Today is designer Meagan Burks and her boyfriend Ben’s NINE YEAR anniversary! He sent her the most beautiful flowers! HOW SWEET!
So Sweet!
New Items!
Marty worked hard all day yesterday getting the floor set up with all of our new stuff! We got in our first shipment of Hickory Chair and we are SO excited about it! It is all beautiful! We also got some new Ferguson Copeland, Mitchell Gold, and LEE! Check it out….
Behind the Scenes: Portico Photo Shoot
This morning we had so much fun with the ladies who are compiling the story for the next issue of Portico Jackson Magazine! Amanda Wells, a local journalist, and Daphne Nabors, local photographer, met us at our customers’ home to chat about design! Portico contacted us a couple of weeks ago requesting a green room to run in their March issue, so this is the first one that popped into mind! Then we started thinking…. “Do they mean eco-friendly green or the color green?” They did indeed mean the COLOR green, so we knew we had the perfect project for them to showcase! As Daphe worked her magic behind the lens, Amanda talked to Lisa and the homeowner about the purpose and concept behind the beautiful design. Here is a peek behind the scenes of the photo shoot. We can’t wait to see the finished project! 🙂
The art above the Clifton sectional is by Trevor, one of the many talented artists represented at View Gallery. His color palette and style are always so much fun!
All of the fabrics you see here (minus the Adler throw) can be easily spot cleaned with soap and water. How perfect for a kids’ hangout room, right?!
Such a fun color scheme! This makes us want to be a kid all over again…
The orange Mottega lamp adds so much to the space.
Fun Jonathan Adler accessories and books accent the whole room!
This entertainment console (and the bookshelf, not pictured) are from a very cool and modern company called Blu Dot. They make some great looking furniture!
Daphne and Lisa getting set up!
New Trina Turk Outdoor Fabrics!
We got an email this morning from Schumacher introducing the new Trina Turk outdoor fabrics and they are fabulous! We have had so much fun using the fabrics from her last introduction, so we are looking for ways to incorporate these into current projects! Even though these are labeled as outdoor fabrics, we love using them inside, particularly for kids areas. They clean with almost no effort at all! You can view all colorways of these patterns here.
Lines We Love: Jonathan Adler
As we were playing on the Jonathan Adler site, a few of their new items just really grabbed us! We have some of this at the store, and have the capability to order any of it! They get more and more creative every season, and that is exactly why we love them!
ORANGE you in love with this color?
Today was a fairly normal day around SummerHouse. We were all either chipping away at our to-do lists, or working on projects. As Lisa was working on a little girl’s room, we overheard her say, “You know what? There is something about the color orange that always speaks to me. I just really respond to that color. It makes me happy!”
If you think about it, orange truly IS an eye-catching color! It evokes positive emotion and just makes people, well… happy! That got everyone around here thinking about how much we ALL love the color orange. It is warm, happy, cozy, friendly… The list could go on and on! On top of all of that, it by far the best color to use in a knock-knock joke!
Here are a few snapshots of how some of our design idols have incorporated all different shades of orange into their work…
We Heart Gray
In perusing one of our favorite blogs, A Perfect Gray, we came across some BEAUTIFUL photos. We love this blog because they love gray. And WE love gray! It is one of those colors that just works. All of the gray we’ve seen outside the past few weeks around here seems so draining. Gray on the inside, though, is different. Its soothing! Take a look at these photos and you’ll agree with us… Promise!
Pretty New Fabrics: Kerry Joyce
We just got in some great new fabrics from Kerry Joyce and wanted to share a little taste of our favorites with you!
Lines We Love: Serena and Lily
Serena and Lily, a line that started out solely with bedding, began in 2003 with creative minds Serena Dugan and Lily Kanter. Serena had a background in fabrics, Lily a background in baby-focused retail. After they collaborated and launched their initial baby/child bedding line, they saw such great success that they decided to branch into “grown up” bedding. The next step was furniture and accessories! They continually evolve and add, keeping things interesting for those of us who follow their every move. Here are just a few of the things these ladies have created. Hopefully it will be easy for you to see why we love Serena and Lily so!
For Your Sweet Tooth!
In flipping through LonnyMag, we came across a recipe that looked good and sounded GREAT! Laurel said she plans to try making these this weekend! (Diet? What diet?) We’ll give you a report on how they turn out! Here is the recipe that has us so enticed…
Happy Snow Day
Happy snow day to pretty much everyone in our area! Here is a little eye candy for those of you who might be stuck inside. This is an idea board for a project Lisa is working on. Hopefully soon we will have pictures of the completed project!
Speechless
Have any of you heard of Rue Magazine? We had not until yesterday but… WOW… We were left completely speechless! Rue Magazine (www.ruemag.com) is an online magazine, very similar to our beloved LonnyMag (www.lonnymag.com). It is paperless so it can be thumbed through with the click of a mouse, without having to take up any room on your counter! Rue is a little different from Lonny in that it seems to have more dark European insiriation mixed in. It is all very beautiful and outside the box! Here are a few of their many beautiful pages. What do you think?
Rue is only in its second issue, so we eagerly anticipate their coming issues!
The Showroom Floor
The past couple of days have been spent working on the showroom floor. We have many new pieces of furniture, new lamps, and new accessories that we’ve had fun working with! Here are a few shots of what we’ve been doing!
Happy New Year!
