Not all design is glamorous, folks.  Check out one of the latest additions to the Zeller house!  Yes, it’s a bona fide working little potty … à la a day-care center or preschool. 

My toddler twins are quite small for their age – as is to be expected; both my hubby and I are small people – so I think we’ll get several years of use out of our investment.  The boys are potty-trained during the day and about to transition out of their cribs and into big boy beds.  So now I’m trying to promote their independence.  In other words - once we work on nighttime potty-training - I’d much prefer them to go on their own rather than call for Mommy in the middle of the night!  The Toto “Drake” toilet that was originally in this bathroom is safely stored in our walk-in attic to be reinstalled once the boys are taller.  Do you like the unpainted area that was hidden behind the Toto toilet?  I guess my hubby missed that when he repainted the bathroom before the boys were born.  I need to pull out the Benjamin Moore 2147-50 (Pale Sea Mist – which, by the way, is much more attractive in person) and touch that up sooner rather than later!       

Interested in your own tiny toilet?  Ours is the Kid’s Loo Toilet from Renovator’s Supply.  Unfortunately, the first one they sent us had a hairline crack in the tank … which, of course, wasn’t visible until the plumber installed it.  Renovator’s Supply was super, however, and sent a replacement immediately … although that still meant that I had to pay for installation twice.  Another option is the American Standard Baby Devoro toilet.  I actually think this one is cuter than the Kid’s Loo Toilet – and I’m almost certain it’s the same one that the high-end (and totally fabulous) Waterworks used to carry.  Unfortunately for me, the Kid’s Loo Toilet fit our existing rough-in, and the American Standard did not.  So be sure to check the rough-in distance in your own bathroom!        

By the way, I’m not the only one living such a fabulous life.   Alexa Hampton – with twin boys of her own and a singleton daughter – told me that she has two tiny toilets!  Now don’t be jealous …     

Do you need assistance in making your home functional for your family … and fabulous?  I’d be glad to help! 

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It was so delightful to hear Alexa Hampton talk about her collection for Hickory Chair!  To start, Alexa is one of the most approachable, down to earth, fun individuals that you could ever hope to meet.  Never mind that she has been named one of the AD 100 (top 100 designers according to Architectural Digest), designs collections for Visual Comfort, Kravet and Stark in addition to Hickory Chair, and learned at the knee of her famous father, the late Mark Hampton.  Indeed, when she pitched the idea of designing a furniture collection to Jay Reardon, the president of Hickory Chair, Alexa explained to him that she was, in fact, just like you and me.  In her words, "I'm the one who's most like the consumer.  I'm a young woman who's interested in design.  I'm the one who's buying this stuff."  Jay was persuaded, and the work began.  Alexa shared that it took two years from the time she signed on until her first collection launched.  During that time, "there are beautiful things you make, there are hideous things you make, and there are beautiful things you make that are atrocious to sit in."  Of course, as everyone who has ever visited a Hickory Chair showroom can attest, the end result of all that hard work is a collection of beautiful pieces that are wonderful to sit in!   

In this stunning grouping, the sofa is updated Danish Modern ... without the mothballs!  (Yes, those are Alexa's words.)  The chair is a new introduction, and the workmanship is stunning.  Check out the exquisite veneer on the back of the chair.  Alexa talked about the importance of "back interest" because many pieces - especially chairs - are seen primarily from the back.  As she said, you'd never buy a wedding dress without any back interest; why would you buy a chair without any back interest?  It was also very interesting to hear Alexa talk about how she likes pieces that appeal to both men and women, which she believes this chair will.  I love the ottoman, which is part of Hickory Chair's custom program (and can thus be made in any size).  As Alexa pointed out, the unique design (note the flat center, covered here by a tray, and rounded perimeter) makes it possible for you to put your feet up without knocking over everything on the ottoman.  The console table shown in the back is also a new introduction, and my favorite piece in her collection.  I wish I had better pictures to share, but that table is a workhorse!  Drawer/file cabinet units are available to slide underneath the table, turning it into an extremely functional desk.  I also love the leather drawer handles.  Alexa explained that - despite her strong affinity for classicism - the desk is one area in which she never minds going a little more sleek and modern, because it is already the location for so much modern technology.     

