Designers At Home!

It seems like a million years ago when I first heard that Ronda Rice Carman had written a book on all of our favorite designers and their homes that they actually live in on a day to day basis. I remember being so excited! Somehow in this cyber world we live in I had become "friends" with Ronda as well as Barry Dixon who is one of the featured designers.

 Along the way, I also wrote a blog post on Tammy Connor and received the kindest note from her! It made my day when I opened that letter! You can see that post HERE!  I've also received one from Beth Webb after a post I did on her.  You can see that post on Beth HERE!

These are truly kind people. Ronda is a truly kind person and I've so enjoyed following her blog as well as her posts on this incredible book! We placed our order right away for Mulberry Heights Antiques to carry it and when it came…I was in St. Lucia! Of all things! So, I am just now getting to read it from cover to cover and enjoying it thoroughly! 

It begins with a very nice forward from Martha Stewart and then continues alphabetically with all of our favorite designers as well as some I am looking forward to getting to know! I didn't want to show you the whole book as I feel that you should get a copy for yourself and see what I mean! It's incredible! Here is just a small sampling you will see when you read it!

Tammy Connor's personal home in Birmingham, Alabama.

Barry Dixon's personal home.

His estate, which is named Elway Hall is truly magnificent! I did a post on Barry awhile back that was one of my personal favorites. You can see it HERE if you'd like to read more about his wonderful home.

Tobi Fairley's personal home in Little Rock, Arkansas certainly lives up to the standards that we've all come to love and expect from her!

And here is glimpse of Steven Gambrel's home in Sag Harbour.

Celerie Kembel is featured above with these fabulous vintage chairs in her home 27 floors above Central Park! Be still my heart! 

 And although this is just my personal opinion, no book on designers would be complete without Charlotte Moss' home! Simply, gorgeous!

And I was so happy to see Suzanne Rheinstein in here! I did a blog post on her awhile back which you can see HERE! I always love seeing my 'Wednesday What If ' posts pop up again!

One of the most talented designers ever is towards the end of the book…that's because it is alphabetical! What a genius move on the part of Ronda! Anyway, Bunny William's is so gifted and I was thrilled to see her in here. I've seen her speak in person and it was wonderful!

I could probably study her personal home as well as countless others she has designed and be lost in a world of contentment. In fact, that is exactly what this fabulous book allows! You are allowed to get lost in a world of your own contentment and study all of your favorites! I promise that you will love this fabulous book and it will be on the top of your "coffee table books"! I know it is on mine!

Make sure to check out Ronda's blog called All The Best. It is well worth reading and you can find out more about her book as well! Like I said earlier, these are just a few of the many designers that are featured! There are so many others like Brooke and Steve Giannetti's home as well as Scott Meacham Wood, etc. You will love devouring the pages of this book as much as I have! Hope you have a wonderful week! We are gearing up for our first trunk show with Michele McKeon of Sennod jewelry this Thursday so there is much to do to get ready for it! So much for having been in St. Lucia all last week! It seems like eons ago already! Oh, how I miss it!

Wednesday's What If Post….What If Prince Charming Was Really Barry Dixon?

Ok….Here goes…

I've held back on this one for a long while…and now, with fear and trembling I will tred lightly! I'm always so nervous when I write anything about anyone that I remotely think I know! And I don't really know Barry!  I love knowing that we are friends on Facebook and that we are both from Memphis and that we were both born in 1964! But that's really about as far as it goes! At least in his mind! I am quite sure of that!

( do you think those flowers are for me? )
Oh, sure…I'm like the rest of you…I've stalked him from afar! I've loved his work for so long I can't even remember not knowing his name!

Just look at his lovely home! Who hasn't stalked this or sought out pictures in any publication we can get our hands on?

I've certainly enjoyed his books on interiors and seeing people pin his work on Pinterest!

I actually discovered that he designed this beautiful bedroom and I was stunned! Only because it's almost identical to how I did our bedroom when we built our house. That's been 14 years ago for me! He's moved on and I wonder if I haven't! I wonder if he still likes this? I haven't changed anything! 

His work certainly speaks for itself!

Always has and Always will!

Just as he does! I love his impeccable taste even in his clothes! Always  put together just right!

I stumbled on a few of them while trying to do my last week's 'What If' post about my sweet daughter's new Yellow Kitchen…you can see it HERE if you care to! When Barry's work came up a lot while I was working on it I was once again reassured that I was on the right track! I mean seriously, I would trust him with my whole house! I wish I could hire him right now! 
I'm hoping that one day soon he will show up just to say "Hi!"
 ( no pressure, Barry! )

I must say that this runner is one of my most favorite pictures! We are currently trying to find two different area rugs for my daughter's house in New Orleans…hmmmm….

( I think we should be worrying about safety from hurricane Isaac at the moment instead!)

His bookcase designs are a huge inspiration to me with my shop…we are constantly trying to update them and make our merchandise appealing. The items on the shelves in the shop are items I would have and actually do have in my own home!

And the same goes with our art on the wall and prints that we sell!

It's truly about conveying a love of all things beautiful and necessary to create a home that you would live in and enjoy yourself!

It's all about how you could live with it on a day in and day out basis.

I have to be willing to love and live with yellow…and everything else that I tell you is wonderful! I have to believe it! And of course, I do! 

If I believe in a fairy tale…then I have to be willing to live with the outcome!

Does Prince Charming live or die? Does he bring me roses? Does he ride up on a chariot? What?

And Sometimes….I really do allow myself to believe in fairytales!

Just as this kitchen was modeled after one of my favorites!

You know the one, " Old King Cole was a merry old sole and a merry old sole was he!

( maybe that was really a nursery rhyme?)
It's still a beautiful home!

Yes, even that fairy tale is a beautiful rendition of Barry's work and how a beautiful home can be born through the love of fairy tales and dreams!

If I had any one of these beautiful bathroom that he designed I would feel like I was in a fairy tale for sure!

The hard work, the thought, the effort, the time spent in dreaming up these fairy tales for you and me….

Is most certainly worth it when we get to experience the fruits of his labor…when we get to pin our dream homes and share pictures with friends and sometimes, if we are real, real, lucky….

We might just get to experience that dream or that fairy tale ourselves!!

Barry's words ring so true from this article that I found earlier today….

  I will end with this beauty…I used to dream about living here and staring out at the water!

Now I can dream of his home pictured above thanks to Traditional Home! You can view the whole article HERE!

Perhaps I will even dream of meeting Prince Charming, aka Barry Dixon one day! I am looking very forward to seeing his home in the new book we will carry this spring, Designer's At Home. I hope your week is going well so far. I am thankful that my daughter is here with me but we are thinking about her new home town and hoping that not too much is destroyed in the path of hurricane Isaac. It's hard for her as she thinks of the people that she loves that are still there. Our hearts and prayers are with them.