooms!

Many years ago we renovated a 110 year old Farm House….I will never do it again! It still felt old…simply because we could not at the time afford to do the correct renovations. I will never forget trying to sell it after only living there for 6 weeks (thanks to discovering I was finally pregnant with my last child) when the actress, "Fannie Flagg" that wrote 'Fried Green Tomatoes' came to see it just out of the blue! Yes, she came to see it in our little piece of paradise!  She was good friends with one of my parents friends. However, I had NO idea who she was while she was looking at our home. I later learned that she didn't buy it because we had not kept it true to the time period. That hurt…it really did because of my nature and the nature of my business. But she was spot on! I don't blame her one bit! We were young and dumb!

If I were ever to renovate again…of course I told you earlier that I would NEVER! ( i've learned to never say never, though!) I would try to the best of my ability to restore the once glorious qualities that the home once had. Nothing is prettier than a home that is true to itself. And yet, it does have to be functional in this day and age. This bathroom restoration is the best I've seen! I love the colors of the tile, the placement of the tile, the lacquer on the vanities, the details that just don't seem to be appreciated today! 

This is truly spectacular!

So, if you are still hunkered down in your "Safe Place" and it happens to be your bathroom…maybe thinking on these two beautifully restored bathrooms will help while you bide your time! Especially if you have young kids! I know the schools have been out early for the past two days…that makes it hard on every one involved…but better safe than sorry! But seriously, go get a copy of this glorious issue of House Beautiful and study these bathroom re-do's! They are definitely worth it! 

I hope all of you are safe and sound…I for one am hoping and praying that tonight is a better night than last night with the storms. I cannot imagine what those around me are feeling right now that have lost homes and even worse than that,  friends and family members. I pray for the family of John Servati, the University of Alabama swimmer that was killed in the storms last night while trying to help his girlfriend survive. My heart goes out to them and I wish I could simply hug them. You can see one of the many articles on this brave young man HERE. So even though this post started out as a tribute to these beautiful bathrooms in House Beautiful it is really so much more than that! It is about finding our Safe Place to weather any storm. 
Only God can ultimately be our Safe Place…we can seek shelter in so many different ways but He is ultimately our Rock.
 Just as Psalm 18:2 says " The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."
Prayers going out for everyone in the midst of these storms or simply the storms of life. 
I love you and and I thank you for taking the time to read this post.

Sit Back And Relax...

My number one goal in life is to sit back and relax! 
NOT!
 I sure wish it was!

But when I first saw this issue of House Beautiful that's what I felt when I turned to this fabulous article on the home that William Christie bought in France and decided to "breathe new life into it!"
Oh, how I used to love doing just that! In fact, a wonderful designer/friend stopped by the shop today and we were discussing the problems with "downsizing!" 
She said, " I bet you are just like me and you have to put your soul into it!" 
She hit the nail on the head! 
And this is exactly what Mr. Christie has done with this most wonderful estate that was at one time "dilapidated"!

Of course I've never worked on a 16th Century estate in France…but I sure would like to!

And the older I get…the more I realize that not only is the house itself so very important…but the grounds are just as important! They need to be exquisite and they need to be a  place to sit and  quiet your soul! 
I love the sound of the fountains in our pool…they are not grand by any means but they are relaxing! 
They make me feel at home!

And though I am certain that I am way behind on posting this lovely and very well restored estate...

I must admit my take on it was to simply sit and enjoy it's beauty!
 I chose the pictures that I love the most..the ones that make me feel "quiet".

This man is a genius in many ways and House Beautiful did a remarkable job at giving credit where credit is due…to his painstaking efforts at restoring a home and making it a place where he can simply be...

The house as I said is remarkable….

Who wouldn't love this library?

Who couldn't envision themselves sitting alone, quietly on these steps just listening...

Who couldn't envision themselves relaxing and reading in this fabulous slip covered chair?

Or day dreaming in this lovely nook?

Or spending hours out by this pond?

Or simply, feeding the swans by the reflecting pool! 
Really? I can imagine it! Can you?

There is something to be said about the art of being quiet and happy in one's own skin…in one's own home and in one's own surroundings…it may take a bit of getting used to but when it happens…I am sure that it is glorious! ;)
Happy Wednesday! 
Wish you could all stop by our Trunk Show tomorrow! Maybe we should have a "virtual" show one day!
We shall see!
Love to you all!

There's Something About Mary….

We've all seen this month's House Beautiful by now but I couldn't help picking it up again yesterday and drooling over the entire article on the home that showcased Mary McDonald's extraordinary talent!

Each picture was as pretty or prettier than the one before. 

Almost as pretty as Mary herself!

Believe it or not I have only watched Million Dollar Decorator's once…and I must admit…she did intimidate me! 

However, her style is magnificent!

Each picture I have found of bathrooms that she has designed are sheer perfection!

And I love the unexpected one or two elements she tends to throw in to add that punch to any room! Love the lucite coffee table in the picture above!

Love the white garden stool in the photo above…I've been wanting one myself! May have to order one for the shop and try it out!

Every time I see a picture of Mary she is as stunning as her rooms are! We have loved carrying her latest book, Mary McDonald Interiors….The Allure of Style. It has done quite well as you can imagine!

Here we see lucite again! I'm always drawn in by lucite when I see it done correctly! 

We've had only one lucite chair in the shop and of course it flew out the door!

If you visit her website you will be welcomed by the gorgeous photo above! Isn't it wonderful?

So you see….there is indeed something about Mary! I will be perusing Pinterest today to see more photos of her lovely work and I will definitely have to watch Million Dollar Decorators again and give it another shot!

Hope you are all having a great week so far!