COTE DE TEXAS: Evolution of a Room

Evolution of a Room

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Years ago, about 16 years I suppose, I saw the above picture in a magazine - I don't remember which magazine it was, but it was probably Southern Accents.  I fell completely in love with this room.  I adored everything about it - the then, in vogue taupe and white striped linen fabric on all the furniture, the creamy stucco walls, the french furniture, the fireplace, the blue and white porcelains, the books, even the platter balanced above the molding.  Years later I learned it was designed by Dan Carithers from  Atlanta, someone whose taste I have come to admire greatly.  It's fitting that my favorite room was designed by Carithers.  Over the years whenever I've had a client present a picture from a magazine of a look they like, it's always a room by Carithers, always.   I digress. 

Sixteen years ago, a few months after the birth of my long awaited first and only child, Ben horrified me one night when he casually informed me we were moving from Houston to Ft. Worth, Texas, otherwise known as Cowtown.   ok.  I couldn't physically walk  for days from the sheer horror at the thought of moving so far away (a long, exhausting, 30 minute plane ride!) from my family and friends.  But, move we did.  Although we had planned to start a new life there with a new job for Ben, we actually only ended up staying for a year and 1/2  before we moved back home.   But, at the time, we truly believed we would be there forever, and so we bought our first home in Ft. Worth.  I loved decorating it - it was the first time I got to really design my home with an actual budget, as opposed to just acquiring hand-me-down furniture or inexpensive upholstered pieces.  It was new construction, so I was able to choose the finishes:  dark hardwood floors for the living and dining rooms and Mexican saltillo tile for all of the rest of the house.  I made a huge mistake with the paint, which was supposed to be a cool taupe, but ended up with a decidedly lilac tint to it.    When it came to picking out furniture, I decided I was going to try to copy Carither's striped room.  I bought a sofa in the exact same striped taupe and white linen fabric, and I recovered a pair of French fauteuils given to me by my mom (they were her mother's chairs) in the same striped fabric.  I slipcovered four small side chairs also in the striped fabric, and bought a rattan chair and ottoman and covered the cushions, again in the striped fabric.   To break it up a little, I had a skirted table made in a complementary taupe and cream ethnic print.  On the sofa, I had two pillows made out of plain white linen and one in an accent leopard print.  To cover the floors, I bought my first sisal rug, not seagrass because I couldn't find a source.   So, I had to make-do with the itchy sisal instead.  Though the living room fell far short of looking anything like Carither's room (the architecture of Carither's room was impossible to recreate in my small, starter home), I was ecstatic with the finished result.  We were young and with a new baby and we loved our first home, even though it was in Cowtown.  I found a few pictures from that room to show you here:

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The day after we moved in I took these pictures - the cushions for the rattan chair hadn't come in yet.  My fledging opaline collection is on the skirted table.

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My oh so young husband Ben on the striped sofa with the accent pillow.  He's petting Reggie, who was run over a few months after this picture was taken. :(  The oil painting came from my mother.

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The slipcovered card chairs.  I guess I didn't have any blue and white porcelain then - even though it was such an important element in Carither's room. The oil painting over the mantel was bought in Europe by my father.

After our year and a half in Siberia, we moved back to Houston and planned our new home.   We bought a lot in West University to build on and copied a spec home that had already been built in our neighborhood, making only some cosmetic changes to the plan.  I still had all my faux Carithers' furniture, barely even used, so I furnished my new, ultra small, not quite two story living room with all of the striped linen fabric furniture.   I bought an antique mirror in Austin one game day.  And, influenced by the Colefax and Fowler book, about  a year or so later I bought a red and celadon kilim rug to use instead of the sisal.  The room basically stayed like this for a few years.

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This pictures was taken a few years after we moved in our new home in Houston.   I can tell, because I've already gotten rid of the ethnic skirt and replaced it with a paisley shawl.  Also, the white pillows are now long gone.  That's my cat Quilty sleeping on a paisley shawl.  The opaline collection has grown a little.  That's an opaline lamp that I had bought at my mother's antique store she had.  The lamp has since broken in pieces!!

