It’s no secret that I adore Hodges Taylor Gallery in downtown Charlotte.  I’ve been a big fan since the day I attended a presentation by Christie Taylor about how she and Dot Hodges acquired artwork on behalf of (what was at the time) the law firm Smith, Helms, Mulliss and Moore for their new offices.  I was very impressed by the firm’s commitment to the arts, as evidenced by its decision to build a real collection, and Christie’s talk was truly inspiring.  Smith Helms has since split and then merged, and I don’t have any idea what became of its art collection.  I hope it is still displayed in its Charlotte office as beautifully as it was the day it was installed.  For the record, I am still coveting the carved wooden bowl by Michael Bauermeister!    

Today, however, I’m featuring another artist that I discovered thanks to Hodges Taylor - Judy Pfaff.  Personally, I fell in love with Judy’s work when I saw one of her pieces displayed in a local showhome.  Judy’s Feet First (shown above) hangs in my foyer and is shown in the background of the “after photos” of the chair I featured in this post.  Truth be told, I’d rather acquire art than almost anything.  There’s a reason that Feet First hung in my foyer before I replaced my student-era sofa.  After all, art can inspire the entire look and feel of a house!  And after Decorno herself inquired about the piece, I figured it was a more than worthy topic for the blog.  Unfortunately, I don’t believe that Hodges Taylor represents Judy any longer.  I’m still pining over a piece I saw there years ago that just wasn’t in the budget (even without buying any furniture).  I wish I could share it with you, but I cannot find it on Judy’s site.  Fortunately, there’s plenty more to talk about!       

Judy is perhaps best-known for her installation art, but – as she herself has pointed out – she’s always done prints and drawings because that’s what’s practical for people to display in their homes.  Judy has received numerous accolades for her work, including a MacArthur Foundation and a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.  Judy is also the subject of a monograph, although you can see many of her pieces on her website.   

Enjoy!

Photo from Judy Pfaff

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One of my friends recently relocated to London with her family.  Let’s call them The Expats.  They’ll be there approximately two years with her husband’s job.  Can you say jealous?!?!??!  What an incredible opportunity!  I know it’s difficult, though, and I don’t envy her having to get her family of four young children settled.  Still, as the daughter of a retired Marine, I know a little something about living in a foreign country … and it’s an experience that those children will treasure.  I was actually about the age of The Expats’ oldest child, so I can especially relate to her adventures.  Maybe when The Expats return to Charlotte, I can convince Expat Mom to use one of these fabulous wallpapers in the children’s bedrooms or play area!   

Photos from Cookie

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Hanging pictures can be a total pain!  I can definitely do it, but it’s far from my favorite task.  If I have a lot to hang, or am working on a complicated arrangement, I will often call Eric Olson.  Eric is an artist in his own right (who happens to be represented by my favorite gallery in Charlotte) but also a professional picture hanger.  It makes my life easier, and – because he is so good at what he does - it’s cost-effective as well.  He just hung some pictures for The Bachelorette (finally!), and it made a world of difference in the rooms.  Measure this, measure that, tap the nail, check to make sure it’s level … and it’s perfect every time.  Three cheers for Eric!

If paying a professional picture hanger is not in the budget, however, let me share an amazing DIY option for creating a photo gallery - The Picturewall Company and its signature product, the Perfectpicturewall.  With the Perfectpicturewall, you get 10 picture frames – in either one or two inch widths, with your choice of finish – and corresponding archival mats, hanging hardware, and fabulous templates for hanging the frames in a large rectangle (your choice of four different positions) or up a staircase (your choice of two directions).  To create larger arrangements, just add another set … or two … or three.  The easy guidelines will show you how to combine the templates.

Don’t have enough photos to fill the frames?  No worries!  The Picturewall Company also gives you access to their image gallery, so you can choose images that fit your style.  Replace them later … or maybe not if you like them that much!  I think they’ve got some really cool choices.  Wouldn’t this set be perfect in a modern nursery or playroom?   

Now this DIY is just my speed – the work has already been done for you!  Thanks to one of my favorite bloggers, Maria with Colour me Happy, for cluing me in on this product! 

Photo from The Picturewall Company

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I smell a bad breakup.  And I'm assuming that Lowe's is the jilted lover.  Let me back up for a minute ...

So I went to Lowe's with the Groovy Mom this morning.  We've got some great carpet options for her entirely renovated home from another store in town, but we wanted to make sure we'd done our due diligence and there wasn't anything better for a lower or comparable price.  While I was there, I was hoping to pick up some more spray paint (yes, it's a do-it-yourself story in the making) and a fan deck for the Martha Stewart by Valspar colors.  I've never specified any Martha colors, instead sticking with Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams.  But Jenny (of the Little Green Notebook) seems to be a big fan of the Martha colors, especially when painting furniture, so I wanted to pick up a fan deck for reference.  I circled the paint section twice in search of the Martha display.  When I didn't spot it the second time, I asked the Lowe's employee behind the paint desk.  He said something to the effect of, "I think her colors are still in the system, but we've pulled down the display."  

