Blogging about a Blog

When I’m not reading the Drudge Report online or our blog, I’m reading my favorite blog:  Cote de Texas.   It’s a local blog that focuses on French design on the Texas coast, hence the name!

Houston Interior Designer Joni Webb created the Cote de Texas blog almost 2 years ago and it’s only getting better.  It’s an amazing blog full of pictures, articles and design ideas.  Joni does everything herself and she say it’s her passion and love for interior design that keeps her blogging.  In a world where everyone has blogs and it’s hard to get noticed, she’s received many accolades.  Our parent company, The Washington Post named it a Top Ten Blog.  “Blog of the Day” named Cote de Texas their Blog of the Day.  She’s even the first blogger to  be recognized by Southern Accents’ website!  Joni’s house and her dogs have been featured on the cover of Houston House and Home magazine and she was featured in Better Homes and Gardens.  She also writes for  Antiques Shops and Designers magazine.  She clearly has a wonderful eye for beautiful things and a knack for putting rooms together that are comfortable and cohesive.  If you’re challenged when it comes to creating fabulous rooms, you know how much of a God given talent it is to make a home come alive!  Joni is obviously gifted with bringing easy elegance to homes.

Joni's Living Room

http://www.cotedetexas.blogspot.com/

Joni's Living Room

The Cote de Texas blog is my favorite because it has scores and scores of pictures of fabulous homes and decor.  The focus is on Interior Design with a French twist.   I fell in love with French decor and pieces after my trip to Paris.  The concept of combining old rustic pieces with simple elegance is such a beautiful yet livable style.

Kitchen From Cote de Texas

This blog and my friend/interior designer Susan Femia inspired me to steer more towards an elegant French feel for my nursery.  With a Fortuny headboard and comforter, I admit it’s more European Four Seasons than little boy nursery.  I used my crib from when I was a baby and had matching bedding made.  My seamstress, Azam,  who made my wedding dress also made our crib bedding.  As usual she did a magnificent job.

My crib and bedding

Once my crib now my son's

Rhodes in his new bed

Marley loves the nursery! and the baby!

I admit some people would think filling a baby’s room with antiques would be crazy, but I grew up surrounded by antiques.  My mother, grandmother and aunt all ran an antique business for years.  I grew up going to auctions and hearing all about French Provenical pieces, horrid reproductions and the merits of well built old furniture.  My husband and I go to antique auctions constantly and have furnished most of our home that way.  The first time we went he didn’t like it but now he loves the auctions because he says it feels like gambling!

our dining chairs

It’s just fun to have pieces of furniture in your home with a story or from far away lands!  We have a couch from Morocco, chairs from Portugal, fabric from Italy, and lots of pieces from Memphis, Texas.  Many wonderful things come from there…(kidding, I was born there!) A furniture company called Faux Pas was based there but they’ve since moved to Dallas.

So if you’re one of those people who love Paris AND Texas, you’ll love Cote de Texas.  Joni isn’t paying me for this by the way and I actually don’t even know her. (I did email her to get details for this story!)   By the way, if  you enjoy French design and are ever in Paris you have to stop by the George V Hotel.  It’s one of the most fabulous hotels in the world and it’s full of history, beauty and elegant French decor.  Even if you can’t stay there it’s worth a quick walk through tour!  We made a stop there on our honeymoon, the restaurant in the hotel called Le Cinq is magical!!!

Au voir!