Graphite + Emerald

Hello!  Happy Friday!!  What do you have planned for the weekend?  

My teenagers are doing homecoming festivities.  It's pretty exciting this year.  My Eleanor is art commissioner and she came up with the theme concept/decor/t-shirt design.  It's "INTO THE WILD".  I'm so proud.  Will share pictures soon...

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This week, I'm presenting a bedroom makeover for a woman and her two sweet little dogs.  She loves green.  She also loves a hard-core durability factor and she loves Better Homes & Gardens magazine.  I'm using this room below for inspiration.  What I love about this room is that it is easy-going and livable elegance. You know how you see most homes with elegance that look too pretty to touch?  Well, this room is not that.  The casual linen chairs and bone chandelier are really great combo of relaxed textures and silhouettes against the graphite colored wall. And then the green drapes just knock it out of the 

"back-yard-ball-park" with flirty, fun drama.  Do you love it?  

{Veranda Magazine}

Restoration Hardware Vintage Washed Belgian Linen Quilt and Shams in Graphite

Ballard Designs Stevenson Nailhead Headboard {In Grey}

Ralph Lauren rug called Kenya in ivory and dark chocolate

This is the "before" of the room.  She's starting over in here and I can't wait to get started!!

Hope you all have a beautiful weekend!!

xx 

sharon

Inspirations + Mom + Family + Client Progress

Hi ALL!!  I haven't blogged in a while.  I'm still trying to find the balance of work and new baby on Pickwick Street.   I admit that I really could handle a full time job of canoodle-schmoodling this good, sweet baby all day long.  Here's a snapshot of the 100% juice box.

                                                          Jack has grown 4 inches in 6 weeks!  

Loosening the seat belt straps this time hasn't been so easy for me.  Partly because I'm sad that he's the last one + the old saying, ... "They grow SO fast"... but mostly because Sylvie stuck her a.b.c. gum inside the mechanics of the lever on the baby car seat. Gum hardened that lever...so now it requires a hard-press-down from a screw driver every day or so that Jack grows again.

Sylvie, Raleigh, and Payton 

Sylvie was a flower girl this past weekend for her uncle Michael and aunt Gabby's wedding.  She did a good job throwing the petals down, but refused a bath beforehand because she was a little obsessed with these older girls.

In the swirly whirl of the things going on in my office:

Can't wait to use this AMAZING chair for another office design!  Just scored this off the truck of one of my favorite vendors.  Chocolate Upholstery with GOLD legs = Truffle Delight.

Sneak Peek of Client Progress:  an old pedestal table in it's primer coat before it gets a pickle finish.  Thomasville Chairs are being reupholstered in a beautifully worn turquoise leather.

My big boys are finishing up their own busy soccer season this month and Eleanor just had her senior pictures taken.  Eeek.  Yes, they do grow fast.

I feel very lucky + happy with all my loves around.

I'm going to leave you with one more love.  This interior inspiration from Veranda's recent "House of Windsor".  The room is sheer perfection to me.  The windows letting in the light and I love the mostly white restraint, but not overly minimal.  The vintage chairs are what make it.  Wish I knew what kind they were.  Any one know?

I hope to start blogging more regularly and also, I hope you have a wonderfully, pretty Friday!!

xx
sharon

33 Ways To Stay Creative

source

What did you do over the weekend?  We had a rain filled weekend that made for a soccer tournament rain-out which led to nice, long family lunches, quiet time, flea marketing, and time for dreaming up new project ideas.

Hope you have a great week!

xx

sharon

thank you

source

I need these fans.  Not for any events necessarily....but so I can thank and "fan" all of you for being so sweet to me these past few days.  I'm so incredibly grateful for all of you.   

The open house was this past weekend and it was great to see everyone that stopped in.  We had most visitors in on Saturday...but here's my very first customer.  Charlotte Collier.  The sweetest, spunkiest, classiest 90 something year old lady. She's got it together more than anyone else I know. She wanted to hold Jack immediately upon walking in the door.  It was so cute.  I think she was pretty sold on him.  {Notice the sign behind her.} 

Counting my blessings.  I have way too many to count.  How about you?  

This huge chalkboard was just given to me for free by a nice flea market vendor I recently friended.  Who gives things like that away?  That in itself is a blessing.  

