Getting Inspiration

From Jackye Lanham’s web site: This living room has long been a favorite of mine.   Those curtains with their scalloped edges influenced me to add scallops to my slipcovers.   This room is timeless – it looks as “today” as it did years ago when it was first designed.

Things that Inspire wrote a wonderful story about the launching of Jackye Lanham’s web site HERE. WOW! What a gorgeous web site it is indeed. The pictures are large and luscious – something that other interior designers should take note off.   Too many times web site portfolio pictures are so small – what’s the point?   The bigger the better I always say (unless of course, it is my weight that keeps enlarging with age!   Yuck!)   There is only one thing I wish Jackye had included in her site. There are no detailed press pages – and she has quite a lot of press under her belt. Personally, I love when there are PDF files of old magazine stories, but I’m sure it’s a lot of work to produce that. What is most exciting is there are so many pictures I have never seen before. And while there are new pictures, many of her more famous images aren’t shown at all.    This web site serves as an introduction to Jackye’s work and it is definitely worth the time to peruse her portfolio.   She is an incredibly talented designer and the launch of her web site thrilled me!   I’ve probably already looked at it over fifty times. But best of all, it got me thinking in new ways about design.   When you look at a body of work, it’s easy to pick out elements an accomplished designer uses over and over again. The best designers influence all of us.

Not included in her web site, this cover story is one of Jackye’s more popular rooms.   The gorgeous intaglios are framed in blue – a color which she picks up again in the pillows and lampshade. What caught my eye though were the curtains. I loved this fabric and used a similar one in a client’s house.



This bedroom, which I have never seen before, has me drooling. I love how she placed the day bed floating in the room. And notice the darling table next to it. As usual, Jackye adds hanging plates.   This picture has me thinking about the floating bed.   Nice time I have the opportunity, I want to try this set up.

But it is the kitchen photos that really caught my eye. First – notice the hood. It has a matte finish and it almost looks like an antique. Then she uses pewter plates to surround it.   Somehow, these centuries old plates look fresh.   The dark metal is picked up again in the pendant lights and the hanging pots. But notice then – how she adds a collection of gleaming silver.    I know we all do white ironstone in our white marble kitchens, but seeing this kitchen makes me rethink that direction. The silver looks so gorgeous and it ties in with the polished nickel faucet.   The two cake plates are the final touch.



In this kitchen, Jackye again uses old pewter plates. The hood here is less dark, but it is still matte. Notice how the range is floating, not flush up against the cabinets.   The checked fabric shades are repeated in the pendants and the two lamps. I love lamps in a kitchen – it brings a room-like touch to the space. Finally, the creamy linen slips on the chairs match the color of the cabinets and add a soft touch to the room.

                         Here, Jackye again uses matching lamps.   The painting adds more to the room-like feel of the kitchen.   And, she uses the dark metal lights which she repeats in the iron hardware.

How can you take some of Jackye’s choices to use in your own kitchen:

My sister owns this collection of antique pewter plates. If she ever moved, I could see her reusing these plates in a kitchen. Or, if there was room, the chest would be great in a kitchen.

On 1st Dibs, this collection of antique pewter plates HERE goes for $1250.   I’m sure you can find cheaper plates on ebay. But, I am really loving the look of mixing pewter in a gleaming kitchen with white marble.

I checked. Ebay is loaded with antique and new pewter plates. For instance, this 18th century plate is only $24.99 . HERE.

This new fixture from Restoration Hardware would look great against white marble.

This too would be a great fixture – at Pottery Barn, only $199.00 HERE.

In my own kitchen, I used to have two of those mercury glass lamps. One broke. I wish I still had two, I would put one on each side of the sink with new shades. I love how Jackye uses pairs of lamps in her kitchen.   I did recently add a pair of lamps on my bar.

Ben aka Mr. Slipper Socks Man, is addicted to home shopping networks.   For our anniversary he bought me this large crystal bowl. ???? I really don’t care for crystal, but thought I would use it for fruit for awhile. Actually, it’s kind of grown on me – in the daytime, it’s really sparkly and adds a new element to the kitchen. Ben is so pleased with himself!!!   But still, seeing all that silver in Jackye’s kitchen, got me thinking:

Again, this kitchen by Jackye Lanham – I love the polished silver in here!!! I just noticed the wood pedestals that the pewter is on.   And notice the great, thick chains coming from the pendant lights. I just really love this kitchen!!! It’s got me thinking about my silver.

I have two of these antique silver domes, should I move those into my kitchen too?

This picture of a bedroom by Jackye influenced me to bring out my transferware that I had put away.

In my guest room, I hung some of the transferware on the walls, here and across from the desk, and the rest I put on the side table. Not as pretty or dramatic as Jackye’s though. Looking at this picture again, I wonder should I add more to the walls to make it more dramatic?

I’ve always loved the way Jackye uses plates instead of art work.   It’s made me more confident to do the same. Here, she used large creamware platters. Dan Carithers, another designer from Atlanta, uses lots of creamware. I wonder if Dan influenced Jackye?

The point is - there is so much to learn from great interior designers.   Just looking at a few of Jackye’s kitchens makes me think of ideas to update a white marble kitchen in ways I had never really thought about before.    I keep looking at her web site and seeing things that look new to my eye and get ideas from it.   There’s another web site from a wonderful interior designer that hasn’t gone “online” yet – but you can still see the pictures. I am dying to spread the word about it. Talk about inspiration!!!!!    One of the pictures on that web site has already inspired me. I think of all of the Houston designers that have inspired a whole generation to use seagrass and slipcovers.   Think about Rachel Ashwell and how many designers she inspired with her pink and blue and white interiors.   Mario Buatta, by getting inspiration from English designers, created a new American version of the English Country Manor look that has in turn inspired hundreds and hundreds.    The cycle never ends.

Jackye Lanham’s web site HERE. Enjoy!

AND:

For those who live in or near Memphis, this coming Thursday, Mignon Topping will be having one of her antique sales!!! For more information, please call 404-271-6362.   To see another show of Mignons, go HERE.   Don’t worry, Mignon will be back in Houston this spring.