Alexa Hampton: Talent & Personality!

Alexa Hampton is personality and talent all-in one. Funny, down-to-earth, genuine, and relaxed, here she is demonstrating how uber comfortable her sofa design for Hickory Chair is! I mean really, how fun is that! A huge thank you to Suzette Delay, Showroom Manager of Henredon, for hosting a tea and giving us a chance to meet Alexa in an informal setting and learn more about her work and approach to design and...have so much fun at the same time.
Alexa with some of my favorite DC Designers - Sally Steponkus, Laura Stifel and Heather Safferstone of Sally Steponkus Interiors.
Her furniture collection for Hickory Chair is impeccable. Above is the Susannah side table.
Love the Perlini mirror.
Chris Set of Four Trays - each tray can be moved to where needed.
Jennifer Sergent, Marketing Director of the Washington Design Center, enjoying the comfort of the Breck Chair.
I couldn't resist posting this pic of Suzette's personal collection of tea pots.
If you haven't had a chance to pick-up Alexa's book yet, definitely put it on your list. Here's just a few images of her designs to enjoy.

My Kelly Wearstler Sofa & Style-Rite Upholstery!

Solid sofas with patterned pillows make alot of sense but how could I pass up the opportunity to reupholster my $25 yellow vinyl church sale sofa in Kelly Wearstler's Fern Tree? You may remember at the end of September I posted about my purchase of Fern Tree from Haute for only $28 a yard and asked for advice for which direction to run the fabric. I went with a vertical placement and couldn't be more thrilled with how it turned out!
The upholsterer I've always used is Mel Stokols of Style-Rite Upholstery. This was not an easy pattern to work with and I think the placement of it is perfection. Love how the fern trails up the front of the arm; it's identical on both of them.

The pattern rolls over both arms and matches perfectly down each side (forgot to take a picture of that but you can see a bit of it in the photo below.)
The sofa was delivered Friday night, as promised, just in time for a dinner party Saturday. Here's Mel on the left and fellow master upholsterer David on the right. I've had 2 other chairs and another sofa upholstered by Style-Rite and it's been perfection in my book every time.
The cost to reupholster this sofa was $1,110 - which included repairs to the springs and 13 yards of another fabric** I had bought from Mel. (**I found the Wearstler fabric weeks after choosing the original fabric.) I can highly recommend Mel to anyone in the metro DC area who is interested in reupholstering a piece. Style-Rite Upholstery, Annandale,VA, 703.256.1114. Please note this is my personal recommendation and I receive no form of compensation for my endorsement.

Two other notes - with the addition of this sofa my family room is finally starting to come together. Hope to post more about it soon.

The amazing fabric store Haute of Marshall, VA now has a second location in Georgetown at 2601 P Street NW in a space next to Jean Pierre Antiques. There are many beautiful fabrics in this location and it's definitely worth checking out.

This Paper for This Table

I've painted my yard sale find with leftover Farrow & Ball Shaded White but am thinking about using this Renato Crepaldi french curled marbled paper from PaperMojo.com to cover the top and lower two shelves. The idea for doing this came after reading this post on designer Capelloe Kincheloe's blog. However, because patience is not one of my virtues, I've already bought the paper without ordering a sample. It's beautiful but it's a bit darker than it appeared on my computer screen. My daughter liked it though and thinks it will work in my bedroom so I'll go ahead with it this weekend. Wish me luck! Oh, and any advice for attaching paper to wood and applying polyurethane is welcome.

Yard Sale Buys & the Price $ Thing

I've been on a recent lucky streak with yard sale finds. Here's a Trumeau style mirror purchased at Arlington's Civitan Community yard sale for $40 (it's the same place where Jenny of Little Green Notebook sold her truckload of amazing stuff).

When I saw the mirror, two women were eyeing it and the seller said it was $40. They walked away and when I approached and asked the price, she replied $50. Well, since I had heard her original price of $40 I offered that - which she relunctantly accepted. Still not sure why it was $40 for one person but $50 for me...? (p.s. the other women were dressed better than me)

It's very-very gold and I plan to tone down parts of it w/some grayish paint. As you can see I'm currently moving things around in my dining room/library. I'm thinking the acanthus leaf sconces will stay although I need a way to better deal with the cord. The concrete antique french trough is is from Flat Earth Designs and it's on my to-do list to plant something in it!
Saturday we stopped by a family-run estate sale and bought this dresser for $30. It's a Henredon piece and the drawers work beautifully - I'd already removed some of the hardware when I took this pic. I thought $30 was a very good price and the seller seemed happy that I simply said, "Yes, I'll take it."
Then I asked how much for this great end table. The very nice woman said $5 and as soon as she said it, I could see she was a bit disappointed with herself. So I asked her to let me pay $10 for it. I really felt $5 was too cheap, wasn't a fair exchange at that price and would have left me feeling guilty. **I hope this story doesn't come across as self-serving. Feeling guilty sometimes make me do the right thing. Plus, she was a really nice person. If she hadn't been, maybe I would have just paid $5.

So 3 situations: (1) one the price was higher for me than somebody else and I offered the lower price, (2) price was good for buyer and seller and (3) price was too low and I would have felt a bit cheap and guilty for paying the lower price.

Has this kind of thing ever happened to you?

p.s. - In a burst of unusual productivity, I've already clean, sanded and primed the furniture. Please send me emails if I haven't posted the results by Friday. I get more done with people looking over my shoulder!

