[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