Archive for the ‘DIY’ Category
Friday, May 10th, 2013
Gang:
Greetings from very rainy New Orleans! John and I have crisscrossed the country, traveling from High Point, NC where we broke down our room at the Junior League of Greensboro/Traditional Home showhouse to Little Rock, Arkansas to speak at Tobi Fairley’s Design Camp A to Z… And now we are doing a bit of consignment shopping paired with a few Bloody Marys (natch!) in Nola before we jump back in the trusty Subaru en route to North Carolina to collect Jasper and Weenie at Camp Bow Wow. Whew!
One of the discussions at Tobi Fairley’s camp was how to hang artwork, so I decided to run some images of a client’s wall that we restyled a few years back. This was not a full-on client situation but rather a “come over for a Sunday afternoon consultation and have a glass of Champagne or three and let’s tackle a project or two.” The challenge was to take our client’s artwork and hang it in a way that would give a drab wall new life.
See how artwork (both “good” and “bad”) can take a wall and really give it some oomph.
Here's our client's dull wall, albeit a wall anchored with drop-dead vintage Espana chests by Dorothy Draper for Kindel Furniture. It was our job to make the wall as marvelous as the furnishings...
Here I am hanging up the focal point of the arrangement, a lovely vintage portrait of a woman in a scarlet-hued dress paired with a jaunty flower in her hair.
John hangs more artwork. Be sure to break out of the grid, and have fun with how you hang your art. Take art high up to the ceiling to add dramatic scale to a room, and mix-and-match frames and mattings.
And here's the finished wall with the artwork all in place. A dramatic transformation, n'est-ce pas? DO try this at home.
Tags: Hanging artwork, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Kindel Furniture, Madcap Cottage, Tobi Fairley, traditional home
Posted in Antiques, Before and After, Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, DIY, Framing, Hanging artwork, New York Interior Designer, Painted Furniture, Weekend warrior | No Comments »
Thursday, April 18th, 2013
Jasper and Weenie loll about the front yard at Adamsleigh, the site of the 2013 Junior League of Greensboro showhouse. The 14-acre estate was built by High Point textile magnate "Hamp" Adams and boasts amazing details and stunning architecture. Jasper and Weenie approve.
Gang:
Morning!
John and I have been down in the High Point, North Carolina area for the past week preparing our room for the Junior League of Greensboro showhouse. We have designed the breakfast nook in the amazing, circa-1930 Adamsleigh estate, and we have been hanging curtains, steaming, scrubbing, and propping.
John and I are thrilled to be working with our dear pals at Thibaut, and we employed their fabulous fabrics, wallpapers, and upholstery in the room. Plus, we added loads of vintage case goods and “props” to add a layer of dimensionality to our room and take it from looking like a showroom.The showhouse opens tomorrow night with a Gatsby-themed gala, and we are so excited to show off our wares.
Here are a few photos from our room in progress.
See you at High Point Market!
Here's the exterior of the breakfast nook... The fabulous leaded-glass windows let in loads of light and make the breakfast nook airy and delicious.
The breakfast nook at Adamsleigh “before”… I can’t wait for you to see the “after” shots.
Here's the fabulous jute rug that we picked up at a World Market in Florida and drove up to the showhouse. There's a World Market just down the street from the showhouse, but it did not have the rug that we needed. Happily, we were in Florida, so it was easy for us to swing by the WM outpost near Orlando. John and I just love World Market!
Our workroom in Iowa crafts a stunning valance in Thibaut fabrics...
So what does our room look like now? Come to the Junior League of Greensboro showhouse, and pay us a visit. The showhouse opens this Saturday... See you there!
Tags: Adamsleigh, High Point Market, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Junior League of Greensboro, Madcap Cottage, Thibaut
Posted in Antiques, Before and After, Carpets, Color, Curb appeal, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Lessons, DIY, Fabrics, Flooring, Hanging artwork, Interior Design, New York Interior Designer, News Flash, Paint, Renovations, Road Trip, Tastemaker, upholstery, Wallpaper, Weekend warrior | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013
The Madcap Cottage gents love nothing more than a fabulous wall full of mixed-media art. Here, the incredible staircase leading from the lobby at the Hotel Lincoln in Chicago. Do try this at home!
Gang:
I hope your week is going along swimmingly! John and I are up to our eyeballs and loving it… So much fun! John is on the mend from his surgery, so he is up and about and the Madcap Cottage team is full-steam ahead…
During our presentation at the Miromar Design Center near Naples, Florida a few weeks back, we announced to the audience that they should email us and tell us about a room in their home where they best used color and pattern. John and I would review the entries for the most creative use of color and pattern and general all-around fun, and the winner would receive a Madcap Cottage pillow and a one-hour consultation with us over the phone.
