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Thursday, September 12, 2013

Design element: Spheres in interior design


When I was in Southern California this summer, I stumbled upon a wonderful interior design studio with a store attached, and this store had the most amazing selection of rocks and minerals for sale (for use as accessories).   The stone spheres in particular caught my eye – I love the shape, and they had a huge array of colors and sizes.

Since that visit, I have been collecting pictures of spheres that I noticed on Pinterest or in my old interior design image files. I was surprised to note that some of my favorite room images from the past have spheres used as accessories – I had not even noticed!

Here is a good example. This picture has been on my blog countless times. Something about this room has always had great appeal to me – the combination of the sand color of the sisal, the grays of the wall and upholstery, the contemporary art, and the white tulips (my favorite) – it all comes together beautifully. When I looked at this picture with fresh eyes, I spotted the spheres on the side table – one large, and three small. The small ones could be mounted finials. Interior design by Gerrie Bremermann.


When I opened up this month's Veranda and saw the beautiful house of garden designer Scott Shrader, I noticed the many spheres he uses throughout his house, inside and out. This was my favorite house from the magazine - in no small part because of the calm, beautiful, and balanced interiors. 


I featured this room on my blog several years ago. I wondered how the designer got all of the mercury glass spheres to stay in place, not knowing about museum wax when I wrote the post! Interior design by Caldwell Flake.

A Suzanne Kasler Interiors designed room, seen in a recent issue of Architectural Digest, is beautifully layered. The sphere on the coffee table caught my eye. Suzanne frequently uses spheres in her accessory design for a room.

The mantel of Suzanne’s own family room features a stone sphere.

Another Suzanne Kasler design with a grouping of stone spheres on the lower shelf of the console.

I think this sphere is part of the lamp; what a beautiful design. Via Elle Décor, interior design by Kevin Roberts.

I love the look of a sphere on a bookshelf.

I can’t locate the source for this image, but all of the spheres on the table caught my eye.


A crystal ball like sphere is a great element of this expertly styled coffee table. Via Bijou and Boheme.


A collected group of objects on a table include several spheres, which cleverly repeat the shape of the rounded feet of this Biedermeier table. Via Savvy Home.

A more rustic style stone sphere anchors the arrangement on this console.

I saved this picture in my old computer files because I liked the composition of the room, the art above the fireplace, and the indoor greenery. But this time around I noticed the sphere on the console, and what appears to be a large sphere on the left side of the room.

White spheres blend right in with this pastel palette.

A solidary large scale sphere is the reward at the end of the view in this more rustic style design.

In the recording studio of two concert pianists, a sphere carved by Thai monks is placed by designer Axel Vervoort. Via Architectural Digest.

Another favorite place for a sphere is on a mantel. Interior design by Caldwell-Beebe, one of my favorite rooms of theirs.

This house was on a tour of homes a few years ago, and I snapped a picture of the landing with its perfectly scaled wing chair (anyone recognize it?) and the three wood spheres that surround it. It’s a striking vignette.

One of my favorite Amanda Nisbet designs – there are other versions of this picture without the spheres, but I like the element that they add.

As I was putting the finishing touches on this post, I read an article in the New York Times about the new magazine Milieu, published by Houston based designer Pamela Pierce.

One of the designers featured in the premiere issue is Walda Pairon.  The work of this designer from Belgium captured my eye.  Remodelista had written about her this spring, and this close up of a vignette from Pairon’s living room particularly spoke to me.  As Remodelista notes, “Pairon puts great importance on the placement of objects; nothing should be gratuitous”. 

waldo-pairon-book
I think that sums up why spheres have such great appeal to me.  Their placement seems quite deliberate, they have such a calming and balanced effect to a room, and they are often one of my favorite ways to complete a space.  Clearly spheres have great appeal to Walda Pairon too – she chose an image of a sphere for the cover of her book Interiors with a Soul (which does not seem to be readily available in the US right now).

What do you think of spheres? Do you have any in your décor? I bought a beautiful sphere off ebay earlier this year, but I have not found a place for it yet.  I am thinking about putting it in a bookshelf, out of the way of curious hands (my kids) and enthusiastic tails (my dog).

