Before and After: A Clutter Experience

At Clutter we often have things that are one-of-a-kind pieces but need a little love, or TLC. This chair was no exception.

 Before

 

The paint color is what got everyone's attention, but very few knew how to handle the rest...

After

 

With a little help from Clutter's very own Lynn Rahn, this deconstructed chair become a sight for sore eyes! With  new fabric and a great upholsterer, this piece is new again!

Product Placement: Lovelane Designs

We are officially in love! What is the object of our affection, you ask?! Lovelane Designs coastal pillows, Pelican (above) and Octopus, in store at Clutter! These chic, custom pillows are perfect for your Tybee beach house or for that little pop of color in a neutral (even masculine) space. We love them for a child's room, too! They are practically perfect for every room!!

Come check these (and some rockin' Lovelane tea towels!!) out at Clutter this week and give Lovelane's Lane Huerta some much deserved love on Twitter!!

Clutter Top Ten: Summer Songs 2013 (A Prediction)

These are our picks for Top Summer Jam Predictions of Summer 2013...including the bound-to-be-summer-party-starter, "Cruise" by Florida Georgia Line, Icona Pop's crazy "I Love It" and so much more...

Clutter At Your House 0004

Love this sofa, pillows, and deconstructed chair (in the back) from Clutter in a client's house. So glad these great pieces found a happy home and that they're working so well together with the beautiful furniture these clients already owned.

Clutter Top Ten: Reality TV Shows

1. The Real Housewives of (EVERYWHERE). From Orange County to Jersey, from HOT-lanta to NYC, Housewives are everywhere, and every franchise offers a unique and different perspective (and dramatic interpretation) of daily life as a "housewife".  ATL and Jersey offer the most high-drama situations, but New York and Bev Hills always deliver in the style department. Ultimate guilty pleasure...we'd love to be apart of the Savannah Housewives if you're looking, Mr. Andy Cohen.

Best City: ATL...with a close second to the beautiful Garden State.

2. American Idol. The original singing competition (at least of the new age lot of singing competitions) has spawned the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and even William Hung. Would the world be the same if we hadn't met Simon Cowell? I think not. 

Best Season: Carrie's was good, but we love what Phil Phillips did last year.

3. House Hunters. HGTV's popular House Hunters and House Hunters International are TV bliss.  You can pop down in front of the boob-tube and watch hours of people trying to find their dream home on HH. No high drama situations here. Just good old, family fun.

4. The Real World. The beginning of our downward spiral into reality mayhem.  Recently, the series has gone a little more Jersey Shore than in its initial seasons, but whether this series is breaking ground on gender, race, and sexuality based issues or just an hour of pure debauchery...we will always tune in. 

Best Season: Seattle.

5. Top Chef.  Bravo's series of chef v. chef competitions is stimulating, gave us Tom Colicchio (and Padma), and coined the phrase, "please pack your knives and go" (which we say ALWAYS).  Tons of awesome food which yielded tons of awesome cookbooks and several celebrity chefs in the making. We love Iron Chef (on Food), too, but Top Chef offers that Bravo charm (read: drama).

Favorite Chef-testant: Richard Blais of course

6. Design Star. HGTV's competition show, Design Star, faces interior designers head to head in a design-off to the death for a show on the network. DS has birthed two of our fave TV designers, Antonio Ballatore (who follows us on Twitter!) and the bubbly Ms. Emily Henderson, one of our Top Ten favorite bloggers.

Favorite Challenge: The White Room Challenge (which got its own spinoff!)

7. Jersey Shore. Gym, tan, laundry is one of our many life mottos, thanks to the men and women of MTV's epic Jersey Shore.  Snooki, Mike, Pauly D, and the gang taught us how to party, how to look right, and how to talk like an idiot someone from New Jersey.  This is the best show about the Jersey Shore starring people who are not actually from NJ! It's a "blast in a glass".

Best Season: Any in Jersey (read: NOT Miami/Italy)

8. Trading Spaces. Week after week, Paige Davis' TLC show gave a new meaning to the term "home invasion".  Designers broke into willing civilian's homes and redecorated willy-nilly to the delight of viewers all around the world. Trading Spaces begat Genevieve begat Vern begat all the HGTV regulars. It is the beginning and the end.

