A Knack for Reinvention

DIY, refurbishing old furniture, finding possibility in junk yards... All very popular right now. And none of it is new to me. While growing up, I knew many creative people who had this kind of vision.

Two that immediately come to mind are my mother of course, and also the mother of one of my many babysitting charges during high school.

Rebecca MacKenzie was mother to a cute little boy named Alexander. But in the design world, she was known as Rebecca Cross, a talented artist who at that time, painted furniture and floors with bold, bright motifs. I spent a lot of time in their house (actually two houses since they moved at some point) and saw much of her work for her own family as well as what she created for clients.

My mother had some furniture made for our house using architectural salvage and then painted it with various finishes she developed. She even started a business with her best friend, Barry Remley called Salvations (while she is no longer a partner, she still serves on the board). All of this made for frequent weekend jaunts to places like the DC institution, The Brass Knob.

While I can't say that I had the appreciation that I should back then for these creative women in my life (give me a break - I was a kid!), it did give me a different perspective on what may appear to be old junk. I can now see potential that may not have been apparent to me had my parents been accountants. You never know - but I attribute this appreciation to my early influences.

So (yes -there was a point to this) when I came across a belle maison post about Knack Studios in Greenville, SC, I was instantly confronted by the familiar. And I found the way that they take something old or plain and turn it into something new and extraordinary to be truly inspired.















This work combines everything I remember. They refurbish old furniture, they create new furniture out of discarded scraps, and they completely reinvent everything they do using finishes, color and painted motifs. Knack Studios brings art to furniture design and creates functional pieces that are absolutely unique.

To read more about Knack Studios, visit their website, Etsy shop, Flickr page, and blog.

Dirt on the Living Room Walls?

I saw Martha Stewart (of all people I would be featuring - I can't believe it!) on the Today Show doing a segment on how to choose the right paint color. She said something that really rang true to me because it's what I believe and practice whenever I'm doing a scheme.

The idea is that you should always choose a color with a little "dirt" in it. That's to say, a slight bit of beige or grey in the paint formula so that the effect is softer. This is because the light in the room and the four walls reflecting off of each other intensify the color and can come off really garish (i.e. school bus yellow, lollipop orange, bubblegum pink). Maybe those are great for an accessory or pillow for a pop of color...but not the whole room.

There are a lot of pretty rooms that illustrate this on the Martha Stewart Paints website.

For example:

Love the soft coral wall, spiced up by brighter orange in blue/gray cabinet.

I'm not a big fan of neutrals, but I find the softness of this room with it's pickled wood walls, natural linen draperies and upholstery, with the punch of turquoise pillows very appealing.

Probably the paint chip for this pink looks more like pinky beige, but the luminosity of the room lights it up to a delicious rosy glow.

Another wonderful combination of soft beiged-down coral (not lollipop orange) with cloudy blue. Although I would definitely eliminate the orange plastic chair even if it is Philippe Starck.


Here again the paint chip probably looks like a muddy gold-beige, but the effect in the room is a wonderful glowy yellow.

This is a perfect example of a bright color giving a great impact, but the orange has definite brown undertones that make it rich and warm without overpowering the small space.

I've heard many funny stories about Pepto Bismol pink walls and the like, but it just goes to show that selecting paint colors off of a tiny square chip can be quite difficult. Here is a great tip to keep in mind when selecting a color.

Have a wonderful weekend! I'm off to High Point tomorrow and will be back next week with pictures and inspiration.

Sometimes a little work makes a big difference.

Many houses in Florida are "open floor plan" which means no matter where you stand in the living area you see all the other rooms. Sometimes this is great because you see all the wonderful views surrounding the house.

Other times it's problematic like in this instance where the first thing you saw when entering the front door was the kitchen sink.


Since a fabulous kitchen redo was not in the budget, we decided to build a wall that would screen the sink area but not make the kitchen claustrophobic. The real plus was that we could create a series of niches on the wall facing the front door so you now are greeted by a wall of interesting antiquities.


