Friday Back When. On Monday.

By Jamie House | Published October 31, 2011

  • The Miller House was commissioned by J. Irwin Miller in 1952.
  • Mr. Miller was responsible for most of the contemporary architecture in Columbus built around that time.
  • The Miller House was recently donated to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. It took 3 years of strategic restoration & opened to the public in May.
  • The home is 8,028 square feet.
  • Thick slabs of marble run floor to ceiling as if it’s wallpaper throughout the house.
  • Architect Robert A.M. Stern said to have been “dazzled by the whole thing” & “the Millers had more gizmos than the Jetsons”.
  • Fabric Designer Alexander Girard designed the interiors.
I just fell head over heels for this house. I’ve never seen interiors so beautifully original and in tact from a home built in the ’50s. The colors are surprisingly modern and not unlike most homes seen in Elle Decor (from which these images are from).
What do you think of the Friday Back When feature? Let it go or is it something you’re enjoying? I do believe I may move on to something else, unless of course you love it.
Today, Halloween, marks the 4th of that I’ve been blogging. Not on this blog, just in general. It’s a crazy thought that I’ve been at this for so long. I have some big things in the works that will be launching January 1st. I said it, so now you have to hold me accountable to it!
Happy Halloween darlings!
Posted in Friday Back When, Home Tour | Tagged | 3 Comments

Blog Crush. Amber Interiors.

By Jamie House | Published October 26, 2011

I have had a blog crush on Amber Lewis of Amber Interiors for quite some time. She was featured in the Glitter Guide yesterday & it’s so great. Her style is bananas! I can’t get enough. It’s no wonder that she is completely inundated with work right now. Go check out the article & her blog, you’re guaranteed to be cooler for it.

 

 

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Kathryn Ireland.

By Jamie House | Published October 24, 2011


As you know I got to see Kathryn Ireland speak a couple of weeks ago at the Houston Design Center. She was SO great. Down to earth. Humble. Funny.Β Here are some things I learned from Kathryn…

  • She is absolutely in love with her farm in France, so much so she wrote a book about it. She rents it out if you’re interested.
  • She curses. It’s perfectly natural in her talk & doesn’t sound as harsh with her accent. We all curse though, you know. But in the uppity, trying to be society world of interior design we pretend to act proper. Kathryn doesn’t & it’s so great. Completely shocking to the Houston crowd, I loved that. I wonder what Kathryn really thought.
  • “Teach clients not to be grim and teach them how to live in their house.” This concept is often lost on designers, especially in such a turbulent economy. We go along with clients even if we disagree for fear of losing them as a client. But actually we’re there to guide them and show them how not to be grim.
  • When starting a project she always starts with a basic color scheme.
  • Her 1st client was Steve Martin. Yes THAT Steve Martin. She was quite sure the only direction she could go was down after starting with such a high.
  • “We’ve come to a time when excess is finally over.” Β This was her most important concept. Now that we can finally breath and relax a little, we should be relieved that we no longer need so much stuff. We need to fill our houses and lives with beautiful useful things. Not just a bunch of stuff to impress others. We need to LIVE in our homes. Design them for ourselves, not for our guests. Learn to live in this endless recession.

 

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Guest Post: Stylish Rooms with a Vintage Feel.

By Jamie House | Published October 17, 2011
Today’s guest post is from Susi with Arcadian Lighting talking about mixing vintage into your space! You know I love that! Welcome to JH Design Susi & thanks for the great post. Enjoy!Β 
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Hi, I’m Susi, a writer for Arcadian Lighting, a wonderful place for lighting inspiration. Speaking of inspiration, this guest post is about rooms with a vintage feel. Vintage pieces can help a room feel more stylish and chic. Plus, depending on where you source your vintage finds, they can be much more economical than buying new. Great design doesn’t have to cost a lot and vintage is a smart way to create great design that feels unique and personal. Look online, at thrift stores and local tag and estate sales for vintage accessories and lighting fixtures to create stylish rooms with a vintage feel.

Decorare
Stylish Rooms

Vintage pieces fill this room that is anchored by the large mirror turned headboard. Vintage prints and a tiered table look lovely next to the bed and mirror.

The Glitter Guide
Stylish Rooms

A vintage campaign style chest of drawers creates a great landing place in a stylish entry. It’s paired with a vintage lamp and vintage Blossfeldt botanic photographs for an eclectic look.

Emily Henderson
Stylish Rooms

A collection of vintage art in the same theme adds stylish decoration to the wall of this living room. Mixing vintage and new pieces breaks up the vintage feeling to make the room feel stylish rather than retro.

Furnicraft
Stylish Rooms

This living room is contemporary and stylish with vintage touches like white Panton chairs around a natural wood dining table. Love the mix of new, rustic, vintage and traditional design in this space.

House to Home
Stylish Rooms

Vintage pieces mix with a contemporary lighting fixture in this chic, feminine and stylish living room. A vintage French style sofa balances the sleek contemporary floor lamp.

Eclectic Revisited
Stylish Rooms

Vintage and antique furnishings and accessories combine to make this one very stylish room. A greige palette keeps the room feeling unified.

