British Invasion! Fab!

The British Invasion happened back in the 1960's with rock groups "invading" the USA, including the most famous Beatles. It also launched a whole fashion style and decor trend. Everybody wanted to wear Mary Quant and Biba, and have a piece of pop art kicky plastic furniture in their home.

Emily Henderson styles a British Invasion living room

Emily Henderson, star of HGTV's Secrets From A Stylist, recently showed a living room she decorated in a style she called "British Invasion". The low slung modern couch, and kicky fabrics, and sleek metal trunk were her gestalt touchstones. Not one Union Jack in the room. Emily is too cool for school to use that in a room called British Invasion style.

Pink Union Jack rug via Design Blahg HERE

Vivienne Westwood rug hung on the wall as art

The Union Jack has had a tremendous revival as a decor object. Somehow it just adds a little cool factor. I don't think any flag except perhaps the Jasper Johns series of the USA flag has such panache in the decor world.

Chaise lounge upholstered in a Union Jack fabric

The Union Jack is used as upholstery, and on rugs, and on painted furniture.

Union Jack rug

Dresser painted with the Union Jack at Decor Demon HERE

Appliances even get covered with it.

Visual Vamp kitchen with Union Jack dishwasher

I like it as a graphic image, although I think you can only have one thing in a room using it, or perhaps only one thing in the entire house.

Union Jack even looks fab with pink!

My friend Sabina recently passed onto me a deco style armoire. She just moved to a new home, and had no room for this piece. We might have trashed it, but I just can't seem to abandon any old piece of furniture with some life left in it.

Old armorie - before

At first I thought of just giving it to the local thrift shop, but then I thought: British Invasion!
What a perfect piece to paint the Union Jack on! Not that I needed another project ha ha, but what the hell.

Primed and taped

I found an image on the internet of a refrigerator covered with the Union Jack, which was perfect, since this humble little closet resembles the shape of a refrigerator.

Many more hours were spent taping and painting

I primed it first, then taped off the stripes, and the Jack started to emerge. Alberto helped out alot, fascinated by my project. The red is called Spanish Red, and the blue is Old Navy, and both are by Benjamin Moore, and the white is some Kilz white cabinet paint we have around due to the kitchen project.

The Union Jack armoire - styled for a child's room

It turned out so cute! I never meant to keep it. I think it would be so perfect in a child's room, so I am going to put it on Craigslist at a very good price.

So what do you think of the British Invasion in decorating? Do you have any pieces in your home?

Cheerio!

I Confess To Brian Patrick Flynn at HGTV Design Happens

No regrets: 2008 version of the Visual Vamp living room
photo: CUE Magazine

Have you ever personally had any decor regrets?
This was question Decor Demon Brian Patrick Flynn asked me for Design Happens at HGTV. Go on over and say hello and leave him a comment.

And what about all of you? Do you regret any design or decor choices you have made?

The same space now
Visual Vamp living room 2010

I met Brian last May when we were thrown together on a panel at Grace McNamara's VISION 10, International Window Coverings Expo in Atlanta. It was love at first sight. Brian was clearly the good looking TV star that everyone was besotted with. But to me he was a smart guy with a great attitude and enthusiasm for decor. He was great fun to hang out with.

Visual Vamp at HGTV Design Happens

Many bloggers were invited, and promised to participate on the social media day panel Jackie Von Tobel put together for Visions 10, but most backed out, and a few mocked me for making the trip.

I am so happy that I went to this event. Not only did I learn alot about the window fashion industry (and meet some great people), but I was hosted by blogger and interior designer Renae Moore, and met bloggers Skyla of Sanity Fair, Holly from Things That Inspire, and Jenny from My Favorite and My Best.

Who's smiling now? Brian Patrick Flynn is my secret FB boyfriend. He has a hot TV show on TBS and is an HGTV personality, and he gave me, his cougar FB girlfriend, a great mention on HGTV Design Happens.

Happy Weekend!

The panel at Visions 10 in Atlanta

Visual Vamp Valorie Hart hanging out
with Brian Patrick Flynn in Atlanta
Love those groovy name tags!

The Dust Ruffle and Bed Skirt Controversy

Do you remember way back in blog time in 2008 when Joni from Cote de Texas did a post about skirted tables that started a huge debate that ultimately led to podcast she stars on called "The Skirted Roundtable."

Holy dust ruffle!
Charlotte Moss

Well clutch your pearls, there seems to be another great controversy brewing regarding dust ruffles and bed skirts.

Joni's lovely deep drop bedspread

It seems that not only are bed skirts (I hate the word dust ruffle - why would anyone want anything described as dust?) out of fashion with the Lonny-Rue-Apartment Therapy set, but they are unsanitary too with worries of attracting bed bugs.

A tailored bedspread with a deep drop skirt

Glam bed skirt - Temple St. Clair

Mmmm.. Personally I have no dust ruffle in the guest bedroom because the iron four poster bed did not require one visually. The bed in our master bedroom does have a dust ruffle. This bed has a headboard and a metal bed frame and box spring, and I don't think it would look very good without the bed skirt. I even tried the white bed spread with the huge skirted drop ala Joni, but found it too cumbersome. Damn I should have sold it on eBay sooner! Now who will want it?

Eddie Ross used a tailored bed skirt
in this pretty traditional bedroom

I came across the following article by Sara Ruffin Costello:

A headboard with a bed frame needs a bed skirt

"So the other night I went over to my friend Miles Redd's house for a TV party. Curled up in his seraglio-inspired space, I took in the visual splendor—the towering four-poster mirrored bed with striped silk taffeta upholstery, the wall-to-wall caramel cashmere underfoot, the yards of couture curtains across simple French windows and the endless originality—which all added up to a tailored, comfortable, no-grandmother-in-sight inner sanctum.