As time went on, I started getting into an English landed-gentry design phase and  tried to pretend that I was living in Dorset or Gloucestershire in an ancient English country home.  Hence, the changes in the living room during this phase:  I had a  batik bedspread covering the striped sofa,  I bought bamboo furniture (couldn't really afford anything else), there were wool paisley scarves over tables and anything else I could cover, and  there was a huge bamboo shelving unit that I bought from Shabby Slips  (before they were ultra chic).  I just HAD to have that shelving unit and bought it on impulse, probably motivated by how inexpensive it was.   Boy, these pictures are REALLY humiliating!!!  Nothing actually fit properly in the room.  The striped sofa was always too big for the space and that shelving unit was terrible from day one.  It finally dawned on me that I wasn't Prince Charles' neighbor (not that I had fooled anyone)  and something had to give.  My nephew took the shelves off my hands and the Urban Outfitters bedspread went into hiding.  By this time, I was sick to death of the striped fabric which was no longer trendy, but terribly dated.  I wanted a total change for the room, but just had no direction and no idea of where to take it.

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Oh, God, how horrible!  My English period:  Urban Outfitters bedspread hides the too big  striped sofa, massive shelving unit is on the right, bamboo tea table is in front of the french chairs.  By this time, I loathed my wooden blinds and raised them all the way up to try to hide them.   I could be easily blackmailed by this photo.

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A close up!  Not sure what that is growing on the top shelf there!  Those are Oriental figures on the pedestals next to the mirror.  The clear glass urn lamps have been replaced with celadon green peeling painted lamps that I actually still have.  The opaline has been moved upstairs.

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One more picture for good measure.   Here, I have finally taken off the lovely Urban Outfitters bedspread!  I bought those antique gold candlesticks on Magazine Street in New Orleans.  Love the print sitting in the chair like an unwanted houseguest.

While I was trying to figure out what to do with all my outdated and, and now, loathed striped furniture, my friend with the English house that decided to go Swedish was unloading some furniture and I jumped at her offer to buy her small sofa from her sunroom.  It was an expensive upholstered piece, down filled cushions, well made, and  she sold it to me at a very reasonable price.  I sent it out to get a white linen slipcover with a scalloped hem.  I then played merry go round with sofas:  my bargain den sofa was given to my sister in law (the one on the ranch) much to my husband's chagrin.  To this day he claims it was the most comfortable sofa we ever owned.   In its place, I moved the loathed, striped Carithers sofa to the den after I first had it slipcovered in a plain khaki linen.  I had all of the striped Carithers French chairs recovered in two different Bennison fabrics.   And so, the Carithers striped furniture era came to an end.   

The day my new living room sofa came back from being slipcovered,   I was crestfallen.  It looked like a white pincushion.  It was tiny.   I had done what I would never, ever do to a client:  not measured!  I felt like an inept fool.  The scale of the sofa (really- a love seat) was totally off:  it was much too small for the room.  But, I had no alternative at that point.  It was mine, paid for (barely) and newly slipcovered.  I had to live with it and I did, for a few years.  Despite the size fiasco, I was basically pleased with the new look in my living room.  I loved the Bennison fabrics on the chairs and pillows.  The kilim rug was now gone, replaced by proper seagrass.  A few years later, I finally installed curtains, yellow silk ticking, and I repainted all the walls from the original coffee au lait color to a subtle yellow with a brown undertone.   The moldings I had painted a light French gray.  All was well and good -  for a while.

 

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An early version of the post Carithers stripe/English landed gentry look.  The new tiny sofa sits under a collection of celadon plates.  I bought a needlepoint rug to sit on top of the seagrass rug.  The blinds are finally  gone.  The walls have been painted.  The chairs and pillows are Bennison.   My garden lady is stuck in the corner then.

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Here's another shot with the chairs and tables moved around. 

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In the left corner, you can see my new collection at the time - Oriental altar fruit on a newly acquired 'French wine table.

