Seaside, FL

Seaside, Florida looks like it could be right out of a scene in a movie! As a matter of fact, it is! I recently visited Seaside for the first time and fell in LOVE! Besides the fact that everyone here rides their bike everywhere, the scenery, architecture and vibes of the whole town are just perfection.

 Seaside is an unincorporated master-planned community on the Florida Panhandle between Destin and Panama City! Being one of the first cities in America designed on the principles of New Urbanism, the town has become the topic of slide lectures in architectural schools and in housing-industry magazines, and is visited by design professionals all over the United States! Sweet little Seaside rose to global fame as being the main filming location of the movie The Truman Show!

(Truman's house from the movie!)

The idea behind Seaside came from 1946, when the grandfather of future founder Robert S. Davis bought 80 acres of land along the shore of Northwest Florida as a summer retreat for his family.  In 1979 Davis inherited the parcel from his grandfather, and aimed to transform it into an old-fashioned beach town, with traditional wood-framed cottages of the Florida Panhandle. Davis, his wife Daryl, and architectural partners Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk of Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ), toured the south studying small towns as a basis for planning Seaside.

Individual housing units in Seaside are required to be different from other buildings, with designs ranging from styles such as Victorian, Neoclassical, Modern, Postmodern, and Deconstructivism. (per Wikipedia, of course) 

Seaside has no private front lawns, and only native plants - no sod - are used in front yards.

Seaside is Home to one of Florida’s first charter schools---big white school houses with a perfectly groomed courtyard and what must be the greenest grass on the planet.

The house we stayed in was great---Just a short bike ride (or golf cart when we were feeling lazy) from downtown Seaside, the white sand dunes and the BEACH!

The Post Office, one of the most photographed landmarks in Seaside, was just the cutest little thing you’ve ever seen.

The food and drinks were great!

Food trucks, paddle board yoga, and record stores---We had so much fun exploring shops, admiring design and  soaking up the sun!

Trend forecast for 2016!

Trends are adopted by different parts of the world gradually. What was hot in New York or LA at the end of last year might just now be hiding the South or the Midwest (and what’s hot in Paris in Milan may make it to the U.S. in…5 or 10 years!). In their own time, the masses start to gravitate to what is “new and hip” in the world of fashion or interior design and that becomes the norm.

Dwell Magazine put together a little list of interior design trends to look for in 2016!  From things we love online to things we are installing in our own projects, we put together a few examples of how you can implement these trends in your own home! Follow these trends now and you’re sure to be ahead of the curve when everyone else catches on!

Interior Design Trend forecast from Dwell Magazine!

No. 1: Bringing The Outdoors InFrom decorating compact apartments with greenery to turning expansive backyards into glamping adventures, consumers are experimenting with how to bring nature into every aspect of their homes. HGTV’s David Bromstad explained that this means that consumers will be buying furniture they can use indoors and outdoors. In terms of interior decor, lifestyle expert Justina Blakeney shared that wall decor, accessories and small plant life inspired items are going to be hot. 

Driftwood, rattan, succulents, coral, and pinecones, Oh my!

No. 2: Source Artisan GoodsFrom tassels and basketry to macrame and crochet, weaving is in. To embrace this trend, lifestyle expert Justina Blakeney advises consumers to be inspired by local finds. LG Studio artistic advisor Nate Berkus encourages shoppers to buy locally made and globally crafted goods. Berkus also states that consumers should not be afraid to mix vintage and artisanal items with mass produced goods. Consumers should not miss the opportunity to pair a Mongolian lambskin pouf and Moroccan rug next to a Target coffee table, for example.

If you're looking for local art that speaks to you directly, Shreveport Farmers' Market, The Agora Borealis, or Texas Ave. Makers Fair would be a good place to start looking!

No. 3: Minerals Are InWhile polished geodes attached to lucite bases have been all the rage, minerals are going au natural now. Watch for bowls of pyrite on tables, big chunks of quartz used as display pieces and unpolished semi-precious stones turned into door pulls. 

Lamps, tables, etc. This mineral decor ROCKS.
(Pun intended---let me be a dork, OK?!)

No. 4: Tiles Are Going GeometricDecorative backsplashes have gone strong for a long time. Designers are expecting to see consumers gravitating towards more geometric patterns that feature fluid movement. Cement and even wood are going to play a significant role in achieving this. Whether it is a backsplash, an intricately patterned floor or a countertop, fluid geometry is coming in strong.

Geometric tiles do NOT just have to be black and white!
Any pattern with repetitive lines--any color--will work!

