With just 24 days left until Christmas, I need all the help I can get! The Holiday Issue of Peachy is now live filled with an abundance of inspiration including decorating ideas, recipes, favorite traditions, and gift guides from our talented editors. Be sure to read the issue by clicking here.
Please contact the studio if you are interested in any of our design services.
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I am always searching for meaningful tokens to give to godchildren and loved ones. Each year, I love seeing the creations of Slane sisters commemorating Baby J Ladley. This year’s ornament is a heart, symbolizing love, kindness, compassion and concern for one another. The ornament is a tribute to his life and a symbol of the love and hope for the brave children fighting pediatric cancer every day.
Honoring the memory of John Francis Ladley, III, the Baby J Ladley Pediatric Brain Tumor Fund at Levine Children’s Hospital was established in 2009 by Beverly and Mark Ladley. “Baby J” died at the age of 15 months after a courageous battle with a malignant brain tumor. When Beverly and Mark were seeking treatment for their sons’ illness, promising protocols for his condition didn’t exist in Charlotte. They had to travel out of state, and the distance added to the strain of the already overwhelming situation. Beverly’s goal is to ease the burden for other families facing similar circumstances and keep them home. Sadly. brain tumors are the number one cancer related cause of death in children.
This fund supports and advances the research efforts of the Neuro-Oncology Program at Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina. Under the leadership of Chad Jacobsen, MD, the program is focused on understanding the long term effects of brain related cancer and the development of corresponding strategies to meet the needs of young patients and their families. The Baby J Fund assists in offering children access to the latest and most promising new cancer therapies. Thus far, the fund has raised over $700,000.
Beverly teamed up with her friend Landon Slane to design an ornament that could be sold to raise funds for pediatric cancer. Landon is originally from High Point and now lives in New York designing with her sister Heath for their fine jewelry company SLANE.
A love of nature, architecture, history and the arts inspired sisters Heath and Landon Slane to begin designing jewelry in 1997. The early pieces in the SLANE collection were forged of silver, mirroring the designers’ love for sterling and their belief that sterling silver jewelry should be passed from generation to generation, just as family heirlooms are handed down from mother to daughter.
With impeccable attention to detail and quality craftsmanship, SLANE designs are inspired by historical references, architecture and the beauty found in everyday objects. SLA NE designs are hand-cast, hand-assembled and hand-finished. Each piece features varied and unusual textures. Pearls, earthstones, precious gems and diamonds compliment the rich foundation of the metal designs. With a commitment to sustainability, recycled sterling silver and recycled 18kt gold are used in all SLANE production.
15 Years after founding SLANE Fine Jewelry, Heath and Landon continue to design a palette of shapes and textures that can be built upon year after year, allowing each SLANE collector to create her own look and story. Each piece, each collection, is designed with this in mind, knowing that today’s designs will become tomorrow’s heirlooms.
Please consider giving a gift of love and hope this holiday season by investing in this year’s Baby J Fund ornament and help carry on Baby J’s memory. All ornaments from previous years are also for sale. 100% of the net proceeds from the sales of the ornaments are used to advance brain tumor related research, education, training, and awareness. Please click here to see the full collection.
For more of my design inspiration, please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and subscribe to Bespoke Banter….Thanks for reading!
The 2014 Atlanta Holiday House opened this week with great fanfare. Sponsored by Atlanta Home and Lifestyles, the Moonlight & Mistletoe preview party had admirers swooning over the glorious spaces created by the area’s top interior designers. I always love going back to my hometown to not only see what Atlanta’s finest are creating, but also see design colleagues that gather to support one another. Participating in a show house is a tremendous investment for the designers of their time, talent and resources. It allows them to fully realize their creative vision and be their own “dream” client. In many cases for this showhouse, each room felt like an organic extension of the personality who designed it.
Located on Habersham Road,the showhouse is inspired by the 1890s-1920s English Arts and Crafts style of Sir Edwin Lutyens. Harrison Design Associates designed the 7,000 square foot house and it was built by Sheehan Built Homes. The residence conveys a strong connection to its heavily canopied landscape—fitting for the Home for the Holidays beneficiary, the Southeastern Horticultural Society.
Elegant, sophisticated and striking…Beth Webb’s dining room seemed to be an extension of this lovely designer. It is a symphony of black and white set under a stunning ceiling resembling the tracery in stained glass. The dark walls provide a perfect backdrop for graphic art and plaster works from the recently debuted Arete Collection. The dapper Bradley Clifford is seen below next to their sculptural console table with the interior lined in shattered gold leaf.
