Rug Shopping at the Frontgate Outlet Center Near My Home!

Some of you may recall my difficulties in finding area rugs in the greater Atlanta marketplace - searched for while we were furnishing our newly renovated terrace level (aka basement) - discussed here. I ended up buying a great rug at Home Goods but visited three of their stores at least 3-5 times to find the right one. Here is a story about finding a great rug without even looking for it - and one I had been off and on trying to find for over five years!

My Wydeven Designs link to website customers (and fans) have seen this wonderful fleur de lis rug in my sunroom in most of my refurbished furniture photographs - it is in my "photo studio/sunroom"!

This rug has been in this room since it was built in 2004 and before that in the adjacent kitchen dining area!

I bought this lovely wool rug about 13 years ago at an estate sale (naturally) and have been looking for a replacement for about five years. The rug's backing disintegrated over time and I ended up having it replaced at some cost when I was not able to find anything new I liked half as well. Occasionally, I have had inquiries from potential customers such as "... I like your chairs but don't need any at this time, I would however like to buy your rug" or "Could you tell me where you purchased that fantastic rug!"  On the last type inquiry, I would respond with "Could YOU tell me where I might buy this rug - I need to replace it!!" So, anyway, it has been much loved!

It had accumulated quite a few spots that I could not remove and was again showing some wear along the bottom and edges. I again started listlessly looking for a replacement on-line and elsewhere but found NOTHING I could even imagine using instead.  Meanwhile, over the last week, we have been dog-sitting my daughter's elderly dog and one morning woke up to see she had soiled the carpet pretty badly the night before but we had not spotted it in the dark. I started using all the products and tricks to remove the stain but was not totally successful - I was not too happy about this! I realized I would really need to replace it now and figured that I would be in for a long search!

Recently, I had found a Frontgate Outlet Center not far away in Roswell, GA.  It had been there for some time but I just never noticed until it was mentioned to me by a friend for a totally different purchase - an indoor/outdoor type lantern that she had bought at the center - link to website - location.

I visited it right after the referral and took these photos - several weeks ago.

The store was just setting up holiday sales - loved the big green and silver ornaments.

Best prices were on the outdoor furniture - the sling-back chairs were $99 each - not too bad for Frontgate!

I liked the furniture but thought it was pretty pricey for an "outlet center" - as high as $1200.

Yesterday, my husband I and I stopped by the outlet center to check out Christmas decorating options for out front-porch area and were disappointed in the selection - both the type of product available and cost. The price was not much less than the catalog sales.  I wandered over to the rug area and spied a blue and white edge under a stack of outdoor carpets.  I pulled this one out and said I thought it would work in our room - the size is 8X10 (slightly smaller than other) and only $159 - not a bad deal!  We brought it home and VOILA - I like it!

It is an outdoor carpet but does not look like it.   It might, however, better survive other "accidents" - at least that is my hope!  I must admit, I do not yet like it as well as the other but I do like the brightnesss of it (and of course, it's clean!!).  I think this will work!

Color Trends - Looking Ahead to 2013!

Pantone's 2012-2013 Palette - Lodestar - "Follow Your Personal Star" - vivid and vibrant!

I like to stay a little ahead of the retail and online sale sites by checking out the decorating trends and colors that are just around the corner. I noted that you can get ahead as much as 2013-2014 but that is a little far out for me - 2012-2013 is "ahead" enough. I do not have the same lead times that big-scale manufacturers and retailers have to work with.  

A go-to source for color predictions is pantone link to website - the biggest and universally famous color authority is a reliable source of color information.  

PANTONE VIEW Colour Planner Fall/Winter 2012/2013 contains the following eight palettes:

•                Lodestar – Follow your personal star!
 A range of vivid and vibrant tones, which strongly stimulate your optic nerve and allow you to "see" the world.

•                Composed – Something new comes out of the shadows!
A series of color crescendos from muted warm or cool browns to foggy grayed greens, as well as turquoise and khaki, finishing with a dark coda of chocolate and graphite.

•                Submerge – The world turned upside down! 
A scale of oxygenated and salty blues descends to blackened ink, stone and moss. An underwater garden beneath an underwater sky.

•                Radiate – Break the rules! Use the force of aesthetics! 
Radiate is pure happiness, and very colorful. Do not be scared by shades of bright reds, embarrassing violets and vulgar oranges. Be brave and mix them all together.

•                Touchstone – Take pleasure in things that are old and loved! 
Traditional colors take the limelight: brown-black, mahogany, sandalwood, saddle, mid and dark tan, midnight, glossy navy – balanced by a trusty neutral.

•                Aperture – New ways of perceiving the universe! 
A range, which includes the luminous and the somber, hot and cold, a centrifugal force and a centripetal force, the macro and the micro, the atom and the universe.

•                Converge – Reconnect to your natural power! 
Converge is about deep, informed colors gathered together at a central point and then merged in a new creative way.

