kelly moseley isn’t our first sneak peek-er to ditch new york to head to austin, texas for the “bigger life.” after twenty years in greenwich village, it was time for the family (now with two young children) to start a new life. in new york kelly had honed the art of buying undervalued properties and flipping them to afford 200 more square feet in apartment space, and eventually worked her way up to luxurious 1100 square feet apartments, but when they arrived in austin she wanted something long term. after months of looking they ended up buying a dilapidated 1930s cottage. it was a far cry from her dreams of a simple clean-lined modern home, but it was the expansive backyard that sold them. kelly soon became her own first client as she started anabel interiors, and the space was perfect for her musiscian/record producer husband, louie lino, to build his dream studio in the backyard. it’s now safe to say after two years of hard work, they now can enjoy the home they’ve created (see more here). {thanks, kelly!…and to linda ketelhut for the tip!} -anne
[above: My years in New York taught me the important lesson in design – that art and treasured furnishings can be found in the most unlikely places. Living on a budget most of my life, my instinct relies on thrift store finds, the outlet mall and good bargains. I advise clients to splurge on a few must-have classic items that can set the tone of a room, like I did with my Saarinen dining table. From there, you can accessorize with less costly, yet stylish pieces. At IKEA one day I spotted a simple wood chair with clean lines but was otherwise, boring. I pulled out a paint color chip I’d been carrying with me for weeks. Placing it against the chair, I could imagine how the grass green paint and the colorful tea towels I had in a kitchen drawer at home would transform these chairs, so I bought six, inexpensively and proudly finishing off my favorite room in the house.]
I love mixing up different shades of white, cream and pale grays. A splash of orange in the cube and the chair keeps the space lively without compromising the relaxing quality of the room. And the sea grass rug – I adore it! It anchors any style of furnishings with just the right amount of organic texture.
When I’m not working on my porch, this is where I get things done. I need color to keep me inspired so I infused this room with that green shade I love so much. I wanted lots of desk top room and drawers for all my rulers, Sharpies and Exacto knives. I put a favorite old chair I got years ago in a little shop in the West Village in the window corner. The drapery panels were made by Leslye Womac of Best Dressed Windows in Austin. Her work is sublime and will make you want to put draperies on every window in your house! The artwork is some of my larger paper collage work.
CLICK HERE for the rest of Kelly’s sneak peek (and all 10 images on one page) after the jump!
The kitchen is first room we decided to renovate. It’s the heart of our house. With kids, it’s homework central, it’s snacks, chatting with neighbors and friends that stop by, a place to put all the junk we carry into the house…. an occasional good meal gets prepared here too. The pendant lights are “Lights Up! Deco Pendant” from one of my favorite sites, Design Public. The cabinets I chose were simple shaker style panels. I matched the color for them as closely to the wall color as I could so that everything would blend nicely. Our kitchen is open to the living room so I wanted more of a ‘library’ look rather then “oh, and there’s your kitchen!”
Here I took an old wood mirror and painted it bright yellow, my latest color obsession. You can put anything with this color and it’s instantly modern and happy.
Many happy times on this porch, aka ‘my office’. On cool mornings, I take my coffee and laptop out to check email and make notes. For twenty in years in New York, I dreamt of one of these!
This room is so often overlooked in terms of adding style. Here in the kids bath, my husband made simple shelving which I lacquered gray. Now there’s lots of room for towels (they go through them like crazy!) And art – a must, the edgier or more graphic, the better.
I’m a wallpaper junkie. I can’t stop ordering paper samples so when I get some that are particularly beautiful I put them in frames and hang them in my studio for bit. It’s a great way to get instant art. These are Graham and Brown- Mode Darcy.
My family and I taking a much needed break.