The table setting echoes the contrasting palette.
The kitchen is just as glamorous as the rest of the house. Designed by Mark Williams and Niki Papadoplos, the kitchen posessed an understated luxe in its materials and finishes…from the nickel strapping on the hood to the etched globes hanging above the island. The cabinetry is by Bell Kitchen & Bath Studios.
Warm, glamorous and original defined Susan Ferrier’s space. Every single detail from the cocktail tablescape (seen below) to the mink muff the designer carried that evening was perfectly selected and executed. The custom designed furniture including an a white hide upholstered table and the curvy silhouettes on the upholstery were beyond brilliant.
The gentleman’s study designed by Danielle Rollins and Bill Ingram is inviting, chic and festive…perfectly a propos for this dashing design duo. There are many spaces in the home where I could have lingered all night and this was certainly one of them! Again, dark walls provided a glamorous backdrop for colorful abstract art, rich Ralph Lauren tartans, tiger silk velvet, and gilded and polished wood accents.
I was delighted to see the artwork of talented artist Matthew Moore featured in the space. Known for his incredible flowers and botanicals, this abstract painting by him showed another side of his range as an artist.
Whimsical, creative and fun-loving come to mind when describing the covered outdoor terrace by Parker Kennedy Living. Their study of blue and white accented with pops of color made a space typically used during the spring and summer like the perfect place for holiday entertaining.
Check back tomorrow for a preview of the second floor which is just as an amazing as the first. If you are in the Atlanta area, the showhouse is a must-see…Pictures do not do it justice and this is just a small selection of all of the incredible details!
Wednesdays – Saturdays, 11am-5pm
Sundays – 1pm-5pm
November 19 – December 7
Wednesdays through Sundays.
Closed Mondays, Tuesdays and Thanksgiving Day.
2865 Habersham Road NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30305
Please park at ADAC (Atlanta Decorative Arts Center)
351 Peachtree Hills Avenue NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30305
Parking has been generously donated by ADAC and complimentary Santa’s Shuttles will run continuously from the main entrance of ADAC during showhouse hours. On many days, Santa’s Shuttles will be staffed with volunteer elves, who will be on hand to give guests an overview of the house and ensure that check-in is as smooth as possible.
Tickets are $25 and may be purchased online or at the door
Liz Williams Interiors; McAlpine Booth & Ferrier; Amy Morris Interiors; Parker Kennedy Living; Mark Williams Design Associates; Flynnsideout; Beth Webb Interiors; Bill Ingram and Danielle Rollins; SmithBoyd Interiors; B.D. Jeffries; Carter Kay Interiors; Margaret Kirkland Interiors; Barbara Heath; Cloth & Kind; Boxwoods Garden & Gifts
Please contact the studio if you are interested in any of our design services.
For more of my design inspiration, please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and subscribe to Bespoke Banter….Thanks for reading!
I was over the moon to learn of this year’s theme for the Holiday Windows at Bergdorf Goodman. Focusing on the nature of inspiration, the windows depict the performance, applied and fine arts focusing on Literature, Architecture, Theater, Painting, Music, Dance, Sculpture and Film. I became obsessed with their windows when I lived in New York, anxiously awaiting every new season to see what artistic brilliance would be cleverly displayed in what I thought was the absolute center of the universe. As Amy Fine Collins said, “[there’s] such mystery when they are wrapped and dismantled to make way for new ones, under the cover of the night. Every few weeks it’s another opening, another show.”
In quintessential Bergdorf fashion, the windows celebrate the institution’s mastery of bold storytelling, dazzling attention to detail and legendary craftsmanship. “We specialize in old-world craftsmanship, often creating permanent objects and props that are re-used for future displays. We frequently use antiques and unusual collections and curiosities as the foundation of individual windows,” Mr. Hoey said in an interview.
Tonight at 6pm, the windows were unveiled to the public alongside the lighting of the Unicef Snowflake. The Wall Street Journal revealed a sneak peak today as seen in the images here. All images are by Ken Hamm via The Wall Street Journal. To read more about last year’s windows “Holidays on Ice” click here.
The fantastical window wonderlands created by Linda Fargo, David Hoey, and their visual team take the spark of an idea and elevate it to the ultimate and sublime. Every vantage point is considered when designing these masterpieces…viewing from across 5th Avenue, passing by in a cab, or walking by as a pedestrian.
