Pickwick House Feature

Pickwick House is ecstatic to be featured in the fall 417 Home Mag.  You can pick up your copy at Barnes and Noble and you can also read the article here.  The chairs, cypress coffee table, and large crystal have already sold, but you can be sure we're bringing out more cool things for customers and clients continually.  Happy Friday and Happy Labor Day weekend!

xx
sharon

Hop and a Skip!

Hi all!  With the change of seasons, we also have a new change of address on the home front.  Gulp.  AND.  Gulp.

I haven't quite come to terms with it because for those of you who know me, I've always lived here on Pickwick and in Rountree.  It's home.  Where I grew up.  And it's where I have raised all my kiddos to this point.  Mom and dad even blessed me with this house {910} before they both passed; which is right next door to where they raised nine of us kids, which is now currently my brother's family.

But the one bath and 2 closets is what it all boils down to.  It had me and all of us feeling a bit anxious.  The house is sweet, and homey but not so convenient for a family with four bouncing kids and teen boys. So, we're now moving from one family compound to another...Arnold's to the Lampe's.   A 'hop' of the pond, if you will.  Well, more like 'hopping over the Phelps Grove Park water run off'.  {Less than 2 minutes away.}

To this.... 'a little diamond in the rough'.  We got SO very lucky {thanks to Will's good charm}.  I am happy that we will now have three baths, SEVEN closets, a mudroom, a 2 car garage {with a driveway!!!!}, a 'play area' loft above the garage, a high ceilinged basement, a master suite balcony, mostly all original everything {hardware, door knobs, 5 paneled doors, a special mail slot, milk man's entrance, a sweet little telephone cubby in the wall} a stair case {which we've never had} a second lot as a yard, and lots and lots of elbow grease to boot!

I hope to journal the progress here, but meanwhile, you might want to check my regular snippet posts on instagram.  Will has been a working machine. I've never seen him more motivated to a create a display of sorts for 'what we do' as well as a life long home for our family.  I have to snap him out of 'the zone' on occasion because he'd be scrubbing in his sleep if he could.  Meanwhile I watch the babies, order paint, and pizzas and try to help where I can after my work day is done.  I should mention that Mimi Lampe's home will be right behind ours and our properties will be one big playground.  Another bonus.

Before we touched the house, it should have been on the Hoarders show for certain, but I do have to hand it to the previous owners, because underneath the mounds and mounds of stuff/trash and dirt, the historic integrity of the house was left in tact {for which we are pretty, pretty thankful for indeed}.

At the rate Will is going, we'll be in by Christmas:)

Hope this finds you all well.  We hope to have a house warming party once the dust settles.  In the meantime, feel free to stop by if you see us on University, or give us a ring if you need any thing for your own home or party or business or landscaping needs.  {Haha!  In order to spend money on this new house, we'll need to earn some money too!!}

xx
sharon

Living and Life

Hi Sweet Summer Friends!

Via Pinterest 

I love this glass cabinet above.  We are working on having some similar looking moveable furniture custom made to put into a kitchen.

Via Pinterest 

I love this kitchen for the open shelving and classic lines and that viking hood and wolf range!

My interns, Robin, Sara, and Shelbi have been working hard to get my back room organized among other things. This clipboard wall of to-do's and projects is in the process being painted with black chalkboard paint so we can change project names under each clipboard.

Summer time is here and it always makes me a little sentimental for my own childhood days and .  I'm flooded with my mom memories right now and thinking on all the days of summer that were so structured with 3/4th work day and 1/4th fun.  We never got to go the pool unless the thermometer reading was 90+ degrees and it was only after we had completed painting some piece of furniture, hung the laundry out on the line, read a book, and prepped the evening meal that we were allowed to take off for a bit of time.

There is something about summer this year that has me thinking more about my own mortality.  Maybe it's turning 40.  Maybe it's having an 18 year old and a baby mixed with those "mom" memories.  

I'm reminded of the quote "Don't get so busy making a living, that you forget to make a life."  

....So, on that note, I've been taking off a wee bit early lately to go do the following...

Decorating and rearranging with Will at our house.    

My Baby! So curious =) 

 Syl chose to wear her american astronaut suit to school one day this past week. She chose to go against her standard every day pink dress.  Even if the pink dress is dirty, she still wears it.

Instagram pic of sprinkler babies.

My 16 year old Louis is scoring an amazing goal here at State Cup.  Unfortunately the other team won by a one goal deflection off of us and ended up winning state cup.  Oh well, maybe next year.  It sure is fun to watch him play.