A three-day relatively inexpensive project gives the entire living space a new and much improved perspective.

They're Here!

We are so excited about the Jackie Von Tobel fabric samples that we ordered and just received.

These fabrics are such a beautiful quality of groundcloth, and the patterns and colors are truly inspiring.

Jackie takes the best of traditional fabric motifs, such as toile, damask, florals, paisleys, and medallions, and then transforms them into lovely contemporized versions. The sample book itself makes a beautiful presentation, as you can see from these photos.






Now we just have to decide what to put them on. I know for sure we'll use this Damask Stripe on our favorite slipper chair and ottoman.


It will be so adorable! Thank you, Jackie.

Not Feeling That Inspired...

This will be a first for Style Key West - but I'm going to be a little negative about something.

I am almost a full day late with my Monday post, and it's because I had a hard time working with my original idea.

When I heard that Lonny Magazine's fourth (online) issue would be live on Saturday, I thought it would be the perfect topic. I could pull my favorite images and possibly write a little about some of the features.

But the truth is - I was a kind of disappointed. It's not that it was any less smart, professional and well designed. There just wasn't anything in it that made me want to come back again and again.

In issues past, I've found homes, rooms or even scenes that made me want to print out a tear sheet for an inspiration board.

But this issue (focusing on sustainability in design) just didn't do it for me.

The "market" section in the beginning was fine, and I found a few pieces that caught my eye:

But then this made me do a double take:


That's a chandelier made out of the bottoms of empty Dasani bottles.

Interesting...but wouldn't this be more appropriate for college kids or even young post-grads? Are current style makers really blown away by DIY trash lighting? This is nothing against the adorable Erica Domesek of P.S. - I Made This... I think she's incredibly creative and innovative and I enjoy her blog. But it's got a bit more of a jewelry/fashion vibe than home furnishings... And, honestly if I was going to pick any of her recent projects to feature in a design magazine, it would be something a bit more sophisticated. Like this use of globes to decoupage plates and trays:

That actually looks expensive (I think I've been watching too much Project Runway...) At any rate, she seems to have some kind of partnership going with Dasani - so that is most likely the connection. But I still found it strange.

AND THEN, I electronically flip a page to see Katie Lee looking like something out of Seventeen Magazine!

Dude! Who wants a Rice Krispie Treat?

Okay - I guess she's young (late 20s), but I can only imagine an Anthony Bourdain commentary on this layout ( I guess I've also been watching too much Food Network...)

Moving on...

The thing with "Eco Chic" is that there always seems to be an emphasis on neutrals. Which often appeals to me - but not so much the ones that were featured. Especially when there was so much of that in the following two articles on Environment and West Elm.



There was a brief breath of fresh air in the "Naturally Inspired" article on editor, Michelle Adams' charming home:



But then some truly bizarre rooms belonging to Laura Day (formerly of Trading Spaces). I was particularly taken with these Oscar the Grouch pillows:


Seriously though - I did think this settee was charming:


Especially the back!


And I do like this chair a lot:


Really, I should shut up since I did enjoy the first issue of her online magazine (I even wrote about it!). But I guess I was getting impatient for something to strike a chord with me, and it just wasn't happening.

While I did appreciate the piece on Ashley Putman with her "modern traditional" style...







...and then the beautiful bookshelves and antiques in Laurann Claridge's home...




...I just lost reading momentum and, well - interest after that.

There was a bit more color and whimsy in the last few articles. Here are a few images I liked:




But I was left without much inspiration for my weekly Style Key West post.

So why did I bother to write about it? Because I had nothing else planned and after a few glasses of wine tonight I guess I felt like dishing. Plus - Style Key West is a new blog with a small readership and I can probably get away with being a snarky here.

Next week I'll be back with a little more enthusiasm and eye candy. I promise!