Favorite Trading Spaces Parody: Bunifa (MAD TV)

9. Wipe Out. Wipe Out is a show that shouldn't exist.  It's literally people getting pummeled for little cash on television for the amusement of millions (or maybe just us??).  It is terrible...and then it is awesome...and then terrible.

Great Wipe Out Montage: HERE

10. Candice Tells All. Candice Olson hosts half the shows on HGTV (Divine Design, Candice Tells All, Design Star) and she does it looking flawless and effortless.  Her taste is always ultra luxe/ultra refined and we D-I-G her!  That is all.

Gone But Not Forgotten...SIX

Auf wiedersehen to some great pieces!

Check out some new pieces in store daily at: https://www.facebook.com/ClutterFurnishingsAndInteriors

OR

in store!!!  1100 Eisenhower Drive, Savannah, GA 31406.

Obsessions of the Week: 05MAY to 11MAY13

Some things we're obsessed with this week:

• This trailer for The Great Gatsby. The clothes, the style, etc. Also, with Lana Del Rey. Combination obsession.
• Style's Jerseylicious. Jersey minus all the drama from the Guidice's and Gorga's and bigger hair, bigger personalities, and bigger (likely faked) arguments.  Season finale is TONIGHT!
• Katherine Sandoz on You're Welcome Savannah's shop. One of our favorite local artist's is teaming up with our fave lifestyle blog and doing it with such style.  This online boutique is so fun to "window shop" in.
• Color combinations:
• Dark grey and hot pink.  The contrast makes for a striking look and brings a little funk to any space. Really digging pink since having a little girl, but make sure you do it tastefully and in moderation.
• Deep purple and light blue. A twist on the ombre trend, purple and blue together make a great, fun and modern look. Bring it into a space with pillows (purple with blue piping or vice versa) or maybe a great wing chair!
• Emerald, emerald, and more emerald. About to paint our whole house green. It's beautiful, it's on trend, and it just looks so rich/sophisticated.

Brooke's Look: Color

We talked a POP of color last week, but if you have a heavy neutral room don't be afraid to go balls to the wall with color.  Our beautiful government walls are (mandatorily) white so plenty of color is a necessity.  Bring in huge color pieces with art, accent pillows, and side/coffee tables. Make sure the colors mesh, in that they talk to each other, but don't worry about getting the same shades of blue or what have you. Remember, ombre is very in right now, so look at how darker shades speak to lighter ones, and how complimentary colors play off each other.

Hope you're having a good week decorating. For some good design ideas, check us out on Pinterest (ClutterSavannah). We have a design board per room!

xoxo, Brooke

Clutter Top Ten: Local Bars

Clutter's unofficial motto, thanks in part to the lyricism of Wiz Khalifa, is "Work Hard, Play Hard".  We run ourselves ragged trying to find the best furniture and home décor items for y'all, and on the weekend we check out some of our Top Ten favorite local watering holes:

1. JEN'S&FRIENDS. I don't think you can find a better martini or a better girls night spot.  For serious, this place is where my four besties and I kick it when we're not trying to take Savannah (and the world) by storm.  Check it out, but remember to bring some girlfriends. And try their glazed donut martini while supplies last!!

2. Abe's on Lincoln is the coolest bar with the lowest ceiling (ever).  Slouch on into Abe's and enjoy some great DJ-spun-tunes, write your name on the wall in the bathroom, and reflect on the sheer cleverness of this little bar's name...get it...Abe's on Lincoln...like Abe Lincoln.  Clever!

3. Churchill's  new wine bar, Winston's, offers a huge selection of vino, plus if you get too lit, you can grab a Shepherd's Pie upstairs. Our friends love this place so much they're having their wedding reception there!! Awesome.

4. Kevin Barry's is our favorite dirty, Irish pub on River Street. Scratch that. Down town, period. With the perfect blend of Irish music and debauchery mixed with a huge military appreciation, KB's offers live music, beer and fun nightly. Speaking of weddings, we had our rehearsal dinner at Kevin Barry's and Vic and the gang put on an amazing spread.

5. McDonough's has karaoke. And if that wasn't enough, they serve THE best white Russian in town. Watch "The Big Lebowski", then head to McDonough's to reenact all your favorite Dude moments.

6. Bar Food has dollar drinks on Tuesday. Yes, that's right. I'll say it one more time...on Tuesday's, you can head to Habersham Village's hottest bar and get a ironically named drink for ONE DOLLAR! Good apps, great folks, and an awesome place.

