Anyone else ready for Spring? This weekend was so nice here in Virginia-I so wish it would last. I found this House Beautiful article on a NY kitchen and it felt like a breath of fresh air.
Designer Dionne Trifiro incorporated three islands, varied cabinetry and a mix of textures like glass tiles, marble and stone. I love the bench in the background of the photo below-it serves as a mini mudroom. Enjoy!
Photos: House Beautiful
Just in time to brighten up our winter blues! Orla Kiely will be debuting an exclusive line of home products at Target on February 1st. Here's a sampling-I'm loving the pears:
Photos: Target
This photo (above) from the UK's Living Etc. magazine just relaxes me. Especially on a cold, drizzly winter day like today. The wall mural is by Surface View. They have the most amazing collection of photography and artwork (including National Gallery and V&A museums) to select from. Check it out!
Anyone catch the preview of the 2009 HGTV Dream Home last night? What did you think? Not some of my favorite decor this year, but I always enter to win. I think I could handle a second home in Sonoma, California.
What I didn't love: Black leather sofas in a Victorian inspired house-not my cup of tea, the moire fabric on the dining room chairs-very 80s to me.
What I did love: Floor to ceiling white curtains throughout most of the house, including doorways-really works. The paint color (Dovetail by Sherwin-Williams) in the kitchen paired with gray quartz counter tops-sleek.
Photos: HGTV
I've been to France, but not Paris. It's at the top of my list for our next 'big' trip. Not sure when that will be. This summer is out. Jim will be traveling to Africa to visit his Mom during her last year with the Peace Corps. Plus, we need to save our pennies. Always fun to daydream though...
I've been dying to go to Versailles after reading Antonia Fraser's biography of Marie Antoinette, so my jaw dropped to the floor when I saw Westin's Trianon Palace & Spa. The hotel is right outside of Paris, only a mile away from Versailles. And the design...oh my.
The hotel's recent renovation was the handiwork of Fiona Thompson, design director of the London-based hotel design firm Richmond International. Checkout their site to see more of their amazing work.
Top Paris photo by cutcopycreate. Thanks to Chameleon Interiors for additional hotel photos.
Welcome! I'm happy to be part of the Hooked on Holiday House Tour hosted by Hooked on Houses. Come on in and stay awhile...
Above is my living room-not the most Christmasey colors so my only decor is a pre-lit tree (below left) inherited from my in-laws. I went with icy branches and my funkier ornaments.
The other inherited tree (below right) is in my office that's open to the living room. My office is painted a very pale mint green so I was happy to find these green glitter snowflakes...20 for $4.
I love anything with a vintage feel at the holidays. This antique piece above is by my kitchen table-great for rotating displays. I filled this big ol' stoneware tub below with extra ornaments and fake snow.
LEFT: My sister just gave me this pretty snow globe and my mom found the mirrored picks that I used on all of my garland this year. RIGHT: I love this glitter tree in my powder room-it's about 4 feet tall. If you touch it, you'll have glitter on you for days!
My eat-in kitchen is open to my family room so I try to keep everything uniform. I went with all of my silver decorations and mercury glass and glitter with white lights this year.
The star of the show! I don't do any themes with my main tree other than some silver sequined picks and ornaments we've collected over the years. Favorites include clothespin characters that Jim's Mom handmade when he was little, a funny Santa that my mom gave us after our Christmastime engagement five years ago (he's naked-she thought he was wearing long johns!) and anything with a photo. There's Chewie below!
I couldn't find a good place for this pillow so it ended up on the built-ins around the fireplace!
Decorating the mantle is a little awkward when you're competing with a TV. I grabbed some oversized vases and extra apothecary jars and started playing. I used mirrored star drink coasters to reflect the lights along with some mini disco balls.
Have a wonderful holiday! Don't forget to check out all of the other lovely homes on the Hooked on Houses tour!
So many beautiful cards, what to do? I found some great ideas to help you out. I'm a big fan of hanging cards from a garland of ribbon with mini clothespins. You can find 50 for $1.87 at California Paper Goods.
Oh, and a great tip! Don't throw those cards away. Cut off the fronts to use as gift tags next year.
Photo via Domino
Photo via Grace Amore blog
Photo via Good Housekeeping
Photo via House to Home
Photo: Country Living
Photo: Team Sugar
I love the simplicity of House Beautiful's cover art this month. Amazing what an impact these inexpensive paper bells make. I'm telling you, anything in excess looks good. Check out this carnation floral arrangement from Martha Stewart. Gorgeous!
Bad news: Cottage Living is closing its doors. The current November/December issue is its last. Besides being a tried-and-true favorite of mine, I really feel for the staff. As someone in the journalism community, I know what a scary time it is for the industry. Cottage Living falls under the Time, Inc. umbrella that has also announced 600 layoffs company wide.
Let's enjoy why we love Cottage Living with this feature on a colorful Atlanta cottage. Check out home owner Lee Kleinhelter 's shop, Pieces Inc.
Has Tiffany blue ever looked more beautiful? Country Living has a lovely new feature on Vicki Gordon's dreamy New York City brownstone. Gordon, an editor for 60 Minutes, enlisted the help of the talented Lizabeth K. McGraw, owner of Tumbleweed & Dandelion in Venice, California to bring the interior design to life. (Check out my post on visiting the store here.) The house has a chic, yet family-friendly design that incorporates things like salvaged barn doors, vintage French linens and antiques. C'mon! How fabulous!
Take note of this great design tip: Paint an accent color on the back wall of a visible pantry, built-in bookcases (below) or furniture like a hutch for some real pop.
The wall color (Desert Tan by Benjamin Moore) looks so nice paired with this robin's egg blue.
Vicki enjoying her home. The floor has a painted 'rug' to cut down on wear and tear.
Amazing what some simple greens can do to give a room a cheery, holiday spirit.
The consistency of this design is what makes it work-they've stuck to the neutral color palette paired with shocks of blue. It can be hard to edit yourself, but look at the results!