Some of these images came from Pinterest, and the name of the designer was not attached. If the designer is not noted, and you recognize the work, please leave a comment in the post and I will update. Click here to comment. Thanks!

I receive so many inquiries from shops, blogs, architects, designers, artists, and home related vendors about advertising opportunities on the blog.  Please see my advertising information page for more details on sponsorship opportunities available for the month of September.

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Friday, September 6, 2013

The Awnings at Boxwood


Sometimes I write a post about something, and all I see for the next few weeks (or even months) is the subject matter of the post. Such was the case this week – I posted about awnings earlier in the week, and when I walked my dog yesterday, I saw so many beautiful examples of awnings (in particular, metal awnings) that I had never noticed before. It is clearly an architectural element that is much loved in Atlanta!

In particular, when I was walking near Danielle Rollin’s beautiful house (called Boxwood) that has been featured in Town and Country and Veranda, I noticed the one of a kind metal awnings that add so much character to the exterior.

I first noticed the awning that is in the center of the front of the house. Look closely, it is partially obscured by the tree in front.  Photo by Emily Followill.

The awning is beautifully featured in this picture from landscape architect John Howard’s gorgeous website.  He designed the award winning landscape for this historic Atlanta house when it was remodeled several years ago.  I admire those blue agave plants every time I see them.

Danielle’s house was featured in the AJC last year, and the metal awning was even recreated on a gingerbread house that was modeled on her house.

Saving the best for last, this exquisite awning is my favorite of all the awnings I have shown. Although this covered entrance faces the driveway, it is actually the main entrance to the house (Danielle has a little sign at the door on the front indicating that it is not the main entrance, as so many people assume that the main entrance should be on the front). 

 I am not sure if this awning was original to the house, or whether it was an addition when the house was renovated, but the design is just exquisite. It is clearly not designed for weather protection (there is a covered entry just beyond), but rather to make the entrance more distinct and special. Note how it is capped by a carved stone piece – I can’t remember the name of the shape, can you?  This shape is repeated in other places around the property, including the gates. Details like this really make a house incredibly special.

Visit Danielle's site at http://danielledrollins.com/, and landscape architect John Howard's site at http://www.howarddesignstudio.com.


On another note, I receive so many inquiries from shops, blogs, architects, designers, artists, and home related vendors about advertising opportunities on the blog.  Please see my advertising information page for more details on sponsorship opportunities available for the month of September.


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Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Design Element: Metal and Canvas Awnings



In 2009, I wrote a blog post on this beautiful house, which was on the market at the time. The architect of the house is Keith Summerour. 

I had long admired the design of the house, and particularly liked the awning over the front door.  The color of the metal (zinc perhaps?), the curve of the design, the ornamental metal brackets that hold up the awning are beautiful details on this house. I didn’t know the name of this structure at the time I wrote the post, but several readers informed me that the proper term in ‘awning’.

According to the Wikipedia page on awnings, they are most commonly made of canvas. One of the most familiar uses of awnings are for store fronts, with the name of the shop written across the front. What better example of this than the famous Ladurée of Paris?  When I was in Paris this June, it was quite rainy and we took shelter many times under awnings such as this, which are all over Paris.  Note the wheel on the upper right – this awning is almost certainly retractable.

Another picture of a different Ladurée shop that I found on Pinterest shows an elaborate metal awning. I love this design for the arched door of the entrance.

Striped awnings seem so very Parisian to me. This image is the Hotel Lancaster in Paris. It reminds me of another iconic brownstone that has been blogged about too many times to count…

Miles Redd’s NYC home.  Although the door and the color scheme are often the focus of people’s admiration for this house, I think the awnings definitely add to the beauty and charm, don’t you?

Canvas awnings are commonly used as both a design element and a way to protect doors and windows from the elements. This example is particularly striking, found on the blog Beaux Monde. He completely transformed the look of his back yard with her outdoor set from World Market and those striking awnings made of striped Sunbrella fabric.  I imagine that fabric awnings are best suited for places that don’t get snow (these are in California), as the weight of the snow would certainly damage the awnings – or, the awnings would definitely need to be retractable so they could be pulled back in the winter.

