I Hear the Crows!!! : Fall Houses & Inspiration

This morning when I woke up, my bedroom window was open & it was dark & dreary outside & I could hear the crows cawing. THIS is Fall to me. I love the dark days as much as the bright crisp & brisk ones. Fall just wakes up something inside of me & I love it!!!


I thought I'd share a bunch of my favorite "Fall" images with you... And the list is long. (I have more but got tired of scanning.) These are homes & spaces that remind me of Fall whether they're fall-related or not. Sometimes it's just a simple pumkin on a table... but that's enough to do it for me. The dining room below (and image above) is from Oct's Country Living & the mix of vintage chairs is perfectly eclectic.

I can't remember where this pic below came from but I just love the drop-leaf table as a console...All of the warm wood tones remind me of Fall...

This Country Living (I think??) dining room below would be perfect for a Fall lunch!! Love that torn-down wallpaper aged look.

Below, Annie Selke's home is full of oranges.

Below, so cozy:

The CL dining room below would be beautiful in any season but the warmth of it feels liek Fall to me...

The bedroom in the same home... how amazing is that brick wall?!!

I've always been crazy over this Pottery Barn bedroom below... I just love that cuckoo look on the walls!!

A perfect Fall entry... This makes me want to line the entire sidewalk up to our house in pumkins & gourds: (And then I'd have to put a sign out for highschoolers saying "You touch, you die.")

More from Martha Stewart:

How simple & pretty?!!! Urns with potted mums are elegant & festive:

This space (CL) has the feel mixed with some metallic glam:

Ohhhhhh (martha) How perfect is this spread?? Some wine & cheese & apples anyone??

Even with all the crisp white , i still feel "Fall" in here: (CL)

Such perfect age !! (martha's house)

I ALWAYS think of this house when I think of Fall. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this dining room!!!! WOW I just can't get over all the mirrors & the chandlier and the pumkin in the urn on the round table... (So doing that this year)

And just had to share her bedroom. (The owner is Kirby Ellis) ... how beautiful is this antique mirror as a headboard? She's got such a feminine, over-the-top yet still simple style in here.. LOVE it!!

The next series of images is from another favorite "Fall House" of mine. It was featured in Country Living and belongs to Monique Keegan. I've shown it before but must show again... Gorgeous soapstone coffee table:

Here's the study:

LOVE: PERFECTION: Just so warm & collected. Her use of industrial pieces is awesome...

She uses lots of vintage medical equipment throughout the house. Love the charts below. (FOund some at Lucketts a while back but -even there- couldn't get over the price!!!)

And here's the outside.. Is that a perfect Halloween house or what?!!! The parties I would have!!!!

I know they've got tulips in the (House Beautiful) living room below but the room itself feels very Fall to me... Picture some branches instead....

Such a simple Fall tablesetting (martha):

More from Country Living.. How inviting is that green chair with the orange throw?

I'm CRAZY over this photo below.... I want that. enough said...

A smashed-full book shelf from Country Home is so warm & cozy for Fall... Just pick a book & sit down by the fire!!!! (Oh what heaven!!!)

Another Country Home... I love the look of using red & orange leaves for arrangements...

Oh, and we can't forget how good soup tastes in the Fall.... (CL)\

This pic below makes me happy (CL)... It's a lake in Wisconsin and reminds me so much of my dad's lake in Antioch...

And hay rides!!!! I can't wait to take Christian on his first one this year!!!!!

This (CL) house before is light & airy (it's the same house with that touch of glam from above) but you can see how all the autumnal accents just work:

COZY FIRE:

Great chair fabric:

See how easy it is??? They just plunked some pumpkins and a vase of leaves from the yard down.... It's so simple & I love the price!!!

Another awesome orange space (below) in Annie Selke's home... WOW

How great is this orange tub??? Not sure I'd want it all year-round but you can always paint over it!!!! So much fun.. I take that back.. maybe in a kids' bath...

A cozy stuffed table setting.. just so cheerful:

Just LOVE the arrangement below (martha)... Again that round table & antique Chinese urn are what do it for me.. Piled with books?!!!! perfect!!!!! Just putting out thigns with lots of age & character in the Fall can really warm up your home...

And finally, one last pic of a "murder" of crows from here. So spooky & I just love crows.. Maybe I shouldn't be telling you this, but I can call the crows. No joke. Yes, I did it in high school (hahahah I was/ still am weird!!!) one day and so many came in the courtyard that girls got freaked out & ran inside... Another time I did it in the summer while lifegaurding and they started going to the bathroom all over the guests at the pool and the ladies yelled at me to stop! I don't know when it started (at a really young age) but it's actually very easy to caw just like a crow & they really do start coming from all directions to you. It's crazy. Ok, please come back to my blog & don't be scared.

hahahaha xoxo,

lauren

This Model is Costing Me Money

Must give a pregnancy rant for a moment. I'm about 6 months along and, though the occasion is rare, sometimes I want to look stylish. (sadly, i'm a sweats wearer on most weekdays when I'm at the house) BUT when I'm going out, I figure I should make a good attempt. Anyway, everything I see this Maternal America model in, I just LOVE!!



