Nashville Field Guide

I don't want to buy a travel guide. With Google searches that provide instant info on the latest restaurants, shops and hotels, I'd rather hold on to my money and pass on by the travel section in my local bookstore. Unless of course, something new were to came along- something with style and substance that peaks my curiosity and will stay relevant for years to come. That would change everything. 

Georgia native, Taylor Bruce has created a niche in the travel book market with his first independently published field guide, Nashville. As stated on his site, these field guides are "small books with a lot of soul, packed with local lore, interviews, a cultural almanac, vignetted memoirs, a best-of list, hand-drawn maps, and much more." Put another way, it's not your average travel guide.

A lover of essays, I'm quite fond of Taylor's incusion of short stories that showcase the real poetry of a city. It's like having a local take your hand and tell you a story- a story that is significant because it is rooted in place and time. It opens our eyes to a new perspective, which to me, is the most valuable aspect to our travel experiences. 

Points of interest in Taylor's guide have earned their spot on the page. They're the places that have endured and have left a mark in the soil. You need to visit there. 

I particularly like Taylor's Almanac section which features content reflecting the true soul of the city. For Nashville, this includes fried pies, heirloom tomatoes, Johny Cash's creed and, as featured here, songbirds. 

Taylor's next independently published field guide will be Austin, Texas, to be released next month- and you can pre order here. I hope he keeps going, preferably sticking to cities here in the South where we have the best characters, the best soul and the deepest roots. Perhaps I'm biased... or perhaps I just want to visit my local bookstore again, this time stopping at the travel section. 

Photos: Wildsam.com; emilerwin.com    Content: Sweet Peach

Loose Petal Prints

I love the vintage feel of these city prints, created by artist, Karen Young. In her Etsy shop, Loose Petals, you'll find dozens of Southern cities illustrated to reflect their various moods and vibrations.   

Karen cares about good paper as all her illustrations are printed on heavy cream textured stock that is 100% recycled with post consumer waste. As stated on her site, "Tiny flecks and grains are embedded in this retro stock once used by Hallmark greeting cards in the 50's." 

These prints bring warmth and individuality to a space, plus they have the added benefit of being a good conversation piece. See all of Karen's work here. 

Manly Decor

Great manly decor is easy to spot. It's much like men's fashion- functional with a classic design that will last through fads and trends. Or, as they say, timeless...

Clean, straight lines are one of the characteristics of a guy's space. The furniture has heft and solidity and the main colors are often neutral or dark. 

I love the look of orange in a space and this works amazing in a masculine centric room. It pairs beautifully with the darker tones and the color adds life and personality. Masculine decor doesn't have to be moody gray all the time. That would be boring...

Although men often prefer practical and simple, it's important they embrace a woman's love of details, at least a little bit. This can be as easy as a couple fabric pillows, a few plants, a coat of colorful paint...a cozy rug or two. More than one texture is a good thing...

Brick is a classic, timeless texture and I love it in white. With all the natural light in this room, this mix of blues and whites is a bit blissful I'd say. And manly all the more...

Photos: Apartment Therapy; Ashleedandylion.blogspot.com; Barn Light Electric; Japanesetrash.com; Hepok.com; Nate Berkus/William Waldron; theberry.com; stillplayinghouse.wordpress.com;  Content: Sweet Peach

The Coffee Wizard

When I expressed interest in coffee, my good friend Em, of Emily G's told me I had to talk to Jason Dominy, the Coffee Wizard, to learn how to brew the perfect cup. Turns out Jason is the Director of Outreach and Wholesale Support for the reputable Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters, based in Atlanta and Olympia, Washington. 

The special aspect to Batdorf & Bronson is that all their coffee is certified fair trade, certified organic or bought directly from the farm. Jason, "We roast with 100% renewable energy and recycle 80-90% of everything that comes in. They've become so successful in their methodology, here in Atlanta they roast coffee beans for the entire East coast-  from Chicago to the Virgin Islands. 

