Tremendous Trims

Adding trim to upholstered pieces is a great way to dress them up, add a level of interest, and tie together various elements in a room. Trim adds dimension to a room and helps create that layered and "designed" look to which many of us aspire. 

I love using trim on things like curtains and lampshades, but it also looks great on furniture and pillows. 

I've used trim in a few places in my house, and after putting this post together, I'm thinking I'll be adding it to a few more :) 

This fun ball trim on the TV room roman shade is so perfect for the room and the shade fabric:

This one I really like, because the lampshade is also lined in metallic gold paper. I think the gold and black ribbon trim really takes it over the top.

I have two of these matching lamps with plain grey linen lampshades on my entry table. They are just basic shades from Target, but I dressed them up with a little bit of ribbon trim in a grey and white Greek key pattern. I think they turned out great! I am SO not a DIYer, but even I can manage one as simple and pretty as this!

Here are a few trimmed pieces I found via my old friend Pinterest that I absolutely adore as well:

Of course Tory Burch's sofa is 100% perfect in every way! I love everything about this, from the green velvet, to the stunning patterned trim tape, to the tiger velvet bolster pillow!

Via the Enchanted Home - this one is a little more traditional than my taste, but I love the perfectly done box pleat skirt and contrast welting!

That'll do!

Matching curtains and table skirt is just spectacular (that wallpaper that looks like deGournay isn't bad either!)!

This bedroom looks stunning, but the roman shade with a large, dramatic trim added takes it over the top. 

Another example of gorgeous draperies with a really wide trim.

I recently fell down a bit of a trim rabbit hole while looking for trim to add to the simple green linen curtains I'm having made for the office. There are some truly stunning options out there, so I thought I'd share a few of my favorites here, mostly from Samuel and Sons, Scalamandre, and Clarence House: 

So pretty as a pop of color on neutral fabric. 

I love the mixture of textures and materials in this one. 

So pretty in the various shades of blue. 

The saturated colors here kill me. So gorgeous!

I'm dying to use this one somewhere, even though the colors aren't appropriate for my house at all!

This one, however, works perfectly in my home and I want to design an entire room around it!

The top contender for my office trim.

Love how graphic and kind of mod this one is. 

What do you think of trim? Do you have any pieces in your home that you'd like to perk up with upholstered trim? 

Thanks so much for reading!

E's Bedroom

Welcome back, everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic holiday season. Ours was full of fun, family, friends, and food -  just perfect.

Sadly though, the time has come to transition out of wearing yoga pants every day and eating treats all the time, so to jump start 2016 I thought I'd start with a fun room tour of one of the prettiest spaces in our home - E's bedroom.

I'm not sure if she realizes it quite yet, but E has got a room that I would have absolutely been crazy about as a young lady. I'm certain this means we're on track for a Minnie-Mouse- or Frozen-themed bedding request from her once she realizes how to push my decor buttons. But, I digress. Onto the pretty pictures :)

I absolutely love the light in her room, courtesy of the big double window, and the slightly angled ceiling detail is fun too: 

The walls are Benjamin Moore Ballet Slipper, which is the perfect pale pink. The rug was actually from her nursery in our old house, and I cannot remember where I purchased it. The giant giraffe is the first item we purchased for her room before she was born. The cute little wicker elephant is a hamper from Home Decorators. 

E's crib (yes, she's still in a crib, and no, we're not moving her until we absolutely have to) is from Bratt Decor and I'd highly recommend it. 

It's super-sturdy because it's solid iron, and it was the prettiest one I could find. It converts to a toddler bed, so once we are ready to give up full confinement we'll still be able to use it for a time.

I pulled together this mini gallery wall combining a few nicer prints with things from Michaels and/or Hobby Lobby, or in a couple of cases, just by framing pieces of scrapbook paper that I really liked. 

As she gets older and I can trust that she won't destroy the things in her room, we'll swap some of the lesser pieces out for nicer artwork.

The Somewhere Over the Rainbow print is special since we used that song as our Wedding Processional, and it gives me all the feels to see it now in her room.

Everyone knows a rocker (or glider) is essential in any nursery, and we use this one (can't remember where it's from - sorry!) all the time and still love it. At the time I bought it, it was super difficult to find a non-traditional rocker, and I remember hunting all over the internets to find this one, but now I see them all the time, even at readily-accessible places like PB Kids. 

The artwork above the chair is a piece by a local artist we bought at an auction, and the white leather pouf is from Serena and Lily, as is the little elephant side table.

The window treatment in E's room is a roller shade from, of all places, Lowe's! I didn't have high hopes when I started looking at their options, but surprisingly they have some really nice fabrics from which to choose, and offer the ability to add custom details to make it look a little more special. The pelmet cover with braided trim is a really nice touch that I'm so glad I added.

My trusty assistant always has to get into at least one picture :)

You'll also notice the dresser still has a changer on it, but hopefully not for much longer! One of my more expert mom friends recently gave me the great advice that it's actually much more about when mom is ready rather than when baby is ready. I'm trying to keep that in mind, but it's SO HARD - diapers are so easy! 

