Happy Spring Break!! (and Tom Scheerer)

Good news = This week is our Spring Break!!! Bad news= we missed our flight to Florida on Friday!!! (My husband got the flight time wrong & when we arrived at the airport via taxi, our flight had already left!!!!) Because this week is Spring Break around here, we couldn't get another flight out & will just have to use our flights for another trip (that's the beauty of frequent flyer miles- they're letting us keep our tickets!!) phew

We'd been a bit worried about going anyway, since we've all been so sick, and we've got inspections with the new house, papers to sign, appraisals, etc. We had the inspection & there were a few issues that if they fix, should be fine & we're getting SO excited!!! I spoke with the other realtor & she said that the letter I wrote it what changed their minds. (Thanks to those of you who suggested writing a letter!!! :)

Anyway, since I can't be at the beach this week, I thought I'd show you some pictures of Tom Scheerer's work on beach houses. (He is in my TOP 5, by the way--- there were so many images I'd saved from before not realizing who the designer was!! so, another "love" warning for this post!!) These first photos are from the De Givenchy residence:



I love all of the washed wood in the dining room above. The director's chairs are awesome solutions for a beach house dining area. (Just remove the seats & wash!!) The sea of neautrals is just gorgeous to me & would be so fun to inject color into. The round mirrors are so simple & have such a modern elegance. And the ceilings = perfection.

Below, I'm LOVING the tiled walls in the kitchen. (You'll see more of these in the rest of the pics) They've got such a fun vintage flair. Also, check out how thick the countertop on this island is--- gorgeous!!! This kitchen is such a great combination of industrial (check out the cabinet hardware) and vintage homeyness. Loving the color scheme (or lack of one! ;)


Below is another kitchen in the same residence. (??) They're so similar but this one feels a bit more 'cottage.' The tiles are incredibly similar but the floors & cabinet hardware change the whole feel of the room. The Saarinen table seems to be one of Sheerer's trademarks & I must admit, the way he uses them with more traditional chairs is making me want one. badly. Also, what's your opinion on lamps on kitchen countertops?? I see it done all the time & love the look but am not sure of how practical it is for messy cooks... I'm also loving the lack of upper cabinets in this kitchen. (I want this in our new place but don't think we have enough storage to get away with it!! arg)



How great is this entry below?? Love the mass of hats on the wall & it feels like they're just hanging there for anyone to use on his or her way out the door. Such a relaxed & fun generous-feeling space. Cool little chair too!!

Below is a pretty little sitting area. Love the brown walls here against all the white and naturals. Such a realxing spot. The mirror adds just the sparkle needed here.

The bathroom below is AMAZING. The mable walls & floating washed-wood vanity create such a seamless look. You know I'm all about accessories & just can't even get over that massive piece of coral in the nook above the tub. The pale blue towels are so pretty against all the neutrals & I love that you could switch it up with so many other colors.

The residence featured below is in Hobe Sound and I love all the neutrals used & at times its Bohemian feel. The fabrics he found for this home are just incredible & if you're a paisley-lover like me you're going ot be very happy :) Check out this beautiful little corner seat, below. The sculpture on the wall echoes the paisley fabric perfectly. Also, do you see the embroidered detail on the white curtains, bottom left? He just uses so many textures here: the rug, the chair seat, the walls (hotizontal stripe), the wood block table... And the screened shutters?!!! love. What a perfect space for chilling (haha can you say "chilling??" I felt funny writing "chillin") with a book or a mojito.

Below is a view of the whole living area. How beautiful is the chandelier?? Love all the white mixed with natural elements. He's also mixed in some exotic elements.

The dining room (below) is to-die-for. I really can't get over the table. Putting it in a room full of white showcases is perfectly. I also LOVE how it was styled for this photo: all the natural objects are just so beautiful.

Below is the living room. The coffee table reminds me of an upholstered bench from Oly Studio I've been stalking for the new house. The furnishings are all really low in this room which draws more attention to the height of the space, which I think he was definitely trying to play up. (See how the artwork goes all the way up too?)

Below, what a gorgous sink!!! (At first I missed that it was even a sink!!) It definitely reminds me to keep my eyes peeled at junk markets for possible vanities. Even a desk can work!! awesome

Below is the master bedroom where we see more pretty paisley. I'm loving the grasscloth walls too!! And, just on a sidenote, I love how simple & elegant his window treatments are. When you have beautiful views, the focus should be on the outdoors, not the draperies.

Here's a really beautiful blue-cocoon-of-a-bedroom below. It honestly took me a few years to learn to appreciate these type of rooms, but now I have to say I love them... in the right context. When you have a small space, wallpapering can work beautifully & is often the perfect solution. (now I'm STILL not one for covering everything possible in toile or the wallpaper used..) Again, we're also getting a little more of that Bohemian vibe:

Awesome blue bathroom, below. I love how he decided to use the color on the floors & tub surround and nowhere else. It's really striking.

