Katie Rafferty's "Street Vernacular" is now showing at Cole Pratt Gallery!

 

I am quite enthralled by the work of one of New Orleans' brightest art stars, Katie Rafferty, who is showing this month at Cole Pratt Gallery.

Katie is a unique individual whose personal vibrancy, sense of humor and sensitivity reflect intensely in her artwork. She is a good friend of mine and a wild woman who provides me with a great amount of inspiration and an overwhelming sense of fun.

She has an amazing breadth of knowledge of Art History and artists, a huge  library of art books, and an active and inquiring mind on all subjects. She is a great conversationalist and definitely lives "outside the box." All of these qualities inform her art and her life which reflects in her wonderful art.

Katie's work is a richly detailed  tapestry of color,collage , printmaking and brushwork which both portrays her inner and outer experience of living life in her beloved New Orleans.

Inspired by details of the daily walk from her home in the Garden District to her studio just off Magazine Street, Katie decided to prepare for her show by doing a wordless essay of “the street”. 

In her Artist Statement, describes her daily journey as follows:

"Fortunately, the walk from home to the studio is A) short B) entertaining and C) provides enough inspiration for a lifetime of artwork. "

An accomplished printmaker, Katie set a goal for herself to produce 100 monotypes based on photographs she took along this route. It is a fascinating body of work, which expresses in a very personal way the artist's love for and immersion  in the delights of  living in this city, which she sees as layered with the intense and exotic, the tropical  and historic, the refined and the wild. And like so many of us, she is enthralled by our amazing architecture, hence the title of her show: Street Vernacular.

 

She describes her process in her own words:

"In order to convey the sense of layers I make my printing plates out of encaustic materials.  The encaustic (wax) layered cardboard is then incised, embedded with texture and built up layer by layer with relief materials."

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"Once the plate is made I paint it with oil paints using a variety of tools (often my fingers) to achieve different effects."

"After the monotype is pulled from the press I continue to add layers of pencil and pastel and often collage."

These prints are so finely detailed and sensual in the way the paint reacts with the layers of wax and relief as they pass through the press. The final addition of drawing and collage elements makes them even more personal.

As she progressed through the process of making 100 prints, Katie's work became more whimsical, lyrical and free. Her sense of delight in both the use of materials and the way it relates to her subject matter is  abundantly evident.

Upon completion of her series of monotypes, Katie set about the adventure of  concocting her large works on canvas.

I was very lucky to have the opportunity to visit Katie several times in her studio and watch as her work developed. I must say that this was one of the most magical of experiences. Each time I visited, there was more to excite my eyes as well as my soul.

Katie works with intensity. She draws inspiration from various sources. At times she reminds me of a cyclone, and her studio often looks like one has passed through!

I loved seeing her develop each painting as a narrative work. Each tells a story about Katie's emotions and experiences of "the street" within a context of the town-in this case New Orleans.

As a person who is fascinated with artists and their creative  process, it was amazing to watch Katie express herself  and develop her "story" in paint and collage.

Katie says that there is a visual "trip" through each painting. There is a flow for the eye to follow, movement is implied, and refers back to her original inspiration to depict and comment on her daily journey from home to studio.

She carefully and lovingly creates many intriguing "stops" on this  personal journey. The visual trip through each painting is an artistic adventure.

The artist's touch is both delicate and sure. She clearly enjoys her work!  I think this translates to the viewer.

The final painting is the completion of the journey on many levels: the artist's journey from start of the work to finish, the story of Katie's daily journey to her studio, the viewer's visual journey through the work itself, and finally the journey of the painting from studio to gallery.

 

Katie's show at Cole Pratt Gallery is not to be missed. Shown together, this current collection of Katie's work gives an even greater feeling of the neighborhood she seeks to portray, yet each individual pieces shines on its own.

