Modern Lantern: Why hasn’t someone thought of this before?

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Picture this:  You have spent all day rearranging your family room until it’s perfect.  It feels just right.  You go to plug in the lamp in the corner and realize that there is no outlet on that wall.  The room setting that you have worked so hard on will not work.  In the past, you’re only option was to call an electrician and have a new outlet installed or rearrange the furniture, again.

The owners of Modern Lantern had this same problem, but instead of calling the electrician, they decided to take it one step further.  They developed a beautiful line of battery powered lamps that you can use anywhere.

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Yes, all of these lamps are battery powered, no cord.  These lamps can be placed anywhere.  Yes, here is the point where you say, “Why didn’t I think of that?”.  I know.  I said the same thing.

 

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Wouldn’t it be great to add extra lighting to your mantle?

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know that I do very few specific product posts.  But, this one is near and dear to me and I wanted to share it with you.

 

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The founders of Modern Lantern are Stephen and Carrie Fitzwater.  I am also proud to say that they are friends of mine.  When I heard about their new venture, I wanted to do whatever I could to get the word out.  Not only because we go way back, but because they have developed an amazing product that helps make decorating easier.  Who doesn’t want that?

 

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Stephen and Carrie are ready to take their company to a new level, but just like any small business, a new level means more funds.  They have created a Kickstarter campaign to raise $12,000 for new equipment.  Kickstarter is a fundraising site that relies on public participation.  It’s an all or nothing deal, though, and they have 13 more days to raise $4500.

Here’s where you come in.  Yes, you can make your own donation, of course.  (If you do make a donation, you will get some great thank you gifts in return!)

But, we also need to get the word out to as many people as possible.  Please tweet, facebook, pin and instagram this post.  What a great way to support a fabulous product and small business!

Thank you!

 

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My week in pictures

Hello again friends.  When I checked in with you last week, I mentioned that there was a lot going on.  Today I thought I’d share a few pics with you, some work and some personal.  Enjoy!

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Sherry and I took apart our Inspiration House space on Tuesday.  It was certainly bittersweet.  Hard to believe that what was once this…

 

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…became this, in an hour.  Such a wonderful experience.  So many wonderful people.  I was honored to be a part.

 

After work, came play, and we were off to spend some much needed time away.

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We headed to the NC mountains to stay in Angela’s cottage.  The kids stayed back at the cottage with my parents and Eric and I toured the Biltmore.

 

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If you have the opportunity to visit this American “castle”, please do.  I’ve been before and each time, I discover something new.  I only wish they let you take pictures inside.  :(

 

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This was my favorite shot.  I have no idea how old this wisteria vine is, but it’s a beauty.  If you follow me on Instagram and Vine, you saw many more pics and my first ever videos.  You can find me at Lori May Interiors.  I’d love to hear from you!

 

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We were able to make a quick stop here after our Biltmore tour.

 

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Not real sure what these were used for, but I loved the colors.

 

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I still regret that I didn’t get these stars.  I think they would have looked great in Kate’s room.

 

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Pins and bouys, anyone?

 

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Sherry, I thought of you when I saw this fab brass propeller.  Perfect accessory for a bookshelf.  At $75, it was a bit rich for me.

 

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Love the sparkle and shine.

 

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Great use of old yard sticks.

 

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One of my favorite chairs.

 

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Great lamp.

 

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Back to the Biltmore for just a second.  Remember the shot of Eric and I at the beginning of this post.  The bright blue clear sky?  As we were leaving this is what we saw.  I should have known something was about happen.

 

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This is what happened.  We woke up Saturday morning to this.  My kids were ecstatic!

 

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The day was spent doing this.  So happy that my sweet nephews were able to join us too!

 

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By Monday morning, this was the view as we headed back to Atlanta.  I hope you all had a great week last week.  I’m still getting back into the swing of things.  Four day weeks are always hard for me.  I’ll be sharing that master bedroom reveal that I told you about on Friday.

See you then!

 

 

 

 

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My friend Amanda on Joss and Main today!

Hi all, I’ll apologize up front for the lack of blogging this week.  Between taking apart the Inspiration House :( , helping the girls with their Valentine’s and preparing for a much needed long weekend away, blogging had to take a back seat.  I’ll be back to it next week with a new client master bedroom reveal!

I did want to stop in quickly today to tell you about another one of my friends on Joss and Main!  Amanda from Amanda Carol at Home and I have been “blog” friends for a while and got to meet in person at last year’s Haven conference.  She is so talented and super nice to boot!  So be sure to head over today at 9pm and check out her collection for Joss and Main.  You will not be disappointed!