Jason favors the Clever Dripper process to make his perfect cup. Jason, "It's a hybrid of a French press and a pour over and allows for a rich, full body with a clean, sweet taste." He recommends a burr grinder for an even extraction and highly recommends buying whole beans to ground just before making your coffee. This will ensure the freshest cup of coffee with the deepest aroma and flavor.  

So here's how to make the perfect cup. First, rinse the coffee filter, then add freshly ground beans. Start a timer at zero and saturate grounds with 200 degree water. The formula is 24 grams of coffee to 340 grams of water, just off boil. (This will make 2 coffee cups worth, or 12 oz.) 

Jason likes to do a quick whisk on the very top to push the grounds into the water. 

When the timer reaches 2:30, set the dripper on a large coffee mug or decanter to fill. Then serve and appreciate. 

And if you see the pretty blue cup at a coffee shop, it means they're offering a high quality coffee roast from Batdorf & Bronson. Here in Atlanta, you can get a fresh cup at Dancing Goats. A perfect cup o' joe...tastes incredible and it's stylish. Thank you Coffee Wizard. 

Photos and Content: Sweet Peach

A Stylish Shotgun...

I love the shotgun houses that are prevelant near me in Cabbagetown (Atlanta) but I've always wanted to find a super stylish one on the inside. I came across this one yesterday, in the French Quarter in New Orleans. And it fits the bill...

It's an 1840's shotgun owned by Jerry Edgar, which he bought and renovated after Hurricane Katrina. Salvaged bargeboard (taken from old vessels that once transported products down the Mississippi River) was added to the wall and is my favorite element in the house. With so much natural light, this really works. 

Jerry rented the home to a very lucky lawyer named Joe McReynolds, who has created a rather hip bachelor pad.

As I love homes with lots of books, I'm a bit in love with this floor to ceiling bargeboard bookcase.  

I love the long window to the long breezeway. The wood from the ceiling in the front room was reused as wainscoting in the hallway. Read much more on the creation of this home, which happened with the collaboration of Farr + Huson Architects, here.

Photos: Daniel Erath     Content: Sweet Peach

Andrea Cobb

Andrea Cobb is on her path. An illustrator, living in Durham, North Carolina, Andrea has quickly gained traction with her individual style and artistic point of view. Her clients include Anthropologie, In Style Magazine, The NY Times, Target, Ritz Carlton and the Wall Street Journal to name a few. 

Andrea works in a few mediums (illustration, fine arts & surface design) as she explores color, texture and pattern. She is deeply inspired by nature and the vibrancy of life that surrounds us...

The great thing is Andrea offers many of her individual works as prints. Just send her an email with a request and she shall comply...

Besides the clients I mentioned above, Andrea has found much success creating packaging for popular Whole Foods products like sodas, chocolate bars, sauces, lotions and more. The lovely book, Secrets of Simpicity via Chronicle Books, is beautifully illustrated by Andrea as well. She is certainly on her path, can't wait to see where she goes from here...

Illustrations: Andrea Cobb     Content: Sweet Peach

Mixing Patterns & Color

I'm always inspired by those that can mix bold and disparate patterns and colors together in one room. And it works. 

Now, there are many formulas out there on how best to mix and match, I'll just stick to a couple that are easy for the design beginner. The first of which is illustrated in this above photograph. Notice the rug, chair and pillows.

FORMULA 1: Pick a large scale pattern which sets the tone of the room. (here, it's the rug) Then mix that with a medium style pattern that complements the first pattern. (curtains) Then use a smaller style pattern with complementary design or color to both. Accessories are perfect for this, such as pillows, lampshades and furniture. In this room, the wallpaper works as an additional small pattern as well. 

FORMULA 2: Dina from Honey and Fitz recommends a formula of combining a big pattern, a small pattern that picks up on one or more colors of the first pattern, then a solid color.

The solid color can pick up the colors in the first two patterns or be a different color all together. Here, brown pairs beautifully with the red and white. 

For this room, green works as it's the complementary color to the hot pink/red...

And orange is complementary to blue.

You'll find the most fun experimenting with the accessories. Rachel of Pencil Shavings Studio came up with some great examples of patterns and color that go well together. 