No 5: Mix Metallics and MetalsThe 1950s and 1970s are hot trends in fashion design collections right now, and it is no different in interiors. Midcentury Mod with brass, gold and metallic finishes are popular right now. Get ready to embrace some retro bling.

Bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, dining room---you can try mixing metallics and metals in any room of your house!

Original Blog Source: Dwell.com

Image Sources: Pinterest, Pencil & Paper, Co,, Katie Brisco.com, and Agora Borealis

Nest Fest 2015

This past Saturday Red River Remodelers attended Nest Fest 2015!

Nest Fest was established to raise funds and awareness for "Renesting Project, Inc." a non-profit organization providing reclaimed furniture and household goods to families and individuals  in the SBC moving from homelessness, to more independent living arrangements and rebuilding their lives. The event, "Nest Fest", was started in 2010, by "Lauren's Nest Egg" a non-profit foundation in memory of Lauren Colvin, with the purpose of raising funds for Renesting Project, Inc. Although Lauren's Nest Egg is no longer responsible for production of Nest Fest, Lauren's memory continues to live on!

"CHAIRished Beginnings" Design Competition will adds another dimension to this lively evening of fun. Local professional designers, design enthusiasts and design students will all will be expressing their creativity and raising funds for Renesting Project, Inc.!

The guidelines for the vignettes in the competition competition were:

• At least 50% reclaimed items that could be refinished, recovered, repurposed
• Fit within a 10x10 space
• A living, dining, sleeping, or miscellaneous space
• Contain (at least, but not limited to) a chair, a transformed item, a table top surface, a light source, and a floor covering

Renesting Project has a fantastic collection of items that have been donated to be used in local projects---each team was also allowed to choose one item from The Nest to use in their vignette!

In our case, we based our whole space on the item we chose from The Nest! We went in with a completely different idea in mind, but upon visiting Renesting Project headquarters, things changed quickly….I fell in LOVE! How awesome is this 4-paneled 1950s Teak wood room divider?!

After snagging this gem, we decided to take our vignette in a different direction. Additional inspiration? This adorable little guy.

Everyone played their part from there. Sean whipped up this fancy lounge bed,

Super-Angie made all of the pillows,

I stained Sean’s palette bed and painted our retro chandelier this sassy rose-gold! 

Angie let us raid her collection of knickknacks and rugs, Sean rewired our chandelier and Barrett’s Stone Gallery nicely donated the round granite piece to top off the rattan footstool Angie found at an estate sale for an end table!

Chris, Sean, Angie and I all set up our vignette together on Friday for Saturday’s event!

And, voila! Our Bohemian reading nook was complete!

And guess what?! We even won Best Professional design! It really was “A good time for a great cause!”

From designing, to setting up and attending Nest Fest 2015, we had a blast! We will definitely be participating next year!

July's Obsessions

July’s obsessions are HOT! Ok, we’re in Louisiana…EVERYTHING is hot in July! I’m a few days later than normal, but better late than never? From tiles to lighting fixtures to nerdy wall art, here’s the list of what we’re currently obsessed with!

1. Sidi Lounge Chair with Cushions
More cb2, of course! The frame, the style, the fabric cushions—love it all! Angie spotted this on cb2’s website and has been crushin’ ever since!

2. Goose-eye tile in Milk/Kohl

I’m convinced his black and white Swedish tile came from heaven! It’s gorgeous. It’s sassy. It needs to come live at my house!!

3. Aria Full Woven Headboard

From Land of Nod, handwoven and cute as can be! Peacock rattan has Angie smitten right now---and it’s hot pink at that! 

4. Happy Giraffe and Bubble Pop Print

NatalPrint is one of my new favorite Ety shops! I think this little giraffe would be really happy hanging on a gallery wall somewhere! NatalPrint has tons of other quirky prints! (All my fellow nerds, head on over and check them out HERE!)

5. Vega Flush Mount Lamp

Flush mount, but almost chandelier-ish, this thing is real good looking! The frosted, retro style bulbs with the brass finished canopy? Yes, please!

6. Mid Century Modern 3-panel Teak Room Divider Screen, circa 1960s

This crazy cute room divider was love at first sight for me! Angie sent me over to “The Nest,” the warehouse for the Renesting Project and I found this little baby there! 

Red River Remodelers will be entering a vignette in the “CHAIRished Beginnings” Design Competition at Nest Fest sponsored by the Renesting Project!

Shameless plug: Nest Fest is August 1^st and tickets more information are available at renestingprojectinc.org!