Bright White Peachtree

You would have almost though it was summer earlier today (alright, maybe spring). I love how bright white the High Museum of Art is on these days. The Museum just beckons to be visited. At the very least, it's not going to be ignored.

High Museum of Art

The newest exhibition a the High, "Frida & Diego: Passion, Politics, and Painting," opened yesterday. It runs through early May, but I recommend resisting the urge to put it off until later. How many times have you done that and next thing you know you missed the exhibition?! 

If the answer is "more than once," may I recommend marking your calendar right now? You can always reschedule an outing already on your calendar, but you're much more likely to miss something completely if it's not on your calendar to begin with. Or is that just me?

Have a great weekend and I hope you get to see the new exhibition at the High!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day, All!

Orchids at the Atlanta Botanical Garden

wanderlust ATLANTA would like to share with you these flowers from Orchid Daze! Really it's a just pre-sized Facebook Cover Photo, yours to use if you like. Enjoy them in the loving spirit of the holiday. 

I learned earlier today that there are more than 1,000 people planning to attend Valentines in the Garden this  evening at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. The Garden has been called, by many, one of the most romantic places in Atlanta (and I wholeheartedly agree!), this evening promises to be quite magical.

Inspiration House 2013

The 2013 Inspiration House, part of the annual Cathedral Antiques Show, was beyond outstanding. More than 20 local designers created from blank slates rooms that truly do inspire. 

Here are a few vignette photos of some of the incredible rooms:

The Andrews-Dunn House,
2013 Inspiration House

Andrews-Dunn House, circa 1910.

2013 Inspiration House,
Cathedral Antiques Show

Summer Loftin's "Trophy Room".

2013 Inspiration House,
Cathedral Antiques Show

The Moreno-esque chandelier was gorgeous!

2013 Inspiration House,
Cathedral Antiques Show

Wood art painted to match the color of its room. Love this piece!

2013 Inspiration House,
Cathedral Antiques Show

A brilliant collage and beautifully displayed.

2013 Inspiration House,
Cathedral Antiques Show

A room of pinks and blues with Asian inspiration and accents.

2013 Inspiration House,
Cathedral Antiques Show

Asian lamp and accessories...this room was beautifully appointed.

2013 Inspiration House,
Cathedral Antiques Show

One of the smaller of the many striking chandeliers.

2013 Inspiration House,
Cathedral Antiques Show

The upstairs 'apartment' featured a number of modern appointments...beautifully done.

2013 Inspiration House,
Cathedral Antiques Show

A rather cozy, inviting seating area in the basement.

2013 Inspiration House,
Cathedral Antiques Show

I loved all the attention-to-detail throughout the House.

2013 Inspiration House,
Cathedral Antiques Show

The china in the Dining Room was absolutely stunning!

2013 Inspiration House,
Cathedral Antiques Show

Some detail in the Dining Room...

2013 Inspiration House,
Cathedral Antiques Show

The Foyer featured a hand-painted mural from a scene in Georgia. The company offers four different Georgia scenes. This was among my favorite features.

Head over to the wanderlust ATLANTA Facebook Page where you'll find lots more photos from the 2013 Inspiration House.

Summer Loftin's Inspirational Trophy Room

I met Summer Loftin two years ago when she was one of the few designers of the Inspiration House, part of The Cathedral Antiques Show at The Cathedral of St. Philip. We were introduced by a mutual friend, I fell in love with her work, and she and I have been buddies ever since.

Summer Loftin,
Cathedral Antiques Show's Inspiration House

You might ask, "Why are you writing about an interior designer on a tourist blog?" Well, this post is about Summer's room in the Inspiration House—certainly a tourist destination—and also because Atlanta has for many years been at the top of relocation destination lists, so this gives me the opportunity to showcase the phenomenal talent of one of our local interior designers.

I'll share more about the rest of the Inspiration House in a future post. I think you'll be extremely impressed with the quality of work and beauty throughout the House.

Giraffe in Summer Loftin's Room,
Cathedral Antiques Show

Summer was wonderfully gracious to grant me an interview, so you get to hear from Summer herself...not just hear what I thought about the Inspiration House. Bonus!

But, before I get to the questions, just let me say—and I say this buddy or not—Summer's room is the interpretation of a trophy room that should earn her a World Cup trophy in interior design! I absolutely loved it!

I asked Summer about her approach to the room. She said, “Given the historical nature of the home, I wanted to show an historic room concept designed with a fresh perspective. Since the house itself took me back to my very first experience in a trophy room in Mississippi, I took that theme and ran with it. When envisioning the client, think Hemingway meets Indiana Jones meets Richard Branson.”

The transformed room is technically the "Virginia & Harry Dobbs Library." Should one enter the house from the front, Summer's room is at the back of the house on the left. However, visitors during the Show were entering from the 'original' front of the House (today, the 'new' front faces Andrews Drive). The House has a very interesting history. I encourage you history buffs to research its story. Search for: The Andrews-Dunn House, circa 1910, additions 1928-1929.