•                Peripheral – Appreciate the small elements! 
Using honest, flat, uncomplicated, warm color, we slowly build complex forms as we appreciate how little elements work together to produce great things.

Pantone's 2012-2013 Palette - Composed - "Something New Comes Out of the Shadows".

Pantone's 2012-2013 Palette - Submerge - "The World Turned Upside Down" .

Amongst color predictions (and setters) who need to be engaged on this subject are paint manufacturers.  Here are web sources that describe two of the biggest manufacturers's color palette predictions - Sherwin Williams  and Benjamin Moore.

There is also a pinterest board that highlights color trends - link here - although it does emphasize fashion over decor - but you get the idea.

So, what does all this tell me?!?  It suggests that not much has changed.   Blues are still popular as well as my current favorite - seafoam blue - a version of which is shown in all three of the palettes highlighted above.  It also suggests that you can stay with neutral and natural color themes or go with the supersaturated and vibrant - just read the "radiate" color palette description above.

Good to know but doesn't change much of what I am doing!

Pinterest Dreaming - My Pieces in Pinned Rooms

I love using Pinterest link to my pinterest boards to find and organize interior design images that help me decide how to refurbish the great, heirloom-quality upholstered pieces that I find.  These images serve as my on-going "trends" barometer to see what images, colors, patterns, combinations people like best.  In this posting, I am showing some of my favorite "shop" pieces link to my website in virtual settings from my pinterest boards.

These velvet and complementary fabric chairs are VERY COMFORTABLE - would work in the pinterest settings shown - link to pinterest board

I love the combination of a crisp green with white - source link to pinterest boards. 

This is a nice combination of seafoam blue with apple green - soft and serene - link to pinterest board

White wingbacks go anywhere! 

This lovely set is vintage and down with a Laura Ashely linen - it would look great in this room - link to pinterest boards. 

The colors are a little off but that may be the photography - I love my cane-sided chairs in this crisp white and buttercup damask patterned fabric - link to pinterest boards

Well, I certainly enjoyed this pinterest dreaming opportunity!   I hope you do too!

Introducing a New Line for Wydeven Designs - The Estate Collection

Home in St. Marlo Country Club - John's Creek Area of Atlanta

I live in a wonderful metropolitan area that has many great neighborhoods and wonderful old (and new) estates - larger homes often in wonderful settings!   I have talked about some of these in my blogs.   Some estate homes have been visited on house tours and others (many) are visited as estate sales are conducted on the premises.  I LOVE getting inside of these wonderful spaces and seeing "... how the other half lives"!

In attending just such an "estate sale" in an "estate property" last weekend, that I decided to take the plunge into buying well constructed upholstered furniture in very good to excellent condition that exemplifies this rarified setting and offering them through my Wydeven Designs outlets (web, eBay and Etsy - link to website).  Unlike my primary inventory, these are not pieces that are refurbished but rather are bought "as is" and sold "as is".  Needless to say, my costs for acquisition are quite a bit higher than they would be if the pieces were in dire need of attention.  Still, I am offering the pieces at either close to the amount asked for at the sale or even less - I just was able to acquire them for enough less to make it worth my while.  I am calling this my ESTATE COLLECTION!

Estate in Druids Hills area of Atlanta - Garden Tour (April)

Knollwood Estate in Buckhead Area of Atlanta - I attended a Showhouse Tour and Estate Sales here!

Another Buckhead Area Sale - I actually bought a piece of furniture for myself at this one!

Ansley Park Neighborhood Sale

So, even though my primary interest (passion, motivation, etc.) continues to be finding heirloom quality pieces and refurbishing them for one or more generations to come, I will be offering some of these great pieces from time to time - space and great pieces available!

Here are my newest acquisitions - offered for sale!

Italian Chairs (Pair) with Distressed Woodwork and Impeccable Silk Upholstery (Down Cushions) - available through Wydeven Designs!

French Style Chairs in Very Dark (almost black) Slightly Distressed Woodwork and Chenille/Velvet Combination Fabric - available through Wydeven Designs!

These are lovely pieces and came from a GORGEOUS home in the Sandy Springs area of Atlanta - love them!

Visiting Blue Ridge, Georgia - an Estate Sale and More!

Blue Ridge, Georgia, is located about 90 miles north of Atlanta. A neighborhood friend and her family have a lake home in the area and just love to spend time there - she has been effusive in praising not just the area around their home but also the quaint village/town of Blue Ridge. Therefore, when I saw an ad for a "huge estate sale" in Blue Ridge, I tried very hard to talk a friend into taking the long drive with me. It worked out so well that the day was beautiful and fall colors are still all around!

