Accessorizing with Ferns

I love fern. Whenever I see a photo of a room with it in it, I take a second look. It just gives this awesome fresh jolt of green & energy to a space. It has a classic feel yet it's a bit wild & untamed & perfect for any modern space. (And they're so inexpensive & available!!!)

When I saw this room by Carlton Varney (in HB), it was the fern that got me. How beautiful is it against all that white?!!


I've always wanted a house with a front porch & hanging ferns on it. Something about it is so romantic & nostalgic. (2 images below from Martha Stewart)

How perfect is this porch?!! (below)

Eddie & Jaithan had a fern in their apartment:


And Eddie used one as the centerpiece for his New Orleans Showhouse dining room:



Below is a fern I used at my old townhouse a couple of years ago... (I killed it pretty quickly though--- eeeeek!!) I loved sitting in here with my fan going (this was the old big square plastic one that broke) and the windows open, blowing in the white curtains... Something about the fern and all these elements really relaxed me. Great place to read a book or take a nap...

Love how the fern below (BHG) is just sitting casually on the stairs. (It's much better than my pile of stuff that needs to go either up or down!!!)

Below is a pretty little fern in a bucket in the kitchen of the Ruthie Sommers house we all love so much: (Also, Things That Inspire let me know that the adorable crab painting is actually by a very talented artist friend of hers!!!!)

Here's a simple fern arrangement accompanied by fern plates (Country Living):

LOVE LOVE LOVE the table setting below from one of my favorite houses, Rice Cottage.

The plant below isn't a fern but I included it because it's so fern-esque ;) (BHG):

The fern in the corner gives just the hit of life this room needs (below, BHG):

Here's another pretty little fern from BHG in a shabby chic dining room:

And finally, this fern in a room done by Carrier and Company is one of my favorites. I LOVE what it does in this room (again, a white background) and it looks so perfect next to the turquoise gourd lamp. So much life!!! love it!!!

I've been waiting to get my ferns this year because we're going away for another 2 weeks and I don't want them to die while I'm gone!! (I've pledged to take better care of the next ones ;) I'm putting one in my dining room in an urn I just found. Home Depot and K-Mart have a ton for under $15. Also, if you plant them in the grount just before it gets too cold, they'll come up next Spring!! (I did this when I started to kill my indoor ferns and the ones that made it were beautiful in the Spring!!)

We'll be in the Outer Banks (North Carolina) and I'll be posting from there for the next 2 weeks!!! The house we rented is so pretty and I can't wait to show pics!!! (hahaha totally picked it because of how it was decorated ;)

xoxo,

lauren

How to "Upgrade" Decorate

When you're just starting out in a space that you plan on redesigning or decorating from scratch, there's what I call "Damage Control" to be done. (pic below is a before of my aunt's house, who I helped/ advised during her redecoration.)

These are the obvious things that need to be done and that can be done fairly quickly & fairly cheaply. Things like: painting, tearing up carpet to reveal pre-existing hardwood floors, replacing 80s window treatments or rugs with up-to-dateones, replacing an ugly chandelier, ditching outdated accessories, finding a solution for the worn sofa, creating a focal point, etc. Basically getting rid of anything that disgusts you (yes, strong word, but we know how it can be) and can be fixed easily. (In my aunt's room below, I helped her pick out the sofa- the "before" was taken just after the sofa arrived... the old one was a worn patterned piece- advised on a new rug and recommended she purchase some pillows and curtains with colors from the rugs in them and of course came over and rearranged & reaccessorized using what she already had.)

Now, most of us have what we truly want and what we can actually afford. There are items that we just simply have to save up for, but if we waited until we could actually afford them, our room would look terrible until then. (For example, with the 80s window treatments... If you left them in your room, the space would remain dated no matter what you did. Maybe you can't afford the custom lined linen beauties you want, but you can pick up something more inexpensive from a place like West Elm or Ikea until you can afford your "dream curtains.") Basically you plan on upgrading later. .)

A lot of us can't afford what we want right now but there's no reason our places should suffer style-wise. It's almost always possible to "get the look" for less. We may want the original Saarineen tulip table but if we use a knock-off with good lines, we can still have the same look for less. Eventually, if it's still bothering you, when you can afford the real thing, sell the old piece and buy the "dream item." (The blog Copy Cat Chic recreates looks for less and she's awesome at it!!! I get inspired every time I'm there, so check it out if you're looking for less expensive alternatives.)

