Being here in the Caribbean I really enjoy seeing some of local flora and fauna that we just don't get in the Midwest. I hope to make it to the Queen Elizabeth Botanical Gardens located in the central part of the island of Grand Cayman. I visited twice last year and really enjoyed it. It is also home to the Cayman Blue Iguana conservation center. These Iguanas are native only to Cayman and have had dwindling numbers for decades but are successfully being bred and reintroduced at the Garden. Iguanas of all sizes and colors roam, or rather swarm, Grand Cayman. They vary in size from just inches to a few feet. Always fun to see. They remind me of the French Majolica called Palissy after Bernard Palissy. He was a pioneer in glazed pottery in France in the 16Th century eventually becoming the court potter to Catherine de Medici, the mother of three French kings. He, unfortunately, died impoverished and in prison for not renouncing Protestantism and returning to Catholicism. But back to Iguanas and Bernard. Palissy did a form of glazed pottery that featured natural pond creatures he would observe in the wild. Snakes, lizards, snails, frogs, all manner of natural pond life. He did them in high relief decoration and very natural colors. His style was revived in the 19Th century when Majolica, a similar type of pottery, became very fashionable. The studio of Palissy still exists today. 19Th century Palissy items are quite popular in the last fifteen years or so and they are a favorite of mine to add to a room for interest. This piece I am showing is one I just found from a gallery in New York that often has very interesting majolica and Palissy. This square jardiniere features walls that resemble fencing and then river rocks with fish at the base. I am sending this one to a clients lake home in Michigan. It will be perfect in the breakfast room for holding dinner napkins and such. I love these sorts of quirky antiques to really add some style and history to a room and now the homeowner has a great story to share with her guests! Enjoy! If you are interested in more about some great Palissy items contact me at my website, www.sdesigngroup.com

I can't believe it has been over two months since I last posted here! Busy fall, some new projects getting started, finalizing a large project out of town, family time. Anyway, I am heading out of town this weds. to finish the install of the big project, I can;t wait to post some pictures and let everyone see what I have been working on.
I received a welcome phone call the other day from a client I worked with over 10 years ago when they moved from Memphis to St. Louis. We took a lot of the furniture from that house, recovered a few pieces, added some antiques and made a new home for them. I really enjoyed working with them, they let me stretch them to some new things like wallpapering the ceiling in the family room, painting the crown molding in the foyer a gorgeous faux tortoiseshell finish, ect. Her husband was a vary adventurous soul and laid a new marble and granite floor in the foyer himself!
Anyway, they just sold that home and are moving to a glamorous new townhouse! And I get the privilege of assisting them moving the furniture to the new house and creating an updated look. I'll keep you all posted to the progress. Here a few pics of the house just sold and I will share some pics of the new as it comes together.
Check back in about two weeks for pics from out of town!

Wow! I can't belive how this summer has flown by! Here it is September 13th and I haven't posted since August. I've been busy with work and some travels. I was in San Diego last week visiting friends and helping a client do some rearranging in her beach condo. This is a condo I helped her decorate a couple of years ago when she bought it using some very beachy, blue and cream furniture for a light, airy feel. This year, she has made some changes and has decided to bring some of her favorite furniture and artwork form her main residence and spend more time at the beach. So..... change of direction. Everything worked out very well just by re purposing some of the pieces we bought for the condo, moving things around form room to room and then changing a paint color. I love it even more now! I unfortunately forgot to take my camera so pics will have to wait until next visit.

This weekend is the annual St. Louis Art Fair in downtown Clayton. This is always a favorite of mine, I look forward to it all year. I have purchased many wonderful pieces over the years and love to recall the visits with artists when I look around my home. This year there was a new glass artist I hadn't previously seen. He was at the Fair last year but I was not in town. Thomas Maras is a very talented glass blower who works fearlessly in bold color. His pieces have amazing organic shapes that still have a bold, graphic quality I love. I purchased a vase from his Horizon Street series. I am just crazy about this piece! It is starting on a bookshelf in the living room but will probably move around before finding the perfect home. Check out his work at www.marasglass.com. I highly recommend this artist if you are looking for a piece to add some punch to your home.

I also really enjoyed seeing some new paintings by Gary Stretar. His canvases are quite large and have a vast, serene feeling that instantly made me feel calm. His brushwork on the sky is amazing. I am posting a lake scape painting of his. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a comprehensive website but you can find some of his pieces and more info by Googling him. Enjoy!

I've had some people ask me about the room photograph on my title page. This is a perfect example of quick, simple changes making a big impact! This living room is in a condo in Clayton and belongs to a young, professional bachelor who owned the condo, the off white sofa and chair and not much else! While he was traveling one month I was asked to come in and give a quick "spruce". I started by adding a classic - the Noguchi coffee table! This is a never-go-wrong piece of furniture I love. Designed by artist Isamu Noguchi in 1947 this table endures as an amazing piece of sculpture as well as a table. I used this table in one of my very first jobs after design school and apprenticeships in 1988 in a home in Glen Ellyn, IL. I remember I paired it with an off-white wool damask sofa and an antique Italian painted console with a marble top! Eclectic from the beginning!

After adding the table I moved on to the sleek leather chaise for more seating and an open feel, the Phillipe Stark Louis Ghost chair in black and simple wood and metal tables. I had the VERY unattractive light the builder had installed in the middle of the room taken out and moved the electrical box over the end table and added, yes, you guessed it, another classic! A George Nelson Bubble lamp. Iconic and functional!

To add some character and history to the room, I found the large antique map of St. Louis on a closet and framed it. The two antique Italian prints were purchased by the young man on a trip so I paired them with two black and white photographs by re known St. Louis artist Ken Konchel. I love his work and have a lot of it in my home and office. The juxtaposition of the antique prints and the modern photography adds a lot of personality and brings some of the owner's history into the room. A room can be designed and decorated by me but it needs to BELONG to the resident!

I finished off the room with kilim rug throw pillows, again, for texture and history and some simple shaped accessories.

I love this room! I really feel it has a simple, clean look with a distinct personality that reflects the homeowner. Last time I checked, he is happy as well!

By the way, please check out Ken's amazing work at www.kenkonchelphoto.com! He is a St. Louis art star!

More of Jill's work! I've never wanted a piece of fruit more!

A couple of years ago I saw a show at a now defunct gallery here in St. Louis that I feel in love with. The artist Jill Hackney was showing her large paintings of lemons, figs and other fruits and vegetables. I know that may not sound exciting but believe me, Jill's paintings are unlike any others! She has a wonderful, soft style of painting that is both calming and powerful at the same time. The scale of her work is the key for me. A lone pear or two lemons done 3' X 6' takes on a whole new dimension. Then she started doing a series of paintings she called her "Echo Paintings" which are influenced by her growing up in southern Louisiana and the beautiful water-filled landscape there. The lushly layer colors and textures are gorgeous! She paints on raw wood panels, incorporating the texture of the wood into her linear brush strokes. The effect is light filled and dream like. These photos show the progression of a recent commissioned work for a project in Orlando, Florida. It is such a rare treat to see the artistic process at work. I always marvel at such talent! It is my goal to someday, hopefully soon, have one of her pieces gracing my living room! Check her out at www.jillhackney.com. Locally, she is represented by The Duane Reed Gallery in the Central West End. Jill, thanks for the lovely images and keep on creating, it is a gift!