Kay Douglas...

Last week I wrote about my recent trip to South of Market in Atlanta. As promised, I'll take you on a quick a tour of a house Kay Douglas designed in Rosemary Beach.

Kay's signature style is using neutrals with pops of color to make things fun and informal. She's also known for her knack for repurposing old objects. One tell-tale sign of her work is the extensive use of rustic chic lighting fixtures and large-scaled drum shades.

Let's take a look at some of my favorite features of the home.

I know from personal experience that bedside tables are hard to come by. I had a really hard time finding some for our master bedroom. They don't have to match, but take a look at these rustic tables.

{love the lamps, btw}

Upon further inspection…

You'll notice this was once a dining table that was split down the middle to make two end tables. Smart, right. I plan to steal this idea some day.

An old pale used as a basin for the powder room sink…

Wall mounted faucet. Beautiful patina. You certainly wouldn't have to worry about keeping this sink shiny and clean.

In the master, she used a rustic table for the vanity with a vessel sink on top. Another wall-mounted faucet is mounted directly on the mirror. As a mentioned in my earlier post, iron sconces and chandeliers abound at her shop. Love this one.

Moving on to lighting.

The tall ceilings in the master afforded enough height for this enormous drum shade pendant that is centered over the bed.

{notice the reflection of the triple-height bay windows across the room}

From another angle you get a better look at the prints hanging over the headboard. Love them.

The home's color palette is neutral -- dark browns and white slip covers. This bright red over-sized drum pendant adds a big splash of color in this bedroom. It's really the only vibrant color seen in the house.

 Here, she has framed maps that pick up the red tones in the shade.

Wire pendants with white canvas liners that look like cafe curtains hang over the kitchen island.

That's all for now. The house is at located at 383 West Water Street. Watch the video on the rental site for the full tour. While you're there, check out 384 West Water that was being built during our last visit.  With a bit of snooping we discovered the house is owned by HGTV's Vern Yip and his adorable partner Wag-A-Lot owner Craig Koch. It is amazing.

To read more about Kay's beach house designs, including photos of her Rosemary home, visit Coastal Living for her ten tips on how to age a new beach house.

South of market...

Last week I headed over to Peachtree Hills to check out South of Market owned by interior designer Kay Douglas. The industrial chic shop is filled to the rafters with antiques from France and Belgium, repurposed objects, upholstery and a huge selection of unique lighting fixtures. Since my last visit, the shop has added some kitchen wares to its inventory.

Let's take a look.

 {welcome to SOM}

I like the way the black and white kitchen and dining wares and accessories are displayed on the white subway tile wall. So neat and orderly. 

 {ceramics, cook books and straw shopper baskets --  i spy Gwyneth's book}

{and more, including candles and reindeer heads -- at least I think that's what they are up top}

Ming vases and pots...

Moving into the main part of the store, you'll find furniture, lighting and accessories. Although I love the design and style of the pieces, the scale is just way too big for my 1920s bungalow.

Rustic antiques…

Contemporary upholstered pieces. Here you can see one of her industrial repurposed pendants.

Enormous drum shade fixtures...

As well as iron chandeliers.

In the midst of all the dark browns and neutrals, I was delighted to see some very colorful vignettes.

Like this one with bright pinks and purples with Moroccan influences juxtaposed by the industrial globe lights.

And this background wall of vibrant wool throws.

Suffice it to say that I will not be purchasing any furniture or lighting from SOM for my home in Decatur. Perhaps for my beach house when we buy one. Still dreaming. I'll be back soon to show you how Kay designed a Rosemary beach house with her signature style. I was lucky enough to have stayed there.

South of Market is well worth a visit, especially if you have soaring ceilings and plenty of square footage.

Ain't misbehavin'

{George's Mac n' Cheese }

Earlier this month we spent a delightful week in Rosemary Beach with our friends the K's. This was our third trip to Rosemary. After visiting many other beaches, Mr. Mophead and I agreed that this is it. Maybe some day we will own a house there if all the stars align. Until then, here are some tips:

Where to stay.
Rosemary homes, shops, restaurants and greens were perfectly planned and executed. The community rests on both sides of 30A. If you can afford it, stay on the south side. Beachfront rentals are exorbitant, especially if you're not sharing with other families. No worries. You can find beautiful homes very close to the gulf. This year we stayed at the centrally located Russell Cottage.  Before we take a short tour, I'd like to mention that there was nary a fake plant or flower anywhere in sight. Way to go Russells for not going faux!

