An Argentinian Dining Set to Cry For by Sharon Taylor Designs

A real quick post today...I'm off to pick up some emerald green rail-roaded drapes today from the work room. So excited to use them for an interior shoot today in a cobalt blue dining room.

Here at the end of the busiest year I've had in the business...I'm setting aside time to try to have ten interior rooms professionally photographed. These are all my projects that have not been shared yet. So, yes, all my 'talk' will now be a for real thing . My good friend, Sesha Shannon of Convey Studio Photography is going to be giving them life by capturing them at their best. I am nervous, anxious and excited all at the same time. I hope it all delivers.

Shout Out: I have been so very fortunate to have some of the best people, friends, family and photographers that have been willing to take a chance on me. Thank you!!

It's been a wild ride since I stepped foot into this thing called a design career three years ago, but I am officially hooked on it! Ups and downs along the way have made me stronger, and I have truly enjoyed the lessons learned on each project I've taken on. Many, many lessons learned that I hope to pass on to readers and viewers.

So here is a set of chairs that I found a flea market for my sister's dining room. They gave me ugly eyes when I first found them. {Think yucky Glossified dark wood finish from the seventies with a 1980's rosette styled fabric}...wish I had the 'befores'!

I gave them a lacquered high gloss black finish and white leather upholstery + nickel tacks and VOila, I WANT! Do you like? Also, I found the amazing Czechoslovakian chandelier for her as well.

Gotta run and get my stylizing game on for the shoots!

xo

Sharon

Black Forest Sundae Kitchen by Sharon Taylor Designs

Here's a little Black Forest Sundae edition of a kitchen {same client}. I just this week topped the dark chocolate floors off with the whipped creme and red cherries...{Oh, how I love a good pun!} I really need help...Am I strange to want to name these rooms after food? What does this mean? I'm sure it means I have an eating disorder of some sort, among many other things...

O., but this room is just

VERY, don't you think?

Lately, I can't get over watching my little Sylvie slide around in her swirly bottom black tights and new {large} red coat. Never do I have any luck getting a smile out of her for the snap.

Currently obsessed w/Miles Redd eclecticism.

I've been so busy decorating everywhere else but my own home. How are all your homes coming along? I'm seeing some fantastic Holiday cheer in the neighborhood! I mean, more greens than ever are going up around here. Very heart warming. Cheerful big wreaths, pony tails {that's what my sister Rosie calls her door swag}, and lights that really say "Glad Tidings".

I say big "Bravo!" for Happy Holidaying!

xo

sharon

Swank Office by Sharon Taylor Designs

Remember the post when I shared the smoke-colored glass desk, upholstered raspberry delight chair, and drapes for a home office I was designing for a client? Well, it's almost done and here it is!

Unfortunately, I don't have any 'befores' of this room. Basically, just picture it empty. With a combination of thrift store finds, Target pieces, some DIY items, a couple splurges, I think we got just what we were trying to get.

It all started with a smokey glass desk I found at a thrift store for sixty bucks. I think the smokey color gives it a mysterious glam vibe.

My client is a young, business woman who owns and runs her own boutique clothing store. This girl's got style AND drive, let me tell ya! We wanted to create a home office that was colorful, mod-baroque, with splashes of Spanish and Chinosiere influences.

I found the cornice board at a thrift store for $25. I kept the original retro fabric upholstery on it, but knew that it needed some extra oomph to lift it out of blahsville... So, I took six yards of black 2" ribbon and glued a big criss-cross on it to give it a classier, more 'Taylored' look. Then I selected a champagne-colored taffeta to coordinate with the cornice board fabric. The black border on the inset just unified the two together perfectly, and gave these drapes the richness that they needed {but not for a kings' ransom}. These drapes cost under $250, w/the seamstress' charge included!

Now keep in mind, these are my own personal snapshots. One is really blurry, but the color was SO right, that I couldn't resist posting. {The real photographer is coming next week}.

