An Interior Lifestyle destination with Cornbread and Caviar

I guess you are wondering how an Interior Lifestyle 

with Cornbread and Caviar fits together?

Well be patient, it will all come together. 

Anita, Bridgette, Lynn, Theresa

See these lovely ladies, they are part of the Atlanta Designers' Network.

Lynn Morely (2nd from the right) owns a fabulous store called

the Porch on South Main. It is located in Alpharetta and is

a treasure chest of wonderful finds. 

A unique lifestyle destination for home furnishings, accessories, gifts and antiques. 

Lynn and her wonderful staff were our hostesses for the March ADN meeting.

What a treat this was for us! I am going to take you on a walking tour

of 531 South Main Street. 

Where should we start? Why on the porch of course! 

It was still a bit cool on this March morning. So we hurried on to the front door.

Looking back at the front door.

They do not go for the matchy-matchy or one-dimension “look”, 

but rather a well thought out combination of function and flare.

The Porch has a collection of beautiful lighting! I am lusting after 

this chandelier! Do you see the "bunny" folded napkins!

Every corner hold something special! 

You must look up and down, inside and out, or you will miss something!

Their desire is to marry conventional with unconventional; 

antiques with the contemporary; pretty with the edgy. 

I want that fur throw too!

Their collections of “found objects”  are different and exciting.


I will be back tomorrow with Part 2 of The Porch on South Main
and to explain about the Cornbread and Caviar.

 I have to run, going to see The Shack with some of the girls in my
Book Club. I loved the book and can't wait to see the movie.
See you back her tomorrow! 

Through the Looking Glass at Sea Island, Georgia.

On an unseasonably warm December day, even in the Golden Isles, 

my friends and I ventured out to The Cloister on Sea Island, Georgia. 

We were ready to enjoy some Holiday Magic! 

There is always a Gingerbread House at the Cloister.

These two were whispering about something at the Beach Club!

After wandering through the Cloister to enjoy the Christmas 

Decorations, we decided to head over to the Beach Club

for lunch. That is where we discovered Alice! 

The Cloister goes all out every Christmas with their decorations.

You can look back at some of the past Christmas decorations 

HERE

This year the Beach Club on Sea Island was transformed into a 

Wonderland....Alice in Wonderland that is.

Oh my ears and whiskers, I'm late. I'm late said the White Rabbit!

“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice."You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.” 

Queen of Hearts: I am NOT in the habit of talking to myself.

(aside)

Queen of Hearts: Even though it's the only way I can get a 

decent conversation around here.

These were little vignettes under glass domes.

"Off with your head!"

I got to sit down and have tea with this lovely group!

"Yes, that's it! Said the Hatter with a sigh, it's always tea time."

Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee agreed to have a battle
For Tweedle Dum said Tweedle Dee had spoiled his nice new rattle; 

Just then, down flew a monstrous crow, 
As black as a tar barrel
Which frightened both the heroes so, They quite forgot their quarrel.

The hallway to the Southern Tides Restaurant and Bar 
were decorate with trees that carried out the Alice
in Wonderland theme. 

As Alice said to the Mad Hatter, "You're mad. Bonkers. Off your head....
But I'll tell you a secret...All of the best people are."

 It was so pretty that day. We decided to dine
 outside by the ocean. 

Thank you for letting me share my time with you! 
Christmas always brings out the child in each of us.
But my time "Through The Looking Glass" brought it out in me! 

E-mail Readers see below...

Click on the title of the post in Blue (at the top) to view this post online. You can see recent posts, other blogs I like, my archives and the links I post on the right sidebar. Some things do not translate as well in email. If you see there is a problem just click over. It is a more enjoyable reading experience. Thank you so much for following my blog. There is also a sign up link available to receive this blog by email and another one to sign up for my newsletter Southern~Design~Style..

Home for the Holidays....it is the little things!

I get so excited when the Christmas magazines start to arrive. I ❤

looking at all the gorgeous Christmas decorating ideas. Even more

exciting is seeing the Atlanta Christmas Showhouse. It is one of 

my favorite holiday treats! 

This years Showhouse, sponsored by the The Atlanta Home and Lifestyle magazine,

was loaded with great interior design and holiday decor. Visitors use to not be able

to take photographs, but with all of the media coverage and bloggers attending 

the preview party, great photos are easy to find. 

I am going to share with you some of the pictures I captured with my phone.

