Visiting with The Tartan Terrace!

The Tartan Terrace

Good morning 

and thanks for stopping by 

the Polohouse today. 

I am so excited to have

a guest "in the house"--- 

someone who is also mad for plaid! 

I first spotted Kathy and her Southern charming

style during one

of my late night tartan pinning sessions.

She collects so many of the same things

that I love and has very similar taste.

Was drawn to her instantly, we often joke

about how I kind of "stalked her" on Pinterest,

repinning every single thing that she had!

I asked her to come by and say hello

to all of you and share a bit of her home. 

She has such great accessories and knows

how to use them!

After you read this, I hope you will go visit 

and even follow

Kathy at The Tartan Terrace 

if you don't already. 

She is a doll!

On to the interview.....

Link with Kathy here

How long have you lived at the Tartan Terrace?  

My husband and I bought Tartan Terrace 

almost seven years ago.  It was built in the 1950's 

but the bathrooms and kitchen had already been remodeled, so we've only done cosmetic surgery projects.  

Here's a photo of the living room looking into the foyer that was taken before we bought the house:

Here's a photo of the same space after my husband 

and I moved in and had bookshelves built:

Because we weren't using our living room much, 

we added the shelves to turn the room 

into more of a cozy library space.

I became a little obsessed 

with the Welsh dresser 

and wrote three posts about it:

 HERE and HERE and HERE.

Who or what has been your influence 

through the years in creating 

your timeless, classic, traditional style?  

Both my mother's and my grandmother's decorating tastes were very traditional and quietly serene.  

As my mother said, "You can paint a room any color 

as long as you paint it white."  Although I don't have one white room in my house, I guess this concept of classic decorating must have been a big influence 

on my design aesthetic.  

I have many antiques and vintage items 

that I inherited from my family.  

Another influence would be the iconic Ralph Lauren:

When treasure-hunting, 

what 3 or 4 items do you collect?

I always look for anything tartan, whether it be a pair 

of shoes, a dog leash or a piece of furniture. I also collect Staffordshire, Majolica, blue and white china,

 and wedding cake toppers (among many other things.)

(Love this photo of Kathy's... it needs to be the cover of a book!)

How long have you had a passion for plaid?  

When my sons were little, I used plaid flannel comforters 

on their bunk beds and placed a few plaid lunch boxes 

here and there.  Scottie dog pictures along with old hockey sticks covered the walls, and I gradually became hooked 

on plaid.  When my boys finally rebelled against all of the cuteness, I moved everything to my laundry room.

Do you have a favorite paint color, 

and if so, what is it?  

It depends on where it's going.  I painted my dining room with Benjamin Moore's "Bold Blue," #2064,

 and love how it turned out.  

(Oh yeah, I forgot about my Imari collection.)

In our master bedroom, the walls are painted 

"Silver Sage" from Restoration Hardware.  

It's a very soothing color and makes a good background 

for all of the brown and white transferware 

I have in that room: 

When you are on vacation, 

what type of memento or souvenir 

are you most likely to bring home with you?

 I'm always looking for things for my house.  

I found this cow painting when my husband and I 

were in Cashiers, North Carolina; 

it's one of my favorite pieces of artwork:

I found this burnt bamboo chair 

at the Round Top Antiques Fair, 

which is between Austin and Houston 

and takes place twice a year:

And of course, I'm always on the lookout 

for anything tartan.   

When you are not blogging, 

tell us what about your favorite 

hobbies or pastimes?  

Being a former English teacher, I love to read.  

Gardening, DIY projects, needlepoint and swimming 

with my little white dog Bitsy keep me busy. 

Alison - Thank you so much for inviting me over 

to The Polohouse to guest post today.  

I've had a marvelous time and would love for you 

to come over and play blog at the Terrace anytime!

Thank you, Kathy, for sharing your lovely

home with all of us. It was so much fun seeing 

your collections and hearing about your home!

Thanks for allowing us to peek inside your door.

Please visit Kathy and Bitsy

at TheTartanTerrace

soon and follow her on Pinterest

if you love plaid too!

LOVE this shot of Kathy's closet!!!