Charlie was in charge here for a pre-fourth sparkler fest.

Eleanor under her Grandma Carol's tree that was dedicated to Rountree Elementary after she passed away.  It was Eleanor's idea to have her picture taken here.  Talk about tear jerking me!


Well, back to work this am, but are you taking time off to slow down and enjoy life this summer?  I hope so!  Happy early 4th from all of us here at Pickwick House!!


xx
sharon

Summer Dreaming + Scheming

Hi there.  Believe it or not, I'm back to being a somewhat narrative decorator again {for today anyway}.  My posts have been occasional and few lately because frankly, I'm swamped with work and managing all the things that come along with the biz.   I don't know where to begin on updates.  It hurts to think about the amounts of things we have under our belt.

We do have three new interns at Pickwick House that I'm thrilled to have this summer.   They've been extremely helpful in helping me update Pickwick House internally and externally.  I will be introducing them to you soon.

Things I am loving right now...

Sun drenched light and a good, cold frappe from Boca Mocha.  I'm SOOO happy to say we found the time to shoot that great little coffee/cafe shop #commercial space that we designed over a year ago.  Scott Cotton Photography

While it's hot out there, I really do dream of days where I can lounge by the pool and read a leisurely good book without the interruptions.  In the mean time, while my business is taking baby steps and strides forward, I am taking small bites out of this book below....

The Business of Design book by Keith Granet.  It's teaching me much-much about balancing creativity and profitability.  

OVERBOARD in a good way

{My instagram from Lindsay White and Caleb Johnson's Wedding Set-up}

Hi All... I know it's been a while since I've visited this dusty old posting site called "the blog".  This week I turn 40.  Many hoo-rahs and a few brouhahas...

Balancing is a never-ending challenge.  This image above is a good depiction of how "overboard" I feel inside.  Now overboard can mean a good thing and it can mean a not so good thing....

My oldest had a graduation party over the weekend.

Now when we were planning details out for the party, I told her we didn't need to go overboard on things with too many indulgent desserts for the party.  She replied with "Mom, I LOVE overboard.  I'm doing "overboard".

I decided I liked her playfully energetic response and challenge to my boring, reserved, tight self.  6 dozen different flavored cupcakes of hers were gobbled up at that party...all on her "overboard" proclamation.    

Grateful for all of the experiences and celebrations, and sweet people in my life that are providing me with some insight, true colors, personal challenges, and richer ideas.

With LOVE and wishes for a fun week for you all!

xx
sharon

4 Style Essentials: Part One

Oh hi there.  I'm back from catching up with voicemails and emails and babies, oh my.  And I also just stopped by LA too.  These are all good problems to have so I've decided to hire a part time manager.  I've had a lot of you asking if we're closing.  Nope.  Just working on projects.  You might find our door locked a lot more than usual lately. It's because we're working away in the back on projects for clients.

While in LA, I keyed in on 4 things I think we could use here in the area for ya'll clients/customers style fluffing areas.  Please feel free to add your two sense too.

First of Four:

Lanterns.  All shapes, metals, and sizes.  For indoor and outdoor usage.   They are well traveled.  Exotic.  Hip.  Timeless {and also the s.e.x.y. word}.  I've already ordered some in for the shop.  I hope they fly out the door.  

I'm in love with this moroccan chandelier from Downtown, LA. 

{WANT.  BAD.}

xx

sharon

Free Friday

Howdy there.  Are you enjoying spring?  These days and nights have been dreamy, huh?  The weather couldn't be any more perfect.  It's days like these that make me intensely wish I was a stay at home mom.

Here are the things I'd do if I had a free friday:

1.  Look through old Cottage Living magazines and design books while sitting on my front porch with my baby.  Then go for a leisurely walk and end up at my sisters house to let Sylvia play with all her cousins.

2.  Dream about creating an outdoor space for my very own as amazing as this one above.  Can you imagine sipping wine and hanging out in this space?!!  That latticed fretwork gable!  The pendant light!  The depth of the bed!

3.  If I had enough time on my free friday, I'd love to go to a nursery and pick out some boxwood to fill some old urns for my back porch, and the storefront. Do you not just love this storefront's amazing awning and drapery above?  Notice the door has a handwritten note taped to it...I imagine my note would say something like, TAKIN A SPRING VACAY DAY.  Sometimes a day off is just what one needs!

How are you soaking up spring?  I hope you find your leisure spot to be exhilarating, uplifting, inspiring, and full of the sweet smell of lilacs.

(all photos sourced thru pinterest}

xx
sharon