Monday, May 2, 2016

Spring Showers & Show Houses

I don't know about you, but I am ready for the sun to return. I've lost count how many days in a row it's been grey and rainy. It made me want to re-visit this textile design I began work on earlier this year. I think I am going to call it April Showers (or Rain, Rain, Go Away!).


Despite the weather, it was a busy weekend with the pop up Studio Sale at friend and potter Stacy Snyder's home studio. Stacy's spring works included new glazes in beautiful yellows, celery greens and more. I can't wait to share more with you about her work in a future post.


With the cold came a number of organic throw blanket sales ... I love it how the weather impacts what sells at shows. Whenever it is cold out, the throws sell! Makes me want to read more about the psychology of shopping. One of my favorites to go was one in our new Winter Fern design, added this past winter (which reminds me, I still need to add it to my website!).


Last, the expression "when it rains, it pours" is so true. Stacy and I had set our Spring Studio Sale dates months ago. Then last week I heard from friend and interior designer Regan Billingsley: the DC Design House site for this fall had been selected and would I like to tour it with her. The tour dates? You guessed it: the day of the Studio Sale opening. I had to do both! So after setting up early Friday morning, I headed to NW DC to meet Regan and see the house before heading back to the pop up.

What is the 2016 DC Design House site like? In a word: BIG. Home to former French Ambassador and located at 2509 Foxhall Road, NW, this house's middle name is Grand. (You can view a virtual tour of it here). The residence includes over twenty(!) spaces available to designers to transform. Here's a view off the kitchen - the "informal" rear staircase:


My favorite spaces in the home include these little alcoves. (I kept thinking, how sweet would these be with bench seats and pillows in Mira Jean fabrics and roman shades?!)


Here are two examples, for inspiration:

(image from here)

(image from here)

This room got me thinking: imagine if each of these 'panels' was filled with a Mira Jean print?



It would be like multiple large canvases, throughout the room. Talk about a dose of color and pattern!

(image from here)

(image from here)

(image from here)

Designers have until May 16 to submit proposals; winners are selected by the end of the month. I can't wait to see how this property is transformed, come the fall. The best part? The event always raises thousands of $$s for Children's Hospital.

Cheers,
Kate







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