goodbye Marija

Please keep Marija Stephens' family in your thoughts & prayers.  Marija of Holding Court passed away over the weekend, breaking many hearts.  I think I speak for a lot of us when I say that she touched so many people and reached out with an extremely generous spirit.  As I've read the posts today, so many of us bloggers have written about how excited we would get when a comment from Marija popped up- they were witty, thoughtful and always honest.  Whenever a question or issue arose in a blogpost she was one of the first to email a suggestion or an idea on how to fix it.  She was beautiful- both inside & out.  Her design sense, insight, intelligence and passion were incredible.  Marija soaked up life and affected so many people.  She is dearly missed.

Movin' Out

So things have been crazy as usual around here and we've decided to make some changes in hopes of getting some more quality time for our family and growing our business.  For starters, I'm moving the office out of the house.

{Suzanne Kasler's SICK office via one of my favorites, nest egg...  My office will not be this great, but I can dream}

It's been pretty tough running a business out of the house with an almost 3 yr-old and a 6 month old...  I feel guilty when I'm working because I know they want me, and I feel guilty when I'm hanging with them because I have work waiting for me right there.  Hopefully, getting the office out of the house will give me strict work hours and put a little bit of a chill on my workaholic tendencies.  My goal is to keep work at the office and then when I'm home, I can really just relax and be home.  I found myself wanting to go on vacations and get out of the house to relax and I realized that I now associate home with work.  (Not that I don't love work...  but I need my family time.)  I want home to be just home. 

I'm so excited about it and am 99.9% sure it's a 'go.'  It's planned for this September and as you can guess, I'm already psyched to do my new office.  The new office space is about to undergo a major renovation and the fun Victorian wing chair I found is the only piece I have squared away for sure (being reupholstered in a special fabric.)  My office will be pretty small so I'll need to pack in a lot of function in a small space.  I think I will have room for a massive inspiration wall. I've been reading Thomas O'Brien's American Modern and cannot wait to try out some of his ideas on it.

{Thomas O'Brien Image via Chic Coles, another favorite}

Since things are still in the works and not official yet, I'll have to save some of the {juicy-to-me} details for later, but there are so many cool opportunities at this new place of business I'm moving to.  I have to save the best part for later and it's KILLING me!!.  The SECOND I can, I will be letting you know what's up.  I hope you're enjoying this summer, and I am sorry I am so MIA-  Dave's home for the summer and I'm trying to spend as much of my free time with him & the boys as possible.   I truly love your comments and reading my favorite blogs- many of which I have yet to add to the new blogroll!!- but just have not been able to comment the way I wish I could right now. 


 

Interior Design Graduates & My Meghan

Last summer I was lucky enough to have an amazing intern from my alma mater, James Madison University.  Her name is Meg Short and she recently graduated from JMU's interior design program.  She is such a sweetheart and tirelessly drew floorplans, helped source products, worked on design plans & boards, managed accounts and even helped entertain my toddler.  (She helped me with this project!)  She did everything needed, is souch a quick study, & was always a pleasure.  She's on the job hunt right now and she deserves to get snapped up right away!  (If I could, I would!!)

I'm writing this because I'm blown away by the number of talented design graduates who are looking for work right now.  It's a tough time to graduate and go to work in any field, but especially in this one.  I've been getting lots of resumes lately but am not currently hiring.  But, I'm really struck by the talent & drive and hard work these graduates have.  I feel for them and wish I could give them positions. 

{by Miles Redd via Belle Vivir}...  Just thought we could use a pretty pic

I'm often asked for advice from graduates and I guess mine is this: 
-If sending a resume via email: Make sure the email is personally addressed to whomever you're writing (and only them) and that the information pertains to them/ their firm.  We can smell the "general" query emails and much prefer something that includes an observation or compliment about us/ our firm.  (hee hee you catch more bees with honey! ;)  Also, I delete any mass emails thinking that someone else will respond

-If you can't get paid to do design work, work for free or for a low fee if you can afford it...  I did this when I first decided I wanted to get into the industry.  It's so cheesy but you're getting experience which is a crucial form of payment.  Once you feel you've learned all you can from a low or non-paying position, move on. 