7. If you head out to Tybee, you MUST stop by Chef Kurtis Schumm's, Tybee Island Social Club.  Three words...Bacon.Bloody.Mary.  Ridiculously good.

8. Rocks on the Roof at the Bohemian offers riverfront views with class. Take a break from River Street and head to the roof for a great time.

9. I used to think that gardening was boring. Then I went to a garden made of beer...a Beer Garden if you will! Check it out at Moon River Brewing Company and you, too, will be a green thumb (of sorts) in no time!

10. Molly MacPherson's is our final choice, and I know y'all are gonna say we forgot this or that, but give Molly's a shot and you will be hooked! Live music, good drinks, fun times. 

Let us know what we forgot, what your faves are, and where we should head for a great drink and an awesome night.  Drink responsibly!

AdWatch001

We got a thing for the world of advertisement. Especially in print media. So we thought we'd share some beautiful ads we are inspired by and keep the magazine industry in business!

This Hermes ad is killing it right now. From Honolulu Magazine's MAY 2013 Edition, we want to be this girl super hard. Maybe one day we'll be able to pull off biking on a dock in couture...a girl can dream.

Styled By Lynn: Red

I got to thinking about color today and why I am starting to revisit the color red.  At sometime during the 90’s, red was certainly a popular choice for home décor and then we got interested in the grays, whites and all other “neutral” colors that make us feel calm, cool and collected…I still enjoy the grays and whites, which most of my home is “enjoying” right now, but a few pieces have come into Clutter that are red and have caught my eye. Now I don’t mean red in a patriotic hue but more of a black red...rich, passionate and just screams “take me serious”.  While I think every room could benefit from a little black, I also think every room might just benefit from a little red…..Chinese red with a bit of orange or umber….just enough to be sexy and serious. 

So....start thinking about color...a particular color that you might have overlooked because magazines are focusing on them or all your friends aren't using it in their homes...buy what you love and I bet if you inject a little red, you might just create your own following.

Styled By, Lynn

Clutter Book Club: A Shore Thing

In the words of Nicki Minaj, "Let's go to the beach (each), let's go get away." Head to Tybee, bring a bottle of Patron and margarita mix, and Snooki's life-imitating-art-imitating life debut novel, "A Shore Life".  This book is a New York Times Bestseller...really!  And on the beach, half-buzzed, it's a good (enough) read.  This isn't Hemingway, y'all, but it's not bad for what it is, and we're sorta feeling a no-thought-beach-read this week!  Give Snooks a chance!!

Obsessions of the Week: 28APR to 04MAY13

Some things we're obsessed with this week:

• Ollie Otson's dog on Vine.  Literally the cutest animal on the planet and so fun to watch on Vine. This week, the dog chased a bug and we watched it, literally, a million times.
• Roosters. From Jimmy Rahn to Sam Bryer to a little white porcelain rooster I bought at Ross...we love roosters.  Check out Sam's here and dad's here.
• The Novogratz's Facebook Page.  As if the Novogratz clan weren't cool enough already, their facebook offers an artist of the day, trendy home ideas, and fun extras. We love them on tv and now we can silently stalk them online. Hooray!

• This painting my husband did for our daughter, Violet. Dope.
• Jon Knox's shop on Big Cartel. Some seriously cool toys and prints for some seriously cool kids.  

Before & After: Clutter

As we approach our four-month-open-aversary (on Cinco de Mayo!!), we thought we'd take a look back to show y'all how far we've come.  From stark white walls, we through on a coat of our favorite gray (Sparrow by Benjamin Moore) and filled the store to the brim with antiques, vintage finds, and fun/unusual/unique pieces.  Thank y'all for your support so far and we promise that some good stuff is yet to come!

- Brooke and Lynn 

A Letter From Lynn

Someone told me once that birthdays are more important to the people who love us than what we, ourselves, think of them.  Is that a lot like blogging?  Am I to put down my thoughts for me or for someone else who might get more enjoyment out of it than I would?  At any rate, I am putting down my thoughts because I have lots of them….some pertain to my self-taught decorating aesthetic and other thoughts….not so much!

