My Design: Original Content Week

A shot of the living room looking towards the family room. Across from this arrangement is another seating group comprised of a tufted sofa and two more chairs.

In honor of Decorno's proposal that design bloggers celebrate "Original Content Week," I've dug into my archives and pulled out these shots of a highrise apartment that I worked on last year. My client is a single woman in her 80s with reddish brown hair and olive skin tones. Working around her coloring, I came up with the scheme of sage greens, terracottas, and caramels for her new space. My client looks wonderful in her condo because the colors blend with her complexion rather than fight it. This was the first time I had considered complexion in thinking up a color scheme and it is something I have continued to do. It was a real eureka moment in my design life and I highly recommend trying out the premise.

My client plays cards and lots of it and one of the most important aspects to get right were all the gaming tables. So, poker with the men, (and the ladies) takes place on the round, wooden dining table. We purchased a heavy, fold-up topper, backed with felt to cover the table when the chips are flying. Next, I purchased a smaller game table to seat four for a game of bridge. This worked beautifully until it was discovered that the mirror was reflecting the cards, so I designed a temporary cover out of the pillow fabric that is placed over the mirror when the bridge ladies come. I kid you not. Lastly, a larger game table that seats six was placed in the den to handle card games for between 4 and 8 players or to serve lunch on at all the games. Obviously, this is a woman who loves to entertain. Working on this assignment was challenging and took up the better part of a year. My client and I didn't know each other when we started, but by the end of the project we had become close friends, despite our 30 something years age difference.

A closeup shot of the living room, with it's sage and terracotta tones. I designed all upholstery here and in the family room and had it fabricated at Custom Creations in Houston.


A close up of the dining room. The light fixture is a beauty: a highly patinaed antique brass fixture from Belgium. The fixture was purchased at Brown, a unique lighting shop whose proprietor lived in Belgium for several years. Now back in Houston, she returns there several times a year for inventory. The light fixture is a stand out in the room - it's patina actually picks up the wall's color.

This is the family room with caramel tones featured in the wall color, the Rose Tarlow fabrics, the drapery, and in the geometric patterned sisal rug. The brass and crystal light fixture is from Circa Lighting. The two brass lighting fixtures on opposite sides of the large space play off each other: though one is contemporary and the other antique, they complement each other. The set of prints are black and white drawings of Galveston, Texas that I had framed to cover the alcove space above the sofa. Janus et cie chairs surround the mid sized game table.

Another view of the family room. I designed the bookcases to form an alcove around the sofa to create some architectural interest and to house the smalls collected over a lifetime. The red table to the right is actually an oriental drum, purchased from Area, a local store.

Beadboard UpCountry - Brenham, Texas

It's no secret that Texas is a huge state, just to drive from one end to the other is a journey that can't be done in a day. It is so large that we have 254 counties. Several books have been written about the architecture of all of our courthouses. There is even a web site, where a man named Ted has taken a picture of each of the courthouses. Many of them are old buildings that are registered with the Historical Society while others are newer structures that replaced the older, smaller courthouse as the county grew more populated.

Drive through any small town in Texas where the county has it's seat and you will find the proud courthouse erected right in the middle of a small, antiquated downtown. One of the prettier counties in Texas is Washington County whose name to Texans will evoke visions of rolling hills and fields of bluebonnet flowers. Brenham, Texas, the county seat of Washington County, has a population of just 13,500 and is also the home of the famous Blue Bell Ice Cream. Unfortunately, Brenham's courthouse, pictured above, is not one of the old ones as it was built in 1939. The downtown of Brenham is being revitalized and it's filled with charming shops, restaurants, coffee houses, and a few romantic B&Bs. In order to satisfy the design needs of all the ranch owners and chic people who either live here or have a second home here, a new store, Beadboard UpCountry opened up last year, right on the town square across the street from the courthouse. Location in Brenham doesn't get any better than this.

Maryanne Flaherty, the brainchild behind Beadboard UpCountry, runs the store with the help of her husband. Their store has helped put Brenham's downtown revitalization on the fast track. Last week it was announced that the 2007 recipient of the Best Commercial Interior Design Award, given by the Texas Downtown Association (TDA), is none other than Beadboard UpCountry! Maryanne is a friend of mine and she emailed me to share the exciting news. The TDA, the organization behind the revitalization of downtowns around the state, hands out several different awards each year, and Beadboard UpCountry is most deserving of their top award. Located in a former bank building, Maryanne worked hard to restore the space into the charming, sunny shop it is today. To Maryanne, a chic redhead, her shop is the culmination of years of dreaming and planning. Prior to opening her store, she commuted the hour to Houston to work at local furniture stores. Now, her clients travel to see her. Beadboard UpCountry is bright, with high ceilings, and white stucco walls. For sale is bedding, tableware, accessories, candles, and furniture in white and linen slipcovers. The shop is so atmospheric, you might just think you are actually in France instead of a small Texas town.

The charming storefront: outside a chalkboard advertises the specials inside. I adore the awning almost as much as the store's name. Who could resist coming inside?

The walls are stuccoed white, with the old brickwork peeking through.

Against one wall are shelves of creamy plates and assorted tableware.


A view towards the back, you can see how high and airy the ceilings are. Notice too, the black and white mosaic tiled floor.

Besides accessories, Maryanne sells furniture and offers interior design services.

My favorite: a big round slipcovered ottoman that doubles as a coffeetable. Behind it is a white, slipcovered sofa. Seagrass, linen and white slipcovers: I am in heaven!

A view of a tablescape with shelves of goods in the background. The tableware is mostly either white or cream.

Friendly and chic Maryanne, the proprietress of Beadboard UpCountry. In this picture, you can just see the restored wooden ceiling.

If you would like to visit Beadboard UpCountry, it is located at 1o1 South Baylor Street, Brenham, Texas 77833. You can call Maryanne at 1-979-830-8788 or you can email her at beadboardupcountry@sbcglobal.net If you are planning a trip to the Round Top Antiques Fair this April, be sure to visit Maryanne as Brenham is just a short drive from Round Top.