Barry Dixon's Garden and Grounds

Mom always said if she were ever to give another designer the key to her house and let them do whatever they wanted, it would be Barry Dixon. Traditional Home recently featured Mr. Dixon's home Elway Hall in Virginia, which we had the privilege of visiting a few years ago on a House and Garden tour. Every aspect of his home is breathtaking, every square inch is decorated but it doesn't feel like one of those off limits homes, although during the tour I was holding my purse as close to me as possible so I didn't knock anything over! Mr. Dixon takes elements in nature and brings them indoors, not in a predictable rustic lodge-y sort of way, but through unique textures, colors, and prints. I have always loved the fabrics he has designed for Vervain, and knowing where his inspiration comes from makes them even more special. 

This striking fabric for Vervain, "Cacao Vine," is taken from the design of a 

beautiful 19th- century cocoa tin that belonged to his Grandmother! 

At Home With Suzanne Kasler

If you haven't had the chance to thumb through the latest issue of Architectural Digest, grab it now. Suzanne Kasler's Atlanta home is featured in this months issue and it is stunning!  

For more info you can check out the AD article here.

Country Chic

I saw this house featured in Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles magazine, and all I have to say is wowza.  

 Interior Design by Nancy Warren Interiors Photos Emily Followill 

More on this fab house here

"Small White Kitchen With Leaded Glass Doors"

As an apartment dweller myself, I am always intrigued by what designers come up with to create a stylish yet functional living space when working within a small foot print. This morning I was going about my usual blog stalking when I saw Philip Mitchell's kitchen on The Zhush. I had torn out a photo of that first picture of that amazing white kitchen from a magazine ages ago. Unfortunately during my parents kitchen renovation last year I had misplaced the page, which resulted in me googling "small white kitchen with leaded glass doors" about 4,293 times. I needed that picture to show the contractor a few details I was hoping to re-create without having to go to a custom cabinet source. I never figured out who the designer was, but mid way through the kitchen demo, we finally found the page! Needless to say I fell in love with the kitchen, and now after seeing the entire apartment, I have fallen in love with every other room in the home. Here are a few other shots of the apartment, as well as a fabulous video interview with the designer himself. 

Style vs. Lifestyle

I did not rush to Target yesterday for the launch of the Missoni collection, and I am not scouring the internet for runway images from fashion week. This will come as no surprise to those who know me well, but hands down my favorite style icon of all time is Ralph Lauren. When I was a high school prepster the polo was a staple in my wardrobe, when I was a post college grad living in Colorado his rugged western wear seemed to fit. Now that I am old enough to realize you don't need to be one or the other, it's much less complicated. Honestly I have never really been into the whole fashion week thing anyway, which is probably why I gravitate to the Ralph Lauren approach "I'm not about fashion, I'm about living and that's been my whole career." If I owned three properties one would be a Western/California style ranch, one would be a Hamptons cottage, and the other would be a chic Parisian style apartment. Since our two bedroom apartment is all I have to work with for now, true to the Ralph Lauren lifestyle, my home and my closet will reflect a mix mash of all of the above.