(above is the real saarinen tulip table and below is my vintage ebay knock-off)

There are places to save and there are places to splurge. Some things you just might not be okay with skimping on and that's SO important too. If you have some high-quality basic pieces, then your stand-in cheapies will get pulled up to another level and look awesome. We hear it all the time: "A mix of high & low." Big ticket items like sofas and tables can often be expensive to replace, so these are often items I like to splurge on (relative term I know-- I STILL craigslist it haha!) or get right the first time so I don't have to rebuy. (below is a quick pic of my very-unfinshed living room right now --sorry, Christian did the photo styling for this one! toy trucks!!-- the sofa is a Lee Industries sofa (so OUT of my price range) that I found on craigslist & had reupholstered in green velvet... It's a high-quality basic piece that we'll have for a long time. (It's our splurge.) My $30 tool box coffee table looks okay with it for now and I can upgrade it later when the time's right.)

Lighting can also take spaces to another level of beautiful. Splurges here give you a lot of bang for your buck... But there are also some great sources for more inexpensive stylish lighting... It's toally up to you as to what you splurge & save on. We each prioritize differently. (image below from here)

We all have our own things that we wouldn't skimp on. Figure out which items those are and buy high-quality/ buy your dream item up front. Then figure out which items you can upgrade later. We're doing this a LOT right now. I want my house to feel great when I walk in the door, but I can't afford everything I want. I sewed my own curtains and am using all off-the-rack roman shades. (white cotton from Sears and matchstick from Home Depot. I ADORE custom roman shades. LOVE LOVE LOVE them. My clients always get them... but I will have to wait. We need the privacy now and custom shades just aren't in the budget and I'm okay with it because they'll be a great upgrade in the future. :) (hahahah can you just see me twitching & talking to myself right now, "Calm yourself, they'll be upgraded in the future." hahahah)

(image above from Cote de Texas and image below of the Sears shades in our bedroom.)

All of this comes down to being okay with a home that's constantly changing. I think most of us bloggers & readers realize that we're never truly "finished" with our homes. If we were, it would begin to feel stagnant and let's be honest, we decorate because we love it!! ... And I don't mean going out and buying new chairs one month and a new sofa the next, I mean little things: switching out pillows & accents, rearranging and pulling furniture from one room into another, picking up a beautiful vase you find on sale, just keeping it fresh. (Just like a wardrobe... buy some good basic pieces and then accessorize and flush out and keep updated) Allotting a small & very realistic decorating budget to yourself. (Oh please husbands! don't hate me! ;)

Here's my list of things to be upgraded: bedroom curtains, roman shades throughout house, end tables, club chairs, kitchen island, appliances & countertops, coffee table, DR chairs, carpet, doors and hardware, trim, windows, SO MANY aspects of my bathrooms!!! (keeping the green fiberglass shower and hiding it with a curtain until we can afford to redo it, etc.) and much- much more...


So, what are your thoughts on upgrading vs. waiting? Do you have anything you plan on upgrading in the future?

xoxo,

lauren

Cheap "Vintage" Fans!

I love fans. Especially at night when I sleep. But I also love a chandelier in my bedroom and don't want to sacrifice it for a ceiling fan.

SO, I've been dying for a vintage floor fan or vintage look-alike fan. (check out Haskell Harris's bedroom below. You can see her whole house here.)


When we were visiting my dad (we're home!) I went to my FAVORITE antique mall, Volo, and saw so many beautiful vintage fans (below found at retro.net)


However, I really didn't like the visual I got when I pictured Christian's arm in the fan. (The slats are so far away!!!) I've also been wanting Restorations Hardware's Allaire Telesoping fans (below) but was having trouble justifying forking over $200+ for a floor fan when the ugly ones are so cheap. So, you know me... I went almost a whole summer without a fan because I wasn't willing to spend the dough or buy an ugly one. haha



Ahhhh, so pretty!!!






Anyway... Enter Walmart. Oh wow. We never go because we don't have one near us at home. But we love that place. My eagle-eye husband saw fan boxes labeled "vintage" and we snapped them up right away!! At only $38 and $25 (?I forget exactly?) I couldn't have been happier!!! Below is the desk on and it's almost identical to RH's desk fan.

