Over the weekend the Design Lines team got together to celebrate the upcoming arrival of baby Sophia. Ashley is expecting her first child in October and this is the first Design Lines baby in over six years. The team is thrilled for Ashley and her husband Dean!

From one Design Lines family to another, Ashley below shows off the hand-made blanket, one of Molly’s kids made for baby Sophia.

Chris Elliott, Principal of Creedmoor Elementary School (CES) approached several interior design firms in the Raleigh and the Durham area about helping create a more stimulating environment for the children at CES. When we heard what Chris was trying to accomplish, we jumped at the opportunity to help the school and also at the chance to give back to the town of Creedmoor. The team at Design Lines firmly believes everyone deserves good design and for these kids, this was no exception.

Brittany and I drove out to Granville County on Friday and met with Chris and a few administrative staff to select some paint colors. The walls, doors and trim throughout the school are in a dire need of a new coat of paint.

We believe children learn better when the are around stimulating colors, and so does Chris.

 

Brittany first was inspired by this Lincoln Log picture in the April 2008 Dwell Magazine. She took the inspiration a step further with these CB2 his & her bathroom signs.

 

As we toured the school with Chris, we instantly understood the vision for creating a place where children feel proud of where they go to school. Brittany even had a neat idea for Chris’s office-create a Lego wall.  

 

 As the school project progresses I will be sure to update you on the transformations and even get a couple of the kids reactions when they arrive at school on August 16th.

Thanks Chris for letting  us be a part of the team, we cannot wait to hear all the buzz it creates around town.  

 

We’ve got big news – Ashley and her husband are expecting their first child this fall!   We feel like our family is expanding as well!  She’s just starting to show, and her little baby bump is so cute!   

Today was a particularly exciting day as Ashley went to the doctor to find out the gender!  We each made our best guess and dressed in either blue or pink.  Here’s the talley: Pink – 2, Blue – 4.

Pink wins!  It’s a girl!!!  We’re all so excited and can’t wait to meet baby Thompson – she’s due October 21st!   

 

 

THANK YOU , THANK YOU- To the Junior League of Raleigh!!

The 2010 Showcase of Kitchens was a huge success and we were thrilled to be a part of the tour. Above you see (Left to Right) Pat the owner of the Lake Boone Trail house, Laura from ROCKin’teriors and Hilaire from Design Lines, posing in their lime green aprons. They were so fun!! You just might find me wearing mine flipping some juicy hamburgers.

There were volunteers at every house greeting the visitors and answering any questions. What a fine organization! 

Meredith and Hilary hats off to you ladies — fabulous job.

This tour was also fun for the whole team at Design Lines. Below Lauren and Hilaire take a quick break to snap a shot. Throughout the weekend all the designers took part in the tour.

For more pictures on the Lake Boone house click here and you will be re-directed to previous posts. Tomorrow we will show you some pictures of the master bedroom. My are they gorgeous!

 

Cinderella Cinderella Cinderella! Hurry before the clock strikes midnight! This past Saturday Carolina Ballet hosted their annual Cinderella Ball at the Downtown Marriott City Center in an effort to raise money for the ballet company. Today Carolina Ballet is one of the top ten dance companies in the country. Design Lines started helping with prepreations back in late November 2009 on both the Logistics and Decorations committees.

(Above Brittany and Judy pin tulle on the table skirt.) 

(The Design Lines team helping decorate the carriage table.

This is the first thing the guests see when they arrive.)

(Above Brittany and Molly tying turquoise ribbon on the back of the carriage.)

 

That evening Carolina Ballet honored Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Roberg and Mr. & Mrs. Steve Techet, who have contributed to Carolina Ballet since the company started 12 years ago. The Techets and Susan Garrity, the Cinderella Ball Chair, also happen to be two of our longtime clients. Susan, the ball was fabulous! Thank you for letting us be a part of such an amazing event. Michele Weathers of Carolina Ballet and the rest of the committee chairs did wonderful job!

 

The velcro slipcover carriage was inspired by Stewart Woodard was engineered and built by Walter Newton and painted by William Strickland. At midnight the carriage turned into a pumpkin! How awesome is that! Stewart and Nancy Church collaborated on the decorations and overall the look of the evening to create a stunningly beautiful event. Below are a two shots of the ballroom centerpieces. Stewart and Nancy, they look awesome.

