Happy New Year!!

 

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog this year!

 

Here's to a happy and healthy New Year! xoxo

 

 

 

 

 

 



Happy Thanksgiving, newsworthy, client happenings and black Friday possibilities!

I've got a lot to get to but first --- Happy Thanksgiving!

I need to get off this computer and start brining my turkey asap. If your hosting you may want to check out my post on how to set a simple holiday table -- here!

Just found out the Philadelphia Inquirer is going to interview one of my all-time favorite client's for it's Sunday Haven home section. Very exciting!

 

Here's the kitchen the Inquirer will be writing about:) You can read more about this project here and here or wait for the article!

 

 

 

 Here's what I've been up to this past week (according to my iphone anyway)

Checked on the progress of a total reno for a fun, fabulous and young family... here are some pics

LOVE this gorgeous window

paint color is nimbus Benjamin Moore


Some of their beautiful lighting was installed all from Visual Comfort.

This is probably my favorite lantern of all time --- I use it a lot -- I just can't help myself:)

I've also used it here about a year ago

 you can see more of this room HERE

The lantern below was chosen for it's versatility.

We're going to start with it hanging semi-flush to the ceiling but eventually we're placing a large circular entry table in the space and we'll lower the lantern to give it a more formal appearance.

Like this

Another one of my favorite sconces. I love it's simplicity and modern lines.

Here's the kitchen in progress

And their new modern master bath

 

On another note...

We installed these classic yet beautiful navy curtains in a family room I've been working on...

We also added a gorgeous navy textured wallpaper in this home.

 

Thibaut

 

F. Schumacher

 

More pictures to come later as these spaces develop!!

Or if you want more... check out my feed on  Instagram. So much more going on over there!

 And last but not least I wanted to share some items I've been wearing and loving... possibilities for some black Friday shopping!!

 

This fur vest

ZARA

here

 

I layer this over a black turtleneck...

525 America
Here

These leather leggings ON SALE!!!

Theory

Here

And the most most FAB, WARM (yes, warm) coat

JCREW
Here

That's all for now!
Thanks for reading!! xoxo
 

Sources, Secrets and Tips on my ORC dining room reveal

 

 

Before I share the details and secret sources for my dining room I wanted to thank you for reading this little design blog and leaving so many kind and thoughtful comments on my dining room refresh.

In addition to the amazing Linda from Calling it Home...

Thanks  to Bungalow 5 for this shout out on Insta

 

 

And to the Centsational Girl for this mention!!

 

 

And for the mentions from...

Sherry Hart at Design Indulgence

and

Pam at Simple Details

who killed it with their own ORC!

and

Jennifer at Rambling Renovators

 

so, so grateful:) xoxo

 

So here's some more scoop on the dining room. I will try to keep it short and sweet.

 

Wallpaper

Hummingbirds from Cole and Son. You can check it out here.

You can purchase through the trade, online or at your local fabric/wallpaper stores like Aubusson Home and Pryor's in Wayne, PA.

 

I always recommend  to clients that we determine how many rolls of wallpaper we'll need before we start our search. Most companies charge by the single roll but you may have to purchase in double rolls each company is different. Philip Jeffries charges by the yard. Important when determining the budget for the space.

 

 

High-Gloss Paint

I brought the wallpaper to my local Benjamin Moore store to custom match the background of the wallpaper.

 

Not as easy as it sounds because you can go in so many different directions here. I chose to move toward the greenish/mintish/pale blue tint because I wanted to envelop the whole room in this color and I wanted it be a fresh crisp modern color and not too colonial/nursery blue... make sense?

 

 

 

Window Treatments

Measured for these over and over again. Made templates. Walked away. Measured some more. Determined where I wanted my steps on the cornice to start. Other questions I asked myself: How wide did I want the cornice to be at it's shortest point? How far did I want the cornice to extend on either side? What width did I want for my side panels?

