Milk off the Shelf

THIS is what happens when your house is under construction, you make dinner with the kids and your spouse is working late for the night:

...Was wondering this morning how in the world we could have finished off a whole gallon of milk yesterday?  (The kids got oatmeal with water for breakfast.)...

...Until my assistant came in and asked me why the milk was on the shelf???

(I really didn't even notice it there.)  Ah vell.

Off to the grocery store!

ps- I'll be sure to post a few progress pics of the rooms we had redone!  (Undecorated as of now)

Fern Window Boxes

This past weekend we added window boxes on a whim.  I've always wanted them and they were on sale at the garden center so we went for it.  I loooove quick projects and this one was simple.  (Especially for me watching while Dave was up on the ladder ;) ;)

So far, I've been caring for them through the windows and I went with ferns because they do so well with the moisture from that air.  I'm completely blanking out on the other plant I chose but I loved it's almost flourescent color & white blooms.

The plants are so pretty from the inside too.  You can see them from the window and it feels like they're in the room with you.  We recently switched the boys' rooms so now they're sharing a bedroom and the second bedroom is a playroom.  (Over the summer when we stayed with my dad they got used to sharing a bedroom and wanted to keep it that way when we got home.   I love seeing them so excited to be together.)  Christian's "job" is watering the plants because he knows mommy runs a plant hospice.

Over the next few months we taking down a closet in the boys room to make room for a big boy bed for Justin.  I'm planning on doing duvet covers out of one of my fabrics, "Filigree Chevron" and I can't wait to see how they turn out!

We're going to my friend & photogapher Helen Norman's farm this weekend to shoot my new line of fabrics.  The crazy amount of rain we've had has but a bit of a {literal} damper on our original plans which included lots of field shots, but Helen's property has so many beautiful spots I'm not worried.  My  first textile collection is completed and I have 14 different designs with multiple colorways in each pattern for a total of about 60 different fabrics.  I plan on adding a few new designs seasonally.  I've pulled a ton of inspiration images and can't wait!!  love the idea of stacking the fabrics inside a piece of furniture like this one:

{image from theselby.com}

Enjoy your day!!

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

Changes at Home- A New Office

At our house, summertime is usually when we tackle projects at home & get the majority of things done because my husband is a teacher & is off.  When we redid our house when we first moved in, we pretty much got everything done the first summer and then kind of stopped after that.  This summer, we really didn't do much except decide what we wanted to to do with a few spaces.  yay for us.

And we did this:

Having our second little guy on the move pretty much put a stop to projects unless there's a babysitter around.  Our house has 5 bedrooms but two of them on our on lower level.  We've been using one as a guest room and the other as my husband's workout room/ our storage room.  The business is growing quickly & at this point I'm trying to avoid moving out of my house into an office (a number of reasons: schedule, expense, working in my SWEATS and I feel like I'd never see my family} SO...  we rearranged our storage (which is mostly clients' odds & ends /  furniture) and got a storage unit ,and my husband has been working out with friends out of the house daily anyway, so we stored the bench press & big weights and now have a freed up room for an additional office. yay!!

{Windsor Smith's office in House Beautiful...  Love those white board charts!!}

Anyway, unfortunately, the room has had a drop ceiling (arrggggg) so we tore it down in about 20 minutes a couple of weeks ago while the kids were napping.  It also has weird walls.  Like really weird.  I really don't know what the previous owners were thinking here...  It was some sort of painted peg board??  All over the drywall panelling??  So, we have a lot of unfun stuff to do before the pretty part.   We're tearing that down & exposing the drywall/ painting and adding in a normal ceiling.  The carpet in there is perfeectly clean/ new but I'm thinking of addding in more wall to wall seagrass.  My husband & I are worthless at drywalling, so our contractors are coming in to save the day.

