holiday 2013 – modern festive

So, you love the holidays but you don’t love the traditional decor elements?  Luckily, there are many other ways to dress up your space for the season without OD’ing on plaid & pine trees.  Unique color palettes, mod stylized shapes and unusual accents like peacocks and gemstones are building blocks of a non-traditional scheme.  Feel free to make a statement with your decor!

See below for inspiration photos and my favorite things on the market this season!

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 Shiny silver balls tied with a pink thread make for a festive entrance!

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Silver Ball Garland from CB2

 Amaryllis stems flourish in the peacock-inspired hues of these stunning vases!

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Faceted Glass Vases from West Elm

 Clear tree silhouettes grouped together would make a statement for a dining table or entry.

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Acrylic Trees from CB2

 Agate drops offer a hint of nature and can be hung anywhere or tied on a package for a color pop.

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Agate Ornaments from West Elm

 Spinning shapes in silver & gold delight audiences young & old!

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Wire Ornaments from CB2

Love the unique colors in these capiz shell ornaments!

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Capiz Paillette Ornaments from West Elm

Functional & retro in bold colors, these glasses are durable for kids & tipsy adults!

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Stacking Acrylic Wine Glasses from Crate & Barrel

Faceted cocktail glasses are great for retro entertaining with a twist…Manhattan, anyone?

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Cassiopeia Glassware from West Elm

We all love flameless candles and these new string light versions are a fun alternative!

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Embedded String Light Pillar Candles from Pottery Barn

Stemless flutes make great gifts and since they don’t scream “holidays”, they can be used all year round.

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Birch Flutes from CB2

 

holiday 2013 – rustic traditional

One of my favorite things about the holidays and winter in general is the transformation of the outdoors.  Sleigh rides and skating outdoors amidst pine trees, snow and barren branches makes warming up next to a fireplace all the more appealing.  Adding rustic traditional elements to your decor can take your interiors through the holidays and into the abyss of winter.  Pops of red, lots of textural elements and plenty of candles aglow will warm your spirits!

See below for inspiration photos and a few of my favorite things to buy for this season!

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I love this new collection of lit twig animals!  The polar bear is by far the cutest!

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Lit Twig Polar Bear from Pottery Barn

Who doesn’t need a sleigh that has no function other than to look pretty?

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Red Metal Sleigh from Pottery Barn

I love burlap and red plaid and together they make a festive combo!

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Burlap & Red Plaid Stockings from Ballard Designs

I had a cocker spaniel growing up and one of their signature features are their eyes.  PB captured the essence of them plus a few other breeds in these quirky ornaments!

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Bottlebrush Cocker Spaniel Ornament from Pottery Barn

I love this handwritten effect of the sentiment on this platter; perfect for a hostess or holiday gift.  Also, the warm color makes it ideal for fall and winter entertaining!

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Shanna Murray Platter from West Elm

With the upswing in craft breweries, these would make a great gift for your favorite beer drinker this season!

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Hoppy Holidays Beer Glasses from Crate & Barrel

With its traditional font, this festive runner feels as much at home on your dining room table as in your kitchen!

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Jingle Sentiment Runner from Pottery Barn

Pine Roping 101 – Concept to Installation

I’ve always loved the soft swags of pine roping I see in magazine photos.  I finally got the perfect opportunity at my client’s house last year!  See below for the process and the finished product!

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Here’s our concept photo!

So, the concept photo shows Mixed Greens roping which costs 3 times as much as the traditional White Pine roping and my client and I decided to go with the less expensive option, especially since it was our first time attempting this!

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(1) 75 ft bundle of White Pine Roping – is it enough?!?

I had my handyman meet me at my client’s house while she was out running errands.  I kind of wanted to play with this a bit without her feeling like we didn’t know what we were doing!  Plus I wanted the “wow” reaction when she came home!

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Laying out the bundle of roping…

When we started to lay out the bundle, it was a like a clown car that just kept growing and I really began to get a sense for 75 feet of pine roping!  At that point I was much more confident that we had enough to get the job done.

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The pine only goes one direction on the swag and we decided it was easiest to start at the top of the stairs…

While Joe was draping, I started making bows out of the burlap so we could see how long to cut each ribbon.  In order to secure the roping, we used plastic zip ties which wouldn’t scratch the wood railing and would hold the roping in place.

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1 row draped doesn’t make enough of an impact…
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2 rows draped and then we started adding bows!
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Loving how it is turning out!
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Burlap Ribbon from Pottery Barn – looks beautiful!
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Finished product! Couldn’t be happier!

My client and I were very happy with how it turned out and it added such a simple festive element to her entry.  Not to mention the smell of the live pine roping was amazing!  It didn’t cost that much for roping and the ribbon we saved which makes this something she can do every year.

If you have a concept for holiday decor that you need help executing, let me know!

Happy Decorating!

“the one”…my fave new desks for fall 2013!

It’s back to school time!  We all remember the joy of getting new supplies for school & I’m sure some of you are reliving it as you help your kids prep for their first day!  The ultimate “school supply” is definitely a stylish & functional desk, which can make even the biggest procrastinator  in your house put down the remote and get to work!  Here are a few of my favorite offerings for the fall season!

First up, the new Mid Century Desk in White from West Elm!  So glad we have a store in St. Louis, now!!

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Next up,  the stunning Emerson Secretary from Crate & Barrel – love the leather accents!

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Another showpiece and workhorse is the Patchwork Secretary by West Elm – love the mixed woods & clean lines!

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An elegant addition is the Sentinel Desk from Horchow – I’m always a fan of the spindle legs!

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Last but not least, modern & sleek with a feminine touch! – White Spur Desk from Horchow

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Hope you are inspired!  Happy Designing!

holiday 101: sparkle

Who doesn’t love a little (or a lot) of sparkle?  I am kind of obsessed with things that sparkle this year, in fashion as well as home decor!  What’s fun about the shimmery elements is that they work in almost every holiday theme as well as for other occasions like New Year’s Eve and year round cocktail parties.  Here’s my shortlist of fave baubles in holiday decor this year!

PB Florentine Mercury Glass
Pottery Barn Votive Holders
Pier 1 Glitter Rattan Snowman
Crate & Barrel Metallic Frost Plate & Platter Set
Crate & Barrel Mingle Bar Glass
CB2 Reversible Silver/Kraft Gift Wrap
Wisteria Wreath
Crate & Barrel Soiree Plates
PB Gold Stripe Cocktail Shaker
PB Gold Glitter Ball
Pier 1 Gold Glitter Ribbon