I’m Headed To The Haven Conference

I’m off to Atlanta to attend the Haven Conference and meet up with lots of awesome new bloggers and famous bloggers, too.  I’m sure there’s lots to learn and lots of fun to be had.  Somebody has to do it.

Me, antiquing in Atlanta at Foxglove Antiques!  I’m staying through the weekend so I’m sure I’ll have time to do what I do best…shop!  There’s lots of great French antiques at Miami Circle Drive in Buckhead!!!

I’m very intense when I’m inspecting antiques.  I love these real clam shells!  So trés chic!  

I can’t wait to give you a full report!

BTW…don’t forget to hop over to Coastal Charm and enter the French giveaway that I’m sponsoring.  It ends Sunday June 24 at midnight.  You don’t want to miss it!

Au Revoir,

Kim

Yes, I’m A Hillbilly with a Music Room

I don’t think I’ve ever shared with you that I am a pianist.  I began playing the piano when I was 6 years old.  I have been a church pianist since the age of 8.  I have studied classical piano, performed on stage for numerous talent competitions and beauty pageants, played at countless weddings and funerals, and specialize in Southern gospel.  I’ve even given piano lessons in the past.

That’s why I need a music room!

Now, the Hillbilly part.  I’ve been absent from blogland this week due to our annual Hillbilly Days Festival right here in Pikeville, KY.  It might as well be declared a national holiday in these parts.  Over 150,000 visitors from all over the U.S. and other countries descend upon our sleepy little town with a population of 6,500  to hoot and holler and raise money for the Shriner’s Children’s Hospital in Lexington.  All the local schools are out.  It’s a wildly popular event, with lots of Bluegrass music, fireworks, a carnival, corn hole competitions, quilt shows, and tons of hillbillies all dressed up for the part!  Oh, and lots of Hillbilly slang!

And did I mention food?  Holy Moly, there are tons of food vendors.  Did you know you can deep fry anything?  Even butter?  Well, it’s all right here at Hillbilly Days.  My favorite indulgence is deep fried Oreos!  This is certainly not a health food week.

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “hillbilly”?

Do you picture Jed Clampett and Granny from the old TV show “The Beverly Hillbillies”?  Do you think moonshine, cabins, and barefoot folk?

There are wealthy hillbillies and poor hillbillies.  It’s a long and rich heritage that comes from living in the Appalachian Mountains (which could be an entire blog of its own…maybe one day!).  It’s a fascinating history behind where we get the term “hillbilly”.  Short explanation here.  I may drive a Porsche and have lots of shoes, but I’m still a hillbilly at heart and proud of it.  I live among some of the most intelligent and kindest people in the world.  Southern hillbillies believe in strong family ties (generations run deep in these hills) and always help their neighbors.

Yes, other hillbillies drive nice cars, too!

The music is always  outstanding.  There are several different stages set up around the city including the park, the courthouse, and the boulevard.  This was an impromptu session.

 

At the stage in the city park.

Very fashion-forward, don’t cha think?  Please don’t call me ladies wanting to know where you can get overalls like these!!!  And that hat would be perfect for the Kentucky Derby!  (just kidding, of course!) lol

O.K., O.K. enough Hillbilly Days. You get the idea.  Of course, I go every year and eat, socialize,  visit the craft area, and listen to good music.  The city is at the base of my mountain (in the valley).  I’m in the city limits and can see downtown from my backyard.

View of the city from my house.

And you thought this post was about my music room!  Well, it is!

The baby grand is a cherry French Provinçal style by Yamaha.  They make one of the best sounding concert pianos.  I’m in good company…Elton John prefers a Yamaha.  My previous grand piano was a traditional shiny black lacquer example by Baldwin.

This is a sunken music room and it is located in the center of the house.  My husband bought me the French trumeau mirror on my 40th birthday.  The other French pieces are the console and plant stand, both Louis XVI style from the late 1800s.

You can see my pair of French bouillotte tables on the right.  This Karastan rug is one of my favorites.  I just love the pattern and the subtle colors.

It’s hard to find an original trumeau in this condition.  

I think I’ve shared the story about this mantel before, but I’ll share it again.  We bought this mantel before we had house plans because I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it at Architectural Salvage in Louisville.  It’s cherry and walnut and came from a Victorian mansion in the Cincinnati area.  It stands 9  1/2” tall and I really love the paneled recessed niche.  I hung a pair of French botanical engravings in the niche and at Christmas a large Father Christmas stands proudly in the space.

It’s the only non-working fireplace in the house.  I had black slate installed in the back so I could display my French fireback.  The two large urns are alabaster and are also from France.  The double doors lead to the balcony.

The floors are Brazilian cherry and we had an inlaid pattern put around the mantel.  Actually, we had this inlaid border installed in our dining room, and we had a little left over so I put it here!!!  Can’t waste good materials!

View looking toward the foyer.

Detail on the French brass repoussé planter.  The brown spotted ball is actually an English Victorian carpet ball and is really quite heavy!

I hope you enjoyed the hillbilly music room! LOL  Gotta run.  The big parade is today and it’s the last opportunity to get greasy yummy hillbilly food until next year!  Hopefully this afternoon I’ll get caught up on reading all your wonderful blogs as well…I feel so behind.  