 

On a recent visit to the gallery, Erika Olinger and her associate Margie said they were thrilled with the response to this wonderful show.  Although many pieces were sold at the opening reception, there are still a few available. If you are lucky enough to find yourself in the neighborhood, you should treat yourself  to a visit with these two fun and knowledgeable girls and see the fabulous work of the very talented and accomplished Katie Rafferty!

The gallery is located at 3800 Magazine Street and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 to 5. If you are in the neighborhood, stroll on down the block and visit my shop, Julie Neill  at 3908 Magazine.

Susan Sully: The Southern Cosmopolitan

I recently had the good fortune to meet the very charming and erudite Susan Sully, at a book signing given by my friend Ann Koerner in her fabulous Magazine Street antique shop. It was an experience I'll not soon forget because Susan was so delightful and fun and we became instant friends.

Susan, a Southerner who has a degree in art history from Yale has made an outstanding addition to her body of work with her latest  book, The Southern Cosmopolitan: Sophisticated Southern Style. Both written and photographed by the author, the book presents sixteen exquisite homes which embody the term.

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I was delighted to find out that Susan was familiar with my blog and even more touched by the inscription she placed in my copy of her book!

I have been a long time admirer of Ann Koerner's personal style, and was thrilled to see that her beautiful home was included in the book.

Viewed within the context of the book's title, Ann's house embraces what Susan terms " the wonderfully fluid relationship between the past and the present in the South."  Ann has an innate eye and the talent of  mixing  farflung objects and furnishings in a unique and sophisticated way.

In her dining room, she mixes a simple English table set with gilded Fornasetti plates, a painted Diego Giacometti chandelier and colorful Venetian glass pieces. In addition, she creates a simple heartfelt composition on her mantelpiece with a gilded 1820 mirror, a serious self portrait and a handmade vase by her late friend, the wonderful Gail Keenan.

Ann's talent for composition and combining is further evidenced in the picture above where she hangs a George Dureau painting over a rustic Swedish cabinet containing an African figure. a small plaster bust and two lamps which work as a pair.

So just how does Ms. Sully characterize the Southern Cosmopolitan? Simply put, as a style that "contains the past, present and future all at once."

To illustrate, she divides the book into three sections;

The first, entitled "Presence of the Past" looks at decoration in the present South as a natural outgrowth of the region's rich decorative past. Today's Southern Cosmopolitan interior whether traditionally decorated or contemporary, always gives a nod to the past in some way.

Collecting antiques or cherishing family heirlooms, creating new pieces  which call out to bygone times, and arranging pieces in traditional ways are all avenues through which this is achieved.

Southern Cosmopolitans treasure the past with inherited antique pieces such as the huntboard in this New Orleans dining room which stands in front of hand blocked wallpaper, circa 1790. The scenic paper contains scenes from Pompeii and Herculaneum and includes collaged elements such as the smoke which rises from incense burners.

An example of using new pieces which recall the past is Thomas Jayne's French Quarter dining room in which he chose to design new scenic wallpaper,which he had  handpainted in China that depicts scenes of the Mississippi from a childhood book Thomas received from his grandparents. A fresh take on traditional decorating ideas is very much part of the Southern Cosmopolitan style.

Reverence for the past is shown in the antique French urn decorated with scenes from classical mythology in an Atlanta terrace.

In New Orleans, Quinn Peeper has commissioned his armorial porcelain  service and silver with his crest, which is set against the backdrop of a dining room designed to entertain in the home he shares with Michael Harold-another contemporary take on deep traditions.

Throughout the book, I was drawn to Susan's beautiful detail photographs, such as this one of Quinn's porcelain with his crest which illustrates a definite "presence of the past."

Or this one showing a tablescape combining an English midlands pottery figure of Fortitude with old woven straw fans and a collection of bud vases.

More examples of Susan's fascinating photography demonstrating the presence of the past in today's Southern style include the entry of Hal Williamson and Dale LeBlanc's Natchez hurricane getaway house.

A detail of an ornate rococo bed with custom- loomed gold French bed-hangings in the Dunbar's New Orleans house,

One of a pair of Louis XV paintings of Chinese figures hung on custom handpainted wallpaper by Gracey and Company,also in the Dunbar home.