-Hound people in the nicest way possible.  If someone says they'll get back to you and they don't, get back to them instead.  We remember those repeat emailers and I appreciate a reminder.  If I don't write someone back after saying I will, it's because it's slipped my mind.  As long as you're nice about it, we like it when you get back to us.

-Again, if your message is personal and feels sincere, designers will be more likely to send on your resume and letter to designer friends and keep you in mind for future open positions. 

-You can follow up with a phone call if you didn't get an email response.  A graduate called the other day and just had the sweetest personality over the phone and it made me want to help her find a job.

-Stay excited & be optimistic.  It may feel like forever away right now, but your time will come.  You will find a place and with hard work, determination & a constant search for knowledge, you'll succeed.  Don't ever let naysayers get you down and as cheesy as it is, believe in yourself.  There are days when you might feel like giving up, but don't.  (Hell, there are days when I feel like giving up!) It's normal (I think? ;) and it will pass.  You make your own future.


 

ps-  If anyone needs Meghan's info, please email me.  She's the best!!

Project: Family Hang-Out

 My clients, the Hart family wanted a living room that they could really live in.  Like I mentioned in my previous post on their dining room, they're an active family who love being outside, hiking, camping and spending time together so we really wanted an outdoors-in natural, fresh feel in here.  They're also musically-inclined and wanted a place where the damily could practice playing.  Although they do entertain, the initial function of their living room was to be a place where they can hang out, pay bills, do homework, play instruments and relax. 

Here's what the space looked like before.  It was a totally empty blank slate (how fun?!): 

 

And here's it is now:

When I initially surveyed the house, I noticed they didn't have many family photos and suggested doing a family photo wall in the living room because they wanted an extremely personal family-focused feel in here.  The problem was that they didn't have many family photos to create the wall.  

...So, this past Fall, I met with the family for a family "photo shoot" and I took a ton of pictures of them in the backyard.   We had so much fun "playing" in the leaves and even Whimsy, the family dog, got her close-ups. 

{The Harts}

They came out really well and I created this photo collage of all of the photos surrounding a natural "twiggy" sconce:

Mike & Debbi pay their bills  and the kids also do on homework here at the worktable:

{I love their family-passed-down-clock !!}

We chose a pen shell cocktail table: (This was the first element I chose for the space and used it as a springboard for the rest of the design)

And repeated the natural shells again in the capiz shell pendant over the work table:

I found this cool old lion painting in their garage.  I think he's prefect for the space and it was the last thing to go up.

I tossed this cool needlepoint throw of mine over the back of the loveseat for some added interest: 

 {It's a very tone-on-tone textural design in keeping with the family's natural, relaxed style}

The kids & I picked some pretty polar leaves from the trees outside the house and I had them enlarged on 3 and a half feet high canvases for the walls.  I thought it was a really personal way to "bring the outside in" since they love their house because of its wooded location. 

Here's a view of the second poplar leaf canvas:

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the before & after and thank you again to the Harts for trusting me to design your home!  It was so much fun!!

Hope you had a great 4th of July weekend and if you missed the first part of this project (the dining room), check out the previous post here. 

Client Project: A Green Dining Room

I don't have a before photo of this dining room.  (What's wrong with me?  You'd think I'd never blogged before! ;)  The only pieces in the room when I started the project were the old trestle table & chairs which I love.  My clients, Debbi & Mike, have 3 children- 2 at home a one at college.  They eat their nightly meals in the dining room and also use it for projects, homework, entertaining, etc.  They're an extremely outdoorsy & fit family and love camping, biking and hiking.  Their 70s house has large windows with beautiful views of the surrounding trees and if I didn't already call my house the "treehouse" I'd call this one the "treehouse."  Since they're so passionate about nature & the outdoors, I designed a room that feels textural, natural and filled it with with layers of greens and wood-tones.  

{Walls are painted in Behr's "Lion"}

I love the wax pillar candle chandelier & sconces.  They're simple and strong yet beautiful.

The curtains are an olive-colored paisley linen and we went with green tortoiseshell shades for a classic natural feel.  And, unlike me, Debbi can keep plants alive and I think they're perfect in here.

