On The Road Again.....

On The Road Again…..

In case you are wondering where I have been……

I fell off the blog post train the past few weeks, as I have been living on the road and out of a suitcase.

We have been pretty busy with current projects, and with being out of town, my blog writing, the dog grooming appointments, and the cleanliness of my own house have fallen by the wayside.

Here is a glimpse into what has been going on with us…….

As I wrote here a few weeks ago, I was asked to participate in the Atlanta Home’s and Lifestyle’s Southeastern Showhouse in Atlanta, GA.

We spent two days in Atlanta installing the Mudroom, Mudroom Powder, and the Butler’s Pantry. Though it poured as we moved in, we had a blast.

Abbey at odds with the umbrella, and I think the umbrella may have won….

My goal was to make these small, but important rooms, feel true to the home. The house is beautiful and extremely traditional. Our rooms needed to blend into the architecture, but not at the cost of being boring.

I wanted to create spaces that are functional- a place to catch your keys, use the desk behind the cabinet doors, etc.

Layered, collected, timeless.

Here are a few pictures of our spaces for you to see.

Gorgeous console and lamp are from Parc Monceau. The Louis Philippe mirror is from Huff Harrington and the sculptural hands are from Travis and Co

Drapery panel covering a nondescript closet door. It also adds softness to the room while balancing the opposite wall.

I love the Tantalus and oil painting below from Parc Monceau. If you haven’t been to their shop in Buckhead, you need to stop by.

The Plateau is an architectural fragment I found at an antique store, and I had my marble guy cut a piece of Alabama White for the top. It’s one of my favorite serving pieces in my own home.

Royal Standard china and Baccarat crystal

The Showhouse closes May 14th so be sure to catch it.

After we installed our rooms, I vacationed in Miami for a few days with two of my girls. It was Lucy’s Spring Break, so we took a few days to get away. Feeling the sun on your back, and your toes in the sand, does a person good.

We loved DIRT in Miami- a fresh and healthy take on food

I came back Tuesday from Miami and left Wednesday for the opening of the show. Abbey went with me and we had a blast.

It was back to work for a day while I was back in Birmingham, AL. We had a site visit to select hardwood floor color, and we also began working on a living room design for a new client.

I then headed back to Atlanta for Design ADAC and for the Southeastern Designer & Architect Awards.

The Design ADAC panels were awesome as expected. I especially loved the one with the Editors of Veranda moderated by Carolyn Englefield. I think I could have listened to Lisa Newsom’s stories from the past all day long.

As I wrote here, I was thrilled to learn we were a finalist for the ADAC & Veranda 2017 Southeast Designers & Architect Of The Year awards.

*The Editor At Large* interviewing me at the party

Phoebe Howard took home the Residential Designer Of The Year award, and my Birmingham, AL, friend, Jeff Dungan, took home the Architect Of The Year Award.

I have to give my team a huge shoutout. They held down the fort while I was in and out of town, and I truly could not do all of this without them. They are the BEST, and I am grateful for each of their gifts that they bring to our firm.

I loved being in Atlanta this past month, and always said that if I didn’t live in Birmingham, Atlanta is where I would hang my hat. Not sure my husband would comply, but I can work on him…..

And while I have worked on projects in Atlanta in the past, I would love to do more work there. If you have a project and you like our style, reach out to us.

I am back in Birmingham for a few weeks before I head out of town again. I plan on catching up on work and cleaning my house :). If I am lucky, my hands will end up in the dirt planting a few things this weekend.

Stay tuned as we keep you filled in on some more exciting news….

Have a great day-

Dana

If you would like to see what we are doing on a daily basis, reach out to us. We’d love to hear from you-

Facebook- Dana Wolter Interiors

Twitter- DWolterinterior

Instagram- DANAWOLTER

Pinterest- dwolterinterior

Living Well

Five Pieces of Design Advice To Ignore

When it comes to designing and decorating your home, you want to do it right the first time, and there is some advice given out often that, in my opinion, needs to be ignored.

It usually comes from a builder, a worker on your home, or a well-intentioned friend. Trust your gut, or better yet, hire a designer you can trust with one of the largest investments (your home) you will ever make.

So here goes…. A few pieces of friendly advice you should ignore:

1. Don’t paint your brick – If you have a new or cookie cutter brick home and you used the standard brick you see everywhere, painting your brick can be one of the best things you can do to make it look a little more custom. Yes, you cannot go back, but who would want to when it’s the mass produced brick you see so much of these days? Painted brick is so pretty to me and it is a great way to give your home a new, cohesive look. See how gorgeous this home is below?

It is the home of Milieu editor, Pamela Pierce, as seen in Veranda magazine. If you have not checked out Milieu, you must do so as it does not disappoint.

