Dream Home of the Day: 1211 Lawndale Road, Savannah, GA

Love the vibe of this midcentury ranch in Fairway Oaks. Tons of space and beautiful light from all those windows in the back that lead to that MASSIVE backyard. Really love how they have styled the place, too. What do y'all think?


PREVIOUS SAVANNAH DREAM HOMES:

• 13 Longbridge Road
• 130 Habersham Street
• 504 East Bay Street
• 424 Barnard Street
• 206 Battery Circle
• 328 East 44th Street
• 2909 Abercorn Street

Get To Know: Beth Beverly

Beth Beverly of Diamond Tooth Taxidermy is our MAJOR obsession of the moment. Her work is phenomenal, quirky, a little retro, and oh so current at the same time. Beth's Etsy shop is a treasure trove of taxidermied beauties that would fit right in on the pages of Elle Decor as home accessories, and on the pages of Elle as clothing accessories.  Right now, she's got some amazing one of a kind Christmas ornaments up that will definitely give your tree some style! We're obsessed...we want Lenore the Chicken in our home badly...and we think you will be obsessed, too!

CLUTTER FURNISHINGS AND INTERIORS: What drew you to the art of taxidermy?

BETH BEVERLY: I've always been captivated by nature and the exquisite array of colors & packages it produces. I've also been compelled to hang onto objects and make them precious totems since I was a child. My path to taxidermy was both accidental and organic.

CF&I: Do you have a preferred species you like to work with? What is your favorite piece you’ve ever created?

BB: I prefer to work with smaller animals like domestic dogs, raccoons, and chickens simply because the mass is easier to handle in the accommodations I have. Chickens are great since I have abundant access to them, their skin is tough and they have very little fat on them. Obviously I'm talking about hand-raised, honestly-treated chickens and not that profane factory farm shit.

I'm quite fond of a little baby lamb mount I made a couple years back who has sort of become my studio mascot.

CF&I: What pieces do you keep in your own home? Are there items you would NEVER sell?

BB: When I moved the business out of my house and into a professional studio I took almost all of the taxidermy with me. It really opened our house up. I gave away or trashed all my early pieces because the quality was so poor I couldn't stand to look at them, except one piece called Dress Up that my husband insists on keeping around. It's the upper torso of a squirrel in half a luggage case, almost as though she's in her closet. A rabbits head hangs from a small wire hanger behind her waiting to be tried on.

It's all for sale. I like to see things move around.

  

CF&I: What advice would you give to a first-time taxidermy buyer? Where/when/how should your work be displayed?

BB: So many first time buyers get sticker shock. I don't think people understand how labor intensive and costly this craft is to pursue. Not when they see a whitetail shoulder mount at a flea market for $30, anyway. To which I say, you get what you pay for. Ill bet dollars to donuts that any second, third or fourth hand mount will have issues with decay and infestation. This can be worked with, but just know what you're getting into. Thank god a universal appreciation for all things custom and couture seems to be making a comeback.

   As for displaying, avoid direct sunlight and moisture. Think about the best angle you'd like to view your piece at and light it accordingly. Once a year, if you can, freeze your mounts for 24 hours to kill any possible bugs that may have hitchhiked into your home via Christmas tree, pets, floral arrangements, etc.  Bugs are the fucking WORST.

CF&I: What would be your dream animal to work with?

BB: I'm working with a peacock right now which had been a fantasy for some time. I suppose next in line would be some sort of exotic dog breed like an Afghan Hound.

CF&I: What is your guilty pleasure?

BB: Just pleasure, no guilt. I've been listening to that Miley song "We Can't Stop" for days, and just devoured 8 episodes of My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding.  Oh, and I prefer my coffee with honey. 

CF&I: Describe your work in five words.