The oil painting was ours but now it's found the perfect home.  (It wasn't easy for me to part with, but it makes me so happy to see it here ;)  We chose Restoration Hardware's Printmaker's Sideboard and its massive size is perfect for dining room storage.  (Since Debbi & Mike also use their dining room to pay bills, some of the drawers are reserved for paperwork too.)

I set the table for a "summer dinner" and used glassware from Anthropologie.  (How gorgeous are the amber wine glasses???!)  I layed a massive squash leaf down for a fun take on a tablerunner.

Here's another view of the table:

I love the brass of the samovar (the huge tea pot) against the painting.  (I borrowed it from my grandparents because I thought it would look beautiful in here and now I think I need to find one for Debbi ;)

The dining room is a relaxed & subdued backdrop for whatever type of occasion is needed.  I think it looks just as beautiful when the table's bare.  (I'm going to want to keep coming back again to do more table settings.  (Knock knock! "It's me again to play dress up with your table!") 

Thank you so much to Debbi & Mike for trusting me & the design even when the wax candles nudged you a bit outside of your comfort zone ;) ;)   You're amazing and I can't thank you enough.

I hope you enjoyed & I'll be posting living room photos next week!  Have an awesome 4th of July!!!

Client Project: Sneakity Peek

I've been remiss about getting "afters" of my finished projects for clients.  It's on my list of things to do and so this week, since I'll be wrapping up a client's living & dining rooms, I'll be sure to get photos.   Here's a shot I took today of the pen shell coffee table in the living room:

I'm slightly obsessed. 

Fox News.com

Today on Fox News' imagazine, I was featured in an article about decorating for young families and also in another little slideshow/ article with photos & tips.  I was interviewed by Brooke Eaton of Fox News and she's a very sweet, savvy writer and can't thank her enough for the article.   I was a bit nervous to be interviewed, but it was a lot of fun and Brooke made me feel instantly at ease. 

The focus of the article was on decorating for young families, particularly those with kids.  As you know, I haven't given up the fight for a pretty house even though I have two little boys.  (Although at times it feels like a losing battle ;)  It's funny to see yourself quoted in an article and I had to laugh out loud when one of my quotes when asked about design tips for parents with young children was, "It's your life, not your kids'."  hahahah oh boy...  But as harsh as that may sound, (as far as decorating / designing in concerned ;) I believe it 100%.  Design a house that still feels adult/ beautiful by keeping kids' toys to a minimum and providing attractive, accessible storage for them.  Kids' toys can be in every room of the house without taking over.   A running joke in the family is that one of the first things you say to your newborn baby when he arrives is "welcome to our world."

BUT- All joking aside, we love our little dudes- we just think they should keep their primary-colored toys hidden ;) ;)




To read both articles go:
1) here (decorating for young families) and
2) here (for the Pure Style Home article/ slideshow.)

Paint Colors: In Photos vs 'Real Life'

I've gotten lots of emails asking for paint colors used in various rooms/ specific projects.  And I've been so terrible about answering them.  (I'm sorry!!)  My first excuse is that when I don't remember them off of the top of my head, I put off going down to where our paint is stored or opening a client's file and finding the name of color.  It ends up being one of those things that just gets pushed to the end of the list of things I mean to do... 

{Justin's nursery}

One of the rooms I never mentioned a paint color for was Justin's nursery.  I didn't do this on purpose (and never purposely withhold paint colors or sources) but the truth is that we used every last drop of the paint on the walls, ditched the empty gallon, and I don't remember the name of color!!!!  It was a crazy time for us and that's really all I can say.  If I got out the deck & went & matched it, I could figure it out, but my #2 reason/excuse for not being so dilligent about supplying paint colors (and the reason it gets pushed very low on the list of things 'to do') is because paint color look different in different spaces.  Light changes everything and although it will probably look close, it might not match exactly so the "perfect navy blue" in my house might be very different from the perfect navy in your house.  