This Houston house was designed by Pamela Pierce. It was featured in Veranda magazine in the March 2013 issue, pages 122-132. — Pamela Pierce’s home as seen in Veranda. Image from decorator.com

2. Using 6″ recess cans throughout a space– Heard of a swiss cheese ceiling? Yep, this is exactly what I mean.

If you must incorporate recess, use the smaller ones that provide lots of light from a small bulb. Yes, the smaller recess cost more than the typical 5″-6″ builder cans often speced, but the look far outweighs the cost. Use dimmers to soften the lighting, and use a variety of different types of lighting to create warmth and layering. Table and floor lamps that direct light in the living areas is best. It allows you to see things better, puts a nicer light on your face, and illuminates the colors and textures in your furnishings better.

3. Selecting granite over marble because you do not think marble is durable- This one is a BIG one and I am constantly having to educate my clients about this stone.

I can only hope I am aging as well as marble does, because to me, there is nothing prettier than a well worn piece of marble after several years have passed. I have had it in my house for almost eight years, and trust me, we ~~live hard in~~ use my kitchen and bathrooms. And guess what? Do not tell my dirty little secret, but we are not the neatest group either.

The key is to choose a honed marble so etching wont take place if something hot is placed on it, and if you like red wine, don’t leave it spilled on the counter for days on end. If something does happen and the stain bothers you (which it shouldn’t- it’s called patina), the material can always be resurfaced.

4. Hanging artwork too high– Keep the center of your artwork at eye level or a little lower to create intimacy in a space. In a room where people will mostly be sitting, artwork should be hung a little lower.

5. Arranging all of your furniture against the walls– You never want to create a furniture arrangement that makes conversation difficult. If you have a room that is big enough, be creative and float your sofa and add a couple of sitting ares to the space. A sofa can look great off of the wall, so use open spaces to be creative and create intimacy.

(2) Tumblr — Image from Georgiana Design

What advice have you been given when it comes to your house that you wish you’d ignored? I’d love to hear from you so please share!

Take care,

dana

Connect with us….

Facebook- Dana Wolter Interiors

Twitter- DWolterinterior

Instagram- DANAWOLTER

Pinterest- dwolterinterior

Living Well

Thanks, Schumacher!

Hi Everyone,

With the Antiques at The Gardens show this week, I want to give a BIG shout out and thank you to my friends at F. Schumacher and Co. for making it possible for us to use several of their exquisite fabrics in our vignette, “Fireside Chat”.

As if their fabrics don’t say enough, it is obvious teamwork and an encouraging environment in the workplace have contributed to the success of this company. I have yet to meet a person associated with Schumacher that I didn’t like, and I have met those working from customer service to the owner of the company. Schumacher is reliable, they stand by their products and they are customer-friendly. Perhaps this is why they have been in business for over 100 years…..

You won’t believe some of the beautiful pieces we created using Schumacher’s textured linens, quilted fabrics and soft velvets. Hopefully you will see them in person at the show, but in case you can’t make it, I will be sure to post a few on my social media as the week goes by.

Have I peaked your interest yet???

If you aren’t familiar with their wall coverings, floor coverings, furnishings, and fabrics, you need to check it out here. If you look closely through their line, you will notice I have used several of their fabrics in many of my interiors. Why? Schumacher has a classic, fresh look, exactly how I want my interiors to read. In my opinion, they have some of the prettiest linens around.

images-1 — Mary McDonald’s line for Schumacher

java — A Schumacher fabric recently ordered for an upholstered table I am designing for a client.

As timing would have it, Schumacher announced Monday that Dara Caponigro, former Editor- In- Chief of Veranda magazine, is the new Creative Director for the company.

01_r4_c1 — Photo courtesy of F. Schumacher and Co.

Dara has an extensive background in the design world with her experience not only working at Veranda, but also at Domino, Elle Decor, and House Beautiful. There’s lots of talent and experience being added to this incredible company. To read more on this announcement, click on Schumacher’s blog here.

Thanks again Schumacher; We couldn’t have done it without you!

Have a great day, everyone!

Dana

Living Well

Memorable Monday

Hi Everyone,

Is it me or are there other people out there who have files and files of beautiful rooms torn out of magazines to be referred to at a latter date?

For today’s Memorable Monday, I wanted to share a photo of an incredible kitchen that was featured in Veranda several years ago. Bobby McAlpine was the architect of this home, and in my opinion, everything he creates is perfection. I have always admired Bobby’s work, and I am looking forward to meeting him in person as he is the featured lecturer at Antiques at The Gardens show I have been blogging about lately. He is creating a vignette (like Jeff and I are for the show) with Cindy Smith (Of Circa- I blogged about her amazing book several months back) for it as well.

Bobby is the author of the critically acclaimed best-selling book, The Home Within Us, and will be available to sign copies of his book during the show. If you don’t have a copy of his book, grab one as it will not disappoint. FYI…. He has a second book coming out soon, too.

bobby

Hope you have a memorable Monday!

Dana