BB:  

Arresting

Sexy

Couture

Humorous

Emotional

Dream Home of the Day: 39 Modena Island Drive, Savannah, GA

This house speaks for itself. We want to host Thanksgiving here next year!! #WOW 


PREVIOUS SAVANNAH DREAM HOMES:

• 13 Longbridge Road
• 130 Habersham Street
• 504 East Bay Street
• 424 Barnard Street
• 206 Battery Circle
• 328 East 44th Street
• 2909 Abercorn Street

Christmas 2013 Gift Guide: For Him

The Holidays are upon us...and let's face it...it's hard to shop for men.  So here are some gift ideas we came up with for the man in your life for Christmas 2013!!!

Churchill was the manliest of men, wasn't he? Martin Gilbert's Churchill: The Power of Words (available on Amazon in Hardcover, $23.94) is the perfect tome for your man's holiday reading list. Winston's speeches and writings are all here to inspire, compel, motivate...don't be surprised if your man starts speaking in a British accent, though (might be a bonus feature)!! #WeLoveWinny

Paris Market offers these beautiful Shield Cutting Boards for the man who likes to slice and dice! Absolutely love them. Buy one (or more) immediately!

Men love maps. That must be a fact somewhere. And what better gift than a unique painted Tillett map (available at Clutter, $295). For that matter, any framed map is an excellent gift...especially one of a place that means a lot to your man. Frame a map of the city where he went to college, or where y'all met!

Beth Beverly does some awesome taxidermy. We love this chicken, "Lenore" (available on Etsy, $390), for a man's office. What a great piece!

Charleston's Arsenal Designed offers some awesome vintage and antique pieces year round, but this mirror is a phenomenal piece made by AD. Get this masculine piece for your man's space and it will be something you both love! Or get him a unique vintage piece!

Product Placement: Meredith Sutton Cuffs

We are fully about these Meredith Sutton cuffs, y'all! Brooke got the above cuff as a birthday present and rocks it on the daily! Each MS cuff is custom and you can tell they are made with a heap-load of love. Great local jeweler who is doing BIG things...you can find out more about Meredith and her awesome work HERE!

Brooke's Look: Bedroom Art

Your bedroom should be an oasis. A place set aside for 1) rest and 2) "where the magic happens". Masters of feng shui advise to not have any work related items and to keep it serene and calm.

We just hung four new pieces, inspired by our new obsession with Lulie Wallace (and our infinite love of Matisse). Affectionately titled "Four Girls Dressed Alike", the oil and acrylic pieces were a collaboration between myself and my husband and I really am into the final look of them. 

If you can't afford original art, I say always take inspiration from a work you like and get to painting. You'll find that the finished look interprets something your passionate about and makes it new and original for your space. And if you're not feeling it in the end, a good coat of white on top lets you start over.

If you aren't confident in your artistic skills, artists also offer some brilliant prints that are affordable and still deliver the same impact of the original work. Lulie Wallace's prints are beautiful, and we're also really loving Michelle Armas' new stretched canvas prints!

Check out your favorite artist's online stores, and if they aren't offering prints, contact them directly to see if that's something they can/are willing to do!

Dream Home of the Day: 107 Melinda Circle, Savannah, GA

107 Melinda is another home with astonishing views that fully takes advantage of its locale. Really digging the screened-in porch, the bedrooms are nicely laid out...a lot going for this home. The downstairs has a supremely unique layout which takes advantage of the view, but which might have some buyers puzzled on how to organize rooms/furniture...we'd make that column-ed in area a GRAND dining room that you see when you walk in, and have a smaller formal living room immediately adjacent. 

Lots of room...tons of promise at Melinda Circle. What do y'all think?!


