Charlotte Interior Designer – Amy Martineau Vermillion Blog – Interior Design Charlotte | Charlotte interior designer Amy Vermillion creates beautiful and balanced spaces that reflect her client's point of view. The Charlotte interior design firm provides inspired design solutions to residential and corporate clients in a broad range of styles and sensibilities. Martineau Vermillion also specializes in private jet interior design and exteriors.

APR 9th

Birds With Hats, Squirrels Are Dating and Marshall Fields Had a Button Counter

“Bianca” by Vicki Sawyer

I love to visit art galleries…to me they are like book stores. Full of possibilities! And very dangerous for my pocketbook since I tend to snap up pieces that grab me.

Lark & Key Gallery in Charlotte has been around since 2008 and I’ve had them on my “visit” list forever.

What a joy! Jewelry designer Sandy Snead and artist Duy Huynh represent a diverse group of artists and have an interesting mix of paintings, pottery, jewelry and mixed media.

I fell in love with Vicki Sawyer’s whimsical bird paintings…I bought these two:

“Someone arrived uninformed that it was mask night”

“John”

I don’t know about you but I’m pretty sure that birds DO have parties. I’m convinced that animals have all sorts of fun when we aren’t looking. And….the titmouse seems like she is a total rule breaker (wearing a flower crown to a mask party).

The Carolina Wren with the milk pod hat (John) was also a must have for me. For those of you not familiar with these little guys, they are tiny songstresses who trill brilliantly to each other every morning in my yard. It’s hard to believe they pack so much wallop in such small bodies. They are known for making nests anywhere they fancy, including a bag of trim samples I left in my garage! Excellent taste Mrs. Wren…bravo.

“They told him Sally was shy”

Oh yeah. Squirrels on a date. Makes me smile. Might have to come home with me soon.

Mary Alayne Thomas works in a mixture of watercolor and encaustic. Encaustic is a solid form of beeswax and paint that hardens rather than dries.

More favorites: Honora Jacob

And Angie Renfro:

Check out Lark & Key here

Another wonderful place for artwork is Hodges Taylor in Charlotte. Christie Taylor has transformed the gallery into an art consultancy firm and offers services to help businesses and private collectors choose art.

I recently acquired this piece from Hodges Taylor: ”Pansies & Buttons” by David Halliday, 2008

It’s super hard to photograph a photograph!

Here are some better examples of David Halliday’s work. He uses archival pigment for his still lifes. Halliday is a New Orleans artist who must like buttons as much as I do.

My Mom had a huge box of buttons in her sewing basket when I was growing up. They were beautiful. She told me that Marshall Fields (in Chicago) used to have a button counter. What? Yes, a lady specifically sold different buttons from a BUTTON COUNTER at Field’s. I guess folks had fewer clothes that were better made than today and they replaced their specialized buttons when they lost one instead of pitching the whole garment.

Anywho…since David Halliday’s mom must have had a button box too, I felt we were meant to be.

Thank you to Christie Taylor for this lovely piece. It is in my Dining Room and I love it!

Even if you can’t purchase a piece, it’s great to visit art galleries, they truly are mini museums and the owners appreciate people who appreciate art.

Go by Lark & Key or call Christie Taylor at Hodges Taylor!

Enjoy,

MAR 29th

Window Shopping at Louis Vuitton

I was window shopping on King Street in Charleston a couple of weeks ago…

Half heartedly trying to walk off a wonderful dinner with a client.

Here’s what I spied…(and to add a “Where’s Waldo” aspect to it all, see how many times you can find my reflection…or my iPhone camera)

Louis Vuitton Shop- Loved the Cupcake/Dessert theme. Yes, please.

Louis Vuitton-Amy Martineau Vermillion Interior Design

Vintage Steamer Trunk…

Louis Vuitton-Amy Martineau Vermillion Interior Design

Since I’ve always loved trunks for coffee tables, why not Louis Vuitton?

So I researched how much something like this might cost.

These babies in good condition start around $15,000 (and that’s a bargain)

1st Dibs- Louis Vuitton Trunk

via 1st Dibs

Probably not the BEST choice with a four year old in the house. Although she is pretty great about not destroying things…(knocking furiously on wood right now)

Interiors with Louis Vuitton: (Also known as interiors without four year olds)

Tommy Hilfiger Louis Vuitton Trunk

Tommy Hilfiger’s home
designer: Cindy Rinfret via HGTV

house beautiful luggage side table

designer: Ken Fulk via House Beautiful

SMART!

via Pretty Little Green Things

Louis Vuitton Trunk

via Madison Muse

If you like to read more about Louis Vuitton steamer trunks, check out this great book:

Here are some photos from within:

And if you don’t want to read the book…check out the video!