The second section of the book, entitled Allure of the Exotic is based on Susan's definition of the word "cosmopolitan" itself, meaning "people of the cosmos."  Sophisticated Southerners show are drawn to objects and ideas from afar, and in many cases are quite passionate about collecting things  from all over the world and displaying them in unique and interesting ways.

A tabletop collection in Quinn Peeper's bedroom shows a costume hat from the Ballets Russe, turquoise worry beads from Greece and classical busts.United by color and rich pattern, they lend a definite air of the exotic.

On a commode in Amelia Handegan's dining room is  a piece of coral interlaced within some Thai bowls which was excavated from a  British shipwreck in the nineteenth century. Against the backdrop of  deep pink walls on which hangs an Italian folk painting, the allure of the exotic is richly illustrated.

Tom Leddy's Savannah garden room/library makes the point of the allure of the exotic in an over-the-top array of such elements as hand hewn beams with sky blue plaster, a Venetian chandelier, a shell-encrusted classical bust and large shells decorated with silver on pedestals which were used in Indian prayer rituals.

Again Susan delights the reader with a detailed close up. It doesn't get more exotic than this!

In the last section, Love of the New, Susan depicts the New South and its decorative style as deeply informed by the traditions from which it sprung.

She states that contemporary designers such as Hal Williamson , Nancy Braithwaite, and Ken Tate create contemporary spaces which both grow out of and respect the past.

Hal Williamson's deft combination of a lucite table and contemporary painting with antique French furnishings and silk ballgown drapery shows the ease with which the Southern Cosmopolitan travels back and forth in time.

The silk screen portrait of New Orleans jazz legend Mahalia Jackson creates a sense of place and provides a modern dramatic foil for the Swedish dining table set with a gilt edged pot-de-creme set.

In this entry designed by Nancy Braithwaite, traditional elements such as an overscaled classical urn on a pedestal and a skirted table balance the more contemporary artwork by Willem de Kooning and Gaston Lachaise creating a space that is both timely and timeless.

This Gulf Coast stair hall, created by Ken Tate is, in Susan's words, "a modern interpretation of the Old World tradition of grand spiral staircases." Minimalist architecture  is a great foil for the opulent furnishings.

I love this detail photograph of a composition of three contemporary Italian chairs, each containing a small painting, under a pair of Giacometti inspired sconces.

 

In my opinion, Susan's dedication sets the tone for the entire book much as the early Southern Cosmopolitans set the tone of a lifestyle credo which continues today:

"To the first Southern Cosmopolitans who, despite all the challenges of seventeenth and eighteenth century living, created a tradition of extraordinary style."

Each and every photograph in this beautiful book attests to the fact that this tradition continues in full force today.

 

Gorgeous compositions of treasured objects.

 

Opulent furnishings, newly created with inspiration from the past.

 

 

Antique furnishings, family heirlooms, new treatments informed by the past. Focus on global decoration with emphasis  on the exotic.

 

 

Bold, rich colors and ornamental details. Creating backgrounds which display treasured collections.

Comfortable elegance, gracious nods to antiquity placed in new homes.

Pairing fine and family antiques with exotic and newly created pieces.

 

Carefully chosen decorations artfully arranged.

 

Unique personal collections, calling to antiquity, creating a feeling of a flow between the past and present.

 

Contemporary spaces with traditional proportions. Antique furnishings within newly constructed homes.

 

Juxtaposition of the elaborate and the plain, the refined and the natural, displayed in individual ways.

Love of details and treasures from afar.

New homes, classical in form and composition, furnished with beautiful antique pieces.

There are so many wonderful things to look at in this book that it was quite difficult to edit and narrow down which to include in this post.

Last week,I had the opportunity to attend another book signing by this talented author. My friend Amanda Talley and I joined a lively group at Nadine Blake on Royal Street  where we shared a wonderful evening with Susan, her husband, Tom, who is an accomplished painter, Eric Mueller,the graphic designer for the book, , Nadine and Simon Blake and many others who were lucky to have Susan inscribe their books!

