Falling into a New Season of Life and Design

In life, we go through seasons. In the celebration of the four seasons, we must learn to celebrate those seasons of change in our lives. We often weather the storms of a winter and fall back to reflect on the brighter summery days. The great thing as the we can spring forward without looking back. The same comes with design. What was old is new again but, in a different way. While it may seem familiar or an homage to yesteryears of design, it sparks a new interest to a space. As the fall leaves descend to the ground, we can shed off some of that clutter that was omitted from spring cleaning. It claims us a space of peace and tranquility as we hunker down for the winter months in warmth and comfort. Even in a maximalist’s space, there can harmony. I am an avid art collector and find myself looking for a great balance with my gallery was of original works with the other oddities and tchotchkes of my travels. Happiness, Harmony and great peace to you all as we head into Fall.

Home is Where the Dog is…

         There is quite a difference between a house and a home. The structure is the house. Who lives within its space make it a home. For many of us the very blessing from God are our animals that bring us laughter, companionship, and joy. They become the bonus members of our family. We get to choose them. For myself, my rescues are the heartbeat of my home. Cookie, Cooper, and Luna have been my anchors since going off on this journey with Revival Design. No matter how great of a day or how bad it has been, their unconditional love has made my world and my home a better place.

        As I am writing this article, our little home and my world has been jolted with the realities of life. For the past two and a half years, I have been blessed with my parents rescue dog, Luna after their passings. With that sweet chihuahua face on that beagle body, her wagging tail and little bug eyes restored a lot of love and light through the grief.  Unfortunately, I had to let that sweet baby go on to the great dog palace in the sky as her health deteriorated quickly and unexpectedly.

         Reflecting on this time has made me realize what a void there is with her absence. Walking up in the morning to do office work and not seeing her in her favorite chair across from my desk or seeing that face glaring up through my glass desktop with so my love and innocence for this first time are fresh on my mind. 

         As I look around the room, I see so many reminders of her. Many of them are from the times that we were on road trips and picking for the shop. We would stop and buy from starving artists or flea markets. She was one of my copilots on many a trip to New Orleans, Dallas and beyond with her brother and sister.
     Just as the furnishings and accessories create the personality of our spaces, so do our beloved pets. They are the ultimate companions that truly transform a house into a home.

       As we turn the page on a new chapter in life, we are excited to continue to grow within the walls of our showroom as well as outside. There is nothing for comforting than curling up with a good book with your dogs by your side on a rainy spring day. It’s the perfect way to escape life. I’ve enjoyed many of those days in my home with Cookie, Cooper, and Luna.

       My love of books led me to explore, adding a literary presence to Revival.  We began the process the past two years hosting book signings for local authors. It has led to us offering a book nook of color coordinated old books for staging as well as to be read. The great response has brought us to the next phase as we have expanded to a small bookshop. With beautiful coffee table books, Louisiana, and southern books on entertaining, design, gardening, and history as well as children’s books, we are hoping to recapture some of that nostalgia of the sorely missed, Windows A Book Shop. We are very fortunate to have the knowledge of Elizabeth Gibson-Grant and Betty Jo Harris to guide us on this new journey. Many of these books will also be available on our website, www.revivaldesign318.com.

 After exploring our books on gardening, we have been inspired to reboot a long-delayed project. The slow transformation of our vacant space outside will be evolving into our courtyard, “Avant Garde’n” over the remainder of the year.  With herb gardens and water features and murals. It will great a great space to host events, farmers markets, artisan’s markets, receptions, small weddings, and art shows. It will also serve us well as backdrops for photo opportunities for fashion shoots, proms, and other events. This space will allow us to better serve our clients with outdoor accessories for the patio, poolside, or garden.  These will range from iron work, patio furniture, concrete statues, and urns as well as sculptures. We also look forward to creating a small area of low maintenance plants that will work nicely for your patios, pool houses, and herb gardens.  It’s a space that Luna loved so much every day as she lovingly barked and welcomed our customers daily. We want it to be a space of tranquility that will reflect the great life and energy she brought to our lives each day.  We hope to accomplish this with Luna’s Garden.   