In my opinion, talent is not learned.  It is within us to either be inherently good at something or not... that is because we will be interested or not.   I do, however, believe the outcome of our talent can be perfected. Talent at what you are good at can mature from what you might have done ten years prior . If you are passionate about what you love, then you will always be open to learning and appreciating talents of others as well as the possibility that we will grow and “cultivate” our own passions.

Decorating for me is a passion. Ok, I admit it. I started decorating as a teenager.  I remember rearranging my room around on Saturdays primarily. I would get in trouble because it was so messy that it just seemed like the time to completely redo.

I didn’t have much to work with but each time I did it, I realized I liked it better than the time before. I don’t really remember what I liked about it…perhaps it was just neat and more orderly!  I did feel an immense sense of accomplishment and a certain amount of pride. Only later did I realize that I was feeling then would continue to manifest itself as I grew…(or aged)!!

Work Hard Play Hard: The Scarlet Letter

This week's Work Hard Play Hard drink is brought to you by the beautiful bartenders of The Study in Honolulu's The Modern Hotel.  Might have had one too many of these bad boys last night...but they were delish! 

Elegantly described on the menu as:

"Stolichnaya vodka, flash infused with a pineapple and fresh orange, bound in cranberry and served over a pillow of seltzer"

BUT you can take your own spin on this rockin' drink at home.  We go with:

• One part vodka (Stoli is good, but even your cheap stuff will work!)
• One part seltzer
• One part Cranberry/Pineapple/Orange Juice (or to taste)

For a twist and great look, freeze your juices in an ice tray and you have fun colorful cubes to go with this literary gem of a drink.  Let us know what you think y'all.

If you're ever in Hawaii, try The Study at The Modern for a great drink, literary inspired menu items, and awesome live music.  Brooke and Tony will definitely come meet you down there!

Vlog: Fun With Accessories.

We made a vlog, y'all! (Video + blog = vlog!) We're having fun with accessories on our bar and showing how you can change it up, mix in pieces you love, and always keep things fresh.  Don't worry about being matchy-matchy ever...great, unique pieces that you love will almost always go well together.

As always, let us know if you have any design questions...AND let us know what you thought of our first vlog!! 

Clutter Top Ten: Albums of the Decade (2010's...So Far)

We fully, madly, deeply enjoy music.  And without claiming to be the next, or even a comparison to, Rob Sheffield....we compiled a list of O-U-R Top Ten albums of the decade so far.  Sure, we're only three years in, but that doesn't mean we can't take a jab at jams we determinedly believe will be highly relevant in another seven years (and beyond).  Especially in a trio of years so fraught with varied talent, from the rebirth of (English) soul from Adele to the resurrections of John Mayer and Fiona Apple.

Let us know what albums we missed, which are your favorites, and (maybe) which we gave you a peak inside for the first time.  Enjoy our Top Ten (technically eleven)!!

1. The Civil Wars, "Barton Hollow".  The Civil Wars pack enough soulful, country-infused, folk-rock into "Barton Hollow" to start a revolution.  Joy Williams and John Paul White have such beautiful harmonies and they look so damn cool doing just about anything (even collaborating with Taylor Swift).  Hitch your wagon to The CWs stagecoach because they'll be around for a long time.

2. Frightened Rabbit, "The Winter of Mixed Drinks".  With the slickest album title in recent memory, Frightened Rabbit hopped forth from the hoards of super-keen Scottish bands (Glasvegas, Franz Ferdinand, Belle & Sebastian) to make a name for themselves in 2010.  Sounding like Glasvegas' more refined younger brother, with some of Belle's lyricism and Franz's funk, Frightened Rabbit are a hugely refreshing sound out of bonnie Scotland.

3. Mumford & Sons, "Sigh No More" and "Babel". Two killer albums in the last three years meant we couldn't pick between Mumford's raging debut and their amazing sophomore follow-up.  In an era of throw-backs, they're truly revitalizing the folk-pop, jam band, real musician vibe and are in great company with new contemporaries The Lumineers and Of Monsters and Men.

4. Arcade Fire, "The Suburbs".  "Funeral" was brilliant, "Neon Bible" was so good, but "The Suburbs" was just such a beautifully executed rock opera you can listen to it from top to bottom or in chunks and still feel transported by Win's lyrics and Regine's haunting falsetto.  We live in the suburbs, but we'd like to move to The Arcade Fire's neck of the woods...or wherever they take us on the next album.