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See you next week!

 

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A visit with Steve McKenzie and a can’t miss event!

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After seeing this fabulous chair in Rhonda’s space at the Inspiration House, I had to visit it’s creator, Steve McKenzie.  Steve and his wife Jill, have recently opened up shop in the Westside district of Atlanta.  Sherry and I stopped by to check it out last week.

 

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Once I saw Steve’s bright orange logo, I knew we were cut from the same cloth.  Steve’s background is in the corporate world.  He has spent most of his career traveling the globe, but his dream was to open this shop.  When the opportunity presented itself, he and Jill jumped at the chance.

The shop features furniture from Grange, The Old Wood Company and 2nd Story Wood Co., as well as accessories and tabletop pieces from Blenko, r. wood studio and several fabulous vintage finds.

My favorite part, of course, is the artwork.  Many of the pieces painted by Steve himself.  Steve’s artwork inspired a line of fabrics that is represented in the shop and also on many of the furniture pieces and pillows.

Let’s take a look…

 

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I so love these fabrics.  I plan to use them in a project or in my own home as soon as possible!

 

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The doors were leaning against the wall when Steve first visited this space.  He asked if he could use them in the shop.  Aren’t they gorgeous?

 

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A fabulous bookcase from Grange.  Love the turquoise color on the back.  It comes in many color combos, but this one is gorgeous!

 

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The chair that started it all…

 

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These pieces were all drawn by Rebecca Wood of  r. wood studios in Athens, GA.  She makes beautiful pottery, which Steve also carries in his shop.

 

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An example of Steve’s striking artwork.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the tour.  This was not a sponsored post.  I wrote it because I love to support local shops and especially local artists.  If your in the area, please stop by.  It will be well worth your time.

steve mckenzie’s   996 Huff Rd. Atlanta, GA 30324

 

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One more exciting bit of news today.  My friend, Angela, from The Painted House is being featured on Joss and Main tonight at 9pm est!  Please head over and check out her shop.  She is one of the most talented people I know and I’m so proud to call her a friend.

You might remember that Rhoda, Angela and I worked on the most recent Room Service Atlanta project together.  All proceeds from Angela’s Joss and Main sale will go toward the spring Room Service Atlanta project, so be sure to check it out!

 

 

 

 

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What I found this week…

While Sherry and I were shopping for our Inspiration House room last week, I snapped a few pictures of some of the things we found.

This is the showroom at Circa Lighting.  I loved these built ins.  I would love to have something like this in my own home.

 

 

A few of my favorites from Circa.

 

 

A sofa from Mitchell Gold Bob Williams.  Don’t you think this would be perfect in our Inspiration space?

 

This one’s just for me.  Love it!

 

 

A couple of tables that might work for us.

 

I took this picture because I love the details of this pillow.  See the way the corners are sewn?  It’s a small thing, but it makes the pillow stand out from the majority of the ones you see out there.

 

A great accent chair.

 

Saw this at one of the wonderful antique galleries in Miami Circle.

 

Last one for today, Sherry and I loved them and we’re really hoping that they are still available when we need them next month.

Hope you’re having a great weekend.  We’re in full holiday mode here.  Breakfast with Santa and a Christmas open house today.  Have you started decorating yet?  I’ve still got more I want to get done around our house.  We’re hosting Christmas here and I want to create a new table setting for our guests.  I’m thinking of things for the kids table too.  I feel a new post coming on…

See you next week!

 

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The perfect gift: Interior Design Books

I thought I’d help you out with that pesky holiday shopping list today.  Design books are a passion of mine.  If you ask Eric, he would probably say my “passion” is actually a borderline hoarding problem, but who wouldn’t love a book full of inspiring images of beautiful spaces.  So, with that in mind, here are some of my favorite design books from 2012 and a few that are on my wish list. (Hint hint!!)

I have loved Nate Berkus since the day he first graced Oprah’s stage.  In this book, he seems to have truly come into his own.  He shares stories and photos of his life as well as his own beautiful interiors and those that inspire him.  You can tell that to Nate, things really do matter.

 

This book was given to me earlier in the year by a sweet client of mine.  When I finished her family room, she gave me a several amazing design books (she knows me well!) and Celerie Kimble’s Black and White was my favorite.  You might think that a book of black and white designs would be boring, but Kemble creates rooms full of texture and drama, while at the same time feeling livable and cozy.  I can promise you that you’ll never look at black and white in quite the same way.