        As I continue this journey with Revival, my heart is filled with the great memories of Luna, who truly made my house a much better home.  Rest well my sweet baby.

Out of the Blue, Feeling Blue, Blissfully Blue

Blue and white porcelain has always been a favorite of mine. Whether it is a wonderful ancient vase from the Chinese Dynasty or a reproduction of these historic crafted works of art, they have been a favorite. Over the years my mom collected plates from Asia and Europe that were inspired by these works of art in China. Though they are often replicated but truly not duplicated, there are quality pieces and many knock offs. I am so thankful and thrilled to fill my home and shop with beautiful vases, urns, and other pieces that celebrate this long legacy of creator and artisans from across the pond and ocean. Whether you live in an abode filled with all Asian influence or a merging of cultures, a wonderful piece of blue and white will always stand out in your space.

BRANCHING OUT IN DESIGN

       As we enter a new season there is a lot of change at Revival. Spring is here and we are branching out. There is so much excitement for the many blessings that are coming to fruition.

We have been hard at work on creating an online shopping experience for our customers near and far by launching our website www.revivaldesign318.com. This has been in the works for a long time. I am so proud of what we designed in house with my amazing Neville High Seniors, Charlie Edwards & Jack Loflin, who created my site and its layout. I am equally proud of my niece, Christina Downing, who has worked countless hours learning how to create the e-commerce development while I have worked on the creative content and writing for its pages.  It has truly been a labor of love as we continue to grow.

We have also been busy curating our new mini expansion into charming St. Francisville, LA. We have taken a space in the newly expanded Birds of a Feather & Friends, owned by my dear friend, Wendy Phillips. It’s wonderful to be more convenient for our wonderful customers in south Louisiana & Mississippi. It’s located at 11952 Ferdinand Street by The Magnolia Café. St. Francisville is a booming little town with a big heart. We are thrilled to be a part of it and its continued growth in its historic downtown.   

As we move forward in 2024, we will have more exciting news to share in the coming months as Revival continues to blossom and plant new seeds. As I try to plant goodness into the world, God continues to show me new things that I never thought were possible before. I am truly blessed for my family, staff, and dear friends who have been so supportive of me and this journey. I would not be where I am without them.

With new opportunities come new resources for our showroom. We have been able to expand our treasure hunting with unusual things coming from New Orleans, Houston, Austin, Dallas, and beyond. We will offer great finds from lines beyond just the antiques and consignments. We have an April shower of items from West Elm, CB2, Restoration Hardware, William Sonoma Home, Anthropologie, and many more. We have also been given the opportunity to shop items from a treasure trove of goodies that have been used in movie and television shoots in Louisiana.

Our showroom is always evolving and in constant rotation. It keeps it interesting and allows an exciting new experience every time. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, and our website www.revivaldesign318.com.  We have a new blog going up every few days.

As we continue this 5th year in business, we look forward to bringing new life to Downtown Monroe. We everyone that has supported our local business. We would not be where we are today without it.  

Thank you and many blessings –

BEYOND LUCKY IN DESIGN

Luck does not begin to describe how fortune I am having been gifted so many creative talents. Growing up in a world of design, it only seemed natural to pursue a career sharing my talents in art, fashion, interior design, writing, and all things creative and visually appealing to the eye. As we celebrate this St. Patrick’s Day, we are excited to launch or long-awaited website for Revival Design & the various design adventures that fully bring my creative life full circle. I look forward to sharing with you this journey of life laughter and lessons in design. I hope you will subscribe to this blog and grow emotionally, spiritually, and physically in as I explore, share, and cultivate an organic bond with you all. I am exceptionally blessed for how God is growing in my life. Let the journey begin.