5. Vampire Weekend, "Contra".  "Contra" was not as well received as the band's self-titled debut, but who pays mind to critical opinion anyway?  VWs sophomore is a polished tour of steady electric beats, African influence, and Ivy League references, most of which go way over our heads.  And they made a video with Jake Gyllenhaal...so they're cool, guys.  Take our word for it. 

6. Robyn, "Body Talk". Robyn rocked this album. Speaking of resurrections, I'm pretty sure I jammed to Robyn (with a Y) in seventh grade and would still kick it with new school Robyn (still with a Y) any day of the week.  "Call Your Girlfriend" is the slickest track, but they could all be club bangers, or just pregame hype music for an epic evening.   

7. Broken Bells, "Broken Bells".  Zach Braff told Natalie Portman that The Shins would change her (character's) life in the classic, "Garden State". This was before James Mercer, lead singer of The Shins, teamed up with Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) to form Broken Bells and flip the script on all music, Shins or otherwise, in 2010.  Natalie, listen to Broken Bells...they WILL change your life.

8. Adele, "21".  Ok...duh. Adele destroyed it on "21". She is hands down the biggest musician of our time, and will likely make another album (maybe "23" or "25") and redefine music (again) in a handful of years.  Every song is brilliant, every note is the example of what singing should be.  She's a doll and we'd love to have tea with her, if she'd have us.

9. The Decemberists, "The King Is Dead". Ummm...so I guess The Decemberists spent most of 2010 rocking to Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers to pull off 2011's brilliant, "The King Is Dead".  Harmonicas, banjos, foot-stompin, hand-clappin, down-home music out of Portland redefining The Decemberists sleek, indie vibe of yesteryear.  They sound more like The Avett Brothers than the guys who made 2003's synth-y "Her Majesty".  We're loving the new vibe, guys! 

10. The Black Keys, "Brothers".  "Brothers" already won for greatest album cover of the decade (check it out) and this album equals the confidence of their in-your-face, here-we-are cover.  Another Danger Mouse honed animal (on "Tighten Up"), The Black Keys are equal parts rock, blues, funk, and even country on the baddest ass album so far this decade.

Honorable Mentions:

• Frank Ocean, "channel ORANGE"
• Florence & The Machine, "Ceremonials"
• John Mayer, "Born And Raised"
• Janelle Monae, "The ArchAndroid"
• The Lumineers, "The Lumineers"
• Fiona Apple, "The Idler Wheel Is Wiser..."

Obsessions of the Week: 21APR to 27APR13

On a weekly basis we are passionately obsessed with about ten things.  And then, for good or bad, we generally move on.  So we thought we'd capture some of our obsessions before we ADHD them to the curb.  Here are our Obsessions of the Week (OOTW) for 042113 to 042713:

• Green Walls. Such a creative way to bring the outside in or keep the outside out and jazz up the side of your home/building.  Love it for Earth Day and will be doing this when we own a huge house ideally on York St. in our dreams!
• Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 5 Teaser. Come on. COME ON! We are so excited about RHONJ and there were laser beams and lightning bolts AND no new housewives. 
• This tweet from Jenni Pulos!

• Michelle Armas. Just digging hard on the original paintings by Michelle.  Love this article from Design Sponge on her, too!
• You're Welcome Savannah's coverage of my mom and dad's house.  It's an old post, but I've been looking back and it's so funny how much my mom changes her house. It's literally on a weekly basis. Cedric's images are so good and they capture my mom's spirit and my dad's hard work in moving the furniture around (!).
• Blogging.  I think we got in a little bit of a groove here at Clutter (the Blog).  Just loving sharing what we love and finding another creative outlet.  #BlogginDirty.

Brooke's Look: Pop of Color in the Boudoir

Tranquility is our watchword in the bedroom.  You need a space that's peaceful, comfortable, chic, and purposeful.  But don't shy away from a little drama.

We're loving grays and blues in our master and you can never go wrong with a chic white comforter or duvet cover to up the glam factor.  But in every space you do need a P-O-P of color and we did that by bringing in some lime green in our owl side table / catch-all.  Loving the way the green plays with the blue nightstands and mirror, and we tied it in again with green cording on our big comfy, gray striped pillows.

Questions, comments, concerns? Please send them my way.  Love talking design with y'all!