I ordered the dress above and thought it would be perfect for a party & a rehearsal dinner I have in the near future. Well, well, well. It arrived in the mail (I don't know of any good maternity shops around--- Motherhood is "meh" at best --don't get me wrong, i have lots of stuff from there-- and A Pea in A Pod induces a guilt in me just from walking in the door!) and it was ok in person but nothing compared to the picture. (It's actually a fairly flimsey jersey knit- not happy with the material for the price) But, really...it's not the dress.. haha it's me. Or should I say THE model. I ordered a few other things & realized they were all from HER. Like this yellow one below:

Just love it in the picture... but my "bump" is 3 times as big and my shoulders are much broader and it just doesn't look right on me! It's like ordering from Victoria's Secret for pregnant ladies!!! I want to ask them to get some bigger models so I can at least have an idea of what it will look like on me!! Here she is again! (below) Wouldn't this dress be perfect for the wedding I have coming up??? I so want to do it but I'm NOT falling for it (or should I say HER) again!!!!

Ok, rant over. But she sure is costing me a lot in shipping!! ;)

ah vell!

xoxo,

lauren

will get a design-related post up- I promise!!! :)

The Struggle: Minimal or "curiosity shop"

So, I always have this struggle within me when doing my own home: Do I want minimal or do I want that "curiosity shop" feeling?? I'm hoping writing this post & checking out some pics will help me get to a decision. The minimal I'm talking about isn't necessarily modern, but an open, airy look.

And the "collected"/ Alice & Wonderland look I'm thinking of is more like this fun, quirky space(Domino):

What got me thinking on this was that an anon left me a comment yesterday saying she/ he didn't like my bookshelf and that this "cluttered" look was exactly what homeowners were trying to avoid. (ouch! ;) But I have to say sometimes I WANT that cozy, collected, crazy-layered feeling in a space... (my bookshelf below)

But I think an entire room like this would drive me crazy... I like that the "clutter" is contained in 1 area... I do redo my accessories all the time but since Baby 2 is on the way, I know the way I do the house right now will determine how it's going to look for about another 10+ months or so... (3 months till baby comes & then I know I won't have any time for much major reaccessorizing for about 6 months.) I'm hoping there's someway I can get both feelings in my house & am going to attempt it. Love this warm, collected space nate Berkus did:

But I just really do I love them both. I think that in the Fall, & Winter, I'm more drawn to the warmer feeling of the heavily layered, collected quirky spaces , and in the warmer months, I'm in the mood for open & minimal. (like this Nate Berkus room below)

The "collected" rooms have this great sense of age to me... and are a bit more English in feeling like this room by Celerie Kemble. They always make me want to lay down & read a book...

I love being in a room full of interesting things where your curious eye gets to keep going & going... The pieces are smaller & there's more going on...

My grandparents' house is like this & there's always been so much to look at and take in. I've always loved this wall of family photographs that my grandmother did. It's hard to tell but there is a soft creamy-beigey damask wallpaper behind the photos:

But then how simple & understated is this??? (Nate Berkus) Just so relaxing & calming...

Our bedroom is a sea of white & texture... The only other colors besides white are wood & metal tones. And I love it in there because there's no thinking... just relaxing & rest for the eye. And the view outside is paramount:

I guess when pointing out these spaces it make me realize that I really just need to dig & figure out how I want to feel in a certain room. The room I'm debating right now is my living room. And I think the problem is, I want to feel BOTH ways!!! hahahah argggg I love the sculptural simplicity & natural-feeling of Nina Griscom's home (below). The base of my living room is similar to this in feeling...

And also this: (minus the AMAZING chairs!!! :)

But it's starting to get a little brisk outside & I'm craving some STUFF!!!! On my walls, on my shelves, on my sofa!!! A soft throw to curl up with on every spot in the house!!! I can very easilly handle the throw blankets, pillows & shelves (I've already got my cozy bookshelf in there - ready for a fire & reading!!!! oh wait... my fireplace is fake!!! haha oh well, i can pretend.) but it's the WALLS I really need to figure out right now... With the sleep-deprived blur that I know is on its way, I will need to keep my artwork in one place for a while. In my living room, I've got windows all along one whole wall...

And I did my huge blow up of an etching on the blank wall in the dining room (below) .... Both of those are very clean, airy, large-scaled & simple.

So it's up to that last wall... the wall the mantle is on... (pic taken when we first moved in... now we have HW floors and an area rug, totally different furniture, lighting, chairs on the way... so there's a lot more going on...) But with THAT WALL- what to do -what to do?