(hahah like my vintage map styling? ;) ;)

And here's a closeup of the floor fan in my bedroom. (The top pic in this post is also of my walmart fan):

a bit more of a gunmetal finish in some places (why there would be more than one finish, I have no idea) but for $38, I'm ok with it... Actually I should say THRILLED with it! :)

(I'm almost ready to show you some after pics of the bedroom- just waiting on a couple of items to arrive!) We found some more amazing deals this past week & can't wait to show you!!!

xoxo,

lauren

Blowing Up Images on Canvas: Your Thoughts??

Ok, so I wanna have a little fun in my dining room... When I saw the gnarled tree print (below) that Nina Griscom had blown-up onto a canvas, I was in love & wanted to try it out for myself.

I also LOVE the massive size of the hawk print in Victoria Pearson's home (House Beautiful) below.

With these 2 houses in mind, I started searching for images. I've always loved The Little Owl by Albretch Durer (below). (And of course, the Hawk got me thinking birds... And I would actually go nutty for an exact copy of Nina Griscom's tree in a larger size to be honest.)

But then, checking out morel of his work, there were so many others I loved!! A lot of them were of really dark subject matter and they were so beautiful, but my husband & I both love the one below.... Blown up to say 6 or 7 feet tall, it would be sort of like a modern tapestry.

I found a bunch of companies that do giclee canvas transfers on custom size super-large canvases but they're really expensive. I'll give Kinko's a shot. Does anyone have any other ideas?? We're still loving the idea & considering the splurge but here's my next worry: Obviously when you enlarge something so big, it loses quality. It gets pretty pixelly. Below is an image of a preview of what it would look like 6 feet tall:

Kind of reminds me of comic books... So what are your thoughts?? Still doable??? Or are we crazy??? I think it would be fine at a distance and most likely still really interesting up close--- but will it look too poppy???

Here's the (hopefully!!) dining room table:

And below is the the massive canvas would in. (The shelf will be gone of course--- it's needed in the storage room.) And also, I'm moving (ok, my husband's moving) the chandelier to the entryway. I want some sparkle in the dining room & have a huge tall entryway that needs some spicing up.

For furniture in the adjoining living room, I've got the green velvet sofa and the two matching reverse- toile green/white chairs. I'm planning on doing parsons chairs with white slipcovers & some type of green fabric for the top part of the chairs.

ok, I need some honesty on this blown up canvas... I can't gaurantee I'll listen but I think the truth will help. thanks.

xoxo,

lauren

***UPDATE**** Thank you SO MUCH for your ideas & thoughts!!!! Quality was my biggest worry about this project too. We tested the blowup out on paper & loved it (even though it is pixelly- it reminds us of the fibers in a tapestry & it looks really cool... If you're considering doing this, have a portion of the image blown-up to the size it will be (on regular paper) and see if you're ok with the quality.)

****** new update: Kinkos doesn't do enlargements this big... I went here: http://www.wizardprints.com/pricing.php I'm having it printed onto fabric with an adhesive backing that sticks right to the wall. It will have to be done in 2 pieces because of the size but I think I can make that work!

A Big (scary!!) Step

Eeeeeeeeeeek!!!!!! We bought a minivan!!!! Since our family's growing (below) and our other car was on its way out, we replaced it with a MINIVAN. It was actually a really frightening step for us... a minivan... that means we're grown-ups ... Being young parents, we're definitely the only ones we know with a minivan... You wouldn't think this mattered to us, but it did. We found one that sort of looks like a cross between a truck & a van, but as my uncle said, "Who are you kidding???? It's a X%@*!ing minivan." hahahah

BUT... I have to say, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. I've never been so excited about a car in my life!! I can't believe how easy it is to get Christian in & out of the car seat & to fit everything in the car. Life actually got easier and that's good. A minivan, who would have thought? C'est la vi!

Next week I'll be back to blogging- have so much to catch up on- I've missed you all like crazy!!!
xoxo,
lauren

Master Bedroom Design Plan

As most of you know, we moved to our new house a couple of months ago. We've been working on it pretty much non-stop. Usually when I move to a new place, the bedroom is the one place I get feeling good right away... not so this time:

Above is our bedroom when we first moved in. Clearly I added in some functional things like blankets on the bed & a lamp but we pretty much lived like this for a while. About a month ago we painted the paneling white and I got to planning it out on a super-tight budget. I'd had designs on a homemade upholstered white linen headboard... until we found an antique brass bed for trash on the side of the road: (It's not exactly like the pic below... it has no porcelain knobs & is a bit thicker.) I LOVE free things. Really love them. And it's just so old & beautiful & has the perfect patina.

