We have returned! We had a great holiday break with family & friends and are happy to be back to work, creating unique designs with our clients in mind for the year 2008. Be sure to read about our resolves and resolutions for the new year in blogs to follow. My numero uno goal? Keeping up with this blog!
Our Christmas Card Photo (we found ourselves suprisingly photogenic this year) comes from Blinson Photography.
Aesthetic of the Weekend: Cozy
This weekend when the weather finally turned on us, and the rain decided to grace us with its presence, last minute Christmas gift shopping would have been impossible without my new green rainboots and cream gloves. Last winter, I was living in Idaho and experiencing the wrath of Jack Frost (see pictures below). Although by comparison Christmas in Dixie has turned out to be a much more milder experience than that of Idaho (mind you, though just as delightful), I couldn’t help craving some coziness in my season and thus my thoughts kept turning to this trio of simply beautiful fabrics inside the DLL studio.
From Top to Bottom: Schumacher’s Corsica Weave in Driftwood in Viscose and Linen (Italy) Nobilis of Paris’ Atout Maille in 100% Cotton (Italy) and Larsen’s Windfall in Dune in Wool (Scotland).Whatever their content, the luxurious hand of each makes them nothing but one-hundred percent cozy.
My Grandmother’s old house in Idaho, where I’ll be spending the holidays…
Winter 2006 (no joke)
Wikipedia defines cozy as an adjective “affording comfort and warmth.” However, this month’s House Beautiful is devoted to cozy, describing the aesthetic as:
timeless
quiet
personal
romantic
and
rustic
One can yet again dream of thier own state of cozy when laying their eyes upon this gorgeous ‘Maya’ Chest from Amy Howard Furniture that greets you upon entry of the Design Lines doors.
We think it’s antiquated finish and it’s bold scale at 56 3/4″ W x 27.5D x 44.5H would make a great statement in a mountain, lake, or beach house. The piece would be excellent for storing additional fresh linens and blankets, too.
And indulge us as we speak of the cozy aesthetic just one more time: we can’t wait for one of our clients to snatch up this beautiful Studio Collection floor lamp from Visual Comfort. We think the au natural Irish Pine wood adds a fresh element to a classic columnar shape. Why not warm up a space with wood and lighting?
To sum up my thoughts, I think Design Lines’ Designers Judy Pickett and Molly Simmons have become especially fluent in the language of cozy so far as it relates to interiors. Place your eyes on the coziest pictures I could round up from our Portfolio.
Living Room by Judy Pickett
Dining Room by Molly Simmons
How to Make Pictures: Part 2
Inspiration, M & Ms, and Candy Shoppe Silks
Designer Molly Simmons and her daughter Anna recently returned from a weekend in New York City. While there, the pair ventured to M&M’s World and brought back some custom colored M&M’s for the Design Lines crew. My personal favorite colors in the mix were the light blue and lime green. Last week, at our fabric showroom, I was inspired by Schumacher’s Carnivale Silk Stripe in Chocolate. The colors were delectable, uplifting, and cheery—like a Belgian confectionary—and just like the vibrant custom-colored M&Ms (click here to make your own). Colors can enhance one’s mood, mindset, and experience. The end-of- the-day-moral-of-the-story is that inspiration can be found from a myriad of sources, even ones that melt in your hand, or um…mouth.
Anna Simmons in front of the Mrs. M & M Statue of Liberty 
In photo above: Some gorgeous new Black Walnut flooring & the inspiring custom M&Ms
How to Make Pictures: A Creative Juice Collaborative
Like Pola and her friend Roid, Judy and I assisted local photographer Ray Barbour as well as Master Photographer John Stanton on a photoshoot of our work at 1322 Queensferry Road in Cary. We’re anxious to see the results of the shoot, but thought that we’d share our “behind the scenes” experience…
Just a few pieces of equipment
John Stanton, perfecting the amount of light for the photograph
Ray sets the shot, while John perfects the lighting levels
Judy and Ray review the process
Ray finding an angle
John hangs a sheet of mylar scrim to diffuse the lighting
Ray and Judy decision making. The shoot was filmed digitally and reviewed via Mac
Judy awaits to stage the next shot
The Subject: The Dining Room
The photoshoot process is long and rewarding,furniture and accessories must be shifted again and again
Judy awaits to stage the next shot
The Subject: The Dining Room
Noontime Sun: Part 2 of the shoot. There’s a story behind that painting, as there are stories to be told about many of the objects we incorporated into the design. In the end our arrangement of the details, composed into a photograph, tries to capture a moment perhaps better left for one to experience in person.
