Southern Living Show case home update

At what point did it become October? It seems like it was just January and I was sipping the bubbly. If I blink my eyes I will be sipping bubbly again and another year will have passed….where does the time go? Luckily, October means we are fast approaching the Southern Living Showcase home opening!

This past week I had the opportunity to meet with Lindsey from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams. I spoke with Lindsey about three months ago and proclaimed my love affair with their Beau nightstand. Hoping that they would work with me, she kindly made an appointment…and we scheduled it for last week. I was thrilled to learn that they not only were going to let me use the beau in my guest retreat, but they special ordered it to make sure I would have it in time! AH-maZing!

BEAU 3 DRAWER CHEST

MG + BW is a valuable resource in Nashville. They are one of the few furniture stores in town that provide quality pieces that respectfully nod to the 50’s and 60’s but with modern day comforts. I have never been a froo-froo designer and MG + BW fits right into my aesthetic. Not to mention their furniture is still made in North Carolina, where quality and craftsmanship counts. As I always say…”Buying cheap doesn’t mean you saved any money. Often, it means you wasted hard earned money on a temporary solution” ~ Amanda

For my guest retreat, it is all about Marilyn. My furnishings must apply to the overall look and feel, and the beau nightstand from MG + BW did just that. Feeling like it couldn’t get any better, I was over the moon when I met Michael from Damico art and gallery , who was introduced to me through a mutual friend. You see Michael loves Marilyn and he and I immediately formed an affinity for one another, especially when I learned he loved Marilyn, and he learned I was dedicating my room to her. A match made in heaven.

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He and I sat down and figured out how we could work together. He originally proposed one large photo but I thought a collection or series of her would make a stronger statement.He created a custom Warhol type print to honor her in the room. It is just beautiful! I cannot thank him enough for making these!

Remember this chair?

Cane chair

I had it professionally painted in a matte, or as they call it in the automobile industry “denim” paint finish, and I got this:

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Curious as to what I did? Well here is a sneak peak:

The marilyn chair

Its getting very exciting and nerve racking! We are installing this week! T-minus 10 and counting, the house is almost open! Tickets are now on sale HERE.

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Southern Living Show case home-the installation begins

Today we start the hectic but exciting process of installation for the Southern Living Show house. I have five million things going on…..and I would love to tell you I am doing it with grace, but I am really running around with my head cut off!

One thing I am really, really looking forward to is the artwork. Everyone who reads my blog knows how much I love art. One of my dear friends, Marabeth Quin is creating two of the prominent art pieces in the Guest Retreat. Below is the process of Marabeths art unfolding, and I will include a completed photo Friday when the room is complete.

1) Elegance

The beginning

I rarely give Marabeth direction on the art for a space. I want her to have creative freedom to create magic. She decided on the subject matter, and all I wanted was it to be uber feminine in honor of Marilyn. Each piece utilizes the colors for the room as a jumping off point. Here is what she sent to me a few weeks ago. (pic above) And this became this:

The process

Above, Marabeth paints her subject matters from idea to conception and on to completion. This piece, called Elegance will be available for purchase for $1450 when the show house is done. This piece will be going above my vintage cane and pink chairs….can you say gorgeous? I think Marilyn would love this!

2) Orchid series #4

Orchid series #4 begins

Her orchid series is a new direction for Marabeth. Recently deciding to move to Hawaii, she has been inspired to paint beautiful large florals, like this orchid above. You can also see a finished one in the background.

Orchid series in progress

I love this shot of Marabeth hard at work. On average it can take Marabeth over 60 hours to produce one piece of art. Just like all painters, Marabeth’s work is always filled with her signature look of textured paint and high contrast colors. Each one is approached with love and great care, when her creativity is at it’s highest. Painting is one of her greatest joys and it shows in the finished product…..which you will all see on Mondays post when the room is completed. Holy cow I LOVE art! This piece is called Orchid Series #4 and will be available for purchase for $1950 after the show.

For more info on the show house, or to buy tickets click here. For more info on purchasing the paintings email me here.

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Southern Living show case home-Bedding fit for a queen

As I finalize my details for the Southern Living show house guest retreat, I am getting more and more excited! A few weeks ago I went to the fabulous store Bella Linea, one of Nashville’s premier high-end luxury linen stores, and selected my linens for the show house. A little apprehensive and intimidated about the process, I went in with my swatches and no clue what I wanted to do. I cannot thank the team enough, especially Amanda, for all their help. I was so afraid that the vision I had for the guest retreat would be diluted if the bedding was not absolutely perfect. I did not want the look and feel to be interpreted incorrectly if the bedding failed to capture the essence of Southern glamour. But these gals helped me get exactly what I wanted and more! In fact it is safe to say I walked away with way more than I expected and I am THRILLED!!! So incredibly thrilled and I cannot wait for you all to see what we did. Here is a sneak peak!

Duvet:

Southern Living Duvet

Louwie Organic Duvet- 100% Linen

louwie bed copy Louwie Bedding Organic

Louwie Organic Duvets have two 1/2″ flanges running down the center of the duvet.