Enjoy,

Posted in 1stdibs, Accessories, Amy Martineau Vermillion, Antiques, Charleston, Furniture, Gilded Age, History, Ist Dibs, Life with Amy, Luxuries, Monograms, Old Photos, Shopping, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged Accessories, Amy Martineau Vermillion, Amy Vermillion, Charleston SC, Charlotte Interior Design, Charlotte NC Interior Designers, Client Projects, Furniture, Interior Design Business, Interior Designers Charlotte NC, King Street, Life with Amy, Life's Luxuries, Louis Vuitton Trunks, Martineau Vermillion Interior Design, Travel, Way Back Machine | 14 Comments

MAR 27th

Some days

…are made to spend with friends.

In my case that means a delightful afternoon in the garden of a dear friend who cooked us a lovely lunch and a baked a mouth watering chocolate cake. After a tough couple of weeks, I needed a little time to unwind.

I would like to thank you all for the incredibly kind emails and comments regarding Digby…For those of you who shed a tear with me…your hearts are big and your souls are tender. It means a lot.

I am blessed to have some special interior design friends who meet for lunch frequently. We talk business mostly but every so often we need a “play date.” Pictured above are Lori Gordon Mulligan, myself and Anita Holland.

Today was that day at Lori’s home. Her picture needs to be permanently stamped with the caption/question, “how does she do it?” She, like me travels for client jobs across the country, has a busy interior design practice, and a family.

That’s where the similarities stop. Unlike me, she has an AMAZING garden (that she does all the work herself) and CHICKENS!!!! She is my fresh egg hook up that I have talked about in the past. She also is a fantastic cook, a great hostess and has 2 rescue babies…one named Bruce who gets around like a champ on 3 legs.

Lori is good people….My friend Donna and I laughed that if we didn’t adore her so much we would feel badly about ourselves after leaving her happy home.

Spring in the South is one of my favorite things on earth and here’s why…Lori’s garden is a delight!

A secret treehouse…

Lori’s childrens’ playhouse. I think Lori hides in here. I would.

Chickens! Fresh eggs are unlike anything you can find in the store. It’s really difficult to explain the difference but you could blind fold me and I would know immediately. I love EGGS! My latest food obsession is a fried egg on a spinach salad. Yes please!

Bruce, the three legged wonder dog. Love him! (And love Lori for adopting him-he has a brother and she couldn’t bear to separate them, so she rescued them both).

Bruce’s partner in crime:

Donna Livingston and Sweet Bruce.

What’s left. Or rather what was left before I got out the fork again.

The silent designer in the group. Isn’t she lovely!

We had a chuckle over the lamp shade that still has the plastic on…is there EVER a time in a designer’s life that she/he isn’t trying something new?

I hope you had as nice an afternoon as I did!

Now back to work!

Enjoy,

Posted in Amy Martineau Vermillion, Charlotte Interior Design, Cool Chicks, Flowers, Food, Gardens, Interior Designers, Life with Amy, Martineau Vermillion Interior Design, Uncategorized | Tagged Amy Martineau Vermillion, Amy Vermillion, Charlotte Interior Design, Charlotte NC Interior Designers, Chickens, Friends, Gardens, Interior Design Business, Interior Designers Charlotte NC, Life with Amy, Martineau Vermillion Interior Design, South, Spring | 8 Comments

MAR 19th

Heavy Heart

I knew the day would come…

I knew it would be the worst day…

I wasn’t prepared for the tsunami. The waves of grief that come with losing someone so dear are so heavy and intense that I don’t know how the sun keeps coming up.

For those of you who know about my Digby Lee and have sent cards, flowers and sweet tokens, you have lifted my heart more than you will ever know.

Some may say…”she was fifteen.” And some may say, “she was just a dog.”

But to me, she was like my left arm. She sat under the very desk I write at now. She was comfort and love when we were only a pack of two.

She taught my four year old how to love a dog. Beans said to me today…”Don’t be sad Momma. Digby’s in Heaven. She’s watching over us, and God too.” I have to hold onto that.

The decline of her health came so fast it blindsided me. No, I told myself. She will walk better tomorrow. She will want to eat later. She won’t look at me like that by morning.

Fifteen Springs ago she came to me as a seven week old rescue baby. It was a warm, sweet day. She left me on the same kind of Spring day. Surrounded by her family, in her own bed, in her family room at the kind hands of a vet who knew how hard it was for me to make the decision and even harder for me to make the last drive.

It’s the last thing I can do for you I whispered to her. I told her how much I loved her and how I would see her again. I couldn’t bear to say the word goodbye.

