I'm Baaaccckk!!!

First off, my deepest apologies for absolutely no posts in months.  The truth is, I'm usually apt to post when I've got projects going on in my own home, but lately there haven't been many.  We're casually thinking of moving and in the process have looked at a few houses on the market.  Seeing all these gorgeous homes have got me mentally decorating like a mad woman.  Today I put together a mood board for what I'm hoping will be my next living room (whenever that happens).  I've included some sources if you're interested.....

It's a mixture of what I have in my current living room (the pillows, a brown sofa, pops of burnt orange and light blue) with some additional elements like the chair and Michelle Armas painting (she does commission pieces...check her out!).  I like that it has some modern elements to it, but is still pretty traditional.  Our living room walls right now are a light smoky blue and I love the color but it makes decorating hard when your walls aren't neutral.  I think using main pieces of furniture like wing back chairs is a great incorporate way to incorporate fun colors into an otherwise neutral room.  Hope you like it!

~Katie

A Little Living Room Inspiration

A sweet friend of mine, Meg Cook, whom I recently purchased some fabulous art from, sat down with me to do a little brainstorming for my living room.  While I love the french blue color of our wall, I find myself struggling to incorporate any non-neutral colors with it. I splurged a few weeks ago on a cowhide rug that I'M IN LOVE WITH and it gave me an itching to update the room a little bit...give it a little more "wow" factor.  The bold rug was making everything around it look so boring in comparison.  I felt myself hitting a wall and called her up for some advice.  Her advice was to incorporate a burnt orange color in the room with accessories.  So far I've added two of these burnt orange pillows to my sofa.

These are Celerie Kemble's Betwixt pattern in "Spark" which is a lovely shade I'd call burnt orange.  I love them!  They add a pop of color and the pattern is transitional so it blends with both the modern and traditional elements in the room.  I'm still working on finding a complementary fabric to do some additional pillows....but now I've set my sights on the wall above the sofa.  My husband gave me an Mary Bryan New York skyline painting that now rests above the fire place opposite of this wall and I'm thinking I'd like a mirror to reflect that painting so that you notice it as soon as you walk in the room.  The problem is a big mirror over the sofa is....well....boring...right?

Right now the wall has four vintage car prints but the wall is large and looks sparse and I'm ready for a change.  Which leads me to my inspiration photo.

Isn't is lovely?!  This living room is much more traditional than mine but I think the gallery of sunburst mirrors is a fun eclectic touch (even a tad modern) which is exactly what I'm looking to incorporate into my living room. I have two sunburst mirror in other rooms of the house that I can repurpose into the leaving room but I need at least three more and I'm hoping to find some vintage/antique ones to add in.  And so the search begins.....

Time for a Dinner Party

 First, let me apologize for my 3 month long absence.  I've been out of pocket since our September trip to Jamaica, but I'm back and in full swing, baby!  That said, getting ready for the holidays has been about all I've done recently....including planning my first "real" dinner party!  It looks as though we're hosting some folks for a New Year's Eve dinner this year so I, of course, used it as an excuse to become obsessed with decorating the table!  Here's a look that should be similar to mine.  Farmhouse table- check, white table runner-check, now on to adding the finishing touches.

The elements below will make up a majority of the table.  I'm going with a combination of formal and informal.  My every day Juliska Berry and Thread china, gold plate chargers, lettuce-edged linen dinner napkins with my new silver napking rings and a few hydrangea arrangements.

 

Throw in a few candles and the right guests and I'll think we'll have a great time!  It will also be the perfect time to take show you the "after" photos of the dining room I've been promising for so long!  Hope you have a Happy New Year and check in the first week of January for details from the dinner party!



House Tour: Our Living Room

As you may be able to tell by reading this blog,  I constantly have projects going on in our house.  Currently, all of which are not at post-worthy status (yet).  And as these projects continue to grow, each room of our house gets a million tiny makeovers.  While other rooms are in progress, I thought this would be a great opportunity to catch you up on our living room in it's current state.  Here are a few photos.

