DC Design- Lots going on!

This past week our good friends Brooke & Steve Giannetti of Velvet & Linen were in town visiting with two of their kids, Nick & Leila.  Thursday night, Dave & I went to an insanely perfect cocktail party in their honor thrown by Loi Thai and Tom Troeschel, owners of Tone on Tone, a beautiful antiques store in Bethesda.  Like usual, I forgot to take very many pictures (I'm usually having too much fun, let's be honest) but to say Loi & Tom's place was amazing is a serious understatement.  I have NEVER been somewhere like this house.  It completely transports you to another place.  You don't feel like you're in Kansas DC anymore.  Because I forgot to take photos, I've taken most images of these from Joni of Cote de Texas's blogpost of almost 2 years ago when the house was just newly renovated, so there have been a lot of changes since then.  The walk up to the front of the house is incredible.  Boxwoods and trees now surround the front lawn which is empty in this photo:

{The limestone pavers on the front porch are so beautiful...  I felt like we were walking around on Mt.Olympus here...  The doors were flung open and a Spring breeze flowed into the house.}

  The entire home feels completely open to the outdoors & to me, there's nothing better than that.

{looooove the skylights in this house!!!}

Almost everything is done in shades of white & neutrals (hence the name "tone on tone") and the floors are even bleached wood:

You feel like you're floating around the house...

There were small green accents throughout the home and I fell in love with these cheeky industrial green pendants in the kitchen:

I enjoyed the far right barstool as well...  With less than a month to go 'till baby comes, I REALLY loved the food & had a great little spot to indulge!!!  mm mmm mmm!

The kitchen & attached family room is where Loi & Tom do most of the "living" and it's a bit less formal than the rest of the home.  They have topiaries & ferns all over the house (which are my FAVORITE things to accessorize with & that I unfortunately can't keep alive) and they're so beautiful:

{This console bisects the kitchen/ family room so the TV is opposite the kitchen.  There's the most beautiful skylight above the topiaries.}

The pair of maiden hair fern may have been my favorite accessory in the entire home.  Here's one of them on a pedestal flanking the fireplace:

..But of course my favorite part of the night was seeing so many great friends & people all in 1 place.  The DC Design Community is full of amazing people & personalities and there's never enough time to see all the people, so it was so nice to get to see so many sweet faces at once. 

{Brooke, Leila, me and Leah Moss of Moss Eclectic}

 I'm so glad Brooke & Steve came to DC.  They were signing copies of their book, Patina Style, which if you haven't read yet, needs to happen.  It's full of beautiful photos & such practical hands-on information.

{Image from  Patina Style   }

We were able to steal them away from their busy schedule Friday for a trip to the Air & Space Museum (boys-only...  Leila & Brooke & I hung at home) and for hanging out & pizza & cupcakes.  (mm-mm-mm!!)  Of course I didn't take photos, but if I had, you would have seen me lying on the couch and Brooke lying on a chair having a "sympathy pregnancy" for me.  :)  Sometimes it's nice to just veg out. 

I'm off for the day but thank you so much to Loi & Tom for such a beautiful night!!  Here they are in their (perfect) living room towards the end of the party:

{They are so sweet & hospitable and I'm pretty much in awe over their house...  I'm one of those annoying people who ends up leaving a party last or almost last (I somehow don't notice when people are saying goodbye) so thanks for putting up with me Loi & Tom!!}

And, speaking of great DC people, the DC Design House just opened this weekend & it's looking beautiful!!  My good friend John Matthew Moore sent me  this photo of the gorgeous foyer he just completed:

{Yay Matthew!!!!   photo by Angie Seckinger}

For information on visiting the DC Design House, visit the website here: Dcdesignhouse.com

My room from last year's DC Design House is actually in this month's issue of Better Homes & Gardens Magazine too so if you see it on newsstands, check it out.  (As soon as I get images, I'll be sure to post!! :)

Also, for more images & information on Tom & Loi's home, be sure to check out Joni's post:  Cote de Texas Ton-on-Tone post 

I just realized Loi has a blog, Tone on Tone, and you can view it here.  The most recent post is about keeping his topiaries alive!! :)




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

Easter Pretties

We got home from a trip to Charleston Saturday night & were able to enjoy Easter at home.  Dave surprised me with these daffodils (I was disappointed because I never had the time this season to pick the ones from our yard so he came to the rescue.)