I looove my current home office except it's open off of our family room so there are times when I (or my assistant- Meghan!) need to escape to quiet, so I'm excited about adding this new "quiet" space. I think it will be Meghan's office and I'll store the lamptop there & work in there half the time, but I'll probably continue working out projects on the large work table in the main office.  { I also bug Meghan all day long so she might get more work done this way ;) ;)

Suzanne Kasler's studio---- looooooove!!

Anyway, it's a very teeny space so I've been playing with floorplans & furnishings.  Another thing I'm just getting into is its mood.  Offices I tend to love are bright & large & open & airy feeling. 

{Thomas O'Brien's house.  I want this.  Really.}

This one will be more cramped cozy.


So I really want to figure out the mood here, because that open & airy thing just isn't happening.  I'm thinking of going a tad warmer & maybe a little vintage libraryish...

{Obviously still large but it has a cozier vibe}

I'll keep you posted and will be sure to post before & afters.  eeeeek can't wait!



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

How we do Floor Plans

A few of you emailed yesterday asking about how we do our floorplans.  We draw them by hand.  When we're surveying a room, we photograph it and measure it.  Everything is measured & noted: windows, ceiling height, baseboards, electrical, etc.  

Back at the office, my design assistant, Meghan, creates a scaled drawing of the room & makes a couple of copies of it.  They're then placed in the client's binder for me to work on.  I'll play around with different furniture arrangements.  Like I mentioned yesterday, some furniture plans are obvious while others have many solutions and can be tricky.

I'm not a big tech-lover and am very visual & tactile, so I prefer to move little furniture pieces around & draw on the empty floorplans myself.   One of my favorite tools is  "The Board."   It's a magnetic furniture plan kit.  I attach the floorplan to a magnetic board and the pieces of furniture are magnetic.  Once I've decided upon a furniture arrangement, I trace around the magnets in pencil or draw in the pieces and it goes back into the binder. 

I create a list of everything on the floorplan that needs to be found for the room.  Once I have the list & the floorplan, I can start specifiying products for the room.  I like to use a mix of new & vintage or antique pieces in most spaces so it's a time-consuming process.  At this point the floorplan is more of a guidline for what we're looking to do, and as I find the right pieces- in showrooms, shops, online, etc-  the exact dimensions are noted & the "messy" pencil floorplan is edited for the final floorplan.

Once I've finalized everything that will go into the room and where it is, Meg draws the final floorplan for the client's presentation.  We give our clients a design folder to keep and everything on the floorplan corresponds with the photos on the design board:

As you've probably noticed, much of this could happen in CAD, but for now it's all done by hand here. There's a certain charm to hand-drawn plans that I love.  I'm not sure we'll ever make the switch but if we do, I know I'll still be printing out the floorplans and using the board and drawing on them myself.  It's just part of how I work.

Anyway, I'd love to hear about your process for furniture plans & let me know if you have any other questions!!



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

What happens by Thursday...

...By the time Thursday rolls around at our house, it's trrrrrrrashed... Bad. 
In need of detox:

{There is this much food on the floor underneath my one year-old's high chair after every meal. 

Thank God I have a dog.}

Sometimes I look around and just wonder how in the world it happens?  How does a house get so destroyed in just 3 short days?  And the scariest part is, today's only Wednesday! Tuesday! (oh wow.  I totally wrote Wednesday and believed it until I realized my husband had class tonight, and he has classes on Tuesdays...  eeek)   We haven't even hit detox day yet!

{Clean me mommy!  Clean me!}

I sometimes wonder, "how do people do it?"  I only have two kids and it's madness here!  Last night my husband & I were hanging out in the kitchen attempting to make a yummy Valentine's Day meal, just enjoying each other's company for a few short minutes, when the dog came in, soaked and covered in PINK stuff.  And she smelled like strawberries!!

We followed her wet trail down the hall to our bedroom to find Christian (3 1/2) & Justin (1).  Justin was also covered in strawberry-flavored pink stuff literally from head to toe. 

Kids' toothpaste.  Awesome.

