I'm back...

I've been having trouble coming back to blogging after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School...   I'll be honest that every time I try to write something, I can't because the things I write about here are mostly frivolous & pretty inconsequential, and it seems ridiculous to be writing about those things like everything's okay when it isn't.

I know so many of us feel this way and that the pain won't ever fully go away for most of us...  And that's okay because it means we love and we care.

There are times when I look at my profession- decorating houses- and feel like what I'm doing is crazy when there are so many more important, life-changing things that need to be done.  There's been a stirring in me for a while now to use it to help others more.  I don't think there's any greater pain than losing someone you love and I know I want to somehow try to ease this pain for others.  Dave & I have been doing a lot of talking about it over the past few months & have some ideas cooking...

I've also heard that the students at Sandy Hook will be returning to school in a new building after the new year & that they are trying to turn the new school into a "winter wonderland" by filling it with thousands of paper snowflakes.  You &/or your kids can make snowflakes & send them to the PTA for them to hang.  Here's the write-up I read: "When school resumes for Sandy Hook, it will be in a new building. Parent-volunteers are working to ensure that the students are welcomed back by a winter wonderland with the entire school decorated with as many unique snowflakes as possible. We encourage senders to be as creative as possible, remembering that no two snowflakes are alike. Please make and send snowflakes by January 12, 2013." 

{image via here}

Please send all snowflakes and donations to:  
Connecticut PTSA 
60 Connolly Parkway 
Building 12, Suite 103 
Hamden, CT 06514

It's a simple project that can hopefully make some of the kids feel a little less frightened when they go back to school...

So...  I probably won't be talking about it much & I'll continue to write about the frivolous little things in life, but it will always be with me...  I won't ever stop praying for & thinking about all of the families in pain and I'll always worry a little more about my own babies.

{Our Christmas Eve snowfall}

I hope you had a happy holiday & this year, Christmas was really special for our family...  I'll be back after the New Year & am taking the time with my family & trying to savor every minute of it- and also to keep my eye from twitching when I look around at the mess that is my house.   ;) 

{My littlest one- Luke or "Louie" as we call him-sorry kid!!;)-  all tuckered out from the Christmas excitement}

Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to read my blog {and for not emailing me about the constant typos that I know are present ;)  and for coming along for the ride.   I truly value your time & your encouragement.  My very best to you & yours.

Heartbroken

 

 

I don't really have words for Friday.  I don't think many do.   

 

We've been holding our babies especially close and my heart truly breaks for the parents who can't. 

 

 I feel immense pride in the heroic teachers & administrators who died to protect the children, and it hurts so badly that these all of these beautiful lives are gone.     

 

Please take care of you & yours.

~Lauren 

image via here.

Pretty Little Friday

Happy Friday!!  I wanted to pop in really quickly to say good luck with the holiday rush.  I try to periodically remind myself to appreciate the little things & so much of that for me (and I'm sure many of you ;) is about seeing the beauty in the every day...

Being able to sit down & share a meal with friends or family, having a moment to yourself, and yes, even appreciating the pretty produce at the grocery store...

{Would love to do a fabric based on these leafy clementines}

 

I am (as always) terribly behind in my holiday shopping (meaning I haven't done any;) but I've also learned that this is a time to be enjoyed & even savored.  This time wants to fly away.  The anticipation in our house full of boys is really cool and it brings back those Christmas-kid feelings I used to have.  Lately, life (although crazy-sort-of-losing-it-busy) has been exciting & special...  Full of lightning-quick days interspersed with moments where I notice something & really take it in...  and feel thankful for it.  I've been reminding myself to slow down and appreciate and I do think it's working.

Sending hugs & love your way and hoping you get some time to take the moments in.



If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Into Golds...

For a while now I've been noticing that gold tones have really been catching my eye.  I've always been into brass & the warmth that gold tones can bring to a home but I'm wanting it more & more in my own home in things likes fabrics & art...

 

{Loved the way Christian's hair matched some of the leaves this Fall}

I haven't been able to get this orangey-mustard beauty out of my mind since I saw it on my friend Seleta's blog, years ago for her Thanksgiving tablesettings:

I came across this gorgeous tree this Fall & it reminds me of the chandy:

I love the gold tones mixed with earthy & moody ones.

 I first became conscious of how much I was loving golds when I did the boys' room at my dad's lake cottage this summer:

 

 

There's something about those mustard throws that I couldn't stop thinking about.  (Yes, I know, other people have more important things to think about...  but I occupy my brain with ponderings of color ;)  Just thinking about this room since we left it makes me happy & in the strangest way, redoing this bedroom made us start thinking of moving this past July.  It was just a tiny itch, but with us, an itch can lead to a serious rash & we were off to a new place!