{Welcome to Russell Cottage}

{a peak into the lovely courtyard}

Shall we go inside?

The beach butler hall was my fave feature. If you have the luxury of designing a beach house for yourself, do this.

Ice machine, drink fridge, beach towels, blankets, coolers, lanterns, flashlights located on the bottom level to grab on the way to the beach. In theory, everything gets dumped there when you return. Unfortunately, that's not always the case with the Mophead crew.

What's behind the Arabian-style doors?

A lovely laundry room. As much as I loathe doing laundry, Mrs. K and I agreed that both the room and the Miele set (not shown) made the chore a little less tedious. The only thing missing was a genie in one of those brass pitchers to do it for us.

{I dream of a laundry genie.}

I love this trough sink in the kid's bathroom, as well as the galvanized tub re-purposed as a mirror. Another idea to steal for my beach house.

Of course it's all about details. How did they know that I love L'Occitane products?

And, that I often buy wine based on the bottle label. I would have bought this one for sure. Nice hostess gift too!

Check out VRBO for the full house tour.

How to get around.
With the exception of a few big grocery runs, there is no need to drive once you arrive in Rosemary. Seriously. I drove my car twice. Incidentally, don't pack a huge cooler of food for your stay. Publix is less than a 10-minute drive.

Peddlers on 30A is the cutest and best bargain for bike rentals -- $55 a week. Free accessories and delivery. Pub coming soon. What more could you ask for?

Except this. They have pink bikes. You know I love pink. Here's mine parked in our courtyard with a teal basket I personally selected. Cute, right.

Where to eat.
It never takes me long to launch into food rap.

Our hands down favorite restaurant is George's. It's actually in Alys Beach -- a very short bike ride down 30A. (More about Alys in an upcoming post.) I ate there four times. No lie.

The owners are really into frogs. They are everywhere -- in a tasteful way.

{adorable frog sconce}

The restaurant's menu is divided into two dining groups: "be - have" and "mis - be - have."

I managed to behave myself.

{wood-grilled catch of the day -- oh so healthy}

Mr. Mophead and Mr. K did not. I thought the spicy garam masala ribs with Indian mac 'n cheese was  an unusual offering for beach fare, but the men were completely satisfied with their choice.

Also in the misbehaving category -- SVM's famous grouper sandwich. It was voted best in Garden and Gun's "100 Southern foods you absolutely, positively must eat before you die" list. G&G actually gave the credit to George's sister restaurant Seagrove Village MarketCafe. You should definitely check out the G&G list. Bet you never knew you should add rabbit livers with pepper jelly, pig ear sandwich, pork neck bones & rice or fried red snapper throats to your bucket list. Did you?

{George's famous grouper sandwich}

Back to the turf. George's cheeseburger is rated #1 on 30A. I didn't order one, but I will not throw stones. The cucumber salad looks mighty healthy.

{#1 cheese burger on 30A}

You can't go wrong at George's. Just go!

The Cowgirl Kitchen is another good bet for family dining.

It's usually mobbed at dinner time, but you can take out. Go for the gourmet pizzas and salads. Skip the pizza if your kids don't eat anything green. There is the slightest hint of rosemary in the crust, which was visible to the Mophead boy's naked eyes. Don't try to dumb it down. Doesn't work.

New to Rosemary -- or to me at least -- is Cowgirl's Feed and Supply across the street. There, you can find gourmet provisions, gifts, prepared casseroles, appetizers and dips. The chicken salad and crab dip are delish. Skip the pimento cheese.

Sweet treats.
Not surprising, here's where the behavin' went by the wayside for me.

Any trip to Rosemary would not be complete without at least one trip to The Sugar Shak.

Ice cream and overpriced candy abound. I love all the old-fashioned penny candy. After some careful thought, I decided that Bit-O-Honey and Sugar Babies are two of my all-time faves. I have a lot. The grossest candy I came across that brings back horrid childhood memories -- circus peanuts. Seriously, who eats those things?

via

A word to the wise about shopping at the Sugar Shak. Avoid going at night. It's packed. Don't even think about going there if your child is tired or anywhere close to a potential melt down. The store has two lines -- one for ice cream and one for candy. Do not stand in the ice cream line if you're not buying any. Candy is sold by the piece, not by the pound. That means that every piece of candy has to be rung up separately. And, there is no express line. Poor Mr. K got stuck in the candy line behind a women who bought over $200 worth of candy, which she poured out of several bags that had to be counted one by one. It was a painful experience for him. I don't know if he'll ever go back.

