Discover ADAC

Ever wondered what's inside those contemporary white walls that house ADAC (Atlanta Decorative Arts Center)? Well, starting Monday, October 1 you can find out! ADAC is opening its doors to the public on October 1, and to kick off the opening is hosting Discover ADAC:

For the first time in 50 years, ADAC will open its doors to the community. Discover ADAC is a series of events and seminars designed to showcase the benefits of working with a design professional, as well as display the extraordinary products in the showrooms.

Events include lifestyle panel discussions with Atlanta tastemakers, designer presentations and meet-and-greets, book signings, individual showroom activities, and "ADAC – Behind the Windows."

“In order to welcome those new to the design community into ADAC, we want to host events that speak to a wide variety of guests”, says ADAC General Manager, Katie Belveal. “Whether your passion is interior design, fabric and wall coverings, gardening, or even blogging there will be an event geared towards your interests.”

Here is a list of all of the fun and informative events planned:

Signature Lifestyle and Design Events

October 4, 2012 – 10:00 a.m. “Living a Beautiful Life” moderated by Atlanta magazine editor Betsy Riley True luxury is not conspicuous consumption, it’s seeking quality over quantity, savoring simple pleasures, and learning to recognize the finer things. You don’t have to be wealthy to live richly. Our panel featuring Interior Designer William Peace of Peace Design; Chef/Restaurateur and Iron Chef Winner Kevin Rathbun; Ansley Fetz, Marketing Consultant representing The Ritz Carlton Residences; and Itay Shimony of Tiffany & Co. will discuss ways to create abundance and beauty in your daily living.

October 4, 2012 – 2:00 p.m. “Gracious Living and Stylish Entertaining” Hostess, tastemaker and author, Danielle Rollins, will introduce her new book, "Soiree: Entertaining with Style", an idea-filled resource with dozens of suggestions for setting festive tables and more than 80 mouth-watering recipes. Danielle will share her strategies from inventive invitations to signature cocktails to creative linens and locally sourced menus that make any fete unforgettable. There will be a book signing to follow at Travis & Company.

October 5, 2012 – 10:00 a.m. “Success in Failure: Secrets of a Self-Taught Designer” Learn how Brian Patrick Flynn, of hgtv.com and popular design blog, Décor Demon, has quickly become one of the industry’s most fearless, celebrated and well respected Interior Designers by breaking all the rules and asking all the right questions.

October 5, 2012 – 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. “Design Top to Bottom” Spend the day with five of Atlanta’s most influential designers as they share their insights on five key elements of Design. The designers featured include: Courtney Giles Decker, John Oetgen, Marcia Weber, John Fernandez & Jennifer True and Susan Ferrier.

October 9, 2012 – 11:00 a.m. “Why a Designer?” Open the possibilities for your home. Get more than you imagined, tailored just for you, with less hassle, and more buying power to do wonders for your look. Join Steve Nobel, author on interior design, faculty at New York School of Interior Design, Executive Director of Decorative Furnishings Association and Distinguished Speaker for American Society of Interior Design as he helps you understand “Why a Designer?”

October 10, 2012 – 10:00 a.m. “Trend Spotting with Atlanta’s Top Design Bloggers” Join five of Atlanta’s top design bloggers to discuss what is in, what is out and what is hot in the blogging world. We will talk design and blogging trends, as well as the effect the internet has had on the design industry. Blogs represented include BluLabel Bungalow, Charm Home, Design Indulgence, High Gloss Blue, With a Southern Twist and Whitehaven.

October 11, 2012 – 10:00 a.m. “Designing Interiors in Today’s Economy” Atlanta based Interior Designer, Kerry M. Howard, gives you a step-by-step guide on designing timeless interiors by equipping you with the tools to navigate the showrooms of ADAC and most importantly, why you should work with a professional designer. Kerry is sure to educate and entertain, so you will not want to miss this exciting event!

A full calendar of events, including all showroom events and receptions, is available at www.adacatlanta.com/events.

Orange!

