For example, folk Art painted tin palm trees:
Flying off the shelves.
Seriously - who would have thought?
Thursday, February 18, 2010
You Just Never Know...
Sometimes we pick up little objets to carry in the shop and have no idea just how popular they'll be.
For example, folk Art painted tin palm trees:
Flying off the shelves.
Seriously - who would have thought?
For example, folk Art painted tin palm trees:
Flying off the shelves.
Seriously - who would have thought?
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Express Yourself...with Turquoise and Swizzle Sticks
One of our favorite customers, Brooke Myers has a really fabulous kitchen that I've wanted to feature for a while now. Luckily, I was able to get copies of the professional pictures that were taken since they really capture the color and light in this cheerful room.
This conch cottage renovation with its 1950s retro style is a great expression of Key West originality.
Inspiration for the design was taken from this vintage bathing beauties postcard.
Truly, that's what she gave the architect to work from and he understood her concept perfectly!
In fact, it was her and her husband Larry's collection of vintage postcards that we used for the design of our own website.
Larry also has a great collection of vintage swizzle sticks.
The reflection on the glass makes them a bit difficult to see, but they're just too fun not to include.
You know I love the turquoise appliances. But more importantly, I appreciate how much character comes through in this room. You get a real sense of who lives there. And that is the ultimate goal of decorating a home - to achieve true self expression.
Images from Brooks Phillips
This conch cottage renovation with its 1950s retro style is a great expression of Key West originality.
Inspiration for the design was taken from this vintage bathing beauties postcard.
Truly, that's what she gave the architect to work from and he understood her concept perfectly!
In fact, it was her and her husband Larry's collection of vintage postcards that we used for the design of our own website.
Larry also has a great collection of vintage swizzle sticks.
The reflection on the glass makes them a bit difficult to see, but they're just too fun not to include.
You know I love the turquoise appliances. But more importantly, I appreciate how much character comes through in this room. You get a real sense of who lives there. And that is the ultimate goal of decorating a home - to achieve true self expression.
Images from Brooks Phillips
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The Valentine Bunny
On Saturday, my friend Eric Anfinson, Key West artist extraordinaire, posted on his Facebook page that an anonymous person, calling themselves the Valentine Bunny, stuck Valentine's Day cards on the gate to his studio home.
Soon others were responding that they too had received the mysterious cards...some in Key West, some in Kentucky, one in New Mexico... it seems that this elusive Valentine Bunny can really hop around! And the fun continued on Valentine's Day. The cards were all over Key West...I found two walking home from a friend's house.
This is a photo of the lovely card and it's simple message:
Soon others were responding that they too had received the mysterious cards...some in Key West, some in Kentucky, one in New Mexico... it seems that this elusive Valentine Bunny can really hop around! And the fun continued on Valentine's Day. The cards were all over Key West...I found two walking home from a friend's house.
This is a photo of the lovely card and it's simple message:
"Love to all without exception"
What a wonderful creative way to celebrate Valentine's Day...one more reason to love Key West.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Kate's Key West Style: House of Turquoise
In the hours of design blog reading I do, I am constantly surprised how people can take a simple concept and make it pure genius.
A great example of this is the popular design site, House of Turquoise, written daily by Erin, professor of an incurable turquoise obsession.
In her bio, Erin says, "I started this blog to collect inspirational photos I find of fabulous rooms that feature all of the lovely shades of my favorite color." And that she did! Here are some examples:
Her daily posts are always full of fresh new looks that she discovers through her own research or receives from her loyal readers. (Have some suggestions or your own turquoise room that you want to show off? Drop her a line at erin@houseofturquoise.com).
She was even mentioned in a recent editor's letter for the House Beautiful "All About Blue" issue:
One thing I like about Erin's site is that she meticulously cross references all images, introducing me to all kinds of lovely new blogs and websites to read (as if I need more...)
AND if you too are truly turquoise obsessed, you can visit her Everything Turquoise site, a shopping guide for daily turquoise finds.
I think it's safe to say that no one embraces our favorite style color quite as ardently or thoroughly as Erin of House of Turquoise.
Know of any other turquoise loving bloggers? We'd love to hear about them!
A great example of this is the popular design site, House of Turquoise, written daily by Erin, professor of an incurable turquoise obsession.
In her bio, Erin says, "I started this blog to collect inspirational photos I find of fabulous rooms that feature all of the lovely shades of my favorite color." And that she did! Here are some examples:
Her daily posts are always full of fresh new looks that she discovers through her own research or receives from her loyal readers. (Have some suggestions or your own turquoise room that you want to show off? Drop her a line at erin@houseofturquoise.com).
