LIving Room | Lori May Interiors

April 22, 2013

A Preview of the 2013 Decorator’s Show House

The last week has gone by so quickly. With everything that has happened in Boston, it has been difficult to focus on the blog. I decided to focus instead on my girls and their mental well being after another tragedy that I can’t control, much less explain. Today felt like we were back on track and my mind was able to get back to normal. While my thoughts and prayers are with those who are still hurting, today we’re going to distract ourselves with absolute beauty.

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Not too shabby, huh? This is the 2013 Decorator’s Show House. If you live in the Atlanta area, you know that there are many show houses throughout the year. The Decorator’s Show House which is sponsored by the Atlanta Symphony each year is one of the best. It is a must see. For those of you who can’t get to Atlanta, I’ve got a treat for you today. A sneak peek! I was lucky enough to be sent professional photos of this beautiful home.

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Even empty this room would be amazing. The subtle, elegant design feels warm and inviting. But, my favorite thing about this space is all the seating areas. It reminds me of what Windsor Smith says about bringing the family back to the center of the home. There is a place for everyone.

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Love the simple styling on the coffee table and that fabulous round pillow.

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Hate that this photo is so dark, but a room by Jimmy Stanton is always worth seeing. Neutral and full of texture. The light fixture and the gorgeous sea fans are so beautiful.

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I’m drawn to neutrals, that is no surprise, but this space with the orange walls and chairs really make me smile. The graphic rug plays nicely with the amazing windows.

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What is this you ask? Apparently, the man room is giving way to the coffee bar! Not so sure about this one, but way to think outside the box!

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Look familiar? This room is completely designed from Ikea merchandise. Ikea is a sponsor of the show house this year. Would you have known if I hadn’t told you?

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Love this kitchen, but it’s the light fixtures that make it amazing. Yes, they are cut crystal. Gorgeous!

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Proof that a room does not have to be huge to be fabulous. The tub alone is a work of art, but add in an exquisite painting by Holly Irwin of dk Gallery and the bar is raised. I could spend a good deal of time in this bathroom.

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I saved my favorite space for last. The master bedroom by Melanie Turner is just lovely. The casual, yet elegant touches are classic Melanie Turner. It is always so impressive to me that a designer can pull off these kinds of rooms every time. If you don’t believe me, head over to her site and take a look at her portfolio. It is worth your time.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the sneak peek. There’s more to see, but I’ll save a few for after I see the show house myself! Can’t wait!

Thank you to Jeff Roffman photography. The show house is open through May 12th.

Be safe friends, and hug your family. My thoughts are with you all.

by Lori | Filed Under: Artwork, Bathrooms, Bedrooms, Dining Rooms, Inspiration, Kitchens, LIving Room | 3 Comments

April 1, 2013

Sweet Easter DIY treats and a Room Service Atlanta update

Hi everyone, I hope you had a wonderful weekend. It was a wet Easter for us, but warmer than it has been, so we were thankful.

My sweet girls and I put together this quick DIY project to take to our Easter brunch with friends. I realize that Easter is over, but wouldn’t this make a great end of the year teacher gift? Just switch out the bunny for a pretty flower and you’ve got it. Here’s what we did.

We started with chalkboard paint, a foam brush and a plain terra cotta pot.

This is the first pot after 1 coat. A word of warning, this does take multiple coats of chalk paint. It took 3 coats to cover ours completely. Don’t forget to wait 24 hours to use the chalk or you’ll scratch off the paint! (Lesson learned the hard way, unfortunately.)

Here is the finished product. Easy and inexpensive. The girls loved it and so did I!

Now, for an update on our Room Service Atlanta project. Angela, Rhoda and I met last week and primed the entire space. This is where we started.

After a day of priming.

Priming in the kitchen.

This is me standing on the counter trying to remove two of the cabinets. It was not going well. It’s amazing what you find yourself doing in these projects.

A few fabrics we picked up from Award Fabrics, one of our fabulous sponsors. I’m so loving that navy stripe. We have some wonderful things up our sleeves for this makeover!

