So, when you’re out and about, pick up one of these…..

We enjoyed the process of looking back on the projects we’ve done over the last year to review what we’re seeing and being asked for.   We realized we’ve designed almost 30 kitchens during that time…..Wow!

So now, flip on over to page 30…..

That beautiful kitchen with the stone wall and warm red accents is from the home of some great clients of mine in Kentucky.

In the work we’ve done on those almost 30 kitchens (which still boggles my mind)…..we’ve worked on some great projects with wonderful people.

The combined living and kitchen space (which is definitely a trend) highlighted on the following page, was also featured in Nashville Lifestyles last year. These super and cool friends/clients still have one of the most stylish homes in East Nashville!

In addition to the trends noted in the article, we also noted eating in the kitchen – whether at table that also serves as an island or breakfast nook banquette, is a continuing trend in kitchen design.

Trends change and evolve with time, but they say a lot about what we want, what matters to us.  They also inspire us to consider doing something we might not otherwise.  We’re honored to to share our thoughts on kitchen trends with Nashville’s House & Home readers

 - marcelle

Outside that is…

If you want to know how I refuel as a designer, it’s this:  I bask in Mother Nature – the greatest Designer ever…..

The senses of nature reinvigorate me – the sound of the bird’s song, the smell of fresh cut grass, the breeze’s caress as it carries my tension away…

On days like today, I enjoy the sound of rain flirting with the leaves of our beautiful 56 year old dogwood as it dances down its canopy… (sitting in my my ever comfy butterfly chair!)…..

Reconnecting with the elements of mother earth…

air

fire

water

earth

wood…

and then allowing myself to be romanced by her generosity…..

TGIF

-          marcelle

image credits:

1. yoga statue via Tumbler

2. via Instagram

3. lakeside daybed via Recyclart

4. candle via Tumbler

5. fountain via stoneforest.com

6. garden party via Sweetie Pie Style

7. screened porch via Remodelista

8. poolside lounger via Summer Classics

Gold fever…

It’s sexy.  It’s glam.  And it’s back! 

The gold we’re seeing out there is more of a richer tone than its 70’s counterpart- more burnished – more of an antique gold.

But it doesn’t have to take over the room…..

Check out how this room sparkles with small hints of gold – at the light fixture fittings, lamps, frames, cabinet hardware.  When we really look at this stunning foyer, we notice how gold is going hand in hand with another trend we are seeing:  Rich colors…..

Like turquoise!

But it can just as well softly glow like candlelight…..

So here’s where we’ve been seeing gold (or antique brass):

Starting at the front door!  We’ve put it in door hardware.  Look how plush it looks paired with a super deep purple door…..

We’ve put it in lighting – adding some dazzle in the foyer -

We’ve shimmered up the stair railings …..

and dressed up dressers…..

Where would you put gold accents in your home…..?

-          marcelle

Photo credits:

1: black and gold pendant via www.homeadore.com

2: blue bathroom via www.smallshopstudio.com

3: triple tiered pendant shade via www.urbanoutfitters.com

4: gold door lever via www.dwell.com

5: new jersey foyer via www.elledecor.com

6: turquoise shower via www.tiles.co.nz

7: antique mirror pendant & table via wellappointedhouse.com

8: purple entry door via www.mariakillam.com

9: casbah crystal chandelier via www.restorationhardware.com

10: gold stair railings via marcelle guilbeau

11: living room via marcelle guilbeau

For the second time in about a month StyleBlueprint, has featured the Sylvan Park and Charlotte Avenue area I call home.

Today’s article on Charlotte Pike highlights several area businesses, including Headquarters Cafe. They’re a great little coffee shop I blogged about in early February.

Here’s the StyleBlueprint article links on my ‘hood:

http://www.styleblueprint.com/featured/charlotte-avenuethe-long-road-home/

http://www.styleblueprint.com/featured/sylvan-park-eat-shop-walk/

Photo credit: StyleBlueprint.com

…..starting with the love of the land…..

In Ireland, you see architecture – like this ancient relic of high culture – seeming to grow up out of the ground, as if by the hand of God – the hand of Nature…..