When Katrina devastated New Orleans,  Antique store owner Tara  Shaw was stuck without a place to sell her new shipment.  Tara owns the eponymous Tara Shaw where she sells French, Italian and Swedish antiques  to the trade only.  Really.  No cheaters - its the real thing.  She came to Houston to open a new store and took Houston by a storm, which is probably a bad choice of words, considering.  Everyone in the design business went crazy at her prices - they were unbelievably low - honest, true,  trade prices - something Houston had never seen before.  Of course, I had to get in on the fun.  Loaded down by a commission check, I bought a buffet a deux for my living room from Tara and promptly filled it up with Masonware from England.  The new antique piece towered over my poor little pincushion of a sofa.  So, one day, I spied a green antique French daybed at Tara's.    I had it painted Swedish gray, but instead it came out lavender and Don from Custom Creations saved the day when he repainted it a whitish taupe-y color for me.  Ceci, also from Custom Creations, made the slipcovers for the daybed, again with a scalloped hem.  The pincushion was banished to my master bedroom, replacing the Pottery Barn chairs up there.    Finally, after 14 years in our house, I had a  living room with a sofa (sort of)  that fit the room properly.   So, I was through with that room!  Finished.  Happy......

 

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The day bed slipcovered in a brown and cream check. 

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The garden lady statue is now in between the front windows.   The windows are softly draped with silk which hides a lot of hard angles.  The store bought seagrass has been replaced with a custom cut piece that fits just up to the molding, as it should.

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A close up of the day bed with the scalloped hem.  The two pillows and the chair on the left are covered in Bennison's famous Roses fabric.   This picture was taken before I had the sconces installed next to the mirror. 

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A close up of the buffet a deux with the collection of Masonware inside.

There was still one thing missing from the room that I had planned to buy, if I could ever find it.  One day last year, I was at Tara's (of course) when I spied a crystal chandelier - antique, but not period.  It  was a French Empire light fixture.  There had been one just like it before that was "mine."  At least, I thought it was mine,  I was promised it was mine, but that other fixture got sold out from under me by mistake.    And there was yet another one after that that was sold before I could buy it.  I didn't want to lose another chandelier that I loved again, so I bought the one at Tara's after thinking on it for a few days.   The great people at Alcon fixed  it up for me - wired it, cleaned it, put it all back together, replaced missing crystals, and gave it new sleeves.  And yesterday, it came home:

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The new chandelier!  Isn't it gorgeous????  I'm in love!  Ben and Elisabeth and I keep staring at it - it's just amazing!

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Here's how it hangs - over the center table.  Not too low, but not high at all.  Bennett Fan expertly installed it for me  - as always, thanks guys!

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Here you can see it reflected in the mirror.  Mirrors should always reflect something beautiful and finally, after 14 years, mine does.

Looking back today through all these old photos of one small room, it amazes me how much the room has changed.  It didn't happened overnight, it was a very gradual process, which some people like for their own home, while others prefer big changes all at once.  I do know that I am not one to furnish my house and then leave it alone.  Being "in the business," I'm constantly exposed to new things and it's a challenge to resist the urge to change.  But, of course,  I do give into that temptation.   To me, a house is a changing thing - a vehicle to express the way one feels, to showcase the things that one loves, and to feel cozy in - warmed by the presence of the love of your family.   I enjoy my house - I love to be home and just putter around, changing things, moving things, putting out fresh flowers and lighting scented candles.   It sometimes still takes me by surprise to think that I actually own a home and can fix it up and do whatever I want to it!  Playing house was always my favorite thing to do when I was young and I suppose I'm still doing that just on a bigger stage.  This love of house is something my mother and I share and we talk about it all the time.  Some people "do" clothes, we say, but we "do" house!

 

Note:  While my chandelier is an antique, there are a few companies today that produce fixtures just like it.  One such company that comes immediately to mind is Julie Neill Designs from New Orleans.  Julie custom makes her fixtures to the customer's specific size or needs.   She's wonderful to do business with - I know, because I recently purchased one of her fixtures for a client and facilitated another fixture for a friend.  If you think you might want a chandelier something like mine - or maybe even something completely different, I recommend you visit her web site and look at her products!  Her fixtures are just gorgeous! 

 

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Here's a picture of one of Julie Neill's designs.  This chandelier is very similar to mine!  Beautiful!

64 comments :

  1. Your new chandelier is truly beautiful, Joni. The crowning jewel of the room. I so enjoyed this post. The personal aspect is so interesting and it's fun to see the whole history here. I lived in Cowtown briefly with my family when I was about 13. That's where I saw my first tarantula - outside our back door!!

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  2. Joni
    I thoroughly enjoyed the story of the evolution of your room. How rewarding to be surrounded by all the things you love...and your chandelier is gorgeous just like you!!