The Southern Cosmopolitan is as informative as it is beautiful. A reflection of the delightful author who created it, this book is not to be missed. It will be a cherished addition to  any library, and I'm very glad it has found a place in mine.

Ashley Longshore Designs for Anthropologie!

The exciting news around New Orleans these days is that Ashley Longshore, the talented, incomparable artist extraordinare has been chosen by Anthropologie to design a line of one of a kind handpainted chairs for their fall collection. This line, named ASHLEY LONGSHORE FOR ANTHROPOLOGIE, is the launch of an entirely new division for the furniture department of Anthropologie .

Much like the artist herself, Ashley's work is exuberant and celebrates the enjoyment of all life has to offer. In my opinion, her work is decidedly feminine and fun, and reminds us that life can be a colorful celebration which encompasses all the senses.

 

Ashley is quite the wild woman and never one to do anything half way. She truly lives life to the fullest, so when she heard that Anthropologie was coming for a visit,she had the scene set with over 1 00 paintings and chairs featuring her artwork.

 

" There were 3 prototype chairs that I painted on directly so the Anthropologie team could actually visualize my artwork on furniture,…and they loved them! They were my story boards for the presentation and they worked!!!!!!!”

Anthropologie had been searching New Orleans for artistic talent for their upcoming collections. An eight member design team including Chief Merchandising Officer Wendy Wurtzburger  visited Ashley's Magazine Street gallery and the really liked what  they saw.

"I am honored to be the first artist for this new furniture concept", says Longshore.

The line will be known as "Ashley Longshore for Anthropologie."

Ashley went to the Anthropologie headquarters in Philadelphia to see the mock ups for the chair line featuring one of her swimmer paintings.  The UK furniture buyer for the new International Anthropologie stores, to be opened in London in the late fall, fell in love with ASHLEY LONGSHORE for ANTHROPOLOGIE. The chairs will be featured in the stores in London, in the catalog and on website in September.

In my opinion, Anthropologie has made themselves quite a find in Ashley Longshore.

Her paintings are the embodiment of unbridled exuberance and indicate that this girl is all girl, and she approaches her life and work with everything she has.

Her girl paintings are an homage to femininity, beauty and grace. They are gorgeous, elegant, confident,and alluring. I especially love her Audrey Hepburn series.

They tell a story of style and grace. They celebrate beauty for beauty's sake.

They have an element of mischief and seem to be subtly autobiographical.

For anyone who's been lucky enough to meet her, they will quickly find out that Ashley is the life of any party she attends.

 

I was lucky enough to share a great time with Ashley and a few other very talented people the other night at a fabulous party given by the gorgeous Amanda Talley, another of New Orleans' artistic stars at her Magazine Street Gallery! Oh what a fun and festive evening it was!

 

In most of her paintings, there is the party element, the reminder to celebrate.

With good food and drink and a happy attitude. They remind us  that life is beautiful.

Ashley actually started painting as a way to deal with some trying times in her life. Her work was a way to transcend pain with the pleasure of painting, and so it is that her paintings both express and bring so much pleasure.

 

They can lift you up if you're feeling crabby.

They remind you that life is sweet.

And that you should go with the flow.

Sometimes she gives us good advice.

And words to live by.

She paints soulful, heartfelt portraits. You can feel the love she has for her subjects.

Her paintings show no reservation in expressing her emotions. And show that she's not afraid to love and be loved.

She's truly the Queen of the Scene.

And has something to crow about!

Because talent like Ashley's doesn't go unnoticed. So keep an eye on this girl. Because this artist, one of New Orleans' gems, has only just begun!

Just watch this:

According to Ashley,“Anthropologie has been one of my favorite stores since the mid- 90's. I have dreamed of working with them in some way.  This is just the beginning with this company.”    For the spring collection, ASHLEY LONGSHORE FOR ANTHROPOLOGIE  will be working on additional furniture, including a sofa.