The next images are all from two houses in the Bahamas. I like a lot of the elements in the room below but as a whole, it's just not doing it for me the way the others have. If it's possible, this room might just be too neutral for me. (?!!)

I always find hallway spaces & little nooks to be so beautiful even though we often pass through them so quickly in real-life.

I'm loving the study below. The raw walls are gorgeous and the floating bookshelves are perfect with the tulip table. (See how he uses them in such unexpected places?!!)

Here is more of that same tile in the kitchen, this time in blue. The white shelf is great & may be a possibility for our kitchen?? ps- how cool is this floating stove?!!!

The combination of style in this dining room is genius: The shelter sofa pulled up to the tulip table for seating combined with the Chippendale-like chairs... it's just so much fun & so unexpected. And it actually works! (I think sometimes designers are going for this & it's easy to fall short because it's such a thin line to walk.)

Below are two bedrooms with similar looks. Very island, all-white with hits of black and/or wood.

I love his use of the pair of chairs flanking furniture in both of these rooms. Check out the pretty french linen bedskirts below:

And I absolutely LOVE the feeling in this bathroom below. The bamboo is probably what does it for me but doesn't this feel like the perfect island getaway?!!

And here's our final house, again in the Bahamas.

I also have a thing for glass fishing bobbers (my grandparents used to live in Hawaii & collected them) and love how they're displayed here. (This is also the final tulip table & I think the Bohemian house was the only house featured that didn't have one!! The last house even had 2!!) But it's the juxtaposition of the modern table against the rough wooden walls that appeals so much to me...

And finally, check out the use of the super-tall mirror above the console. (Might have to steal this idea too!! ;) I love the airy feeling of this room & would love to be there now.

So anyway, I AM going on Spring Break this week even if we aren't actually going anywhere. I've promised my husband that this means no work & no blogging so I'm going to miss you!!! But I'll be back on Monday, hopefully with some good stuff & some good news!!!

xoxo,

lauren

How Cool?!!

I came across this image from Atlanta Bartlett & remembered these little hanging jar lanterns... I used to make them in college & sell them (haha oh boy) with my best friend. We hung them around our apartment & they added such a sparkle to the place. Anyway, it's a fun , inexpensive little project to do for a party (indoors or out) or with your kids so I thought I'd post on it really quickly!! (my little one is sick now too!! poor baby- so I have to run!!!)

xoxo,

lauren

The Search for Home: CONTRACT SIGNED!!!

I KNOW how scary this place looks right now... and I need help!!

We finally got the contract back signed today and are scheduled to close in a month if all inspections go well. (!!!! craziness!!!) :)

If anyone has ideas for me on the front of this house, I'd LOVE them. (please! please!!) Here are some details: the siding is vertical cedar, the window screens/ storms you see in the top windows are dark brown vinyl. (I'm not very happy with that but know we won't have it in our budget to get new ones.-- is painting an option??) The cable cord you see will be going. yuck.

The windows themselves are aluminum & I actually like them.

We'll be painting (haven't decided upon colors yet so I'm up for suggestions) and I'm thinking about pulling out a dark rich gray from the stones and going white with the trim. (Now, you KNOW how much I want a white house- but do you think that would be totally weird with the stone??) My husband is planning on adding a pergola along the front right side sort of as a porch but with a patio underfoot. Basically like what you see below (similar color too! :) but extending along the whole front right side of the house:

Kind of like this (below) but in all-white:

Eventually I'd like to add some more Craftsman elements to it and it would definitely need some more rooflines but that is SOOOOOO far in the future it's not even funny. (And a tin roof!!)

Anyway, we're SO excited but I'm staying a but grounded because things have been so strange with this whole deal and I won't be able to totally relax about it until we close. I know how talented & creative you all are & I'm really in need of your ideas so please send them on!!!!
xoxo,
lauren

The Evolution of a Room: The Extra Bedroom

I was looking through some old pictures on my computer & I came across some before & afters of the extra bedroom in our old townhome. It was just so interesting to see the progression of the room over the 3 and a half years we lived there. [Warning: these come from my pre-design-obsessed days so please bear with me!!! ;) ] Here is what it looked like when we first moved in. (I painted it white because it was a terrible brown-beige):

It was my office and also the room we cared about least. At the time I was working for my family business (a company that manufactures locomotive components) doing PR. I put the chaise lounge we already had in there and we purchased a little black desk with a hutch on top from Luckett's for around $270. The rest of the things were trash-picked, garage-sale items or thrift store finds that we just sort of would come accross. The mirror below, was given to me by a friend of my grandmother's, an award-winning teen author (Bebe Faas Rice) and I painted over the blue wood for white. It was inset with black glass. (That now too is painted)



Here's the black desk & hutch we found. I wasn't in love with it but was in dire need of a desk & it was sturdy & I liked the lines (and price!!). I filled it with moss balls (leftover from our wedding) and other accessories to be switched in & out on a whim.