The over the top visual delights are the hard work of a talented crew of artisans, collaborators and dreamers. The windows frequently showcase art and photographs from the city’s best talent at The New Museum, Brooklyn Academy of Music, American Visionary Art Museum and the New York City Ballet. Each window build upon the fashion it presents, inviting the viewer into a theatrical fantasy land. “We’re drawn to extremes here,” says Mr. Hoey. “Minimalism is great. Maximalism is too. What we avoid is medium-ism.”
The mind boggling effort and detail to create these windows entails…
Assouline’s Windows at Bergdorf Goodman makes a perfect Christmas present for any fashionista, native or past New Yorker, or BG aficionado! Featuring photographs from Ricky Zehavi, this limited-edition tome revisits the legendary windows of the Women’s and Men’s Stores — from the labyrinthine Holiday Staircase window (otherwise known as the most complex window in the history of window displays) and a New York City homage to Charles Ebbet’s iconic photograph Lunchtime Atop a Skyscraper to the legendary mannequin with the 15-foot, accessories-obsessed arm. The book can be ordered by clicking here.
For more of my design inspiration, please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and subscribe to Bespoke Banter….Thanks for reading!
“If we all shop small, it will be huge!”
I ran this post two years ago on the second annual Small Business Saturday and have added a few more to the list….Here of my favorite Charlotte design and fashion haunts that are all run by small business owners that are incredibly talented, chic and stylish. Shop away!
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Courtesy of Abode |
ABODE– 201 West Worthington Avenue
Ornaments at B.D. Jeffries |
B.D. JEFFRIES– 720 Governor Morrison Street Suite E110
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Tony Duquette Jewels Oscar de la Renta Skirt |
CAPITOL– 4010 Sharon Road
For the true fashionista, this is THE place to shop. Tastemaker Laura Vinroot Poole curates an extraordinary collection of the finest fashions, shoes and jewelry from urban chic to haute couture.
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Courtesy of Circa |
CIRCA– 2321 Crescent Avenue
CHEZ ELLE– 532 Governor Morrison Street
THE ENGLISH ROOM-519 Fenton Place
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Artist Windy O’Connor Hifell Brooks Gallery |
HIDELL BROOKS GALLERY–1910 South Boulevard
Holiday Gifts at Isabella |
ISABELLA–715 Providence Road
Mrs. Howard |
MRS. HOWARD– 1001 East Morehead Street
Ornaments Galore at Paper Skyscraper
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SLOAN– 1419 East Boulevard
For the past 13 years, Courtney Sloan and Jill Sloan Pleune have been delighting Charlotteans with their fun fashions from denim to formal attire. This one stop shop can outfit you in everything from head to toe-earrings, dress, accessories, shoes-DONE!
Support a variety of small business owners at any of these boutiques:
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Courtesy of Alexander Scott
ALEXANDER SCOTT– 208 East Boulevard
David Newcombe and Rusty Griffith’s mission is to “Provide the extraordinary” The owners have a created a beautiful home for 70 vendors in the old McColl Center for Fine Art. The two story open setting is the perfect showcase for vendors to display their goods including everything from jewelry and small accessories to antiques, artwork, and upholstery.
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Courtesy of Post and Gray |
POST AND GRAY- 2139 South Tryon Street
SLATE INTERIORS– 1401 Central Avenue Suite 102
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Bergdorf’s Holiday windows were revealed last night to delight and inspire all of Manhattan. This year’s theme, “Holidays on Ice,” features not only Christmas windows, but several holidays envisioned in snow and ice with a focus on fashion. From Valentine’s Day to the 4th of July, the creative team has been furiously working to create a wonderland for every holiday displayed which will be uniquely displayed in a separate window.
To achieve these miraculous feats, David Hoey, Senior Director of Presentation, and Shane Ruth, Visual Manager, hired artisans to work in poly-resin to create the winter wonderland for each window. Their goal is to create a visual masterpiece that is interesting from every vantage point…viewing from across 5th Avenue, passing by in a cab, or walking by as a pedestrian. Here are a few more fun facts from the BG blog…
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via Marie Claire |
Before the windows were unveiled, a dance troupe scaled down the facade of the building sprinkling snow on the spectators.
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Valentine’s Day Window via The Examiner |
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Valentine’s Day Detail via Citizens of Fashion |
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April Fool’s Day Window via Design Life Network |
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Fourth of July Window via Marie Claire |
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Fourth of July Detail via Citizens of Fashion |
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Arbor Day Window via Design Life Network |
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Arbor Day Detail via Citizens of Fashion |
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Halloween Window via The Examiner |
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Halloween Detail via Citizens of Fashion |
Be sure to watch Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorfs for a highly entertaining account of what goes into making the windows year after year.