Orange is my favorite color. Green was always my favorite until a few years ago. I love the vibrancy and "look at me" aspects of orange. Just for fun, some beautiful orange rooms:

Celerie Kemble

Charlotte Moss

Mary McDonald

Miles Redd

Sarah Story

Jeffrey Bilhuber

Paris Style

Whitehaven Interiors

My Beverly Hills Kitchen - Classic Southern Cooking with a French Twist

It's always fun when someone you know does something well - and it's even more fun when it's one of your oldest friends and he writes a fantastic cookbook. I have known restaurateur and television personality Alex Hitz for my whole life. His mother's house was a warm and wonderful place to be and he has taken all that he learned from her, combined it with the cooking skills he learned from some of the world's great chefs and has written this fabulous cookbook/memoir, My Beverly Hills Kitchen - Classic Southern Cooking with a French Twist.

Alex is one of the funniest people I have ever known, and that is sure to translate into an entertaining and riotous read. The book will be released October 2, you can pre-order your copy on his website.

There will be a launch party here in Atlanta on October 10 at the Atlanta History Center. "Atlantans will gather at the History Center for an incredible evening of fine dining with a menu straight from the pages of Alex’s book "My Beverly Hills Kitchen" prepared by Mary Hataway and the staff of Soiree. Alex will share with us stories of his incredible journey as only he can. Ticket includes a signed copy of Alex’s new book. All event proceeds will support the educational activities of the Atlanta History Center. For ticket information, contact Katherine Hoogerwerf at 404-814-4102 or khoogerwerf@atlantahistorycenter.com"

Alex will also be speaking at the Atlanta History Center at 7pm on Thursday, October 11 and there will be a book signing on Friday, October 12 at the Swan Coach House in the gift shop from 12-2pm. For information about and tickets to the event on October 11 - click here.

All photos by Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn, via MyBeverlyHillsKitchen.com

House of the Week

Meadowridge Farm, by Philip Shutze

This eleven acre estate property/horse farm was designed by Philip Shutze and was built in 1928. It is located in northwest Atlanta on Nancy Creek Road. One of my childhood homes was 1/2 mile from this wonderful property, back when it was considered to be "in the country." It's for sale - listing here.

In Love....

With this lovely room that graces the cover of the October issue of World of Interiors. The rest of the house, Alcuzcuz, is gorgeous too! It's on news stands now.

House of the Week: An Update

Do you remember this house? It was our first house of the week. It turns out we have good taste...it was featured recently in Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles magazine. The architect on the renovation was Norman Askins and the interior design by Jackye Lanham. Enjoy the interiors! All photos by Erica George Dines.

Tory Burch's Hamptons House

Last week Jane Douglas and I were chatting about a lucky friend of hers who grew up with Tory Burch and got to spend a reunion weekend at Tory's amazing house in the Hamptons. Although the Vogue magazine photos are from last March, I was so captivated by the house that I had to share them with you.

Isn't this a fabulous house? Elegant yet friendly, warm and inviting. Of course my favorite room is the entrance hall. I am a sucker for black and white marble! Have a great weekend. Design credits: designer/architect Daniel Romualdez, decorator Eve Hood All photos via Vogue magazine.

Renoir's Parisian House for sale

Renoir's beautiful Parisian house is for sale - it was recently renovated and is listed for 9.9 million.

The house is located in Montmartre, once home to many famous artists, Picasso, Van Gogh and Renoir among them. It was for sale in 2008, before the renovation, for 5.6 million. ,

Here are some photos before the renovation:

above 3 photos from the Luxist blog.

Here is a link to a WSJ slideshow and video of the house now that it has been renovated.

Enjoy!!

Photos! Of me and a house

Today we have a few more photos from a fun project we completed last year and whose kitchen was pictured in the previous post. And I have a couple of events coming up in the Fall and needed a head shot. To be real, who actually looks forward to photos taken at 47....but these turned out really well and I want to give a shout out to the folks who helped me look, well as my teenage children put it - "You don't look tired and you look 15 years younger!" First the house photos:

We have a few more things to finish on the above project, hopefully that will happen this year. And now the head shots.

My friend Kem Lee of Real Photo took the pictures. We had a wonderful time while shooting. I had my hair blown out by Brandon at Drybar, and my makeup done by Julie at Woo Skincare and Cosmetics.

It was really a fun day and I have lots of photos from which to choose. Thanks to Kem, Brandon and Julie for all of their help!