I outfitted one wall w/two matching cork boards from Target for $15.99 [awaiting some personalization and yellow post it notes}. I actually like how the two 'blank' corkboards look in and of themselves. They give the wall a decorative, mod, mid-century paneled look. Now that's inexpensive art! I also loved the symmetry of the two and twos {chairs and corkboards}, flanking that darling aqua side table. And the crystal and brass wall sconce placed in-between the two really helps to break all the straight lines, while it adds some very necessary sparkle to the room.

The opposite wall is devoted to a killer spanish piece that is actually a reproduction cast off from a local warehouse. It was formerly, a mucky, faux painted brown and pea green hutch which was probably intended to be used in a 'french-country or tuscan' decor styled home you so often see in these parts..."But I say, Out with that type of stuff!! Out the door, Puh-lease!" Okay, moving on...This piece has great character and lines though. Ser-iou-sly. My instant vision for it included a fresh coat of white lacquered paint. {I mean faster than you can say jack-rabbit is how fast I wanted this thing painted}. I decided to echo the inset with a similar aqua to the side table. All of the tchoskies are thrift store finds, including the Sweet matador that just kept telling me that he needed a home. He fits in quite nicely on this spanish hutch. There is a lot of storage space in the drawers for all of my clients paper work etc.

To mix things up a bit, I chose to infuse some spanish/woodsy tones into the already baroquial feeling room. I devoted a step ladder book shelf {$20 thrift store find} to a careful selection of brass goblets, yak horns {correct me if I'm wrong}, wood boxes, antlers, pine cones and driftwood. I might even add a bit more of these darker elements to the spanish shelf, which to me, is needing a little more drama rather than 'marshmallow clouds'. I'll re-tweak this room and add a few more pieces of art work to the walls before the real photographer comes next week. Until then, what do you think?

I have an installation coming up on Friday. Can't wait! Oh, I do love installation days.

A few other mentions I might add about the office above: The raspberry delight chair was formerly a tired old garage sale find that my client had sitting in her garage. We gave it new life w/nickel tacks, raspberry colored wholesale fabric, and white lacquered paint. The rug is a round braided jute rug that I found at Lowes on clearance for $99. I found the whippet dog at a thrift store for a real steal as well.

Well, gotta run...Have a wonderful rest of your week!

Sharon Taylor Designs Sustainable Supper is Featured on Inspired by This!!

I'm Inspired.

I'll start right at the top of the list:

1. Inspired by This is one of the leading wedding p.r. sites in the wedding industry. Leila inspires me daily, beyond words. I first found out about her through the ever-amazing Carissa Jones of JLDesigns, of L.A., CA...who I will have the pleasure of working with on a very special, knock-your-socks off, bohemian wedding in fall 2010.

Leila has given us, here at S.TaylorDesigns, such an honor of being highlighted in one of the prime spots of the year. Thanksgiving.

Thanks so much, Leila, and Brittany!

The Team that Made this Shoot Possible:

2. Ruell Chappell, co-founder of the Well Fed Neighborhood Alliance--The local sustainability visionary!

3. Chef Rob Corliss, founder of ATE {All Things Epicurean}

4. Photographer, Sesha Shannon, of Convey Studios.

5. The Farmers Market of Springfield, MO.

6. Other Contributors include:

Millsaps Farms

Stoney Acres Sheep Dairy

Springfield Farmers Market

Sunshine Valley Farms

Honey Heaven

Ozark Country Kitchen

Mountain View Farmers Market

Brown Derby Wine Center

Charley’s Antiques

Ter Ron Kat Gardens

I am thankful for each of these inspiring artists, farmers, and contributors above. I hope to have many more grand experiences such as this one. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Stay tuned next week for my interior design makeover updates.

The Mona Lisa Table is Set!

Here is my Mona Lisa inspired table I have been dying to post. Sesha Shannon of Convey Studio photography nails it every single time...I cannot get over it. Stunningly painterly + Golden light!