The price we pay for loving a dog so much is the tortuous grief we feel when they leave.

Today I finally had the courage to go out in her back yard. I told her I missed her and I so hoped she was okay… I asked for one small sign that she was out of pain.

A brown and white butterfly fluttered down in front of me on the leaves…it flapped its wings as I moved closer and then it sailed up and away..when I cried it came back down momentarily and then was gone again.

Hug those you love. Tell them you love them while they’re still here. And if you are blessed enough to have a sweet angel come into your life, even if for a short time, celebrate the day.

Goodnight sweet Digby Lee…there are no words for what you meant to me.

You can read about Digby here and here.

Posted in Dogs, Life with Amy, Uncategorized | Tagged Amy Martineau Vermillion, Amy Vermillion, Digby, Dog, Life with Amy | 19 Comments

MAR 9th

Happy To Be Here

Happy Friday!

I’m blogging from a courtyard in Charleston. I’ve been on the fly so much lately that I welcome this small moment (20 minutes before my client meeting) to catch my breath and take in the beauty of Charleston in the early Spring.

As I flipped through a Charleston design magazine and enjoyed the work of the talented local designers, I was ever more grateful that my client has insisted that I come from Charlotte to work on their project here.

It is the essence of a great relationship between client and designer. The symbiotic flow that characterizes the design process is crucial. The client must trust their designer in all matters…aesthetics, budget and having their best interest foremost.
In turn the designer must know their client is committed to the designer and trusts their judgment.

When it’s right, the result is a beautiful interior that the client loves and feels it was worth what they spent. And the designer (speaking from personal experience) feels like a proud Momma…happy in the creation and excited that the client is well served.

It’s pretty fantastic.

So, if you are thinking of hiring an interior designer…make sure the “fit” is right. It’s a long journey and from what I understand about this business, it’s nice to have someone hold your hand along the way.

I hope you have an amazing weekend…I’m looking forward to spending time with my loves.

Enjoy,
@

Posted in Amy Martineau Vermillion, Charleston, Charlotte Interior Design, Client Projects, Interior Designers, Life with Amy, Martineau Vermillion Interior Design, Travel | Tagged Amy Martineau Vermillion, Charleston SC, Client Projects, Martineau Vermillion Interior Design | 7 Comments

FEB 28th

Updates From My World

Hello my friends…

We have so many projects going on that I have been remiss in posting on my normal schedule. So, Happy End of February (and leap year-weird) and I’ll fill you in on a couple of details…

For those who sweetly ask about my Digby Lee dog, I so appreciate it. She is a miracle and we now joke that she will outlive us. We are continuing to give her the sub cutaneous fluids (through a needle I insert in her back) to make her feel better and she is still eating with exuberance and loves her walks to the park. For a fifteen year old dog with advanced renal failure and a cancer survivor, she is wonderful. She is a positive pooch and spreads her infectious happiness and love to everyone she meets!

Here she is in the front seat of Mr. V’s car going on a ride to my parents home:

Beans recently went to the barn to ride horses and pet the animals at one of her friends’ birthday parties…Her obvious delight with the guinea pig made me smile:

Last week I was in Charleston on a construction site…this is my new look…Doctors’ orders unfortunately are that I must wear a mask (asthma) in dusty situations…I find it funny (ironic) that I have been doing this gig for twenty years without one.

So glamourous…

We have decided to take a client bathroom down to the studs. Some projects that start as a face lift morph into full scale renovation. It generally happens when we realize that the overall space and function could be dramatically improved if we just knocked down some walls.

I had a vision…I could see that if we removed the vanities (back to back), the walls and headers surrounding them and the tub, we would have this great open space to work with.

This involved removing a steel beam and crumbly old brick (not pretty, just old) that was behind drywall from a renovation in the early 1990′s. It is going to be pretty fantastic and I have designed an interesting “open” vanity.

Here are some befores:

Here are the “durings” from my trip last week.

This is where the tub was and will be again…only we are doing a free standing tub and that square is framing for a new window:

This is where the new vanity will be…I do a lot with blue tape on floors. It’s great for clients to visualize where something will be in real scale. Easier for most folks to see than on a floor plan. I lay out furniture this way at times and use it to lay out art on the walls when I am doing a grouping:

We are incorporating a stackable washer in dryer that will be behind closet doors. So great that my client won’t have to run down stairs to throw in a load of laundry.

Me with my mask AND CAPE! I could be a super hero. Or a bank robber: (I so wish you could see my new Frye boots…I LOVE THEM and am painfully breaking them in).

