The Final Fabulous Flea Sale – Awwwww!!!!!

 

Like they say, all good things must come to an end.  I was shocked and so sad to hear from Mary, the owner of The Fabulous Flea, who emailed me tonight to inform me that the final antique sale at her house/shop will be this April 20 – 22.   Awww!   What a loss this will be!  

 

 

The Compound:   the house is on the left, the shop is on the right.  In between, behind the stucco wall is the pool and pool house. 

 

Mary, who lives in this gorgeous compound designed by noted Houston architect Kurt Aichler, also informed me that her house is on the market.  Gulp.  Quick, can someone loan me some money????  Seriously?   This is my DREAM house!   I truly have dreams of this house in my sleep!     If ever I wish I was a rich interior designer, this is the day.   Mary said she will continue selling antiques on the internet and at trade shows, but for now, the days of selling antiques out of her shop are over after her last spring show next weekend.   Mary shared why she is selling:   “I am coming to learn that the journey for me with the  home is much more  about the creating of the space, then living in it for a lifetime......Once completed and enjoyed, I am ready to let go and sink my teeth into something new, it has been that way with every house that I have lived in, and lucky for me, my husband is willing to go with the flow....”

Now, if only Mr. Slipper Socks Man would go with the flow and BUY me this house!!!!    I don’t ask for much.   I did ask him for this, though.  He did love it.  He did ask me if I had gone insane.   hehe.  Yes.  Insane for one of the most perfect houses in Houston!     Who will buy it?  What lucky family will get to live here?   I wonder…will they appreciate it?  I hope so.

 

The Fab Flea shop –two rooms - one indoors and one barn-like space in the garage. Kurt Aichler truly outdid himself with this house.  It’s name is perfect:  Fabulous.

 

 

 

The pool house, open air, with fireplace and kitchen area.   This picture was taken from a story in the local magazine Antique Shops and Interiors.  Photography by James Farmer. 

 

 

 

The pool house set for dinner.  I adore Mary’s aesthetic.  You can see the Fab Flea shop through the doorway.   I love the flat screen TV behind the bar!

 

 

From the HAR web site:   Behind the stucco walls, the house is to the left, while the pool house is to the right.   An office is located in the upstairs turret.  Downstairs, the living room, dining room, and family room are on an enfilade, one room after another. 

 

 

 

From HAR:  The building on the right is the Fabulous Flea shop.    The pool house is seen behind it. 

 

 

The family room, as featured in Antique Shops and Designers magazine.  

 

 

The same family room, today, featured on HAR.  Mary has updated the room with new pillows and rearranged furniture.  You can see the pool and pool house through the windows.

 

 

 

The living room as shown in Antique Shops and Designers magazine:  slipcovers, linen, and seagrass – Houston style decorating.

 

 

 

And today, as featured on HAR.  Mary has again rearranged the furniture and changed out art work and accessories.  Both the living room and family room over look the pool and pool house. 

 

 

The dining room, never seen before, on HAR.  The kitchen is past the columns to the left and the family room is on the right.  I love the ceiling treatment and the wide baseboards.    To the left of the long gallery hall, through a series of French doors, is a courtyard. 

 

 

The courtyard to the left of the house.  Through the doors are the long hall leading off the living room, dining room, and family room.  The kitchen is seen through the window. 

 

 

The kitchen shown in Antique Shops and Designers magazine.  I LOVE Mary’s kitchen:  farm sink, open shelving, and the antique chandelier is to die for!

 

 

The media room located upstairs.  Love the carpet!

 

 

The master bedroom with a vaulted ceiling and rock crystal chandelier. 

 

 

From HAR:  The master bathroom.  Mary has wonderful hanging fixtures throughout the house. 

 

 

The office in the upstairs turret overlooking the pool.

 

 

 

 

Looking into the garage/barn space of the Fabulous Flea, ready for its final sale.   The authentic carriage doors are wonderful.

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I took these pictures at a sale I went to last year.   That iron table is now in my daughter’s bedroom!   This area is to the left of the Fab Flea shop,  overlooking the house and pool.

 

 

The left side of the shop:   The ceiling is vaulted and Mary always has a great assortment of chandeliers.

 

 

 

These sliding wood barn doors connect the two rooms in the  Fab Flea shop.   The garage area also has a vaulted ceiling. 

 

 

  Mary has a great eye for antiques which she buys in France and Europe several times a year.   I can’t wait to see what she does next.  I’m sure it will be– fabulous!  

 

The final Fab Flea sale will be held this April 20 – 22, 2010.

Studio doors will be open
April 20-21   9:00am - 4:00pm
April 22  9:00am - 2:00pm

Along with the antiques will be the art work and jewelry by Jonie Jacomini Herring and a collection of Oushak rugs by Necati. 

