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Good morning, chic readers! Happy February 15! We hope you had a great Valentine’s Day and, if you’re feeling the post-celebration letdown and are looking for something else to celebrate, we’ve got you covered: The launch party for my fourth novel The Secret to Southern Charm is one month from today at the historic Elizabeth Barnwell Gough House in Beaufort, SC to benefit the Pat Conroy Literary Center! Space is limited so get your tickets now! (Official release April 3 from Simon & Schuster.)
If that wasn’t enough, one of our favorite architects, Patrick Ahearn, has a new book out.
Timeless: Classic American Architecture for Contemporary Living is an absolute gem, a must-have for every coffee table.
If you’re a longtime Design Chic reader, you know we have had a long-standing love affair with Ahearn’s work.
A coffee table book can sometimes be a bit of a “Will I love the book as much as the movie?” type of thing…
But we can confidently say that this compilation showcases some of Ahearn’s very best work–and we don’t have to tell you that we are always excited to see his new, unpublished designs!
Relaxed, casual spaces perfect for breakfast with kids…
More traditional, family dining areas great for hosting guests,
And charming entryways and mudrooms make for an ideal vacation spot.
We love the architectural details in Ahearn’s interiors, but the exteriors might be even more fabulous.
A pretty poolhouse with with an idyllic fireplace is perfect for year-round outdoor lounging.
Just, wow. Cedar shake has never looked better!
Symmetry at its best.
A perfectly manicured yard is the icing on the cake.
Needless to say, this is a book of dream houses–and ultimate inspiration. We know this is one we will return to again and again–and we think you will too!
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims in the tragic Florida shooting.
Resolving to read more this year? Pick up your copy of Slightly South of Simple, the first novel in my Peachtree Bluff series, and preorder book 2, The Secret to Southern Charm, releasing April 3! I’m so grateful for the support of my readers!
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and see our Top Ten Posts of 2017 here!
Good morning, good morning, chic reader friends! We hope you are having a wonderful week. Ours is off to a terrific and busy start, which is really the best kind, if you ask us.
We are having a few days of weather in the 60s, which is a very happy occurrence for me, in particular, because, whether it’s 90 or -20 (Well, I mean, it’s NC, so it’s never -20…) I am outside playing tennis or golf or basketball, digging holes in the yard, finding bugs… Life with a little boy is never dull!
The gorgeous designs of Charles Hilton Architects are never dull either, which is why we are always so excited to see what they come up with next!
Are you big on open floor plans? Or are they not really your thing?
We always love chatting with designer friends about this because they tend to have a strong opinion one way or another. These rooms really straddle that line between open and closed, giving the airiness of a more open floor plan but still maximizing space.
This office is spectacular–and feels much more like being on one of the beautiful boats outside the window than inside a house. What a great feeling! (My boys would love this!)
Blue and white is a time-tested combination that can sometimes lean toward the more traditional side of things. The touches in this home give it that modern touch.(Did you see that lucite console and those benches? So cool!)
If there’s anywhere blue and white must live, it’s the pool house. This pool house remodel is so vibrant.
Fun patterns, textures and, of course, architectural details lend this pool house a fabulous personality.
Speaking of personality. We’re loving everything about this room! Especially its versatility. The fabric and art are our favorite touches, but, if you took them away, the room would have a totally different–but still beautiful–feel.
Oh the views… Everything about this room is a cozy child’s haven that will grow as they do. We think a window seat should be mandatory for a child! I can’t count the number of hours I spend curled up in mine! (It’s no coincidence I have two in my grown-up house!)
Just, yes… It’s all perfection!
If the pool house is good the pool must be pretty great too, right? This one definitely doesn’t disappoint! And in only a short couple of months we can be lounging by one again!
What’s your favorite Charles Hilton space?
Also, don’t forget to enter to win a $90 Paperless Post gift certificate! (You can use it for real paper too!)
Also, if you want to know a little more about my new novel, SLIGHTLY SOUTH OF SIMPLE (Simon & Schuster, April 25, 2017) take a peek at the video below! (It’s only like 90 seconds. No major commitments here!)
Mom and I have both always loved infomercials. I know. They’re worse than reality TV. But it’s not like you set out to watch an infomercial. It’s something that just sort of happens. Not so much anymore, but, back in the days before DVR and OnDemand, we’d be up late, and one would just come on. And then we’d get sucked in, and, before we knew it, we were pulling out our credit card (Well, Mom’s credit card. I was a child.) and ordering Yoga Booty Ballet because the next fifty callers got a free set of resistance bands.
We already had three sets of resistance bands, but it’s something in that guy’s voice and all those women who went from a size 14 to a size 2 in three weeks and their asthma went away and they met the love of their life and won the lottery…
So we ordered Yoga Booty Ballet. And Billy Blank’s Tae Bo. And this cool thing you used to sort cans in the fridge. And something I can’t remember the name of that involved step aerobics. (Mom is really good at step aerobics. She was a preschool mom in the early 90’s so, you know…)
But there was this one infomercial I always used to see that intrigued me. It was for these detoxifying foot pads. You’d put them on when you slept and they would pull all the toxins and heavy metals out of your body and when you woke up the foot pads were black with all of the gross stuff pulled out of your body!
Now, Mom still has a Tony Little Gazelle in the garage, but she made fun of me for thinking these things would work. So I never got them.
Yesterday, I was in TJ Maxx trying to be patient while Will examined two dozen lunch boxes when I saw them. Those foot pads! And they were $4.99, so I bought them, despite the lack of a free set if I ordered in the next eight minutes. And I woke up this morning and they were black just like on the infomercial, and I am quite sure that my insides are squeaky clean and toxin and heavy metal free just like that happy girl on TV all those years ago!
So, sure, yeah, it’s probably just some sort of reaction with the heat in my body that turns that little pad black. But it makes you feel so accomplished. I mean, for every win–like the foot pad and Billy Blanks–there’s a thigh master and a can sorter that cans don’t actually fit in. But that’s half the fun. And this is why we love infomercials.
Something we love that’s a little less risky? Pea gravel. We installed it in our backyard in Beaufort, and it has been a miracle for controlling moisture and keeping those pesky mosquitoes away.
Plus, it’s so pretty, which, frankly, was our initial appeal. The lack of Zika was just a happy side effect. So, no, it’s not great for heels. But in flats or flip flops, gravel makes the most satisfying crunch underneath your feet.
And it’s such a beautiful juxtaposition with surrounding grass.
So, no, you probably won’t get a free gift with purchase with your pea gravel. But, on the very bright side, it’s also probably not going to end up unused in your garage. Speaking of, I’m off to unearth those Yoga Booty Ballet DVDs I haven’t seen since college. They were great. And I’m having the strangest urge to hunt down this Fluidity Barre system that I used to see all the time… Although, it’s way less fun to order informercial products now that I have to use my own credit card!
Wishing you a wonderful day, chic friends!
We have just returned from a little warm weather getaway before the launch of Lies and Other Acts of Love and are already missing the warmth and beauty of the area. This new pool house in Atlanta designed by the incomparable D. Stanley Dixon and John Howard, has us excited for Spring. Wishing you all a wonderful day!
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