Favorite Posts, Pins and Products of the week.

July 2, 2016

Hooray for long weekends! We’re off visiting family and out to-do list includes lots of R & R, s’mores and maybe even and outdoor movie.

Enjoy your weekend friends and my round-up of favorites from the week.

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FAVORITE POSTS

Such a cute and clever way to use cutting boards as part of a tablescape.

There are a lot of homes that take my breath away but this one is truly my dream house.

design by Establish Design, photos by Joshua Caldwell

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FAVORITE PINS

I’ve been on the hunt for an easy no-bake summer dessert recipe and this Key Lime Cheesecake is it.

One of the most popular boards on my Pinterest page is dedicated to creative gift wrap ideas. One of my favorite ideas is using vintage jewelry to adorn a gift. So simple, yet so stunning.

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FAVORITE PRODUCTS

Even though I’m way past my teen years, I love shopping Pottery Barn Teen for unique home decor and gift items. I spotted this gorgeous bamboo wall shelf the other day and couldn’t believe the price. This would look amazing hanging in a bathroom.

Have you ever googled ‘cute beach towels’? I did and came up with some really, really cute finds. This personalized greek key design is just one of my faves from Haymarket Designs.

These Fabric Wrapped Terracotta Vases are great for colorful summer flower arrangements.

If you’re looking to do some shopping this weekend, check out these great sales.

Add’l 30% off sale items at Anthropologie

Up to 70% off at Wayfair on all product categories

ASOS has become one of my favorite online shops and this weekend you can save up to 50% off

20% off at Rifle Paper Co. It’s a great time to stock up on their beautiful gift wrap

40% off your purchase (including sale items) at the Gap

Everything at Old Navy is on sale–up to 60% off

Extra 50% off at Banana Republic

On The Bookshelf: New Design & Entertaining Books

June 30, 2016

The Atlanta Gift and Home Furnishings market is just a few weeks away and that always signals new design books in my mind. During market, I always make it point to visit my favorite book publishers to see the new releases in persona. Here are just a few of the new titles I can’t wait to get a look at.

NEW DESIGN & ENTERTAINING BOOKS, 2016

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Beautiful by Mark D. Sikes

The first book from interior designer Mark D. Sikes is a celebration of American style today, showcasing chic and accessible ideas for every home. Release date Sept. 20th.

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Domino–Your Guide To A Stylish Home

Your Guide to a Stylish Home provides a trusted filter, using the friendly and authoritative voice of domino to teach readers about attainable, stylish design and how to make it uniquely your own. Release date Nov. 15th

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Life Unstyled

Life Unstyled is about taking inspiration from real homes that are beautiful, creative and inspiring but at the same time a little rough around the edges, with signs of everyday life evident throughout. Release date Sept. 8th

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Vern Yip Design Wise

Vern introduces his “design by the numbers” approach, revealing the optimal measurements that are integral to making a room feel “right. Whether it’s a laid-back Florida cottage, a small Manhattan apartment, or a traditional family home in Atlanta, Vern’s key design principles will make any house a true home. Release date Sept. 13th

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A House by The Sea–Bunny Williams

Her new book invites readers to explore La Colina, Williams’s lovely Caribbean retreat tucked into lush, tropical gardens by the sea. The book explores every facet of the property—from outdoor rooms and garden plantings and design to the delightful, island-living luxury of the villa’s interiors, furnishings, and collections. Releases date Sept. 13th

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Decorate for a Party

A unique collaboration between international bestselling interiors author Holly Becker of the decor8 blog and Leslie Shewring of acreativemint.com, this book is packed full of ideas for all types of parties, gatherings and events. Release date Sept. 13th

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Kathryn At Home: A Guide to Simple Entertaining

In an elegant scrapbook style, she shares her notes and advice on entertaining, particularly outdoors. Join Kathryn and her talented friend Ithaka for a breakfast, lunchtime picnics, a candlelight dinner, afternoon tea, a barbecue, and a wedding―all interlaced with signature Kathryn M. Ireland fabrics. Release date July 19th

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Christmas At Designers’ Homes Across America

This treasure trove showcases one-of-a-kind holiday ideas from some of the nation’s most talented interior designers, who share not only their aesthetic tastes but also family holiday rituals and favorite Christmas traditions. Release date Sept. 28th

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Southern Spaces For Beautiful Living

From kitchens to living areas to master suites, you’ll find a range of looks that embrace the region’s signature stylings, as well as savvy ideas from experts and homeowners, to make the most of every space in your home. Release date Sept. 8th

Which of the new books will you be adding to your bookshelf?