Congratulations, Ashley and best of luck in your new venture!

I Love Leontine Linens!

I'm so very excited to say that when Jane Scott Hodges was in town recently, she was kind enough to get together with me at her fabulous  Leontine Linens shop to help me pick out some custom bedding for my bedroom. Jane Scott is  the very talented creator of  this fabulous line of  linens which includes custom designed and monogrammed bedding, table linens,  bath towels and shower curtains, sleepwear and gift items. It was so much fun to look at the amazing array of possibilities ,from the choice of fabrics, colors,  and monogram styles, and to get Jane Scott's expert advice on which way to go to make my bedding just  right for me.  I'm also very happy to say that in  return, I've had the pleasure of designing some  custom lighting for her beautiful home in Kentucky. (More on that later)

Leontine Linens flagship New Orleans  shop, which is just steps away from my studio is the "Garden of Earthly Delights" where beautiful linens are concerned. Pristine white walls, mirrored shelving and simple yet fanciful laminate headboards form a backdrop which show each piece to its finest and tempt the eye.

These beds are dressed so beautifully that they make you look forward to making your bedroom your own special nest .  Jane Scott's talent as a designer is in evidence everywhere you look.

The shop is set up like a salon where you can take in all the possibilities and make your selections while surrounded by some exquisite examples. I love some of the details which feature a variety of unique ways to incorporate monograms into one's decor, such as the pillow on the brown velvet chair above and the backing of the caned french chairs shown below.

Notice the display of shower curtains on the wall behind the table. Special signature borders, luxurious fabrics and monograms make these shower curtains a focal point of any bathroom.

There are so many beautiful examples of bedding, linens, monograms and colors that making final selections can be a bit overwhelming. Luckily Jane Scott has a staff of very knowledgeable designers who can advise and guide you through the process.

One monogram style is more tempting than the next!

The colors are luscious! And the details are achingly exquisite, artistically designed and carefully crafted.

 

It makes you wish you could sleep in a different bed every night so that you didn't have to choose just one style.

And yet, you know that whatever you finally decide on will be gorgeous, luxurious and totally satisfying in every way.

It is so helpful to see several beds made up so that you can get a feel for ways to combine pillows and shams and sheets and blanket covers and quilts!

 

And while you're at it, you can also select a nightgown or a robe or even a dress for your child.

Jane Scott started her business with the motto, "Heritage Driven, Heirloom Destined," and this philosophy holds true to this day as she creates pieces of exceptional quality with designs that both speak to modern tastes and are classic enough to span a lifetime. This is an outlook that speaks to my heart.

With Jane Scott's expert advice, I chose the above look, which features the Mimi border on white pique. Since I want a restful feel, I'm having it made in the white birds eye pique, trimmed with ecru poplin. I think this will be the ultimate in simplicity and elegance and will have an antique linen feel.

White Birds eye Pique                    Ecru Poplin

   

Since I'm a longtime collector of antique monogrammed linens,  I wanted to have these pieces work with some of the linens I already own. So I'm still deciding between the two monogram styles shown above, the one on the right is called Etienne and the one on the left is Frances. They're both so steeped in tradition and so pleasing to the eye that making a final decision  is exceedingly difficult.

These are just a very small sampling to the monogram selections to choose from, so you can imagine how hard it's been to narrow it down to just two. Each one is amazing in its own way.

Leontine Linens is the bedding of choice for many interior designers and their clients nationwide, and in some cases world wide, but New Orleans designers are very proud of this homegrown phenomenon.

Of course, Leontine Linens dresses the bed in my own shop!

Gerrie Bremermann puts Leontine Linens to good use with her signature white and blue color scheme in this New Orleans bedroom.

 

Melissa Rufty goes for the color to great effect in this gorgeous New Orleans bedroom, with crisp white linens offset by wildly colorful wallpaper, the deep crimson monogram being the custom centerpiece of this room.