As I have this obsession with kantha quilts but have yet to own any, I'm slowly gathering ideas on how to play with their many pretty patterns on a bed.

As much as we try to figure out the formula, great designers stay away from such conformity. They rely on a cultivated design instinct to create harmony in a room. If you feel insecure about pairing more than one pattern, the lesson here is to just experiment. Play around with the formulas we do know to see what works and what doesn't. With more confidence, you'll make bolder choices. 

And remember, the basic formulas for mixing patterns and color work just as well for table settings too. I'm inspired to play with patterns this year as my home decor could use a face lift. Hope you're inspired too... 

Photos: Dean Kaufman; houzz.com; Apartment Therapy; House to Home; Honey and Fitz; Elle Decor; Hixon Interiors; likemesome.blogspot.com; Pencil Shavings Studio; Desire to Inspire     Content: Sweet Peach

Blackbird Tees

I think it's important for every guy to have a few well designed tees in their wardrobe. Blackbird Tees in Richmond, Virginia is a good shop to peruse as it offers cozy, worn in men's tees (via American Apparel and Alternative Apparel) that are paired with great design.  

I've worked on many tv sets and whenever I worked with a male host, his stylist had a fair share of cool tees like these on hand. These tees all have great color and quirky designs that you just don't see everyday. They pair well with a nice pair of jeans...and you can layer over them with button downs and sweaters.  

Owners Karl and Jody consider themselves road trip junkies. Jody, "We love city life but we'll run for the hills the first chance we get. So, the outdoors, the night sky, and life in the wild are all themes that surface throughout our collection."  

One of my favorite items in their shop are the monogrammed cardigans. Jody shares that this design is their ode to Laverne & Shirley, which makes me smile. (I loved that show.) It's a super soft Amerian Apparel tri blend cardigan offered in heather black, gray or cranberry. (and it works well for women too) 

And as I love this pic, I couldn't resist sharing it. Jody and Karl have a women's selection too which includes t shirts and pullovers and two different styles of leggings. I think I need to buy these. Peruse their shop a bit more because Jody and Karl have been gracious enough to offer Sweet Peach readers a discount! 

Photos:Blackbird Tees        Content: Sweet Peach

Pink Sofas

I peruse home decor pics every day and every so often, I find that picture of a room with a pink sofa and it always draws me in. I like the boldness of it, the flirtiness of it. So why not celebrate it? It's Friday afterall...

A pink with more purple or orchid tones has a seductive side. 

The lighter pinks excude a soft, subtle sophistication and look great with grays, browns, blacks and blues. 

I personally love a bold pink paired with green and beige (or gold). It's an incredible color combo and doesn't have to be an overload of the senses. Make the couch the centerpiece, everything else supports it.

A brighter pink, with undertones of rose or raspberry, just makes people feel good. There's a boldness or fearlessness to these rooms, which I imagine mimics the owners' personalities. This obvious passion for a little fun is inspiring and has arrived just in time to cure me of the winter blues. Happy hour anyone? 

Photos: Aphro Chic; Casa Sugar; Freshquince.blogspot.com; lonny.com; momsturf.blogspot.com; indulgy.com tiffanyleighintereordesign.com; thestyleumbrella.com; decormusings.com; colormecarla.com    Content: Sweet Peach

Huffington Post Inspiration...

I'm a bit of a Huffington Post fanatic as I peruse the site throughout the day and night, getting my pieces of news and popular culture. So I was happy to see a posting yesterday for the 10 Home Essentials Everyone Should Have. The list was compiled by Posh Mom lifestyle experts, Amy Nebens and Jara Negrin. It was all text, so I decided to share their good work, just adding some pretty pics...

For more ideas, check out my post on Essentials to the Southern Home I put together for Bourbon and Boots' fabulous site. And thank you Amy and Jara for your inspiration...

Photos: Apartment Therapy; Flor; 1868 Pleasant; Nestegg.typepad.com; Martha Stewart; theberry.com; marieburgosdesign.com; Decor8; alamodeus.net; Better Homes & Garden; Lara Rossignol       Content: Sweet Peach