Y’all come back now, ya hear?

Kim

Linking up to these great parties:

Newbie Party at Debbie Doo's Blogging and Blabbing

French Obsession Party at Le Chateau Des Fleurs 
Favorite Room Party at In The Old Road

Bluegrass Trust Show & Suzanne Kasler

I just returned home from a wonderful couple days in Lexington attending the annual Bluegrass Trust Antique & Garden Show.  It’s one of the premier antique & décor events in Kentucky and it never disappoints me.

This year it was held at the Kentucky Horse Park at the new Alltech Arena which was home to the World Equestrian Games last year.  It has previously been conducted at the Keeneland Racetrack before the spring meet starts.

It is a very high-end show and exhibitors include some of the finest antique dealers in the U.S. plus a variety of outstanding nurseries and garden designers.  There are always great event speakers, silent auctions, and lots and lots of the best antiques for home décor.  Plus, some of the best of the best designers, dealers, and so forth from right here in the Bluegrass are featured.

I wish I could show you some photos, but I never take any at this particular show.  To say it is upscale, is an understatement.  This show has what I call a certain classy “Southern Refinement” and it is not the place where you go around all giddy at the amount of amazing items and snap photos incessantly while you drool over everything.    It’s just not that venue.  It has such a distinguished air about it.  Don’t get me wrong…..it’s definitely not snoody…..there are soooo many wonderful people here…..it’s just the way it is.  There are professional photographers there and you just don’t see people taking pictures.

I attended the Gala and Preview Party on Thursday night with a couple of my friends and it was a wonderful evening.  My pick of the night was a lovely potted orchid and dried lavender bunches that came from a fine nursery in Frankfort. 

On Friday, I attended the luncheon with featured speaker, Suzanne Kasler, renowned Atlanta-based designer extraordinaire.  She’s actually from Indiana and went to school in Cincinnati before finally moving to Atlanta.

I’m sure most of you are familiar with Suzanne’s work, but if you’re not, you’re missing out on am amazing interior designer.  Her work has been published in every major national home décor magazine, and she has lines with Hickory Chair, Ballard Designs, Lee Jofa, and Safavieh.

Her book, Inspired Interiors, published by Rizzoli a couple years ago, is a well written visual feast.  She got it right on both ends….the text and the photos

  

She was charming in person and conducted a book signing before and after she spoke.  This lady knows a lot about great design and her presentation was very interesting.

I find her style to be fresh and exciting without a lot of fuss.

Her overall design philosophy is a pretty straightforward approach that says if you get the architecture right, the decorating becomes less of a challenge.  She says a home should look collected not “decorated”.  Her rooms are carefully edited.  What I really like about her style is the attention to detail.  She infuses dressmaker’s details on textiles such as banded flanges on upholstered goods and grosgrain trims under tacks.  Monogrammed pulls are also something she’s very fond of.

Her palette is mostly layered whites with different tones, and strategically placed pops of color which is what makes her rooms so memorable.

Below is her own foyer in her Atlanta home. I love the little gold leaf gueridon table.  I have limestone floors with black marble pickets in my foyer as well.

This is a beach house and I love her use of blue in this space without it being overdone.

The random placement of this collection of antique and new starburst mirrors is unexpected and visually appealing.

She makes her own upholstery at times by combining different fabrics as seen here.  She places importance on collections by grouping them together.

This is one of my favorite rooms (her master bedroom) with the embroidered Chanel-like details on the bench and pillows which gives the Chinnoisserie bed a contemporary vibe.  You can’t see from this photo, but there is ribbon detail on the simple drapes.

She incorporates a lot of antiques into her rooms, and these vintage batik prints she found at a flea market and had them framed to use in this space.

This is a photo of some of her pieces for Hickory Chair.  I got to see the French-style slipper chairs in person and they are to-die-for.  She’s traveled extensively and uses her own antiques for inspiration when designing furniture and accessories. She also loves to shop in France….my kind of gal!

She was very gracious and I managed to get one photo of her, even though it isn’t great quality as I was using my I-phone.

One of the homes from her book is featured in the new April issue of Veranda on page 136 titled “A Golden Mean”.  If you get a chance, pick up a copy to read.

I did manage to hit the exhibition one last time and I came away with a cool vintage mid-century bronze statue of the Eiffel Tower on a marble base.

 

It has great detail.

I’m sure my selection was influenced by Suzanne just showing us her Eiffel Tower collection that she has in her own home.  Yes, I left all the awesome French and English art and antiques at the show…..for now.

All in all, it was a great show and I can’t wait to see who they get for the featured speaker next year.  Who could it be?  It was at this same show that I met Charles Faudree in the spring of 2010 as he was the speaker.    If anyone wants to come to the show with me next year, just let me  know and I’ll meet you in Lexington.

Happy Decorating,

Kim

Happily linking up to these parties:

Newbie Party at Debbie Doo's Blogging and Blabbing 
Open House Party at No Minimalist Here
Potpourri Friday at 2805
Inspiration Friday at At The Picket Fence