I used 1 iron rod with white panels to save on not having to buy 2 panels & because it also saved space. (The chair seriously KILLS me now but I found it to be taken out for trash & didn't have one so I quickly brought it in & painted it white :) ... I LOVE trash-picking.


After living there for a bit... and not being happy with the room, I decided it was time to actually do something with it. I chose this gray-beige and used blue accents with greenery. It was an odd color-combo but it worked. I loved the jolts of blue and it gave me some place to put the blue items I owned that didn't work anywhere else. I actually found a lot of comfort in the room as it was in this stage. It had an earthy quality & was sunny enough to handle such a thick color.


I used this folding table (below) as an extra workspace for projects. I recovered the seat of the file cabinet bench (ikea) in a blue & white stripe because I was in a serious nautical mood. (Notice the striped pillow on the chaise too--- I couldn't find large enough stripes in a fabric I liked so I cut strips of blue fabric & sewed it together with a natural twill.) I had plans of replacing the handles on the closet door to a nickel but we never got there. :)

Below are some of the blue bottles I'd accumulated. I like pretty little things in window sills in the warmer months. It just reminds me of simpler times for some reason. My grandmother often has a little vase of flowers on the window sill in her kitchen.. maybe that's why???

And here's the chaise lounge with (a much skinnier!!!) Ashby:

Below is one of my mushrooms prints ($1!!) scored from Goodwill. (I lost them over this Christmas when I hid them away to put up my feather wreath & have now forgotten where I stashed them!! arg!!) hahaha I love the white against the walls and also the little glass knobs on the drapery tiebacks.

And finally, when the little addition came to our family, the room was once again transformed. By this time I had my business up and running and had a much clearer vision for the room:

I won't go into much detail about the nursery since I've posted on it before & if you're interested you can read all about it here. But as you can see, the chaise stayed, as did my striped pillow. I stuck with coastal (STILL not over it ;) and the baby got a ship painting & a porthole mirror.

One thing I want you to check out is the carpeting change. We originially ripped out the old carpeting (it was yuck!!) an attempted to sand down the plywood & stained it with an ebony stain. I know how crazy that sounds but I saw it in a resturant & it totally worked. (And we were really trying not to spend!!!) Well, it didn't work for my house. Our dog is white & the floors never looked clean!!! Anyway, we recarpeted and I LOVE this carpet. (Shaw's "sisal touch" in fawn) It looks very much like sisal but is a fairly soft burber.

Anyway, I just thought it was so interesting (and funny!! :) to see how rooms evolve and how we evolve as decorators/ homeowners. I think it's really important for people to be okay with not having it all completed at once. In the real world we often have tight budgets & can't have it all right away so it's vital that we learn to work with what we've got. It's also important to spend wisely & really get to know yourself and your style before you start spending. Fortunately I didn't have a budget for decorating when I first started out or I could have done some serious damage!! eeeeek

I hope everyone had a great weekend & just a quick update on the house--- they have verbally said they will accept our offer but haven't signed the papers yet. (what is going on?!!)

xoxo,

lauren

My Style Today: In a Picture

Alek of the new & super-stylish blog From the Right Bank to the Left Coast tagged me and a few other bloggers to do a post feauring 1 photo (only 1!!!) that sums up our style. [WARNING: I will use the word "love" way too much in this post!!!]

I chose this image of Chaffee Braithwaite's living room (featured in Cottage Living- I've posted on it before). But I love everything about it: It's light & airy, natural, textural, there's lots of white , gray & an ethereal quality to it... The room is focused on the outdoors & nature. The coffee table (not sure of the material) has a beautiful texture & I love its strong clean lines. Of course I love all the slipcovered white upholstery & my sofa at home is almost exactly like the sofa pictured. (LOVE shelter sofas for hanging. lounging & cuddling!)

The wheatgrass on the coffee table along with the branches on the desk over looking the window probably make this space for me. I'm working on some wheat grass for a client right now.

I also can't think of a place I've ever seen a ghost chair where it made more sense than this: You can see that beautiful view straight on through the chair. (My opinion on ghost chairs is that there should be a reason for using them, like in this case.)