Fishing for free decorating, I submitted to my old friend, "How can I get a little piece of the Miles magic?"

Miles Redd's bed sans bed skirt
But what's up with the padding?

"Oh, please," he said. "This old shoebox?"

"Well, yes..."

And then, with the precision of a brain surgeon, he said, "An exposed box spring is like a fly in the soup...unsightly. Cover your box spring with a decadent fabric...touch of luxe darling...every room needs it, especially the bedroom."

I sat up and took note. By God, I realized, the filthy, pointless dust ruffle of '80s Shabby Chicdom is dead. Long live the tailored box-spring cover!

Ditching the dust ruffle diminishes your chances of bedding down with bugs. (A floor-grazing bed skirt is like a hospitable stairway for bed bugs.)"

Miles Redd - This Old Shoebox

Well! What do you all think of that???!!! First of all that tag line: So the other night I went over to my friend Miles Redd's house! Well smell her! In a good way of course.

Miles Redd four poster bed

Four poster beds look good without a bed skirt. The proportions of the bed suit this choice.

Miles Redd used a dust ruffle! Alert the media!

Bed with headboards and box springs seem to need the bed skirt to give it a finished look. Of course a platform bed with a mattress only, would look ridiculous with a bed skirt.

Miles Redd in Domino
The bedroom that launched the careers of blog decorators
Swoon! J'dore! Copy!

Modern interiors seem to fare better without a dust ruffle. Even the word is too granny for the hip decorating spawned by Domino.

But what about the majority of the world dwelling in suburban traditional homes with traditional bedrooms, or gasp, bedroom sets?

Can a dust ruffle or bed skirt be done right, just as Joni thinks doing a skirted table can be done right? You hardly see skirted tables anymore except at events and weddings. Will the bed skirt become as extinct as the table skirt?

Tom Scheerer's stainless-steel bed doesn't need much
besides crisp sheets and a white cotton slip cover for the box spring

Will they give up their bed-in-the-bag that includes the matching dust ruffle? Can they get behind a box spring slip cover?

No dust ruffle for Jonathan Adler and Liberace

Will there be bed skirt and dust ruffle burnings to alleviate the bed bug pandemic!!!! Will there be a new podcast show called "The Dusty Ruffle" or "The Skirted Bed"?????

Betsey Burnham doesn't use a bed skirt

Chime in! Bed skirts yes or no! Discuss! Dust ruffles over and out?

Martha Stewart don't need no stinking bed skirt or box spring slip cover

Kelly Wearstler doesn't have her slip showing


Even shabby chic can go skirtless

Apartment Therapy eschews the wrapped bed

Go HERE to see the whole article.

Living In The Country With Louis St. Lewis

Queen Liz by Louis St. Lewis

If you don't like grand bohemian style, taxidermy, or a peek into the private home of an extraordinary artist of our time, move on now.

Everyone else, here we go on a very unique and beautiful house tour, that starts at the outside of this very humble looking house in the North Carolina woods.



My friend Mitchell introduced me to Louis St. Lewis. Louis was in New Orleans for Art For Art's Sake this past weekend. Mitchell called me and said I had to meet Louis, that I would love him and his work, and as usual, Mitchell was correct. He knows I appreciate people who are talented and original bon vivants. Louis St. Lewis is all of this and more.

Entry hall in the home of Louis St. Lewis

First I poured over all the links Mitchell sent me of the art work. The more I delved into the information and the images, the more curious and captivated I became. I wanted to meet the man who created this art and persona.

The whippet "Q"

I saw the work he brought to New Orleans first. I knew he was already in town a few days before the exhibition, and lo and behold he strolled into perch. early one morning to come and meet me at Mitchell's urging.

Portrait of the artist as a young man

Delightfully good looking with a beautiful North Carolina accent, Louis is soft spoken in the most beguiling way. Sparks of two kindred spirits meeting went flying.




We chatted for some time, with him taking me to his Facebook page to show me his latest works at a show last month. He also shared photos of his home with me.

Would you ever think this living room would be in a humble house in the woods?

Louis inhabits his world that he creates in his art. He is famous for painting images of current day celebrities combining 18th century elements with 21st century modern art. He draws inspiration from 18th century miniature portraits painted on ivory. He has taken the art of portraiture that Andy Warhol started in the 60's and 70's, and made it his own for a new generation.

The bedroom - I spy some monkey business!

He is an animal lover, and the animals in the woods come out to dine on the vittles he leaves on the back porch for them daily. It is hard for people to understand that animal lovers often collect taxidermy, and appreciate it as art. Louis is not some wanker hipster being ironic. I hope you can understand the distinction.

Louis has an amazing taxidermy collection

Louis is a curious vibrant creator, and his home reflects a vision of an imagined life that is his reality. He makes his own baroque crystal chandeliers fashioned from wire.

A home made crystal chandelier

And all the while, he is living his artful lifestyle, he is creating incredible pieces of art. He has works in The Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and in The New Orleans Museum of Art.

Bejeweled deer head - I want to use this image for my holiday card

Andre Leon Talley of VOGUE Magazine calls “a Tennessee Williams love-child, demon- wild- child -faun”.

The faun demon love child Louis St. Lewis
This photo was taken last month at a showing of his work

A lovely cat in the home of Louis St. Lewis

But make no mistake, Louis now 49, has been making and selling art for many years, and he is a gentleman and respected professional.

A lovely French fireplace

The back porch

Foxy Loxy stopping by for lunch at the home of Louis St. Lewis

A neighbor
photo by Louis St. Lewis

Dining alfresco at night
Photo by Louis St. Lewis

I'll do a post of his art work for you soon. I hope you enjoyed meeting Louis St. Lewis as much as Mitchell and I did, and that you enjoyed this private tour in the home of an artist.