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  3. Oh Joni,
    This is such a great story. It is a chronicle of the evolution of your personal style. Your gift is being able to share your design inspirations and projects from the heart. Your blog absolutely glows with your personality. How wonderful to see your fabulous living room. Tara Shaw really has such a good eye and you can get such great things from her. We're lucky to have her in both our towns.
    I am so touched that you mentioned my chandeliers in this post. We have just moved our workroom into new studio space to accomodate our growing business. It's very exciting. Thanks for being such a good blogging friend,
    Julie

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  4. Oh Joni,
    This is such a great story. It is a chronicle of the evolution of your personal style. Your gift is being able to share your design inspirations and projects from the heart. Your blog absolutely glows with your personality. How wonderful to see your fabulous living room. Tara Shaw really has such a good eye and you can get such great things from her. We're lucky to have her in both our towns.
    I am so touched that you mentioned my chandeliers in this post. We have just moved our workroom into new studio space to accomodate our growing business. It's very exciting. Thanks for being such a good blogging friend,
    Julie

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  5. Joni,
    As the world of cote de texas turns, I feel your evolution or is it that you have nine lives? Wonderful post and I admire how you took the time to give us an up close and personal tour!

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  6. Can you tell me, who painted the painting over the mantel that was purchased in Europe? Love it!

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  7. Joni - I adored this journey - thank you so much. The room has always been charming - but it's total perfection, now. It screams "Joni" which is a very good thing.

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  8. Joni, this post illustrates exactly, why I admire you and your style, so much. I enjoyed every step of the evolution of this room. It's an amazingly beautiful room! I'm in awe!

    Thank you!
    Pat

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  9. Brava! Great story and so interesting to track your evolving style!

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  10. Fabulous living room evolution. Enjoyed the journey!

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  11. This was wonderful...thank you so much for sharing your journey. Your room is just beautiful.

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  12. Joni, I am so impressed by your post, the ability to be transparent. Congratulations on the beautiful chandelier -- it makes your room look like a jewel box!

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  13. Joni, that was so much fun to read! I would love to take a room to that level of beauty & you make it look so easy. Honestly your old, evolving room looks better than most of us could achieve. I love how you took your time getting to where you actually wanted to be. It is truly gorgeous! I do love your style. Just can't afford to start over with mine. I think I need to really study some of those Traditional Home spreads I admire so much & figure out how to incorporate some of the details in my own home.

    I so agree with you on loving our homes. I do the same thing in my humble abode. Tweaking it & making it prettier to live in all the time. Thanks for the inspiration!

    You would love to visit the furniture place I posted about today. Some very nice things there!

    Rhoda

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  14. Oh! And congrats on the new chandelier. I know how giddy you must feel, as I just replaced my foyer & diningroom fixtures. Nothing as gorgeous as yours, but I was pretty excited myself.

    Rhoda

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  15. That was a GREAT story! Please take other rooms in your house and do the same. Love your blog. Connie

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  16. Love that story, Joni! How I have been there too......LOL! I hope I have gotten wiser with things I use to not think about. I use to be in shock sometimes too when I got something home & had not measured or thought about how it would relate to other things. YOu did an absolutely fabulous job on your LR! It is really TFD........love that new chandelier........talk about PERFECT!
    YOu have a gorgeous home......Bonnie

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  17. Hey Joni- I loved seeing how your room has evolved over the years! I wouldn't dream of posting pics of my living room and it's evolution because I've made some pretty big boo-boos over the years! LOL...Congratulations on the new gorgeous chandelier....I can see what you can't take your eyes off of it....it is absolutely divine :o)
    ~Des

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  18. I loved seeing the evolution of your style!

    The chandelier is so beautiful, very nice!

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  19. this is my favorite post of yours yet. how cute is ben?

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  20. Joni, this was so much fun to read and view. Congrats on your new chandelier - looks beautiful.

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  21. I really enjoyed this post. As we change, our style and taste does as well. And your room aged like a fine wine....I loved seeing the photos of the changes.

    The new chandelier is beautiful and adds such an ambiance to the room. The finishing touch!

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  22. Its a lovely lovely room, but even more inspiring is the long road to get there. It makes it seem more possible for the rest of us. Everywhere I read on these design blogs about our insecurity about making the wrong decision about ... paint, furniture, color, ... So its very reassuring to see it start like the rest of us(a little nicer maybe) and turn out so well.