 

I came across this beautiful ancient Egyptian Wall painting on wreckorated.blogspot.com and am crazy about it:

 

 

 

Around the same time I did the boys' bedroom this summer, I finished "buttercup" and naturally, it was yellows & earth tones:

 

 

I'm really not one for "trends" & knowing what's "of the moment" but I do think I have my own little love affairs with colors & objects & themes in design.  I start to notice them in life & in photos & just ccan't seem to get enough of them. Whether they're current or not, I never really care or am aware, but they're right on for me. 

 

 

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Our New Closet & My Closet Makeover Tips

Our closet was installed yesterday & I feel so much more organized!!!  Until yesterday, we kept some of our clothes down stairs, some in the garage and also split them up between the boys' bedrooms and the loft family room.  (We're really going to miss hopping around the house half-clothed looking for pants!! ;) ;)  Our closet is where the master bathroom used to be and is about ninfeet by five feet:

{Drawers & hanging space on the right side & shoes shelves on the left...  my super-sweet husband was very okay with me using the majority of the closet (the right side/ he's got the back) } 

 

We swapped the locations of the master bathroom and closet because we moved our master bedroom entry to a different spot.  (Originally you entered the master bedroom from the foyer and also from the back family room, which is now our office.  We've closed off the back family room to become our office & the entry to our bedroom is in the dining room- which sounds so odd but isn't that bad.  We didn't want our bedroom entry to be the first thing you saw when you walked in the house-for privacy issues- and so have closed off that doorway too. ;)   We also swapped the bathroom and closet locations because I was able to get a skylight in the bathroom in its new location for some natural light- which is so key in good bathroom lighting.  (I've been applying makeup TERRIBLY since I've moved here because there's no window in the current bathroom and I keep seeing bad blush lines & such on my face when I get into the car -or worse- spy a mirror at a client's house!!!  

 

The (elfa) closet was barely in before I started loading it up yesterday evening:

 

My favorite part are these little valet & jewely drawers:

 

Here's a pic of the closet now that most of our stuff is in it:

 

 

I've lost my other box of shoes in the move.  (Not that I have a ton like most girls do...  My problem lies more with lamps & chairs ;) ;)

 

We've always had matching wooden hangers, (ours are ikea) which makes a huge difference in how a closet looks & feels.  Since was no real "decorating" to be done in here, the hangers are pretty much it.  Putting our clothes in the closet with the wooden hangers & the bright lighting, made them feel a little nicer somehow... It made me like the things I've slowly started to loathe.  (Why do we do this?!!! )

 

We hang our pants to free up drawer space:

 

 

In addition to the drawers in the closet, we'll have a dresser in our bedroom.  We want the closet to be the area where we can go to grab outfits & real clothes, and the dresser in our bedroom will be where we keep our pjs, underclothes and -most importantly- our "work sweats." ;) ;)

 

Here's a cool feature we chose for Dave's ties:

 

It rolls in and out and I love seeing how much Dave likes his gadgets- the tie rack & a valet where he can hang outfits---  He will deny loving them but his face lit up when he saw them so I know the truth ;)

 

It was so fun to organize my costume jewelry which has finally been freed from its ziploc bags!!

 

I love how the little wood cover slides from side to side:

We still have more work to do in here (more searching for long-lost items & I need to get baskets for the shelves) but I'm feeling SOOOO close to normal!! 

You probably know all of this anyway, but I thought I'd share a few of my closet makeover tips:  (I've used these tips even when I've had a teensy closet.)

1) Ditch everything you haven't worn in a year.  (And continue to ditch monthly and/or whenever you bring in new clothes or shoes.)

2) Matching hangers.

3) Separate out: his & hers and then- dresses (long and short), pants, tops & jackets, etc.

4) Color code  your wardrobe...  I do the rainbow & then I have a bigger section for white, since I have & wear so much of it.

5) Good lighting...  It's really important that you can see everything you have.

6) ** So important for me- It's nice to have a spot/drawer/whatever for those things that are clean -because you tried them on or wore them for a second- that you don't have time to put back right away. It keeps them from ending up on the chair in your bedroom.

7) A fresh coat of paint on the walls

8) Matching containers for loose items likes belts or scarves or hats or bags... It feels so much better when you use 1 or 2 style of container throughout the closet because then your eye focus on the differences in the clothes and not on the mish-mash of containers.  If you can label them, even better.

9) A mirror close-by or in if possible. (Ours is just outsidde the door because it we don't have room)

10) An at-a-glance-philosphy...  Try to make everything you can (it's not always possible) be visible at a glance so things are easy to find & you can get ready quickly.

