My Husband is THE MAN!!!!!!!!!!

He found the Obi Cocktail table!!!!!!!!! He went to the end of the internet & back & found it!!!!! Here: https://www.ncfurnitureoverstock.com/default.asp

I'd really given up after hearing that Bernhardt was out & he didn't. I was reading a book on the deck and he came out & gave me the news!!!!!!!!!!!! ok, so excited, had to share. Thanks so much for all the suggestions. Can't wait to show you pics of this room when it's done!!!

THANK YOU DAV!!!!!!!!!!!

xoxo,

lauren

S.O.S!!!!! Pen Shell Coffee Table!!! HELP!!!!

So I hate it when this happens but a coffee table I just specified for a design for a client was discontinued!!!! It's a Martha Stewart for Bernhardt piece (the "Obi Cocktail table") and is inlaid with young pen shells. Has anyone seen anything similar for a possible substitute?? Here it is below:

Ahhhhhh I just LOVE IT and this makes me so sad!!!! Not looking forward to breaking this to my very excited clients :( (I haven't even started searching yet- I thought I'd start with you all since you've saved me many times before!!!) Below is a close-up of the matching console so you get the idea.

If anyone has any idea/ thoughts, please let me know!!!! Thanks!!!

xoxo,

lauren

Tiny Spa - Before & After

I wanted to share with you a small guest bathroom of a client's.

It started out as a really typical bathroom, as you can see from the before pics below. (There's her sweet dog, Sasha.) Below, she had a standard tub/ shower and builder grade tile, vanity, etc.

The vanity was tucked in between 2 walls (below) and we stole a closet from the guest bedroom. (Remember this one?) so we could have more space for the shower... It felt cramped & awkward when I first saw it.

My client is a pilates instructor with an in-home studio and wanted a "spa..." a place where she could relax & recharge- and a place her guests would love to use... Something special. (My "after pics" are unfortunately not that great--- it's really hard to photograph a small room with no natural light. ) But here's the new vanity area now:

I LOVE the faucet (Pottery Barn!) and the mirror is made of out shaved and bent wood.

Here's a view of the whole vanity (with Porter, her other dog, in the shot ;)

The shower is exactly what my client wanted: a "spa" shower out of tumbled travertine with multiple heads and she even can load in essential oils for the steam shower function.

There are so many water sprays and she's loving it!!

A nice spot to enjoy the steam:

I used a mini Moravian star from Circa Lighting to with the same oil rubbed bronze finish as the rest of the fixtures...

And it's so relaxing & pretty at night....

Well, that's it for now- she's got her spa and now I want one too!!! It really was so much fun to create such a luxurious little space in a normal home. When we're redoing our bathrooms, we often forget about these small luxuries, but they really can be SO doable!!! This client really helped me "think outside of the box" on what could be done in such a typical space. Hope you enjoyed!!!

xoxo,

lauren

Smoothie & My Little Guy

I normally don't do food posts, but sometimes something's just too good & too easy not to share.

The other night we made these amazing Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothies. (We were trying to copy one we'd just had a smoothie place in IL.) We used (reduced fat) peanut butter and (low fat) frozen yogurt (to pretend we were being healthy) and some bananas.

They were SOOOOOO good that I broke out the margarita glasses (haven't been used in a while sadly) and Christian even got one!! (he drank from the little matching shot glass and was delighted until he spilled it all over.) Thought I'd include a pic to show you how much better his nose is looking!!!

If you get the chance to make some you won't be sorry!!! (I was against the whole peanut butter- banana combo until I tried one.) We're having a great time here at the beach!!!!

xoxo,

lauren

I got my wallpaper!!!!

Yay!!! We're (my husband) is hanging the wallpaper as I type!!! I should be packing but had to let you all know!!!!

It's going in the breakfast nook of our kitchen (which will have dark walnut hardwood floors installed in a couple of weeks, also courtesy of wonderful husband.):

If you remember, I really wanted Studio Printworks' "Pineapple Petite" but found that it just wasn't in the budget:

I also loved Cotwan & Tout's Botanique Spectaculaire wallpaper & it was also too pricey:

So I started searching & searching for something I loved and found something I like more than any of the others!!! It's a bit more old-fashioned which I really love juxtaposed against the saarinen-style table. ( I found it here)

Here's an image of the same "Etchings Collection" Floral Toile paper in yellow:

I wanted to go black & white so I could switch up my table settings to suit my moods and... because I have black counters & shelf brackets and whitebeadboard:
I'll show after pics as soon as the floor is in!!!

xoxo,

lauren

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