Christina Strutt's best tips for the holidays

The holidays are meant to bring family and friends together. It is a time to share warm meals and good conversation, cozy blankets, soft flannels, and warm fires to snuggle up to. Bitter cold days filled with snow, and naked trees are an unmistakable sign to head indoors and secure your spot on the couch with a yummy cup of hot cocoa. Preparing for the holidays can be a hectic task but it doesn’t need to be a chore. Back in October I offered up the Holiday survival guide with my best tips and tricks to get in gear, and recently had the chance to talk with Christina Strutt, of Cabbages and Roses, to find out her best tips on holiday decorating and making your festivities homey.

{CLICK HERE to read more}

An affair with a chair

How great would life be to seat a glamourous life? To be looked upon as a curvy and alluring creature that is admired, swooned and coveted? Oh and it provides comfort and encourages conversation. I adore chairs, almost as much as I love candy. Here are some of my favorite finds:

Jonathan Adler

Victoria Hagan

  Platt Furniture

Jonathan Adler

                                                                  

Fyndes.com

Studio Dror (these chairs hang flat when not in use!)

Missoni Chair by Kartell

Charme Chair by Studio Archirivolto

Off to Babylon where the pie don't taste so sweet..

About a month ago the lovely and wonderful Vicente Wolf wrote a post about client behavior. Clients tend to have high expectations from their designers. However, they don't always want to pay for the work required to get from point A to point B. Thus clients are prone to unrealistic, impractical, and often times unfeasible assumptions. They anticipate a storyboard of ideas and a jaw dropping presentation and soon drop their eagerness to move forward when the bill comes in the mail. "what! You want me to PAY for the time you spend to put together a presentation?" After awhile I got used to the response, but I have also become callous in my own expectations.

For those of you new to the design block, the bulk of a design project happens in the beginning stages of a project. Countless hours go into research, space-planning, color analysis, furniture, fabrics, lighting, and sifting through hundreds of books, materials and samples. I have personally invested over 30 hours doing research just to redo one room. I want the space to be perfect in design, concept and function. And like any research it is about experimentation and discovery. Once the materials and ideas are pulled, it needs to be structured and organized in an efficient and methodical order to best show the client the "vision". Countless hours!

Despite years of presentations, it still surprises me when I get the client that refuses to pay for this. They want to meet with two or three designers, to choose the BEST one. That is fine by me, but you will pay me for my TIME. I often try to put it in perspective for them. "Would you go into work an hour early and stay an hour late every day, without pay, because your boss wants to SEE if you are the best one?" Funny enough they always have an answer that favors their point over mine.

I will never understand why people do not respect this profession. I have a college education, in DESIGN, and I earn a living on my TIME. How do you suppose I pay my girls, my rent, my electric bill, my phone bill....?? By giving it away?? Afraid not. In order for me to pay my overhead, and carry the products I carry it takes money. The magical green paper that solves all the world problems. So the next time you want to drag me to Babylon and back, where the pie don't taste so sweet, think twice, because I have grown very weary of travel and Im real tired of bad pie. Remember dear clients, we live in the south where EVERYTHING takes butter, sugar and love to taste better.

TARGET TUESDAY!

Ok so Im being told that this blogging thing is a winter sport. Can this really be considered a sport? I mean really, Im sipping a toddy with just a splash of vodka,(....the size of a tsunami) and shoving a donut in my mouth; and dare I say I just finished an entire bowl of mac and cheese ( it's considered a vegetable here in the south, I don't make the rules, I simple enjoy them.) So as we enter into our 5th?, 6th? Target Tuesday I can't help but wonder if I am missing the boat of enlightenment. It may take a fork lift to get me to that boat, but could it be possible that Target is on vacation? Oh MY!

My journey today will be focusing on lamps. I love lamps. I know, I know, I LOVE every thing home decor. I suppose that is why I do what I do. But lamps make doing it easier! Lamps are the quintessential accessory. They do so many things. A home decor work horse if you will. They bring proportion and scale to a room. They are decorative with ceramic, brass, glass, painted or wood bases. And the shades! Oh they can just add that little pop of surprise or be subtle and sleek.