Anatomy of a Well-Styled Room

June 28, 2016

The key elements are in place and now it’s time to add the finishing touches to your decor. Where do you start with styling a room and what elements are needed to pull everything together?

Today I’m answering that question and outlining the key components to a well-styled room.

via Style at Home

The first step in to putting the finishing touches on the decor of a room is to have a plan. Developing a vision for the space even before furniture has been purchased will go a long way to creating the space your desire. Create an inspiration board with fabric and color swatches, photos of accessories you like and images that reflect the overall feel you want the space to have.

Next, clear the room of all your current accessories so that you are starting with a clean palette. Take time to go through the things you own and decide which pieces you really want back in the room. Use only the items that work with your design vision and that you love, otherwise the room won’t bring your ultimate joy.

Once all the key elements like furniture and window treatments are in place, create a plan for accessorizing. Pull the existing items you’ve kept back into the room and begin placing them where you want. Once that is done, take stock of the room and create a list of the new items you need to buy. New pillows, a throw and even something a simple as a decorative tray can make a space come alive.

via Style at Home

As you place accessories around the room keep these tips in mind:

Place accessories so that they enhance the focal point within the room, not compete with it. Hang a dynamic mirror over the mantel instead of placing it on another wall within the room.
Create groupings with your tabletop decor to add impact and interest. And remember that smaller accessory items look best with grouped together versus scattered around a room.
Group items of different sizes to create visual movement. Use books to elevate objects and create balance.
Spread collections around the room unless you have a dedicated display piece for them.
Accessorize so the eye has different levels to look at. This includes accessories on the floor, walls and in even the lighting at the ceiling.
Incorporate a living element like a plant or flowers to add softness and a sense of energy.
A well-styled room is about balance. Don’t fill every square inch of space–leave spaces where the eye can rest.
Use color as a unifying element within the room.
Every accessory mix should incorporate a variety of finishes, textures, materials, styles and a touch of black to help visually anchor the room.
Add a corky element to delight, surprise and bring a sense of playfulness to the room.

Don’t rush the styling of your home. The accessories and finishing touches are often the elements that take the most time but have the greatest impact of how the room looks and feels.

via Style at Home

via Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles

“An empty room is a store waiting to happen, and you are the author.”

Better Homes and Gardens

Sarah Richardson Design

Every room in your home is different so look at each area for what it has to offer and make the most of each individual space so in the end you’ll have a well-styled home.

Style Your Nightstand–Tips & Inspiration

June 15, 2016

One of the things I am always look for on Pinterest are beautiful nightstand images. I love getting a glimpse at a person’s lifestyle and seeing how they style and decorate different areas of their home.

As a designer, I recognize that accessorizing a small, compact area like a nightstand can be more challenging than a larger living area for some people. So today I’m sharing the ingredients for styling your bedside table like pro.

Your bedroom is the most private space in your home and the items you put on your nightstand should be a mix of personal and decorative decor.

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When it comes to pulling your items together, keep these style tips in mind:

♦ Layers! Unless you take a minimalist approach to decorating, you want to position items to create a layered look. Layers will add the visual interest and help create a dynamic statement with you collection of items. Vary the placement of items on the table surface, front to back and side to side and keep the scale of your lamp in mind when positioning items.

♦ The Mix! This is where style and function meet. Accessorize with items you use on a daily basis (alarm clock, journal/book) along with items that are decorative. Decorative items like small trinket trays, lidded boxes and containers can work as storage AND as a design statement. And personal items like books and picture frames will add a personal feel to the decor on your nightstand.

♦ The Background! Even if you have a wall decor piece hanging over your bed, don’t forget about the wall space directly behind the nightstand. Hanging a mirror or piece of artwork over your bedside table is a great to build up the impact for the overall vignette. You can even lean pieces of art or other flat decor against the wall like I did at Christmas one year to enhance the layered look of your decor.

♦ Softness! A soft element like flowers or greenery can add an air of energy and life to the vignette.

♦ Keep it Fun! And finally, as you go about decorating your nightstand, throw in an unexpected object to add personality and flair.