Another use of deep color from Melissa Rufty.

Melissa chose softer colors and a monogrammed coverlet for her own bedroom.

New Orleans'  Ann Dupuy used King and Queen motif linens in the Cottage Living Idea House here in our town, famous for its carnival royalty.

New Orleans Homes and Lifestyles features Lance and Liz Bordes bedroom, with soft blue monograms on crisp white linens.

And yet another bedroom designed by Melissa Rufty.

This image from Elle Decor shows how designer Katie Ridder uses the simplest of Leontine Linens to complement her daughter's very feminine bed and add the luxurious finishing touch of heirloom linens.

 

Aerin Lauder chose the boldness of black monograms on white linens in her bedroom as a foil for the graphic black and white print on the walls and bedskirt.

An Amanda Nisbett bedroom in gorgeous periwinkle from O at Home.

As shown in Traditional Home, Tom Stringer uses bold brown poplin accents on white percale to mirror and echo the bold pattern of the rug.

When Velvet and Linen's Brooke Giannetti was in New Orleans recently, we visited the shop and I'm sure you'll soon be seeing Leontine Linens in some designs from Giannetti Home, because she loved what she saw in this amazing shop!

In addition to sheets and blanket covers, I'm also quite enamored of the beautiful satin quilts which can be used as part of the bedding ensemble or just as a decorative throw in other situations, as seen on the sofa above.

I'm really wild about the button tufting on this one and I'm considering making this part of my selection. I have dreamed of having a button tufted quilt on my bed for longer than I can remember and I didn't realize this was available until just last week. How exciting!!!

Table linens, monogrammed in Leontine Linens fashion are also irresistible. The term "heritage driven" is never far from your mind when experiencing the special embellishments these products possess. It makes you want to throw an elegant party!

No properly designed bathroom should go without a set of monogrammed towels. The bath line includes terry towels as well as linen guest towels and shower curtains that make one's head spin!

And last, but very certainly not least, after you have completely exhausted yourself by having to make so many decisions about your  monograms, bedding, table linens, bath towels and the like, the only thing you can do is to go home and slip into a custom monogrammed satin gown.

Or wrap up in an irresistibly comfortable and elegant robe.

And read a magazine, which will undoubtedly feature something fabulous from Leontine Linens!

Like this article from Harper's.

Or this one in Vogue.

Or this one in Southern Accents!

I am happily anticipating the arrival of my beautiful Leontine Linens bedding.

I feel so  lucky that I was able to have Jane Scott's unparalleled help in deciding what to choose and I'm thrilled with my selection!

 

A Fabulous Visit with Gina & Millie, Brooke and Steve, 2 Julies and a Vamp! And I'm Hooked!

Last week was quite a week for design in New Orleans, and I was fortunate enough to have had to beautiful visits with wonderful design bloggers, Gina Milne from Willow Decor and Brooke Gianetti, the talented designer and voice behind Velvet and Linen, and her  architect husband Steve.

Brooke and Steve came to our wonderful town to attend the Design Leadership Summit, which brought many design luminaries to to New Orleans, several of whom had a chance to visit our shop. Brooke and Steve arrived at Julie Neill Designs around 4 o'clock on Saturday afternoon, with tired feet from walking all the way from the Windsor Court Hotel! Despite the trek, they were both so alive with personality and design ideas, and fun  and friendship! It was one of those times when you meet  someone and it seems you've known them all your life.

I was very glad to show them my shop and tell them about how we make each and every piece to order, and can customize pieces in both size and finish and even create new pieces when the need arises.

Brooke and I both thought that Julie Neill lighting would work well as a complement to the gorgeous Swedish pieces she carries in her Los Angeles shop, Gianetti Home.

Brooke and Steve are such a dynamic couple, he creating exquisite, classically inspired buildings and she providing just the perfect complementary interiors.

We talked about our common design motivations and inspirations. We all are crazy for all things Venetian, and we share a deep and passionate attraction to the designs of Mariano Fortuny.

