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Designer Inspiration/Trends

A tribute to Mr. Columbus

I had nearly forgotten that today was Christopher Columbus Day until I got an email blast from Pottery Barn reminding me to check out their sales. In anticipation of the Pear Square Event & Sale (We’re all so excited at Design Lines), I thought I’d pull together a couple of items for sale inspired by & in honor of Christopher Columbus.

We have a pair of these beautiful pierced wooden mirrors, 40″ in diameter

We have quite a few pieces of framed art with nautical & map themes. I’d pair the one above with anything cobalt & some black & white photography to make it less serious.

These wood sculptures on stands are great as abstract pieces of art, I love the rescued shipwrecked vibe.

I pulled this image from our portfolio as the most worthy of Christopher Columbus. It’s a snapshot of a study we just completed at Lake Gaston. I adore the interest that the convex mirror added to the space (thank you Restoration).

Happy Columbus Day to all!


Designer Inspiration/Trends

I adore OLY Studio.

This postcard from OLY Studio came in the mail today with the rest of the High Point Fall Furniture Market teasers. They are really piling in now, we keep them in a beautiful porcelain container on the transaction counter near Laurie’s desk and peek at them during lunch (see photo below) The styling of the postcard caught my eye, but let’s be honest, so does anything from OLY. Their collections are eclectic & clean, with some pieces looking very Hollywood Regency and others looking rustic and earthy with hand hewn qualities.
For instance:
I just specified the Elisabeth Buffet for a client’s Dining Room. I love the details on this piece.


The pieces below will be at our first ever sale- The Pear Square Event the first week in November. (You can call the studio if you’re interested in them, now though)

The Christine Cocktail Table would look so great with piles of big books underneath it.

A pair of Bella sonces could break up a photo arrangement in a gallery hallway.

This,albeit, huge, is the. perfect. mirror.

I would hang it on a wall in my bedroom & tape just a few b & w photos on it a la The Diving Bell & The Butterfly (which I also love) to make it a little less stuffy.


Design Lines Communications

Newest Addition to DLL

If you have been around our office lately, you might have met Hilaire. She is the newest addition to the team at Design Lines, Ltd. bringing her knowledge of communications and operations to the firm.

Hilaire recently graduated from Elon University with a Bachelors of Arts in Communications and a Minor in Dance. “I am honored to be a part of such a dynamic team of creative women,” said Hilaire.
Photograph of Hilaire is taken by :Visio Photography

Current Projects

Nursery: It’s a boy!

We received the most beautiful birth announcement from our clients, Sam & Kristen Lampuri this week! (Photo by Jaime Lackey Photography)
Judy & I completed their nursery design for little Mason about two months ago now, & I’ve been so anxious to finally post these pictures that I took the day before Kristen was due in July.

The Crib is a “Built to Grow” Crib from Stanley Furniture. We love its capability to transform into a “big boy” bed and the deep espresso wood finish.
The wall letters were painted in custom colors by Going-Ga-ga!

The accessorization was just about complete that day. I adore the cheery hue of this cubbie case from Maine Cottage. The artwork, inspired by Dad’s occupation, was selected by Sam & Kristen & is from Rosenberry Rooms. On another wall, we hung black & white family photos in frames from plumbing valve handles. When painted orange, they transformed into a fun graphic element.

The knobs, from Anthropologie, personalize the otherwise simple & classic dresser. My favorite element of the room is the Cream & Jet Black Geometric Carpet, it uplifts the space so much, like the feeling you get walking into a candy store.

I love this photo of proud Mama Kristen in a casual glider chair from Serena & Lily. Molly calls it the “calm before the storm” photo. After “surviving” our tropical storm Hannah this weekend, and after meeting little Mason I can say that he could be the most perfect, good-tempered, & adorable storm you ever met.


Current Projects

One More Nursery for the Portfolio…..

There must be something in the water around here, because Design Lines has been on a roll designing nurseries. They are so much fun and each one takes on its own character.