 

 

 I wanted them to feel modern and not too heavy or "old school" traditional so scale and proportion were so important. The material had to be silk for its lightness. Trim had to be a bright orange. One thing I've learned over the years is when you add trim to a fabric it can change the look/color/brightness of a fabric so I chose to go with the lighter mint color silk and add a darker brighter trim.

Details are everything.

 

Lighting

 

I ordered lamps from Bungalow 5 that I LOVED but they didn't arrive until the day after the photo shoot (insert knife in heart).

 

So I picked up these lamps at Home Goods. Yep, these beauties came from Home Goods and were 1/10 of the cost of the lamps I purchased and guess what? I'm definitely keeping them and no you can't have them:). I have a secret Home goods if you know me or you're a client of mine you know my Home Goods. Not all Home Goods are created equal my friends:)

 

Furniture

Painted a high-gloss revere pewter

Knobs and pulls Anthropologie (the day before the shoot!!)

 

My furniture before paint job

with large paint swatches on top. In contention were classic gray, stonington gray, and revere pewter

 

 

After

More Modern and Fresh

 

 

 

Mirror

Shades of Light

There were many sources for this mirror Shades of Light offered me the best price with my trade discount.

 

Gold tray - bought local Valley Forge Flowers

 

White vase - the Zhush.com

 

That's all for now! More scoop and details in my next post!

Thanks for reading!! xoxo

 

One Room Challenge - Dining Room Reveal

Well, it's a wrap. 
Not a total makeover but a good old-fashioned refresh.

To do list:

New lighting - purchased new lamps. Contemplated more modern chandy and sconces. Didn't get that far:)

New carpet - ordered but not in so I borrowed the chunky one from my family room. Totally works.  Most likely will like it better than the one I ordered.

New mirror- check.
Paint furniture - did that.
Bar cart? - borrowed from living room but its staying.
New art - yep. not sure if its staying... jury's still out.
Host chairs- ordered not here yet but did borrow these two Lee Industries chairs and they look fab:)

I installed the wall covering about 4 years ago but I wanted to paint below the chair rail the cool blue/minty green found in the background of the paper to wrap my room in that fabulous color. Probably should have painted crown and base boards???

And the star of the show... the window treatments. Thank god they made it and were hung last night.

Feel of the room that I was shooting for?
Pretty, classic and tailored yet bright and cheery!

So check it out below...

 

The pillows you see in this shoot were not fabricated for this space... they're actually for a client but they looked so good in here that I'll drop them to her tomorrow! Thanks L! xo
 

 
Window treatments are a two-step cornice box with lined panels made of 100% silk and trimmed in a 2 1/2 inch wide, bright orange trim.
This is the only delicate material in the room. I placed benches in front of the windows too keep dog noses and kid's hands at arms length.

Bar cart is Bungalow 5.
 

 

 My furniture was professionally painted in high-gloss revere pewter from Benjamin Moore. Tip: This is the perfect neutral  paint if you want to keep your room and furniture light and airy... looks much lighter on furniture than it does on walls and I LOVE it!!

 

 

 

 

 

This is what the room looked like before I started.... not horrible but unfinished.

And Now

 

By the way I love these window treatments so much I find myself staring at them constantly smiling inside:)

So there you have it!!

Thanks for reading!!

Thanks to my girlfriend Joanne Posse photography who took these pictures! LOVE her! And to Steph Shaw Designs for her advice and support and NB for the ice bucket! HA!

Check out the rest of the linking participants here! I'm heading over now:) Thanks to Linda at Calling it Home to compel me to finish this space~ xoxo


Want to see more? Follow me on Instagram

Scenes from week 5 of the One Room Challenge

Furniture has been tweaked

 

 

 

 

Art has been selected

 

Still waiting on window treatments, lamps, carpet and host chairs...

 

Not sure if they're going to make it but hey that's life! Stay tuned to see finished project.

 

I'll be honest I have NEVER done a room in 6 weeks. Never. I just can't. Wish I could. But almost done is just as good in my book, don't you agree???

 

Go here and you can check out the other participants!