Windsor, Coming Together, Nestled Just Outside Atlanta

We have recently put together this wonderful home just outside of Atlanta, in suburban Cobb County, where we have infused a subtle palette of color with the homeowners collection of things.  We added complimentary pieces where needed including this really fantastic table by The Bowback Chair Company in a salvaged old knotty pine with great patina.  We completed to look in the Breakfast Room with Asymetry.  Three Chinese Chippendale Chairs in a Bone Colored Lacquer with a fantastic updated version of a classic summer check, allusions to an ikat, for those of you looking close enough!  The remaining three classic Louis chairs compliment and close the space off further defining the intimacy of a quiet dinner or brunch.  Enjoy!  More to come...

Photographed by Sarah Emrich

Sneak Preview to March's Editorial...

Form vs. Function in Your Home, Where it matters…
By: Laura Green Thome
Not yet released to be published March 1, 2010


Many times I am asked by clients if I had to choose form vs. function, which would I choose? The answers I wish were a simple one! Yet it has so many facets and is so much deeper than one might think. When it comes to your home there are many moving parts and many areas that significantly change annually or seasonally, this makes it completely impossible to always choose one over the other. Remember, when you were young, your grandmother told you never to use never or always. The same is true when it comes to this question! I have included different areas of your home where one matters over the other and my recommendations in each area. Enjoy these photographs done by Blayne Beacham of my personal prep kitchen and Living Room!

Photographed By: Blayne Beacham

 

Let’s start with the heart of the home the kitchen: In your kitchen whether you have an eat-in or a galley you spend a great deal of time there as do your guests and family. Kitchens are definitely about function first and foremost, form being the secondary consideration when designing. That being said the form with which you enhance the function can make all the difference in your home evoking that feeling you are aiming for. I recommend the ‘cooking triangle’ when setting up your sink, refrigerator & cook top/stove. This simple geometric configuration minimizes steps involved in preparation and eases the wear and tear on your body over a lifetime. Larger kitchens are not always better, although they make for great entertaining! Many times when designing a large kitchen the triangle is still used for the preparation area to promote ease for whomever may be cooking. More to come... 

Blogs to Follow...

So in light of all the transformations taking place in business today ~ budget cuts, advertising and their vehicles (Magazines, Journals, Local Papers) have taken some major hits as well.  Blogging and online magazines such as Lonny Mag have been founded to fill the gaps.  Lonny Mag was founded by displaced editors from the fallen Domino Magazine, I applaud their resilience.  What I have continued to find is that it is not the easiest thing to find the great blogs that are out there, so I have put together a list of a few of the blogs that seem to have good content...


http://stylecourt.blogspot.com/
http://thepeakofchic.blogspot.com/
http://highglossblue.blogspot.com/
http://www.thisphotographerslife.com/
http://blog.atlantahomesmag.com/tags/atlanta-homes-lifestyles/
http://materialgirlsblog.com/
http://thegeorgianrevival.wordpress.com/
http://negriphotography.com/
http://www.nestegg.typepad.com/
http://habituallychic.blogspot.com/
http://tobifairley.com/blog/
http://cocokelley.blogspot.com/
http://www.thingsthatinspire.net/
http://brookegiannetti.typepad.com/velvet_and_linen/
www.theartfullifestyle.blogspot.com
http://www.absolutelybeautifulthings.blogspot.com/




Enjoy~more blogs to come...

February's Antidote: Bookshelves

February’s Perfect Antidote: Bookshelves

The Roswell Current February 12, 2010

By: Laura Green Thome

The perfect way to spend time indoors combined with a ‘do it yourself project’ and well weather that is too cold to do anything other than drink hot tea and plan~Bookshelves!!!

I can’t tell you how often I spent hours arranging and rearranging bookshelves while working on projects, thinking… ‘I spent all those studio hours for this?’ Well, it has paid off and I now understand fully how great of an impact bookshelves and the arrangement of such has on a home or space. The simplistic nature of them provides ample backdrop to be a near perfect canvas to set the tone of your home. With the right built in you can seasonally or weekly, depending on your compulsion change the attitude of your space.


I was recently in Houston working on an installation and we were able to completely change the visual impact of the home by reconfiguring the built-in bookcases. Shown Below:

We used a well poised collection of artifacts, objects of art, journals, studies & books to pull together a simple and sophisticated space. Starting with grouping the collected objects according to color palette and size, we then grouped them in an asymmetrical arrangement to balance the room. Each artifact must be balanced by each sub sequential artifact, and book further balanced by another set of books or journals. I love introducing unusual pieces layered on top of a stack of horizontal books. The intrigue and forms made by layering the objects causes a certain amount of illusion causing your eye to be drawn to the niches created. It is almost as if each grouping becomes a vignette itself. While total time spent was almost five hours grouping and arranging bookshelves, the result was breathtaking. The client could not have been more pleased, saying that they would actually enjoy sitting & entertaining in the room now that things seemed so much more inviting and pleasant.