This is the last weekend that the house will be open to the public. If you like

what I am sharing, it may make you want to visit this Holiday Home for 

yourself! But if it is not your taste or workable in your schedule, at the end

of the post, I will share links of the tour from two very talented, bloggers. 

They are lot better photographers than I am! Their pictures are great and 

will show you the entire house! 

Beautiful gift wrapped packages were tucked in many of

the rooms.

This pine cone wreath is on the family den doors that

lead out to the loggia.

Magnolias were used in the family den on the bookshelves and game table. 

The designers used just the right amount of holiday trimmings, so the rooms

were festive, but not overdone! 

I really like this idea in the guest powder room. They used a glass and brass

snack table. They were popular a number of years back to slide between 

sectional seating. This made an excellent accent table for a narrow 

powder room. 

This is another shot of the same powder room. 

Another interesting detail in this room was the sink. 

Here is a closeup so you can see how it works! 

This was a lighted display area at the end of a hallway intersection. 

It is a great place to display art work and holiday accessories. It is

a great focal point for an otherwise boring hall area.

I loved this fabric and trim. So many people were asking about it! 

This pattern was another fabric that was getting raves. It was used for

pillows in a pair of chairs. If you like this look in the living room, be sure

and look at the links at the end.

I loved the stone they used on the counter tops. It has a green veining 

that runs through it. The kitchen designer did a great mix

of different metals in the kitchen! They blend so beautifully you hardly 

register it at first that their is brass, copper and nickle all present!

This is the flooring in the back entrance. Love the cross shaped stones and

the funky, black chair and wallpaper!

This light in the mudroom/laundry room gives off some

interesting light shadows.

Every nook and cranny was used in the upstairs office! 

Interesting mobile tucked into a corner of the bedroom. That is a 

3D pattern on the walls behind the chair.

There is so much more to see in this fabulous house.  I am sharing two 

bloggers' blog post. 

Jennifer Schoenberger, at Vreeland Road,

Serious Holiday Inspiration!

Rhoda, at Southern Hospitality, who did her post in two parts.

Southern Hospitality Part 1

Part 2

I hope you each enjoy this Holiday House as much as I did! 

Have you Decked your Halls?

Design on the Half Shell

Large clam shells are popping up all over the design world. 

My husband recently surprised me with a real one! 

They have become so popular that they are now

being produced in resin. They are ideal in any room,

even if you don't have a coastal feel. They are perfect

to offer texture and make ideal holders for a variety 

of items or can be beautiful all on their own!

Beverage holder

So sit back and enjoy all the uses I can show you.

If you can think of another way to use a clam shell, please leave me 

a message in the comments below! 

Orchid Planter

Used as a sink in a casual, nautical inspired powder room.

Or in a very formal powder room, as a vessel sink, on top

of a mirrored console.

They make beautiful seasonal containers. This one is full of Spring Flowers!

In the Summer they are perfect for succulents.

You can use a shell instead of a Cornucopia for Thanksgiving!

What a beautiful Christmas arrangement! 

They are especially beautiful filled with shells. 

Hydrangeas are another type of flower, that are beautiful placed 

in a clam shell. 

A great idea to fill up a fireplace that you don't use.

They are also great used as a stand alone accessory in a fireplace. 

(This picture is in Ali Wentworth and George Stephanopoules's living room.)

What did I do with my clam shell? We have a large collection of all types, sizes 

and colors of shells and coral. I have mine full of shells and in our bay window,

for now. But I have lots of other possibilities in mind for it!

If you would like to know more about the clam shells....

The giant clam, Tridacna gigas, is one of the numerous clam species that exist in the coral reefs of the South Pacific and Indian oceans. As the name suggests, these are huge clams, so much so that they are regarded as the largest extant species of bivalve molluscs. Owing to the fact that they occur in marine environment, the giant clams belong to the family Cardioidea, to which all the other saltwater clams belong. These creatures were first documented by an Italian explorer, as early as 1521. Since then, the giant clams have been studied in great detail

Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/interesting-facts-about-the-giant-clam.html

E-mail Readers see below...

Click on the title of the post in Blue (at the top) to view this post online. You can see recent posts, other blogs I like, my archives and the links I post on the right sidebar. Some things do not translate as well in email. If you see there is a problem just click over. It is a more enjoyable reading experience. Thank you so much for following my blog. There is also a sign up link available to receive this blog by email and another one to sign up for my newsletter Southern~Design~Style..

source: El Decor, House Beautiful, Coastal Living, Pinterest