 

Let the ball begin!  The evening had many surprises. The Live Auction Items included trips to Paris, Tortola, BVI and even a two night stay in NYC. There were also 70 silent auction items that attendees could bid on. My favorites were the dove hunt in VA and a weekend trip to a mountain home in Echota, North Carolina. Oh did I mention the food was delicious! Beef Tenderloin seared with toasted cardamom seeds and to top it all off  a white chocolate editable slipper with fruit for dessert. Yummy! By the end of the night our tummy’s were full and ready to hit the dance floor.

(Molly and Judy at the Cinderella Ball.)

 

To see more on Carolina Ballet’s 2009-2010 Season click here. Also please join us in helping and spreading the word about the “Fund A Dream” program, which helps a specific need for every dancer, pointe shoes. These shoes are the lifeline for the dancers and with each pair costing $70 the shoe bill adds up. Over the course of a year, the bill exceeds $90,000. By contributing to this effort we can help the dancers at Carolina Ballet have the best pointe shoes. To donate call (919) 719-0800 ext. 229.

To see more of Design Lines in the community head to our community involvement category.

At Design Lines, it’s all about a celebration this fall! For our 30th Anniversary Party, we celebrated at Judy’s house with current and past clients, vendors, and of course the Design Lines staff! The event was catered by Lip Service. Thanks to Robin and John, everything was delicious! Clients really enjoyed getting to see Judy’s elegant home and mingling. Food was scattered in different rooms, with a tent in the front for additional gathering space, and Bill Mann set the mood for the evening with his saxophone.

For the event, Cydney English at The English Garden provided the flowers – and they were beautiful as always!

And finally – the whole Design Lines team! From left to right, Laurie, Lauren, Ashley, Judy, Molly, Hilaire, and Brittany. We had a great time catching up with past clients and talking with vendors and friends! Check back next week for photos of Judy’s house! And if you missed it, take a look at Hilaire’s post with pictures from Design Lines’ early days.

At twenty-six and with only $500 in her pocket Judy Pickett had big dreams. In the fall of 1979, Judy opened the doors at Design Lines, Ltd. in a little yellow house off of Glenwood Avenue. (pictured above) and (pictured below, is Judy outside the Peace Street office.) This location was our second home until about 6 years ago when we move into our current space off of Jones Franklin Road.

Today, we celebrate those big dreams and the thirty-year journey since the yellow house. Now with seven employees, Design Lines, Ltd. has established itself as one of the première design firms in the Southeast, gaining clients with our abilities to leverage collaborative efforts and create design that positively impacts people’s lives.

(Above Molly and Judy head-shots from the earlier years.)

From the beginning, the design philosophy has always been about the client. So, it is with this history that we celebrate our clients, our partners, and our friends!

Check back next week to see a complete slideshow from the 30th Anniversary Party Celebration and even pictures of Judy’s house!

As the temperature rises and summer heats up, I like to stay cool indoors! Don’t get me wrong – I love the outdoors, but in this weather, I prefer to surround myself with colors inspired by nature. My favorite colors for the summer are shown below.

I tend to gravitate toward the cool side of the spectrum – particularly the blues and greens. They create environments that are fresh, calming, and relaxing. I used two of my favorite colors in the laundry room at the 2008 ASID Designer Show House. Because the room was so small and featured 10′ ceilings, I used Waterscape on the walls and went one shade darker on the ceiling with Hazel.

My absolute favorite color is green – grass green, apple green, pear green – or Sassy Green, shown below. I used Sherwin William’s Color Selector to visualize my color, which will help you see the personality that the color will bring to your space. I would also recommend buying a quart and painting a test area before doing the whole room.

With colors like these, you will want to balance out the brightness with soothing neutrals like Sherwin Williams’ Accessible Beige or Quiver Tan. I recently painted my powder room in a custom color similar to Quiver Tan, and I love how cozy it makes the small space feel!

Want to see more of our favorite colors? For Brittany’s summer paint selections, click here, and for Ashley’s click here. And if you’d like professional help, we’re here for you.