PREVIOUS SAVANNAH DREAM HOMES:

• 13 Longbridge Road
• 130 Habersham Street
• 504 East Bay Street
• 424 Barnard Street
• 206 Battery Circle
• 328 East 44th Street
• 2909 Abercorn Street

Obsessions of the Week: 24NOV13 to 30NOV13

"Flowers for Mia" Lulie Wallace (11"x14" Print)

Some things we're obsessed with this week:

• Awesome floral art from Lulie Wallace. And she makes lunch boxes!
• Bronson Van Wyck shares tips for setting a perfectly rustic Thanksgiving table. Great tonal choices in this one!
• We continue to be fascinated by the revealing of the seized art in Germany. To imagine these works, to include a Toulouse-Lautrec now, were thought gone forever is wild.
• West Elm teaches you how to cook a bird with...wait for it...oyster and sausage stuffing just in time for Turkey Day! Sign us up!! 
• Interview does a great article with Nile Rogers of Chic (and Madonna/Duran Duran/Bowie production) fame. He explains "hipster happenstance" which should be added to the Oxford English Dictionary.
• Elle Decor's Designer Vision Showhouse. Especially the plaid!!! #LOVE Alessandra Blanca did a fab job!

Dream Home of the Day: 134 Schley Avenue, Savannah, GA

Tons of space, indoor and out, in Savannah's 134 Schley Avenue. We don't own a boat, but we would if we lived here. What a fantastic dock and boathouse and view...and everything! This house knows that the view is its best feature and was designed magnificently to show off that water as much as possible. What do y'all think??

This home is for sale on Trulia; click on the photos for ALL of the details.

PREVIOUS SAVANNAH DREAM HOMES:

• 13 Longbridge Road
• 130 Habersham Street
• 504 East Bay Street
• 424 Barnard Street
• 206 Battery Circle
• 328 East 44th Street
• 2909 Abercorn Street

Pinspiration {002}

Some of our favorite rooms of the week from Pinterest for a little Design Inspiration (or Pinspiration as we call it):

Especially in a loft space or in a home with an open floor plan, rooms tend to blend together, but still need to serve their individual purposes. 
     This room does a phenomenal job of both segregating spaces for a dining room and a living room, and also letting them coordinate and speak to each other.  Love the living room and the availability/functionality of the seating arrangement. Super nice. 

Great little vignette that highlights our love affair with mixing fabrics. This classic chair has the most beautiful modern fabric and the leopard print throw pillow just kicks it up a notch.
     Just like when you're getting dressed, if you feel like your room is overcrowded/overdone, it probably is! But if you mix in enough neutrals with a textile-heavy room, you'll probably be just fine.

What an amazing living room! Don't feel like you have to fill your bookshelf, especially if it's massive like this one...throw a huge piece of art to add some flair like they did here, or several small pieces and it breaks up the traditional shelf space. 
     That ottoman is to die for, too! Love that it centers the room, is functional, and colorful yet still neutral...very nice piece.

Love the gray walls and ceiling. Allows you to bring in textures and fun colors in the rug and throw pillows...and that swinging chair...wowza! Talk about a statement piece. 
    We also are loving the art above the catch-all bookshelf; shows you that you can have a kids' space that is still chic and designed to a T. Just keep your kids "stuff" organized and it will start to fit into a space and accent it the same as an accessory / art!

Get To Know: Grace Barkley

Grace Barkley of Runs With Markers.

Grace Barkley is one cool character. She's a local writer+designer+blogger and pens one of our favorite blogs ever, Runs With Markers.  Whether she's informally endorsing BIC Roller Pens, below, or preparing to take over the Young Adult readership of the world (she would marry J.K. Rowling, too)...we're big fans. Get To Know a little bit about Ms. Barkley below!

CLUTTER FURNISHINGS AND INTERIORS: What is Runs With Markers, how do people find it, and how do we get more of RWM in our lives?
GRACE BARKLEY:  Runs With Markers is my little page on the internet where I write about design, generally weird things and generally weird design. It started out as a more visual publication, but now I have incorporated more of my writing. My peanut gallery says they enjoy seeing more of me in the blog, so you’ll see personal reflection from time to time. You can find it directly by hopping over to runswithmarkers.com or following me on Facebook (Runs With Markers) or Twitter @runswithmarkers.

CF&I: As a writer, who are your literary inspirations?
GB: Right now I love memoir writers like Margaret Sartor and Jeanette Walls. I’ve always loved the cadence of Hemingway’s voice as well as that of Willa Cather.