High-character antique sofa in Summer Loftin's room,
Cathedral Antiques Show

The Room transported you to another time, another place. You certainly didn't feel like you were in Atlanta, but instead in the comfort of a hunter's lodge or a parlor in a grand mansion where gentlemen would retire to converse about the day's hunt, while enjoying a cigar and a soothing glass of scotch.

The gorgeous leather sofa, showing signs of many years of hunts and safaris regaled, is one of the most beautifully handsome I have ever seen.

And then there's Summer's idea book...a foretelling of the collection that would make anyone who has ever been on Safari quite envious. And, just for the record, I could write a book about everything going on in this room! Summer shared exciting and enthusiastic stories about the various pieces in the room and the designing process, a process she started immediately after last year's Inspiration House was complete.

Summer Loftin's Idea Book,
Cathedral Antiques Show

I asked Summer what about putting the room together was the most fun. She said, "The most fun I had was selecting the trophies with Vonda Mills of VonRob Exotics. Vonda has been dealing in taxidermy for more than 16 years and has recently relocated to the Atlanta area. She is an absolute joy to work with and her depth of inventory made it fun and easy to select rare and unusual pieces for the room."

Peacock Trophy and Stenciled Wallpaper,
Cathedral Antiques Show

When posed with the question that asked what was the most difficult aspect of creating the trophy room, Summer replied, "The most challenging part of the room design was the custom wall stencil. I wanted to use a stencil as an inspirational 'throwback' to Victorian times. Using the leaded windows as inspiration, I thought the pattern of the stencil should follow a diamond pattern, but maintain a very primitive stylistic quality. I was very happy with the end result and enjoyed being able to work my logo into the wall treatment."

And the room is not without its feminine touches. A ruffle-edged, needlepoint pillow, featuring a dog on a stool—Summer's logo—graces a fur draped chair, adding a touch of inviting comfort. Actually, I personally found the entire room comfortable. I could have crawled up into that chair, or especially the sofa, and made myself at home. But alas, I was among other tourists.

Summer Loftin's embroidered logo,
Cathedral Antiques Show

"I was very excited about incorporating 'Velvet Feathers' and 'Highlands,' both Jim Thompson fabrics, into the room. They played so well with the Trophy Room theme and the sepia tones were a perfect complement to the worn leathers and wall color," said Summer.

"My favorite things in the room are a ruffled pillow with a custom needlepoint of my logo—the needlepoint by Penelope Malone—and also the commissioned painting of St. Philips Cathedral, painted by Richard McKey for the room," Summer continued. "The Cathedral has served as a beacon of the community for many years and thus the painting is of the Cathedral shining in the night sky."

St. Philip's Cathedral painting, Richard McKey,
Cathedral Antiques Show

What looks like a wardrobe is actually a 19th-century Murphy bed, and an incredibly ornate one at that. It's one of the most beautifully carved pieces of furniture that I personally have seen in quite a long time. The revolving mirrors are especially clever.

Antique Murphy Bed,
Cathedral Antiques Show

When asked Summer what was her favorite aspect of creating this year’s room, Summer said, “My favorite part of this year’s experience has to be the house itself. Since I live around the corner and walk my dog, Patton, by the house regularly, I have always appreciated the architectural details added to the house by Ivey and Crook. In particular, the leaded glass windows, stone plinth base, and double staircase (facing Andrews Drive). It was hard to choose a space for the room proposal...I wanted to decorate the entire house!”

Summer Loftin's Trophy Room,
Cathedral Antiques Show

So...there's an all-too-brief overview of Summer's trophy room. If you find that you're looking to move to Atlanta, rest assure that there are phenomenal interior designers in our fair city.

And if you've never been to the Inspiration House, part of the annual Cathedral Antiques Show, make sure you go see it next year. I believe it's always in January. It's a fun thing to do during the colder months in Atlanta. And be sure to pop in to see the Antique Show itself, inside the Cathedral.

Summer Loftin's Trophy Room,
Cathedral Antiques Show

East Coast Shells

One of the probably most overlooked exhibits at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History is actually quite stunning..."The World of Shells."

The World of Shells
Fernbank Museum of Natural History

This permanent exhibition features shells from all over the world, as well as quite a few from Coastal Georgia. 

Having been born on the ocean, having lived on the ocean, and having visited multiple oceans and seas, I've always had quite a fascination with shells. This exhibition—with its walls of shells, shell displays, educational stations—fascinates and encourages the mind to wander...and brings back many fond childhood memories.

Next time you're at Fernbank, take a little extra time to visit The World of Shells. And a bonus is that you get to walk through The Star Gallery (accessible from the lower level). I believe you'll be glad you did.

The Majestic Nave

A friend and I went to the Cathedral Antiques Show, at The Cathedral of St. Philip, this past weekend—for the first time—and thoroughly enjoy it. There were antiques vendors from all over the U.S., and a friendly lot they were. 

The antiques ranged from elegant furniture to historic paintings (in excess of $17,000), to LOTS of silver (some gorgeous candlesticks and tea services) to estate jewelry. It was every bit elegant and extremely tempting. 

The Cathedral of St. Philip, Nave

While the Antiques Show was absolutely wonderful, this post is about an excursion...a quick jaunt to the Nave in the Cathedral of St. Philip. 

