My Two Year Blog Anniversary...

I think this blog has evolved much like the shop.  Started kind of bare bones.

I had the experience, and I had a vision, but never had my own shop.

This is the Farmer's National Bank building before Beadboard moved into it.

This is the building after we moved in.. Graphics on the windows, a tip of the hat to Beverly Hills with the awning, ( paid for by a grant from the city of Brenham,Texas) and the beautiful plants........

Blogging has helped me and the shop evolve into this, more fine tuned, from seeing all the beautiful pictures and interpretations of bloggers all over the world. This medium made me a better person, given me new friendships, and made this tiny storefront recognizable to people who have never set foot in our our shop.



A big thank you to all of my blogging friends and followers that understand I have a business to run.  And to Joni Webb of Cote de Texas,  a former customer when I worked in the city, who came in here and took pictures a couple of years ago and said "I'm blogging now".

 I said what's blogging? What's a blogger???? What the blazes is that???

I know now.  Evidently so does she.  HEHE.

Fall Markets, What do you think??

Auguste Rodin's sculpture "The Thinker", My guess he is thinking about  Fall Market.

That's when it is hot as Hades here and I have to think about what I bring in the shop for FALL.

See the resemblance???????

It sounds sexy.  Going to market, whether in Paris, or Dallas or New York.....If you are working for a big company as a buyer,,, the pressure is on.....Last years figures, versus this years figures, and projected increases.......all come into consideration....  But, at the end of the day, you get the paycheck and benefits and your discount and you go home at night knowing that you met the company's criteria for buying to the best of your ability. 

It's fun spending someone elses money.

 What's worse is one criteria.....

When you have a shop of your own and you are spending YOUR OWN MONEY. 

 That scares the living daylights out of me....

So here with the AC cranked up I think about, "Hey will the Velvet Pumpkins still be hot?????"

 The answer is yes!!!!!!!!!!! I think.

How about the offerings from last year????? Did they cut the mustard?????  Should I have bought more of this and less of that????? Does the look of the shop matter when something else that seems inappropriate to me is selling like hotcakes in a big city??????? Yes.

How bout the sheep.???? People love them......I love them.  They will always be here.....

Unless our source drops them.  I think they won't......

I am thinking about cashmere...... And leather handbags, and gloves and caps......I am sweating.....

I am thinking about the new intros for the fabulous knitwear we carry....Yup, we'll have some... 

Do you think you know who comes with me when I go to market every time?????

YOU!!!!!!!  YOU are the buyer here, I always keep our customers and readers with me like a little angel on my shoulder.  The other side is the New INTRODUCTIONS that are cool or the TEMPTATION.

It is a delicate balance..... Give up something to get something else, or do you go with your gut instincts and roll the dice and hope your feeling about the fabulous thing you are buying for the shop will be appreciated by someone you have never met?

So, all you readers and bloggers, now you have influence you never imagined yould have.... and I am lucky,

 I have YOU.  I think.;)

"Beach" House in the Country!

It is rare when I get a chance to see Beadboard's work in a beautiful setting such as this.

This is the country home of Karen Beach a friend and client.  I refer to it as the "Beach house" because it has a beach in the back of it......This window overlooks it. That is one of our Beadboard sofas with a slipcopver one of several pieces  Karen sourced from our shop.... Her friend Leslie Sinclair did a beautiful post on it this morning.

For more pictures of this house and reflections of the owner's good taste, go to Leslie's Blog  http://www.segretosecrets.squarespace.com/. Note the upstairs sitting room,
 I love that white and grey print sofa!(if I say so myself!)

Enjoy!

Changing it up!

We're Back, Fresh and new!!!

Here we are, the little shop that could, IS.!!!.......Welcome to the new look of the fresh UpCountry style that is Beadboard!!!!!!!!!  We would like to thank Shari Miller of Little Blue Deer ( who is our Dear) who offered to do our website as well as our blog... If you think this change rocks, just click on the WEBSITE side bar, and get a glass of wine and put your feet up......YOU can now be HERE!

Oh and here is the ( I know I said this phrase before....the Spring Mix), but this is the Spring Mix of Arte Pura!!!! The new Armonia Old mottled linen is incredible with grays, whites, ivories, and whatever else you come up with.....

Bench is custom by Beadboard with fabric by Papillon Linens........

 

A lamp and vintage tile by a Directoire style chair with a Posh Petal pillow.

More  gorgeous pillows dress up a simple cotton duck slipcover sofa. 

 All linen and some with linen and Aqua Boucle.

The candelabra by Arte Italica with the silver and pearl tapers.....(It's so hard to find good candles in the sticks)

There it is, the EVENTO slipcover,  the one that has caused a parade of chairs coming in here!  It is like the Glass Slipper Slipcover! It fits 80% of side chairs and looks custom made!  You can adjust it by Ruching up the bottom and the seams on the bottom..... Amazing design..Oh and 32 colors.... Yawn.

This is the Arte Pura in the back of the store.   OMG ! Is this Velvet in Spring...???? Yup.

 I guess you could call it velvet and linen. A reversible bedspread /coverlet that has cotton sheeting on the underside that feels so good I really don't know what the thread count is, and along with the customers who have touched it, I don't CARE! Can you say Butter?