For information on HAR about this property, please go HERE.

For information on the upcoming and final Fab Flea sale, go HERE.

To read the article and see the pictures of the Fabulous Flea home in the Antique Shops and Designers magazine, go HERE.

 

 

 

Finally:   Don’t forget to enter the Cote de Texas giveaway with Jardins du Jour.  To win this painting, go HERE.

 

And – be sure to listen to the new Skirted Roundtable with Scot Meacham Wood HERE.

Cote de Texas: Great Giveaway!!!

 

 

Last year I wrote about my friend in Dallas who had recently updated her living room – using the talented design team of Ray*Weitman.   My favorite item in her newly revamped room was the old Zuber wallpaper remnant that was framed and hung to the side of her fireplace.   In fact, I enlarged the picture of it and cropped it so that it would really shine and be the highlight of the story.  When you love something, well – it never hurts to exaggerate that feeling or emotion for effect.

 

  Close-up of my friend’s grisaille Zuber wallpaper remnant, framed. 

 

A few months after the post showing the Zuber wallpaper, I got an interesting email from Simon P. Scott who owned the retail shop and wholesale business Jardins en Fleur.   I had first heard of Simon when my partner, Megan of Beach Bungalow 8,  talked about him and his beautiful store on the Skirted Roundtable one night.   I had laughed at her pronunciation Jardins en Fleur, which she said in an exaggerated and affected French accent.  “Say it again Megan,  Jaardaan and flowwwer???” – I retorted in my annoying and whiny southern drawl (hey, I know my voice is horrible and I apologize to all who listen to the Skirted Roundtable.  I need to take some diction classes to tony it up a bit.)    I digress.   Simon emailed me with some interesting and rather shocking news.  First he said he had closed his shop and was moving in a different direction.  Closing it?  I never even got to visit it!!!!   Most surprising was his confession.   

Now, I get a lot of emails from people who read the blog, but none has ever played out like this email.  I was pretty shocked when I read what Simon had to say:

 

 

Simon confessed he had read about my friend’s grisaille Zuber wallpaper remnant, framed in her living room, and became inspired by it.  In fact, he said, that blog story with the Zuber had actually lifted him out of the deep funk he had been in after his store closed. Really?  Acting on the inspiration of the grisaille Zuber, Simon had created an  entirely new line of chinoiserie inspired drawings that he was going to sell, framed and unframed, at the Gift and Decor markets around the country.

 

 

 

I love to hear from fans of my blog.  It’s the best part of the job.  But truly, no one before has ever written me saying a post I had written had inspired a new business venture. I was flattered to say the least.  Actually, I’m not quite sure I believed Simon when he said that that ONE picture inspired his whole new line, but I’m desperate for positive feedback, so I lapped it up.   Simon’s new line is now complete and he has attended several shows where it was met with great success.  Of course.   He has a long history of success in the retail field.    Years before,  he had designed products that were huge sellers.  See if you remember some of his earlier designs:

 

  There were these bottles with metal tops, along with a line of shabby-chic white crusty accessories. 

 

 

His candles had rusted tops and were popular long before there were the plethora of candle lines now available.

 

 

There were also various sconces and chandeliers and lamps in his product line.

 

But, the biggest success was this:   The Bombay Co. came calling asking for 30,000 lamps for which they would pay $14 each.   In order to make the lamps at that price, Simon was forced to go to China, which is how he ended up doing business there.  The natural progression of things lead from making lamps to designing  hand painted wallpapers on silk that was then made in China.   Simon has been creating these chinoiserie inspired wallpapers for years now, selling them through Jardins en Fleur.    While he still creates those wallpapers, it is his new collection, inspired by my friend’s grisaille Zuber remnant, that has really taken off at market.   Today he works under a new business name - Jardins du Jour and to celebrate his new line,  Simon has offered a giveaway to a lucky Cote de Texas reader!! 

 

 

This framed item from Jardins du Jour will be given away to the winner!   I absolutely adore this!!!!! 

 

 

Simon was sweet enough to even send me one of his new grisaille wallpapers, framed, which I hung in my family room.

 

 

  Here’s a close up!!

 

 

Here are some more examples of the new line at Jardins du Jour.   I love this combination of the grisaille background with bright color accents. 

 

 

 

There is a series of chinoiserie figures.  Here are two examples. 

 

 

There is also a nature series with different birds.

 

 

Here’s another chinoiserie inspired painting. 

 

 

This Jardins du Jour wallpaper can be installed on a screen.  

 

This wallpaper can be ordered on panels, framed. 