Well, we had many entries, but we have selected a winner…
Drumroll, please.
Miss Sue Ann Till of balmy Bonita Springs, Florida has won the golden ticket. John and I loved Sue Ann’s eagerness to take a dull wall and transform it with art. Talk about a terrific mix of high-low!
To quote Miss Sue Ann Till:
“I attended your presentation, and I was so inspired by your design! We purchased a 2,400SF home in Bonita Springs 3 years ago, and I have 50% decorated from consignment and goodwill etc. I have this blank wall (gasp! I know), so I came right home and began planning. I am an amateur artist, and I had three art pieces unframed in a closet. I went to consignment and found some frames and a few things and this is what I came up with! It makes me want to keep going. I think I need to fill in with a few more things but this is the beginning of something happy. I also switched out some pillows with color and more. Thank you again for your inspiration.”
Well, Sue Ann, we love nothing more than a blank wall that transforms from a caterpillar into a glorious butterfly.
Here’s Miss Sue Ann’s handiwork… Voila!, Miss Till’s work just after we inspired her at our presentation and, again, after we encouraged to keep pushing the envelope.
Let’s talk, Sue Ann, you are Miss Madcap Cottage Miromar Design Center 2013!
And, Sue Ann, spread out over the wall… Don’t just cluster everything in that one tight space. Expand, and fill that entire blank wall and make it fabulous!
Here was Miss Sue Ann Till's first stab at taking a dull wall and making it dramatic after attending our presentation at the Miromar Design Center. We are thrilled, Sue Ann, that we helped inspire you!
John and I emailed with Miss Sue Ann Till, and she was open to adding more art to her wall. Bravo, Sue Ann! You are our Showcase Showdown winner!
Tags: Hanging artwork, Hotel Lincoln, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, Miromar Design Center, Sue Ann Till
Posted in Before and After, Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, Design Lessons, DIY, Hanging artwork, Interior Design, Mirror, New York Interior Designer, Paint, Portraits, Renovations, Tastemaker, Tips for Design Small Spaces | No Comments »
Friday, March 29th, 2013
Next time you are anywhere near Naples, Florida be sure to visit the stunning Miromar Design Center, an incredible resource both for the design community and engaged consumers alike. P.S. Superstar interior designer Juan Montoya designed the Center's public spaces, and they are stunners.
Gang:
Morning! Apologies for being a tad remiss of late with our blog posts… Our dance card has been full to the brim. Between working on the Junior League Showhouse that opens in mid April in Greensboro, North Carolina, redesigning my parents’ guesthouse in Tampa, Florida, and John having surgery to repair damage from a car accident three years ago, holy moly!
Calgon, take me away!
Last week, John and I were in Florida to give a presentation at the truly amazing Miromar Design Center. Situated just north of Naples, Florida and right off I-75, the Miromar Design Center is a delicious surprise. With the Miromar Outlets just across the street, you might think the Design Center would be an amalgam of home-focused outlet shops, but it’s not. Rather step inside, and enter a Juan Montoya-designed, sprawling center that houses world-class showrooms including Baker, Ann Sacks, and our favorite, Webster & Company.
John and I were invited by Webster & Company’s wonderful Mark Fanta and the Miromar Design Center’s fabulous Lynne Groth to talk about color and pattern, and we had more than 200 engaged design enthusiasts attend our lecture. John and I were also lucky enough to meet the visionary behind the various Miromar developments, the lovely and gracious Margaret Antonier, who introduced us. Afterwards, we were all treated to champagne and cupcakes in the Webster & Company showroom. We met wonderful folks and had a blast.
John and I are thrilled to now be part of the Miromar community… Here’s to further madcap adventures at the Miromar!
P.S. Previous lecturers at the Miromar Design Center have included Charlotte Moss, Mary McDonald, and Martyn Lawrence Bullard, so John and I were humbled to be included in the mix.
The Madcap Cottage gents with the amazing Mark Fanta who oversees the Webster & Company showrooms at the Miromar Design Center. What a stylish gent, to boot!
The topic of our presentation was "Madcap & Marvelous: A Passion for Pattern." We had a blast pulling the presentation together and tried to offer lots of take-away tips for the audience.
The Madcaps address queries from audience members after our lecture. Such fun, and such great queries!