AGAIN ,WE WOULD LIKE THANK SHARI MILLER OF LITTLE BLUE DEER FOR BEING TALENTED, INNOVATIVE, COLLABORATIVE, AND FOR THE PLEASURE IT WAS AND IS WORKING WITH HER.  WE ACTUALLY SPOKE ON THE PHONE ONCE.....ha!



A "Golden" Opportunity on Golden Pond

This is the Wine Tasting Room at Golden Pond. Can you guess where it is? What Country?

It is an extraordinary home on 24 acres in beautiful Round Top, Texas. Yes, this is what Euro-Country design is all about....Add to it a home with a beautiful pond that, at dusk is bathed in a golden light hence it's name. Oh and did I mention?????? It can be yours........It is for sale....

The entryway with vintage beadboard on the ceiling gives it texture, and the floors are from an old barn in Iowa around the 1850's.... Who is responsible for this?????
She is an accomplished contractor/designer named Jacquelyn Ditsler. I am lucky to call her a friend. She said I "inspired her" to change from the typical country genre to Euro Country.....
I am happy to say you will see some Beadboard UpCountry influence and accroutrements here.......BUT...
the credit goes to Jacquelyn, who, after discovering Flamant after I lent her the book,,,,was inspired by it, researched Belgian design, and totally adapted it to TEXAS Euro-country. I couldn't be more proud as you will see.....



Oh did I say the light was GOLDEN??????



Yes it is.....Where's Kate and Henry???? And Jane? Note the galvanized steel staircase leading to the catwalk on the second floor. The great thing about this home is that no T's were uncrossed and no I's were left undotted. If you want a home in the country that is set up for sophisticated entertaining and coziness at the same time this is it.




The light beaming across the vintage 18 " plank floor.... Oh and see the French Settee? EVERYTHING in here can be purchased with the house and there are some pretty incredible furnishings and eye candy. PLENTY of it.


Linen, cotton, natural fibers, grainsacks, vintage chandeliers, French Water Well heads..... baskets, industrial architectural elements..... They are all HERE, in this house. Will they go out of style. NO. Not the way this was designed..



This is a real French Water Wellhead, festooned with an acanthus leaf motif. It weighs, well, A LOT. The floor is reinforced..... It was empty. What did Jacquelyn do with it ? Added a storage backbar from Europe and then.....


Filled the wellhead with corks and winebottles...Is that a bottle of Dom in there??? Oh, Jacquelyn and her husband are gourmands by the way....

I love this thing....



The adjacent seating area overlooks the pond....

Here is the star of the kitchen..... The II Vie Italian Stove.. Gorgeous.... Like an Italian La Cornue... They love to cook.... When Jacquelyn builds a house ( and she's done a few ) she does it like it would be her own.......

Open kitchen with a butler's pantry, and a vintage French buffet put to good use among the subway tiles.........


Dining room.... Need I say more?



No buffet here! A clever shelving unit from vintage architectural elements for serving.... Lovely host, hostess chairs in linen with rosettes.....

Where's this???? The bedroom?

Of Course! A screen used as a headboard and the towers serve as great alternatives to the usual accoutrements.

This is the Master bath and Jacquelyn's design whimsy, the Champagne bucket next to the tub.... What, you don't have one?????

Vintage French Buffet.. Great in a bath, and so functional...

Vintage vanity chest in the bath......I love the reflection of the chandelier..

Guest bedroom upstairs.....

Look at the stained glass and the view......

The second guest bedroom, more traditional with a lovely vintage bed.

View of the living area from the catwalk....

The back entertaining deck in the golden light.....

The pond with the fountain...

Wouldn't you like to end your evening here????????

GOLDEN POND IS ON 24 ACRES NEAR ROUND TOP. THE MAIN HOUSE IS APPROX 3000 SQ FT. THE AREA IS HOST OF THE BIGGEST ANTIQUES FAIR IN THE COUNTRY. THIS BEAUTIFUL PROPERTY FEATURES FOUR STOCKED PONDS, AND A SECOND HOMESITE FOR A GUESTHOUSE. THE MUSIC FESTIVAL AT ROUND TOP IS NEARBY, AND IT IS CONVENIENTLY LOCATED BETWEEN HOUSTON AND AUSTIN.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT mailto:CONTACTroundtopdesigngroup@gmail.com

OUTTAKES!

We were all drinking gin and tonics (which I don't usually drink) but this was with a hard to find French gin called Magellan that is smooth as silk, and it's pale blue. We were shooting this after trying the gin, so I had to come back the next day and retake some shots. Thought you'd like to see ...

All of them scurrying out of the way as I was getting a pic of the water...

Chandelier unlit but the tasting table being put to good use, someone, (David of Round Top Inn) brought delicious roasted pecans.....I make those too, but the secret ,evidently, is whipped egg whites.....

This obviously was not a shoot staged by Jermaine of French Kissed. SHE would never leave her gin and tonic out in the room where anyone could see it. That was mine. Oh and those are insulated glasses so they really aren't as big as they look.

Those Pecans were yummy! I wonder how long it took Jacquelyn to amass all those corks?????Hmmmmmmm. They are not bad labels either.

That IS a bottle of Dom in there!!! The End;) Hic!