But it happens as much in low culture – a cottage hugging the moor…..

Even roads and paths seem to have grown out of the earth.

There is love of nature at the heart of Irish art and design.  Consider this wool throw…..

knitted in the “Aran pattern” – symbolizing the “ladder of life”…..

…..or the famed Irish lace…..

such as this one, with a delicate orchid pattern…..

or this chrochet lace coat dress….

with its soft, flowing pattern and cut.

Even Irish jewelry has a natural sensuality…..

This piece follows the curves of the hand.

So it only follows that Irish architecture and interior design would intrigue me as well…..

Far from the noise of the shamrocks and the kelly green, Irish design is simple and understated…..

…..elegantely homey…..

cozy and soft…..

But also sometimes sexy and sophisticated…

glam – in a natural way…..

…..and sometimes – with a touch of green

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

- marcelle

1.  Ballybunion Castle via redbubble.com

2.  Irish cottage via bing.com

3.  via pdphoto.org

4.  via irish-handcrafts.com

5.  via sweetpeapath.tumblr.com

6.  via vintagetextile.com

7. via wwwjewelry-guide.com

8.  via unexpectedcontractor.blogspot.ca

9.  via google.com

10.  via saidosdaconcha.blogspot.com

11.  via ravelry.com

12.  via clodagh.com

13.  via rothschildbickers.com

14.  via orlakiely.com

Or how about this one: “The kitchen is the heart of the home.”

These days, we’re pulled in so many directions  -  the hours between breakfast and bedtime filled with work, school, homework, practices and games…..Yet we still need to be together…..

This is something my clients keep asking for – new and different ways to be together in their home.  Especially the kitchen, where we naturally gather – to cook, read, drink our morning tea, help with homework, and of course – eat…..

This was my childhood – growing up in the seventies – eating together in the “breakfast room”.  Long gone are the days when we dined in the dining room.

But then, a funny thing occurred, after the invention of the “kitchen island” (the breaking off of the “peninsula” which divided off our 70′s breakfast room from the kitchen):

Everybody started hanging out there!

Enter my clients!  Lately, they have been requesting islands that can also serve as their table. Take this trestle-style farm table, for instance.  It visually breaks down the barrier between kitchen and eating even more than the island.

Do you see the chairs peeking out from behind that island/table?  The trestle base allows the chairs to pull up.

But what if you want to raise that table up to “counter height”?  You can always pull tall stools up to it.  But then some folks’ feet (mine!  children’s!) might dangle.  We recently tackled that problem for some clients:  A post and beam style table with integrated footrest  –  based on this inspiration picture below:

Notice how the table base pulls in from the edge of the table?  That way anyone can sit comfortably around the table without banging their legs.  But also notice:  There is a crossbeam at the bottom, which can act as a foot rest (like at a bar!)

So here is our rendition:

This full-on table will also act as a counter-height prep area!

I also think just a good-sized dining table in a good-sized kitchen is a cool concept.  Here are some of my faves:

But in the end, whether you just pull a table to the middle of the kitchen…..

or build an island with a bar…..

or create an updated version of the 70′s breakfast nook…..isn’t it all the same thing we’re after…..?

Togetherness…..

- marcelle

1.  via masterfile.com

2.  via sheknows.com

3.  via houzz.com

4.  via designcaller.blogspot.com

5.  via Marcelle Guilbeau, Interior Designer

6.  via dyingofcute.tumblr.com

7.  via idealhouse.tumblr.com

8.  via bungalowblueinteriors.com

9.  via room-galleries.myhomeideas.com

10.  via marthastewart.com

11.  via carlaaston.com

“The most abundant hue in nature, the human eye sees more green than any other color in the spectrum,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.

Yet green in particular – bold “emerald” green – can turn so unusual and “unnatural” when you place it indoors…..

When I think of emerald in nature, I think of the “Emerald Isle”…..

Gorgeous.  But aren’t those colors are just as surreal as anything “man made”?

And that’s really the essence of  “emerald”:  It changes all the time on you, depending on where you find it.