 

Here's a stretched silk Fortuny chandelier similar to one Brooke and Steve have in their office.

We talked about proportion  and scale and were blown away to find out that we all base much of our work on the Golden Mean.

Brooke and Steve are clearly a talented couple who are very serious about design and the is very much evident in their work.

Steve's has completed some amazing architectural projects:

 

And Brooke often complements his work with impeccably appointed interiors:

 

I love their work and look forward to collaborating on some projects.

Brooke and Steve's gift for design collaboration is also very apparent in their shop, Giannetti Home. As anyone who's read Velvet and Linen knows, Brooke's love for Swedish antiques is counterbalanced by Steve's attraction for industrial pieces. This brings a dynamic  tension to the look of their shop and lends an air of relaxed elegance, much like the couple themselves.

 

They have a talent for display which makes the most of their concurrent design leanings.

Their home in Santa Monica is further evidence of their easy yet refined style and taste.

Brooke's use of white and pale colors in her sunroom are quite easy on my eyes.

I love their bedroom, with its pale natural fabrics, French and Swedish antiques, a salvaged architectural element, and a crystal chandelier.

The gateway to their home also reflects their love of the classical and is quite the elegant welcome......

Well after a short visit to my workshop and the flagship Leontine Linens store,

we proceeded down Magazine Street to Perch, where we met up with Valorie, the famous

Visual Vamp!

Here is the Vamp clowning around with a felt flower on her head.

Brooke and Steve fell in love with Perch, and were so taken with a print of a nude woman that they found, that they purchased it for themselves.

 

The Gianetti's truly adored Perch's fun and funky take on casual elegance, and the unusual finds the shop has to offer.

And then it was on to dinner at one of New Orleans's newest and most fabulous restaurants, Coquette.

Although Coquette has only been open for a few months, it is housed in a 130 year old building that was recently renovated after sitting vacant for many years. The combination of exposed brick walls, old storefront windows and elegant lighting provides an extraordinarily comfortable and visually pleasing setting for experiencing such amazing dishes as fried soft shelled crab with a red cabbage slaw and roasted cherry tomatoes, barbecued shrimp and brioche, and a chocolate mousse tarte.

Julie Ponze, Director of Sales for Julie Neill Designs, and Valorie the Vamp helped me entertain the Giannetti's in true New Orleans style. The conversation was warm, honest, at times intense, intellectual,  stimulating,and friendly. We stayed and talked long after the delicious meal was complete.

I think that when it was over, we were all a bit sad to leave, and we all hoped that we'll be able to get together again soon. Of course Brooke and Steve had a 5am flight in the morning and were looking forward to getting home to their three children.

I must say that a great time was had by all.

Earlier in the week, my shop was graced with the arrival of the famous author of Willow Decor, Gina Milne. Unbeknownst to me, Gina has had a long friendship with my friend, an up and coming very talented New Orleans designer, Millie Gaines.

It was so fun for Julie Ponze and me to show Gina around the shop and watch her get to know our things in person. She was quite blown away by the amazing hand  finished quality of all our pieces.

It was fun to hang out on the over-the-top Desire Bed and have our picture taken. Gina was very interested in seeing our brand new workshop, so we walked down the block and she was quite taken with the care and talent that goes into the completion of each piece we do.

Gina, who is very interested in bringing her design outlook to the Boston area is quite a talent in design herself. As many of us who have followed the developments of her kitchen and butler's pantry renovations knows, she has a great ability to study the details which will take a project from ordinary to extraordinary.

Her beautiful renovated spaces show her talent for space planning, cabinet design and a pleasing use of materials.

I had such a good time hearing Gina's plans to continue growing her blog and her design business. It was a great way to spend an afternoon.

It is a known fact that blogging is quite a phenomenon for bringing people who operate within the same fields together into a community. It's really an astounding way to network and to learn from others who share your interests and vocations. But I have to say that the most gratifying aspect of participating in the blogging world is the making of some very good friendships. I am so glad to have met in person some very wonderful people.

