[5 favorite things] Doug Davis

Our series detailing 5 of our designers’ favorite things continues today with Tracery’s Birmingham-based designer, Doug Davis.

1.  my iPhone

(not an actual photo…mine is a lot more scratched up at this point)  iPhones have changed the way we work. All of our designers have them and we are all hooked.  It’s so easy now to see something in a shop, email or picture-text it to a client, get a response and walk out with a purchase in the time it used to take to download pictures from a digital camera back at the office.  Additionally, I can check our blog comments, update our Facebook page (or mine!), read Twitter updates and make sure my Netflix queue is up to date–while at a stoplight.  Cell phone, email, camera and iPod in one device?  How did I live without this thing?

2.  whole house music

I remember when if I wanted to listen to some music at home I’d crank up the laptop really loud and try not to go to far into another part of the house.  Then I moved and got a whole house audio system.  iPod playing in the shower?  Yes, please!  I am hooked…I don’t think I’ve ever listened to so much music before.  My television and Blu Ray are hooked into the system too, so I can have the news on in the background while I work from home or cook or do laundry and not miss part of  a movie.  It’s addictive, I don’t know how I could not have it in my house now that I’ve lived with it. 

Kevin and Jared at RadioActive in Pelham, Alabama installed my system (which utilizes controllers by Russound) and they are amazing at what they do.  We’ve worked with them on a couple of our projects (much larger than my tiny house) and I can’t say enough good things about them.

3.  Clarks’ Desert Boots

I’d like to take credit for this one, but a friend of mine turned me on to the wonders of Clarks’ Desert Boots and they’ve hardly left my feet since.  Comfortable, classic and they look good with jeans or something dressier (although I do strive for the former whenever socially acceptable).  I’ve had more than one woman ask me where I got mine so that she could get a pair for her husband, which is always a sign of a successful clothing choice for a man.

4.  Taziki’s Friday Special

 

 

It’s hard to live in Birmingham and not be familiar with the Friday Special from Taziki’s.  Penne pasta and chunks of chicken are tossed with feta and chopped tomatoes and served over mixed greens and coated in Taziki’s amazing vinaigrette; this is absolutely one of my favorite things to eat in Birmingham.  I live very close to Taziki’s Mountain Brook Village location, so I confess to eating this meal pretty reguarly…okay, weekly.  Available every Friday, it’s a well-known secret you can actually get the Friday Special on Saturday and Sunday too (though a true local knows to always call it the ‘Friday Special’ no matter what day it is).

5.  Sawara Cypress candles by Voluspa

People always ask me what the good smell is when they walk in my house, and the answer is Sawara Cypress candles from Voluspa.  It’s a nice clean, not too sweet (I hate floral scented anything) and very earthy and natural scent.  I love Volupsa because their thick oil scented wax candles tend to smell great even when not being burned.  And the simple clear glass cylinder looks good anywhere.  I keep several around the house at all times.  Voluspa candles are available through our shop.  We ship anywhere in the United States so if you’d like to try my favorite scent in your home, just give us a call at (850) 231-6755 or email shop [at] traceryinteriors [dot] com

his & hers

Hey everyone, Bess here…  It may be a vast generalization, but for the most part siblings are competitive.  It seems like my little sister and I could turn a McDonald’s Happy Meal toy mistake into WWIII,  back in the day of course. The siblings that live in this family beach retreat seem to get along pretty well, but, Paige and I still felt like we needed to give this brother and sister the same thing, but different.  Children’s rooms are always exciting to design because of that underlying element of whimsy, even if the ‘child’  is not so little anymore.

‘His’ room is masculine and nautical. The horizontal wood planked walls  feature a 1/4″ reveal. To create a fresh and clean space, we had all the walls, trim, soffits and ceilings painted a crisp clean white.  The roman shades were custom made from white linen with an accent of red to tie in the decorative pillows on the bed.  The headboard actually consist of three custom upholstered panels we had fabricated to match the chocolate shade in the bedding from Serena & Lily.  Each panel is attached to the front of the wall creating a ‘display ledge’ that features boating accessories behind the bed. We loved the idea of using antiqued nickel desk lamps for his bedside in lieu of standard bedside lighting.  Our client discovered  the needle point swordfish pillows and  the vintage side tables.  We really feel like we designed a room that will grow with its occupant for several more summers.

‘Her’ room should look very familiar by now, we already featured it here.  We painted these rooms the exact same color, yet they look so different.  For her custom romans we stuck to simple white because we really wanted what other color we did use in this room to really pop.  The headboard panels received the same treatment, but instead of a nailhead trim we used button tufts for a bit of a feminine touch. Once again we deviated from standard bedside lighting and opted for more modern pendants.  She has a great eclectic art collection growing behind her bed featuring pieces from our shop and even a few by the space’s dweller herself.  The funky euros were custom made and feature a vibrant pattern that is also repeated in her bathroom’s shower curtain.   The Thomas Paul Birdcage pillow is available through our shop along with the aluminum side table.

[photos by Michael Granberry]