Whoa!

 

I was out this past Saturday doing some shopping and almost had a heart attack when I pulled up to Boxwood Interiors.   Whoa!  Finally!  Farrow and Ball is here in Houston – miracles DO happen.

 

 

For the past two months, Boxwood Interiors on Alabama at Dunlavy has been carrying the Farrow and Ball paints.   Isn’t this just a beautiful site???  The best thing about F&B (besides the quality of the paint) is that their colors are so perfectly edited.  There aren’t a billion to wade through.  I mean you either want Cooking Apple Green or you don’t.   Or maybe you like Fowler Pink.    Myself, I’m partial to French Gray of course.

 

 Boxwood Interiors even has the cute little tester pots so you don’t have to buy the whole can.  Love this. 

 

 

And, they even stock the wallpaper books.   Ever since David Sutherland dropped the F&B wallpaper line a few years ago, you had to call the F&B main office to get samples.  NO MORE!!  YEAH!!!!!

 

I love Boxwood Interiors, sister store to Foxglove which is right down the street.  

 

 

Boxwood even put F&B Lotus wallpaper throughout the store to celebrate their arrival.  

 

 

 

They have a great (maybe the best in town) collection of lampshades.  And they even have this adorable gray wicker settee.

 

  They carry fabulous custom upholstered furniture with humongous nail heads (the best kind!)  And their pillows are tres cute. 

 

 

 

Rows and rows of ready made pillows make decorating just a little easier – especially when you are in a hurry.

 

 

What I really love about their pillows are their sizes – many are the 26 x 26 which is my new favorite pillow size!

 

 

 But, I did notice this sad sight– all the faux antique pillows with trims were hiding at the very back of the store.  Trend over?? Hallelujah!

 

 

I wanted to ask for it, but I refrained.   But I really, really wanted one of these cute bags.

 

 

F&B Minister Green, by Martyn Lawrence Bullard

 

 

Lime White, by Barry Dixon (whom I met last month and he is THE nicest man!!)

 

 

Sheila Bridges’ dining room is in Curlish Green. 

 

And Bridges’ living room is painted in F&B Oval Room Blue.

 

 

Teresa’s Green in used in this living room.  That’s a Michael Smith fabric on the sofa.

 

 

 

Ina Garten’s barn is in F&B White Tie

 

 

 

Ballroom Blue by Farrow and Ball

 

 

Brooke Giannetti designed this bathroom in F&B Slipper Satin on the walls, and Pointing on cabinets.

 

 

F&B Light Blue on the walls, Old White on wainscot.

 

 

 

I am crazy over their wallpapers – they are so gorgeous.  Here, Thomas Jayne used St. Antoine. 

 

My all time favorite – Silvergate, in Grisaille.

 

  Silvergate in a beautiful blue!

 

Fiona Newell Weeks used Silvergate in this entry.  That mirror!!!!!!!

 

 

Two story entry with Ringwold Papers by F&B. 

 

 

 

Tented Stripe F&B wallpaper – so wonderful in this bathroom.

 

 

 

I used the F&B Stripe in this bedroom for a client.

See Boxwoods sister store – Foxglove Interiors  HERE.

Before & After – Rosemary’s Beach

 

Well, it’s hot in Houston.  BIG surprise!   The summer heat is at full steam and it’s got me thinking of the beach and beach houses in particular.   So, I was especially excited to receive these photographs of a beach house remodel in Rosemary’s Beach, Florida.  The designer is Jenny Johnston who currently leaves in Shreveport, Louisiana, but is actually a native Houstonian who was lucky enough to work for 8 years as an assistant to the great interior designer Cathy Chapman.  I adore Cathy’s work – so I had a feeling that Jenny’s work would be top notch too.  The Rosemary Beach house is Jenny’s client’s vacation home. 

As you will see, the before pictures are pretty cute which is no surprise for a house in Rosemary’s Beach!   But, Jenny has moved it into the 2010s - where interiors are a bit more quiet and toned down.  Jenny has captured that trend perfectly!    There’s a LOT to learn from these pictures if you are looking for ways to update your own house, so take notes.   To show you exactly what changes Jenny made, for each room, I will show you the Before and then the After picture.  