It was really hard not to laugh- especially when after a quick glance around my bedroom I could see that my room was okay (only half-kidding)...   And especially when it was one of the nicest-smelling messes our house has ever seen.  So I sort of laughed and hid my head and this time Dave got to be the stern parent.  All was well.

Christian has started reminding me of a little boy from Lord of the Flies. His hair goes wild at night and when he wakes up in the morning he rips all of his clothes off for his bath... but way earlier than need be.  We just need a fire.

{Christian... }

But anyway... my question...  how in the world do people do it??  I imagine nice calm breakfasts like in Lady & the Tramp where the family sits and eats and then everyone goes on their merry way.  Each dish is put into the dishwasher and the beds are made.  We rush around like crazy people in the morning and trash our house.  Why??

Case in point:  my husband just walked downstairs to where I am now writing, saying "I cleaned and I picked up, and I cleaned and I picked up, and I cleaned and I picked up..."  (I got all excited here) "...and it's still trashed."  oh.  And then he walked down the hallway and I heard,  "ooooooooooohhhhhhhhhh!" and I will not tell you what he found because I still have maybe half an ounce of self-respect left but let's just say the dog's in trouble. 

The strangest part about all of this is...  I'm coming to terms with the mess, which is a little scary.  I know we fix it every week and I know it comes back every week.  It's inevitable and I've found it interesting to observe that Thursdays really seem to be the culmination of the mess.  (And a little freaked out to realize that today is only Tuesday and it looks a lot like a Thursday around here.)

So anyway...  every so often I bring up this topic on the blog, because every so often I need to make changes.  Sometimes I just want to sit down and give up on fighting the inevitable mess.  (Ummm... and sometimes I do.)   BUT, it's at times like this when we need to FIGHT THE FIGHT.  (Yes, I'm pep-talking myself here.) I have to remind myself that if we don't keep cleaning, the goverment would have to come dig us out of our house.   No really though...  if we don't keep trying, life wouldn't be as great.  It's hard to enjoy the people you love when the mess is eating them.  We have to periodically come up with new solutions to force ourselves (and our family) to keep the house neater...  to change our natural tendencies into ones that don't require detox Thursdays.  I'm too tired to come up with any enlightening solutions right now, but my question is-  how do you do it all?




ps- This post here from last year is a bit more helpful  (as are the comments) if you're looking for some solutions to this problem! ;)

Phew!! And poinsettias...

This past weekend was definitely a reversion back to college all-nighters at our house.  (And not the good kind, the working-all-night-last-minute-on-a-paper-kind)...  We had an event for charity at our house to get ready for & of course the kids (and us!) got sick and wanted our attention 100% of the time.  We literally had to attempt to get every hair into place at the house - in every room- before the event and sleep just could not happen. My voice still hasn't fully returned.

{Even Mr.Asparagus Fern got some Christmas balls}

...And I think I need to clean my camera lense...

It was time to get all of those "little" projects finished like replacing light fixtures and painting and of course CLEANING hardcore...  which is always a little sad because I know the moment we come home with our kids it will be trashed again.  There were literally times when I just sat down and stared, not knowing what to do next considering maybe giving up.  ha    riiiiiiight

Anyway, along with getting the house ready, we decorated it for Christmas.  This year I was given two big beautiful poinsettia plants so I used them around the house in arrangements everywhere.  In the living room, kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms.  I was amazed by how far the two plants stretched.  They did the whole house!  I think I remember seeing this idea in last year's Better Homes & Gardens December issue and loving it.  It was an awesome way to get a massive amoutn of holiday flowers and arrangements without spending a ton.   

{poinsettia arrangements from Domino mag via hwtm blog}

In our house, we went with white poinsettias because red doesn't work very well in here.  It's really interesting that poinsettias' petals are actually leaves that have changed colors and not petals.  According to the Mexican legend, poinsettias were just a humble weed until one night when a poor little girl named Pepita had nothing to give to the baby Jesus in the Nativity scene at her Church.  She decided to pick a bouquet of the weeds but was still embarrassed and upset she had nothing to give but weeds.  When she presented her gift to the baby Jesys her lowly "weeds" bloomed into beautiful big red flowers right in front of everyone,according to the legend, and it became known as a "Christmas miracle."

