Wednesday, April 17, 2013

SIGNED BOOK GIVEAWAY!: {GREEN}

Hi All!  Today was supposed to be a guest post day, but I've been snowed under with work, moving, and a happy chaos.  Once we get through this week, we'll be getting some more regular content on here.  

I read a quote today, "Be like a duck.  Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath' -Michael Caine:)


As we head into Earth Day in the coming week, I will be sharing some great give aways on the blog which were donated by a few of my fave interior designer friends from across the country. Be sure to be looking for those. 

Meanwhile, my giveaway today is an autographed book, GREEN Interior Design, by author/designer Lori Dennis.  She's an interior designer extraordinaire, and HGTV personality.  She's beyond talented. 

And, while I was at Design Camp, I found her to be really hilarious, refreshing, truly authentic, as well as a huge inspiration for the green movement in Interior Design. 

Lori was recently invited to do a window at Legends of La Cienega {one of my favorite LA design events} so keep your eye out for some eye candy on that.  BTW, Lori's sister,  was also a design camp host as well.  She was a truly green delight and challenged me personally to become more green conscious too.   I'm not hugely green, but I am making little baby steps now.  We all have to start somewhere to make a difference, right?  

OKAY, NOW...  

To enter yourself in this giveaway, you must leave a comment here on the blog and name your favorite 'Green' product, 'GREEN' home project, or any type of 'walk in the forest' that made you feel 'GREEN' in a good way.  Winner to be announced after Earth Day. PSSST...Don't forget to like our Pickwick House facebook page and then also become a member of the blog! I'll be sharing some of my fave green things coming up on the blog. GO>GREEN>>>

Happy Hump DAy!

xx
sharon





Wednesday, April 10, 2013

WANT: MANUEL CANOVAS

I wasn't going to post today but just had to pop in to tell you that I want a LOT of stuff.  haha.  Between spring and a call for a  new wardrobe and wanting to fill our new home,  as well as client homes, I've been sourcing so much good stuff.   Especially wallpaper, pattern, and color! Currently working on finishing up a killer little girls room and her french day bed is begging for this duvet below.

It's from the new Manuel Canovas collection.  What a saucy fellow! Unmistakably French in style.  "Associated with the spirit of the 18th century yet re-interpreted with contemporary taste."  I love the unusual color way, the bold accent pink poms, and the soft, antique bed against a muted, mismatched putty-colored wall.  

Do you feel the need to refresh for spring too?  Please feel free to call me for an appointment and to see samples of all my wallpapers and fabrics.  Pricing upon request too.

Hope you're having a wonderful "ROBIN in the RAIN kinda day!"

xx
sharon



Pickwick House is a full service design/build company in the heart of the Midwest!  {Springfield, Missouri's Rountree Neighborhood}.  We handle all aspects of residential renovations from small to large projects and are available for full service and consultation design, and/or stylizing from Springfield and beyond.  Call or email us today.  We may be on location, but we'll get back to you in no time.

 417-459-8988 *sharontaylordesigns@yahoo.com



Monday, April 8, 2013

Guest Post: Holly Hollingsworth Phillips


Hi All!  

I introduce to you a wonderful new friend I made at Design Camp a few months back.  When I first met Holly Hollingsworth Phillips, she used her southern belle accent to complement my daring {Target brand} hello kitty skirt I was wearing to a cocktail, and instantly, I knew she was a girl I liked.  Haha.  
Holly is a most fab designer from Charlotte, North Carolina and recently was named by Merida as one of the ten designers to make a splash in 2013.  You can head over to Merida's open studio blog HERE to read their feature and learn more about what the 'big dogs' are singing about.   

What I love about Holly's expressive style is that she makes beautiful spaces out of art and antiques and can go from ultra modern and funky to a sweet twist on traditional.  

I recently asked her if she'd guest post about something she's currently loving that's 'Green'.  I thought it would be appropriate as we are leading up to Earth Day.  
Okay, so be sure check out her blog, of course, her highly addictive pinterest page, and for sure, follow her IG.  She posts gorge stuff!  I especially love that her creative talent is evident in her kids work.  Recently she posted a wallpapered room, that was created out of her 6 year old daughter, Gigi's, artwork that was incredible!  Talent runs thick and deep in her southern family.
Um, yes, that's Holly sitting in her vibrant and cool office below. Tres Chic, she is, indeed.  I'm pulling infinite inspiration from this young lady and mama of three!

Photo by Chris Edwards

Okay, Holly, take it away!...
It is hard trying to be aesthetically pleasing and green at the same time. There are a few vendors and fabric manufacturers who put an emphasis on this but, they are still few and far between. Well, that is not the case with Rubie Green. This company is based in the US and founded by the talented Michelle Adams of Lonny fame. She started this boutique fabric house to fill a void in the market that combined good environmental practices with aesthetics and what a bang up job she did. With no further adieu I introduce you to Rubie Green.
“It's a barefoot walk in the sand; it's a lazy afternoon nap, and it's your first sight of the Mediterranean coast. It's life at its simplest, and nature in its wordless beauty. 


“Here at Rubie Green, our mission is to dress your surroundings in fabrics that represent vitality, energy, comfort and style, all while maintaining respect to the environment by using only 100% organic cotton. We believe in classic designs that are familiar to every decade, re-vitalized in an eco-friendly manner. We know that natural does not mean boring, and that interiors make a house a home.