So make a list, look at your bookshelves and built in millwork and get to work this weekend! You will need to first take everything down off the shelves, then dust while you are at it of course! Then group all books and journals according to size and color, after grouping them you will want to start arranging the books in blocks, starting at the centerline first. Once you have established your symmetry or asymmetry, you may start introducing art or objects of art into the mix. You will soon start to get into a pattern resulting in a wonderful, well balanced and pleasing mix of your personal articles that seems to beg others and guests to get to know you better!~Enjoy the process and take your time! ~Laura

Westgate Coming Together Houston, TX

We had a great weekend installation & design development presentation in Houston, TX. What a fabulous city! Great rug shopping with Abraham, food at Central Market http://www.centralmarket.com/

Enjoy watching with us as it all comes together...

Detail at Custom Millwork in Living Room

Detail at Mies Van der Rohe Chairs in Living Room

Detail View from Dining Room into Living Room...

more to come...

Dear Designer, January 2010

Dear Designer, I recently renovated a small space with light walls and am having window treatments made for a pair of French doors. I plan on having full-length panels made floor to ceiling but am curious if I should have grommets or pleats at the top to complete the look? Marge, Roswell



Dear Marge,
I would definately go for the classic pleats in the type of space you are describing. While the grommet look is very on trend right now it really is not a classic treatment for an interior space. My favorite two pleats are a Goblet pleat or a French pleat -- both allow the material to move naturally and give a full body to the drapery panel. I also recommend doing at minimum a width and a half for each panel, as the pleating takes up several inches of width per pleat. You want each panel to look nice and full, not skimpy. The only application for which I really recommend grommets is in an outdoor room such as a lanai or screened room with an outdoor entertaining area. The grommets allow for easy sliding along the rod and keep there from being too many folds in the material, retaining moisture. Let us know how they turn out and send in a picture! -Laura

Dear Designer Launch with The Roswell Current for 2010

January 15, 2010

By: Laura Green Thome

Within the past year we have seen core industry journals tumble and fall such as Southern Accents & Domino Magazine, we have also seen the blogosphere continue to take off at the speed of light. Although veteran sources such as Architectural Digest and Veranda will continue others will find new avenues. At the core of my philosophy for interiors is the belief that everyone should be able to attain a beautiful space to live in. No matter what your restrictions be they budget, square footage, apartment living, condo living, home ownership etc. I believe you should have access to making your home significant.


As designers we are aware that not everyone can afford to hire their own designer. So in light of my philosophy, along with the editors at The Roswell Current we are launching a Dear Designer Column for 2010. We would love to have you participate and welcome your questions, no matter how large or small for the next issue.


Please submit questions to laura@theroswellcurrent.com and title them Dear Designer. Submissions will be reviewed by our editors for content and selected for publishing at random. Not all entries will be published. We look forward to hearing from you!~Laura

New Year, New Column, New Color Trends

Preview of L. Green Studios

New Column for 2010

A few of my favorite colors for this year are from a variety of sources...

Here we used a vintage flamestitch on 24" pillows over a bone white linen velvet sofa. In combination we used a vintage slipper chair with button detail in a knubby cotton ivory and Nancy Corzine Cut Velvet on the lumbar pillow. The old knotty English pine table is an antique French piece found at a local market.

Look for unusual color combinations to start popping out early in 2010~combinations such as a beautiful fuschsia or tourmaline pink combined with a rich sable brown leading into a classic vanilla shell of a room. I would use these colors sparingly with a pared down version fo the same sable brown in a large over scale settee with brilliant fuchsia pillows mixed with an antique Aubusson pillow. Find a few occasional slipper chairs from the late 30's or 40's and have them upholstered in a fuchsia mohair or cashmere.

Then add balance to the room by using a classic old knotty English Pine Table stripped of paint or stain as the center piece. Layer the piece with lots of classic books in a large format to tip the scale into the artistic direction. To turn the table into a more classic approach add a few hand thrown pieces of pottery in the raku technique mixed with a few simple phalaenopsis orchids in paper white tones.

More on our new column to come January 15, 2010...

Christmas Installation Oakgrove 2009

Christmas Installation for one of my favorite clients, here we used a beautiful garland to wrap the mantle, adding a pear colored shantung silk wribbon & persimmon colored artichokes. The vintage bear is new made to look old and the soy candle is a fragrant orange spice.


Here we used classic winterberries in fresh form, surrounding one single white phalaenopsis orchid in this intensely chartreus ceramic pot. The view from above is so beautiful, make sure when arranging you look at every angle, the juxtaposition of the sparse branches layered over the organic lines of the rug & detail of the old gate table is fabulous!

