Saunders Bradford

What is a proud mother to do? Especially when it's just the day after Mother's Day?

 Well…I thought I just might share a beautiful project that Birmingham Home and Garden magazine has featured this month! Yes, my angel baby…my son…is the 'Bradford' in Saunders Bradford. Mitch and his business parter David have been building this company for at least 10 years! 

I remember when they used to just dream about it! Now…it is definitely a reality!

This feature in Birmingham Home and Garden is the perfect example of why clients love to work with Mitch and David. Cathy Still McGowin and Jean Allsopp captured every detail perfectly! Cathy is such a gifted writer and editor and Jean is truly an icon in Birmingham with her gorgeous photos! Not a magazine article happens without her expertise in the photos! I'm so glad they both captured this so well!

The homeowner in this project definitely had been keeping great notes on what she wanted! 

That certainly helps the builder when trying to incorporate every aspect that the homeowner desires. 

It also is very helpful in creating dreams that come true!

As you can see from these beautiful pictures she obviously likes to mix the old with the knew! 

Send her my way! That is exactly what I want the name of Mulberry Heights Antiques to evoke in the minds of the people that are working on their dream homes.

What a treat for a mother to see her son's name mentioned in making this dream kitchen happen! I have to admit…I have collected pictures of Pamela Pierce's designs as well so I recognized it from the get go! In fact, you can see an earlier blog post on her right HERE!

But to see that your son truly had such a hand in making this possible…well…this time I just couldn't help but be a proud mama! 

I will stop here for fear of embarrassing him!

But really…check it our for yourself! This is amazing work…my son or not!

 He is amazing…his company is amazing and Saunders Bradford is headed for great things!

They recently were awarded 2nd place in the state for the Space Renovation category for the Alabama Remodeling Excellence Awards 2014! Again….a proud mama here! What can I say?

 I wouldn't choose anyone but Saunders Bradford for my next remodeling job or a total re-build! 

If only I could start tomorrow!

Hope you are all doing well! I sure do miss blogging as much as I used to and I would love to catch up with you! I hope you all had a very special Mother's Day in one way or another! You can click on any of the links I suggested above and spend many hours pouring over glorious homes and photos! Enjoy!

Wednesday's What If's Post…"What If I Showed You My Most Sought After Design Element?"

Would you guess that it would be "pairs" of anything and everything? 

Well, it is!

Pairs of candlesticks, pairs of mirrors, pairs of chests, you name it…it's hot right now! In fact, it's always been a very sought after design element because…It's good design!

picture via Linen and Velvet blog!

Finding "pairs" and keeping up with the demand for pairs has been increasingly difficult for us. I have had many pairs of chairs, chests, lamps, sconces, etc…and they FLY out the door of the shop!

 Now, if I find a pair of ANYTHING the prices have sky rocketed so it's hard to know what to buy and what will sell! 

Mirrored vanities via House Beautiful

As I began my "intensive" research…via Pinterest, different blogs, favorite pictures that I've saved over the years I was reminded once more just how treasured a "pair" of anything is! Whether it be mirrored vanities in a beautiful bathroom or mirrors flanking a gorgeous fireplace, a pair sure does make a statement! I was also pleased to find that when I researched this picture…it lead me back to my very own blog! Almost made feel famous! ( sort of! )

picture via At Home Arkansas...

Maybe "infamous" would describe it better! But leave it to At Home In Arkansas magazine to give us some real beauties to treasure!

And these pairs of mirrored windows/doors leave me drooling every time! I found these on Pinterest as well as Bryan Appleton Designs.

They are truly stunning!

As are these fabulous windows flanking the built in wardrobe as well as the beautiful pair of built ins on either side of the window seat!

Pretty wonderful isn't it? Holly has a window seat like this in her room here in my house…but her twin beds reside on either side of it. I think I built it that way because growing up I always wished my room was on the front side of my house so I could secretly watch all of my "dates" walk up to the door! Horrible of me, I know..but it is so very true! 

Getting right back on track about beautiful pairs of anything that make a statement in a home…Gorgeous pairs of twin beds rank right on top of my list! How about you? Aren't they special? And…these were found right back at my post about the fabulous Pamela Pierce! Check it out if you can!

I love all of these great examples! But for some reason it reminds me that I cannot convince my married daughter and her sweet husband to sleep in her gorgeous twin beds in her old room! Oh no, they prefer the teeny, tiny antique "double" bed that we put in our oldest son's room at home…won't they ever learn that sometimes it's ok…it does a soul a world of good to get a good nights rest! 

La Dolce Vita blog

The Simply Fabulous Blog

No matter…this is about "pairs" and how beautiful they are in a home! I can truthfully say that Holly and Brad make a beautiful pair! As do Mitch and Britney…but we are simply talking about furniture here!

Which is why I wanted to show you this great pair of chairs….

as well as this beautiful pair above!

And this wonderful pair of chests shown in this foyer from House Beautiful truly makes my heart stop! I long for a big foyer one day!

And just look at how Suzanne Kasler used this pair of sofas in a client's home! It's truly spectacular! As is anything she does!

Check out her website HERE!

And this pair of sofas in the pictures above and below from Houzz.com just made my heart glad!

