You are Invited (& it's Invitation Only!)

You are invited to an exciting event on May 6th!Remember my dear friend, Millie Gaines, the very talented interior designer from New Orleans? Well Millie is hosting the most amazing event!
It is a night of art and antiques bringing together the beautiful antiques of Tara Shaw And the gorgeous contemporary artwork of Michelle Y Williams. It is invitation only, but if you email Millie here and tell her you are a reader of Willow Decor, she'll make sure you can attend.
It's going to held at Tara Shaw's showroom in New Orleans, usually only open to the trade - but on May 6th you will be able to browse and buy just like an insider!Even more exiting is that Michelle Y Williams contemporary paintings will also be shown (and available). The antiques and the contemporary artwork perfectly compliment each other!!
You know I am so sad that I can't attend - but don't let that stop you. And Millie will be there to chat and help you with your design questions (plus, she is so fun!!) So don't hesitate to grab a friend and have a fabulous girls night out.
Here are the details: Cocktail Reception on Thursday, May 6th at 5 PM at Tara Shaw Antiques, 1240 Camp Street, New Orleans. Remember it's invitation only so email Millie to get on the list! And don't forget to send pictures to me of the treasures you will undoubtedly find!!
Finally, I was tagged by my bloggy friend, Ness, over at Marley & Lockyer to show you the 10th photo in my inspiration file. Well I have dozen of files, so I took the 10th photo from my Built in Bed file. This magical bed prompted this popular post on Built in Beds - you can read it here. Stop over to Marley& Lockyer, visit Ness and see what other great inspiration photos she has uncovered from other friends.
And have fun at the Michelle Williams Event at Tara Shaw Antiques. Give Millie a hug for me!
(Email Millie at mildredmaude@aol.com)

(all photos Tara Shaw, Michele Y Williams, Cote de Texas, Marie Claire Maison, Willow Decor)

My Breakfast Room and Family Room Reveal

When I bought my house I knew we would need to enlarge the kitchen and family room area. The previous owners were empty nesters and although the layout worked for them, it was not appropriate for our growing family.

This before picture was taken during our home inspection. At this point the previous owners had removed much of their family room furniture - all that remained was their small kitchen table and some odd chairs. You can see that the wall of windows was about 3 feet beyond the solid wall. A larger table would have ended up looming into the Family room space. So, when we were ready to renovate we pushed back the wall and added an additional nine feet to create a dedicated breakfast room. Here is the breakfast room after!

We recessed the ceiling and added beadboard and crown moulding to match the treatment we added in the kitchen.

I vacillated for months over the light fixture, but finally decided on the Niermann Weeks Italian Chandelier with an antiqued silvered finish. (Actually I vacillated over spending the money or not spending the money - I always knew it was just perfect) In the end, it was my husband's sage advice that made me order it - "You will look at this everyday, all day, for years - buy what you love!" I am so glad I listened to him (He says its one of the only times!)

Here you can see that we added three windows on each side to keep the original feeling.

I found a wonderful Belgian wrought iron table with old wood top that fit the space perfectly. Wisteria had a bench that was just the right size and I topped it with a grainsack! The linen curtains were a steal, only $20. a panel, a close-out from Country Curtains; all they needed was a little doctoring.

You might remember that at this time I also took out the over head cabinets between the Family Room and Kitchen area and removed four lower cabinets to create more of a center island.

Here you can see how much better the space feels. Removing the upper cabinets also allowed you to see the recessed ceiling area in the kitchen. We spiffed that up a bit by adding the beadboard and crown moulding details.
Here is the Family Room before. This is directly across from the center island. The size is deceiving as the back wall is over 13 feet wide.
Here is the Family Room after. We added the window on the right to match the rest of the back. It was a great addition as it brings in so much light to what used to be a shadowy area. The mantel above the couch I found in the trash on the side of a road many years ago. It has an original workman's label from 1881. What a find!! I just love the feeling it brings to the space. Lamps are from Aidan Gray and the mirror is from Wisteria - It came in gold so I silver leafed it one afternoon.
Here is the before looking from the Kitchen area out toward the Family Room area. Notice the wonderful ceiling detail that was hidden from view before we removed the upper bank of cabinets.
And here is another photo of the after. Notice the addition of the crown moulding. The chairs are my old yellow club chairs, slipcovered in the same close-out linen from Country Curtains- a steal at $6 yard. I think they are bit oversized, but until I find what I am looking for they were an inexpensive fix. Here is the TV cabinet - notice the size of the TV that fit in it.

We added a gas fireplace, mantel and surrounded the area with crown moulding. We also placed a much larger TV above. Winter is long here so the fireplace makes the space so much more cozy.

This is the full view of the new space if you are standing in front of the fireplace.

From this...

To this...

(click to enlarge)

A final thought - I have received some email recently about rooms done by decorators that are considered "high-end" and not accessible to the average person. I just want to share with you that not all things that look expensive actually are expensive. Beauty does not have a price tag. Do not be afraid to mix $20 curtains and mantels you find in the trash with expensive chandeliers, or reproductions from mail order catalogs with real antiques. Trust what you love and it will all come together. It's not about the price, it's about surrounding yourself with things you enjoy.

We really enjoy our new space - I hope you do too!!

To see more of my house click here.

(all photos Willow Decor please do not copy without permission)

Veranda and Tara Shaw Maison

If you happen to pick up this months Veranda magazine (this cover is from last March). You will see a write about Tara Shaw's "New Classics". As you might recall, famous antique dealer and designer Tara Shaw, launched a line of reproduction pieces that are just stunning called her Maison line.
I own several pieces myself including the Mora Clock, which is a copy of Tara's own clock.

And this lovely little gilded iron table - it sits next to my sweet Swedish chairs in the conservatory.

For more information on the Maison line click here, to read a post I did last spring, when I visited in New Orleans. It was right before Tara released the line - so you all got a sneak preview.
Now this fabulous line is only available to the trade so if you are interested in any pieces, pop me an email and I will get you pricing. Happy February!! Can you believe it's February already?!