CF&I: What is your writing tool of choice…pen/ink, typewriter, Mac?
GB: This is a toughie. I am definitely a Mac girl but I always keep a pen and notebook in my purse at all times. I am also a connoisseur of office supplies so it can’t just be any old pen and notebook. Right now I’m obsessed with BIC’s Z4+ Roller Pens. (Not a formal plug, just a recommendation to my fellow writers.)

CF&I: What advice do you have for aspiring young writers?
GB: Don’t stop writing! One of the best suggestions I heard recently is “Begin. The rest is easy.” Never change your plans because someone tells you that you “can’t do it” or you “don’t have time.” Just take things as they come and make sure you save a corner of your life for trying new things and being creative.

CF&I: Speed Round: What is your favorite book?
GB: My Antonia.
CF&I: Shag, Marry, Kill…Hemmingway, Faulkner, J.K. Rowling?
GB: Shag: Hemmingway, Marry: J.K. Rowling, Kill: William Faulkner
CF&I: If you could be besties with one lady writer, past or present, who would it be?
GB: I would want to hang out with Gertrude Stein in Paris in the 20s, for sure.

CF&I: What is your guilty pleasure?
GB: Don’t tell anyone but I’m a closet couponer. Coupons aren’t just for moms. They are for poor grad students, too.

CF&I: Describe Runs With Markers in five words.
GB:  The journal I never had.

Dream Home of the Day: 180 Queen Street B, Charleston, SC

Beautiful home in Charleston with stunning style...if you buy this home, make a deal for all (or most) of the furniture, too! We love the hardwood floors and the light gray paint choice throughout. The simple template allows you to bring in a lot of fun pieces through art and through throws (or through the funky ottoman above that rocks our world). 

What do y'all think? Click on the photos for even more of this beauty for sale now on Trulia.

Get Right For The Weekend Playlist #7.

It's the WEEKEND! Check out what Clutter's listening to in order to get your party started right!!! {Kind of an international list this week!! #FUN}

Twitter Tidbits, vol. twelve

There is a lot going on in the Twitter-verse. And in order to help you navigate, we pulled out the tippy-top Twitter Tidbits of the week from design experts, local superstars, comedians, and regular joes that will absolutely, positively make your lives better. Check 'em out:

The latest illuminating ideas in design- http://t.co/a6TDpl3w5V

— ELLE DECOR (@ELLEDECOR) November 18, 2013

For the very best in #Luxury interiors, Join #DesignLux Thursdays 1pm PT/4pm ET

— Brandon Smith (@dcoopsd) November 21, 2013

Read David Denby's take on “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” http://t.co/UzkG5wiO0r

— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) November 21, 2013

if you haven't already...check out @JudgeRealty's blog! digging @OnlyElleJay's closet in the newest post!! #chic http://t.co/HR21gmo59j

— Clutter (@ClutterSavannah) November 21, 2013

In important news. @Pharrell made a 24 hour music video about being happy, is there a reason to not smile anymore? http://t.co/ZsUgz4NGz2

— Donny Slater (@Donny_Slater) November 22, 2013

You are already that person...just put yourself in that place.

— Pharrell Williams (@Pharrell) October 26, 2013

Dream Home of the Day: 413 Whitaker Street, Savannah, GA

Really enjoy this downtown pied-a-terre on Whitaker in Savannah. Your kids have moved out of the house, you are retired...this is the perfect downtown get-away/crash pad/St. Patty's Day bathroom locale! We just love it. Classic, historic building that you could really funk up inside with some great vintage pieces. What do y'all think?!

PREVIOUS SAVANNAH DREAM HOMES:

• 328 East 44th Street
• 13 Longbridge Road
• 130 Habersham Street
• 504 East Bay Street
• 2909 Abercorn Street
• 424 Barnard Street
• 206 Battery Circle

This Just In (010)

This Just In: Set of 1940s Table and Chairs (4).