Last, but certainly not least, here is Rhoda, me and Angela at the end of the day. I’m not quite sure why I chose to pose with that artwork, but it is an original piece that we found. It will be hung on a gorgeous gallery wall that we have planned.

Stay tuned. Be sure to follow me on Instagram at LoriMayInteriors to see the updates on our Room Service project. More awesome things to come.

by Lori | Filed Under: Artwork, Bedrooms, Kitchens, LIving Room, My Projects, Tips/Tutorials | 6 Comments

March 25, 2013

Obsessing over trims and tapes

Mary McDonald from Schumacher

This image showed up in my inbox a few days ago and I have been obsessed with tapes and trims ever since. These fabulous options are from Mary McDonald’s new line for Schumacher. I’ve always known that you can dress up your window treatments with beautiful tapes, but it seems like I am seeing them everywhere lately. Let’s look at a few ways you can dress up custom or ready made window treatments.

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Another look at Mary McDonald’s line. She used a very wide trim here, but what a dramatic touch it adds to those beautiful orange panels.

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This is a much more simple look. Many of us use solid panels. Adding a simple solid trim in a pattern dresses them up nicely.

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Love how the trim finishes off the edges of these ikat panels. Can you see how the trim pattern brings out the antique bronze of the table and the lantern? It’s a subtle detail that makes a big difference in the space.

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Another dramatic look. Plain white panels would not have had the same impact in this room.

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This is what most of us think of when we think about adding trim to panels. The trim can be sewn on like these or…

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…glued on. I used fabric glue, black grosgrain ribbon and ready made panels from Ikea to create these window treatments for our last Room Service project. It was so easy and added a nice detail to the white panels.

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Trims can also be used on Roman blinds. I love the light trim on the dark fabric.

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This trim adds a traditional flair to an otherwise non-traditional color palette.

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Finally, trims and tapes are not just for window treatments, added to this tufted linen ottoman and you have a completely custom look.

I hope you have gotten a few good ideas that you can use in your own projects. I’m already thinking of how I can use trims in my own home!

by Lori | Filed Under: Bedrooms, Dining Rooms, Inspiration, LIving Room, My Projects, Tips/Tutorials | 11 Comments

January 26, 2013

A sneak peek at the other spaces in the Inspiration House!

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Jennifer from Vreeland Road, Sherry, me and Joann from Kandrac and Cole

Thank you to our wonderful friends who came out to support Sherry and I on Thursday night. It was a thrill to have everyone finally see our space in person. For those of you that I did not get to say hello to, please forgive me and thank you so much for coming. For those of you who live out of town, but have been so over the top supportive, thank you! To all of you, I cannot express how much your support means to me. This was definitely a labor of love and your kind words got us through.

Tonight is the premiere party and tomorrow we open to the public! If you’re in Atlanta, be sure to stop by! You can click here for details.

Today, I thought I’d share with you a few more sneak peeks of the some of the other designers’ spaces. Let me tell you, everyone knocked it out of the park!

Bill Ingram Architects

Rhonda Peterson and Associates

Harrison Design Associates

Petite Maison

Y. McFaddon LLC

Brooke Merrill Home

Wesley Huffard

Summer Loftin Antiques

LWC Interiors

Bryan Alan Kirkland Designs

Reiner White Design Studio

Dayka Robinson Designs

Parker Kennedy Living

Hope you enjoyed the sneak! Have a great weekend!

by Lori | Filed Under: Bathrooms, Bedrooms, Dining Rooms, LIving Room, My Projects | 13 Comments

January 20, 2013

It’s done!

Sherry and I worked all week installing our space in the Inspiration House. And it rained almost every day. Not a nice, soft rain. A cold, drenching, wet from head to toe rain. At one point, I was so wet, water was running from my hair, down my face. I stopped caring what I looked like. You might think that it eventually got funny to us. It didn’t.

