Sunday, September 9, 2007

Homage to Cote de Texas

I'm sure many of you are familiar with Joni of Cote de Texas. Her witty and informative blog posts are always well worth the read. She has a generous spirit and a knack for making all her readers feel as if they have been lifelong friends. After making us all a bit more than nervous during a rare absence last week she has posted pictures of her family room showcasing her new additions - a lovely new sofa and wing back chairs. In her post she writes about a subject that many designers are familiar with. The inability to make design choices for their own homes. Why is it that as professionals or amateurs we can make decisions for our clients or friends with absolute certainty but when it comes to our own design dilemmas we are crippled by indecision and doubt?

While I can empathize with her plight it is clear that she is making all the right decisions so I decided to post about her room as if it were a random space that had caught my eye in a magazine or book. so here goes:


Relaxed Sophistication - Texas Style


They say they do everything big in Texas and while this large family room is no exception it has the feeling of a much more intimate space due to the impeccable space planning. Carefully chosen furnishings are grouped together in cozy settings with larger pieces balanced by smaller more delicate items such as the little leather foot stool and the upholstered ottoman. The rustic coffee table is offset by the graceful silhouettes of the turned leg side tables.




While most of the furniture appears to be antique everything is given a fresh modern feel by the use of stark white linen slipcovers throughout. The sisal rug and and the generous spattering of baskets throughout reinforce the natural feel of the space.


The new sofa and wing back chairs are slip covered in a fresh linen. Typical of Joni's attention to detail she specified them to be sewn with French seams - a truly couture detail that is often overlooked.



That same impeccable attention to detail follows through to the seat cushions on the antique chairs. Notice the wonderful criss crossing of the chair ties down the leg of each chair. These are the types of finishing touches that really make good design stand out.



Throughout the room are hidden treasures ( I snooped in photoshop) and small groupings of collectibles displayed to add to the personal feel of the room. A wonderful family of Staffordshire dogs and a lamp with a great shade covered in an image of an old world map are true to Joni's love of French design.

Joni is obviously very skilled at the art of accessorisation (sp ?). As we all know Joni is a serious book junkie and you can see how cleverly she displays and houses her collection while avoiding the look of clutter or overflow. Books are placed in stacks on top of tables, in baskets , and in a gorgous hand painted container on the floor. She uses her book shelves as a stage to curate her favorite things. I love the paintings on easels and the special items displayed on top of stacks of books ( two of my favorite tricks as well) To me there is nothing more boring that an entire bookcase filled with only books.



I love the Bad President book and the back scratcher on the top of this stack of reading material. (Yes, I am a snoop)


I think that we can all agree that this is a beautifully decorated room that is worthy of a feature in any publication and Joni should be commended for her good taste and attention to detail that sets her apart from other designers.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing this gorgeous space and for pointing out some of the details we might have missed.

Now if I could just figure out how to make those curved French seams...

cotedetexas said...

(blush) - well I am floored to say the least! I'm so flattered I can not even begin to tell you! My mom is getting a link to this site tonight, she'll be SO proud! Gee, I don't feel worthy of all your accolades!! And you noticed the seams. In Houston, we call those 1/4" or 1/2" flange!! I'll credit Renae Abbott with starting that trend many years ago. Renae is the owner of Shabby Slips - Houston and Santa Fe and Austin. Plus she's on the cover of this summer's Veranda. Enough about Renae, let's talk about moi! haha
How embarrassing that you enlarged the pics of the baskets with the Bush book. My daughter and husband bought that for me a while ago. Now everyone knows I'm a democrat, even though I spilled the beans on that before. As for the age of the pieces, in my den, most are "old" as opposed to antique. The matching barley twist gate legs - well I have a secret source in Houston and I buy them for pennies - most of my clients have one somewhere in their house. I love to extend the leaves and have a large surface to accessorize on. And someone asked me about drapes - what are on the windows? Well, I don't have them on my family room windows because the french doors span the whole back of my house - the breakfast room and kitchen are to the left of the sofa - and I've thought it might be too much drape - there are five double french doors - but, I"m softening on that and will probably do that next. It's been 13 years in our house and it's seen so many changes, but a new sofa is such a rarity, I had to share it! Thanks again from the bottom of my heart, you are too too too kind!!!!