Last, but certainly not least, Charlie's Donut Truck in Alys is the bomb. Pre-order or get there early, like 7:00 am. If not, you will stand the chance of waiting in a long line or being SOL.

 {Like the sign says, they do sell out quickly every day.}

You wouldn't want to deprive your family of fresh donuts. Certainly not the coveted donut kabob -- three donut holes on a stick with sprinkles -- that was a huge hit with the Mophead boys.

Can't wait for our next trip. In the meantime, the beach house and the "hangover car" are still on my wish list. Who knows, you could see me driving down 30A in this next summer.

via

Have you been to Rosemary? What are your faves?

Design 101: my faves

For those of you who know me well, interior design has become somewhat of a hobby for me. I started reading design blogs when we renovated our house three years ago and have been hooked ever since. I don’t claim to be a designer, decorator or stylist. I just happen to love it.

I’m sharing this laundry list should you have some down time (aka locking yourself in a room or fleeing on foot or by car to get away from your loving family) during the Thanksgiving holiday break.

Two things before I begin. First, I’ve decided to use the word “fave” instead of “fav” as an abbreviation for “favorite” in my blog posts herein after. I’ve seen it spelled both ways so I looked it up in the urban dictionary. Both words are acceptable, but “fav” also stands for “forever a virgin.” Enough said. Second, I am partial to traditional decor -- sometimes transitional. If you enjoy a similar style, read on. If you are a modernist and crave contemporary design, move on.

Let’s start with design television. Sarah Richardson is hands down my favorite interior design TV personality. She is a Toronto-based designer who started her career as a prop stylist. Sarah has produced several shows on HGTV: Sarah's House, Sarah's Cottage, Design Inc. and the latest, Sarah 101 (my new fave). HGTV is currently airing the new season of Sarah 101 on Monday mornings at 8:30. Check it out.

 Tommy and Sarah via HGTV.

Sarah offers a practical and inspiring approach to interior design. She often features makeovers for clients on a shoe-string budget. You’ll see her shopping IKEA with her adorable sidekick Tommy Smythe. In addition to being a talented designer, she is one polished lady. From head to toe she is always impeccably coiffed, accessorized and dressed. Watch her shows and you’ll see what I mean.

Speaking of Canada, my current favorite shelter magazine is Canadian House and Home. I can’t really pinpoint why. It’s just better than most of the shelter magazines here in the states. H&H occasionally features Sarah and Tommy’s design projects, including some their own homes. If you don't feel the urge to subscribe, you might find the magazine at Barnes & Noble – the only existing chain bookstore left on the face of earth. So sad.

I’ve already posted about my favorite online shelter mag Matchbook. Lonny is another fave.

If you’re in the market for a design book to help spruce up your nest -- The Perfectly Imperfect Home by Deborah Needleman -- would be my first choice. Deborah was the founding editor of the now defunct Domino Magazine. I loved that magazine. Why do they always do away with the best ones? In her book, Deborah offers practical advice on creating a relaxed, stylish and comfortable home. Virginia Johnson’s original watercolor illustrations make it a joy to look at too. Put this book on your holiday wish list. You will not be disappointed.

If you have not visited Phoebe Howard's Atlanta stores Mrs. Howard and Max and Company, you are in for a real treat. These two retail interiors stores are my absolute faves. To say that they are stunning is an understatement. Mr. Howard -- Jim -- is responsible for the stores' architectural design. His attention to architectural detail is simply brilliant. I go there often for inspiration. After crossing the threshold, you’ll transcend into a sanctuary of atmospheric ecstasy. No exaggeration. Plan to spend at least an hour there to take it all in. And, leave your cameras at home -- no photography permitted. The only down side: you’ll likely go home feeling like you live in a dump. It is so worth it, though! 

Mrs. Howard.

By now, you all know that my absolute fave design blog is Cote de Texas. Check out Joni's Top 10 Design Elements that create a beautiful room. So far, these include linen, slipcovers, seagrass, curtains, light fixtures and wall décor. Use the site's search engine to find them. While you’re at, you can read her post on Phoebe Howard and her recently published book The Joy of Decorating – another feast for the eyes. Subscribe. You will not be sorry. 

Of course I have all of the publications mentioned in this post. If you'd like to look before you buy, you may ask to borrow them in the comments section below.

That’s all folks. What are your faves?