ASID Showhouse: On the Boards

We’re currently working on an exciting ASID Designer Showhouse in Raleigh. Design Lines will be designing a “work-in and work-out retreat,” the powder room & vestibule, and a living room. Our designs debut in May. At the moment, our designs come to life through presentation boards—allowing someone to touch and experience the space before it is finished. At Left and below: Molly’s Presentation Boards for her “work-in, work-out retreat”

Brittany’s Powder Room Design

Judy’s Living Room

ASID Raleigh Showhouse 2008

The Women’s Club of Raleigh and the Carolinas Chapter of ASID are partnering once again for this years ASID Showhouse. Proceeds will benefit Hospice of Wake County as well as other community organizations and programs supported by the Woman’s Club of Raleigh.

ASID is the largest national organization for professional interior designers with over 34,500 members who have passed its rigorous acceptance standards.

The Carolinas Chapter ASID held a lottery drawing to choose approximately 25 from over 250 local area ASID designers to effect the two Ramblewood townhomes. Each designer will make over a specific space in the house. The finished houses will open to the public on May 10 – June 1, 2008. With 26 designer spaces this will be a truly treat for the eyes. Design Lines has four of these designer spaces, located in 3615 Rolston Drive.

Judy Pickett will be creating the living room, Molly Simmons will be creating a “work-in and work-out retreat” in a second-floor bedroom, Brittany Ruch has the small, yet accomodating Powder Room and Lauren Bishop will design the laundry room.

Be sure to check the blog for exciting updates!

Fortress Findings


My family and I recently went to Fort Macon near Atlantic Beach, NC – what a treat! I have been many times before – beginning in grade school. Now with 3 kids in tow – one of whom is enamored with the history of battlefields and forts – we seek such destinations.


This last trip revealed yet again the beautiful architecture that resides within the walls of the fort. Built from 1826-1834 and designed by an architect in nearby Beaufort, NC, Fort Macon has many features worth noting…

From the simple yet classic iron railings,


to the intricate brick barrel vaulted rooms,


to the sliced lumber entry pathways just beyond the moat that surround the Pentagon shaped fortress –


I found each detail to be representative of years of talent and labor that was tested by warfare and somehow survived ( with a little restoration effort). During your travels, I encourage everyone to pull the car into the next parking lot designated to accomodate an historical site – you are likely to discover not only a slice of our history but a quick study in architecture that not only served a purpose, but was a quality built structure reflective of it’s period.

Well worth the wait

Some of you may or may not know that I moved at the end of November 2007. I have to tell you I have a new appreciation for what my clients go through when finishing the building of a new home and moving.

Part of the fun of moving for me was to be able to finally have the space for all the wonderful things we have at our fingertips from the design world. One of those things I was dying for was a rug from Niba…so low and behold I have a custom 17′ runner on order due in sometime in March. Yes, designers get no preferential treatment…I still had to wait 4 months!

But to increase the anticipation of the rug’s arrival the owner of Niba, Beth Arrowood, did a very smart thing. She sent this picture of the work in progress. It is truly something to think that this one of a kind rug was made by human hands over a period of months…for me!

Their designs are incredible so the next time you stop in to the studio ask to see the portfolio.

A stuffed chicken, an old hunk of wood, & a chia pet


Molly, Judy, and I traveled to the Center of the world at the beginning of the month for an
ASID Conference in High Point, NC. The conference was filled with plenty of mingling time with our fellow Carolina Designers, a superb couple of hours hearing from the talented & famous designer, Barry Dixon, & let’s not forget, our favorite…shopping time. We perused our mainstays for antiques and came home with some interesting & unexpected objects (see post title). But first, a few delicious photos from the showroom of Randall Tysinger Antiques

French cloches c. 1920 on an executive table

Scaled Beautifully

There were interesting compostions like the one above on every wall…


Who wouldn’t love to have a pair of natural slate and forged iron nightstands from France? This bed is a feast for the eyes, for sure.

Molly selecting a stuffed chicken for a lake house client, now that’s a trying decision…

Cha Cha Cha Chia! This planter, from Bali, had too much potential for a conversation starter, we just couldn’t resist. (This one can be yours, folks)


& last, but certainly not least is this stunning Petrified Wood Table with beautiful coloration we picked up for the ASID Showhouse. (Look for Molly’s blog on the topic, coming soon) At the end of the day, the DLL van was packed with a collection of interesting objects we can’t wait to place in our client’s interiors.

Color of the day: Green!

I’ve always had a fondness for our dear Mother Nature, our Planet Earth. As of late though, i’ve become accutely aware of the sizeable impact my existence has on her. This awareness has been slowly mounting, mostly from local drought warnings, the American Society of Interior Designers’ sustainable views with which Design Lines is closely aligned, as well as my love for the community of Carrboro and the following blog: www.treehugger.com/ . However, the topic was pushed to the front of my mind after viewing an Oprah on Going Green.

During the show, Oprah discussed the importance of making environmentally responsible life changes. Which prompted me to do the same. My first step? Buying this intriguing guide:

The Green Book, by authors Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas Kostigen discusses interesting facts about waste, recycling, and simple solutions we all can implement in our lives. See the following excerpt:

“Use fewer paper napkins-everywhere. There’s no need to grab a huge stack of napkins from the concession stand when you know you’ll use only one or two. Each American consumes an average of 2, 200 standard two-ply napkins per year, or the equivalent of just over 6 of these napkins per day. If everyone in the United States used an average of 1 fewer napkin per day, more than a billion pounds of napkins could be saved from landfills each year. A stack of napkins this size could fill the entire Empire State Building”

I decided to challenge a few members of the Design Lines team to join me in accepting a green resolution for the new year. This is what we got:

Brittany’s (that’s me) green resolves:

1-Use less napkins

2- There’s an interesting view point which suggests the utilization of existing furniture as an alternative to subjecting the earth to the waste, fuel, and energy, involved to produce all new furniture. Say…there’s nothing more I love than antiques.

3-Bring my own bag to the grocery store for small trips as an alternative to the paper or plastic options.

My usual decision:

vs. my favorite alternative to paper or plastic. This is the Bag by designer Anya Hindmarch I’ve had my eye on since mid-summer:

Laurie ‘s green:
“I will eliminate duplicate mail order catalogs that are sent to my home and the office!
So many trees are used for mail order catalogs that just end of in the trash and our landfills. ”

Click here to see how Laurie could implement this solution in her life.

Designer Ashley Lane commits to utilize one green product in all of her designs. She plans on acheiving this goal by searching for locally made materials, or materials that are manufactured using environmentally responsible methods. Ie: http://kravetgreen.com/ Ashley could also recommend energy-saving lighting to her clients.

Lauren, our intern, commits to turning off the water while brushing her teeth. According to the Green Book, turning off the tap while brushing could save up to five gallons of water a day!

Hopefully, our small goals may have an effect on the Earth, and if not on the Earth, on us and our increased efforts to be aware of our commitment to sustainability.

I shot the picture above on a summer trip home to central Illinois.

I love this tree on Duke’s campus


What I call the “forest”, a view from inside the Design Lines lounge (this is where we eat lunch everyday), a truly uplifting space.

The end.