So now, I was curious!  Thanks to the magic of the iPhone (I love you, Apple), I quickly learned that Martha has a new deal with Home Depot.  Per this article, Martha will be selling all sorts of goodies at Home Depot, ranging from outdoor sets to closet organizers to other general decor.  Now, this doesn't sound all that strange when you realize that Martha's deal with K-Mart (for her Martha Stewart Everyday line) expires in January 2010.  But what on earth does that mean for her deal with Lowe's, which exclusively carried her Martha Stewart by Valspar paints? 

I'm guessing it doesn't mean anything good ... at least not for Lowe's.  I couldn't find any information about when Martha's contract with Lowe's expires or more importantly, what will happen to her colors!  When you check Martha's own website, you still see a hyperlink at the bottom of the home page, in the "Shop" section, entitled "Martha Stewart Colors at Lowe's."  But when you click the link, you get a big fat nothing.  Same thing with the "Paint" section of her site.  It sure looks like everything's hunky dory until you try to click the "learn more" links, which also take you to a big fat nothing.  When you go to the Valspar at Lowe's website, and then search "signature colors by designer," Martha is nowhere to be found. 

I find this all verrrrrry interesting.  Martha is acting like everything is fine, while Lowe's is attempting to erase every indication that she ever existed in their stores.  Yet there's no press release or any information about what is going on.  Someone is maaaaaaad!  I can't wait to get the skinny on this ...  In the meantime, does anyone have a Martha Stewart fan deck for me???? 

Photo from DailyComedy.com.  Thanks to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for the title of today's post!

My qi must be totally out of balance. 

First, I missed out on this tiny table at the Baker sale.  I almost posted about it as my "wish list" item for the sale; I've been coveting it for years and just can't justify paying full price.  Melanie from Charlotte (the purchaser of the table), if you read my blog, consider this a virtual "begging and pleading" for you to change your mind and sell me the table! 

Then I received in today's mail a cutting of a chocolate brown Sunbrella velvet to approve ... but the color of the cutting is way different than the memo sample I got from the showroom.  Even my 3 1/2 year old twins said that they weren't the same color.  Bummer!  Of course, I'm thankful that I have the cutting and can refuse to approve the release of the 20 yards (that are already paid for), but I'm disappointed that I won't have the fabric in a timely fashion. 

Now, I find out that - as part of Hachette Filipappi Media U.S.'s strategy to focus its resources in the shelter category on Elle Decor - Metropolitan Home and its website will close after the December issue.  Read the NYT article here.  I have countless tear pages from Metropolitan Home, including a 2002 article featuring one of my all-time favorite homes, the Washington, D.C. home of Darryl Carter ... who happens to be one of my all-time favorite designers.  Heck, with Metropolitan Home folding and my subscription to Architectural Digest expiring, I barely have anything to read any more!  Big sigh.     

I'm making an acupuncture appointment stat.               

Finally!!!  Coco Avant Chanel, starring the fabulous Audrey Tautou, arrived in Charlotte today!  I've been waiting not so patiently.  I'll see it at The Manor, but you can also check it out at Concord Mills (click here for showtimes).

Before you get there, though, check out this awesome watercolor-and-ink, Les Fleurs de Chanel - Lagerfeld by Chesley McLaren.  The 4th Wall Gallery in Dallas has an amazing show of Chesley's works going on right now.  Can you guess which are my favorites??  Don't worry if you can't swing by; you can enjoy the show, and works by many other artists, on the gallery's website!         

Image from 4th Wall Gallery 

First of all, let me say that I am just not a do-it-yourselfer.  I would soooo much rather hire a trained craftsperson.  It's just that I'm really picky, and I want it done perfectly.  Yes, this does create a bit of strife when my beloved decides that he wants to "fix" something.  And, although I would like to think I can do all things perfectly, especially if given sufficient time, the unfortunate truth is that very often I either don't have the time or the skill to measure up to the standard that I set for myself.  Yes, I can admit it.  As much as I would like it, I'll never be Jenny at Little Green Notebook.  But, on certain occasions, I am willing to experiment with some DIY.  So here's a fun (and super easy) project courtesy of The Bachelorette's new look for her home!   

As background, The Bachelorette had a very attractive table and four chairs that she had been given by her parents.  In fact, The Bachelorette had eaten on that very table while growing up ... which I think makes for a super story!  The table still looks great – it almost has a tortoiseshell-like finish, which I love – but I thought the chairs could look a little fresher. 

I love contrast, and the chairs were just a bit blah.  They blended too much with the table – not making any kind of statement – and the cushions were dated.  Mindful of the fact that we were on a B-U-D-G-E-T, and hence wanted a lot of bang for The Bachelorette's buck (!), my idea was to simply spray-paint the chairs a glossy dark brown and replace the cushions with something a little more fun and modern – in other words, something that would go with the new design in the rest of the house!   So off we went to the now-closed Home Depot Design Center (may you rest in peace) in the Metropolitan development right outside downtown Charlotte and procured several cans of Rustoleum All Surface Paint in Gloss Espresso Brown. 