Our team performed months of research, attended trade shows and participated in conferences to find what we believe is the most eco-friendly printing method available. Our upholstery fabrics are made of 100% certified organic cotton, which is whitened without bleach and printed here in the US. We print with water-based, non-toxic inks that contain no volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), and utilize a printing process that minimizes water consumption. In fact, the factory uses only one gallon of water per day! This was an exciting discovery for our team as water plays such an integral role in most other methods of printing. We also wanted to avoid fabric waste so we decided to print only on demand, using heat and pressure to finish our fabrics instead of chemicals.”
Here is the wonderful range of fabrics available in the collection. I am quite partial to the Jackie and the Mary. Roar!

You can shop Rubie Green upholstery fabrics, pillow covers and accessories HERE.  Bravo to this fantastic company! Lets hope for the future of out children and the planet more vendors can go green while staying pretty. 
*****************************************
And, it's Sharon here, popping back in to say:  Thanks so much, Holly!  I am SO glad you storied Rubie Green, as I've long been a fan of Lonny mag, and the passionate-visionary creator, Michelle Adams.  BRAVO to her for her 'go-green-go-fresh' style!

For those of you locals, here in the Springfield area, I actually have had many of these beautiful Rubie Green sample fabrics here at the studio for awhile now that I am just dying to use.  Aren't they so pretty?  What are your faves?  I love the Marilyn and the Megan a lot.

If you're just visiting my site for the first time, or maybe stopping in as an occasional visitor, I'm so happy to have you!  I invite you to join my blog and become a member.  And once you become a member, be sure and stay tuned, because soon and very soon, you will be able to enter for the chance to win some special giveaways from some of our guests. Browse yourselves around on all the blog buttons I've posted at the top too.  Facebook, Pinterest, and IG:-)

xx
sharon


Pickwick House is a full service design/build company in the heart of the Midwest!  {Springfield, Missouri's Rountree Neighborhood}.  We handle all aspects of residential renovations from small to large projects and are available for full service and consultation design, and/or stylizing from Springfield and beyond.  Call or email us today.  We may be on location, but we'll get back to you in no time.

 417-459-8988 *sharontaylordesigns@yahoo.com



MOVING HAS BEGUN!

MOVING has begun!  Last week we shuffled a bunch of files from my studio office to the home office, so at the moment, all of my necessities are in three different locations.  {Luckily within a two mile radius and luckily the weather is cooperating charmingly swell-like.}  

I could go on and on about all the things in limbo on the home front at the moment, but will keep it simple and just say...moving can get very ugly.  Currently, AT&T is giving us a run for our money and we still have no wireless connection after calling all of our techie friends and countless hours on the phone with technical support.  I would love to hire someone to specifically make the ever-dreaded and lengthy, elevator-ish-musical calls to AT&T! 

All this to say, I will not be posting as regularly, but will give you something to tide you over with some really awesome guest posts on occasion from designer friends of mine.    The first one will post tomorrow!

Stay tuned and Happy Spring, my friends!  {Picture above is from a photo shoot last year with some of my favorite things:  baby in stripes + teak + chunky crystal rocks + midcentury cubist chairs + zebra print + elephant ears}  I cannot wait to share our new home with you.

Thanks again, for stopping in.   We sure do love and appreciate all your support!!

xxxx
sharon

Monday, April 1, 2013

HOUSE UPDATES: Wainscoting, Stairs, Hallway





Hi All!  I hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend.  We sure did!  Will's mom made an incredible meal as always and we had good times with both sides of the family.  Here's an update on the house.  A before and after.  I'll start with the 'after' first, because it just feels SO good:)





80's style brass fixtures before.  This picture comes nowhere close to letting you see the muck that was on the walls and floors.  Dark, dark, nicotine stained walls and ceilings.

Notice the cut out in the left wall.  That was for the door bell system and gongs.  We took that system out and drywalled over the cut out.  

This is right after Will ripped out the nasty hunter green carpet that ran the length of the hallway and stairs.  I'm sure Will has a nastier 'before' pic somewhere.  I'll have to dig for more of those yucky befores.  Anway, I'm laughing at the tensed hands in this pic, {those are Will's hands}.  I'm sure he was giving a house tour to someone, here, and he's explaining the severity of the grossness of the house.  Haha!  See those dark spots on the floor in the background and also the one in the foreground.  Those are just some of the dog pee stains.  The dogs were mostly holed up in the background hallway.  The owner had the dogs mostly barricaded back there, which is one of the main reasons we chose to go with darker floors. 


Justin getting started on the wainscoting.  



This pic was taken from the back hallway looking toward the front door.  


All the baseboards were ripped off, but we saved them and re-used them.  





First coat of paint on the risers and the wainscoting.  


After the floors were stained and the most of the paint touch ups are done!


Sorry this pic is so blurry.  It was evening time.  Notice the baby waterfall chandeliers.  Will found those.  I think they are perfect!  Also notice we painted the front french door black.  We have a matching baby chandelier in the little foyer just beyond that door that didn't turn on.  That's why it looks so dark.  

Anyway, I hope to have pics up soon on the blog.  I hope you enjoy seeing the progress we're making.  

Have a wonderful springy week!

xx
sharon