Holiday Home Ideas

I'm back from a nice pre-holiday visit with family and gearing up for Christmas with these inspiring holiday home ideas from Southern Living. My favorite is the vintage & whimsical mantel filled with faux snow, mason jars and vintage reindeer. Adorable, right? I would also like to announce the winners of the handmade ornaments (randomly picked by my sweet nephews!). Congratulations to...

Danielle from Fresh Quince
Megan from pink o'clock
J. Henderson

Thank you all for entering and I hope you are enjoying your pre-holiday with final wraps and trimmings. Enjoy!

Link - Southern Living

Pale & Interesting

Hello, hello! I've been a little under the weather recently and all I want to do is hibernate inside the beautiful interiors by Dave Coote. I would love to escape the holiday rush and frigid cold by spending the winter in these cozy, white filled spaces. Alas the real world calls, but at least I get to share a fun, holiday project with you this week. I'm going to pack away the cold medicine and muster up the strength to get everything ready for posting. Add in a little giveaway plus cyber eggnog and we might just have ourselves a holiday blog party!

Dave Coote and his wife also run the online homeware boutique Pale & Interesting - a must see for charming, functional and unique objects.

Link - Dave Coote Design

Amanda Nisbet Design

Interior designer Amanda Nisbet brings a whole new look to bright colors and clever object placement. If you are feeling the need to re-organize your space, then don't forget to keep these inspiring ideas in mind...

- Conversational Tables: Coffee tables, end tables and beside tables don't have to be square and boring. Nisbet mixes it up with small round tables, upholstered benches and a tufted club chair. The 3-tier beside table is also a nice touch because it looks great and provides plenty of storage.

- Art & Color: From big and bold to small and sketchy, art can be simple and creative. Nisbet creates striking color combinations by bringing the colors from the room's artwork into the furniture and textiles.

- Signature Pieces: Every room has a special touch whether it's a stone owl, a citron yellow chair or mirrored wall art. These unique pieces add a nice surprise to the space and center the room. What signature piece will you feature in your space?

Link - Amanda Nisbet

Lisa Sherry Interieurs

A post from Coco+Kelley led me to Lisa Sherry Interieurs, a North Carolina based interior design studio creating new visions for residential and commercial interiors. The owner, Lisa Sherry, spent years in the fashion photography industry as a set designer and photo stylist. Lisa's style has been aptly named Casual Luxe because of her beautiful interiors and unexpected touches.

Be inspired and try these key features in your home like:

1. A collage wall of collections. Add sculptural elements like classic candle holders or antlers to give the wall more dimension and interest.

2. Create calmness with a simple, neutral palette and edited accessories. Add your wow factor with antique and new objects, organic textures and a touch of glamour (hello pink satin headboard!).

3. Go dramatic in the bathroom with a fun and creative mural. Using monochromatic colors (example above - gray, cream, black and silver) will make the mural pop and keep it sophisticated.

I'm feeling very inspired by Lisa Sherry's work and I hope you do too...what will you try first?

Link - Lisa Sherry Interieurs

Ethnic Accents

Ethnic touches within the lighting and bedding. Aren't those exposed chair backs amazing? House Beautiful

Sweet furniture and textiles from Sang and Serena.

Ethnic rugs and accessories even work in the kitchen. Lonny Magazine

Unique objects, like Balinese baskets and mantel banderas, from The Loaded Trunk provide a warm touch.

Last week we explored exotic sites for ethnic inspired ideas, and I would like to continue our journey with more objects and spaces using ethnic accents. As I mentioned before, the key to incorporating ethnic style in your home is through a moderate use of accessories. As you can see from the examples above the ethnic touches are simple, yet still bring a sense of warmth and comfort to the space. Plus, you don't have to go to faraway lands to find unique pieces (unless you want to of course!). Small furniture, blankets and objects can be found through the web or even at a local shop or fleamarket. Find the perfect piece that adds another layer to your story.

Do you enjoy ethnic accents? If so, I would love to hear how you incorporate them into your style...

Seaside Perfection

Seaside living meets Danish modernist in the home of photographers Amy and Joe Keller. Their South Shore, Boston cottage is the perfect balance of vintage and modern style with antiques, souvenirs and mid-20th-century furniture. Tongue-and-grove ceilings, pale wood floors and colorful vintage collections create a nostalgic feel in the Keller's new home. Neutral walls also provide a warm backdrop to the beautiful pops of turquoise blue accents. The cottage is topped off with playful accessories like driftwood, pottery and vintage metal globes. To me, this house is absolute perfection and I can only hope my future awesome lakeside retreat will be as equally charming. Stay tuned for a look inside their bedroom and a vintage collection you don't want to miss!

Photographs via Cottage Style Magazine

Cottage Style

The long week is over and now it's time to escape into Paige Stefani's beach retreat featured in the latest issue of Cottage Style. Normally my tastes lean toward bright and vintage interiors, but it's hard to resist a cozy cottage retreat. My favorite detail is the monogrammed pillows, which proudly display their 750B beach address. It's time to step away from the initials and use this clever idea to inspire and update your next monogram project! The beautiful details combined with the relaxed furniture, neutral palette and teal exterior create a perfect weekend escape. Speaking of, I'm actually heading to the beach this weekend and I can't be more excited! I desperately need the break and I look forward to doing as little as possible. Sun, sunscreen, sleep, eat, read...yep that about covers it. Now if only I could track down a pink bike for afternoon rides...

Here's to a wonderful weekend full of sun, friends and relaxing!

Vintage Filled Home

Hello, hello! Wow, it's been a hectic couple of weeks (and months) so I apologize for the sporadic posting. Is your May also very busy?

In the midst of crazy I've been scouring magazines for trend inspiration and I can't get enough of Catherine Hammerton's eclectic London apartment featured in Elle Decoration UK. The colors and vintage finds create a fun, welcoming and inspiring space. Some of my favorite elements include the red clock in the kitchen and vintage school book on her bedside table. Catherine Hammerton also creates beautiful wallpaper with vintage elements like old stamps, fabric and trim. I can see now where she gets all her wonderful inspiration!

Link - Catherine Hammerton