It can go “natural” (read “serene”), such as these deep emerald kitchen cabinets…..

It can go super glam and eye catching – such as these bright, shimmery drapes…..

It can be incredibly plush and cozy, like this velvet sofa…..

Or it can be fun and festive, like this painted chest of drawers…..

Says Eiseman “As it has throughout history, multifaceted Emerald continues to sparkle and fascinate. Symbolically, Emerald brings a sense of clarity, renewal and rejuvenation, which is so important in today’s complex world.”  I highly agree.

How might you bring emerald into your home?

- marcelle

1.  via glamorouschiclife.tumblr.com

2.  via webdeco.be

3.  via allthingseurope: Inishmore, Ireland (by Christopher Tierney)

4.  via matchbookmag.com

5.  via gildandgrace.blogspot.com

6.  via interior designer Bailey McCarthy, photography by Emily Anderson, styling by Alana Kaczmarski

7.  via blog.homeandstone.com

Quotes courtesy of the Pantone Color Institute.

…..next to the junk antique shop I used to frequent back in the day…..

Only 9’ wide, the building was originally an alley – hence the exposed brick wall with original painted advertisement, “dry goods, milliner and shoes”.

Owners James and Louisa Green took the wall back to its original state, once they discovered it was a historic 1912 historic gem.  The brick wall dates back to the 1880’s.

The second thing to love is the truly cool “cafe vibe”…..

It’s everything from the hipsters who hanging out there, to the smell of fresh, free trade, locally roasted coffee, to Spencer, the knowledgeable barista, who will happily whip you up something good…..

But there’s something more to this place – and the third thing to love -

- ever watched those 40′s detective movies?  David and I are addicted.  Well, sitting in here, you feel like any minute that gumshoe is about to step in, in search of his gangster…..When I told that to Louisa, she said that’s actually the vibe she felt about this place!  And which they sought to channel in their sensitive rehab…..

Which is the fourth thing to love.  Everything from the exposure of the original wood ceiling and structure…..

to the aforementioned brick wall graphics, to the reuse of the original wood floor.

But the fifth thing to love is near and dear to Marcelle’s heart:  reclaimed, handcrafted everything – from the 1890′s entry door, to the 30′s leaded glass transom above, to the 60′s steel storefront window – all found and refurbished by James and Louisa.

The front bar at the window is a wood door stoop found in a friend’s basement.  On it are carved “Roy + May 1952″.  The coat rack is made from the building’s original flooring, and hooks found at Preservation Station.

James, a very talented carpenter and furniture maker, fashioned the hook.  In addition, he made the chunky wood and metal tables (wood reclaimed from a demo’d house in Sylvan park), the bar front with the cool metal Tennessee symbol made from his mom’s torn down fence…..

…..and – well – just about everything in there.  (Contact him at hankwilliamsismyhero@gmail.com, if you’d like your own version of the tables – or to rehab a cool historic space like this!)

Some come on over to my hood for a good cup of joe – and possibly the coolest cafe vibe in town

Headquarters is located at:

4902 Charlotte Pike

hours are:

7-4 Monday through Friday

8-4 Saturday

10-3 Sunday

Check out their facebook page for more info.

- marcelle

images 1, 3-8 via marcelle’s iphone

image 2 via Sheena T. on yelp

Did you even know houzz.com had a “best of 2013″ for Nashville – along with some of the coolest cities in the country?  I didn’t!  Among them are some of my favorite designers and architects…..  Very proud that Nashville is in there among them!

And speaking of which, I need to give kudos to one of my favorite design teams I ever worked with (for the house above, which is getting so many “looks” on houzz):  Clients Suellen and Rick Stringer-Hye, architect Susan Hagar (sabhagerarchitecture.com), and Fred Lawrence, of the Lawrence Brother Contractors (lawrencebrothersllc.com).

For more about this house, check out my blog post, “reclaimed wood love”.  But more importantly, see what the buzz is about Nashville on houzz.com!

- marcelle

Nashville’s Latest Big Hit Could Be The City Itself

(www.nytimes.com)

More on the architecture and interiors that makes this town so cool coming up soon…..

- marcelle