But, what was fun was working with an extremely talented woman on a project that I have come to love dearly. I hung out with Sherry and her sweet puppies a couple of nights during the install. If you read Sherry’s blog, you know that these sweeties are quite the characters. This is Patches. She was my constant companion at Sherry’s house. She laid in my lap and cuddled with me like a 10 lb. lap dog. She has no idea she doesn’t weigh 10 lbs.! I don’t have a picture of Zipper. He was not so sure about me hanging out at first, but he got used to me after a while.

We did have a couple of panicky moments during the install. On Thursday, we hung our curtain panels, and honestly, they were terrible. The trim was too flashy and the fabric was way too burlap like. Totally our fault. So, what did we do? We scrounged around Sherry’s horde (I mean, collection) of fabric and found a fabulous cream colored linen and begged Sudi (Sherry’s amazing friend and fabricator) to make us two new panels. She did and the crisis was averted. Moral of that story. Go with your gut. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel.

Bad curtains. They might work in another space, but definitely not in our room.

After the curtain crisis, things started to fall into place and by Friday, the space was almost done and the sun was finally shining. It’s amazing what a little sunshine will do for a person after 5 days straight of miserable rain. I was almost giddy as we tweaked the room on Friday.

Another sneak peek…

If you follow me on Instagram, you have seen most of these photos. We have been asked not to post photos of our entire space, which is very hard to do, but Atlanta Home and Lifestyles will be photographing the entire house this week and they have 1st dibs. Christina Wedge will be photographing our space on Monday and I promise to keep you posted. Follow me on Instagram at LoriMayInteriors and I’ll give you a few more sneak peeks of the photo shoot.

To see more of the beautiful pieces from our room. Head over to Sherry’s blog and check out her hilarious as always update post!

The Inspiration House starts Sunday, 1/27. It runs from 1/31-2/3 and 2/7-2/10 from 11am to 5pm each day. Sherry and I would love to see you! Click here for tickets.

by Lori | Filed Under: LIving Room, My Projects | 16 Comments

January 16, 2013

Ballard loves bloggers and good friends

The show house install is going well and Sherry and I have both recovered from our bout with food poisoning last week. If you want to read more about that head over to Sherry’s blog. (Hint, she is much more of a sharer than I am and her story is hilarious.) If you follow us on instagram, you know that we have been enjoying a few yummy lunches during our time working on the Inspiration House. Well, I guess we enjoyed it a little too much last week!

Before we get too far into 2013, there are two events that I’d like to share with you from last month. While very different, these two events capped off 2012 for me both in my business and my personal life.

In early December, I was invited along with several other bloggers from around the country to spend the day at the Ballard Designs headquarters here in Atlanta. Our fabulous hosts treated us to a wonderful dinner the night before and the next day was spent with the staff learning the ins and outs of Ballard Designs. I was so impressed with how interested they were in the blogger perspective. As many of you know, this has not always been the case with businesses in the past. Many of them have been fearful to let bloggers in, afraid that secrets might be given away, I suppose. Ballard understands and is embracing the value of today’s blogger as an asset to their business. I am already a loyal customer and look forward to partnering with them in the future.

Now, on to our day!

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We started off with general discussions about business and how Ballard approaches their customer (They call her Elizabeth.). Our group was comprised of both full time DIY bloggers as well as interior designer bloggers like myself. After some back and forth, we headed out on a tour.

This is the other side of the conference room where we were seated. I love all the color that Ballard is introducing for spring.

The hallways were lined with bulletin boards covered in inspiration photos. Definitely my kind of place!

A shot of a few of the many color inspiration boards in the office. Emerald green was already on their radar before Pantone voted it the color of the year!

After the tour we were taken here to see first hand one of the spring 2013 photo shoots. The outside wasn’t complete, but the inside…

…was gorgeous after Jill Sharp Brinson, Ballard’s Creative Director, got her hands on it. This home was gorgeous, but once it had been given that Ballard touch, it was stunning. Can you see how the silver sage color of a year ago has deepened into this soft turquoise? So pretty.

This is Jill explaining how the catalog shoot process works.