Available colors -100% Certified Organic Flax or Organic Based White

Available sizes – King & Queen

Queen Duvet – $500

Bedskirt:


Southern Living bedskirt

Organza over Silk Charmeuse Dustruffle

A dreamy combination of Silk Charmeuse with a Silk Organza overlay available in

over 50 different color combinations. Beautifully coordinates with any bed ensemble

and available in 3 piece panels or decking. Bed Skirt – $750

Sheeting -

Southern living sheeting

Crisp white sheets framed in tailored rows of satin greige stitching, (and will last through endless washings!)  Sheets & Pillowcases. Starting at $345

I have a few more things up my sleeve, that I will wait to reveal at the show. But as I said before I am thrilled with the results, and I think Marilyn herself would feel dripped in decadence.

Thanks again to Bella Linea for all their help. For info contact them at:


Grace’s Plaza – 2133 Bandywood Drive | Nashville, TN 37215

615.352.4041 | beds@bellalinea.com

Click here for directions to Bella Linea

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Southern Living showcase home, Nashville TN

Nashville’s Southern Living show case home is well on it’s way. Slated to open late October, this home will offer the ultimate in designer tips, tricks and trade secrets for your home. Not to mention, it’s a sure way to get this seasons best home ideas from the greatest minds in Nashville. Seriously, this design team has some of the best tricks up their sleeve that I have ever seen!

Only a few designers (11 to be exact) were chosen to participate, and  I am honored to have been chosen to do the guest retreat. It’s kinda like winning the miss America pageant only I don’t have to done the dreaded swim suit or wear more aqua net than my grandma. And trust me she wears a lot!

As written in this recent press release:

“A team of the Nashville area’s best designers has been chosen to bring the charm and beauty of Southern Living magazine to this fall’s Southern Living Showcase Home, being built by Castle Homes in Dorset Park”~  Cool Springs news.

Being miss America is tough business. There are so many details that go into a home like this. Coordination, collaboration, details, and designing to the standards of Southern Living, one of the South’s best magazines! Wow! No pressure at all! But don’t worry, Aqua net aside, I can totally do this!

The Southern Living showcase home is fast approaching completion. I went out to the house just a few weeks ago and this is where it was at:

Exterior of showcase home

Holy cow! From the outside it seems the house is almost finished! But the interior was still fairly raw. Still just sticks and metal, (Phew, plenty of time to procrastinate) this was in early July:

Guest retreat, Southern Living showcase home

Guest retreat, Southern living showcase home

However, Thursday we had another design meeting at the house, our fourth since the announcement of selected designers in May and I couldn’t believe the progress in just a few short weeks. Dry wall was up, trim installed and windows and doors finished out. Okay, Miss America is gonna have to wear roller skates!

Miss America, aka: Amanda Burdge

Here I am all smiles, knowing all the secrets that will be revealed at the opening. Prepare to be amazed! These designers, including myself, have done an incredible job with the wow factor. Having so many creative minds under one roof is extraordinary. We are all feeding off of each others expressive imaginations and it’s like Disneyland in here. ( Weeeeeeeeeee!) I cannot wait for you to see these jaw-dropping spaces when they are completed. Ingenuity and clever talent don’t even describe it!

Southern living showcase home meeting

After our quick meeting of updates, and stunning reveals,  I headed upstairs to the guest retreat.

Guest retreat, Southern Living showcase home

My room (above and below), fully drywalled, displayed my paint swatches, trim, and windows. Big difference from the sticks I had a few weeks ago in July! It’s time Miss America kicks it into high gear!

Southern living showcase home nashville

Accessible beige

Castle homes, accustomed to working with designers, has graciously put my paint swatches on the wall and ceiling to get my approval. Designers hold a lot of magical powers when it comes to decorating. Choosing a paint from a 2×2 swatch is not one of them. My wall color will be accessible beige by Sherwin Williams, and a custom pink for the ceiling. Choosing these paint colors was a difficult task. I chose my fabrics in a snap but trying to match a Southern Living, best in the South magazine paint color was making me dizzy. I finally called in the experts! I have amazing friends, and lucky for me, most of them are color experts. Nothing like being a part of the cool kids, or as I like to call them: Color Geeks! Even more lucky for me, one happens to live down the street from my office, Kristie Barnett.

Kristie and I in Show house mania

Kristie and I hashed it out, taking into consideration all the options. She agreed that my accessible beige selection from Sherwin Williams was perfect, (hallelujah)  but thank-god for me, she was finally able to get the pink right! Can I just say that being a part of the cool kids has it’s advantages.

Today after seeing the swatches in the room I have to say the accessible beige is PERFECT, and the custom vintage pink is stunning. ( Thanks Kristie) I would also like to share a special thank-you to Kelly Berg from Arte Styling, Barbara Jacobs from Integral Color, Lori Sawaya from Color Strategies, and of course Kristie, from the Decorologist for running down to my office to save me! Y’all are the best!

If you need color help, Kelly, Lori, Kristie and Barbara are amazing! The four of them easily cover the entire country, and all do color consultations anywhere in the United States. Just watch out for that Lori, she’ll give you an education in color that will make you dizzy!

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