Rachel Ashwell's Texas Retreat

Monday, April 30, 2012

Have you discovered Garden and Gun?  It's a Tennessee based publication that's loaded with great articles and photography.  While browsing the magazine online a few days ago I came across a story that featured Rachel Ashwell's latest project in Round Top, Texas.  According to the article, Rachel had stayed at the bed and breakfast over the years when she came into town for their annual Antiques Show and Fair.  When the property came up for sale, she bought the property and started work on the restoration/transformation. It's now a Bed and Breakfast/spa known as The Prairie, and there's  a Shabby Chic store on the grounds.






To retain the ambiance and history of the original structure, Rachel kept the original unvarnished wood flooring and tin roofs, but  put her mark on the place with sparkly chandeliers and lots of white paint and furniture.  The new looks is a lot of classic Rachel Ashwell/Shabby Chic and some Texas Country, with a dash of luxe lodge.
I think this chandelier sums up the look of this place in a single statement.  On a sidenote, I have a pair of sconces with those exact deerheads holding those exact crystal baskets.  I got them about 10 years ago and have yet to find the perfect spot for them.  They're not one of those things you can work in just anywhere.


The dining area is mostly Texas Lodge with a little Shabby Chic on the side. Ashwell embraced the taxidermy left behind by the former owners.

Classic Rachel.  Not digging the mismatched chandeliers, but I love the white/rustic wood combination.

More inherited taxidermy made whimsical by crowning it with flowers and flanking it with crystal.  This seems like a big leap out of her comfort zone with the dark, moody wallpaper and heavy wood moldings.

See more of The Prairie and read the article here.

Need some help pulling your style together?  The Green Room Interiors can make your home a beautiful place to be!  Call Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com






Zebrine Wallpaper by Rose Cumming

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

 While unpacking some boxes a few days ago, I discovered my old stash of Domino issues and I just couldn't resist the temptation to browse through them one more time.  It seems like I had most of the issues memorized and I almost felt like I was catching up with an old friend I haven't seen in a while.  Do you remember Ashley Whittaker's apartment with Rose Cumming's Zebrine wallpaper in navy & white?  It was a feature I remembered from years ago and that wallpaper doesn't look tired in the least!
This isn't a pattern for the faint of heart, but if your risk-taking threshold is  high, Zebrine could be sensational covering the walls and ceiling of a powder room. 


You may also have seen Zebrine in Robin Bell's apartment that was featured in House Beautiful about 6 years ago.
What a brilliant composition!  I love the bold wallpaper with the clean linen sofa, simple pillows and that incredible tortoise shell coffee table.

Another view of Bell's living room.  She used Zebrine throughout most of the apartment!

In the master bedroom, Bell combined Zebrine with very traditional furnishings and fabrics. The zebra pattern on the walls provides some tension - which keeps things interesting.

Again, Zebrine is partnered with traditional elements and a mirrored fireplace.

Zebrine in the kitchen!




I think these staircase images are wonderful.  I love all of the pictures layered over the Zebrine wallpaper!

Would you ever consider using a wallpaper as bold as Zebrine in your home?

Need some help pulling your style together?  The Green Room Interiors can make your home a beautiful place to be!  Call Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com.

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Busted

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

It started with Emily Henderson's office reveal.

Then I remembered I saw one over at Ashley's just a few days earlier.

Busts.  Totally classic and perfectly at home in modern settings, too!








Source: flickr.com via Katie on Pinterest


I love this space! The curtains, the floors, the art and the bust and that light fixture!

Officially on the hunt...

Need some help pulling your style together?  The Green Room Interiors can make your home a beautiful place to be!  Call Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

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Which One of These Do You Like Best?

Sunday, April 15, 2012

On March 3 of this year we had a strong thunderstorm that moved over our area and left lots of damage behind.  I was home during the storm and when the sky turned green and the wind started howling, we headed to the corner of our basement that's windowless and completely underground.  Although the tornado missed our house, we had enough hail damage to make a claim to our insurance company to replace the roof. Because of this incident, we've now focused our attention on the exterior of our house.  I had planned all along to paint the brick, but now I have to start narrowing down the color selections because I think we'll go ahead and paint the exterior when we get the roof done.  