A lovely green striped awning covers a side door. Given the umbrellas by the door, this location probably gets its fair share of rain – and what better way to shelter from the rain when opening the door. Via Pinterest, attributed to Serena Crawford.

I thought this awning was interesting – the window is arched, but the awning is straight. These are almost certainly inswing casement windows, which would allow the awning to stay in place even if the windows are opened.

I found a few dome shaped awnings that provide an alternative to the more straight line style. Here is an extravagant example from the Ritz Hotel in Paris.

Dome awnings over three arched doors work well given the limitations in space due to the door design and roof height. I wonder how much these block the view from the inside? Perhaps they are needed for light control.

I see more metal awnings in Atlanta than canvas.  Although this house is not in Atlanta (I believe it was featured in an old Southern Accents), the design of the awning with its pretty metal brackets caught my eye. I wish I knew which Southern Accents this is in – I have most of the issues from last 10 years of the magazine. I would love to see the inside of this house.

A small metal awning that fits perfectly into the cased door opening.

Another curved awning that complements the color of the lanterns.


This was one of the first awning pictures I found on Pinterest – simple but beautiful.

The angle of the photograph prevents a view of the top design of the awning, but the iron bracket design can clearly be seen from eye level.

A semi-circle design makes an interesting metal awning on this house.

This is a beautiful metal awning, with its delicate lacy pattern that is also reflected in the window boxes above. Via Pinterest.

This ventures more into eave or overhang category, but perhaps inspired by awnings.  Guest cottage designed by Bradley E. Heppner.

An awning that has supports is called a canopy – and this is a beautiful example. By Calhoun Design and Metalworks.

Via the Scout Guide, by Calhoun Design and Metalworks.


Gorgeous metal awning custom designed for this steel window.  Note the scalloped edges of the awning. I believe this is made of zinc.  Architecture by Stan Dixon (he designed the awning too).



I love the design of this awning - the metal goes right up to the bottom of the window on the second floor. Via Pinterest.


I have studied this picture many times. The house has exterior shutters, which are clearly operable. But, the three arched doors also have what appears to be an awning of sorts, or maybe they are solar panels?

Here is a close up from the architect’s website. What do you think? Contemporary awnings or solar panels?  I like that they are out of the way and protect the view from the inside. Architecture by Murphy Mears.

Here is another house from the impressive portfolio of Houston based architects Murphy Mears – and a similar design can be seen on the awning over the arched front door.

Finally, to round out the post, a few more awnings that are neither metal or canvas, and may not even technically be awnings but more eaves or overhangs. Via Pinterest.

I love this picture that I found on Pinterest. The structure is covered with the same material as the roof, and is tucked into the sides of the house and located between the upper and lower floors. The light and view from the windows is not obstructed, and the eave is a beautiful architectural element on the back elevation.

Beautiful arched overhang that reflects the shape of the door and is clad with what appears to be copper. Architecture by Bradley E. Heppner.

This door to the garage is elevated in importance because of the overhang overhead. The roof is clad with the same slate as the rest of the house. Architecture by Frank Neely, image by Limestone and Boxwoods.

A show stopper of an overhang (would you call this an awning?) at a renovation by Stan Dixon; it transformed the whole look and feel of the house. I love how it is anchored into the side of the house.  Architecture by Stan Dixon. Photo by Emily Followill.

What do you think of awnings? Do you have a favorite picture, or a favorite material (canvas, metal, or other)?  Of course, it all depends on the style of window or door, and the reason for the awning – light control, weather protection, or looks. Overall, I think I prefer metal awnings for the beauty of the material and their permanence, but I also really like the clean lined and simple contemporary awnings used on the Murphy Mears projects too; they provide protection without blocking the view or the light.

A big thank you to this pinner’s and her awnings board – she clearly has a love for awnings and is constantly updating her board with new pins.  Because so many of these images come from Pinterest, please let me know if you can identify a source.


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