I know we all got sick of brass a bunch of years ago, but to be honest, I'm actually starting to love it again in the right context and when it's a bit burnished... (hahah should I be allowed to write a design blog??!! ;) ;) I want the whole house to feel like a fusion of modern & antique with a serious nod to the outdoors... SO, in this room I went with the antique bed and paired it with these (really cheap!!) ikea "MALM" dressers as nightstands:

I love having a dresser as a nightstand. No knocking off my water (I really used to do that a LOT) and I get to have fun with vignettes (flowers don't get in the way) and now on top of of my closet, I finally have a dresser too!! (There's so much room and I feel so much more organized!!! hahah I know it's such a normal thing to have, but when you're without one for long enough, you really appreciate it!!)

Anyway, since we're going with major color shots in every room of the house, I really wanted this room to be my white haven. I want to be able to add in color (with accents) or take it away on a whim. Below is the duvet cover I ordered from West Elm... I ordered it specifically because it looks good even when unmade. And with baby #2 on the way, I know this bed will rarely be made for a good 3-6 months.

For now we have these ikea curtains and I'm adding in white roman shades from Sears. (wish me luck!- I'll let you know how they do.) (The curtains are super-light and are really summery-feeling but the price was right! ;) hahahah PS- IS IT WRONG TO BE JEALOUS OF CLIENTS??!! "custom shades, custom curtains, custom bedding.." hahah ;)

I've been using my Chinoiserie ginger jar lamp that I found on the flea market trip with Eddie & Jaithan last year. (I had been searching for one for SO LONG!!) I paired with with a modern linen drum shade from Target and it's not the perfect fit, but it's gotten me functional for now...

On the other nightstand, I ordered this beauty from Arteriors Home. It's about the same size and I love its modern juxtaposition against the Chinoiserie one.

It perfectly pulls the warm brown out of the wooden mirror I found at the Old Lucketts Store. (Sadly, no pic but this mirror is CRAZY.) It was the one splurge in the room (okay $250 but for me that's a splurge) and I'd had my eye on it for months. It's huge and hand-carved and really ornate--- again, I'm loving it against the modern lines of the ikea dressers.

Above the bed, I hung 2 of my botanical prints. At $1 each, they added the touch of nature I wanted in the room. (Found the frames for $1 each with bad art on them, and ripped pages out of a book I had for the prints.)

I found a yard of the PERFECT greeny-goldy ikat in the clearance section at Calico Corners. I'm having a large rectangular bolster pillow made out of it. (I 'd been stalking this fabric for a while... When I saw it in the clearance section for a few weeks, one day I finally carried it around the store with me- haha more like clutched it protectively to my chest- until it hit me that it would work in the master bedroom. yay!!!)

And finally on my list is this chandelier (below) with the same burnished brass as the bed. As you probably remember, I've been also stalking this one since last December. (oh please cross your fingers it's still there... I check on it every couple of months!!)

Anyway, when we get home from our trip, everything should be in & I'll take some after pics!!

I also wanted to say thank you again for all your kind comments & wishes--- Christian is doing great & we're off to his check-up right now!! He's healing so quickly!! (I'll do a little trip recap soon with some pics soon)

xoxo,

lauren

Update on the little guy & FOOOOOOOOD

I wanted to thank everyone so much from the bottom of my heart for all the kind comments, well-wishes & encouraging stories. Christian is doing really well & really doesn't even seem to mind his "big owie nose." He still seems to love dogs and has seen a few since the accident and he smiles & waves, so I guess he's not scarred emotionally, haha. (I think he'd have to get unscarred pretty quickly once we got home anyway... we have a dog, Ashby. He seems to miss her and has asked about "Happy" (how he says 'ashby") the "nice doggy." hahaha)

We takes walks by the lake everyday and he wears this adorable visor to shield his nose from the sun. (As soon as I can fix my computer I'll upload some pics) He hasn't gone in any water yet but is having fun playing in the sand.

Things are better between my dad & Dave... It's been rough for everyone but I'm hoping it's settling down... So, anyway, I wanted to tell you about one of my FAVORITE restaurants ever because we're going soon!!! It's Port Edward Restuarant in Algonquin, IL.