The crew spends up to a month on one shoot. They bring in truck loads of furniture and accessories. Shopping areas are set up within the home, so that items are easily accessible during the shoot. Can you imagine having all this at your disposal to choose from whenever you decided you wanted a different look in your home?? And this is just the glassware!

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Before we headed back, we were able to get a group shot. Such a fun and informative day. Thank you Ballard Designs!

A couple weeks later I was thrilled to attend a gathering with fellow bloggers, designers and industry friends at our friend Lisa Gabrielson’s home. Little did I know, I would be treated to Lisa’s amazing home as well. Take a look!

Love this shot! Lisa uses this gate to keep her dog out of the dining room. That’s a lot better than a baby gate, wouldn’t you say?

The dining room wall. What a beautiful way to accessorize a large wall!

One of my favorite things about Lisa’s home is her attention to detail. There is a lovely personal touch to every space, even the smallest area.

The gallery wall in Lisa’s office.

Lisa placed this beautiful table in front of her master bath tub. I thought this was a genius idea. The space in front of the tub is never that interesting. She created a gorgeous vignette that draws your eye to the vintage bottles instead of the tub.

Closeup of the vintage bottles.

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Along with visiting Lisa’s amazing home, the best part was visiting with all of these lovely ladies. I know I’ve said this before, but these women are the best, most supportive friends anyone could have. What a wonderful day!

UPDATE: So happy to report that Lisa’s home was photographed last week for The Cottage Journal’s 2013 Christmas book-azine! Congrats Lisa!

by Lori | Filed Under: Bedrooms, Dining Rooms, Inspiration, LIving Room | 6 Comments

January 9, 2013

Inspiration House update

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Hi all,

Just a quick post today to share a few details about the Inspiration House. Sherry and I have been working non-stop preparing our space because the install is next week! It’s coming together well and I wanted to share a couple of sneak peeks with you.

Here’s a great shot of our newly installed lighting and freshly stained ceiling. We used Classic Gray which is a new stain color by Minwax. I am so thrilled with our progress. It is so exciting to see our plan come to life.

A sneak peek of our Moroccan rug from Sullivan Rugs!

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Just a reminder of where we started…

And today. Not perfect, but sooo much better!

If you’re in the Atlanta area or if you’d like to make a road trip, the premiere party will be held on Saturday, January 26th from 5:30-7:30. See below for details and ticket information. The Inspiration House dates are 1/31-2/3 and 2/7-2/10 from 11am-5pm each day. We would love to see you!

by Lori | Filed Under: LIving Room, My Projects | 5 Comments

October 10, 2012

Our design plan for the United Methodist Children’s Home

So, on to the fun part. I showed you the before shots of our spaces at the UMCH on Monday and today we’re on to the design plan. Even though this plan is not actually for a paying client, the process is the same. I’m a completely visually person, so having the design plan in front of me make the spaces come alive. Even if we don’t end up using these exact items, these are plans that we can refer to as we find those perfect items.

The beautiful blue bed was the inspiration for the bedroom space. Thanks so much to our friends at Room and Board for such a fabulous donation. The walls will be dark and moody with black and white floor tiles and graphic window treatments. Bright yellow pops against neutral gray walls.

This fabulous herringbone rug was the inspiration for the lounge. We also wanted this area to feel comfortable and cohesive with the bedroom, but a bit more fun. The wall color is lighter, but still in the gray family. The yellow carries over from the bedroom, but the blue darkens to a deeper turquoise. Window treatments with a white background and the white barstool will add contrast.

Design plans are easy to put together and can help you create focus within your own home. You can create a plan on your computer, through programs like olio board or even use pinterest to group together items that you love. Once you have a plan that works for you, keep it with you and when you see something you think you can’t live without, take a quick look at your plan. Does it work? Does it add to your overall plan for your space? If so, get it. If not, move on and be patient. Design plans give you clarity and help you make fewer mistakes in your decorating.

Stay tuned for more to come from our UMCH project. Painting starts next week!