Recently, my clients, Scott and Nicole Gass, told me that they were expecting twins in September. How exciting! It was even more challenging because they were having a boy and a girl. This was exciting because the room would not take on the typical boy/girl theme.
The best find ever, that got me going in a direction, were these hand-painted frogs. I found them at a local store — Dilly Dally. Dilly Dally has stores in Raleigh and Charlotte, NC. Check out their website!
After seeing them on the wall, I knew they were meant to be. One was a princess and one was a prince. What a great way to break up a wall that will house two cribs!
(Here is our handsome Prince frog!)
(Here is our beautiful Princess frog!)
After we got the gender-neutral design direction down, it was on to the bedding. We accented the walls and hand painted frogs with a bedding that was a mixture of stripes and a large scale damask- a great mix of patterns as it allowed the design to stay appropriate & not too feminine or masculine.
With a few more touches that are shown in the pictures below, the nursery came out perfect.
This picture show the proud parents of Aidan and Verena. Adding their names above their cribs helps personalize the space. It also breaks up the wall that has two cribs.
I love adding color to rooms in unique ways. There was not a lot of storage, so we added shelves above the changing table to create more storage. We painted a decorative rectangle on the wall to bring the traditional pink and blue colors back into the room. This allows the shelves to jump out from the wall too.
I love this nursery, and the room feels spacious and inviting. I can’t wait to meet the lucky babies that get to grow up in this room.
So you see, decorating can start at an early age, at least we believe it should!

Designer Inspiration/Trends

Olympics Inspiration

There’s a bit of sadness at Design Lines today. Perhaps its because the 17 day party of the Olympics is now gone and we’ll have to wait another 4 years to be OBSESSED with the games.

All of us found it hard to get some sleep the last two weeks but we couldn’t help but stay up way past the decent hours of the night to catch a glimpse of the awesome moments. Some of the DLL highlights include:

The sensational Opening Ceremonies

Amazing Gymnastics (who else adores Bela Karolyi?)

Michael Phelps (of course)

Discovering new Olympic sports (Trampolining, anyone?)

Beach Volleyball

The list goes on….

I think it’s safe to agree that the USA represented plenty of Gold, Silver, & Bronze. Perhaps we should consider Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron for a Gold medal in design for the beautiful architecture that is the center of the Olympics: The Birds Nest. Read more about it here:


Tragic that the Olympics are over, but at least we can all drown our sorrows in these gorgeously Asian-inspired fabrics from F. Schumacher & Co:

Shiroko Silk Velvet in Bronze


Chinois Fret in Cinnabar / Gold

My absolute favortie right now, Chiang Mai Dragon in Aquamarine.


Design Lines Communications

Design Lines Field Trip: Columbia, South Carolina


The designers of DLL traded a hot, humid day in North Carolina for a sultry summer day in South Carolina (their State Flower is the Yellow Jessamine at top) . Passing the iconic South of the Border on Interstate 95 we crept closer to the heart of confederate country, Columbia, South Carolina.
We spent the entirety of a day learning about the process of custom cabinetry & millwork, viewing the remarkable furniture at M. Craig & Company, and receiving an extensive history lesson from our new friends, Rosie Craig & Richard Miller.
Judy first made the connection to M. Craig while shopping in Charleston, when the Walnut Collection peaked her interest & she thought the collection too beautiful not to purchase a piece for her own home. My favorite piece is their graceful & conversational Deer Foot chair.


Rich & Rosie chauffeured us around beautiful Columbia as we toured a myriad of locales. In the morning we were treated to see M. Craig’s latest cabinetry installation at a lake house. From there, we went to the South Carolina’s Legislative Building as M. Craig & Co created the new desks and workstations for the South Carolina Senate & House of Representatives.


Molly, Judy, Lauren, Ashley, Stephanie, & I on the steps of the South Carolina State House

We also visited the lovely Dupree building downtown and Ellen Taylor was gracious enough to show us around her interior design studio. The most interesting part of the day was touring M. Craig & Company’s expansive millwork shop. Seeing the multiple processes that each cabinet goes through including the impressive & precise CNC machines. The finished product is truly beautiful.

We topped off our day with lunch at the delightful Southern Palmetto Club. I recommend their cranberry orange bread.

A fitting summary of the trip comes from Rosie in a 2004 article from the South Carolina Business Journal: “I believe, by seeing in practice, the whole world wants a piece of the South,” Rosie said. “They want to be part of that romantic element and that romantic dream. The fact that our products are made here satiates that yearning to have a piece of the South.”

As an Illinois expatriate, I’d second Rosie’s insightful statement. Who wouldn’t want an M. Craig & Company piece in their home? A true piece of the South. Our Columbia tour was another lesson in beautiful workmanship, an opportunity to learn about a new product resource, and a field trip we at Design Lines won’t forget.