Name: Doug Davis
Profession: Interior Designer - Dungan Nequette Architects
Location: Mountain Brook (Birmingham), Alabama
Size/Type: 2 bedroom/1 bath 1948 garden apartment, rented
Years lived in: 5.5 years
Doug is an AT reader and pro designer who got in touch with us about this perfectly timed tour of his apartment while it is decorated for the holidays. We are so happy he did! His home is elegant, relaxed and this year for his festive decor he went modern and simple.
Doug's advice on holiday decorations (along with more photos, his questionnaire and resources) are below the jump:
Photos by Doug Davis
Doug's Holiday Decorating Advice: "I've decorated for the holidays both ways: classic and over the top, and simple and more contemporary. This year, I went with the latter and I love it. I took all my red and green 'typical' Christmas stuff to my office and went for a simple, natural palette of birch, moss and clear glass at home. I bought an inexpensive fake tree and flocked it with spray snow in my building's courtyard. Don't be afraid to break the norms of holiday decor and do something unique. Last year, I took all the art off one wall in my Living Room and hung a huge fresh wreath instead of a tree, with presents piled beneath in a big metal basket. "
Doug's Survey:
my Style: To borrow a term from Thomas O'Brien, 'Warm Modernism'
favorite Element: Architecturally speaking, I love the pebble dash plaster walls and the simple layout of my apartment. I have several furniture pieces that I treasure, especially the Mission-style library table which belonged to my great-grandfather and the walnut Eames DCM chairs in my dining room, which were my first 'classic design' purchase.
biggest Challenge : The apartment has no trim or extraneous detail -- the flat-panel doors are steel with tiny 2" wide trim, the baseboards are low and square and there is not ceiling or window trim. I had to find ways to bring interest to each room, while still maintaining the simple, natural palette I wanted to use throughout the apartment.
what Friends Say: "This is the nicest apartment I have ever been in."
biggest Embarrassment: The cheap vinyl tile in the kitchen and the 80's ivory-colored appliances--you can't change everything in a rental!
proudest DIY: Even though this is a rental, I knew I was going to be here for a few years; so I pulled up the cheap apartment-grade carpet and painted all my hardwood floors charcoal gray and then painted the walls and trim in every room. These relatively simple and inexpensive changes totally transformed the place from standard apartment to something that felt like a real home.
biggest Indulgence: I've been spending a lot of money on art lately -- when you are decorating on a budget it's not always the first thing to get purchased, but nothing finishes a room better than an original painting or print.
best Advice: When I moved into this apartment, I had just graduated from college. I got rid of everything that looked like a 'college apartment' and started fresh. It took a few years to build up a collection of great stuff, but it's nice to be able to look back and not have a bad sofa or cheap dining set to have to work around. Taking your time and having a plan is definitely the best way to go if you can't do it all at once. I still have things left I'd like to add to my place, but because I have decorated with a plan and avoided the temptation to do everything at once, things aren't noticeably absent or out of place.
myDream Source: Oly Studio--a line that I use for client's homes, but can't quite afford for myself yet! I also want some Thomas Paul pillows for my Guest Bedroom.
Resources:
Paint colors are Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore.
Living Room upholstery is Pottery Barn and Rowe, desk chair is Herman Miller--as are Dining Room chairs.
Seagrass rugs throughout are from Natural Area Rugs which is an awesome online resource I discovered.
Accessories and art are from a variety of sources, most notably Tracery Interiors (Rosemary Beach, Florida), At Home Furnishings, Parkside Home and Garden, Naked Art, Stray Cats Antiques and Richard Tubb Interiors (all in and around Birmingham, Alabama).
I used to buy all my frames at Pottery Barn, until I realized you could get the exact same thing (or better) from Target.
My top secret source for cool pottery and mirrors is Hobby Lobby (don't tell!)
I am fortunate to have inherited some of my best pieces from my family.
Many Thanks to Doug for sharing his home with us! Happy Holidays!
Doug-
Check for Thomas Paul pillows on ebay! I scored two for $48 including shipping
X- Julia
PS- love the space!
view Julia at Living Luxely's profile
Beautiful! Great job.
view Doug's profile
I love this house... it looks so warm and cozy.
view mrsemerald's profile
I would say that your place is lovely, but I saw antlers... and I read SOMEWHERE today that antlers are officially over. : )
It's terrific. Love the dark floors!
view jeffnyc's profile
jeffnyc, apparently he didn't get the memo ;-)
view Julia at Living Luxely's profile
Love the simple and natural approach that you took with your decorating.
