Home Office Inspiration

Home Office Inspiration

Boxwood Interiors

Last week, my friend Jeni came to visit from California and I took her to some of my favorite places in Houston that I knew she’d love. Among them, was Boxwood Interiors, a charming store featuring an amazing selection of pillows, furniture, lighting, decorative accessories, and paints and wallcoverings by Farrow and Ball. I’ll let you in on a little secret, we sourced a few items from Boxwoods for a High Gloss photo shoot that we can’t wait to share with you! But more on that later. First, I’d like to share a visual tour of this amazing shop. Boxwood recently underwent a major makeover. The store nearly doubled in size and they added a ton of fabulous new vignettes, brightened the space, and added some show-stopping details.

{It was quite appropriate that we visited Boxwood on the same day that we heard Miles Redd speak. This amazing octagonal partition is painted in Miles’ favorite color, Hague Blue in Full Gloss finish by Farrow and Ball. It is such a gorgeous shade and this image doesn’t even begin to do the amazing partition justice.}

{Boxwood mixes styles so well. There are plenty of things that appeal to the French and Belgian loving set as well as a great assortment of pieces that appeal to those who love a more modern dose of color.}

{Pillows, Glorious Pillows!}

{So Many Lovely Details}

{I love the mercury glass lamp, subdued color palette, and Donghia suzani pillows in this vignette.}

{How gorgeous is that mirror?}

{I love the framed abstract paintings here. Sally Wheat has some similar ones in her home. Sally, if you’re reading this, what is the artist’s name?}

{This console is bananas! The photo doesn’t even begin to do it justice. It is covered in what looked and felt like seagrass and studded with nailheads.}

{I loved the gilded wheat sheaf table and these neat stools.}

{These Kobo candles smell so nice and feature such lovely packaging.}

{Gorgeous Mercury Glass Lamps atop a Beautiful Console Table}

{There is literally eye candy in every corner of this store. I am crazy about this fabulous end table with Greek key detail.}

{A Pretty Table Setting and Chandelier in front of Gorgeous, Hand-Painted Wallpaper by Farrow and Ball.}

{I love the simple lines of this furniture. It would be great in an outdoor area.}

{Another Beautiful Vignette}

{More Mercury Glass Lamps – Love!}

{A Fabulous Assortment of Farrow and Ball}

{A Nod to the 1950s via a Wheat Sheaf Table and Cute Poodle Lamp}

{Yet another lamp I was dying over! I wasn’t kidding when I said I was a total lamp tramp!}

{I wish I’d gotten a better picture of their gorgeous cash wrap /check-out counter. You can see it up close in the previous picture. It features carrera marble and antiqued mirrors. I doubt there is a prettier one in existence. This celadon and blue lamp totally reminds me of our High Gloss editor, Kyle!

{So, the gorgeous Hague Blue octagonal partition from the beginning of this post separates the retail part of the space from the offices in the back. Boxwood also provides interior design services.}

 

Thank you, Mimi and Jenna for being such gracious hostesses and treating us like old friends during our visit!

 

{All Images by Paloma Contreras – Please Do Not Use Without Consent}

My Toy Room to Teen Room Transformation!

My children are entering the teen years now. As they grow and change the needs of our home have changed as well. One of the bedrooms over our garage had been a "toy room", filled with plastic Little Tikes Kitchens, Legos and Trains- a place for forts and building castles. My teenage daughter suggested that we re-decorate the "Toy Room" to be more Teen Friendly. I agreed and so (sadly for Mom) we have said to goodbye to Pokemon and American Girl Dolls.

Here is the room Before (actually we have two identical rooms above our garage, they are mirror images of each other and this photo is of other side). Like all decorating projects we had Goals, Restrictions and a Budget. The Goal was a room for for sleepovers, a place to do school projects where they could spread things out (and not be near their parents), and a place to hangout with friends and watch Movies and I-Chat! Our main Restriction was the doorway size. It is only 27 inches wide. And our Budget was $2500.

Here is the room after we ripped up the old carpet. Then we painted the trim BM White Dove and the walls BM Lighthouse Landing. Paint cost $4o. Paint, as always is an immediate improvement!

The kids were allowed to choose everything in the room and I treated them like clients on our shopping trip. We found this great, thick wool rug at HomeGoods for $600. (did I mention how much I love HomeGoods for rugs??) The kids liked the Pottery Barn feel and the blue and brown color scheme. While we were there the kids scouted some great pillows that matched and two small microfiber ottomans. All together we spent $800.

Meanwhile at home, my sister, who LOVES to organize, came over and sorted through all our arts and crafts supplies and organized everything in the old bins which used to hold plastic food and Matchbox cars. Now it is a perfect go to space for all the supplies we need for projects at school.

