Apparently “Vintage” is in… but was it ever out? Regardless of whether you consider it vintage or retro, I call it classic.
The wildly popular TV series Mad Men may have increased visibility for vintage fashion and décor in recent years, but many contemporary retailers have delivered this aesthetic all along. For example, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, West Elm, and Mod Cloth all exemplify a vintage vibe.
Spring is officially here. Whether or not we still have 2′ of snow in New England is another subject…. If you’re wondering what is trending for Spring 2014, read on.
From fashion to your front door, sticky sweet pastels are in bloom this spring. Rather than committing an entire room to this trend, I’m probably more likely to invest in a cute top or colorful shoes. But that is just me. This palette works well for many, especially blond hair/blue eye “spring” homeowners. Know what I mean?
Stay tuned for more trends to follow!
Some time has passed since I’ve done much Pinning. My Pinterest consumption got a little out of control back in the days of wedding planning. Now that I’ve had a respectable break, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to explore some seasonal imagery. All good things in moderation, right?
How will you be decorating for the fall this year?
When we bought the house this summer, I already couldn’t wait for fall. The thought of colorful leaves, festive pumpkins, and wonderful baked goods were highly exciting. With October now upon us and a batch of apple crisp under my belt (literally), my focus has shifted to a more responsible viewpoint: staying warm this winter.
Window treatments are an excellent way to improve the energy efficiency of your home. I consider mine as an investment that will compliment years of pellets my husband will stockpile in our basement. But the benefits don’t stop there! Great treatments add privacy - especially valuable with the shorter days and longer nights of winter. As an added bonus, updating window treatments can also be a great way to bring new life to a tired room. With the holidays quickly approaching, now is the perfect time to get your home ready to impress impending guests.
If you are looking to update the treatments in your home or office, please don’t hesitate to call. I’d love to help you stay warm and fashionable this holiday season.
Finally, before I go, here is a tip I must share. Window treatments are like dress shirts - they need to be ironed. Messy, wrinkled, sloppy curtains look bad. The creases from when you took them out of the package are not a design characteristic that was meant to be preserved. Please iron your curtains people!
I know what you’re going to say… How’s the house coming along? My answer: Slowly.
The last month has been wonderful, getting settled in. Grilling dinner just about every night, hanging out, and loving life. Normally I would feel a sense of guilt for taking it so easy, but then I remember that we went from wedding planning straight into packing and moving. A month of reprieve was well deserved and much appreciated!
Now that I’m ready to jump into home improvement, I thought I would get my feet wet with a smaller project - styling the built-in bookshelf. To be honest, I was preparing for this to take the whole day. A bookshelf can be more complicated than it sounds. Yes, I am being totally serious.
I wanted the bookshelf to be functional (similar subject matter grouped together) but aesthetic and artistic too. Here are some images I used as “research”.
And now… Before.
and After.
Surprisingly it only took me 2 hours. The first of what will likely be MANY configurations.
One thing about planning a wedding - people are constantly offering you advice. It’s one of those things you just have to take in stride. I think people honestly mean well and want to share in your happiness, if only for a moment. That being said, here are my top 10 tips for wedding planning 
10. Giving: For someone who likes to do and give to others, it wasn’t easy to pull the reigns in on favors and other extras for guests. But a budget is a budget, and you have to draw the line somewhere. Looking back, our wedding was a day to receive and I think that is what friends and family wanted most.
9. Venue: We loved-loved-loved our venue. It was a little difficult, however, to plan and visualize the tent without having seen it in person. If possible, arrange with your venue to see the site set up in advance. I wish I had taken advantage of this opportunity when it was made available to me.
8. Time: We chose to hold a midday ceremony for several reasons. First, we thought the mountainous road would be more driver-friendly in the daytime. An earlier meal is also lighter with less alcohol (dollar saver!) In theory, an earlier ceremony would also allow nearby guests to save on boarding for the night. But there were a few things we (ok, I) didn’t think of. For example, saying your I Do’s in midday sun = major squinting. Not the best for pictures. There is also considerably less set-up time for decorating.
7. Work it: Weddings can be absurdly expensive, if you ask me. One way to save money is to work with what you’ve got. For example, I loved the idea of using wooden boxes with the centerpieces. You know - the soft gray, rustic ones that look like they have aged romantically. But at an easy $10 each, that adds up quickly. Eventually I recognized the bountiful collection of antique boxes I have access to via my mother. Sure, they weren’t the color I was originally fixated on, but they brought more character than anything else could. Plus, (and I emphasize this point) they were free. We also were able to save money with the florist by using our own jars, glasses, and vases.