She was even mentioned in a recent editor's letter for the House Beautiful "All About Blue" issue:
One thing I like about Erin's site is that she meticulously cross references all images, introducing me to all kinds of lovely new blogs and websites to read (as if I need more...)
AND if you too are truly turquoise obsessed, you can visit her Everything Turquoise site, a shopping guide for daily turquoise finds.
I think it's safe to say that no one embraces our favorite style color quite as ardently or thoroughly as Erin of House of Turquoise.
Know of any other turquoise loving bloggers? We'd love to hear about them!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Mystery Solved!
Yesterday, we featured some pictures of African art and artifacts that didn't exactly exemplify our own design style. And we asked you what those images could possibly have to do with our shop or decorating services.
Well - here is your answer!
A realtor friend of ours asked us to help style a lovely Conch home called the Pendleton Estate for an open house reception that took place last night.
The owner had a rather...specific decorating style and the house was full of dark furniture and lots of African sculpture. Some of which was HUGE.
The idea was for us to rearrange things and bring in Style Key West furniture, bedding and accessories to make the space feel a bit more light and attractive to the average home buyer in Key West.
And it was quite a challenge with the African art filling every room. We finally came up with the solution of picking one room with a wall of display shelving to create somewhat of a gallery. And anything that wouldn't fit was tucked out of the way for the event.
The next step was to find accessories that gave our look to the space without competing with the existing furniture. We decided that glass lamps in interesting shapes and colors as well as some great turquoise hued pieces would do the trick.
Finally, we had to make up all of the bedrooms with our shop bedding. This was fairly easy since we have some great styles with a chocolate brown that created a nice effect with the dark wood furniture.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
BEFORE:
AFTER:
We were far too busy socializing to take pictures of everything, but some professional photos were taken that we will definitely post later.
It really was a success, and more importantly, a great party. Which, you know - is what Key West is all about.
Well - here is your answer!
A realtor friend of ours asked us to help style a lovely Conch home called the Pendleton Estate for an open house reception that took place last night.
The owner had a rather...specific decorating style and the house was full of dark furniture and lots of African sculpture. Some of which was HUGE.
The idea was for us to rearrange things and bring in Style Key West furniture, bedding and accessories to make the space feel a bit more light and attractive to the average home buyer in Key West.
And it was quite a challenge with the African art filling every room. We finally came up with the solution of picking one room with a wall of display shelving to create somewhat of a gallery. And anything that wouldn't fit was tucked out of the way for the event.
The next step was to find accessories that gave our look to the space without competing with the existing furniture. We decided that glass lamps in interesting shapes and colors as well as some great turquoise hued pieces would do the trick.
Finally, we had to make up all of the bedrooms with our shop bedding. This was fairly easy since we have some great styles with a chocolate brown that created a nice effect with the dark wood furniture.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
BEFORE:
AFTER:
We were far too busy socializing to take pictures of everything, but some professional photos were taken that we will definitely post later.
It really was a success, and more importantly, a great party. Which, you know - is what Key West is all about.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Riddle Me This...
What does this...
...have to do with THIS...
...or this...
...have to do with THIS...
...or THIS...
...or THIS...
...or - oh my! - THIS...
...?
Any guesses?
Come back tomorrow for the answer.
...have to do with THIS...
...or this...
...have to do with THIS...
...or THIS...
...or THIS...
...or - oh my! - THIS...
...?
Any guesses?
Come back tomorrow for the answer.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Some People Buy Homes…We Bought The Backyard.
This is what I saw when I looked out the living room windows of our home for the first time…
I knew at that moment we “were home”. Not that the house didn’t count. But Key West living is more than a house… it’s “outdoor living”. It’s 365 days a year of sun, and temperatures that have never been below 40 degrees.
But, though it’s said that “a picture is worth a thousand words”…
…even that can’t do justice to the experience of literally walking through this tropical paradise. So last week I turned the dial on my digital camera to the “movie setting” and took a walking tour…
I hope you enjoyed the stroll!
I knew at that moment we “were home”. Not that the house didn’t count. But Key West living is more than a house… it’s “outdoor living”. It’s 365 days a year of sun, and temperatures that have never been below 40 degrees.
But, though it’s said that “a picture is worth a thousand words”…
…even that can’t do justice to the experience of literally walking through this tropical paradise. So last week I turned the dial on my digital camera to the “movie setting” and took a walking tour…
I hope you enjoyed the stroll!
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