John and I love nothing more than working with excited consumers. Here we are in the stunning Webster & Company showroom talking with some design enthusiasts after our presentation.
Tags: Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Juan Montoya, Madcap Cottage, Margaret Antonier, Mark Fanta, Miromar Design Center, Webster & Company
Posted in Antiques, Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, Design Lessons, DIY, Hanging artwork, Interior Design, New York Interior Designer, News Flash, Road Trip, Tastemaker, Weekend warrior | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, March 12th, 2013
Gang:
And how is your week going?
John and I are always thrilled to receive coverage in magazines, especially publications in Europe and abroad (maybe that will get us a client in London or Beijing, and then we could then spend months abroad!).
So here’s a lovely feature in the Dutch magazine Residence on our Brooklyn home that has just hit top Amsterdam newsstands.
Who know what the Dutch folks wrote about us, but, hopefully, it is all about how fun we are and why we should be hired to design top Dutch households…
Here's the first spread of the multi-page feature on Madcap Cottage in top Dutch design magazine Residence. Our den is a fabulous mix of patterns and hues. The chandelier hails from a flea market in Miami, Florida. The ottomans will be up for sale on our next One Kings Lane Tastemaker Tag Sale on May 4. The rug is from Merida, and the coffee table is for sale on our 1st Dibs boutique.
Tags: Den, Europe, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, Merida, Residence
Posted in 1st Dibs, Antiques, Color, Demystifying Design, Design Guru, DIY, Entertaining, Fabrics, Hanging artwork, Interior Design, New York Interior Designer, News Flash, One Kings Lane, Paint the ceiling | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 13th, 2013
Better Homes and Gardens magazine asked the Madcap Cottage gents to come up with a color palette to inspire their readers, and here's what we selected... Ethnic elan! Bold, bright hues. Comfortable furnishings. And loads of patterns. Click on the image, above, to read the entire story.
Gang:
I hope your week is going swimmingly…
Hello?! Has anyone tackled their lampshade re-do yet?
John and I are currently in London and savoring ever drib and drab. London is so damn inspirational! We leave for Moscow on Friday morning, so get ready for lots of updates from the steppes.
On another note, Better Homes and Gardens magazine asked us–along with several other wonderful designers such as Elaine Griffin and Lauren McGrath–to come up with fun color palettes to inspire their readers. Of course, John and I did not do anything that was remotely beige. Instead, we turned to Morocco as our driving force and culled gorgeous wallpapers and fabrics from the likes of Thibaut and furnishings from C.R. Laine.
Take a look, and let us know what you think of our selects.
Tags: Better Homes and Gardens magazine, Color palette, DIY, Ethnic, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, Morocco, Pink
Posted in Before and After, Color, Decoupage, Demystifying Design, Design Guru, Design Lessons, DIY, Fabrics, Interior Design, Morocco, New York Interior Designer, Paint, Painted Furniture, Tips for Design Small Spaces | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, February 12th, 2013
The March issue of Elle Decor magazine raves about the designs of African designer Duro Olowu that will soon be appearing at J. C. Penney. Channel Africa right now, and you will be right on-trend!
Gang:
John and I are having a total Africa “moment”… And it seems that publications like Elle Decor are, too. Plus, we have spotted African prints in the windows of the sizzling Selfridges department store in London…
Speaking of Africa, the Madcap Cottage gents are so inspired by wax-print African fabrics with their colorful hues and magical patterns and have been incorporating these textiles into our pillow designs and upholstery. Many of the African prints actually hail from Holland where famed companies such as Vlisco craft these color-packed textiles.
Check out some of our wax-print pillows, all available for sale on our Madcap Cottage website…
John and I took a jaunty teal-and-red wax-print African fabric and paired it with a zippy green welting and backing, and the results are pillow talk perfection.
A pink-and-purple wax-fabric pattern with a deep purple welt and backing makes for the perfect Madcap Cottage pillow.
A custom-crafted Madcap Cottage throw pillow in a jaunty aqua-and-red pattern with a zingy yellow welt and backing.
Tags: Africa, Elle Decor, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, pillows, Vlisco
Posted in Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, Design Lessons, DIY, Interior Design, New York Interior Designer, Tastemaker, Tips for Design Small Spaces, Uncategorized, upholstery | No Comments »
Monday, February 11th, 2013
Look at this amazing ruched fabric lampshade that John and I spotted at the shop of uber-designer Robert Kime in London. Divine! Why not take your boring lampshades, and give them some sparkle...