Thank you Gina, and Brooke and Steve for coming to visit us here in our home town, and for sharing your ideas, your inspirations and your friendship with us.

Today, I'm joining Julia at Hooked on Houses "Hooked on Fridays" party. I'm hooked on meeting and becoming friends with the amazing people who write all the wonderful blogs that  entertain and educate us and draw us together.

April Food Day

In the world of design blogging, we spend  an astounding amount of time studying, discussing, reporting and commenting on beauty and beautiful places.

To me, there would be nothing more beautiful than a world where nobody goes hungry.

Meg from Pigtown Design and Chris from

Easy and Elegant Life have organized a way for each of us to do our small part to help others who are needier than ourselves. Please go  here to make a donation to Feeding America and truly make a difference in someone's life and make this world a more beautiful place.

Suzanne Kasler is coming to Baton Rouge!

 

As anyone who reads design blogs knows, the work of Atlanta designer Suzanne Kasler is widely extolled and discussed throughout the blogging world. She was first brought to my attention by one of her hometown admirers, Things that Inspire.

Things that Inspire, who is quite a student of dining room decor posted this gorgeous picture from Traditional Home which showcases some of Kasler's strengths as a designer: her skillful combination of traditional and more modern pieces, the way she uses a mix of soft colors to create fresh and elegant environments, and her use of symmetry to provide the elegant feeling of calm and balance within the room.

I love the fresh, modern elegance and confident use of the color pink in this room, also from Things that Inspire. Of course, my eye is also drawn to the curvy, playful lined, yet traditional chandelier and sconces seen here.

 

Suzanne is so popular among bloggers, that Joni at Cote de Texas has even named her as Number 8 in her widely read and anticipated feature on her Top Ten Designers! The gorgeous room above, from Cote de Texas leaves little question as to how this  decorator has become so popular.

In fact, Joni says that Suzanne has "blazed her trail through the Interior Design world" and has her work published at a dizzying rate. Joni says, "Young and vibrant, Kasler's designs are as colorful and full of life as she is."  I love the ethereal blue color of this dining room, the finely slipcovered chairs and the graceful chandelier.

More from Cote de Texas. I'm loving the beautiful black screen and the balanced composition of the sofa and bench/ottomans placed in the intimate seating corner of this room.

 

Another admirer of Suzanne is Patricia Gray, who comments of the designers outstanding use of black and white.

The Peak of Chic featured this picture showing a very fabulous piece from Suzanne Kasler's new line of furniture which she has designed for Hickory Chair.
This quatrefoil shape which she has expertly incorporated into the back of the chair is a perfect example of Kasler's deft use of classic historic forms with an updated appeal.

In Suzanne Kasler, Hickory Chair has found just the person to provide them with furniture designed for today's fabulous home. In her expert hands, the designs are modern with a lasting elegance drawn from classic lines, shapes and colors. These pieces are made to travel through a lifetime of homes and decors.

Inspired by antique French chair designs, this lines of this chair cleaned up and simplified to sublime effect.

More French influence, shown in soft easy modern colors and sumptuous fabrics.

This is such a now interpretation of Chippendale lines. It's so clean and fresh and mixes easily. I love the light painted wood.

There is  nothing cleaner lined and more attractive than this armless sofa. The attention to detail is beautiful.

Like so many other bloggers, I have become a fan!

So I guess you can imagine how excited I am to have received this invitation from my friend Jim Smith of Dixon Smith Interiors  in Baton Rouge.

Yes, I've been invited to Jim's wonderful Interior Design Showroom to meet the designer herself, and I'm thrilled.

Dixon Smith Interiors is The Place to Go in Baton Rouge for full service Interior Design. They have a talented staff of designers who create beautiful interiors for their clients.

I'm very happy to say that they carry Julie Neill Lighting.

I'm really looking forward to meeting Suzanne.

 

I'll let you know all about it! Stay tuned!