All  the papers can be custom colored.  In fact anything in the line can be custom colored or sized.   To see the entire line of available papers, please go here:  www.jardinsdujour.com

 

 

 

 

Rules for the giveaway:

In order the win the painting above, all you have to do is go to Simon’s web site Jardins du Jour at www.jardinsdujour.com – look around at the Portfolio, and pick out what YOU like best.  Come back to this comment section and leave me a comment with your choice.  A winner will be chosen this Friday night at 11:59 pm.   That’s all!     The prize is the framed painting above.   Be sure to leave your name on the comment or if you post anonymously – leave your email so we can contact you if you win!  Good luck!!!!  And thank you Simon, so much, for your generous giveaway!

The Skirted Roundtable: Scot Meacham Wood

 

 

This week, The Skirted Roundtable welcomes Scot Meacham Wood of SMW Design.   An interior designer and noted musician, Scot surprised us with an a Capella serenade!   That’s a first, for sure!   Scot tells us all about his start in the business working for Ralph Lauren and we discuss how Lauren’s influence can be seen in some of his projects.  Scot is also a popular blogger who writes Tartanscot, a play on words for his love of all things tartan.   During the interview, Scot tells us about his interior design business, explaining how he works and his creative process.  As always, it’s so interesting to learn how other interior designers handle their jobs – it’s such a learning experience and an opportunity to compare and connect with others in the business.  We thoroughly enjoyed our talk with him, he’s such an old-fashioned southern gentleman, although he has lived all over the world and is definitely a Scotsman at heart!!

 

  A project in East Hampton that we all loved.  What a gorgeous and grand entry hall.

 

 

The master bedroom in the Hamptons house.  This is a favorite of mine and I really see a Ralph Lauren vibe in this room.  Love the slips and wallpaper, and I love that blanket!!

 

 

Scot describes this room in a Californian house where he had to duplicate the sofa because the owners only had one.  Notice the tartan blanket, of course!

 

 

Scot’s apartment is well known to the blogosphere.  He told us that he is in the midst of a complete remodel and these pictures are now obsolete.  Here is his bedroom, which is also a study.  

 

 

The other side of his bedroom.  Scot tells us all about that fabulous picture behind the sofa, Ralph Lauren, hint, hint.   Notice the tartan blankets, pillows, and curtains.   I can’t wait to see what his redecorated place will look like!

 

To listen to the Scot Meacham Wood interview, go HERE.  To visit his web site, SMW Design, go HERE. 

Two Cuties in Houston

Here are two really adorable houses for sale in River Oaks.    Although the houses themselves are typical for the neighborhood, their fabulous decor is what caught my eye.  As you all know, well decorated houses are a true rarity on real estate web sites, so anything that looks half-way decent is a plus.  These two houses are extra plus, IMO.  Their decor just speaks to me:  casual, warm, linen, antiques, seagrass, slips, lanterns, mirrors – all the design elements I love.   The first one has been for sale for a while so if you are from Houston and you stalk HAR, you’ve no doubt seen it.   Why is it still for sale?  Myself, I would buy it in a minute (furnished, of course!) and have trouble figuring  out why no one has.  I guess it’s the economy, stupid.    When looking at the two houses, try to imagine which one you would prefer to buy.   The first one is twice the size of the second and it’s kitchen is  nicer.   The second one’s backyard is a knockout.   Both are great family homes, though the second house would be a great empty-nester home too.   Both have great locations, inside one of Houston’s best neighborhoods. 

 

House #1

 

The first house was built in 1937 and has 4700+ sq. ft.   There’s a downstairs gameroom, along with formals, family room, and 4-5 bedrooms, 4 full and 2 half baths.  There are full living quarters with a kitchenette.  The ONLY drawback I can see is no garage, but still…come on, someone – buy this!!!!  It’s beautiful!   Look how cute the front is with the striped awning,  iron Juliet balconies and great landscaping.

 

 

The real estate brochure says the house is “like a page out of Veranda Magazine” and it really is.  I love the textured, patterned runner on the stairs and the painted foyer floor.   There are antiques everywhere, like the gray painted trumeau on the left wall and the Mora clock further down the hall.   I apologize about the pictures, but the owner didn’t ask me to come take my own pictures – though I would LOVE to,  hint..hint.  HAR needs to post better photographs.

 

 

Totally updated – I really like the front door, how bright and open it is. 

 

 

The foyer divides the dining room and the living room.  I love the gray walls here – I would probably repaint the banister a little lighter, maybe a pewter color, but that’s just me. 

 

 

Love the way this is decorated with the soft blue and white stripe fabric on the chairs and the silky striped curtains.  Love it!  Love the custom cut seagrass.  Love all the dainty French chairs.  Does anyone know who the decorator was  - I’m dying to know.

 

 

Another view of the living room.    I love the animal print on the accent chair. Love the blue walls – you don’t see that much true blue lately, but it’s so fresh and calming and feminine.   The whole house has a wonderful feminine vibe to it which is why I like it, I’m sure.     You can glimpse the family room through here.