It's super-themey and even has a boat and a pond inside & I absolutely love it. It was opened in 1952. They have an amazing wine lounge and I can't even begin to talk about how awesome the food is. There are cool little secret rooms & lofts & as a kid I used to love walking around with my stepbrother & stepsister exploring. Christian is going to love it!!

Anyway, they have the best Sunday champagne brunch and every year we come we take the boat out in the morning and take the 3 hour boat ride to Port Edward and FEAST!!! You have to stay for hours and just take your time... So yummy!!! I love it because the long boatride in the morning feels like such an adventure... and I love the ANTICIPATION of all the great food!!! When we finally get there we're so hungry and it just hits the spot perfectly.

We're headed there soon & as soon as I can upload pics I'll show you what we've been up to.

xoxo,

lauren

Really Tough Day

Well, we made it to the lakehouse safe & sound - After driving all day Sunday- 13 hours later. Early yesterday morning around 6:00 (mon) my dad's dog bit Christian in the face. Christian was about a foot away from her and stuck his tongue out and she just launched at him from on the couch. Thank God Dave was right there and pulled her off. (I had noticed the dog acting a bit skittish around him the night before & we'd decided we would keep them separate but in the AM, so early, it didn't really register that she was on the couch & we should put her in another room... we were there for 2 seconds before it happened.)

We rushed to the emergency room in our pjs (and we're out in the country so it was like 45 mins away in Wisconsin) and his nose just looked like raw hamburger meat. He handled it so well. He stopped crying within a couple of minutes and just kept saying "doggie owie." It was the worst feeling trying to get there because we were following the GPS and roads were closed off and my little baby's nose was just covered in blood. We prayed & realized how much worse it really could have been- eye, throat, etc.

When we got to the hospital, they had to strap him down in one of those papoose things and he was amazing. "I'm tough" he said, haha. He had 4-5 bites and the one that worried me the most was this huge flap of skin on the top. It was so rough watching them stick the anisthetic needle in all of his wounds because he definitely screamed when they kept poking it in. Then they stitched him up for about 15 minutes and he kept saying "all done." I had to help hold him down on his tummy and it was just so hard to look into his little eyes and see how scared/ hurt he was. Just before the end of the stitches I got really dizzy & almost passed out so I had to sit down. It was almost like this weird relief that he was going to be okay and then just I couldn't stand anymore... or like all the adrenaline left and there was no more juice. They finished up and he played with some toys while they briefed us on the situation.

From there we got him some "eggs" (his big request) and went to a reconstructive surgeon who had helped my dad and she took a look at his "owie." She said it wasn't pulled as closely together as it should have been but the only other option was to put him under and have her redo the stictches. Not worth it. We're going back to see her in a week to check on everything.

Once it was all over and Christian was asleep in the car, the crying started. (haha from me) All we could do was thank God that he was okay. At the restaurant we stopped at when he woke up, everyone stared. It's kind of funny to watch the people who pretend they're looking somewhere past you as they slowly swing their heads around & take a good look and then another good look at nothing to your left. haha I really don't blame them-- it's not pretty and was seriously bloody. We have to keep the wounds uncovered but he can't go in the sun so he has a little visor to wear. No lake for a while so we're hoping it heals quickly so we can get this little guy some fun. He's doing great & is loving his new indoor basketball hoop Dave picked up at the drugstore.

Anyway, we're all in a strange spot right now--- insane relief tinged with some serious regret/ guilt/ anger/ sadness. My dad feels horrible--- both of his dogs are at a kennel right now and Quais (the one who bit Christian) is in quarantine. From now on whenever we come here, they'll be kenneled. I know Dave is upset that my dad's not going to put Quais down... I know it's just not in my dad to do it... So there's just a lot of tension right now. (pic below before)

Anyway, I usually only write posts when I have a strong feeling about something- be it happy or excited or something like this that I feel I need to get off my chest... So I'm not sure how much I'll be on for a bit... sometimes it's therapeutic so we'll see. Just check back & hopefully we get to some of the wonderful places I can't wait to show you. Oh, and also, my dad keeps doing stuff to his house. (haha I know, the audacity- HIS HOUSE! haha) But, really bad design choices and it's driving me crazy. It's a simple (beautiful) farmhouse frame with a wraparound porch and he's covering the outside of it in Victorian details- wagon wheels in the corners, ornate spindles with 2 paint colors, an Italiante fountain in the front yard... And I can't even get into the issues on the inside... So not sure if I'll have anything to show you in here. hahaha

ok, talk soon.

xoxo,

lauren