Thank you, Sandra! Cost - priceless!

We couldn't let go of the blocks, (well I couldn't) so they stayed put and we moved an old bookcase into the walk in closet for extra storage for paper and other supplies.

Dramatic drum roll.... Here is the Before.

And the After! We found this thin couch at Macy's and once we took the feet off it fit through our tiny doorway! The sectional microfiber couch was $1400 and the bar table and leather stools $199. at Overstock.com.

Inspirational artwork was $50 on clearance! Bookcase, side table, and TV we already had!

The total Teen Hangout Room Makeover cost was.....$2489!!

We still had money left over for a Movie and some snacks!! We found some wonderful bargains, stayed with in our budget and came out with a great room! The kids are thrilled and call it their "Hang Out Room" - I call it a success!!

'

Also a heartfelt thank you to the many, many kind readers who sent me get well wishes and prayers. I am truly blessed to have so many friends in blogland. I was beyond touched! xoxo

(all photos Willow Decor and not to be copied without permission)

Fabulous Room Friday 07.16.10

{Left: The striking statue of the Winged Victory of Samothrace looks as if she has just flown into the room. Can you think of a more dramatic piece to add to a room? Right: Dhong swathed the elegant room in beautiful array of blues and greys.}

This week’s Fabulous Room comes to us from interior designer, Benjamin Dhong. The tower attic was designed by Dhong for this year’s San Francisco Decorators Showcase house and was greatly inspired by Parisian style. Dhong wanted to maximize the views of the Golden Gate Bridge and aimed to make the room feel like a “sexy and escape”. I’d say he definitely accomplished his goal. The room has a very elegant aura and the shades of grey and blue are very reminiscent of Paris. The cool tones and luxurious textures within the room would be perfectly at home in a chic Parisian apartment or a grand hotel in the City of Lights.

{How is this for ingenious? Dhong took an Arne Jacobson Egg Chair and had it reupholstered in a Manuel Canovas cut velvet fabric, which he paired with a Fortuny pillow. Dhong added the zebra rug because “the room was too ‘polite’ and needed a bit of edge”.}

{A Silver Giacommeti Lamp topped with a French Blue Silk Shade rests atop a table skirted in a Sumptuous Velvet with Greek Key Trim}

 

All Images Courtesy of Benjamin Dhong

Sheer Bliss

(l.pasquier)

I have always been enamoured with sheers. I love the romance and natural light they let into a room.

(National Curtain Company)

They soften hard lines and provide a beautiful fluid motion from a breeze. Here is wonderful example of antique shutters which are enhanced and softened by the striped sheers.

(o. disegno)

When the light is right, sheers can create an incredible romance in a room. Even a room that is dark can be brightened with sheers. I included the room above to show, though dark, how even a north facing room can benefit from the natural light.
(Southern Accents)
When I was twenty and in my first apartment I bought a huge mosquito netting to hang from the ceiling over my mattress which sat on the floor. I did not even own a bed then! I envisioned myself chic like Mata Hari. This picture is much better example of what I was trying to achieve back then. This Niermann Weeks beds is gorgeous with the gathered sheers. Isn't this so romantic?
(c. everad)
This canopy is taunt - creating a much more sophisticated and contemporary feeling. This is a simple and inexpensive way to add the romance of sheers to your four poster bed.
(l.pasquier)
The sheers here create a wonderful juxtaposition to the cold lines of the metal bed. Even in spare rooms such as this, sheers add a layer of softness. If you pull them closed you create a romantic room with in a room. (s. lane)
But sheers can used outdoors to create a room as well. Here we see this lovely dining area become a spectacular outdoor oasis.
(s. lane)
They can also make sweet slipcovers. Here these embroidered sheer slipcovers soften the lines of the french bistro chair.
(c. everad)
You may remember this photo from a post I did on the popular Ghost chair - you can read about it here. Even slipcovered the Ghost chair retains its ethereal qualities.
(p. mitchell)
The bath is another area where we are seeing sheers used. I love them as a shower curtain in this space because they provide privacy with out visually dividing the room. Here they are in soft shade of lavender.
(s. lane)
This sheer shower curtain boasts wonderful ribbon embellishments. Also notice the beautiful table slipcover.
(s. lane)
But sheers are not limited to white, here a wonderful turquoise linen provides privacy, as well as the color accent in this room.
(r. hammick)
Sheers can also provide the pattern in the room. The light enhances these beautiful floral sheers

(julia clare company)

Finally these striped sheers provide a private resting area on an outdoor veranda.

Where do you like to use sheers?

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