Lamps add light. But they also add warmth to a room. No fluorescent bulbs here. I practice many green things, but I draw the line at fluorescent bulbs. They are too blue and cold. They make everyone look blue, and dead. And while the dead need to look good too, their lighting is not nearly as important as other things are.

Target has a decent selection of lamps, but they are quite generic. Nothing overly fun, and as usual Im not keen on the sizes available. In a designers world size is EVERYTHING. If it isn't the right size everything around it will be off. My lamps will offer several different mediums. Glass, ceramic, wood, iron and metal. My favorite is ceramic. I love glazed ceramic lamps with color. I will have different shade options, but my favorite shade is a drum shade. It offers the most versatility, it is sleek in design and it puts out the most light. I will have shades in solids, and textures but specialize in drum shades. All my lamps will be easily mixed and matched and as always they will be classic, easy on the eyes, and tailored in style.

Well hopefully Target is not on vacation. Although Im finding that EVERYONE is on vacation except me! Hopefully while on that cruise, excursion, or adventure you have a moment to open that laptop and give AB HOME a little peek, so when you return we can get to work! Thanks for visiting us on TARGET TUESDAY!!

Umm, what kinda car do you drive?

It was a Tuesday afternoon when I got her call. (Can you imagine my excitement when I received the pivotal call that changed my life?) She was all things celebrated and distinguished. Every designer wanted to work with her. I had become the CHOSEN ONE! ( she obviously reads my blog full of essential, up-to-date, fundamentally pivotal material!)

When I got to the house I expected simple, elegant and sophisticated style. What I found was an archaic, prehistoric shack. No worries. I am a designer, a mythical, creative creature...the thing legends are made of. (The chosen one!) I will simply hang my designer flag high, wave my wand, splash on some paint and create what I like to call, design magic. As I waited to meet with the painter, a highly referred, renowned, well known, respected, acclaimed and popular painter, I sat outside my client's shack waiting. After 15 painstakingly restless minutes I called the painter. "where the hell are you?" "I have been here for 20 minutes, our appointment was at 9!"

To my satisfaction he was there, to my disgust he had been sitting in her driveway! ( to keep you all up to speed, I drive a mammoth 40 ft gray van that has BIG letters all over it that Japan could see on a clear day.) I hopped out of my MAMMOTH van to walk up to her house. I looked everywhere for his MAMMOTH sized PAINTERS van. So help me GOD he is not here!! And with colossal and monumental swiftness this blonde haired casanova stepped out of a 2009 Mercedes convertible 500 SL.

I am beautiful painter, no?

As a designer I am often stereotyped as having unconventional, labeled and animated behavior. Over the top, vibrant conduct with uber expensive taste. Now this description, as colorful and exciting as it sounds doesn't exactly explain my breed of operation. I fell a few short miles off the satisfactory truck, somehow managing to squeeze myself past the "extraordinary" design express lanes catapulting myself into "extra" ordinary at warp speed. But unlike the extraordinary, desirable, high-priced designer, I am the working girl's guide to economy sized, accessible, imagination that meets your design dreams all within budget. I can screw, glue and make it new, all with a handy glue gun and a paperclip; at a fraction of the price. An amateur I am not, but with this coming attraction you will not find anything more than a low-key campaign of modest, understated design conduct; simply put, flip flops, cotton shirt, a little chapstick and a MAMMOTH sized gray van.

This may be disappointing to some. The magnetism and charisma of such glamour and mystique a high-priced designer affords can seem important and momentous. Positively assuring that without question this will result in an unfalteringly beautiful home, all because that designer can afford $300 shoes, a fancy car and an important organization she calls "enterprise", (and as her client you will spend thousands funding that obsession.) I firmly believe that my TARGET shoes are just as good as miss goodie too choos, and I am no less of a designer. Just because Im directionally challenged and missed the extraordinary express lane is besides the point.

