>

Personal Favorite {Perfect Pendants}

It was love at first sight when I laid eyes on Thomas O'Brien's Hicks pendant. The combination of dark navy and antique brass gives off a faintly nautical feel that I can't get enough of. While they're perfect over kitchen islands, I'd also love to use them over a dining room table or even lighting up a long hallway.

Study Hall

Four classes stand between me and spring break and it's time to crack down on reading and studying. Are there any other student bloggers out there? I would love to hear from you!

Pinning in Pink

Hey there, media mavens! Are you on Pinterest yet? Follow my pins here or email me for an invitation to join. It's the perfect place to create an online inspiration board of all that you're loving in fashion and interiors. Needless to say, I'm hooked!

Desperately Seeking Sunshine

In five days, my family and I will be en route to sunny Florida for my sister Reilly's softball spring training trip. While I'm dreading packing my bags (see my about page), I'm giddy at the thought of afternoons by the pool, dinners by the water, and lots of quality time with my parents, my siblings, and, yes, my doting grandmother. The countdown begins!

{image via my favorite tumblr}

Here's To You, Mrs. Robinson

Let me start by saying that I adore this Mrs. Robinson-inspired shoot by the talented photographer Olivia Graham. One of my 101 in 1001 goals is to see ten so-called classic films — films like 1967's The Graduate, filled with catchy music, mod fashion, and intriguing plot. Do you have any recommendations for classic films you adore? Do tell!

The Darling Dani Notes

I'm beyond excited to introduce you to one of my new sponsors for March, the positively darling Dani Notes! If you like affordable, colorful, and custom, you'll love Dani Notes. This Etsy gem is your new go-to for dinner plates, hostess gifts, serving platters, and even monogrammed iPhone cases!
Can you believe these patterned platters are just $34? They're perfect for serving drinks at parties or corralling baubles on your vanity.
I'm imagining family dinners with your last initial monogrammed on every plate or — better yet — a personal monogram for each member of the family! At just $22, these pretty plates could have quite the impact.
Last but not least are Dani's adorable custom cases for iPhone 3G and 4. I can't wait for my turquoise chevron case with its pretty lime green monogram to come in the mail! It's sure to make life as an iPhone user even better.
In addition to offering different patterns and monograms, Dani allows customers to completely customize each design with colors of their choice. Custom colors, preppy products, and reasonable prices — does it get any better? Do stop in at Dani Notes and see for yourself!

Quote Du Jour {From My Grandmother}

Dear Kenzie,


I am enjoying Design Darling immensely. It's like reliving my young life over again. The gorgeous nipped-in waist dress of last week was almost a duplicate of my engagement dress, perhaps proving that everything old is new again! Claw foot tubs and dark tile was the decor in the 1930s and we thought it very spiffy... Must close as there are too many interruptions.

Love you big, 

Grandy

There's nothing like your grandmother's design approval and unconditional love to let you know you're on the right track.

Pendant Lighting

I adore each of these pendant lighting options. Do you prefer the ruched shades of the first or the skirted flounce of the second?

{one & two}

Desk Du Jour

This was one of those weeks where I constantly felt like there weren't enough hours in a day. Between a whirlwind trip to New York, a sudden sickness, and figuring out how to use a new phone, I'm spent. In a perfect world, I would spend the weekend sleeping in and catching up in a home office like this one. What does your perfect weekend look like?

Pretty Little Things

Just because.



A Pale Palette

I'm not usually one to get excited over neutral interiors but there's something very dreamy and ethereal about this vanity area, wouldn't you say?

Quote Du Jour

“Sometimes a girl wants nothing more 
than to feel unapologetically pretty.”
Vogue

{photo via Patterson Maker}

The Design Dialogues {Helen Davis & Heather Hogan Roberts}

Today's edition of The Design Dialogues features the charming Heather and Helen of H&H Home, a home furnishings site based in Atlanta. With aspirations of designing an H&H textile collection and a St. Barth's resort, these are definitely two ladies to put on your radar. Without further ado, I'm pleased to introduce Heather and Helen!

Helen Davis and Heather Hogan Roberts of H&H Home.



Who you are: 
Heather Hogan Roberts and Helen H. Davis

What you do: 
Owners of H&H Home

Where you do it:
Atlanta

Chairs from H&H Home featured in Atlanta boutique Tootsies.

Five words to describe yourselves...
Heather: Bold, direct, good listener, animal lover, wine drinker.
Helen: Creative, charismatic, eclectic, bossy (at least I admit it?), witty.

How do you describe your aesthetic?
Heather: Preppy, vintage chic.
Helen: Modern eclectic.