And it was such a pretty day!!! I love this weather... In the morning, I set the table with some antique blue & white china that my mom gave me years ago ( & that I'd almost forgotten I owned. )

Justin was being "helpful"----

I labeled the eggs with our names & set them in little bowls filled with reindeer moss:

The lucite & brass candlesticks with charteusy-green candles were a gift from Eddie & Jaithan the last time they visited & I love the vintage-modern feel of them:

Later in the day, my family came over & I had to take a pic of these beautiful mini strawberry flower cupcakes my mom & little sister made:

And my grandmother made these adorable bunny twist buns.  (below) Seeing them brought me back to when I was a little girl & she used to make them.  (She hasn't in years & I totally forgot all about them...  She now has to make them every year because I neeeeeeeed them ;)

We had enough family over that we put the leaf in the table & I ran out of blue & white china but there's something I love about getting a pretty table ready for a holiday.  (I guess maybe it's that I never really put any time into it & on holidays I have the time??  Or the reason for doing it??  Lately we've been so busy that mealtimes have taken sort of a backseat & I certainly haven't been making any pretty table settings.  A while back I was going to try to do at least 1 pretty planned meal a week but that sort of got forgotten.  BUT...  for the next few weeks before our Baby #3 arrives, I think I'll try to make a little bit of an effort... before the Baby Haze sets in & the thought of a pretty planned meal is laughable.)

We had an Easter Egg Hunt in the yard...

{I'll try to stop posting pics of my wisteria  arbor but I'm not promising it...  I cannot tell you enough how happy it makes me!!!!!}

And the boys (okay, me too) ate a disgusting amount of chocolate...

It was a great day. 

I'm without babysitting today so I have the boys home with me for one more day before the real work week sets in.  I've been feeling a bit anxious about the baby coming so soon and all of the work we have planned to squeeze in before that time.  With a last-minute photo shoot and a few design plans & installations for clients, I know I'll be able to power through it, but I have to admit, I'm a little nervous.  I'm feeling pretty good physically (we are just finally getting over that awful bug we all had at out house- arrgggg) but I can tell my body's about to try telling me to slow down a little.   My cankles come & go (ps- so embarrassed I misspelled cankles in a previous post.. I'll blame it on pregnancy brain ;)  and the baby's starting to make things pretty tight in there.  Bathroom breaks are a constant but if I can just keep running for a few more weeks, I should be good.  Both of my boys came early so I need to get things wrapped up as best as possible before the first week of May.  Fingers crossed for me!! 



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

Time Off

I'm enjoying some time off with my family this week for Easter. 

{We're not here...  but how great would that be?!   ...image by Coastal Living }

{Still, I've got it made with my little guys & some quality time.  With just over a month left until we have Baby #3, I'm really feeling the need to give as much attention as possible to my 2 yr old & 4 yr old.  I know how nutty it gets once baby gets here!!}

Enjoy the rest of your week &  happy Easter to you & your family!!

Easy Breezy Leaves

I'm often drawn to photos of rooms that feature massive leaves.  The give a room an easy breezy, relaxed feel (that's often tropical, depending upon the leaves.)

{Coastal Living}

An arrangement of massive leaves is one of the easiest to make & it has a huge impact on a space.

I have a big suppliy of hosta leaves in my yard & so they end up in my photographed spaces fairly often...

I grouped them together in demijohns on this workspace in my client's living room:

Another great source for oversized leaves is the potted plants section of Home Depot/ Lowe's.    Sadly, I'm a plant killer (they die slow dry deaths at my house) but I don't feel as bad when I cut up the plant for arrangements like this one I did in a client's living room on the ottoman:

I wish I could squeeze this post packed with photos of gorgeous rooms that feature big cut leaves, but I have to run for the day!!  Have a good one!!

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