One of my all time favorite Designers would have to be creative Genius, Sage and Sepia Master, Carol Hicks-Bolton. Ever since I saw her work in the 1990's I've been an avid fan of her decorating style and faded time worn elegant fabric choices. Muted Natural tones softened with age, Sage and Sepia hues, fearless use of patterns and textures and trims, homespun elegance... the magic of making a room look aged to perfection and yet "undecorated" as if it occurred naturally over much time spent there... and with a sort of dilapidated Bohemian opulence that would make living there so inviting, so comfortable, so welcoming, so easy and fuss-free... well, it's Masterful. My photos of Carol's amazing work are cribbed from Bing Images and beloved Magazine cuttings of mine from a 1999 Victoria Magazine spread, an old spread from Mary Englebreit's Home Companion... and an amazing decorating book called Designers In Residence by Victoria Magazine. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've drawn inspiration from these images over the years and how her work has influenced my own Art and decorating style. Though I have never met Carol I would consider her a Mentor and probably the most influential Designer I have strived to capture the essence of in my own work. One day I shall teach myself to upholster and re-upholster all my furniture in fabrics reminiscent of that fabulous Sofa in the Magazine spread that I absolutely fell in love with over a decade ago! Certainly I could have moved into the converted Barn she so skillfully decorated ... and perhaps why I was so drawn to this particular space is that it reminded me of some of my favorite childhood memories hanging out in my Gran-Gran's Work Cottage in the hills of North Wales... which looked very much like these pictures and was a magical and favorite place to visit as a child. He had comfortable worn Antique furnishings in similar muted hues, hand-made Down Mattress and Pillows on the Cot encased in old Ticking Fabrics, Gauzy worn hemp curtains and interesting old photos and momentos tacked to the walls as Art and inspiration. He raised Roller Canaries and talking Parakeets as a Hobby and their coops were attached to the Work Cottage so the beautiful songs and calls of the birds reverberated through the walls. There was always some projects he was working upon scattered about and the sweet smell of sawdust, drying Herbs fresh from the Garden and Old Spice aftershave... and I would imagine that I lived in that little Work Cottage... and dream the grandois dreams of Childhood... and those rich memories are captured in my mind's eye... in a setting much like this one... and recreating it all these years later would breathe life into the dreams a little girl dreamed so long ago... Dawn... The Bohemian
A moment lasts all of a second, but the memory lives on forever.
You never know when you're making a Memory.
You never know when you're making a Memory.