Then, one partly sunny afternoon, we put a tarp down in the Bachelorette’s yard and just started spraying!  Because the chairs were older and already a bit rough, we didn’t even bother to sand them.  The Bachelorette and I just went in circles, spraying chair after chair.  Hilariously (or not), it started sprinkling … not long after we had finished our last coat.  So she and I frantically started carrying – as delicately as possible – not-completely-dry chairs to her front porch.  Fortunately, all’s well that ends well, and the chairs looked fantastic! 

Now it was time to replace the chair cushions.  I found this awesome blue leopard fabric - you know I love my animal prints - at Robyn’s Fabric Warehouse.  Just for you, my beloved blog readers, I found it online here. 

I then took the fabric to be made into cushions by a small upholstery company in Mount Holly that I knew to be budget-friendly.  Sooooo, drum roll, please!  Here’s one of the finished chairs. 

Doesn’t it look super?  It's even better in person ... and the DIY part was totally painless!  The total cost was under $400 – approximately $40 for six cans of spray paint, $100 for fabric and $250 in labor.  If you know how to sew, it would be practically nothing!  I'll share more photos of The Bachelorette's pad soon, so you'll get to see the chairs with the table.  I always know a project is a success when I am so in love with it that I wish I had it in my own home.  But as another designer said to me at High Point Market, at least I know where those pretty things now live and I can go visit them if I need to!    

Have any fun before and afters?  I'd love to share them!  Wondering what I'd do in your space?  I'd love to get your questions.  Email me at traci@tracizeller.com or tweet me at @tracizeller, and maybe I'll feature your question in an upcoming blog entry!  

Like this post?  Be sure to subscribe to my RSS Feeds!  Or, to view this blog through Facebook, click "Follow this Blog" in the NetworkedBlogs box.  You can also find me on Twitter, @tracizeller, and on Facebook, where my fan page is www.facebook.com/TraciZellerDesigns.  Thanks for reading!     

Franki over at Life in a Venti Cup totally cracked me up with her post about meeting Margaret Russell at the Elle Décor cocktail party (otherwise known as, a book signing for Style & Substance: The Best of Elle Décor) at High Point Market!  You all know that Margaret Russell is the impossibly chic, always poised editor-in-chief of Elle Décor and also a judge on Top Design, right?  Anyway, I promised in a comment to Franki’s post that I would share my recap of the same event, so here goes. 

Unlike Franki, I was way early for the party.  I had a babysitter to relieve that evening – my hubby was off to Houston on a business trip – so my goal was to have Margaret sign my book and hit the road for home ASAP.   So, about forty-five minutes or so before the party was set to begin, I wandered off to Market Square to make sure I knew where the party was going to be held.  As I meandered around, I window-shopped the Market Square showrooms, tried to find a good glass of wine (no such luck!) and stumbled across the String & Splinter Club.  Really, at this point, I was just looking for the elevator!  While in the String & Splinter Club, I spotted a ladies’ room and decided to do what one does in a ladies’ room.  As I walked in, I encountered four to five women – all dressed in black – sitting in an anteroom (complete with a vanity, club chairs, and all of the sinks for hand-washing).   A very tiny, pretty brunette was sitting at the vanity and teasing her hair.  Any guesses???  Oh yes, it was Margaret Russell herself … and her entourage from Elle Décor.  I thought it was Margaret, of course, but my suspicion was confirmed when I spotted Elle Décor business cards tucked behind the market passes of one of the other women.  My first thought was “act like you don’t recognize her” and “don’t I look like a dork carrying my copy of Style & Substance!”  So I continued on into the actual bathroom and carried on about my business.  When I returned to the anteroom, Margaret was still teasing her hair and everyone was laughing about how sometimes their families just don’t get it.  Apparently, Margaret had relayed a story about John Mayer putting his arm around her … to which she was asked, “Who’s John Mayer?”   At this point, I’m washing my hands and just doing my best to ignore them.  I momentarily think that it would be awfully nice to have her sign my book so that I can leave for home … but there is no way I’m going to be that girl who approached her in the ladies’ room!  So I walk out … still feeling ridiculous that I am carrying Style & Substance.      

Fast-forward thirty minutes or so, and I’m outside waiting for the party to commence.   A few of the girls in the entourage are now putting copies of the latest issue of Elle Décor out on the tables.  After a few more minutes, I notice a line starting to form – clearly, I’m not the only one with no plans to stay! – so I get myself in line and wait.  And wait.  And wait some more.  Margaret finally arrived and took her place on stage behind a glamorous white lacquered writing desk.   Really, she wasn’t terribly late – well within what I consider to be the “margin of error” – but at this point, I was having second thoughts about not approaching her in the ladies’ room!   After a few more minutes, it was my turn.  Margaret was lovely, of course, and willing to indulge my (and everyone else’s) request that she pose for a photograph.  She did not, however, show any sign of recognizing me from the ladies’ room!  I’m not sure if that means I was just that invisible to her or if she just makes a practice of not acknowledging anyone under those circumstances.  If I were her, I’m quite sure I would do the latter! 

So that’s the story of my encounter with Margaret.  Margaret, it was lovely to meet you.  I apologize for accidentally interrupting your pre-party primping.  I’ll try not to do it again!  I hope the next time I see you, it will be on Top Design! 

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