Is 2010 really almost over? This year has completely flown by! We at SummerHouse are looking forward to a fun and exciting 2011. We already have some fun events in the works! Stay tuned for details about our “For the Love of Art” event coming up in February, where we will feature several of our favorite artists and their amazing work.
For now, we thought we’d give you a little party planning inspiration so you can celebrate the change from 2010 to 2011 in style! Here are a few fun NYE decorating ideas for you!
While we are on the topic of parties, what is a party without a signature cocktail?! We found a couple of recipes that sounded pretty delicious. Take your pick!! 🙂
We hope all of you have a very safe and happy new year! Thanks to all of you for being so meaningful to us. What would we do without all of you?! Have a great holiday, and until next year….. CHEERS!
Christmas Jambalaya
So last week at our SummerHouse Christmas party, Melanie made the BEST jambalaya any of us had ever tasted. We asked her for the recipe and she was so sweet to share it with us. It was even her idea to put it on the blog so all of you could have it too! Make this for your next party or gathering and be prepared for lots and lots of compliments!
Note from Melanie: Not only is this a great dip, but it is also excellent over rice or pasta. ENJOY! And have a very merry Christmas!
FA LA LA Photo Contest!!
We have something exciting going on around here!! All you need to do is read this flyer (see below), log on to Facebook and LIKE the SummerHouse page (found here), take pictures of your Christmas decorations, upload those pictures to facebook, and post them on our wall! We are DYING to see what your houses look like! Indulge us, please! 🙂
Christmas Open House: A Success!
We had so much fun at the Christmas open house last Thursday! We were glad that so many people were able to make it out! Viking provided us with some really awesome baked brie and bite sized desserts, and the Madison Central Madrigals and RHS choir delivered some beautiful holiday music. The horse and carriage rides (which guests were able to “buy” with a donation to CARA) got rave reviews from everyone we talked to!
Perhaps the things we were MOST excited about at the open house were our trunk shows! Ann Taylor Duease, founder and designer for Adonis, brought her gorgeous handmade jewelry to show. She ended up having a pretty successful night! 🙂 And our Jonathan Adler trunk show ended up being the most beautiful, colorful corner in the store! It is still set up if you were unable to come see it on Thursday.
We have already started working on ideas to make next year’s open house even better!! So you’ll have to be sure to come back! Maybe by next year, we will have our new neighbors, Newk’s and Majestic Burger, up and running!
Hopefully this picture of our sweet (and HILARIOUS) carriage driver, Wayne, with a couple of our open house guests will make you smile on this chilly Monday! If you didn’t get to meet Wayne this year, then you MUST come back next year…. If you have never talked to him, you are missing out!
Merry Christmas!
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family from all of us at SummerHouse! We are so thankful for all of our wonderful customers and followers! Have a safe and happy holiday and we will see you on Friday morning for some Black Friday shopping!
We’ll leave you today with some dining room inspiration. (Thanks to House Beautiful, Elle Decor, and LonnyMag for the beautiful photos!)
Meet Brittany Ivy
24
NOVEMBER
2010
Meet the newest member of the SummerHouse family: BrittanyIvy! Brittany is our new Jr. Designer/Design Assistant and is fitting right in! Not only is Brittany funny and extremely talented, but she is also very organized! On her first day, we overheard her saying “I can’t stand for anything to be messy.” Such sweet, sweet music to all of the designers’ ears… 🙂
We took a moment to ask Brit Brit a few questions. What a sweetheart she is!
How are you liking SummerHouse so far? What’s your favorite thing about working here?
I love working at SummerHouse! A few of my favorite things about working here are, 1) the people I work with! All the designers and employees are so friendly and inviting, and I think that makes all the difference in a workplace! 2) The thing I love about coming to work everyday is that I never know what task I will be faced with. Everyday is different and unique its own way.
What is your personal design style?
I would have to say that my personal design style would be more on the eclectic side – mixing the old with the new! I love shopping at antique and second-hand stores and finding unique original pieces and mixing it with new items and using what I already have!
What is your favorite place to find design inspiration? Magazines, blogs…?
I find inspiration from magazines such as Interior Design Magazine and ELLE Decor. Another inspiring place to find design are from the designers here at SummerHouse! Seeing all the projects that are going on around me are interesting and motivating! Each designer has their own personal style and its a great way to get to know each designer!
What is your favorite movie and why?
I would have to say of all the movies out there that Fried Green Tomatoes would have to be my favorite! Overall, the story is uplifting! I love that Evelyn gains independence by visiting Ninny and hearing the powerful story she has to tell. A few other movies I’ve enjoyed over the years are Forrest Gump, Little Miss Sunshine, and all of the Shrek movies!
What did you do over the weekend?!
Over the weekend you would have found me in Starkville, MS at the Mississippi State vs. Arkansas football game! Although the bulldogs couldn’t pull out a win for us in double overtime, I still had a great time visiting with friends!
What is something funny/unique about you?
I’m 25 years old and still sleep with my teddy bear and blankets.
Invest In Your Nest
Well, we had an exciting weekend! SummerHouse was a participant in The Classic Bridal Showcase! It was our first bridal show and we had so much fun! We met some cool brides and some really amazing wedding vendors!
For those of you who may not know, we have a bridal registry! It is called Invest In Your Nest, and it is awesome. For details, go here: http://summerhousestyle.com/registry/. If you are a bride, or know of a newly engaged couple, let them know about our registry! We promise they will love it and find it to be VERY hassle-free and easy!
Here are a few shots from the show. The Mississippi Craft Center was a beautiful venue!