This is where you come in.  I've put together a few colors that I'm thinking about and hoping you can help me pick a favorite.


Here's what the house looks like now.  The brick is pinkish and the shutters are burgundy. This must be changed.
You should also know that the front of the house faces north and there is little to no direct sunlight on the front of the house most of the day.  Also, with all options the trim will be painted white.


1.  With this option, the brick will be painted a chalky white (Benjamin Moore Gray Mist) with light gray shutters (Benjamin Moore Cumulus Cloud) and a light turquoise for the front door(Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue) .  I like this palette because it's light and there's not much contrast, which I think will make my little house look bigger.

2.  With this option, the grays are more greige (Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray and Briarwood) and the front door goes coral (Benjamin Moore Bird of Paradise). I like the warmer tones of the grays with this option and the unexpected shot of coral.

3. The third and final option is a somewhat darker with more contrast. The body color is a gray/blue/green (Benjamin Moore Boothbay Gray) with black shutters and a yellow front door. 

So which is your favorite?  Do you have any other suggestions?  I'm all ears!

Need some help pulling your style together?  The Green Room Interiors can make your home a beautiful place to be!  Call Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com 

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Gorgeous Fabric Find and Thoughts on my Dining Room

Thursday, April 12, 2012

What's a girl to do when a gorgeous fabric finds you and you're not even on the hunt?  Last week I was at Perimeter Fabrics looking for the perfect fabric for my Billy Baldwin slipper chairs when I spotted this little number at the back of the store.



Naturally I was intrigued because I'd never seen this pattern before and the print was big and bold!


Next I looked at the selvage to see who the maker was and all I could find was this


which really didn't mean much to me, except that maybe it was a fabric that was printed in  '81?  What I did get excited about was the price tag, which read: Closeout: $4/yd.  Could this be true? I asked the store owner about it and she said "Yes, that's a closeout fabric, so it's $2/yd." Meanwhile, inside my head, this was going on:  !!!!!!!!***!#@$!

So I bought 4 yards thinking I'd cover my dining room seat cushions with them.  Over the Easter weekend, I realized that seat cushions wouldn't be the best use of this fabric.  The print is so big and bold it would be a shame not to see it in all of its enormous glory.  It needs to be covering upholstered host/hostess chairs.  



But wait, 4 yards wouldn't be enough to cover upholstered host chairs.  So first thing Monday I drove myself down there and bought the rest of the roll. At $2/yd. 



And look how perfectly it will work with my Overstock curtains!

Now, what to do with the other chairs?

Need some help pulling your style together?  The Green Room Interiors can make your home a beautiful place to be!  Call Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com






Design Deja Vu 3: House & Garden Interior Decoration 1960

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Did you have a good Easter holiday?  We had an absolutely beautiful weekend in this part of the country and perfect weather for the Easter celebration at Coolidge Park on the river Easter morning.  


Today I'm very excited to share the following images with you.  I've blogged before about  my growing collection of Vintage decorating books.  Last week I added to my collection with a 1960 edition of House & Garden's Interior Decoration.  I found it at a used bookstore and although the cover is very worn and unpretty, the photographs found within are stunning.  Would you like to see what 1960 looked like?  Please keep in mind that these are photos of photos, so the quality's not the best...


Yes, circa 1960.  Loving this color palette and the little green chair with the white painted frame! Oh, and of course the Billy Baldwin slipper chairs!

White slipcovers and lots of Chinoserie.  So of the moment!

Timeless girls room.  I love the pink and red together.

Wallpaper or mural?  Does it matter? It's fantastic!

If you look closely, you can see that the sofa fabric is an ombre.  The curtains and ottoman are printed Belgian linen.  

Needless to say, I'm completely enamored with this book.  If you like these photos,  then head over to The Green Room Interiors on Facebook.  I've put an album together with more images photos from the 60's.  And I'd be so grateful if you "like" us!

Need some help pulling your style together?  The Green Room Interiors can make your home a beautiful place to be!  Call Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com




Spring Breaking

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Taking a little time to recharge my batteries this week and spend some quality time with the family over spring break.  Have a safe and wonderful Easter Holiday and let's meet up again here on Monday!