Joni

Unknown said...

Hi Lee,
Actually I believe the corners are square and they are tacked into pleats.
Jackie

Unknown said...

Hi Joni,
I probably should have asked permission before I went for the zoom in. Sorry. However I am a die hard republican and even I can't stand Bushy. I got a fuzzy glimpse of your china hutch in the dining room - I hope you'll post that next. Hi to Joni's mom if you're reading this. She is a doll and very talented - we all love her.

Jackie

Anonymous said...

This is my first visit, I am on a mission for inspiration and I am finding here for sure! And of course I was pleased to see Joni's house featured here, she just kindly introduced herself to me this weekend and I love her sense of style. I share a love of books piled everywhere.

I must say I'd be mortified if anyone got that up close in my pictures, certainly they'd see a dust bunny. But not one to be found in Joni's room!

Thanks for your blog, I look forward to reading more!

Melissa

72 and sunny said...

i'm a huge joni fan. how can you not love this woman. and her home is fabuloso.

Unknown said...

Dear Mellisa,
I can assure you I would only look so close at someone else's home. You can bet your bottom dollar you won't see shots like this of my house. You'd all be mortified! Thanks to Joni for being such a good sport.
Jackie

Mélanie said...

Thank you for sharing Joni's style with us .I had alreday read her fabulous post .
This feeling of doubt is so right . I've spent almost one year to choose my curtains' linen . And it is always the same when I have to buy or choose something new

Cindy said...

It's a beautiful room. I love the slipcovers and the pillows and the Staffordshire dog collection!

Unknown said...

I love the repost you did on Joni's home and your comments are right on. This is such a comfortable, well designed, and detailed room. Kudos to Joni.

The Peak of Chic said...

I like the way you analyzed Joni's home Jackie! It's just the way I do with photos in design mags! I agree, though, that it's a very beautiful home :)

Brilliant Asylum said...

Such a pretty AND comfortable looking home. Nice work Cote de Texas!

Mary said...

I LOVE THIS ROOM! It is overflowing with wonderful things, but doesn't look the least bit cluttered. It is light, and airy, and yet has many wonderful details to tempt the eye. Beautiful!

Unknown said...

Thanks everybody for all the great comments. Obviously Joni's home reflects the type of person she is comfortable and classy.
Jackie

Unknown said...

Hi Melissa, Glad you found me. Your site doesn't have your email address. Throw me a line
Jackie

PAT said...

I came here from Joni's blog. WOW! Love it here and will be back for more.

I love Joni's room. It's perfection!

Pat

Linda Merrill said...

The french, or flanged, seams are a unique touch that look great on these pieces, but since when has standard welting become "tacky"? There is a practical purpose to it - the stiffness of the welt keeps cushions straighter and in their original shape. For people who don't like the "slouchy" look, it's the way to go. Don't mean to be snarky at all, your blog is great and Joni's living room is to die for. It was just a comment that really popped out at me and am wondering if I've missed the changing of the trend somewhere?

Unknown said...

Linda,
You are right - welted seams are not tacky! I only meant to point out Joni's uber sophistication at selecting the more avant garde choice of flanged seams. It gives her traditional room an updated twist.

franki durbin said...

impeccable. it looks warm, livable and inviting - like a good sunny living room ought to look.

I also adore that it begs to be enjoyed, not stared at like a museum piece. nice work on your expose!

Maryam in Marrakesh said...

joni is adorable inside and out. But really, I am so seriously in love with that bird fabric that I feel a little dizzy. I so desperately want it.