I have never had a closet like this before & I'm feeling very spoiled by it.  It's not a huge closet by any means, but it's more than I ever could have imagined.  (To be honest, with my Catholic guilt, I'm DEFINITELY feeling spoiled.)  We were able to get everything on sale during the Container Store's Fall sale & adding the few cool little gadgets in the closet really makes it feel special & I'm so glad we did.  We've always fought for space in our closets before & to have something that we planned out ourselves & that works so perfectly for us feels like such a luxury.  After yesterday, I decided that I think organization might be the biggest luxury for me.  (or one of them ;) ;)  What do you think?


If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Doors

We are almost there with our house renovation (downstairs at least ;)  and one of the last things that needs to happen before we can move downstairs into our bedroom is adding doors.  They are set to arrive today (eeeeek!!)

 

 

I don't have anything as cool as the barn doors (above) going in but I loved the picture. 

 

I have a thing for black & white mixed with warm wood tones & then a little bit of color (in accents- especially green!! ;) ;) sprinkled about, so I've settled on doing black doors for our house.  We have mostly ivory walls & wood floors & seagrass throughout the house, so I thought doing the doors in black would give me that palette I love.  The doors are arriving unpainted & I need to decide on the paint finish today. 

 

I am leaning towards a low or no sheen look & so I loooove the flat look of the barn doors in the pic above..

 

Here are some really beautiful high-gloss blue doors that are so dark they look black (the reverse of Superman's hair ;):

 

 

{Nate Berkus}

 

I love the stark contrast of the black doors (below) against the white and of course in combination with the warm wood floors:

 

 

 

{The books add more of the warmth & age that I love & the purple & green from the lilac arrangement is just the right amount of color for me personally.}

 

The sheen on these doors below is really pretty:

 

 

It's probably a semi-gloss.

 

And again, it's the wood on that clock that does it for me.

 

The dutch doors (below) from one of Thomas O'Brien's homes are sooooooo amazing.. 

{I loooooove this kitchen!!!  So simple & spare & fresh!! I love the modern-vintage-farmhouseish feel.}

 

I've decided on 3 panel doors like this one:

 

 

I wanted something that feels both old & modern at the same time.  I was looking for some interest, but nothing with any frills or curves.

 

I think they'll look really similar to this door (below) except I think trim is a bit simpler on mine...

 

 

{House Beautiful}

 

The home above is perfection to me.  I've posted this photo multiple times on the blog & I just loooove the mood of this room.  It's got that neutral yet warm palette I love and that overall relaxed natural feeling.  This feels like the type of house I'd love coming home to...  All of those warm woods and the ivory walls with the hit of black...  The branch in the Ball jar make it for me!!  I hope our home feels something like this (although it's a contemporary house, so the style will be really different.) as far as mood goes.



If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

before & After: A Client's Home Featured In Small Rooms Decorating Magazine

A while back, I shared some before & midstage photos of a client's DC rowhouse.  When I was just about to have our third son (this past Spring) I did a photoshoot with my good friend & photographer Helen Norman & her assistant, F.J. Hughes.  I was so happy with how my clients' home turned out & the house ended up getting shot again for Small Room Decorating Magazine right after.  My clients actually fell for a new home in another area of DC & moved a couple of weeks after the shoot and so we're now onto the next project!  It was pretty much a whirlwind for my clients & I'm so appreciative of them for letting us invade their home for photoshoots multiple times. 

Here are a couple of 'before' pics of the home:

{My clients' dining room: They already had a GORGEOUS chandelier by Oly and really beautifully done window treatments.  The dining room functions as both a dining room and a sitting room and the dropleaf dining table itself moves under the window and becomes a console when the room transitions into a sitting room.  My clients purchased the settee so it could function for both spaces.}

Here's what their living room looked like before:

{As you can see, they already had some amazing pieces to work with & I love their style.  My goal was to warm up the space & to get it just right for them.}

One of the first things we did was repaint the main areas of the home in ivory & to repaint the doors black for some contrast & interest & to bounce the black accents throughout the room:

We used many of their own pieces & added new pieces to create a sort of modern mix of old & new.  To see all of my plans for the spaces, click here. 

Here's the before:

And here's the 'after':

We rearranged the furniture & floated the daybed so that it coule be accessed from both sides.  We added a pair of clean-lined linen wing chairs for a cozy spot to hang. 

We added a mix of textured, patterned and hand block-printed fabrics for some energy & interest:

{Dark brown & white pillow fabric & ottoman fabric by Raoul Textiles, and center paisley pillow is one of mine, "live paisley."}

We flanked the existing sofa with two large iron & cement tables to hold loads of books & magazines. 

Below, the lamp is a custom creation by my friend, lighting designer, Rick Singleton.  The photographs are taken from the oversized German Magazine, The Manipulator, and I found them at Avery Studios.  The frames were beautifully hand painted by another friend, artist, John Matthew Moore.  I wanted them hung so that they intersected slightly with the wing chairs for a more layered, relaxed look.  I love how the little kitty is peeking out from between the two chairs.  We went with a clear glass cocktail table because even though the room looks open & expansive, it's really fairly small & we wanted to keep it feeling open & airy.