How do I want it to feel?!!! Do I want a jumble of paintings & prints & interesting things I've collected over the years? Or do I want simple, clean? maybe a mirror with sconces and a few balanced drawings? So far the only thing with the "curiosity" feeling I love is my bookshelf. I can easily do clean & simple on my tabletops or mantle and switch them out with a full hodge-podge of personal finds, but I need to make a decision on this mantle wall!! I know nothing is permanent (and how crazy this sounds) but 10+ months sounds like a long time to me!!! I just need to think on the feeling I want in there... for now ;) Any thoughts?

How about you? Do you struggle with this? Alek of From the Right Bank to the Left Coast just did a post posing this question & showing her inspiration from both sides... I'd love to hear!!

xoxo,

lauren

and also- about negative comments. I got my first one yesterday and it stung! (it was -I think -as politely put as the commenter could have said it & don't think she/ he was trying to be hurtful at all.) And I do I know that when we create blogs we're really putting ourselves out there, but I do consider you all friends and feel really comfortable posting here... What I write here is as much for me as for you... This isn't a hard-core interior design blog. It's like an inspiration journal where I work things out & get creative & share what I'm going through with those who want to join in.

And I really put myself out on a limb when posting photos from my home. From now on, I'd really appreciate that instead of leaving negative comments, people just refrain from saying anything at all. (And I'm not talking about design debates, point of views, etc... We can ALWAYS disagree or share different point of views- I had a lot of fun with the last debate.) I know how sensitive this sounds but I just don't want negativity in this space of mine that I share with you all. I post unfinished spaces & work in progress and small DIY projects and if I feel like everything has to be perfect on here, then it really stifles my creativity & willingness to share what I'm doing on my home on here. When I'm in a design magazine and my work is published for a all to critque, I can take it, but THIS is my happy spot. ;) ;) (hahaha I WISH!!!) Anyway, thanks so much & I really do hope you can understand!!!

xoxo

Arranging Accessories & Books on Shelves: Before & After

Like most people, we have a TON of books. Since we moved into our new house last May, they've been in boxes in our downstairs hallway... NOT PRETTY. or organized. or easy. So, yesterday, we headed over to Ikea and purchased this bad boy for our living room: To go in this spot:

We'll still need some more bookshelves somewhere else in the house but I'm really happy with this start:

I mixed in lots of flea market/ thrift finds with the books:

I did a horizontal stack of books (these turquoise ones are some of my favorites- haha although I've only read one of them... it's just the color!!! but The Golden Fleece is on my 'to read" list) to make a little pedestal for my wedgewood bowl. The spot was looking really bare (and we need the space for books!) so I opened a pretty book behind the "pedestal."

I love this fun monkey "see no evil, hear no eveil, speak no evil" vase (and some more pretty blue books!) that I recently found in Volo, IL for $8.

I did a combination of junky paperbacks turned page-side out (I still have all of my Christopher Pike & LJ Smith books) and beautiful leatherbounds. My grandfather has been giving the grandkids a leatherbound classic every year for Thanksgiving since we were kids. (I think my English-teacher-husband was sealed on marrying me when he found this out! ;) ;) I also layered in a flea market painting & some prints to add some interest in the background...

And since I've got lots of green in my living room, I made this fun horizontal stack of green design books. I'm sure you recognize a few! ;) I topped it with tis crazy vintage peacock soap dish ($4) that I found in Volo this summer. Again, I opened up a book to go behind it because the space was feeling bare and I loved the etchings from The Aeneid. I also tucked in a few family photos:

The two bottom shelves are for (you guessed it!) toys!!! I'm using those old wooden wine boxes again & they're smashed in between more books. Even though it's the living room, I like to have toys in every area (as long as they look okay when put away) so that we can all enjoy all the rooms in the house.

And I know how weird & creepy this alligator head is, but we found it at one of my favorite shops at the beach & for some odd reason, we just loved it. (This is the first time my husband actually wanted an accessory MORE than me so I was really happy to get something he was so excited about.) We haven't named him yet...

Below is a bust that I got for around $2 at Unique Thrift Store in Merrifield (AMAZING if you havenm't been... He was made of black-reddish-bronzey glass. Really one of the scariest/ ugliest busts I'd ever seen but I painted him white & then tea stained him. He's been outside too & only gets better-looking with age ;) (Ignore the blue painter's tape!!) He's on top of one of my favorite series of books.

I was able to stack 3 columns of paperbacks in this space above the bookshelf. It will definitely be a pain when I am looking for something but this is the price of beauty ;) ;) I layered in a huge hurricane glass & candle because I needed items of large-scale up there:

And one last look at the new bookshelf. It practically looks built-in & I was so excited when the shelf was only 2.5" smaller than the wall.