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  23. Thanks for taking us on this journey. I loved the personal aspect. Please do it again in other rooms. As usual you blew me away!

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  24. It's so great to see the evolution of your room. It makes me feel that my house has hope! The new chanelier is beautiful.

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  25. I really enjoyed this post (gorgeous chandelier!!), but I have to say I was completely distracted by learning about your poor dog!

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  26. I really enjoyed reading this post, Joni. It's always interesting to see how one's style and taste evolves over time. Your new chandelier is absolutely beautiful.

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  27. What a beautiful story - I loved what you said about you and your mum loving your homes etc. My mother and I share this same love. I almost had tears in my eyes Joni for some strange reason but I just loved hearing the history of you room so much! I adore your new chandelier - isn't it so exciting bringing something new home and all you want to do is sit and look at it and talk about how good it looks!! Great post!
    XX
    Anna

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  28. The first picture, with the rattan chair, is my favorite. Nice and natural and unforced. Good stuff there!

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  29. Your chandelier is gorgeous! Love your light-hearted description of your house's evolution.

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  30. What a lovely post Joni - congrats on the new chandelier - it really completes the room. I loved seeing the photos of how your room looked and how its evolved over the years. I completely understand what you mean doing 'home', rather that clothing. I think thats one of the many things I enjoy about this blogging community - so many peopel that just get it.

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  31. great post about evolution . About what we liked , what we did and what we finally love ...Your chandelier looks gorgeous

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  32. Joni - I'm new to blogging but have read your posts for a bit. LOVE your sense of reality; and your honesty. You do make all of us desire to be honest in our homes. Where to find chandeliers, ummm, more on a budget, in Houston? Any ideas?

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  33. Joni, You are making me fall in love with chandeliers again. I have been leaning towards modern fixtures, but I think these classic designs would look just as lovely in a contemporary space. It creates some contrast and tension. What do you think?

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  34. I really enjoyed hearing about your decorating journey. I had tan and white striped wallpaper in my former home.
    Your new chandelier is just stunning!
    Hugs,
    Nan

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  35. Joni, your house is insanely beautiful. You have such an elegant style!

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  36. My favorite picture is the one where you show the sofa in white with the new (at the time) needle point rug and the garden statue in the corner. I ADORE those celedon plates around that stunning mirror! You have such a great eye.

    Thanks for sharing this. As I am only at the beginning of my design foray, it is so nice to see that it is okay to take my time and let my style evolve. I always want to RUSH and get everything now, but I think it's really important to let yourself evolve...and make due until you can get something better quality, real antiques, etc.

    Awesome post!!

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  37. Odd co-incidence -- I was just looking at that very same photo of Dan Carrithers wonderful room! I do wish he would write a decor book --- but of course -- I will wait for your book instead. Brillant posting -- and an a great illustration on how rooms do evolve and change. LOVE the new chandelier!

    Jan at Rosemary Cottage

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  38. Joni-

    LOVE this post...one of my all time favorites of yours!

    I have a book with that Carithers room in it showing the whole room.
    If you have not seen the "whole room" let me know and I will scan and send to you....it will be like a visit with an old friend for you!
    Dana

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  39. The chandelier - and the room - is just gorgeous! You have a great eye! You mentioned one dealers selling to the trade - in France the "to the trade" business that is prelavent in large US cities simply doesn't exist. Antiques are sold directly to the buyer, although of course interior designers sometimes purchase things from dealers on behalf of their clients, but these are mostly foreign clients - the French choose their own things (and of course often inherit them).

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  40. Wow! Beautiful chandelier and darling chronicle of all the passages you went through to get to this stunning living room. Congratulations! Your room design is as one-of-a-kind inspirational as your are!

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  41. Just a stunning chandelier...I loved seeing and reading about your living room journey. Your finished room is one we would ALL just love!
    hugs, bj

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  42. Joni,
    I just finished reading the story of your lovely rooms evolution and fell in love with every step of the way and can so relate to all your transformations.
    Hugs,
    Sue

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  43. Nice to see your before & afters, Joni. And your chandelier is gorgeous! Lana

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  44. Okay, you just keep topping yourself. What a great piece of revelatory writing. Who among us does not have numerous moments of embarrassment related to Decor Past? (mine: lemon-green bamboo prints and matching shag rug, although in self defence, it was 1972) I laughed out loud at the "unwanted houseguest" on the chair comment. Brava, Joni! Oh, and the living room is to die!