A little workspace is carved out of the living room:

Here's the view from their loft bedroom above, which I really love. The wood floors transition to the deck floors just outside:

Here's the dining room below:

Here's the dining room "after"--

The vintage BRNO chairs we found were covered in hairy cream cowhide.  The painting is from one of my favorite Natural Curiosities collections by Paule Marrot, the French painter, engraver & textile designer who did most of her work between the 1920s and 1950s.  As a decorator, there's nothing more exciting than when you find clients who are willing to go outside the box and who are open to atypical things.   

Here's another view of the dining room:

The leaves on the table were honeysuckle branches from my yard and I really love how they looked & smelled.  I don't have any at our new house & think I need to get some.

To see the rest of the photos of other areas of the home (including a little sprucing up we did in the master bedroom) and the dining room set up as both a sitting room and a dining room, check out the current issue of Small Room Decorating Magazine.  The article was produced by Charlotte Safavi & shot by Helen Norman.  I haven't been able to pick up my copy yet & it doesn't seem like the magazine is sold everywhere but I have seen it at my grocery store & in bookstores.  Thanks so much to everyone who put the article together & especially to my clients for being so open to the design process & for letting it all happen!!

Hope you enjoyed!!


If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services. ps- All of the pretty photos in this post were taken by Helen too ;)

Our kitchen

Our kitchen is coming together- and true to the impatient child that lives inside of me- I've moved in. 

 I found a bunch of my vintage oil paintings & hung them above the sink as I've been planning to do for months and it makes me soooooo happy.  Yes, I know, there's still painting & electrical to be done & cabinets to attach, but my artwork is up.  I try to ignore the blue painter's tape, open electrical outlets & such and just focus on the finished parts of the kitchen.  (It works surprisingly well when you are cooking for the first time in 3 months!!! yay!!)

Our island- which will be covered in reclaimed wood from the Lorimer Workshop in Rhode Island- and topped in honed marble- will be finished in a few weeks.  For now, I got a piece of navy gingham oicloth to put over our plywood.  (I think I'm going to keep it for really messy days- ie kids' art & craft projects & pizza parties ;)

{Our contractors worked really hard to make our kitchen functional for us on Thanksgiving & stayed late -when I know they wanted to be at home with their families- getting the appliances hooked up the night before.  We did a turkey (rotisserie style ;) in the oven & are just so thankful for everything.  I know there are many out there who are dealing with storm damage & who are trying to piece back together their homes, which is really tough & our thoughts have been with them.}

Here's a photo of the main wall in the kitchen, where the range is (and hood will be)...

{I love my range.  I didn't think it was possible to love an appliance but I sort of do.  It looks good and cooks food faster than any oven/stove we've ever had before.  We've always inherited our appliances with our houses and so this house is the first time we've done research & purchased what we really want.  There is SUCH a difference, I had NO IDEA. Crazy.}

Here's a picture of a beef (before we cooked it) on Saturday for some friends...

Now, more about this range.  (The Smeg Opera--- discontinued but I was able to find one.  There is a newer model available, but as far as I've been able to tell, it doesn't come with the rotisserie function.  BUT...  there are stands you can buy to put in any convection oven to make rotisserie-style food.)  It's Italian as was pointed out to me.  (I thought it was Australian because in my serach for rotisserie Smegs, I could only find them on the Smeg Australia site so I got completely confused.)  BUT-  THIS THING IS AMAZING.  Again, I've never purchased my own appliances before and I've never cooked on any high-end appliances before so what I'm comparing it to is generally the lowest available range from Home Depot, but hot damn!!  It's crazy!!! 

We overcooked the scrambled eggs on the first morning because we didn't know eggs could even cook that quickly.  We turned around & they were done.  (We had gas burners at our last house too but this one has much higher BTUs I guess...  I got it because it was pretty. ;)  (And came with good reviews.)

I searched for hours for this thing and looked at lots of different brands- all online- before coming to my decision.  I wanted an affordable professional style range (which for us, ruled out many of the higher-end brands like Wolf or LaCanche- MY DREAM ;) that looked good & had good reviews.  Having a rotisserie function was something on my dream wish list and I pretty much flipped out when I found one that had it all.  (To check out some more ranges I found that looked good, go here.)

I am really liking some of my other appliances too, so when I get the chance, I'll post on them too. 

And finally, just wanted to share a quick pic I snapped (when I was in my Norman Bates rocker holding the baby this morning) out our loft window...  Watching the sunrise with the boys has become one of my favorite things...  It's so peaceful and recharges me somehow:

I hope your Thanksgiving was special & that you find some quiet time in the holiday whirlwind we're now entering into!!

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.