Take a deep breath and relax…

Surround yourself with beauty, relaxation and natural fun in Georgia’s Blue Ridge, only 90 miles north of Atlanta via I-575 and Hwy 515, but a million miles away from the traffic, stress and anxiety of the city. With 106,000 acres located in the Chattahoochee National Forest, Blue Ridge is definitely the cure for whatever ails you. Rent a cozy cabin or a luxury mountain home, or stay in a bed & breakfast inn or hotel -- and simply relax. link to website

First, the estate sale.  It was pretty bad.  The house was not just old but falling apart and kind of creepy. It was right on the highway, not even in a quaint setting.

Some interesting items but nothing worth buying!

Fortunately, the town of Blue Ridge was just a few miles from this estate sale location, so it was a perfect spot for quick exploration and lunch.  We did love the town and it was quite busy with locals and tourists.  The main street was actually bustling!  We had lunch at "Harvest on Main" - right on their sunny front porch.  We also wandered briefly through some of the shops and up and down Main Street.  Here are some photo highlights.  We discussed coming back with our spouses and making a day-trip out of it - a lovely setting!

Loved this elk overlooking the railroad area behind Main Street!

It was a lovely trip even though the estate sale was definitely a bust!

Southern Living Idea House - Senoia, Georgia

Senoia, Georgia, is a small town about one hour south of Atlanta that is famous for its historic district AND for being the town of Woodbury in the hit show, The Walking Dead!  It is a charming place and is the location of the 2012 Southern Living Idea House link to magazine website. Southern Living has been completing "Idea" houses for over 20 years.

Enter Senoia, 25 miles and 100 years from Atlanta, where the main street looks like a scene out of Driving Miss Daisy—because it actually was.  The town doubles as a back lot for popular film and TV projects such as the classic Fried Green Tomatoes and AMC’s current hit, The Walking Dead.  But dig a little deeper and you will find a community committed to eco-friendly construction—right down to the electric cars parked in front of the diner.

This year's house was originally a 1830 farmhouse relocated to this area and enhanced. I visited the house this week with several friends and was very impressed with the work of the architect and builder who rendered and constructed the expansive design and the interior design team who created such wonderful space. The house has recently been sold - no surprise to us - and the buyer is considered "local" - not more than 25 miles from this location.

The "farmhouse" is part of an historic area development just off of the main street in Senoia.  The development promises to be a lovely setting when completed.

About Senoia and Historic Development Ventures, LLC: Winner of the 2010 Georgia Renaissance Award, the Historic Senoia Project is a downtown redevelopment initiative undertaken by Historic Development Ventures, LLC which includes an in-town urban living, dining, and cultural experience and boasts shopping, attractions and oodles of ambience.  Many of the vacant parcels of land in Senoia's Historic District have been acquired for the purpose of constructing period infill development, designed with a dual purpose: to blend seamlessly with the town’s early 1900’s architecture  while serving as a back lot for film and television production at nearby Raleigh Studios - Atlanta. The scope of Senoia’s revitalization includes retail/commercial, office/professional, a 4 star boutique hotel, and in-town residential elements, masterfully planned to offer modern amenities and technology within the context of a historic sense of place. Learn more athistoricsenoia.com.

This was a wonderful visit - best told by showing you the photos I took.  I will mention some of my "idea" take-aways which is, after all, the whole concept!

It was such a bright and sunny day that some are somewhat washed out - but I don't have the heart to complain about such a nice bright and sunny day!

Nice plantings - I liked the stepping stone area on side of house.    

I loved the whimsical and colorful artwork but din't find out much about it in the resource book we received.  Unfortunately, I had not asked when there.  I do love "cow pictures" and am commissioning my artist friend, Bette, do do an acrylic or oil cow picture for me.  

The back of the house was very entertainment friendly.  I thought the retrievable canopy that will provide much needed shade int he summer months is a great idea!

Loved this color combination and that set of chairs was wonderful - totally washed out by sunshine coming in window.

The house had a lot of neutral rooms with hints/splashed os color such as in this bedroom.  I loved the sink basin - a duck egg blue base with wood-toned top - it looked very authentically very old! 

Love the spaciousness of this front porch which actually continues on the right side.  You could live your whole life out here!

I continue to be amazed by Ikea kitchens.  This whole kitchen with exception of lamp fixture was from Ikea - nicely done.  The dining area (wish I had better photo) was in a windowed alcove and very cozy!

This area was called the "keeping room" but we thought of it as the media room with the TV on the lovely console.

The master was not my favorite room  I loved the chairs and the color-scheme - not as excited about the artwork and the odd reindeers above bed.

These photos speak for themselves - nice views in every direction. 

Nicely decorated for the holidays with wreaths draping across most mirrors - an idea that I could use.

Views of neighborhood and plans.

One idea we really liked - waist-level hooks for purses and hats as you travel between garage and house - unfortunately, I have WAY too many!

Another VERY clever idea  - an easily modified naughty and nice list - situated in the laundry room using chalk paint!

WOW - nice visit!