I also love the casual vibe in the room: The books piled next to the chair, the throw "tossed" on the chair... I like that the throw on the chair could be replaced with virtually any color and it could change the feel of the room. (I'd probably have some pillows on the sofa too)

I also love the draperies right up there under the crown molding with the small rings on a white rod. They blend right into the walls [color: Benjamin Moore "Revere Pewter"] and it works perfectly here because the focus is on the gardens outside, not the draperies. The lamp is prefection to me & reminds me of my own glass lamps. And finally, I love the sisal carpet. [Fiberworks Island's Color Collection from Jobson's Carpet ] It brings in more of that natural feeling I love.

SO- now I'm tagging YOU to choose just 1 picture that sums up your style. You can either put a link to it in the comments section or you can put a link to your post. Can't wait to see what you come up with!! :)

I'm off to one of my best friend's wedding in NY this weekend so I'll be back Monday!!! Have a great weekend & I also wanted to let you know that the house people came back & might be considering our offer now!!! So we'll see!!! :)

xoxo,

lauren

Entryway Plans

I was putting together a little entryway design together for a client & thought I'd share. Below is the mirror I chose, which looks beautiful in both traditional & contemporary settings:


Here's the demilune console: (which I LOVE & have ordered from Ballard but isn't available until May 28th!!! I have been scouring for something like it & haven't been happy with what I've found. Any ideas anyone??) She needs lots of storage for her dogs' leashes, their "plastic baggies" for walks, and for the jumble of things that naturally collects near the front entry.



I've purchased a mix of garden cloches in 3 sizes & will be putting potted plants in them for the top of the table. My client has a much greener thumb than I do & will hopefully be able to keep them alive! :)

Below is the lamp in a dark bronze finish. It's got a more contemporary feel to pull in the modern art that will be filling the large stairway across from the console table. (16 paintings framed in shadowboxes done by the client's brother- I can't wait to show you pics of this!!!)

And here's the little entryway design all together: (Click on it to see it larger)

( The image is a PDF saved as JPEG & I can't get it to show up any larger on blogspot. Does anyone know how to make it larger??)

Also, I just wanted to thank Camila from High-Heeled Foot in the Door SO MUCH for being such a sweet (crazily sweet!!) friend. I was feeling a bit down about the whole house situation yeterday & there was a knock at my door. There were flowers!!! She sent me a beautiful bouquet of hydrangea, snapdragons, roses & carnations!! Really, if you haven't gotten to know her yet, you must go check out her fun, stylish & witty blog, where her sweet, exuberant personality just shines through the pages/ screen.

Anyway, thanks everyone so much for all the kind wishes, advice & support. I feel silly for getting so emotionally involved in a HOUSE when there are real issues going on in this world & we've got so much to be thankful for. I'll get over this & just wanted to say thanks.

xoxo,

lauren

Nina Griscom

Ok, deep breath. Here are some gorgeous images of Nina Griscom's country home featured in Elle Decor. I fell in love with this house when I saw it. Her style in this house is perfect to me: a natural mix of traditional & modern... lots of sculptural elements, interesting things, whites & naturals... just love it. Below is the living room:

Below is the sitting area at the back of the living room. Nina admits that the gorgeous wooden chaise is not comfortable & it's there purely for its looks. How gorgeous is this part of the room?!! I checked out the price on her horned chair ($5000 eesh!!- sold at her store) and decided I could live without it.

Here's a view of the living room from the dininig room:

Below is the dining room. It's full of my favorite things: the huge urns, the wine rack... I'm on and off about the chandlier- love it for the photo & for certain seasons but am not sure I could live with it all the time. How beautiful is the table setting?!! The horn candlesticks?!!! LOVE. And check out the chalk board placeholders. Such a whimsical mix of nature & luxury.

The halways in this home are treated as beautifully as the rooms. This is something that can be tough to do in small spaces & lucky for Nina, this was not an issue. They're just so airy & interesting. LOVE the shelves below. Cheaper versions are definitely on my shopping list. (Endless seasonal accessorizing opportunities!!!)

Below, the sphere on the slavaged pedestal makes this study. Picture reading a book on the windows seat in there on a lazy afternoon...

How great are these floating shelves (below)?
The walls in her library are made from dried tobacco leaves applied by hand to wood panels. Amazing, huh?!
Below, the master bedroom is simple & luxurious. How pretty are the Greek key benches at the bottom of the bed?
Below, the guest bedroom. I really love this room: the seagrass rug, the mini zebra hide, the facing geese, the caning = so perfect. And the color on the walls?!!! Anyone have any ideas (Maria, if you're reading?!!! you usually know!!)

Well, have a beautiful day. I have a house to get over. :(
xoxo,
lauren

The Search for Home: Rejected

Well, got a phone call from my realtor today and they didn't take our counter-offer. And guess what else? Now they're not even willing to go as low as they said they would before.

wow.

I promise I'll put up a real post up soon.
xoxo,
lauren