Perfect Fit: First, we love this! And it will probably not be in store long (things go VERY fast, y'all!). So if you're looking for a great little breakfast nook set, look no further. Love the bronze in the chair upholstery...very on trend and will work with most paint colors/rooms.  The tabletop is phenomenal, too!! But we digress. Whether you're using this in a breakfast nook, or as a dining set in a sun room, or as a fun little meeting area in a office...you can't go wrong!!

How Much: $279. Only at Clutter!! Come see us or call (912.354.7556) for details!

Set Design: Paloma Faith's "Picking Up The Pieces"

WE CAN'T STOP LISTENING TO PALOMA FAITH! Her voice is truly spectacular, and the video for "Picking Up The Pieces" is a master-class in D-R-A-M-A and impeccable design.

Want to get the look of this video in your home (and in your closet!!)? Go with lots of vintage/antique pieces, some old world wallpaper, rustic pieces meet a dash of glam with that stuffy English-ness still there (in the best of ways!). Here are some things we'd gravitate to in order to emulate Ms. Faith:

The Tisbury Saddle Leather Chair is meant to be in the Faith Manor. Can't you imagine the Master of the house smoking a cigar, sipping brandy in this handsome chair available at The Paris Market! We LOVE it!

We are living for this print available at Measure: A Fabric Parlor in Savannah, GA! Paired with some more neutral fabrics, maybe some golds (of course with some tassels in this instance), this would fit perfectly in Ms. Faith's parlor room.

The Ambella "Titan" Console for Horchow is a fantastic mix of Hollywood Regency and rustic charm and would look epic in Paloma's English countryside home. (Or in any home...we certainly wouldn't kick this console out of bed.)

These draped side tables from Clutter are high drama. Paloma might throw them on the end of a green velvet sofa, or use them as inspired night stands.

This Ollie Otson Vintage 1970s Grecian Party Dress is the perfect shade of pink to capture that Jackie O / Paloma Faith look. It's a great blend of P. Faith's outside-breaking-down-crying-look and her inside-breaking-down-crying-look. Check out all of Ollie Otson for some great (local) vintage wares!

Dream Home of the Day: 10 Kolb Drive, Savannah, GA

You need just a little imagination with this Kolb Drive home in Savannah to see how amazing it is/can be. Sometimes buyers get frustrated with images of an empty home...but you can really see a lot in this spacious, open layout. What do y'all think?

PREVIOUS SAVANNAH DREAM HOMES:

• 328 East 44th Street
• 13 Longbridge Road
• 130 Habersham Street
• 504 East Bay Street
• 2909 Abercorn Street
• 424 Barnard Street
• 206 Battery Circle

This Just In (009)

This Just In: Chrome and Glass Side Table.

Perfect Fit: You can see it a little bit in the picture (or definitely if you stop by Clutter), but this little modern guy pairs perfectly with some more traditional pieces. Above, he sits in front of a 1940s sofa on a vintage rug and sets both pieces off nicely.  He can be your side table in your living room or even a night stand! Especially in a smaller room where you don't have room for two nightstands, make the one POP!

How Much: $75. Only at Clutter!! Come see us or call (912.354.7556) for details!

Dream Home of the Day: 490 W. Paces Ferry Road NW, Atlanta, GA

I don't have 19 Million dollars.  There's a strong possibility that I will never have 19 Million dollars.  But that's part of the allure of a "Dream Home".  This mega-mansion in Atlanta is fit for a Real Housewife of Beverly Hills and is certainly the paradigm of dream homes (although it would be a nightmare to clean!!). 

Every room is perfection, but that pool courtyard is good enough for us...we'll pitch a tent and live back there!! What do y'all think? Click on the photos to see even more of this home for sale on Trulia.

Dream Home of the Day: 1376 Millington Road, Columbus, GA

You can get a lot of house for your dollar in Columbus, y'all! Just check out this Millington Road property...awesome curb appeal and some great, classic bones inside. Columbus is such a cool, up-and-coming town with a thriving downtown area, and a short hop from Atlanta. Love that bay window in the third picture down...could imagine an amazing home office staring out that window!