This Is What Happens

When multiple shelves in your office look like this: 

And you are looking for a stress reliever...

Your door might or might not change colors on a regular basis.

Photoshoot in DC Rowhouse

I'm in the process of getting ready for a photoshoot of one of our finished projects in DC today.   This will be my last before Baby #3 arrives!!  The home is really special...   Here is a "before" picture of the living room:

{This room already felt great when we first walked in}

My clients have an amazing sense of style and some beautiful iconic pieces that we kept & worked the design off of.  We painted the walls a soft cream & the doors went to a warm black: 

{a mid-stage photo of the living room... I love what a difference the paint made.}

We reworked the floorplan a bit:

We added some more natural elements to the house, changed fabric & color schemes & added in some more eclectic pieces. Here's a quick pic of the original design plans:

I love my client's bold fabric choices...  We used them in small doses in the now-neutral spaces:

Anyway, I'll be sure to share "after" photos as soon as I can.  I'm especially excited about this project because my clients' style is much more modern than our typical clients' style and it's been so much fun to branch out & help create a home that reflects them & their taste.  I think my favorite part of being a decorator is creating spaces that feel really personal to my clients & getting to experiment with design styles that are different from my own personal style (which they all are.) 

Wish me luck!!

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Happy

Happy Birthday to my Mate. 

DC Design- Lots going on!

This past week our good friends Brooke & Steve Giannetti of Velvet & Linen were in town visiting with two of their kids, Nick & Leila.  Thursday night, Dave & I went to an insanely perfect cocktail party in their honor thrown by Loi Thai and Tom Troeschel, owners of Tone on Tone, a beautiful antiques store in Bethesda.  Like usual, I forgot to take very many pictures (I'm usually having too much fun, let's be honest) but to say Loi & Tom's place was amazing is a serious understatement.  I have NEVER been somewhere like this house.  It completely transports you to another place.  You don't feel like you're in Kansas DC anymore.  Because I forgot to take photos, I've taken most images of these from Joni of Cote de Texas's blogpost of almost 2 years ago when the house was just newly renovated, so there have been a lot of changes since then.  The walk up to the front of the house is incredible.  Boxwoods and trees now surround the front lawn which is empty in this photo:

{The limestone pavers on the front porch are so beautiful...  I felt like we were walking around on Mt.Olympus here...  The doors were flung open and a Spring breeze flowed into the house.}

  The entire home feels completely open to the outdoors & to me, there's nothing better than that.

{looooove the skylights in this house!!!}

Almost everything is done in shades of white & neutrals (hence the name "tone on tone") and the floors are even bleached wood:

You feel like you're floating around the house...

There were small green accents throughout the home and I fell in love with these cheeky industrial green pendants in the kitchen:

I enjoyed the far right barstool as well...  With less than a month to go 'till baby comes, I REALLY loved the food & had a great little spot to indulge!!!  mm mmm mmm!

The kitchen & attached family room is where Loi & Tom do most of the "living" and it's a bit less formal than the rest of the home.  They have topiaries & ferns all over the house (which are my FAVORITE things to accessorize with & that I unfortunately can't keep alive) and they're so beautiful:

{This console bisects the kitchen/ family room so the TV is opposite the kitchen.  There's the most beautiful skylight above the topiaries.}

The pair of maiden hair fern may have been my favorite accessory in the entire home.  Here's one of them on a pedestal flanking the fireplace:

..But of course my favorite part of the night was seeing so many great friends & people all in 1 place.  The DC Design Community is full of amazing people & personalities and there's never enough time to see all the people, so it was so nice to get to see so many sweet faces at once. 

{Brooke, Leila, me and Leah Moss of Moss Eclectic}

 I'm so glad Brooke & Steve came to DC.  They were signing copies of their book, Patina Style, which if you haven't read yet, needs to happen.  It's full of beautiful photos & such practical hands-on information.

{Image from  Patina Style   }

We were able to steal them away from their busy schedule Friday for a trip to the Air & Space Museum (boys-only...  Leila & Brooke & I hung at home) and for hanging out & pizza & cupcakes.  (mm-mm-mm!!)  Of course I didn't take photos, but if I had, you would have seen me lying on the couch and Brooke lying on a chair having a "sympathy pregnancy" for me.  :)  Sometimes it's nice to just veg out. 

I'm off for the day but thank you so much to Loi & Tom for such a beautiful night!!  Here they are in their (perfect) living room towards the end of the party:

{They are so sweet & hospitable and I'm pretty much in awe over their house...  I'm one of those annoying people who ends up leaving a party last or almost last (I somehow don't notice when people are saying goodbye) so thanks for putting up with me Loi & Tom!!}

And, speaking of great DC people, the DC Design House just opened this weekend & it's looking beautiful!!  My good friend John Matthew Moore sent me  this photo of the gorgeous foyer he just completed:

{Yay Matthew!!!!   photo by Angie Seckinger}

For information on visiting the DC Design House, visit the website here: Dcdesignhouse.com

My room from last year's DC Design House is actually in this month's issue of Better Homes & Gardens Magazine too so if you see it on newsstands, check it out.  (As soon as I get images, I'll be sure to post!! :)

Also, for more images & information on Tom & Loi's home, be sure to check out Joni's post:  Cote de Texas Ton-on-Tone post 

I just realized Loi has a blog, Tone on Tone, and you can view it here.  The most recent post is about keeping his topiaries alive!! :)




If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Add To My Project List

How is it Monday already?  I didn't even get to start a single project this weekend.  Maybe it is Spring fever but I am so ready to make some changes around the house and the office.  This one, adding wallpaper (or stencil) to closet panels, might have to be added to my list.

VIA

Quiet Time

Via

Last Day....Or....

Or perhaps a better title would be, "Is That Really The Way I Talk?" Today is the last day to sign up for the St. Vincent's/Talk of Alabama Nursery Giveaway Contest! Click on the side button to enter. I can't wait to meet the finalist! Have a wonderful weekend.