The wall with the sofa, the fireplace opposite of it, and the extra seating nook by the window are the main areas of our living room.  My goal with this room was to keep it neutral but interesting, polished and neat but lived in and cozy.  And so far, I think we're getting there.  One of the easiest ways to make a room feel cozy is with fabric.  These Kravet ikat throw pillows are my favorite!

Vintage pieces like these super old and naturally patina-ed iron candlesticks I snagged at a yardsale for next to nothing keep the room feeling used and lived in.

And probably my favorite part of our living room is the seagrass tray on top of our cocktail ottoman that holds some of our favorite tabletop books (Greek Islands, Esquire's The Meaning of Life, and a vintage Chanel Look Book is found at a THRIFT STORE!).  On top of the books is one of my many McCoy pieces and our brass elephant bookends to show off our college pride.

So that gives you the gist of our living room!  It honestly is the room where we LIVE...we use it the most out of all the room in our house and that's why it was important for me that we love being in it.  I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions (because it's always evolving).

Thanks,

I've linked my thrift living room to:

www.southernhospitalityblog.com

Bedroom Choices: Chinoiserie or Cottage? Help Me Decide!

So my Waverly Olana drapes have officially been hung and now the decisions start rolling in! Once hung, I began to realize that drapes are definitely going to be game changers in our bedroom.  And after staring at the pattern for what seems like hours (I'm a little obsessed), I've decided the room can go one of two ways:  Chinoiserie inspired by my new favorite blog Chinoiserie Chic or Cottage style (which is kind of my safe place).  

Here's an idea of what's going on in the room currently:

Tufted headboard, sunburst mirror over vintage bamboo dresser, and a jute rug, a few lamps, etc etc...  I don't hate it by any means, but compared to my dramatic drapes, it's a little...well, bland.

Let's take a look at Option 1:

Add in a coordinating fabric with a bamboo/chinoiserie vibe to it, a bamboo mirror (but preferably one without the $600 Horchow price tag), my favorite painting by my all-time favorite artist, Patrice Brunet (I wish!  But, hey, a girl can dream), and a ceramic stool for a little bit of seating.  Overall, it's got a Chinoiserie feel to it, but it's not too over the top or "theme-y."

Here's Option 2:

Add in a traditional striped fabric for possibly a bedskirt and some throw pillows, some monograms (of course), a few chippy pots/vases from Anthropologie, and a random antique chair that I'm sure I can find a Urban Suburban.

My first instinct play it safe with cottage style, but part of me wants to do something a little more bold and dramatic.  That's where you come in faithful readers...I need you comments, questions, and suggestions! Help me decide and leave a comment below!

Thanks!

Bedroom Fabric Sneak Peak

Ladies and Gentleman, the pheasants have made their way to the bedroom!!!  I'll have a full post up soon but for now here's a sneak peak! 

Please excuse the awful photo...all I had was my phone camera!

Once I get the finishing touches complete, I'll continue the house tour into our master bedroom. 

YAY! 

Shop Birmingham: Urban Suburban

This is the first of a new series of posts I'm starting about where I love to shop for furniture and items for our home or just browse for inspiration.  For my first post in this series, I'm starting super close to home.  In fact, one of my new favorite shops is Urban Suburban in the heart of our neighborhood, Crestwood.  It just opened on August 3rd and has already found a special place in my heart.  It's full of great furniture pieces...

(I adore that rug under the antique French chair!!)

Urban Suburban is not your run of the mill antique market.  They've got a truly unique atmosphere and besides all the great antique and vintage finds like these amazing vintage suitcases that clearly have a story to tell...

or this entire booth of awesome vintage signs...

Check out those AMAZING light fixtures!

They also rent booths to local artists to display their work...

And it also doesn't hurt that it's right next door to Crestwood Coffee Company where I've become a regular.  Nothing puts me in an antiquing mood like an iced coffee and a homemade peach muffin.

So, if you're in the Birmingham area and looking for a new place to treasure hunt, I highly recommend you take a Saturday afternoon to browse Urban Suburban!  You'll probably see me there!

All images via www.urbansuburbanantiques.com