Call of the Wild

Happy Friday Friends, what a beautiful, crisp, fall day it is! So sad that I haven't even posted a single time for the month of November, I have been very absent from this blog although it is never far away from my mind. Work has definitely been keeping me busy so that is the positive and my family life has had no shortage of excitement. 

We celebrated my son's 5th b-day with Dan the Animal Man and he was absolutely amazing!  

If you haven't heard of him, he is worth a look see and I believe he travels. When I booked him I had no idea the guy was an animal celebrity, he has been on Regis & Kelly something like 8 times and flown first class with his animals to entertain George W. Bush. I mean how lucky are we to have him in Raleigh? My little guy was in heaven holding alligators, snakes, lemurs, owls, and a bonus... one giant tortoise.

Next on the agenda was my daughter's 7 year old birthday party where she and 16 of her closest friends took over The Painted Butterfly. They painted peace signs on canvases in little children's art smocks, with child size chairs and tables in a whimsical setting. Nancie Norvell the owner was wonderful and assured me that they were completely fine even though I was about to jump out of my skin because they were so crazy! All in all 2 unique parties and happy children one year older.

So I expressed my animal love in decor, namely the cheetah and it so happens everyone else is loving it this season although in my belief it is truly timeless. My other animal obsession which easily perks up any room whether it be on the floor, wall, or on a chair is a zebra

 print. You see a ton of zebra hides gracing the floors of the chicest abodes in magazines and I love using them layered over natural rugs. So it seems that I am not the only one with the love for the zebra and after going through my collection of images there are some pretty amazing spaces with a hint of this animal. 

Perch

Wallpaper

Hides

Fabric

Client Updates

I just finished up a conservatory for a client and we found the most amazing Jute rug custom by Stark dyed to look like a zebra print. This rug is probably one of the most beautiful I have ever seen and it makes the space!

Below is the space when I first laid eyes on it...

Here it is today, refreshed, renewed, and ready to entertain! 

2 of the chairs were reupholstered and plumped up in this indoor/outdoor.

Another chair covered in a giraffe indoor/outdoor inspired by a recent trip to Africa.

A set of glazed lamps with lucite bases were added in this rich burgundy/wine color.

We added an array of Aubusson pillows to the sofa to keep it up to speed with all the other items that had just been recovered.

This glass coffee table was quite a find and I would love to have one for myself. The 2 ends are glass but the sides are open, very unique.

We are so pleased with the end product and the process of finding all these goodies was such a delight! 

Another project that involves a zebra is in phase 2 and we are ready to roll, completion set for the end of November. I have said before I love before and after pictures so here ya go...only if I was only a better photographer.

Before, a 1950's kitchen with wood cabinets that are a little dated...

the breakfast area with wallpaper that has seen its day.

Our focus for the breakfast area, these bamboo chairs found at an antique store, stripped, painted orange, and covered in a zebra print fabric that has been laminated to protect their beauty from sticky, tiny little hands.

Cabinets that have been painted white are a breath of fresh air in this space and this colorful Turkish rug adds a punch of color that ties in the orange from the breakfast area. 

The colors in this rug are a theme throughout the home and orange is my client's favorite color! I will keep you updated with pictures when we hang the window treatments, and light over the breakfast table.