{our mantle}

According to Vonda J. Sine's article on poinsettias, "This beautiful Mexican plant is such a symbol of Christmas that an act of the U.S. Congress named December 12 Poinsettia Day, Holiday Insights reports.  This special day honors Joel Roberts Poinsett, who as the first ambassador to Mexico introduced the poinsettia to the United States. He raised the plants on his Greenville, South Carolina plantation and gave them to friends as gifts."

{a silver basket hiding beneath the blooms on a side table}

{antique creamer on the mantle}

{vintage trophy on the mantle}

...Anyway, the weekend went off without a hitch- thanks to some amazing friends & neighbors- and we're here to tell the tale. 

Also, if you've emailed a question to me recently and haven't heard back, please shoot me another email.  I'm having a really difficult time right now balancing family work and the blog, and blog-related queries often have to take a backseat because there simply aren't enough hours in the day.  Also, in the back of the Better Homes & Gardens Magazine you can find sources for everything in my home.  I gave them the information myself so it's correct but I know some of the items like the caged lanterns often go on backorder/ aren't always available.  Thanks so much for understanding!!

 

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

My Vintage Peanut

{Our dining room server }

About a year ago, I came across a silverplated vintage peanut and snapped it up because it's one of those pieces that just makes me happy.  It's definitely not something to be taken seriously and adds a little fun anywhere it goes.  I've seen another 1 or 2 of them out and aboupt since then and just love them.

It's marked "F.B. ROGERS Silverplate."  The company was founded in 1883 in Massachusetts and is still in business today.  When I picked it up I thought it was such a cool piece and pictured reproducing it.  Well, you've heard the saying "there are no new ideas..."  Last weekend at High Point I walked into Go Home's showroom and there was my silver peanut!  Doppelganged!!  They're set to be retailed around $50 each.  Here's their version:

It's pretty  much identical except for the inside of the new peanuts are silver, whereas mine is gold:

{Yum yum...  see my reflecion in the peanut?}  I didn't have any peanuts to put inside so I went with almonds instead.

The peanut is set out on a little bar tray ready to be enjoyed with some Fall cocktails:

{Bar tray dressed with weeds from my garden in a vintage silver creamer}

What are your thoughts on reproductions?  I sway between loving the idea of having things more accessible and available to the idea of keeping things rare & unique.  I personally love finding my own treasures but it's not always a possibility for everyone...  Very torn.
Have a beautiful weekend!! 




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

Pure Project # 15: A touch of Fall

One of my favorite things to do is to tweak my home seasonally or when the mood strikes (or naptimes coincide ;)  This weekend in Virginia, we got a beautiful little blast of Fall and it was Heaven!!!  The windows were opened all weekend and when we took our walks I noticed the crunch of the acorns underfoot.  So...  that meant it was time for a few teensy tweaks at home... not full-blown Fall, but just a touch of it mixed with mostly "Summer."

I found the antique quatrefoil table at Lucketts this weekend and its granny-feel is perfect for my mood.  (Not that I'm feeling like a granny but a touch of it feels perfectly "homey" for early Fall ;)  I brought out some of my old golden-orange pillow I made a while back and mixed them with a piece of my grandmother's vintage fabric.  (I think it used to be curtains??  When I saw the fabric being used to store something in my grandparents' garage a couple of years ago, I asked them for it.)  I don't have a patterned sofa & sometimes wish I did, so this is a nice compromise.  The white slipcpvered ottoman is still out but the lucite coffee table should be back in a few months when Justin's fully walking. 

Here's a close-up of the table...  I love having that shelf for my magazines:

{The boys' book basket fits just below}

How cool are the glass ball feet?!!!