I diverted my friend and I to the Nave, just for a moment, because he'd never been there. We were very fortunate that the organist was practicing...and it was brilliant! We went to the balcony where we had the extraordinary pleasure of enjoying a couple of numbers in peaceful tranquility...that private concert could not have been more perfect.

While we were there, the lighting changed, which you'll notice in the following dramatic photo montage...

The Cathedral of St. Philip, Rose Window

The lights were dimmed...

The Cathedral of St. Philip, Rose Window

Side of the Nave...

The Cathedral of St. Philip, Side of the Nave

Side window of the Nave...

The Cathedral of St. Philip, Side Window

The Rose Window...

The Cathedral of St. Philip, Rose Window

The Cathedral used to offer guided tours and maybe they still do, but I can't find anything on their website about it. But they do offer a brief photo tour of the Cathedral...worth viewing. 

There's a lot more going on at St. Philips beyond church services. They're also home of one of the more popular Farmers Markets in town—the Peachtree Road Farmers Market, which features some of Atlanta's most popular Atlanta chefs for Chef Demos. And they're the largest producer-only Farmers Market in the State ("producer-only" meaning that everything at the Market has been grown, raised, or made by the seller).

Hope you enjoyed this all-too-brief overview of a mere fraction of the stained glass windows at St. Philips. Now, head over to the wanderlust ATLANTA Facebook Page for more photos!

Behind the Blue at MODA

Caryn Grossman, principal designer at cg creative, hosted last night's Drink in Design event at the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) and it was...well, it was brilliant. We were feeling quite blue...and we were loving it!

Creators of the "Deeply, Darkly, Beautifully Blue"
David Richardson, Chris Buxbaum, Caryn Grossman, and James Hoback

Caryn and team created the Darkly, Deeply, Beautifully Blue vignette that's part of the currently running "The South's Next Wave: Design Challenge". 

Joining Caryn for last night's panel discussion were Chris Buxbaum, associate designer at cg creative (I wish I had his voice!); artisan James Hoback; and Living Work of Art David Richardson (who I have to say is brilliant!).

A Few Highlights

Caryn explained that each design team was assigned a color and an object. Her team was given the color blue and the object cake. The obvious jumping off point...Marie Antoinette. And Marie makes an appearance in the vignette (multiple appearances if you include the more subtle ones).

Marie Antoinette in
"Darkly, Deeply, Beautifully Blue" (MODA)

So, set with a theme, how in the world were they to select a blue to work from. Every designer and artist knows that practically every color has about a bazillion variations! The answer came with the sourcing of the furniture. Blue furniture!

Blue Furniture in
"Darkly, Deeply, Beautifully Blue" (MODA)

Once the furniture had shipped, the other blues to be used flourished from that seed. 

Now, you may notice that the silver flower petals on the floor and scattered throughout the vignette are not blue. Don't worry, they didn't break the rules. Metallic elements were within guidelines. But a surprise came in the vast number required to derive the desired texture.

35,000 Silver Petals
"Darkly, Deeply, Beautifully Blue" (MODA)

There are 35,000 silver flower petals in the vignette!

David, who truly is a living work of art, arrived in half drag and half not-drag. The other panelists told the audience that they themselves never know what they're going to get when they next see David. His persona changes with every visit.

David Richardson
"Darkly, Deeply, Beautifully Blue" (MODA)

David was the most soft-spoken of the panelists, but visually intriguing...and despite the four layers of eyelashes and accouterments, he's quite the nice guy. 

I've not mentioned the cake designer just yet, and that's because she wasn't part of last night's discussion panel, but surprise, surprise, she was there and the panel invited her to join. 

Cake Shoes in
"Darkly, Deeply, Beautifully Blue" (MODA)

No, no, Lisa Humphreys has not been mischievous or anything like that. She was only not on the panel because she's leading her own Drink in Design discussion event in March. She joined the panel long enough tell us that she'll be conducting a cake design demonstration and she'll have cake samples. Yeah! 

Alright, that's all I'm going to share, but I hope it's enough to encourage you to go see Next Wave to check out Darkly, Deeply, Beautifully Blue.

On a side note, Chris and David are currently collaborating on a year-long photography project bearing the working title "Schizophrenic Photogenic"...and it promises to be beyond astonishing! More on its opening later.

Unfortunately, filmmaker Milford Earl Thomas, another member of the team, was unable to attend last night, but his award-winning film Claire was mentioned numerous times. And actually, I'd was shown some clips from Claire just the night before...fascinating project!

Also spotted were Tim Hobby, co-curator of Next Wave and co-founder of Goodrowe | Hobby, and Lauriel Leonard, co-creator of The Iron Mand and the Concrete Blonde vignette and co-owner of Dex Industries. Both are lovely.

Go see "The South's Next Wave: Design Challenge", remember to vote for your favorite vignette, check out all the programs on MODA's website, and then head over to the wanderlust ATLANTA Facebook Page for more photos from last night and info on other Atlanta attractions.

Living Work of Art David Richardson
"Darkly, Deeply, Beautifully Blue" (MODA)