Gang:
Morning! I hope you had a lovely weekend… John and I holed up in the snow and watched movies and designed pillows. Yes, we design pillows for fun. And they will be debuting at the High Point Market in the spring, so stay tuned.
Here’s our “Idea of the Day.”
Have fun with your lampshades. You can take even the most vanilla of lamps and transform them with a magical lampshade. But if you don’t have access to a custom lampshade source, bust out the glue gun and have it. Target and Hancock Fabrics are both great sources for inexpensive lampshades, and then embellish, embellish, embellish! Think decoupage, rhinestones, grosgrain ribbon… There are really no rules: Just have some fun.
A standout lampshade will really help add oomph to a room, quickly and economically.
Send us photos of your handiwork!
Tags: DIY, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Lampshades, Madcap Cottage, Robert Kime
Posted in Antiques, Before and After, Color, Decoupage, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, DIY, Fabrics, Interior Design, Lighting, New York Interior Designer, News Flash, Weekend warrior, Welting | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 6th, 2013
Here's a selection of the Madcap Cottage wares that went "live" on One Kings Lane today. Shop our sublime sundries...
Gang:
I hope that everyone is having a fabulous week…
Have you bookmarked our two online boutiques?
One Kings Lane
https://www.onekingslane.com/shop/madcapcottage
AND
1st Dibs
http://madcapcottage.1stdibs.com
We have gleefully giddy new items going up daily and weekly, so look us over…
Bring some Madcap Cottage home, and right this very second.
On another note, I wanted to show you how to take a white wall and oomph it up with wallpaper. Here’s a “before” and “after” of our guest bedroom in Brooklyn. Why not “wow” a dull space with a deliciously patterned paper.
And, no, that was not a suggestion.
Here's our guest bedroom at Chester Court with a wallpapered ceiling but before we decided that the space needed extra "punch" courtesy of wallpaper on the walls.
Here's the very same guest room with the formerly white walls done up in Thibaut's Baron wallpaper from their Residence collection. Click on the image, above, to see the paper on the Thibaut website.
Tags: 1st Dibs, DIY, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, One Kings Lane, Thibaut, Wallpaper
Posted in 1st Dibs, Antiques, Before and After, Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, Design Lessons, DIY, Framing, Hanging artwork, Interior Design, News Flash, One Kings Lane, Paint, Pets, Tastemaker, Uncategorized, Wallpaper, Weekend warrior, Welting | No Comments »
Thursday, January 31st, 2013
John enjoys a late lunch at Terrain's amazingly chic Garden Cafe, housed within a vintage greenhouse that spills over with flowers and candles. Terrain really "gets" the details. The bread, for instance, arrives in a terracotta pot. Divine.
Gang:
If you follow this blog regularly (and God help you if you don’t!), you know that I am obsessed with the nursery-cum-lifestyle store Terrain located outside of Philadelphia. Last February I did two blog posts on this amazing spot, and I am here today to write yet another installment.
John and I were in Philadelphia last week to do some antiquing, and we made a pilgrimage to the Urban Outfitters-owned Terrain outpost in nearby Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. The first of the two Terrain outposts–the other opened last year in Westport, Connecticut–sits on the busy Baltimore Pike and occupies what was once the Styer family farm. Surrounded by urban sprawl–including several big-box stores–Terrain is a gem-like sanctuary that will wow you and definitely provide heaps of inspiration.
Here are some images from our visit.
It was a cold and damp afternoon when John and I arrived at Terrain, but the whimsical decor quickly transported us to far warmer and more inviting climes. Look what some outdoor curtains and a Moroccan-styled lantern can do to take a space from nice to knockout.
While Terrain boasts incredible plants, it also stocks gorgeous furnishings and lighting. Soak up the wonderful displays, too, such as this wonderful shelving unit that houses firewood. Why not bring this idea home?
Check out this genius espaliered tree that has been trained to grow in the shape of a heart. What a fabulous Valentine's Day gift for the plantsman/woman! And FYI: Espaliering is the horticultural practice of controlling woody plant growth originally for the production of fruit, by pruning and tying branches to a frame so that they grow into a flat plane, frequently in formal patterns, against a structure such as a wall, fence, or trellis.
Tags: Glen Mills, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Landscaping, Madcap Cottage, Morocco, Nursery, Terrain, Urban Outfitters
Posted in Antiques, Color, Curb appeal, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Lessons, DIY, Gardens, Interior Design, Landscaping, New York Interior Designer, Road Trip, Tastemaker, upholstery, Weekend warrior | No Comments »