I learned this lesson first-hand when I used this color as inspiration for my family room: 

{Design by Ruthie Sommers, photo by Don Freeman for House Beautiful}

When I got out the paint chip (Blue Seafoam by Benjamin Moore) it was so much more intense than it looked in the photos and I knew that it would look way darker on my walls than it did in the Ruthie Sommers house.  Here's a sample:

It was not what I wanted and I was shocked at how dark the swatch was.  I went a couple of shades lighter with a tad more yellow (in another brand- Freshaire Choice Color: "Midwest Springs") and got a very similar-looking color for my walls & exactly what I wanted:

{Our family room}

And here's the Ruthie Sommers room again for reference:

The paint swatches look very different when compared next to one another in person, but the wall colors in the photos of the rooms look really similar.  Photography, lighting, time of day, etc. all come into play when selecting a paint color and that's one of the reasons exact paint colors aren't very important to me when trying to duplicate the look of a room.  Knowing paint colors is useful for points of reference, but in the end, the color chosen on a wall needs to be specifically chosen for that room.    (I.e., knowing a paint color will get you close/ in the ballpark, but in the end go with what works best in your space.)  I can take a photo in a room of my house- morning, noon and night - and the color will look different in each photo.

I never mind getting questions about colors so of course keep them coming but if I don't answer you, please know that I've put it on my list of colors to check!!  Hope you had a great weekend & yay for summer!!!



Update-  Just to clarify:  I should mention that I don't do "trial & error" painting & you can train yourself to properly visualize the colors before they go up on the walls.  (Clearly trial and error would not work for clients, and it's years of experience and knowing how colors will look once they are actually painted on a wall as opposed to how they look on a sample that will get you the right color choices...  Because I knew how the Blue Seafoam sample would look if actually painted on my wall, I knew right away it wasn't the color for me.  What was shocking to me was how it translated in the photo...  As a much lighter color. :)  Hope that makes sense!     Check out Colour Me Happy for expert color advice & prefessional training!

Congratulations Class of 2010

This past week, Fairfax County's seniors, the Class of 2010, graduated.  My husband, David, teaches English at our local high school, and was voted by the seniors to give the Commencement speech at the graduation ceremony.  He was introduced at graduation as "hard & crunchy on the outside but soft & chewy in the middle."  The student speaker joked about how Dave used to make fun of a student because of his long hair, but they thought it was only becase he was jealous because he doesn' have any hair.  The student introducing him also told a story relayed to him by a teacher: "I mentioned to David that I was hungry in school one day & had forgotton my lunch.  When I got back from teaching my next class, there was a happy meal waiting on my desk for me."

{Dave with the boys}

I loved his speech and wanted to share it with you.  (I'm not including the ad-lib funny parts, because you had to be there for those ;)  I know it meant a lot to the kids & parents there...

{The Graduation at the Patriot Center}

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Colleagues and Guests, Principal Bates and of course Class of Two Thousand and Ten, it is a great honor to be here before you speaking today.

Eleven years ago I sat where you are now, looking up at some old, bald guy telling me that he once sat where I was sitting... But I all I could think about was when is his speech going to end so I can get to beach week at where else? The Jersey Shore.

The moral of this story is that by the age of twenty-one this attitude had me bald with a terrible GPA and nothing but a couple of Beer-Pong Trophies to show for it. I made a lot of bad choices in my youth and I've spent the past seven years working harder than I’d ever thought possible to remedy them. Immanual Kant says ‘the only thing that can bring you morals are the starry sky above and the moral law within” and Saba (a student) has fallen asleep. Just like class.

Fine, I get it, no Kant. But seriously listen… you are the result of the choices you make. How about a Batman Quote?  It’s not who you are inside but your actions that define you. Better? It’s not who you are inside but your actions that define you. The scary thing about this is that half the time you don’t even realize the choices you’re making because you’re just doing what you always do- what you’ve always done. When you’re in a situation for the first time- that’s when you think about what you’re going to do and why. The first time you get too much change back at McDonald’s: Are you thinking, “Sweet, I’m sure I’ve overpaid before,” or are you thinking about that worker’s register coming up short at the end of his shift and that money coming out of his paycheck? Say you take the money, no biggie, fine- but the next time you’re given too much change, that money just goes right into your pocket; you don’t need to think about it. You’ve already had this conversation with yourself, why have it again?  You’re on auto-pilot. How about the first time someone calls you a bad name in elementary school?  You have to think about how you will react- you can:

A) call them one back – even though mom said not to call names

B) punch them in the face – they do have it coming

or

C) walk away – everyone’s going to make fun of you

You choose your action.  But no need to think about it next time. Next time you’re just going to react. Get it?   Re- Action- Repeat your Action. Eventually we all are faced with enough situations that we stop thinking about why we are doing something and just do what we’ve always done in that situation. This is now who we are. Sometimes people will observe our behaviors and label us. What a “Pyscho!” What an “Idiot!” She is such a “blank.” He such an “blank.”  (My speech got edited ;)   But you know what kind of labels are out there. And more importantly, what kind of behavior gets you those labels. The sad part is, when you got that label you probably didn’t even think about what you were doing, you were just reacting, doing what you always do in that situation. That’s why those initial choices are so important.

At twenty-one years old, I realized I didn’t like who I was. I met this girl who kept telling me “that’s not ok,” when I would do something morally wrong, and the funny thing was, deep down I knew she was right: How I was acting didn’t reflect who I was inside. I had to figure out why. I started thinking about why I was doing the things I was doing (like punching people in the face) and then I had to change how I handled those situations... (Actually she stills tells me when I’m not doing the right thing, but it's way less often now.)

I want to do the same favor for you. Class of 2010, you’ve made many achievements and accomplishments in your four years here at Herndon and I have truly enjoyed teaching you.... but… not all of you have been the model of good behavior. Secretly, I think that’s why you picked me to make this speech. You knew you would get honesty.... So some of those choices you’ve made these past four years: “That’s not ok.” So think about how you came to those decisions.

All of you are going to be faced with many new situations in college and in the “real world” and you are going to be in some familiar situations. When someone asks you to go out drinking what are you going to say? What about Sex? or Drugs? What happens if you say ‘yes’ to the first one, do you answers to the second two change? How about Cheating? Plagiarizing? Speeding? I’m just saying… think about where you stand on these things and why.   I’m telling you this because nobody told me this.  College is the chance to start over. You can change that label - You can change your answers to those questions, or if you like them, keep them the same. Just take this opportunity, Class of 2010, and think about who you've been the past four years. Do you want to be the same person? You are the only one who can answer this and you know deep down there is something you want to change.
Do it.
Make it happen.
Be BOLD.
Be who you want to be, not who you’re friends want you to be.
Let your actions define you proudly.

...And oh yeah- Congratulations! "


I'm so proud of him and won't go on about my feelings to save you from my cheesiness.  But Congratulations to all of you moms with graduating seniors and YAY FOR SUMMER VACATION!!!

My New Go-To Dress

Kayce Hughes, the super-talented designer of Pears + Bears, became a Pure Style Home sponsor a couple of months ago.  I was immediately smitten with her company and her iconic designs, and fell head over heels for her denim tunic dress.  I love Kayce's style and I'm crazy about her chidlren's lines too.  {Oh my goodness so adorable!! Best gifts ever!!}

I'm always on the look-out for "Go-To" clothes:  The pieces in our wardrobes that always work, that we're just guaranteed to feel good in.   Kayce's dress looked like one of those magic pieces to me and now that I have one, I can honestly tell you that it is!! 

Kayce & I swapped clothes for ads and I would so not do this if I weren't in love with her stuff.    ("Modeling" is not easy as I learned when taking these pics with a dying camera battery but VERY worth my new beautiful go-to dress!!  Thank you Kayce!!  I love it!!!) 

So, what are your favorite go-to pieces?  I always think how I would love to have a fairly modestly-stuffed closet full of only go-to pieces... 

KAYCE HUGHES LINK

ps-  Stacy just asked a good question in the comments:  It looks longer on me than it is on Kayce in her photo on the website.  I'm 5'8 and it hits me just above the knee.  I love it at both lengths and I am guessing the one Kayce is wearing is hemmed shorter, but as soon as I hear back from her, I'll let you know.   (ok eeek-  now I need 2!!  one long and one short!! hahah)