The antlers and ornaments are a nice little Christmas still life.
view art's profile
what a cozy home, i love it.
what color are the walls in your kitchen? i'm looking for something similar. thanks!
view steph309's profile
It's the guest bedroom. The Return of the Jedi pillow from when you were three should be close enough.
view Slugger O'Toole's profile
Very well done. Stylish but very warm and cozy.
view DawnMarie04's profile
I have that same typing stand, I also found mine in the trash! I used it as my desk last year: http://www.flickr.com/photos/irksomecushion/480371381/in/set-72157600165297162/
view irksomecushion's profile
Doug, love it! And check out bluefly.com, they have TONS of Thomas Paul pillows available right now... lots of options that would look really pretty in your home!
view eebnyc's profile
Great space - rad pics!
Thank you for sharing!
view Turquoise's profile
Time to throw in a counterpoint - I ain't lovin' it. I realise that in rentals there are limits to wall colours, light fittings and picture hooks, but even so it should be possible to provide a little more excitement than this. The apartment is too uniform; even though we know that some pieces are family heirlooms, every single item looks like it could have been bought from a catalogue earlier this year. Somehow even the things that have a bit of quirkiness, like the round wooden frame on the dining room wall and the metal plant stand in the living room, just blend into the soft, oatmeal-coloured background.
Still, take my counterpoint for whatever you think it's worth, since everyone else seems to love this place.
view Blandwagon's profile
I have to say too, that from the photos the place seems a little impersonal and bland. I kept feeling reminded of staged apartments I saw when I was house hunting. It feels like there needs to be more depth somehow, deeper colors, rugs that pop more, artwork that's not so tidy. Some furniture with more dramatic lines, something funny, something funky? I don't really mind simple palettes usually, but I think there's a need for some texture or wildness to show through here.
view SFGail's profile
Yes, I was relieved and yet inordinately excited by the blue walls by the original pantry. It was a needed break from the oatmeal colors. I did really enjoy looking at this home, and esp. appreciate it being opened up for the holidays. But I also feel like it needs "something funny, something funky" to quote SFGAil
view Tara Emelye's profile
Hey everyone,
Thanks for the comments and kind words, I am glad (most) of you enjoyed the tour!
To answer a few questions/comments:
JeffNYC: I have had that antler for like three or four years. If they are out of style, I am taking credit for bringing them in!! :-)
Steph39: My kitchen walls are Benjamin Moore 2138-50 'Misted Green' in a semi-gloss finish. Trim and cabinets (as wel as living, dining and hall) are Sherwin Williams SW-6148 'Wool Skein.' To be honest with you, I wish the kitchen color was a shade lighter than it is. Sometimes it seems like a lot of color versus the tones in the rest of the house; which is good and bad. That whole family of colors is tough to get just right, usually too blue, or too green or too bright...
Irksomecushion: saw your picture--we have the same unloved, trash-bound typing stand, indeed! that's hilarious!
eebnyc: how have I gone my whole life without bluefly.com I am complete now, thank you!
Blandwagon & SFGail: always interesting to here the other side of things--just as y'all don't seem to be keen on a clean, simple pallette, I can't really get into crazy colors and wacky furniture. my professional work, as well as my home that I shared here, both tend to be very clean, architectural and deliberate. to each his own, however! thanks for your thoughts.
Happy Holidays everyone!
view dougdavis's profile
So beautiful, Doug! This is very close to how I'd like to decorate my house.
view KathinCO's profile
Nice to see a fellow Axel Vervoordt fan... (paid another visit to Kanall recently...awesome!)
view mschatelaine's profile
quite lovely; perhaps (to echo others) a little too perfect for me. i'd love to visit, though.
view godsfool's profile
Doug, I really like your apartment. Think it is a perfect blend among classic and modern, and it looks also very elegant, urban and "chic". I love how simple yet beautiful are all the rooms. I would like to live in an apartment like that someday when I live alone!
view bloobrey's profile
I had a major crush till I saw the bottle of "Cavit" wine. Ick! Kidding...I'm totally stealing the wooden box/liquor corral concept.
view I Love Upstate's profile
nothing thrilling at all, rather ordinary, well decorated apartment without any wit. clean, everything on it's own place, boring and charmless. i call this style "catalog decoration".
view Astrid Vladi's profile
It's not my idea of a home (for ME), but it looks like a great, comfy place to visit. Hurry and invite me!
view Sleek's profile
I love your home! Thanks for sharing!
view Christine (the one in DC)'s profile
I flipped through the slide show without reading the text first, and I immediately thought, "Is this a Southern home?" Doug's done a fabulous job of bringing Southern formality up to date.
view Lisa Hunter's profile
I love the lighting in your living room. Everyone seems to look better in that soft warm glow don't they? Also, your paint scheme on the walls is genious, but that must have been a pain in the butt making it look so perfect! Great job. I'm envious.
view ll's profile
The Prada Group's other notable purchases in the 1990s were the Helmut Lang and Jil Sander labels. By 2006, however, both labels had been sold. http://www.shoes2world.com Jil Sander was sold to the private equity firm Change Capital Partners, which is headed by Luc Vandevelde, the chairman of Carrefour, while the Helmut Lang label is now owned by Japanese fashion company Link Theory.
view s2w's profile