Bright Colors in Country Living!

This has to be one of my favorite magazines right now. I was a big fan 10-15 years ago but I found the decor highlighted back then was a tad frumpy and I was a newlywed looking for youthful and fresh ideas. So I stopped reading it for a while.  I recently discovered that something has definitely changed and the home tours they are choosing now fit the 30-40 year old generation like me so beautifully! Check out this home featured this month! I love the pops of color used with warmer brown tones. It is making me rethink some things????

Exciting News to Share with You!

A couple of months ago, I was contacted by a writer from the The Bump magazine. You are probably thinking what I was at the time "I never heard of this magazine??" Well, The Knot, The Nest and The Bump are three magazines from the same parent company and well.....as you probably guessed The Bump magazine is a magazine devoted to pregnancy and parenthood. I was asked to give some design advice on decorating nurseries and this month's issue features one of my tips!!! The was really exciting for someone like me who has just started in the design business. You can pick up a hard copy of the magazine in local obstetrical office that carries it. So, that is what I wanted to share with you and I also wanted to say have a beautiful fall weekend and go out and enjoy the outdoors, the colors quickly fade.....

Vintage Etsy Wall Decor

Looking at options for wall decor out there is not that easy.......I went to my fav website Etsy and found some great vintage pieces for my home but now it is deciding which pieces to buy??? I am afraid if I wait too long they will be purchased by someone else. So, time is of the essence! Do you have a favorite of the ones below? I would love your feedback! 

My New Favorite Picks from Clayton Gray Home

This image takes my breath away....That hasn't happened in quite a while and one of the features I love the most are these gorgeous chairs. So I searched all over and finally found chairs very similar to the vintage ones in the photo. I was so excited until I saw the price but one can dream.....is my motto! Here are some other great black and brass things at Clayton Gray Home that I wanted to share! Do you love them as much as I do?

Abstract Art!

I have been trying to finish up our living room for now and artwork is a must! I have been drawn to abstract art lately and I am thinking of incorporating it into a gallery wall like these below...

via Small Shop Studio

via UGallery

Tips for Styling Your Bookshelves

Stumped is the one word to describe my feeling about our bookshelves in our living room. I love to read and I have a passion for books...... One of the parts of our living room redo is painting and now styling our bookshelves. I have found some great photos that highlight some valuable tips. My problem is I love the crazy, filled to the brim styling of some of these BUT I am also drawn the simplicity of the others. What to do..... can you help me out by commenting and letting me know which ones you love! 

Loving the use of color and finishes in these bookshelves. Most books are stacked horizontally with accents of art and decorative personal items .

Every shelf is filled...a true readers sanctuary....

Books are arranged vertically and by color. An easy way to use this tip is to remove the paper cover on your hardback books. An assortment of decor items are kept at bay.

Monochromatic shelving is accented in the most simple of ways.

Wallpaper on the back of this set of shelving is a great idea to bring some visual interest. Note: I would only do this on a smaller bookcase. All decor items are white which allows the paper to be the focus.

A dark color painted on the back wall allows the decor and books to be the focus. Simplicity at its best!

My Living Room and Kitchen Update...Long Overdue!

Well, the summer is keeping me busy with traveling and visiting friends....but that is not an excuse for my lack of posts the past couple of weeks:(  I have been busy with a few clients and I have also been busy with updating our living room and kitchen. It has been a lot of fun and I am loving the results so far. I hope you do to. It is always a lot easier to do designs for others than it is for yourself and we have changed our look a lot and both the hubby and I are really happy with it!

So here are some before shots of our living room. We recently moved back in, so these are photos we took the day we were moving back in, sorry for my lack of expertise......

Like in most older homes, the room is quite small and has low ceilings but we are trying to give the room an open feel and make it feel clutter free. That I have to say is really hard! But this quote from Leonardo Da Vinci reminds of why I love smaller rooms...

"Small 

rooms or 

dwellings 

discipline 

the mind, 

Large ones 

weaken it."

I made a design board like I do for all my clients and that is found here. We painted the walls Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter and gave all the trim a fresh coat of Super White and it brought a fresh clean feeling that we were looking for. We are not quite done yet with wall decor and some other furnishings but I wanted to share some of what we have done so far! Do you like it?? I know it is not every one's taste but I love the neutral backdrop and the mix of metals and ceramic pieces together.

The other side of the room is not finished...so that will be coming soon. We did paint the built in and replaced the knobs with those great little ones from Anthropologie. A few more additions and tweaks and it should be done. Built ins are very hard to style and next week I am going to do a post on tips for putting them together.

Also, we did a couple of updates in the kitchen. We hung a small gallery wall of photos which used to be in another room. I set them quite high but I feel like it draws the eye upwards and gives a little more height to our 7 1/2 foot ceilings. Adding the upholstered chairs makes it feel a bit more formal and gives the table a presence. We picked up those goodies at Marshalls for $99.00 each, love it when you can find a good deal!

Then there is this small wall next to our front door that never gets used. So we set up this small table with some candles and pretty things that I love!

 When all is said and done....I will get professional photos taken and share the finished space! Thanks for reading today and for following.

I wanted to ask you my readers...

What is specific design challenge you are having in your home? Write to me about it and I will post some suggestions that all can benefit from especially me!!