The very red berries of the winterberry are in sharp contrast to the soft tertiary colors used in the

Great Room at Oakgrove...Very striking!  A simple yet elegant arrangment of topiaries for the holiday! Happy Holidays from L. Green Studios!

Fresh or Faux, Which Way To Go...Holidays 2009

Sneak Preview of this months editorial

for The Roswell Current...

The age old question I hear when I am getting ready to decorate homes for the Holidays, “Fresh or Faux, traditional colors or trendy colors, which would you suggest?”

My response, “Always use fresh where you can, although faux has its place when nothing else will suffice~on color, be daring and make a statement, while traditional colors need to be incorporated add depth and interest~go ahead and introduce a palette that has an underlying tribute to your personal sense of style.”

If you love to wear a mustard color sweater, find a few ornaments that celebrate your favorite color and mix them in with the décor. My favorite this season is Hermes Orange and a rich chocolate aubergine mixed with persimmon. (These very colors recently graced the November cover of Vogue) These colors will be dressing my tree this year along with gilded ornaments mixed with a personal collection given to me by my mother over a lifetime.

For a show stopping centerpiece on your dining table or entry foyer this year, try a large glass vase in a drum shape approximately 12 inches in diameter with 9 inch overall height in a jewel tone color for added drama. Fill it with 36 inch long silvery winter branches & mix with bright red winterberry branches, then hang silver plated & crystal ornaments delicately on several branches being careful not to overdo it. Happy Holidays from our family to yours!

"Decadent on a Dime" Holiday Decor 2009

"Decadent on a Dime" Holiday Decor 2009

By: Laura Green Thome

November 15, 2009

Making your Holidays sizzle this year is a stretch for most of us! As we celebrate the most important things in life we realize that they are not things at all. The way we celebrate the most important gift of all is to make meaningful time for one another as we celebrate ‘the reason for the season’. Using what you have and adding to or simplifying your décor can add a whole new appreciation for things passed down and things new.

Most of us have boxes of garland, old crèches, lights that do and a few that don’t work—even the boxes of unopened ornaments from years past. Well this is the year to do a little digging and find new ways to use your collection. Why not rummage around a little sooner this season and make time to have your children and grandchildren part of the process? Have them help you un-box old ornaments and collections group them according to type or color around the house. Then decide which rooms will be part of which ‘theme’. The preparation can be as meaningful as the season if you take the time to enjoy it!

For instance, if you have found a collection of gold ornaments in glass that are fragile and have a collection of ivory, white and crystal toned ornaments—group them together on a tree in your living room pairing them with white lights and adding curly willow branches interspersed throughout the branches to add a toned down twist. In the same room add a few old pieces of silver on the coffee table with unused ornaments or festive spice covered balls, cinnamon is one of my favorites. Fill an unused crystal server with mounds of wrapped peppermints on a side table—hopefully lying next to an old photo album to peruse as you crunch peppermint and remember good times with loved ones.

For a handmade touch string popcorn interspersed with cranberries or try your hand at making a paper-chain out of all white paper to add to the décor with out adding to the bottom line.

If you have a large box of multicolor lights in knots, take the time to unknot them—throwback to the eighties and fill your tree with lots of color everywhere! But then pair the colorful tree with a nubby burlap skirt and simple burlap table coverings with mounds of colored crystal serving pieces filled with multicolored chocolates, this will simplify an already full palette and allow it to grace your home with an understated elegance.

Another finishing touch is to shop early for your wrappings & trimmings and make sure that whatever theme or palette you have decided upon is carried throughout the season in the invitations, gift tags, wrappings, ribbons and bows. So start unpacking and making your holiday preparation take on a whole new meaning this year~!
A few of my favorite places to shop for the upcoming holidays are:

Erika Reade~Buckhead, Atlanta
BD Jeffries~Buckhead, Atlanta
Roswell ~ Antique District & Market on Canton Street

Laura Green Thome will be speaking on Holiday Decor at Cest Moi on November 23, 2009 7:30-9pm 1100 Johnson Ferry Road, Marietta, GA

Laura Green Thome, founder of L. Green Studios, LLC a Full and Limited Services Interior Design Studio located in the Buckhead area of Atlanta. Current studio work includes projects throughout the Southeast including Atlanta, Athens, Birmingham and Houston. Laura brings a palette of classic style elements together emphasizing simple sophistication. She works closely with clients to pull together a well positioned home poignantly capturing their personality. For More Information Contact: info@lgreenstudios.com

From Carriage House to Guest Cottage~Moving In/Installation

Dining Room Oly Studio Table reflection~Photo Courtesy of L. Green Studios

http://www.olystudio.com/products/tables/frank.htm

Hardware Detail...

Guest Bath Detail~Photos Courtesy of L. Green Studios

Master Bath Detail~Photos Courtesy of L. Green Studios

Detail at Living Room~Coming together...