6. Images: Pictures speak a thousand words. I can’t emphasize enough how tremendously helpful Pinterest was in organizing thoughts, finds, and general likes for all things wedding. (Here is my Nuptials album again). More importantly, these pictures will be extremely valuable as you try to communicate color/style/mood/preferences with your florist, cake vendor, hair/makeup stylist, and bridal party.
5. Allow extra time: Overall, nearly everything took longer than I anticipated. From designing the invitations, creating DIY projects, finding the right wedding band, to decorating the reception tent the night before…
4. Delegate: Delegating can be tricky - especially when you are a particular person like myself. I think I did ok at the time. In hindsight, I would have asked friends/family what they wanted to do to help. They may have different strengths or talents than I had realized.
3. Prioritize: Scratch that. Let’s call this tip Let Go: There will be ideas you can’t afford to include. There will be projects you don’t have time for. There will be details that didn’t turn out as you had imagined. But ask yourself what is really important? It is the love that you are promising to this man (or this woman…) for the rest of your life. Let go of the rest.
2. Be good to yourself: If ever there was a time to be extra kind to yourself, it’s before your wedding. (And probably while you’re pregnant I suppose…) I was fortunate enough to have regular massages during the course of my engagement. This was remarkably helpful for sore muscles as I upped my game at the gym, but even more so in the final months when I had endless headaches due to stress. Be sure to get lots of sleep too.
1. Speak up: Normally, I am not one to make a fuss. I consider myself to be flexible, understanding, go-with-the-flow kind of person. But sometimes you need to speak up and wedding planning was a perfect opportunity for me to practice. Let’s look at my dress alterations for example. I figured - this person is a professional, they are going to tailor it to fit me best. Although they did a fantastic job, the alterations were on the conservative side and I had to ask them to take it in more. This may all sound silly, but it was a step out of my comfort zone.
That’s it! I hope these tips were fun and helpful.
Another hot trend you’ll see in 2013 is black and white. Don’t be fooled - this palette is not as boring as it sounds. Black and white can be glamorous, sophisticated, classic, modern, and easily adaptable by changing your accent color. But nevermind me, I’ll let the images speak for themselves…
Looking through pages and pages of older posts, it occurred to me that I write quite a bit about STUFF that I like, but I don’t often talk about what it is that I DO. Sometimes it can be tricky to explain my services because they can be applied in so many ways.
On the “small project” end of the spectrum, I help my clients pick out color(s) for the interior or exterior of their home or office. It may simply be the paint color for their front door or a stain for the deck. This type of color selection process has countless applications as well (selection of tile, countertop material, flooring, etc.) An example would be the local bank I worked with several years ago. They were going to update their wall to wall carpeting and had decided on a replacement product. Trouble was they couldn’t decide on a color. Consulting with a design professional allowed them to have piece of mind and confidence in their decision.
Another type of “small project” includes general consulting for DIY’ers. Lots of people love to work on their home and find satisfaction in doing it themselves. Right on! I’m all for it. I only wish that more people would consult with a professional before breaking out the power tools. I hate to hear about DIY projects gone bad, especially when they could have been prevented. Sure there are places out there that offer “you can do it, we can help”, but are they coming to your home? Are they seeing things that you forgot to mention? Are they presenting alternative options that might provide a better solution? A little bit of advice from the right source can save you time, money, and headaches down the road.
An example of a mid-size project would be what I call a redesign. In other words, we give an existing space a new look or function. Looking to jazz up your living room? Sure! Turning the guest room into an office? Absolutely. Dreaming of an organized and functional mudroom? I’m your gal. A redesign may include new furniture, new colors, new accessories, and minor construction. Contrary to popular belief, not every designer is bound and determined to reinvent the wheel that is your home. I love to incorporate existing pieces and achieve the desired results as efficiently as possible.
On the more elaborate or involved end of the project spectrum, I work with homeowners and building professionals on new construction and major renovation projects. There are oodles of decisions to be made with these types of projects, and an interior designer provides a unique and priceless perspective to the process. I work hand in hand with the client to help them understand the choices and decisions they are making, while doing so in a manner that facilitates the contractors in carrying out a smooth and efficient build.
As mentioned, there are countless applications and scenarios where hiring an interior designer would prove to be beneficial. If you are interested in working together or have any questions, please don’t hestiate to contact me.
Ciao!
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