Who are your style icons?
Helen: Iris Apfel and Kelly Wearstler.
Heather: My mother and my grandmother.



Heather and her daughter, Crosby, flock to the East Coast in the summertime.

Favorite destination
Heather: The North Shore of Boston. I grew up there and there is nothing like being home in the summer.
Helen: In the fall or winter, my family’s farm in northern Georgia. In the spring or summer, any place attached to an ocean.

Favorite quote
Helen: “A woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future.” —Coco Chanel
Heather: “It is just as disastrous to have the wrong accessories in your room as it is to wear sport shoes with an evening dress.” —Dorothy Draper

“A woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future.” 
—Coco Chanel


Favorite site
Heather: Perez Hilton. I shared a cab with him one fashion week years back in New York City and I’m totally obsessed with him.
Helen: Ours of course! But for clothes, Les Nouvelles.

Favorite store
Helen: 4510 in Dalas. The best one-stop shopping in the country!
Heather: Any flea market. I can find the gem in a pile of junk. Does that sound weird?

"I can find the gem in a pile of junk. 
Does that sound weird?"
—Heather

Favorite thing to read
Helen: Currently reading Keith Richards’s autobiography, Life. Elle Decor and all things Domino (RIP!).
Heather: Any of the new e-zines: Lonny, Rue, High Gloss. And the new Architectural Digest; Peggy Russell is amazing.

Favorite thing to watch
Heather: The Jersey Shore. Seriously can’t get enough.
Helen: Bravo. Period.

Favorite thing to wear
Heather: My vintage emerald ring, a gift from my husband this past Mother’s Day. It was his grandmother’s!
Helen: Anything that can be worn with a fabulous pair of shoes. Nicholas Kirkwood is my all-time favorite shoe guru. He’s a genius! The higher the heel, the better!

Editor's note: I sort of stopped breathing when I saw Heather and Helen's styling work on their website. Hello, perfection.



How did you decide this is what you wanted to do?
Heather: I have always loved anything anything home-related. I especially love old homes and have restored three of my own so far. Some people relax on the weekends. I like to go to Home Depot.
Helen: We started out as fashion girls in New York. My first love will always be fashion but, when I moved to Atlanta a little over a year ago, I realized quickly that my fashion background easily translated into home design. Picking or styling an outfit is much like selecting a fabric or a color swatch. In both cases you want your choices to be fabulous and to represent you in a beautiful way.

Party favors at a launch event for H&H Home.


What is the most glamorous aspect of your job?
Heather: Getting to be featured in the press. It is surreal to see your name in print!
Helen: We love to throw parties to celebrate H&H happenings with our friends so I think that would be the most glamorous part. Any excuse to pop open a bottle of champagne!

And the least glamorous aspect?
Heather: Having to be the CEO, CFO, Marketing Director, and Accountant.
Helen: Most everything, especially in the beginning. We’ve been able to hand off some of the dirty work but, for the most part, we still do everything ourselves. Schlepping to upholsterers and dumpster diving for great vintage finds can get ugly!

"Some people relax on the weekends. 
I like to go to Home Depot." 
—Heather

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Heather: Be a good listener. Take in as much as you can when meeting with clients and don’t assume anything.
Helen: It’s a total cliché but “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” I really believe that what you put out is what you get back!

And the advice you’d offer aspiring enterpreneurs?
Heather: Try not to get frustrated. And don’t give up.
Helen: Surround yourself with positive and inspiring people! We would never have created H&H Home without the encouragement of our friends and family.

Where would you like to be a year from now?
Helen: Healthy and happy. And maybe opening our own brick-and-mortar store?
Heather: Designing a resort in St. Barth’s!

A handful of items on Heather and Helen's wishlists...

Three items on your to do list.
Helen: Find the perfect window treatment fabric for a client, get a manicure, finish the other 300 tasks on my to do list.
Heather: Taxes, taxes, and taxes. Enough said.

Three items on your wishlist.
Helen: Monogrammed Goyard tote in orange (and a matching version for Heather!), a Kendall Conrad leopard iPad case, and World’s Away white Pagoda side tables (just bought them for a client and now I must have them!).







Heather: My entire house painted, a new car (two kids and a pug have trashed my SUV), a full-time nanny.

Three items on your bucket list.
Heather: Visit Bergamo, Italy, to see my friend Joanna and her new baby, own a house on the beach, and meet Anderson Cooper.
Helen: Design textile collection for H&H Home, learn Italian, and have dinner with Jay-Z. But isn’t that on everyone’s bucket list?

- - - 

Thank you, Heather and Helen! Aren't they wonderful? Don't forget to check out their beautiful site!