If you didn't get the chance, check out this post because it explains a lot of the principles behind what I did here.

xoxo,

lauren

ps- did you notice that the baseboard is in around the floors too?!!! wahooooooooo (we have a little more to finish tonight ;)

Wallpapering Is Hard To DO-O...

(That's being sung to the tune of "Breaking up is hard to do!")

Dave installed the breakfast nook wallpaper last night... AFTER mowing the lawn, accompanying me & providing the man-power on a Home Depot trip to buy shrubs/ trees and 3 huge bails of hay and finally, digging holes for 2 tree-shrubs (don't know the name, just that they were tall & are helping it make as if people live inside our house!) and 5 rhododendron bushes. He really deserves a medal after the past few months.

I'm loving it!!!! (He said it was really hard to install and wants to hire a professional for the hallway... I'm okay with the few wrinkles you can barely see!) Next up: baseboards & bamboo roman shade installation & crystal sconce installation (and then of course some pretty things/ accessories) and I'll show more pics when it's all done next week. Anyway, have a great weekend & will be back Monday!!! :)
xoxo,

lauren

ps- Michele from My Notting Hill was at the Pear Tree Cottage Design Seminar & did a great (and very sweet!!!) post on it here Thanks so much for coming Michele!!

Click & Lock Hardwood Floors Installation- phew!!!

So this past weekend was crazy (good crazy) for us: client install (Fri night/ Sat AM), Pear Tree Cottage Design Seminar (Sun) and last but not least hardwood floor install at our place!!! It started out with a day/ night of demo on Saturday: (NOT fun)


Here it is down to the plywood: The next day we (Ok, DAVE) finished the demo and layed down the sound barrier- the red stuff all over the floor. My parents were watching Christian for the weekend...

And then Dave began click & locking away!!!! I was off to the Pear Tree Cottage and when I came home with Christian he'd almost finished the whole living room & dining room!!!

The next day (Monday, our last day of the long weekend) entailed lots of walks and outside time for Chrstian (who was now home) & Ashby (our pup) and I while Dave installed away. He really is a workhorse and stayed up really late nto finish the floors the day before his first day back at school teaching (11 & 12th grade English). Below, Christian really wanted to help and made sure to cover his ears while Daddy hammered:



He liked his giant "puzzle" and got out his hammer & everything:


Ashby chilled while I took pictures. (Rough job for both of us! ;) ;) She seems to like the new floors. { This is really funny but at the Pear Tree Cottage Workshop, I did a TON of squats in heels without really realizing it, because all of my items for display were sitting on the ground and I had to squat to pick up each one (trying not to abuse the old back!)... hahahah so literally I was SO SORE that walking was difficult for a day or 2!!! It was like I'd had this awesome workout!!! (It's been a while for me, I'll be honest) But now I've decided that next time I do squats it will be in heels because it was one of the best workouts ever!!!}

And, like most projects, this one expanded. We had some extra and went into the bathroom with it. Not my first choice for a kids' bathroom, but we had the scrap and it's better than the linoleum that was in there. We'll try to be good to it, but if it doesn't last forever, I'm ok with that. Below, is our very GREEN bathroom which is now getting a makeover. The green toilet left (sorry I don't have a pic of the pretty litle thing!) and we're keeping the green shower for a good long while (yuck!) and I'm working on a shower curtain for it right now to hide its special beauty away. The sink (also green) is going now too. Will post some "afters" on this bathroom next week.

And, now for some pics of the installed floor!!!! Dave's putting in new baseboards this weekend & then we'll be TOTALLY FINISHED!!! But I'm so happy with how it looks:

Here it is in the kitchen:

And in the breakfast area. (You can see the wallpaper didm't go up yet. As we were prepping we found an outlet above the window that allowed us to install some sconces we had!!! So wallpaper is on the list for tonight...)

And as I was taking pictures of the hallyway about 20 minutes ago, Christian stumbled out of his room and curled up on the floor so I had to get a pic of that. He was there for 5 minutes or so just "hatching"/ waking up. I guess it's comfortable...

We have a bunch of items that are arriving & a few DIY projects left but I can't wait to show you some 'after' pics!!!! It's really all coming together & we're SO looking forward to relaxing & waiting for Baby 2!!!

xoxo,

lauren

**UPDATE: I forgot to mention that we got the floors from Home Depot for around $3.25 per square foot. They messed up on the label though & I think the actual price is around $3.75 or so per square foot but they honored the low price for us & quickly changed the label. They are engineered HWs--- and veneer is elm with a walnut finish. I'm really happy with them so far and we have a pup with long nails & so far she hasn't done ANY damage, even when she skates accross them (she's still getting used to the floors haha)... I chose them because they were the best -looking in our budget... there were others I would have chosen if the price could be doubled or tripled but alas, it's not!!! :) xoxo ***