Restoration Hardware has some great faux fur gifts this year…at great prices! We snagged several of these faux fur wine bags for just $9 each and faux fur scarves for just $29 each. We also love their faux fur blankets (bigger than a throw) that cover the entire bed, on sale now for $199 (originally $250). It feels so decadent to snuggle up in this soft fur. It not only makes a great holiday gift- but also a wonderful anniversary gift.
By layering different textures when setting a table you can add visual interest. Here I set a deep gray wood table with charcoal gray felt placemats. Then I added horn handled flatware and glazed china with a fine gauge gray linen napkin. A little whimsy never hurts either. I love to use these faux birds (see photos below) which you can find at most any craft store. I placed a bird in a cup of peanuts leaning over a glass tumbler like he’s going to take a drink. Individual little cups at each placesetting are a nice detail- whether you … Read more
A color palette can be inspired from anything. Look around and you can find inspiration most anywhere- from nature, a unique colored glass, a package or label, or even materials found around your own home. My stone fireplace in my bedroom with a wood beam mantel inspired the color palette in my master bath. I have two old ornate ceiling tiles leaned against the stone wall on my matel that I found at the old 26th Street antiques market in NYC years ago. The panels add even more texture and the creams in the square panels break up the heavy … Read more
A fun idea for your stairs, especially if you have young children, is to add wall decal numbers to the risers of your stairs. This is much easier than painting on a stencil and they are easily removable. I usually use the company Wall Words for any decal project I do. For this one I used “Garamond” type in 2.5 inches in height and the color I chose was “Wedgewood Blue”. When I entered the custom order I just made sure to put enough spaces in between the numbers so I would be sure to have enough room to … Read more
Throughout the beach house I used Benjamin Moore’s, Blue Note, Westcott Navy, Seafoam, Ice Mist, Ocean Air, Gossamer Blue, Jamestown Blue, Rendezvous Bay and Calypso Blue. The formal dining/living/family room is painted in blue note- it’s warm and cozy and the black flat screen tv disappears against it. You almost feel like you are in a movie theatre. The casual breakfast room is painted in decorator’s white but the painter dropped about 2 drops of blue note into the white to make a beautiful blue gray. The hallways are painted in sea foam. The kitchen and … Read more
Vintage pieces are always great to pick up at flea markets or antique markets either as gifts or for the upcoming holidays. If you don’t have time to hit the markets my shop has a few pieces like napkin rings, sugar spoon sets with mother of pearl spoons etc.. These make wonderful hostess gifts too if you are invited to someone else’s home for the holidays. Felt placemats are also a nice gift. My shop carries them in this blue you see pictured above or in a dark charcoal gray. We also carry felt trivets, bags and … Read more
I hope everyone had a great holiday yesterday. This week I wanted to do blues and grays- a color palette I worked with for my own beach house. I installed gray hardwood floors, white moldings and used all shades of blues for the walls. I even had a few pieces of my pine furniture painted pale shades of blue to lighten the rooms. I’ll show you the furniture examples later this week. For today though, nature seemed to be the best inspiration for this color palette.
When you are searching for ribbon- whether it’s for your wedding bouquet, favors or holiday wreaths… one of my styling sources is Masterstroke Canada for ribbons. Owner, Steven Fraser, is an expert in the field and has a very extensive collection. From satin to grosgrain to velvet, you can find most any color, width or novelty ribbon you can imagine. If you don’t see it on their online store, then I’m sure they can help you find what you are looking for. I highly recommend them as the ‘go to’ source for ribbon.
Have you seen the September issue of Elle Decor magazine? It features actress Reese Witherspoon’s California ranch. If you haven’t seen a copy, you can read it online. Here is the link: Elle Decor/ Reese Witherspoon. It’s understated elegance at it’s best.