The New Blue
Say so long to the pale robin’s egg blue and soft sky blue. . . the new blues of the season are richer and more luxurious than ever. And here at Design Lines, we LOVE them! Traditional navy hues are being paired with fresh, contemporary patterns to bring blue back in a way that has never been done before. Not only are we seeing a resurgence of navy hues in fabrics, but in other aspects of design as well. This cool mediterranean color is popping up in porcelain, fine china, and, yes, even washing machines. LG has just introduced a front load washer and dryer in a delightful shade of blueberry. Who couldn’t look at this exquisite color and feel anything but blue?!
The Olive Knuckle Hinge
All five DLL Designers (now that’s a number for the record books) enjoyed a class at one of our favorite showrooms Tuesday evening—Raleigh Decorative Hardware & Plumbing. While snacking on beautiful cupcakes, we perused the expansive showroom. We love being able to see and experience the variety of knob, after knob, after knob.
The Baldwin Hardware-sponsored class discussed the specification of door hardware. Though already fans of Baldwin’s offerings, we were informed and inspired, as the class generated even more enthusiasm (and multiple opportunities for us to drool over their product). Our favorite? The most memorable was the rarely-seen-in-this-market-due-to-the-required-amount-of-beforehand-thinking, olive knuckle hinge. They whispered unceasingly to each of us, “specify me on your next project!” and we can’t wait.
Above: The Olive Knuckle Hinge in a variety of sizes
From Left to Right, Stephanie, Ashley, Judy, long time Design Lines friend Rick Jacobs, Molly, & Brittany.To Market…
IS TO
IS TO
IS TO
It doesn’t take high scores on an IQ test full of relational equations to realize how much DLL loves going to Market. We arrived at the High Point Furniture Market again with wider eyes, eager to take in all the Season had to offer. Howard, Judy’s husband, joined us this year, adding a new dynamic, a stopwatch, & a whole lot of fun.
We visitied some tried and true vendors’ showrooms; namely Pearson, Baker, & CTH Sherrill-Ocassionals.
We also fell in love with the showrooms of our new vendors, as well. Century Furniture , Stanford Furniture, Emeson et cie, and Global Views just to name a few.
Our observations:
Birds (we knew this was coming) 
Blue
Black and White
Faux Bois and Petrified Wood
Bold patterns 
Great chairs 
At the end of the day we realized that Design Lines has been setting a design pace in our own right. As we saw the crop of new things we were reminded of the words of great Architect and Designer Mies Van Der Rohe, in a variety of circumstances “Less (really) is more” and some things (and by that we mean not specifically a painted porcelain foo dog or a gold lamé footstool) should just be kept in the closet.
The End.
Meet the Cucurbita Family (Gourds & The Great White Pumpkin)
October is a great month for decorating, and now that Fall has finally decided to stand up and greet us with a cool down in the temperatures, we can decorate for the ocassion. Stephanie decorated the Barony Parade House with some handsome Martin House gourds. I bought a collection of small and lively green ones for myself at the grocery store and put them in a hurricane. Gourds and their closely related siblings pumpkins, are visually interesting thanks to their variety in color, texture, and form. I’m particularly in love with white pumpkins and the fresh aesthetic they bring to the traditional fall decorating table. I had never seen a white pumpkin until the cover of Domino Magazine‘s October Issue. But now, white pumpkins seem to be more readily availible. You can see scores of them walking into almost any Harris Teeter. I found an article on the topic to be really interesting. Who knew that “white is the new orange?”
