Friday, March 13, 2009

Get Courtney Giles' Style

Winter has returned to Houston today for one last, icy blast. It's gray, drizzly, and 45 degrees and I'm reminded so much of March in Connecticut. Over the horrors of February weather, you felt for sure that spring must be right around the corner and yet so often winter lingered until well after spring break.

All this bad, wintry weather has me wanting to hibernate until spring in a beautiful, cozy bedroom like the one pictured here designed by Atlanta-based decorator Courtney Giles, who I found via the always inspiring Habitually Chic. I can't get over how much I like this room. The color palette of dark blue-gray walls and orange bed with white linens with navy accents is unusual and bold. The modern elements like the greek key pillow and zig zag rug are the perfect counterpoints to the more traditional buffalo-plaid accent chair, bureau and collection of china plates.


And because I love the "steal their style" feature from LivingEtc, here are the essential elements that you'd need to get this look at home. After all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattering.

Gustavian Vintage Bed from Viva Terra ($1,995-2,095): Because a bed purchase is usually a big investment, I would generally advise against an orange bed, which would invariably require reupholstering whenever you wanted to switch up the look. Instead, why not get be inspired by the shape of the bed rather than the color (as shown here), and go with a bed that will transition to other rooms and styles as your needs and tastes evolve? Moreover, the antique styling and dark wood of the Gustavian bed echo the wood pieces in Courtney's bedroom.

Ribbon Chainlink and Applique Duvet from Williams-Sonoma Home ($58-$288): You can find white sheets with navy trim just about anywhere, but I love the look and feel of this set from WS Home.

Missoni Home Hector Throw in Orange from Pillows and Throws ($275): To inject the all-important shot of orange into your space, why not use accessories? I'm completely covetous of Missoni's Hector Throw, which comes in myriad of colors, including this soft orange. What's more, it's perfect for this space as its tone-on-tone zig zag pattern is a subtle nod to the MW rug. Orange accessories (in the form of a lamp or vases) could further up the ante.

Greek key Pillow from Jonathan Adler (no longer available): Alas, the Greek-key pillow that Courtney used is no longer available, but you can find a similar look here. Fingers crossed though that Jonathan Adler reissues his destined-to-be-iconic pillow soon though.

Navy Gingham 1" checks fabric from Fashion Fabrics Club ($4.45/yard): Any tired hand-me-down chair could be given a fresh new look with some navy and white buffalo plaid. Even better, you can score this fabric for under $5/yard.

Flea Market Chandelier from Pottery Barn Kids ($129): Pottery Barn Kids and PB Teen are both great sources for fun and inexpensive lighting (and rugs, actually). No one will ever guess it was made for kids. I promise.

Assorted Blue and White China from eBay (various, but generally under $10/plate): Inexpensive blue and white china can be found in abundance on eBay or at your local flea market or Goodwill. You'll score plates well under $10 a piece and achieve that artfully mismatched-but-cohesive look that you're after here for next to nothing.

Blue & White Zig Zag Rug from Madeline Weinrib (approx. $900 for 8'x10'): I love how fresh and graphic this rug feels while still maintaining a bit of bohemian edge. I've been dying to visit ABC Carpet and Home for a while now and am sorely tempted to make a trip to NYC just to snag one of these babies for myself.

Victoria Scalloped Mirror from Pottery Barn ($159): There are an abundance of star burst mirrors out on the market right now, but since I am getting a little bit tired of them, I thought I'd show you this mirror, which I think compliments the other elements of the room just as well. I also like how the curves of the mirror play off the curves of the Gustavian bed; both nice counterpoints to the very linear patterns at work throughout the space.

And finally, for paint color, I'd go for Benjamin Moore's "Flint" (if you want more gray) or "Mysterious" (if you want more blue), both from the new Affinity line. Either way, try an eggshell or pearl finish -- some sort of sheen will better reflect light, and will keep the room from looking too cave-like.

7 comments:

Patch said...

Lovely room!!!

lady macleod said...

Just a beautiful blog! I have enjoyed my visit and shall certainly return. I have recently been brought ( lovingly) to live in Texas. I was in Morocco finishing my book the two years previously so this is quite a shock! Houston gives short shrift to winter, but other than that I think I shall like it here.

lady macleod said...

If you don't mind, I'm placing a link to your blog on my site - I think I shall wish to visit that often.

Averill said...

LM: Of course I don't mind -- I'm terribly flattered! [And welcome to the Lone Star State!]

Anonymous said...

what a fantastic post. Courtney's style is amazing and you provided such great finds. loving it all.

Anonymous said...

I love this room. However, I read an article on it in Atlanta Homes and the walls are actually black.

Averill said...

Black, really? Just goes to show you that photographs can be deceiving. The finish must be a pearl or eggshell, too, since it's so light reflective. Black or grey though, the room is still lovely. Thanks for the heads up, Anon!

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