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  45. Wow!Thank you.What a fun & insightful read.Exactly the kind of piece that I wish the magazines featured,but they never really do.I think you sparkle just like that chandelier....only warmer :-)

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  46. You are such a good sport to share your life through the photos of your home! I love seeing how your style developed and matured as time went on, and as your budget allowed. It was a fascinating exercise. Thanks so much for sharing!
    Angela

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  47. Excellent post! It is amazing that you have pictures of your living room through the years. I do not think that I have many pictures of my living room in past houses!

    I love the chandlier. It is absolutely beautiful. Please keep me posted if you ever see anything that beautiful and unique in Tara Shaw!

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  48. Joni-
    I just discovered your blog, and yet your story helped me to feel like I know you so well. Thanks for letting us in on your decorating journey. It shows that with patience, hard work pays off. And how rewarding it must feel.

    Can't wait for more posts!

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  49. Joni,
    The room looks gorgeous. Well done!
    When I read about your seagrass carpet, it reminded me that I haven't heard back from you asking for a source for that type of floor covering. Would you be kind enough to share where I could purchase seagrass in the USA? I live in the Toronto area, however I have family living in the States who can arrange to have it shipped to their home in Michigan or in Florida. Thank you in advance for your help!

    Cheryl

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  50. as the saying goes..."You've come a long way baby!" Loved this post and LOVE Dan Carithers...I was born and raised in Atlanta and had the thrill of a lifetime to tour his home 2 years ago when it was open to the public during Home and Garden week...you would have died and gone to heaven!

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  51. Cheryl - you need to either give me your email or email me at mrballbox329@aol.com - I'll talk to you about all that in email, ok? thanks!!!

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  52. Joni,
    Love this post. I would be so horrified to show photos of my past rooms and their evolution, but you just might have given me courage. Reality is, I have never been in a house long enough to let it evolve to beauty! I'm usually still knee deep in just basic maintenance and don't get to buy anything decorative. I'm glad you exposed the truth, that not everyone has a picture perfect room from the beginning. It is definitely a process of adding and subtracting. Your end result of course is truly wonderful.
    Thanks for sharing! Someday maybe for a laugh I'll show my first condo and then my first house. As long as we all understand I furnished with what I had at the time, which was nothing.
    Happy day,
    melissa

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  53. Help! that chandelier has left me breathless! Wow, it is just perfect for you and the room -congratulations.
    I love seeing your evolution -it makes me feel so much better about some of the "mistakes" I've made a long the way too. You can really tell through those photos the way your eye has become sophisticated. That is not to say that you didn't have a good eye when you were younger --those photos show an enthusiasm and an optimism of youth ("of course doing all one fabric is fab", and the "of course it'll fit I don't need to measure" -I too had these problems). Well done -then and now.

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  54. I truly enjoyed reading this post. I found it a comfort to know that perfection comes with time. I'm still not 100% confident with my decorating style but you have given me the encouragement that with trial and error, someday I should get it right lol. Your living room is exquisite. You must pat yourself on the back everytime you step into that room :)

    Anna :)

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  56. love your story and how the room has evolved......

    the chandelier is a great match and good things come to those who wait..................


    xxoo
    Melissa

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  57. Joni - First of all thank you for stopping by my blog. I always feel so honored when you leave a comment. I really loved seeing the evolution of your room. I was just feeling sorry for myself because it takes me so long to get a room done. I have a lot of great stuff but I usually am only able to buy that stuff when it is at an amazing discount. It takes forever that way. It's encouraging to know that I'll get there some day.

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  58. Joni- Thank you for the reminder that we should ALWAYS take pictures of our rooms (even when we THINK they are "done") because at some point we are bound to enjoy a good laugh at our own expense. And with those laughs we remember that we were just as happy then as now with a striped sofa, tiny sofa or fabulous sofa.

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  59. Joni,

    I adore your humility. I love how you share what you have learned over the years. This is one reason your blog is so wildly popular. You are talented and brilliant yet humble too.

    And thank you for telling me about Bennet Fan. They have done a lot of work in my house too after your recommendation a few years ago.

    Your chandelier is GORGEOUS!

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