 I just wish I had a room with enough space to do this in!

Once I started seeing pairs of chairs, sofas, etc… it lead me to my search for pairs of lamps...

Those were easily found on Pinterest and I found a lot of them on a blog done by Brabourne Farm…one of my favorite blogs out there! You really should check it out!

Every lamp…be it pairs or not I found incredibly beautiful! In fact, we have sold so many lamps and chandeliers lately that we are about to be in the dark! Maybe I should call up the great people at Brabourne Farm and tell them to send some our way! In the past few weeks we have sold about 4-5 lamps and 2-3 chandeliers…that's a lot when you depend on that for light! And when you don't have time to find anything new and wonderful!

This pair above reminds me so much of the beautiful pair we have in our window right now! And the pair below is a phenomenal pair of corbels that we had made into lamps…love them! And I also love the pairs of antlers and Majolica plates. The antlers left yesterday on approval for a pair of wonderful designers. 

And the more I searched for pairs….pairs of anything….

I found fabulous antique finials….

And gorgeous antique majolica plates….

And the most beautiful pairs of antique abusson pillows…and then it hit me…I had been lead full circle! I started out searching for any "pairs" I could find out there…and in the end… I was lead right back home! To my own blog posts over the years and my own website. That was a really good feeling!

 Sure hope you will think of us when you are looking for a gorgeous pair of anything!

 We strive very hard to have it for you! We truly believe in giving you wonderful pieces to create your best design desires and dreams!

From the front door in until you leave, the first and last impression are important! You want to see something wonderful and you want to leave with something even better…but if you stop and think about it…it's the stuff that happened in the middle that will truly stand out! Did you see or hear something special? Something you won't forget? Was there a pair of chairs that you just had to have? Perhaps, there was a pair of hosts that loved you from the minute you walked in until the moment you left! That's what I want you to remember! The stuff in the middle…the people that made a difference. And yes, if  you remember a great pair of sconces, mirrors, tables, etc…that is just icing on the cake!
Until next time…enjoy the stuff in the middle!

A Fresh Start Sounds Good!

While quickly flipping through the latest issue of Veranda and killing time on a Saturday at the shop I was quickly enthralled by the title of this article as well as the decor! I often think about re-doing my home as well as the look of the shop for a more "fresh" feel….but then I often get overwhelmed at what I would have to change and "get rid of"! Is it practical? No…Is it worth it? Probably!

Take at look at what a transformation Pamela Pierce's house took on when she decided to do all of those things that I've dreamed of doing! It's quite remarkable!

I have no idea if the outside of her phenomenal home underwent any changes but I often dream of changing our shingle style home into a painted brick home whenever we decide to take on the project of adding a front porch, etc. I love this look!

Although some of the furnishings in her newly re-decorated home are a little bit too contemporary for my taste, I can still appreciate it. It is truly beautiful and mixed remarkably well with antiques and natural materials such as the beautiful hardwoods as well as the stone floors. I do think that helps to blend some of the spaces shown.

I think this chair is fabulous…and while I wouldn't have it in my own home, it sure does look stunning here!

I love that everything is comfortable and relaxed. It's so hard for me to decide what I truly love! I love it all…I love formal and I love laid back! How do you mix the two? I think I've tried to over the years…and I think my shop reflects that as well. But sometimes I feel as if it is just a jumbled mess!

All the more reason for a "Fresh Start!"

This rooms truly looks serene!

And I love her Texas touches!

I think this may be the most feasible of all my wants and wishes! Our four poster bed is heavily clad with country french fabrics which I have loved over the years! But I'm truly wanting to take it all down and just see the wall behind the bed again…maybe with a pair of swing arm lamps…and fresh linens! That would change the entire feel of our bedroom and I think I might just give it a go! As well as taking down the heavy window treatments in my bathroom…just have the plantation shutters and a clean, fresh feel!

If I had my druthers I would totally re-do my bathroom! And I would hire my precious, wonderful son and his company to do it! I've seen what they did with his own personal bathroom as well as his grandparents bathroom! It's remarkable! I wish you would take a look at his website HERE!

And this bedroom that she says is used by her granddaughter is just fabulous! I'm dying over these twin beds! I've never seen anything quite like them!

Take a look at some of the pictures of her home as it was featured in 2006 in Veranda. Although she says in this issue of Veranda that she was tired of gathered skirts and gray paint…I still find the old version of the home truly remarkable as well! 

This truly makes my heart happy when I see it…and yet, I'm wanting to change and evolve with the times…I have a strong feeling that Pamela Pierce can set the tone for anything her heart desires and I for one intend to take some great notes from her! Her taste is stunning!

So, whether it be the sleek and more relaxed feel of her newly redecorated home...

Or the gathered skirts and gray paint of her home of the past…

Or the "Country French" feel of the kitchen above...

To the sleek and updated kitchen of today…

( at least the steer is still hanging!)

My vote is on Pamela Pierce for one to follow and take instructions from! Her taste has never failed and I have a sneaky suspicion that she is on to something here! I know I would love to have a more relaxed and a "Not so proper" feel in my own home as she stated in Veranda! 

Take a look at this month's issue and see for yourself! It was really, really good!

I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful weekend whatever it is that you are doing!