Sometimes, this is the way we fashion the construction entrance on a client project if we don’t want subs traipsing through sealed off areas in the home- yep second floor through a window…I still take the regular stairs:

Tile selections. The mosaic is for the shower floor and niches. The white long bricks of marble are for the shower walls (with the decorative pieces as well) and the large stone tiles are for the floor.

Here is a close up of the door knobs in the house…Gorgeous 150 year old wood:

One of the guest rooms on the third floor. I love this old window:

Well, that’s a smidgen of what’s going on with us over at Martineau Vermillion.

Hope your week is great and I will keep you “posted!”

Enjoy,

Posted in Amy Martineau Vermillion, Architecture, Baths, Before & After, Charleston, Client Projects, Closets/Dressing Areas, Door/Drawers, History, Life with Amy, Martineau Vermillion Interior Design, Uncategorized | Tagged Amy Martineau Vermillion, Amy Vermillion, Charleston SC, Charlotte Interior Design, Charlotte NC Interior Designers, Client Projects, construction, Frye Boots, Interior Design Business, Interior Design Consultation, Interior Designers Charlotte NC, Life with Amy, Martineau Vermillion Interior Design, Renovation, Space Planning, Tile | 7 Comments

FEB 21st

Hello? It’s 1980 calling…

Yep…I miss the old Rotary dial phone of my youth…

Ours was nude colored…(I know!). There was one in the family room downstairs and one in my parents bedroom upstairs. TWO PHONES in the ENTIRE HOUSE! And we managed just fine. Can you imagine that? Can you imagine me coming home from being at the mall with friends just to see if a certain boy called? There was something so great about being “unavailable” back then…of course I didn’t know it then.

I used to dial the phone with a pencil so I wouldn’t ruin my nails.

I dragged the phone down the hall from my parent’s room into my bedroom just to have a smidgen of privacy.

If you are missing your old phone (they are now calling them antiques!) you can purchase one here. They have a list of reasons why you should buy one including:

“gives your room the feel of the homes and offices of AMC’s Mad Men or of Carrie’s bedroom in Sex and the City.”

Since I can’t quite go there yet, I settled for this:

Pop phone

It’s the Pop phone. Available here. I got mine on Amazon. In orange! They have a ton of colors:

…as well as black for all you purists.

Honestly, I thought it was dumb and gimmicky at first. But the whole idea of not having my ear get all hot from being glued to my iPhone (not to mention the possibility of radiation overload) was kind of fantastic.

Also, I hate bluetooth things on my ear. I feel dumb and I don’t like the way they feel. Not that I’ll look any cooler with a GIANT phone handset attached to my ear. But I plan to use it in my office/home…not on the street like this guy:

I’ll let you know how I like it…supposedly it is gives even more clarity to phone calls…and who couldn’t use a bit more clarity?

Mr. V calls me an “early adapter” since I tend to fall for the idea of better living through new technology or gadgets. I’d say this purchase puts me back in the old days…next thing you know I’ll be getting rid of voice mail and caller id. wink.

Enjoy,

Posted in History, Life with Amy, Products I love, Shopping, Uncategorized | Tagged Amy Martineau Vermillion, Amy Vermillion, Charlotte Interior Design, Charlotte NC Interior Designers, Interior Designers Charlotte NC, iPhone, Life with Amy, Martineau Vermillion Interior Design, Pop Phone, Products I love, Shopping, Way Back Machine | 10 Comments

FEB 17th

The Guts

We often see pictures of beautiful closets…with flower topped islands and silk upholstered poufs. As much as I like those photos, I want to know what’s going on behind those paneled doors and inside those islands.

Lisa Adams of LA Closet Design, who outfits many celebrity closets has shared a great mix of portfolio photos on houzz. There are a lot of great ideas for “the guts.” Or more importantly, how to store your bangles and cuffs!

And sunglasses…

And scarves…

And ties…

And shoes…

And handbags…

And tall boots…

And watches…

And all those extra Hermes boxes you have with no home….(seriously though, love the cuff storage above the pullout and the blouse rack to the left but what’s with all the black shirts?)

Pull out racks for pants…

Lighted closet rods…(no more navy/black mix up for the hubs)

A pull out ironing board for those who actually iron…(I am a terrible “ironer” being a lefty). Big love for the laundry bins…small bin for unmentionables that need to be hand washed.

Mr. V would certainly enjoy this design…

And all of his high tops and vans would certainly do well with back lighting…(wink)

Personally, I love the glass doors to keep the dust off of everything…(and am surprised I don’t see more of this or design more of this…people like their items within reach I guess)

And finally…a closet for Beans…(although she would prefer one a bit brighter, and so would her Momma). The top racks pull down with a wand to be able to access the higher hung items. SMART!