My intern hung tons of charms, old clock faces, and odd objects from this tree we arranged in the front window for the fall open house.  The charms are only $2 each.  I've sold a few of those, but still have many left for those of you unable to stop in this past weekend.  They'd make great charms for necklaces,  funky napkin rings, key chains, or even a rear view mirror little thing. The windows are going to get some more dressing up here in the next few weeks.  Be sure to watch for some new creations.  

I hosted the monthly Met Bride bridal vendor luncheon here at Pickwick House on Tuesday.  We used an all monochromatic color scheme of black, white, silver, and gold.   About 20 vendors came.  I love Met Bride.  And the community of vendors we have here in Springfield is really great.  

Here's an "in the works" buffet set up I pulled together that morning.  All different shapes, sizes, and finishes of mirrors for the back drop behind buffet.  By the way...I just discovered a new LOVE.  An alternative to a table cloth.  Shiny black patent leather vinyl. No sewing needed.  Just a few yards covered this 8 foot long table.  It's sleek, chic, easy to wipe down, no wash or iron needed.  PERFECT for a Halloween party or a chic Holiday party.  Super cheap too.  It kinda draws me back to kindergarten where I remember one of our school supplies was called an "oil" cloth.  Does anyone else remember this?

Ta-Da!!...Notice the spread of food arrived...but I did not cook the food.  The Traveling Chef brought yummy stuff.

How's your week going?  I hope it's a smorgasbord of good things.  

xx

sharon

If you'd like to make your house into an inviting home, please call me or come see me.  

bad day

                                                                             (source)
I've had a bad day. I could use cheerful thoughts, if you have any.

                                                                            xxxxxx
                                                                            Sharon

2011 Interior Design Award: Office {Sharon Taylor of Pickwick House}

Hi All!  Could the weather be any more invigorating and inspiring?  I hope it'll put a pep in your step to come into Pickwick House today thru Saturday for our "FALL into Style" Open House.

My interns have been busy helping me ready the store while I work on more design projects outside of Pickwick House.  I'm so happy to have five interns joining me this fall!  I could still use two more art + design students to join in for our fall and winter window installations.  Qualification Must-Haves:  must be a hard worker who is passionate about hunting for the unconventional objects to weave and create a storied window.  Please email me if you are interested.

Photos by Randy Colwell

I'm so proud to share my 417 Mag's winning interior design award with you.   Here are a couple of pics from the online version of the magazine....and here's the link.   To see a better overall room image, take a peak at the September issue of 417 Home, now on newsstands {p. 70}.    I'm a little sad to say it, but...we're already moving on with this office.  It actually was recently just disassembled to become a little girls nursery.  That's the good news! I hope to share that soon.

Special Thanks to my intern, {now assistant}, Hillary Ellison and my two older sons who helped me load up a truck load of props to use for this photo shoot, on one of the very hottest days in July, I might add.  You may not realize it, but a lot of work goes into preparing a room for a photo shoot.  It took all day to get things situated just right for every angle of that lens.

Hope to see you today!  Bubba Jack will be here with me.  He's one of my best-natured babies, so be sure to come say hi.

xx
sharon

Nursery DESIGN

Not sure of the Source? Help.

Pickwick House

I'm working on a nursery design for a little girls room.  I love the sweet little nursery at the top. I think those chinoiserie cabinets are really pretty and not so expected.  I love the calm, soothing nature of the room. When I ran across this image, I was reminded of the cabinet I have for sale at the shop.   It's still for sale.  And, it's still a really sweet deal. I hope to sell this design to my client for her nursery.

So far, this turquoise dresser is the only piece we have for sure for the room...  And the crib, of course.  This one, above, will be used as a changing station.  I just love not only the color of the piece, but the hardware especially.  Although, I'm really drawn to the soothing whites.

Found on One King's Lane

Here's another piece I love. LOVING the classic lines and sweet little slipper feet it has.  It looks more sophisticated and slightly too serious for this girl.  But mixed with some fun, and funky lamps + wall art, I think it would be darling.

John William {Jack}

Amy Pennington Photography

Amy Pennington came to the shop to photograph our bubba Jack.


I love this little guy...and can't wait for my client to welcome her new little girl.

Have a swell day.

xx
sharon