Belle Maison
Stylish Rooms

A pair of vintage club chairs in bright orange add a burst of color in this contemporary bedroom. The vintage style chairs also add a bit of glamour with their button tufted upholstery.

Southern Living
Stylish Rooms

Mismatched light fixtures give this stylish room a bit of vintage charm. Today’s vintage style is about mixing eras and styles that form a cohesive design based on colors and patterns.

Image credits: { 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 }

What do you think of those vintage styles? Did we inspire you? Comments are welcome! Don’t forget to check out Arcadian Lighting for some light fixtures to go with your vintage room!

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In Honor of Today.

By Jamie House | Published October 11, 2011

I get to see Kathryn speak today! I’m quite excited. It takes a lot to get me excited to go to yet another designer day of speakers. They occur very often and are usually very boring. But when I saw Kathryn Ireland was coming I absolutely couldn’t pass it up! Here’s some of my favorite quotes from her….

“I’m prone to flirtation with excess myself (I’m a self-described bohemian but even the most die-hard hippie doesn’t need 15 handmade Moroccan caftans) but fortunately I’ve learned to jerk myself back from the cliff’s edge before the thought of losing or missing out on an object causes me more panic than pleasure. ” -From THIS Huffington Post article.

“When your eyes scan your living room, you should be reminded of pleasant experiences, not the feeling of “this room is filled with furnishings of unassailable taste. They exist and I own them.” That’s no accomplishment.” -From THIS Huffington Post article.

“With my triple D rack and a penchant for Pinot Grigio and wearing heels and making wild hand mannerisms, I’ve been the recipient of the icy stare of any number of tightly wound hostesses. The horror in their eyes is real as I bump into a marble-topped commode, shivering a porcelain tchotchke.” -From THIS Huffington Post article.

“I love aesthetics as much as the next person, but don’t let them crowd out your life — don’t prioritize aesthetic order over spontaneous afternoon delight on a newly upholstered sofa or having your geriatric neighbor cruise over for chocolate fondue.” -From THIS Huffington Post article.

“One thing I’ve learned in all my years as anΒ interiorΒ designer, no matter how prepared you are in advance, no matter how together your staff, no matter how many times you double and triple check arrangements, you simply cannot anticipate every problem and beat it to the punch. S–t happens, as the bumper sticker says.” From the Bravo Million Dollar Decorators blog.

In THIS article she discusses her stint on Million Dollar Decorators.

I’ll be sure to catch you up on her talk today!

 

Posted in Interior Design, Style Icons | Tagged | 1 Comment

October 2011.

By Jamie House | Published October 4, 2011

I am so excited to get October going! What a fun month! So many fun outdoor activities. The weather is FINALLY amazing with a hint of fall in Houston. No more triple digit weather. I have an amazing new client meeting tomorrow. I’m working on a few new projects & have some new goals & plans. I’ve decided that working from home DOESN’T work for me. So I’m working towards getting an office space. I mentally need to leave home to change my mind into business mode. Also because I really hate even being in my office after “working” hours. But I want to paint & make things in there so it’s interrupting my creative flow, if that makes any since at all.

Most images are from my Pinterest. Others are here & here & here.
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October! Let’s kill it!!

 

Posted in Bulletin Boards | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Shortly.

By Jamie House | Published October 3, 2011

Hey pretties! I’ll be back shortly with the October bulletin board. You all are so fabulously patient with me while I’m playing catch up from being gone 10 days! Love you all & happy Monday!

 

 

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Book Review- Glamorous Rooms Part 1

By Jamie House | Published September 27, 2011

“Never forget that well-considered rooms represent a way of life.” – Jan Showers

There are very few design books that I turn to time & time again for inspirations. Glamorous Rooms by Jan Showers is absolutely one of those books. Not for every project, but for the subtle & refined homes. The glamorous homes. As you probably know Jan is from Dallas which makes me love her even more. Some of the rooms in the book look very “Dallas”, while most are more subtle & simple. While I was working in Dallas I remember her name mentioned a few times, she was just gaining cred in the design world at that time. Of course she also has an amazing little shop in the Dallas Design District (it’s equally as glamorous as Jan). The book is also gorgeous. The pages are thick & the images are rich, detailed & beautiful. The book is also a cool cheetah print that looks great on a cocktail table.

The book goes room by room with hints about how to add glamour to rooms. I HAD to do this post in 2 parts because I want to share too much to include in just 1 post! Jan keeps her rooms simple, but elegant. She uses accessories & mirrors like jewelry. I LOVE that she keeps her draperies simple. I have a hard time designing over the top draperies. I feel that draperies should frame the window & accent the room. Draperies should never take over the room or hide the view.

Here’s an exert that I love…”Visualize your family members gathered in the living room reading the morning paper, playing games, or listening to music in the late afternoon with the dogs sitting about on the floor in front of the fire. Maybe everyone is resting or conversing, or simply enjoying their morning coffee. This is what a truly successful living room should accomplish. Otherwise, why have one? Every room in your house should be a reflection of your life as you live it. Rooms should never exist as museum settings meant only to impress visitors. There is nothing worse than cushions that go untouched and pillows that are never moved from their places. What a depressing thought!”.

**I did not receive anything for this review. I review books that I love and hope that you love as well.**
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