Betsy Brown

The vignette above is my idea of perfection. It might possibly be one of my favorite compositions ever, if not the favorite. The house belongs to Birmingham, Alabama interior designer Betsy Brown & was featured by House Beautiful in the Summer of 2007. I remember it clearly: I was on the beach in the Outer Banks, my baby was only 3 weeks old & asleep in his seat under the umbrella & I had an unopened issue of House Beautiful featuring neutrals. Could life get any better for me? (Ha! Yes! I could have been back to my pre-baby size already! ;) But I opened it & saw this & was in Heaven. (Check out the Queen Ann's lace in the beakers!!!)

I love this vignette because I feel like it has everything. The lime washed oak plank floors, the antique demilune table, crazy ornate mirror, modern art & a little piece of nature, the seashell. You're not forced to choose between wood finishes & this shows you can have it all! I think it really pulls you outside of the box. It's so perfectly "off." Sometimes people fear the mixing of all the woods & this shows just how beautiful it can be.

Above, she created a modern boxwood garden. The roof is gorgeous.

Below, Betsy Brown's use of all-white with restrained accent colors is amazing. The tiniest pop of green in the living room, below, gives a playful edge to the room (as does the huge wooden ball!) The best part is, you could change your color scheme at any time!

How simple & practical is her kitchen? Check out the saw horse legs under the table. She used a limewash on all the oak throughout the house.

Oh wow. The table top is a massive piece of weathered wood. You know that's on my COVET list. ;)

The bathroom is just so fresh!!! Again, her limewashed oak is gorgeous. I love it paired with all the white. It's so sculptural.

Her family room is laid-back yet kind of glamorous. I love all the layering: the fur throw and all the art:

Check out these magnolia blooms!! I can imagaine how good they smell & can't wait for spring!! (I def have the bug already!)

Her daughter's bedroom is the perfect teenage girl's room. The purple pops so much against all the white, yet it's still not crazy... Just fun & a little swanky!

How great is her office? She had this Moroccan design stenciled around the room & puts her inspiration photos in the lines. Talk about a blank slate! What a great inspiration room. Even her piles of magazines under her desk look good in there!

Some drama:

The floating vanities in the bathrooms are just incredible. The gray veins in the marble floors & countertop looks beautiful against the limewashed oak. It's just so pristine & simple & raw.

Her bedroom is so luxurious. I love the juxtaposition of the modern nightstands & headboard against the chair & the ornate gold mirror. (I also love that layered effect of the mirror in front of the draperies... I like it with art too.)

But you could just sink right in that bed. And, shes got a little bouquet of peonies. Maybe she's getting it ready for me?? ;)

When asked about her predominantly neutral pallete, Betsy says, "To me it just feels appropriate and comfortable. I love color, but I think it should either declare itself as the major player in a composition or quietly add the crucial notes that balance a room and make it intriguing. I usually opt for the latter."

Go Betsy!

Honning & Flora

Check out this amazing place, Honning & Flora, in Denmark. I was on the Laurel Hedge & I saw her favorite sunroom (above) & followed the link to the Honning & Flora site. Now I don't speak Danish so I'm not exactly sure what type of store it is, but I think it's a home shop & maybe a garden center too? (Haha I might so be barking up the wrong tree! If anyone knows anything about it, please let me know!) The room (above) is one version of Heaven for me. From all the white to the chandelier to the linen roman shades, to the sink-in comfort of the furnishings... a perfect "base" room!

Queen Anne's lace may be my all-time favorite flower (followed closely by hydrangea & peonies- look below!) What a pretty summer arrangement!!!



Look how beautiful their display is... I love how they're selling beauty products out of a medicine cabinet!
I'd love a powder room sink like this one (below). It would be so simple to make out of thrift-store finds. (The pot of roses on the left side of the sink is gorgeous although I'd probably kill them... roses are tough for me!) Check out the hanging wire basket on the right- what a great idea!


These cute little blue cannisters (below) just made me think of how easy it would be to paint thrift shop cannisters. I had such a tough time finding cannisters I loved (and the white Fireking ones I did find were out of my price range!) but painting some old uglies would definitely do the trick!

Pretty shot (below) of crystals & a lovely little portrait... The basket reminds me of the fact that I was going to ditch all my plastic laundry baskets & switch to pretty ones so my room looks better with the pile of clean laundry in it is waiting to be put away.. (ha! I know myself well enough to know that that's one habit I'll have a tough time breaking!)

How bright & pretty is this room?!! Ah I love it! All the natural elements... the linen, the rough baskets... The aged finishes... The chairs that look like mine (hee hee)... The walls are also a really beautiful beigey-white that sets off all the white furniture.

A little cauldron of horns : (I love quirky)

GREAT chandelier... It's so out of place which I think it makes the room.

I also have a thing for hutches & this one doesn't disappoint:

Just so pretty (below) and vintage-looking. I'd love it if all my beauty products were in bottles like these:

The street (sign) below reminds me of a client's home I was just in who had a few in her kitchen & they were just such a fun element. I usually don't think to do stuff like this but it's great.

Garden cloches are so pretty to me. They showcase perfectly whatever is inside of them & if they're empty (like below) you appreciate the elegant form of the glass. I don't have any & have been looking for a couple of years. (I want a steal & I haven't found one yet! :)

Below, the beautiful chandelier again (looking even better in daylight!) The juxtaposition of the chandelier against all of the rustic elements is amazing.

And, finally one last picture. The little tree adds just the right touch of green & is a sculptural silhouette that looks beautiful in these spare elegant interiors. And the pale gray walls- wish I knew that color! I love all the rough wood & white painted pieces... And the white throw on the chair is a must. (I add throws everywhere because I always like to cuddle up)

And the best part is I emailed my friend who lives in Denmark & he says he lives right near this place!!!! We've been meaning to visit him for a while now, so when we go (probably still another year or so off) I know where my first stop will be!!!

An Original Idea - The Rough Luxe Hotel

My uncle Geoff sent me a link not too long ago with a single line - Here's something different by way of interior design. Well, I have to agree with his line. The Rough Luxe Hotel in London is completely different from what I have seen lately in the design world. After reading the latest entry from Colour me Happy titled "Glamorous Hotels in London", I thought this would be an interesting juxtaposition. Both styles are beautiful in their own way and both are high-end London hotels.

Lobby at The Rough Luxe Hotel
Photograph: Marcus Peel

The controversial concept of this hotel is to rescue the original patina of time that existed in the history of the building mixing it in a very sophisticated way. Old finishes, new finishes, distinctive furnishings, and great photography are the elements that create an innovative space where style and originality surpasses the traditional concept of design.

With this project you cannot help but talk about breaking the rules in design, in my humble opinion this concept brings reality and history together. This project is pure Urban Archeology .

In my career as a designer I have often encountered walls that are showing their age with the wear and tear of layers of wall papers against plaster with several faded colours showing through. But unfortunately, I never had the thought to leave them there. Part of myself said that is kind of cool - that is the history of the place, and perhaps I even tried to visualize how the previous owners used to live there. The talented Beirut-born designer and gallery owner Rabih Hage, and his sensibility in design saw precisely that in the space and he deliberately left some walls half-finished to create something new with something old. Rabih Hage's keen eye brought contemporary touches, such as the photograph of Gilbert and George in the lobby by Jonathan Root, adding the 'luxe' element to the 'rough'

If there is a 101 lesson here it is not to be afraid of mixing textures - trust me, the result will be elegant and unique.

The Rough Luxe Hotel

Photograph: Marcus Peel

Photograph: Marcus Peel

Photograph: Marcus Peel

Photograph: Marcus Peel

Photograph: Marcus Peel