 

I can honestly call this book my number one reference guide.  Even though Phoebe Howard’s style is a bit more traditional than mine, her execution is flawless and will stand the test of time.  I also love the fact that like me, she is self taught designer who followed her passion!

 

Okay, you know I’m not a big DIY’er, but Young House Love was one of the first blogs I ever read and I couldn’t (and still can’t) get over the projects these two take on and their fabulous results.  When the Young House Love book came out, I had to have it and I have not been disappointed.  While I have yet to try any of the projects myself, I feel confident that with John and Sherry’s tips, I could pull it off.

 

I added Thom Filicia’s new book to my list as soon as I saw his beautiful lake home in November’s issue of House Beautiful.  To me, he truly does represent an updated American style.

 

What can I say, there is nothing that Barbara Barry does that I don’t find beautiful.

And last, but certainly not least is Darryl Carter’s simple, yet elegant style.  I adore his effortless mix of new and old.  He is a master and I learn something new each time I see one of his gorgeous spaces.

I hope this gives you some ideas for your holiday list.  (If any member of my family is reading this, you obviously know what I want this year!)  I can just see myself on Christmas morning sitting with a cup of tea and one of these lovelies… Fingers crossed!

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Shopping local: White Rabbit Cottage

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We had tons of food, family and fun.  I feel like I’m still in recovery mode today.  Before I left town for TN, I visited one of my favorite local shops.  I can’t think of a better way to kick off the holiday season than with a tour of the White Rabbit Cottage.  Enjoy!

 

White Rabbit does a a wonderful job of styling their shop.  It’s easy for anyone to take what they have done and replicate it in their own home.  Do you do that?  It’s a great designer secret.  I love to study shops, magazine photos and other designer’s work.  I’m not trying to copy them exactly, but take inspiration from what they have done and see things in a new way.  For example, look at the lanterns to the right of the mantle in this photo.  The talented ladies at WRC have placed sparkly trees and vintage artwork inside the lanterns to create a special look just for the holidays.  This would be an easy project to do at home.  You could use old Christmas cards or download free vintage artwork and print.  Add holiday ornaments, trees, or whatever you have to finish the project.

 

 

Aren’t these stockings beautiful?  They are sold with the ornament attached.  What a great way to add some sparkle to a burlap stocking.  I’ve been thinking about going back to get these to put on our kitchen mantle.   Hope they’re still there!

 

I love the mix of the natural and white on this tree.  This is the look I’m trying to go for in our dining room this year.

 

Of course, you can’t go wrong with a traditional red and green theme.

 

Remember that you can add inexpensive ornaments or candy to give everyday containers holiday flair.   This is also a great example of how you can style your bookcases with a few holiday elements and change the look for the season.

 

Love these festive pillows!

 

 

 

The WRC also offers a selection of lake house/cabin inspired merchandise.  The three photos above are from that area.

 

My mom has collected music boxes since I was a little girl, so I’m always drawn to this section.  This year, the music boxes all have a vintage feel.  My girls didn’t even know what the old televisions were!

 

A closeup.  You turn the dial and the tv “comes on”.  The figures spin and the music plays.

 

 

 

 

There are actually 2 different buildings that make up the “White Rabbit” as we locals call it.  These outdoor shots are from the outdoor part in between the big cottage and the smaller original cottage.

 

I’ll leave you today with one of my favorite images of the White Rabbit Cottage.  This was an actual shot from a couple of years back when we had a very rare white Christmas in Georgia.  I love this shot.  If you’re in the area and you’ve always driven by and meant to stop but haven’t, please take the time.  I’m all about supporting my local businesses and these ladies will bend over backwards to make your shopping experience a special one.  It will definitely be worth your time.  If you live to far away to stop by, I hope you’ve enjoyed the photos and inspiration.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and the leftovers!  See you back here next week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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IO Metro, Erika from BluLabel Bungalow and a pre-Thanksgiving twitter party!

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Today I wanted to share with you a really fun twitter event that my friend Erika Ward from BluLabel Bungalow will be hosting on Tuesday 11/20.  Erika, along with 3 other fabulous bloggers will be sharing their tips on decorating your home for the holidays, picking that perfect holiday gift and giving you the scoop on I.O. Metro’s first ever catalog.

For those of you who may not be familiar with I.O. Metro, check them out here.  You can see the new catalog there as well.  They’ve got every thing you need to throw a holiday party that will be the talk of the town! 

Be sure to rsvp here for the twitter party!   What’s the best thing about a twitter party?  You can be there in your pjs, of course!

I’ll be there, so be sure to give me a shout at @lmayinteriors!

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