 

 

BEFORE:  Living room.   Typical 1990s yellow painted walls with lots of patterned fabric.   Notice the humongous armoire – to hide the TV in and the orange stained floors.  

 

AFTER:    Jenny has painted all the walls white – trending the house into the 2010s.   The patterned fabric is exchanged for a family/pet friendly white linen slipcover.   The slip is updated for the 2010s – it’s tightly tailored and as far away from Shabby Chic as you can get.   Instead of fabric shades, updated textured shades are placed in the French doors.  The British Colonial type sconces were removed.  The limed wood coffee table is another example of updating the interiors for today.   A striped dhurri rug in gray and white picks up the colors in the pillows.   And – the armoire is gone.  Instead there is a beautiful painted French buffet with a flat screen above it.  In all, the new interiors seem more sophisticated, quiet, and ready for the next decade.

 

BEFORE:   Looking from the stairs into the living room.  Notice the pine console on the wall by the back door.   And, notice the wood stain on the banister – orange.   So 90s!

 

 

AFTER:   A tall, linen skirted buffet replaces the dated pine console.  Modern lamps and artwork add an eclectic touch.   Notice the dark wood floor which really grounds the white walls.  The dark wood is so much better than the old orange stain!

 

 

 

BEFORE:  British Colonial decor in a corner of the living room.  Notice the ceiling fan here.

 

 

AFTER:  The same corner.  Here you can see the linen curtains on the side windows and the contemporary floor lamp.  Notice the ceiling fan – all these contemporary touches work so good with a mixture of the more traditional pieces like the antique painted French buffet. 

 

BEFORE:  Looking towards the kitchen and the stairwell. 

 

AFTER:  Notice how Jenny painted the stairwell banister dark, getting rid of the pine colored stain from before.  Also – notice the darker wood floors.    I love the way the curtains were made and I love the simple rods.  The simpler the better going into the 2010s. 

 

 

 

 

Close up of the living room’s pillows.  Youthful fabrics are perfect for a beach house. 

 

 

Notice the cute table next to the side chair.  

 

BEFORE:   Back entry – pine console with Ballard twisted barley lamps.  

 

  AFTER:  Skirted buffet, contemporary lamps and art work, gray wicker chairs, textured blinds and rug.   LOVE THIS!!!!  

 

BEFORE:  corner chair.  

 

AFTER:   corner chair with darling turquoise blue table.  I love the touches of blue throughout the living room. 

 

BEFORE:   Granite kitchen with white appliances and eat in table.

 

AFTER:  The kitchen was updated a notch – new countertops, new stainless appliances,  new industrial lights over the sink, new zinc and wood table with gray wicker chairs.  Notice the new refrigerator.  One small change really updates a look tremendously.

 

AFTER:   Here you can really see the great zinc top table and the gray wicker chairs.  There are also bar stools in the gray wicker. 

 

 

BEFORE:  Downstairs study.

 

AFTER:   This room is now a daughter’s bedroom.    The two chairs from the BEFORE living room have been painted and moved into here – which is a great idea!  Love the curtains and the chandelier.

 

The bed, which doubles as a sofa for the daughter.  I love that gray painted lamp.  Nice size.   

 

Closeup of the pillows!

 

BEFORE:  bathroom.

 

AFTER:   new marble countertops and backsplash.  White walls instead of green walls.   

 

BEFORE:  stairwell with British Colonial type sconce and orange stained wood.

 

AFTER:  Industrial light, white walls, dark banister, and textured blind.   

 

 

BEFORE:  Bunk room – this room is very small and the beds really took up a lot of space.

 

 

AFTER:  By building in the bunk beds, they become little rooms of their own.  Notice the built in lamps.  There is a TV built into the end of each bed.  Jenny says the room seems so much larger now.   The master bedroom is not yet completed, but hopefully, I’ll show those pictures as they become available. 

 

 

A big huge thank you to Jenny and her client for sharing these pictures!!!  I hope you have enjoyed seeing how you can take a beautiful interior and update it for today!!!

 

Jenny Johnston can be reached on Facebook HERE, and by email at texasjennyj@comcast.net