This room will make household chores a treat rather than a drag. It's Mallory Mathison's chic take on a laundry room. We shouldn't be surprised, the Atlanta-based designer-to-watch and Domino 10 member has always been inspired by that other Southerner known for cozy glamour, Miles Redd.

If you plan to be in Atlanta in November, you will be able to see the room finished and decked out for the holidays. Mallory is currently hard at work on the laundry area, plus home office, to be unveiled as part of the 2008 Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Christmas House. The showhouse is a grand tradition here. It benefits the Alliance Children's Theatre and has been an annual happening for 34 years.

For now, Mallory is generously sharing a sneak peek. I've tried to post these images so that you can enlarge them and read the fun notes. But I will point out a few highlights: The color scheme is composed of soft yellows and charcoal with clear red accents. A small hit of animal-print adds drama (Scalamandre's "Tigre" silk- velvet, one of their oldest and most classic fabrics). Couture details come in with luxe trim for the window shades and red-monogrammed custom-made garment bags. And don't miss the red chinoiserie chandelier.

I think for a laundry room on a more modest scale, some elements to steal and reinterpret would be a Roman shade with grosgrain trim, some sort of great red light fixture, and pretty garment bags. But of course the whole point of a showhouse is to stretch the imagination. Everyone will take away her own ideas.

Closer to the event, I'll post reminders about Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Christmas House. Details about the other designers involved (big names) are on the magazine's site. If you want to mark your calendar the dates are Saturday, November 15 through Sunday, December 7. Location, 1620 Mt. Paran Road.

[Image via Megan Arquette]

Coleen Rider can play more than one note. That is why, I think, so many of us derive inspiration from her. We love her color sense, her eye for the details, and her appreciation for both achingly pretty old things and harder-edged modern finds.

While the vignettes she composes for her shop are informed by decorating masters of the past, she always brings her own soulful California perspective to the mix. (Recent blog buzz about her new showroom has come from Megan and Jennifer.) Coleen nods to what is fashionable yet never jumps on the trend bandwagon.

Last holiday season when I saw the boutique owner's lush Christmas card, we began a conversation about her creative process with the idea that it might lead to a blog post. And this summer when Megan snapped a picture of Coleen's personal inspiration board, my imagination was sparked again so we chatted a little more.

Now Coleen is launching a creative feature for her site where she shares virtual concept boards designed to inspire visitors. First up: Moss Green and Aubergine starring Peter Dunham's textiles. The mood is woodsy and English, complete with a stately antique dog painting. Dunham's Indian-inspired fabrics add the fresh spice.

For me, Coleen's flair comes in with the addition of the the red pagoda vitrine. Others might have stuck only with purples and greens -- she knew red would vibrate here.

Soon I'll be back with words from Coleen about the direction she took for fall. In the meantime, whether you want to browse her furnishings and art, get ideas for a color scheme for your living room, or see Coleen's approach to mixing textures and patterns, be sure to check out the new Looks page. Much effort has been made to identifying all the sources.

BTW: If you are obsessed with dog portraits, click here.