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Nightstand Styling Inspiration

In addition to the tips above, I also wanted to serve up some visual inspiration for you. I went virtual shopping at Z Gallerie and put together two inspiration boards that pull all the elements together.

It’s no secret that I one of my favorite color combinations is black, white and gold and Z Gallerie as some beautiful decorative pieces that will work great in a bedroom. This look is bold, dramatic and super chic!

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Shop the Black & Gold Nightstand Vignette:

Devon Table Lamp // Rey Mirror // Allium Sphere

Camille Tray // Acropolis Frame // Sawyer Nightstand // Emila Canisters // Chanel Book

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My current bedroom decor is a black and white theme and I’m working on a summer refresh to incorporate more blue and white. This look is classic, elegant and has a calming feel.

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Shop the Blue & White Nightstand Vignette:

Let Me Go Artwork // Addison Table Lamp // York 3-Drawer Nightstand //Acropolis Bookends // Charles Table Clock

Gold Elephant Jewelry Dish //Glow Candle // Potted Phalaenopsis

Surround yourself with things you love!

Budget Decorating: Basket Decor

June 9, 2016

If there’s one thing you are guaranteed to find in any thrift store you shop at, it’s baskets. There is always a wide array of shapes, sizes and designs to choose from and for just a few dollars you can buy a great decorative accessory for your home. When it comes to decorating with baskets, they are one of the more budget friendly design elements you can incorporate into your home.

BASKET DECOR

Large baskets can be customized with a light kit and turned into stylish lighting. African baskets are ideal for this project because of the beautiful colors and designs they boost. Here’s a great DIY basket light tutorial.

With a collection of flat baskets you can create a really stunning and impactful wall statement. Combine different textures and weave designs to create lots of visual impact.

{it’s easy to paint baskets to create a colorful mix}

UpStyle plain storage baskets using paint and use them to hold item all around your house.

Let these beautiful painted pieces inspire you…

{painted basket DIY here}

During spring and summer, baskets can be used to hold floral stems or branches to add an organic touch to your decor.

Lidded baskets can be stacked to create a unique side table and give your added storage.

Place houseplants in baskets so they blend effortlessly into your decor.

I use baskets all over my house for both storage and as a design statement and consider them one of my essential decorative accessories.

The next time you go thrifting you might want to take another spin down the basket aisle.

image source: 1) Lonny 2) unknown 3) hgtv 4) Natalie Fuglestveit Interior Designs 5) Completely Coastal 6) Tracery Interiors 7) Far & Wide 8) The Inspired Room 9) Completely Coastal 10) BHG 11) Top This Top That

Design Guide: Curtains 101

June 3, 2016

Every designer knows that a good pair of curtains can transform the look and feel of a room. Like accessories, curtains add color, pattern, texture and personality. Curtains can also enhance a space, giving the illusion of height, visually expanding the size of a window and enhancing the way light flows into a room.

Selecting a curtain style and pattern is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to adding drapes to your decor. Measuring for the right size and hanging your drapes in the correct way will make all the difference in how the curtains look and function in your room. Here’s your design guide for curtain decor…

MEASURE

The appropriate placement for window treatments is for them to hang above and outside the window frame.

WIDTH: The best placement for a curtain rod is to have the brackets sit outside the window frame. Anywhere from 10 to 12 inches beyond the window frame will work in most homes however you can place the brackets wider is you have a small window and want to give the impression that it’s wider.

To create fullness with your drapes, double the width of the panels for custom drapes or hang two panels together for off-the-shelf drapes. Sheer curtains will require more fabric width to create a sense of fullness.

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LENGTH: To draw the eyes upward and to give visual height to a room, add 4 to 6 inches above the window frame. Or, you can measure halfway between the top of the window and the ceiling.

To determine what length panels you need, measure from the floor up to where you plan on hanging the rod, then round-up to the closest panel size. You can always hem curtains that are too long but you have not options is the curtain panels are too short.

The trend for drapery panels is for them to ‘kiss’ or skim the floor. This look is classic and will work in more decor settings. For a more casual feel, you can allow the drapes to pool slighting on the floor (2 to 3 inches). If you want real drama, you can allow the drapes to puddle 4 to 6 inches on the floor but this length is not recommended for drapes that will be opened and closed on a daily basis (or if you have cats) 🙂

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THE DETAILS

The curtain rod and finials you choose for your home will add to the overall decor of your room. Think of these pieces like you do jewelry to an outfit and select a style that works with the style of your room. No matter what your price-point or style you needs, you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for at big box stores or through catalogs. Here are some of my go-to sources:

Wayfair–a wide range of items including double curtain rods and decorative finials.