{I love the creepy little faces}

I've also been drawn to cloveresque shapes lately.  (I have two gorgeous trefoil end tables in storage to be sold...  I am having issues parting with my finds...  something I haven't mentioned yet but could go on & on about.)

I picked a bunch of these purple flowers that sprouted up all over my "garden" and put them in a vintage cut glass vase.  I think they're in the mint family but I love them most because they are actually ALIVE.  (Even my mint has died...  keeping plants alive doesn't come naturally to me.)

Here's a little picture of my sofa this Spring...

And here it is now:

Who knows how long it'll stay this way but a little bit of change makes me appreciate it all the more.  Once I came to the realization that my home will never be truly "finished" and that "finishing" is not my goal, I relaxed a bit.  Things don't need to be permanent and yes, some furniture arrangements, framed prints or pillows are better than others, but that's okay because part of the fun is in experimenting. 

This week's Pure Style Project is to tweak your home a little bit for Fall...  If you'd like to share your pictures, please link up below directly to the post!!  We'd love to see them!!

If you missed my last post about the pink silo, please take a minute to read it here

Pure Projects # 12

Good morning!  Ok, so like I mentionioned on Friday, I'm attempting to be back on track with the "Pure Organization" Projects Series!  (which I'm now calling "Pure Projects" because not all will be organization :)

{Just as a reminder, in case you're a new reader or forgot (it's been a few months! ;)  every Monday I'll be blogging about  a little project we can do to get organized, make things better, prettier or more fun.  It's my way of holding myself accountable (or attempting to) and I thought it might be fun for us to do this stuff together.  So, if you want to join in, I'm using Mr.Linky at the end of this post and you just have to click on the little link at the bottom of this post and link up to your actual post.) 

This week's project is to pick flowers and/ or greenery (either on a walk, or from your yard or from a nice neighbor's yard) and put them on your table to enjoy...  Just a little simple, free way to add a little beauty to your meals.  Here's a picture of some zinnias I plucked from our (very weed-infested) garden:

They just make me happy.  I love having a small arrangement on our kitchen table so we don't have to move it at meal times.  (When the table somehow always gets trashed...  Washing ours off after dinner yesterday it looked like a little food battle had taken place...)   Anyway, hope you had a great weekend & that you'll join us today with some hand-picked pretties!! 

If you're linking up, make sure to link it to your actual project post URL instead of just to your blog so that we can click over directly to your project. Also, please only link up if you're taking part in the project.  Thanks so much!!

May & the Wild Roses

As I've mentioned before, some of my favorite types of flowers are the uncultivated kind...  wild flowers & "weeds."  May is one of the best times of the year at our house because the wild roses that litter our yard & climb up the surrounding trees have gone crazy!!!  Below is a picture of a huge patch of roses behind our property that goes 20+ feet high.  (Sorry, bad pic but they're the little white things all over the green  ;)

The wild roses smell so perfect:  sweet & the teensiest bit tangy...  I seriously can't get enough. 

I love having this untamed beauty that I don't have to take care of.  My only job is cutting the roses to bring inside with my little helper... 

He loves the smell too...

I love the simple relaxed feeling they bring to our table...

And, although I know we all have different beliefs & different religions, I thought anyone could appreciate the beauty of the wild roses next to the antique Madonna on our mantle.  I found her at an antiques shop in Leesburg, Virginia.  For Catholics, May is "Mary's Month" and many of the Churches have "May Crowning" Ceremonies.  It was one of my favorite times in gradeschool because the 8th grade girls would all get to wear pretty dresses and one of them would put a crown of roses on a Mary statue in our Church.  (Sadly, when I finally got to 8th grade after 8 years of waiting, we didn't get to do it... they switched it to 2nd graders- go figure! :)  But now my family has its own Madonna, and Christian & I had so much fun carrying out the tradition yesterday morning:

...I've been moving the kitchen table roses from room to room with me because they smell so good.  I need to get back out there & cut more!

Hope everyone's having an awesome week & enjoying spring!!!  Any special Springtime traditions in your family?

xoxo,

lauren