 

 

Oooh.  gorgeous!  I love the soft silky check curtains and the architectural plaque.  Love the crystal chandelier.   Love the chairs!  To die for!   This is my favorite room in the house, crazy for it. 

 

 

One more time.  Of course the seagrass is perfect throughout – 2 inches, custom cut, the only way it ever really looks right.   Apologies for the quality of the photos!  HAR – let the realtors put larger and better photos on your site!!!

 

 

The dining room connects to the kitchen through the bar (seen next to the range).   Love the range hood and the lighting fixtures.  Love the painted cabinets.  The back splash is from Chateau Domingue in Houston.

 

 

 

Looking towards the breakfast area and the family room.   I would probably put white marble on the counter instead of wood if I moved here.  Of course, there’s a farm sink.    Not sure what the shades are made of, but I really like the style.   And I would love to see the gray painted cabinet on the left.  It looks fabulous.

 

 

The family room – love, love, love!    I really like the fabric colors here – its a bluish aqua.   I love the metal side table and the washed wood sofa table.  But that clock!  That clock!!  What a focal point!!!  I want that!!!! Tonight!!!  The lamps, with their square shades,  are great too.  OK, for everyone who hates white slipcovers – here is a great alternative to slips.   I wish I could tell if the sofa is a velvet or a twill.   Even without the slipcovers, this house definitely has that Houston look. 

 

 

Looking from the family room and kitchen into the foyer.   Love the way the arches are continued through the hall to soften the look and add an interesting architectural touch.

 

 

I wish we could see the chairs flanking the fireplace – it looks like they might be covered in a Colefax and Fowler linen, hard to tell.  Love the check on the wing chair – that actually does look like a slipcover.  Oh well…I would have taken pictures of the chairs if they would have only asked me!!

 

 

 

I THINK this is the game room which might be in the converted garage space, overlooking the courtyard, though I’m not positive.   I love the color scheme here – raspberry.  And I love the Brunschwig and Fils toile on the chairs.  Great lantern.  What a nice, large space. 

 

 

The brick courtyard.  The family room is to the right.  I believe the pink room is to the left.  Another great lantern.  What a nice outdoor space.  Who needs a big backyard when you can have something so pretty? 

 

Another great shade of gray-blue in the master bedroom.  More French furniture, Leontine linens, of course.  Layered needlepoint rug over the seagrass.  Very pretty. 

 

 

House #2

The second cute house is also in River Oaks and is about $500,000 less than House #1, but, it’s 1/2 the size with only 2300 sq. ft., 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, and again, no garage – just a carport.   BUT, add an additional 580 sq. ft. for a pool house with kitchen AND a pool.  Built, again, in 1937,  this house actually is option-pending. 

 

 

Nice curb appeal with landscaping and a slate porch. 

 

 

 

The living room is all shades of gray.  Slipcovers, French chairs, and custom cut seagrass. 

 

 

Another view, facing the back family room.   Very pretty wall color – a grayish blue color.   This decor has a more eclectic feel  – with less antiques than house #1. 

 

 

 

Dining Room:   Great curtains – full and luscious.  Perfection! 

 

 

 

The eat-in kitchen is off the dining room.  I like the antique iron and marble table with the lucite chairs.   The kitchen is smaller than House #1, but it has wonderful marble counters and great appliances!

 

 

The cozy family room is all white slip covers, baskets, seagrass, and bamboo shades = love it!!!  It’s perfect!

 

 

This must be the master bedroom with white linens and light blue curtains and walls.  Again, a very pretty and soothing color.

 

 

Love this room with the light blue slips and the zebra pillows.  Love the khaki colored curtains.   

 

 

The screened porch off the dining room and family room overlooking the fabulous back yard. 

 

 

Fabulous back yard!   I love the landscaping and the pergola. 

 

 

There is a covered carport here and a wonderful pool  house that was once probably the garage space.

 

 

Inside the pool house – more white slips, linen curtains, seagrass.  I would probably let this be Elisabeth’s room.  It even has a bath and a kitchen.  She could live her when she got married, too!  Her father would love that. ;)

 

OK – here’s the question:   would you buy house #1 or house #2?   House #1 has twice the space, but no pool.   House #2 is smaller, with just 3 bedrooms, but it has the fabulous backyard and pool.   Hmmmm.   This is a tough one.  I might go for #2 since it’s so much cheaper, plus I would then get the great pool.  But, house #1 has a better kitchen and so much space inside – you could always add a little pool or fountain in the courtyard!!!     OK, here’s my choice:   money no object:  #1, money an object:  #2. 

 

Reminder:  New Skirted Roundtable with  Scot Meacham Wood HERE.