Ikea–a great source for inexpensive, basic rod styles, clips and finials. Also a great source for budget-friendly curtain panels.

Home Depot–this super store has a great selection rods and finials including Traverse Rods which are built on a track system and allow you to easily open and close curtain panels.

Restoration Hardware–I love their selection of classic rod styles especially their brass collection.

Lux Hold Ups–this Etsy shop specializes in acrylic rods and has some really chic curtain rings.

Another thing to consider when look at drapes for your home is the style of top treatment. Here’s a visual guide from Live Journal…

image via

While not all rooms call for window treatments, most rooms will benefit from the style, texture and visual impact that drapes will add to a space.

The 60-30-10 Color Rule

May 27, 2016

How confident are you when it comes to decoration with color? Like many people, this might be one area of decorating that you find challenging but don’t worry because there’s a simple design formula that can decorating with color easier.

The 60-30-10 decorating rule is a tried and true method to help pull together the color theme for a room. The rule relates to how colors should be proportioned within room to achieve a balanced and harmonious feel within the space.

The 60-30-10 color rule is really simple for anyone to apply, even the novice decorator. Here’s how it works…

60%

The main color you selected for a space should represent 60% of the color within the room. In a family room the 60% would be represented by the wall color, large decorative pieces like a rug and in some cases the larger furniture pieces like a sofa. The 60% color should serve as the dominant impact in the room and anchor the space.

30%

The 30% should be represented by the secondary color within the room and have half the impact and presence as the main color. In a family room secondary color can come from the drapes, accent furniture or even artwork. In a bedroom, the secondary colors can represented through the bed linens or smaller accent rugs. The goal is to have the secondary color (30%) be an accent and enhance the main color (60%) within the room while adding to the overall personality of the space.

10%

10% of your color within a room should be represented by accent colors. In a family room setting your accessories will provide your accent–decorative pillows, tabletop decor and smaller pieces of artwork and lighting. In a bedroom the accent colors will come from the pillows, lamps and nightstand accessories. The accent colors that represent 10% of the overall color palette should be pulled from your drapes, area rug and larger upholstered pieces so that the overall color theme ties together.

Here are a couple of examples showing the 60-30-10 color rule in use…

Using the 60-30-10 color rule can make choosing color simple, and help you achieve balance in decorating.

Finding the right color balance within a room can be challenging but if you follow the general principles of the 60-30-10 color rule you’ll be able to create a color theme for any room in your home with confidence. And if an abundance of color is what you love, follow your gut and decorate fearlessly like actress Mindy Kaling did in her home office below.

design by Nathan Turner

image source: Country Living, DIY Network

Product + Inspiration: Cloth Napkin Pillow Covers

May 26, 2016

When we purchased our first home in Seattle years ago we didn’t have a lot of money to spend on decorating it. One day when walking through a department store I picked up a pack of cloth dinner napkins that were on clearance. The pattern was what caught my attention at first but as I opened the napkins up, I remember thinking that they would make great pillow covers. Fast forward to today and cloth napkin pillow covers are still one of my ‘design on a dime’ decorating tips.

If you’ve never thought about using cloth napkins to make pillow covers, let me tell you why it’s a good idea:

♦ Most cloth napkins are sized perfectly for pillows–18″ x 18″ or 20″ x 20″ which means standard pillow inserts will fit.

♦ Cloth napkins are already hemmed so there is no cutting on your part.

♦ Cloth napkins are inexpensive so you can make seasonal pillow changes without breaking the bank.

♦ Many big box stores (Pottery Barn, World Market, Target) sell napkins in the same prints that they sell in their pillow collection so you can have the same look for a fraction of the price.

♦ Napkin pillow covers are simple to sew or you can use fabric glue to make the pillow covers if you don’t have a sewing machine or don’t know how to sew.

♦ You can add decorative trim to your napkin pillow covers to UpStyle the look even more.

Now let’s get to the inspiration part of the post and check out some pillow covers made using cloth napkin…