Inspiration from Tobi Fairley's Table Transformation

Tobi Fairley designed a beautiful Stair Hall for the Richmond Symphony Designer House that pairs classic pieces with modern finishes and vibrant color. The focal point when you first enter the space is a striking pedestal table that she designed and had custom built by Kent Hughes of Fairfax Designs and beautifully painted by Stephanie Jones of me & mrs. jones. (photo by Tobi Fairley via A Passion for Home)Here's the before in a natural wood state with sanding sealer applied. I see tables similar to this in consignment shops and flea markets pretty regularly (although the quality of the craftsmanship in this table does set it apart). Maybe you have a piece in your home like this?
Now here's the after - stunning! In her blog post, Mrs. Jones mentioned that Tobi specified a soft-oyster white and accent trim of raspberry red. Here's a close-up of the perfectly painted lines that give extra definition to the piece.

Here's a view of the space from the stairwell - giving context to the pedestal table in the space. The Showhouse is open through Oct. 11th - the designers did an amazing job and it's definitely worth it to see it in person. (photo by Jami Carlton via RS Designer House Facebook page)

Go here to see more of Stephanie's work & for inspiration for possibly transforming some pieces in your home. Right now I have my eye on a mirror I bought at a flea market Saturday...

Jean Paul Gaultier & Roche Bobois

A few weeks ago I had a chance to attend a party celebrating the Washington D.C. launch of the new Jean Paul Gaultier collection for Roche Bobois, which marks its 50th anniversary this year. The blend of high fashion and interior design is evident in the mix of nautical stripes and striking patterns in the pieces for this limited collection. Gaultier updated the Mah Jong sofa, originally created for Roche Bobois by Hans Hopfer in the 1970's, with glam fabrics. Along with being hip looking, this sofa was extremely comfortable and included adjustable cushions that lengthened the seat back.
This press release image does much better justice to the crisp coloring than my photos.

My favorite - this Roman chariot inspired chair. So fun!!

Scott Fazzini of Domicidal Maniac did an in-depth post with very interesting information about the designer. The DC area Roche Bobois is located at 5310 Wisconsin Ave, Washington DC (Maza Gallerie area)

Barn Sale in Vienna

Sharon Hayden of Fabulous Finds is holding one of her well known Barn Sales this Saturday September 25th from 8 am - 4 pm, 1870 Hunter Mill Road Vienna, VA. I went to the last one and came home with some beautiful vintage Italian sconces. A portion of the sales will be given to the Susan G. Komen Foundation in honor of her friend Lucy, a cancer survivor. Go here to see more of the vintage items that will be available. (If you can't make this barn sale, Sharon also offers her finds via her website between sales)

Zinc-Topped Tables & More: Warehouse Finds in Atlanta

The last few years a business trip hasn't been complete without time away for something design related. Last week's behind-the-scenes visits in Atlanta are all thanks to Richard Taylor of Flat Earth Designs (you may remember him from the post It's not leather, It's concrete!) who was very generous with his time and gave me a tour of some great design sources, including his own warehouse. First up is furniture designer Dave Lennard, whose warehouse is located right next to Richard's. Dave handcrafts large scale zinc-topped tables that are beautiful in both finish and proportion. Many of his designs have that sought after Belgian aesthetic. I also happen to be swooning over those chairs too!
This table with the rivets has more of an industrial edge to it.
Particularly love the patina of the zinc on this table. In addition to furniture, Dave carries industrial antiques and unique accessories. Good news is that his work is available to both the public and the trade. More info here.
A number of artists share the space with Dave and I couldn't help but notice this secretary desk in-progress.
Next up was a visit to the shared warehouse of four talented and friendly women - Margaret Bostick of The Silk Purse, Inc., Lisa Burnett of Inner Pieces, and Glenis Rose and Marlene Buckalew of Birts & Grits. Their gorgeous finds from trips to France and Belgium are available to-the-trade and to the public via Scott Antique Markets (North Bldg., A-6, #162-165). They had just come back from a successful weekend at Scott's and their warehouse was still full of unique things - I can only imagine the before-Scott's version.
Beautiful urn. Why can't carry-on suitcases be larger?!

Gorgeous marble topped tables that would look smart with many different decors.

Thought this was quite creative - boxwood balls resting on iron scrolls.


I love these two metal containers to the left.

Just before leaving I noticed these three oil paintings and fell in love with the two on the ends. Margaret had mentioned she found these in Ghent, Belgium; part of an original set of 11 by an amateur painter. I love the quality of the light and have found the perfect place for them in my house.
A bit more - here's a look at Richard's work in the raw, pre-staining stage. His pieces are made with the more expensive and higher quality white concrete (as opposed to gray). Below is a finished Watts Pot - amazing difference; although the unfinished white pieces have their own appeal too.
I meant to take more pictures of his warehouse as I found the whole place fascinating & so much larger than I imagined it. There's different sections devoted to creating rubber molds, casting pieces, and experimenting with new designs. Plus, on one wall of large scale shelves there's a huge collection of design magazines - any blogger's dream!

Sources:
Dave Lennard 941. 232. 2925, Margaret Bostick, The Silk Purse, Inc. 404. 431. 5422, Lisa Burnett, 404. 808. 7135, Brits & Grits, Glenis Rose 678. 656. 5973 and Marlene Buckalew 770. 815. 2696., Richard Taylor of Flat Earth Designs (to-the-trade and at Round Top)