Archive for the ‘Weekend warrior’ 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 »
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 »
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 »
Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013
Enjoy these images of a spring-kissed sun room that John and I designed for a show house in Montclair, New Jersey a few years back. We used lots of green to create a cool, soothing environment embellished with pops of yellow and pink. We eventually sold the two armchairs on One Kings Lane. The tole flowers on the mantel now sit above our fireplace at Chester Court in Brooklyn.
Gang:
It’s a cold and blustery day in New York City, so I decided to post some images of a spring-like sun room that John and I designed for a show house in Montclair, New Jersey a few years back. The space was a boring white box, so John and I pumped the room full of color to maximize the impact. We used gobs of green and oodles of pink, and I think the results are refreshing and simply delicious.
Tell us what you think!
John and I slip-covered a Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams sofa in a jaunty lattice pattern and floral print, both from Schumacher. The plants on the stand in the window hail from Ikea, and the rug came from West Elm. Good design (not to sound not humble, natch) doesn't have to be expensive.
John and I embellished the lampshades of these gourd-shaped table lamps with grosgrain ribbon. Did you ever read John's book "John Loecke's Grosgrain Style?" We unearthed the chinoiserie-style chandelier at a flea market in Miami, and the stools are from Baker Furniture.
The fabulous Bamboo Lattice wallpaper from Thibaut's Spring Lake Collection took the ceiling of the sun room from boring to brilliant. The fabric on the green, white, and yellow window treatments came from Schumacher.
Tags: DIY, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, Montclair, One Kings Lane, Schumacher, Spring Lake Collection, Thibaut, West Elm
Posted in Before and After, Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design book, Design Guru, Design Lessons, DIY, Fabrics, How to Slipcover Furniture, Interior Design, Lighting, New York Interior Designer, One Kings Lane, Painted Furniture, Tastemaker, Tips for Design Small Spaces, Weekend warrior | No Comments »
Sunday, January 6th, 2013
Gang:
How’s your early New Year coming along? Are you sticking to those resolutions? My diet is going swimmingly, and I have already lost 5 pounds. 15 more pounds to go!
As you think about possibly purchasing new furnishings in the year ahead, why not look over our BRAND-NEW SHOPPING SECTION on our Madcap Cottage website.
We offer loads of bespoke pillows and private-label furnishings in wonderful paint treatments. And the price points are really terrific!
Click here to browse our Madcap Cottage wares!
The Let's Go to Grey Gardens chair, a stunning and comfortable bobbin chair crafted by the Madcap Cottage gents with lots of love. Foam cushion wrapped in down.
The Evening in Byzantium ottoman, a beautifully tailored ottoman or occasional table upholstered in a bold zigzag linen fabric. Bespoke brilliance courtesy of the boys at Madcap Cottage. Tight seat.
The Jewel in the Crown armchair. A gorgeous and beautifully proportioned chair custom-crafted by the Madcap Cottage gents with turned legs and rich detailing. Tight seat and back.
The Sunnyland Sojourn chair. A stunning turned-leg and uber-comfortable chair custom-crafted by the Madcap Cottage gents that can be painted in any Benjamin Moore color for extra-bespoke brilliance. Foam cushion wrapped in down.
Tags: Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, pillows, Private-label furniture, upholstery
Posted in Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, Design Lessons, DIY, Fabrics, Furniture Recovering, Interior Design, New York Interior Designer, News Flash, Painted Furniture, Tips for Design Small Spaces, upholstery, Weekend warrior, Welting | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, January 1st, 2013
Here's an article in Chicago's Daily Herald in which I am quoted talking about my passion for all things gold and bronze. Click on the image, above, to read the whole story from divine writer Elaine Markoutsas.
Gang:
Happy New Year! Here’s to an amazing 2013…
What are your resolutions? I want to get into shape, spend more time at Madcap Cottage in upstate New York, throw more dinner parties, drink less, workout more, and get a product line going with Home Shopping Network.
Stay tuned!
As we move into the year ahead, I wanted to share my passion for all things gold…
Bow down, bronze goddess! Here are a few favorite golden “moments.”
Here's a custom striped silk and suzani pillow from the Madcap Cottage gents currently for sale on One Kings Lane right now. Click on the image, above, to look over this brassy confection.
The glittering and inexpensive Francois Table from the folks at Z Gallerie. A terrific deal at $249.
Here's the incredible Biomorphic Console from Baker's Tony Duquette Collection. The table is amazing, but wildly expensive... Use this if only for inspiration.
Tags: Baker Furniture, Bronze, Elaine Markoutsas, gold, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, One Kings Lane, Tony Duquette, Z Gallerie
Posted in Antiques, Before and After, Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design book, Design Guru, DIY, Furniture Recovering, Interior Design, One Kings Lane, Paint, Painted Furniture, Weekend warrior | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 19th, 2012
Gang:
Happy holidays!
As you might know, John and I have just unveiled a retail space at 1st Dibs @ NYDC, situated on the 10th floor of the New York Design Center on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. The floor is a treasure trove of 1st Dibs dealers, and there is something for every taste and sensibility. Best of all, the floor is open to the public AND is open on Saturdays.
If you are looking for glorious holiday gifts, the Madcap Cottage space at 1st Dibs @ NYDC offers loads of colorful and bespoke options.
Here are some shots of us pulling together the vest pocket-sized space.
Come pay us a visit!
Here's our tiny "booth" at 1st Dibs @ NYDC. We painted the white walls a creamy hue and then set about giving the walls horizontal stripes in jaunty colors to make the space really magical!
After taping the walls with painter's tape, John and I painted the space in Madcap Cottage signature pink-and-orange stripes. We plan to change the booth monthly to give it a very fresh and editorial quality.
Here's our booth with the painter's tape removed. The stripes look amazing, n'est-ce pas? Why not stripe a room in your own home--it's easy!
John installs a groovy rug from Urban Outfitters that perfectly matches our sensibility. The mirror on the wall is for sale and is truly a stunner.
Our Madcap Cottage goodies are in place. All that is missing is our logo upon the wall.
John installs our Madcap Cottage logo upon the walls of our booth at 1st Dibs @ NYDC, and we are open for business! The two vintage Venetian-style chairs are from Baker Furniture, and note all of the beautifully priced objects upon the whimsical side table.
Tags: 1st Dibs@NYDC, Baker Furniture, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, New York Design Center
Posted in 1st Dibs, Antiques, Before and After, Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Lessons, DIY, Flooring, Hanging artwork, Interior Design, New York Design Center, New York Interior Designer, Painted Furniture, Renovations, Tastemaker, upholstery, Weekend warrior | No Comments »