HE calls himself a painter? I couldn't believe the horror I was seeing. My immediate nausea told me to run. Slick, smooth and greasy I couldn't decide if this was real or a scene from the Sopranos. His words slippery as shoe polish he announced he was in fact the painter. Recommended? Dear GOD, what have I gotten into. (Can you imagine my excitement when I received the pivotal call that changed my life?) Well despite my disgust, nausea and gut wrenching intuition that told me to run, I moved forward with Dick Tracy. And oh how this poor judgement did change my life! I tried to convince myself that he was a highly referred, renowned, well known, respected, acclaimed and popular painter. Well, 2 drywall repairs, six total trim tear outs of crown base and chair rail, two toilets, 10 door replacements, a lawsuit and 12 months later, I realized that Dick Tracy was not the highly referred, renowned, well known, respected, acclaimed and popular painter on my list. Not even on my shit list. I may not wear the fancy clothes, drive a mercedes or have the fancy choos, but an amateur I am not. I am fair, affordable and I drive a MAMMOTH gray van so that I can do my job the best that I can possibly do and that is my breed of operation! So if your gut tells you that a painter who drives a mercedes seems excessive, RUN!!!!!!!!

High Style Dining Rooms

At AB HOME INTERIORS we decorate and create a lot of dining rooms. We love to decorate a tablescape for a party to set a mood. However, these rooms show that when there isnt a party a simple decoration will do. And while the first picture does show a well decorated table for soon to arrive guests, the other three tables are great examples of dining rooms that are high on style, with dramatic color combos with little decoration. The focus is more on the rooms as a whole. They are warm, easy to read, and easy on the eyes!

Photos courtesy of Phoenix Home.

Beautiful bathrooms

Nothing speaks to me more than a beautiful bathroom. A bathroom that is well designed exploits the senses with exhilaration, excitement and promotes soothing calm with absolute ease. We start and end our day in this porcelain and chrome castle so shouldn't our bathrooms put us in a good mood? One thing is for sure, if one of these rooms was where I started my day I would actually be happy to be up at 7 am, and wouldn't mind slipping into slumber by 8pm!

As a designer I help clients in new construction projects and remodels. Bathrooms are always a major category on the "to do" list of luxuries. But if you don't have a new construction project, or the budget to remodel here are some tips to update your bathroom into "happy to be up at 7 am" category.

1) Update your fixtures. This is an easy category for anyone. As a rule of thumb stick to the current manufacturer that is already in you bathroom. For example, if your fixtures are Moen, update to another Moen fixture. And this doesn't have to be expensive! Look online, home improvement close outs, and plumbing stores.

2) Update your counters. Surfaces are highly competitive. And many natural stone companies have a remnant yard. What does this means to you? You can go to these facilities and select "leftovers" from other jobs that are perfect for a bathroom counter. You can often find high quality, high priced slabs at half the price. The average bathroom remnant will cost $400-$800, compared to the normal $1200 or higher.

3) Update the floors. Most bathrooms have good working tile. But if yours isn't castle worthy, inexpensive tile can be found. But a word of caution. Depending on where you live, inexpensive tile can easily be found, inexpensive labor may not. Do some research of tile installation costs in your area.

4) Paint. The simplest and least expensive update! Paint can make all the difference in any space. And most bathrooms only use 1-2 gallons. So for a few paint rollers, supplies and paint you can put up a new splash of color for under $100 bucks!

5) Knobs. Most of my clients never even think to change out the knobs on their cabinets. But this simple, inexpensive update can easily add personality and style in an instant and generally costs less than $50.

6) Accessories. Add a few new towels, some artwork (bought or made), some candles, and you have yourself a hotel spa in a flash.

Have further questions on how to update your bathroom sanctuary? Email us at amanda@abhomeinteriors.com

Table scaping

Back in February we did the home show here in Nashville. We created a beautiful tablescape showcasing the possibilities and limitless ideas that anyone can use for their own table. Since the show we have received numerous emails from curious design enthusiasts on what creates a beautiful table, and what can be used to create a beautiful table. Here are some rules we live by:

A simple welcome note

As we begin our travels on the web as bloggers, our hope is to bring you the best in the design world. We will keep you on top of the best trends, ideas that have great sticking power, and of course keep you posted on everything AB HOME. Our office is always in a state of design frenzy. Nothing ever stays the same, and we love change. Nothing is ever ordinary, and if it is, well we will make it extraordinary! Welcome to our new spot on the web. Thank you for joining us, and visit us at ABHOMEINTERIORS.COM.