This year's Jr. League trip to Scott's was so much fun for me. I loved all the cute girls on our bus, and I thought there were tons of great finds. When we first got to the market, Stern Agee (sponsors of the trip - thank you Kay and Jennifer!), had arranged for Mary Baldwin to speak to us about decorative artwork. Mary's no nonsense style just drew me in. Her tiny stature might fool you - but oh no, this lady was smart, articulate and gave us a realistic view on decorative artwork.
She told us most of the artwork you purchase from dealers at a market like this, is not one of kind pieces (even though many dealers will tell you it is). Most are painted over and over again for the masses. She said rather than avoiding these types of dealers, you should simply know what you're getting and buy what you like. These are hand painted (so you are getting something more interesting than a print); but they are not one of kind pieces. So, if you get tired of a piece you will not feel guilty getting rid of it later (since you didn't pay a fortune for it in the first place).
This is the essence of what she calls "decorative artwork." Honestly, I've never really thought about artwork like this. For me, it really took the pressure off of being wed to a piece for life!
After this art lesson, I ran into Lori May of Lori May Interiors! If you recall, Lori was one of my guest bloggers during Spring Break. One other thing to note about Lori - she is going to be featured on HGTV's Design Wars which airs this Friday at 1 PM eastern. How cool is that?! I my son will definitely be DVRing it (is that even a word?)
Then, as I was lugging a couple of finds out to the bus, I saw the one and only - Sherry Hart! (sorry the picture is so blurry, iPhone is all I had). And just look at her in that fabulous denim shirt (which if you recall from my Spring series - is a fashion trend).
If you have not been following Sherry's blog, Design Indulgence, you should! Her posts are always full of eye candy and her style of writing is so clever. Although Sherry is a super talented interior designer, she is not a "stuffy, take yourself to seriously designer." Her personality is very laid back, and it's easy to see why she is so successful. Very fun getting to see her in person.
OK, so in addition to all the chatting, I did manage to get a few finds. I got these accent chairs for a client's living room. They were from the Ritz Carlton in Palm Beach.
We've been looking for chairs that were a bit smaller in scale, and these were perfect. Based on our layout, they also needed to be pretty from the back. Check! We will have to reupholster them; but for the price, they were a total find.
Look at these fabulous rugs. Gotta love a client who is not afraid of color!
These are Oushaks, but they have more color than most Oushaks you normally think of. We were considering these for a very wide, yet more narrow foyer area.
We did not pull the trigger, but it was a ton of fun looking at them! Just gorgeous.
I also looked at a few chests for different clients who had asked me to "keep an eye out" for them.
I thought these were beautiful options for the price.
This one we were considering for a bathroom/vanity area where we needed a specific size. It's amazing how wood can warm up an otherwise sterile vanity area.
These Louis Phillipe chests, we were considering for the keeping room of another client just off of their kitchen.
This one was my favorite and of course the price reflected so!
OK, so enough about my client finds, let's talk about my house finds!
I picked up these "x" bottom stools from Amy Sims out of Charlotte, N.C.
Amy has such an amazing eye and every single one of the pieces in her booth were high style. She is also super sweet. If you are ever at Scott's, she is in the North building near I-8. This is just one of several styles she custom makes - there are tons of fabric options.
Also, if you love these and don't want to go to Scott's to get them, just call her and she'll make it happen. 704.578.5722. A pair of small stools are so versatile and will go just about anywhere.
My new stools are currently living in the family room. Just the purchase of a pair of tiny stools has given me the itch to re-arrange the entire room! I'm too busy at the moment to take it on, so maybe this summer.
My other big find, was this rug for my foyer.
I still love the Heriz in my living room and pops of color are a current design trend - so I'm keeping it! Mine is a bit different from most Heriz in that it's red and black (rather than blue) with grays.
The busy pattern makes it difficult to find a rug for the open foyer that compliments it.
But I finally did! Now, my plan is to pull out some of the bold colors for accent pillows to give the entire space a more current feel.
Lastly, I picked up this simple architectural remnant for my coffee table. These types of pieces are wonderful for adding texture and a conversation piece to your space.
I also got these Florentia boxes. The lady practically gave them to me! Florentia is great for collecting (especially the trays) and is still very affordable.
And that's it - I know my hubby is relieved I stopped at these pieces! Man I can do some damage when I'm there. A big thank you to the Jr. League for allowing me to speak and enjoy their fun outing!
Hope you're week is off to a great start. M