I'll be posting again a bit later today with the full, knock-out menu created by local chef, Rob Corliss, founder of ATE {All Things Epicurean}.

Inspired by This is featuring this story a bit later today, so pop on over there this afternoon.

I'm also setting the table and hanging the fresh greens over at "Mam-Maw's" house today for our own family Thanksgiving. With a twenty foot long dining room fitted with a roaring fire in the fireplace, a twelve foot long harvest table, a large cascading waterfall chandelier, and a brand new set of crate & barrel dishes...I think I'll be rollin' around in heaven. If you can picture all of that...now, just imagine how good Mam-Maws food is gonna be! She's the best.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

xo

shar

A Mona Lisa Inspired Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to a slower pace to do the following...{and I hope you can do the same}

Spend time with my family, learn from others, share new ideas, enjoy some good, farm-fresh food, the outdoors, And...reflect on where my seeds have been sown.

I'll be sharing the table and trimmings on tomorrow's post, but here is...

The Mona Lisa Thanksgiving Inspiration:

The common thread weaving thru my inspiration board for the Thanksgiving table, started with a humble painting from the Renaissance period. I wanted to echo the Slow-Drying painterly method used during that period; the richness of autumnal tones, texture, and drama... plus the time piece of getting back to our "roots". Sustainability. Each image speaks of our day of harvest... in ways that just make beautiful sense.

A BIG Thank you to the local farmers, artists, and creative thinkers involved in all of the inspiration for the very first Well-Fed Feast project with the Well Fed Neighborhood Alliance.

A delish and exciting post for tomorrow!

{images via we heart it, flickr, the green vase, imogene and willie}

10 Step Mason Jar Candles for the Holidays: Get Cozy!

I apologize for the lack of posting...please be sure and stay tuned this week for some fun barnyard posts! Got some goodies.

Will decided to gather up all of our old mason jars we have collected and stored in the cellar. We use them all the time for my event planning/parties that I host. But this time, instead of using tiny tea-lights that have to constantly be lit and re-lit, then cleaned out, he decided to make long-lasting candles to last us thru all of our own holiday celebrations.

The candles were a lot of fun to make, super cheap, and just a really sweet and simple cozy touch that goes right along with the "homegrown" philosophy that I heart. The large blocks of wax and candle making supplies were purchased at our local craft store.

Materials needed: A large pot, a steel "melting" pot/pitcher, jars, wick string, scissors, masking tape, candle anchors, thermometer, a stove, water, and a hammer.

Directions:

1. Place all of the jars and materials out on a table.

2. Unravel the wick spool and cut the wick thread a little longer than the height of the candle jar.

3. Feed the wick anchor thru and not it at the end.

4. Lower the anchor into the jar until the anchor is at the bottom of the jar...take the excess wick thread at the top and wind it around the pencil and tape it. {the wick needs to be completely vertical and centered with the pencil holding it in the right place.

5. Break a large block of wax with a hammer while still in the package.

6. Place the chunks of wax into the "melting" pot/pitcher.

7. Fill another large pot with 1/3 of water.

8. Place the "melting" pot/pitcher into the large pot of water.

9. Heat the two on Medium heat until reaching a temperature of 150 degrees or melted. Watch closely while wax melts.

10. Slowly take the "melting" pot/pitcher out of the boiling water and pour the melted wax into the prepped jars. Let cool. Cut wicks to 1/2 inch above solidified wax.

So far, they have burned beautifully for Halloween, and the sustainability dinner party {shown at top}, and will definitely be used for the rest of the winter season.

Also, on a side note...The wine pictured at top is a Missouri wine that is surprisingly good! It's called Mount Pleasant Claret {The International Wine Center}, and was chef-selected by local, Rob Corliss. I recently had the pleasure of working with him on a wonderfully delightful harvest dinner party that was hosted in a 10x12 greenhouse.

Happy Thanksgiving Week! Stay tuned for some delish posts this week.

{Images via Sesha of ConveyStudios, and sivan lewis photography. How-to images...by me.}