This beautiful bed is upholstered and dressed in a fabric that Alexa designed for Kravet.  Kravet was kind enough to let Hickory Chair use these fabrics exclusively before they are introduced into Kravet's main collection.  The bedside table has a pullout shelf, so that you have somewhere to put your glass of water without disrupting your tablescape.  See how thoughtfully Alexa designed all of these pieces? 

Note, too, that all of Alexa's furniture is appropriately scaled.  Her discussion of the "chofa" (basically, an oversized chair that is more like a sofa) was hilarious!  As she so adeptly explained, when you invest in a home with large rooms and high ceilings and then fill it with oversized furniture, you have just lost everything you gained by having tall ceilings in a big space.  Now, it just looks like you have a normal chair in a room with short ceilings.  The beauty of having tall ceilings is to enhance them by having appropriately scaled furniture.  Also, furniture should be sized to the body ... and unless you play in the NFL or the NBA, no one should need a chofa!     

As I mentioned in my last post, I was also delighted to learn that Alexa is the mother of soon-to-be three year-old twin boys, as well as a younger daughter.  I just love all twinnies and their moms!  Anyway, I loved hearing her explain that the antique which had inspired a particular chest was currently in storage because she was living in a "Fisher-Price hell."  As a mom who used to have a living room filled with two bouncy seats, two swings, two exersaucers and two Jumperoos, I understand ... and appreciate a famous mom who is willing to admit the same!  You can just plain relate to Alexa as a person. Her collection really reflects who she is, and that's one of the things that makes the collection - and Alexa - so enjoyable.  Thanks, Alexa, and I can't wait to see what you'll be up to next!     

I am on a serious design high after my visit to the High Point Furniture Market … but especially after the breakfast hosted by Hickory Chair yesterday.  To back up for a minute, Hickory Chair is a truly fantastic company and has been for years.  My first real furniture purchase – made at 21 years old, fresh out of college – was a chair by Hickory Chair from Leo Burke Furniture in Richmond, Virginia.  The chair was obscenely expensive by the standards of a student (thank you, Dad!!!!), but I knew that the chair would last forever.   So I took my modest budget, splurged on that chair and a Michael Thomas junior-sized sofa, and found everything else as inexpensively as possible.  Investing in quality is always the least expensive thing in the long run, and indeed my Hickory Chair chair looked as perfect when it was ten years old - yes, we are past that now and I’m unwilling to admit exactly how far past - as it did when it was first delivered.   In recent years, however, Hickory Chair has become as well-known for its fantastic designer collections – by Alexa Hampton, Suzanne Kasler, Thomas O’Brien and Mariette Himes Gomez – as it already was for its excellent quality products.  It’s really impressive.  What I find equally amazing, however, is the fact that 85% of Hickory Chair’s products are made in the United States.  What a refreshing change from what has become the norm these days! 

Given this, I was already delighted to visit the Hickory Chair showroom … but listening to Alexa, Suzanne and Thomas (oh, check me out – on a first name basis with them now!  HA!) talk about their individual collections for Hickory Chair was an experience more fabulous than I could have imagined!  Each collection is amazing in its own right, and I’m going to highlight them individually in posts later this week … so stay tuned!  I will leave you with this one absolutely fantastic snippet from Alexa.  Alexa is also a mom of almost three year-old twin boys (can I hear a woo hoo from my other twin mom friends?) as well as a fourteen month-old daughter.  Anyway, Alexa was joking about her love of neoclassicism and shared that, when she was pregnant with her boys, Thomas O’Brien asked if Alexa was going to name them Neo and Classical.  Alexa retorted that no, she was planning to name them Vintage and Modern (which is, of course, the name of Thomas’ collection for Target).  Hilarious!  It was also an absolute delight to meet Heather from Habitually Chic (photo above), Franki from Life in a Venti Cup, and Shay from Designer Detective, among others.  Heather, especially, has been inspiring me since she began her blog and I was thrilled to be able to tell her that in person.

Many, many, many thanks to Jay Reardon, president of Hickory Chair, and Laura Holland for their hospitality!!  Laura kindly invited me to Hickory Chair University – basically, an in-depth tour of their factory – so I’ll have to check with her on a date so that I can fill you in on even more of the behind-the-scenes details at Hickory Chair.  I can’t wait for that, and I can’t wait to bring you more details from Market!