Probably the most fun corner of E's room is this one:

The pink ombre tent gets a lot of play from both E and Murphy. It's the perfect place to hang out and read or pretend to nap. It's from Land of Nod and the green version is on sale now here. 

The last major piece in the room is the bookcase:

It's full of lots of fun little bits and bobs, and of course plenty of books for bedtime stories too.

The adorable leather hippo bookends are another great Serena and Lily find. The books between them are a vintage set of Nancy Drew mysteries, which were my absolute favorite when I was younger (#nerdalert). Here's hoping E likes them in a few years too.

Lots of little pieces (mostly vintage) I've been collecting for E since she was born: 

Although this isn't the final version of E's big girl room, I tried to use many pieces that I thought would grow up well with her and create a room that is appropriate for a little girl without seeming too babyish. 

Thanks so much for reading, and check back soon for more room updates!

It's a Festivus Miracle!

Okay, there's no aluminum pole since we don't actually celebrate Festivus here, and I suppose that's probably a good thing, because the airing of grievances alone might take us through to 2016 :)

I did however put up some more traditional holiday decorations this year:

In a new house it's always a bit of a challenge figuring out where things will go, where the outlets are, what fits where, etc. To further complicate matters, I also decided to switch up the color scheme this year so that our decorations would blend more with the existing decor. 

That means, essentially, there's no (or at least very little) red to be found. Instead I kept pretty strictly to whites, metallics, greens, and blues. 

Our outdoor lights are all solid green, with the exception of a couple small LED branches in warm white that are in the pots out front.

I think they're a nice change of pace from the white lights you see everywhere, and E always says "green is my favorite color" when she sees the lights on, so that alone is reason enough for me to love them. 

Indoors I stuck to the color scheme and kept a pretty clean look overall. I have tons of decorations I didn't put out this year, but I just was drawn to a little less clutter this holiday:

Of course the mantle is fully decked out, with a lighted garland, some pretty green mercury glass vases and candlesticks, as well as gold stick trees and my favorite vintage laurel wreath sculpture.

The dining table has a combination of vessels with Christmas balls and candlesticks with simple white candles and some fresh greenery. I kept the colors here to just white and silver since the dark blue walls already bring the drama in this room.

It also turns out the dining room plate rail is an ideal place to display all of our holiday cards:

You're all very attractive :)


I just can't stand to clutter up my kitchen with a lot of decorations, so the only nod to the holiday here is a cute little mini rosemary tree, which I transplanted from its red plastic container to this galvanized steel one.

Our main tree is in the piano room:

We chose an 8-foot live tree this year, and the charm and scent of a live tree is certainly hard to beat. The needles everywhere, I could live without.

I love having such a full, pretty tree, but I think next year it's going to be back to artificial for this girl, and most likely a 9-10-foot tree as the 8-footer looks a little stumpy here, in my opinion. Balsam Hill has some beautiful artificial tree options, if you're in the market.

I also strung up some lighted garland across the piano top:

Of course the TV room and the basement are where we spend a good portion of our time when we're home, and it would have been a big bummer to not be able to enjoy pretty Christmas lights in those places, so I put up a couple of very simple topiary trees with lights.

These trees have a small footprint, but add such a nice ambiance to the rooms they're in.

Lastly, E is really excited about Christmas this year and seems to for the most part understand what it's all about. So, I figured it was time she got her own tree.

We put up this cute little pink tinsel tabletop tree in her room, and decorated it with some mini ornaments and some larger ones she and I crafted together. She adores having her own tree, and thinks it's pretty special that mommy actually lets her touch this one :)

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, and thank you so much for reading!

My Favorite Design Books

B likes to compare my book collection to that of a stuck-in-the-past audiophile proudly displaying a vast assemblage of cassette tapes and 8 tracks. He strongly feels that books are an artifact of the past and have little place in a modern home. I'm pretty sure he came to that conclusion during our move, sometime around carrying the 10th fully-loaded box from room to room.  

I'll admit, most of my fiction reading is done via ipad these days, but when it comes to design and cookbooks, digital just doesn't cut it.

I use books not only as decorative objects, but as resources that I actually use and refer back to again and again.

Some of my favorite design books not only look great on display, but contain amazing photos, resource guides, and styling tips that I try to incorporate into my own home. Here are a few of my favorites:

Elements of Style, Designing a Home and a Life, by Erin Gates. I also referred to Erin in my favorite blogs post here. 

This book is instantly eye-catching because of its distinctive black and white striped spine. I absolutely love this touch, but the contents inside more than hold up to the high bar set by that attractive color. Erin's writing style (while not for everyone, I'm sure) really speaks to me. I find Erin's aesthetic to be pretty close to my own, which means the pages are full of eye candy of which I can't get enough.

Windsor Smith definitely operates on another level from most designers. I mean, she does Gwynnie's homes, which in my opinion is about as fabulous as it gets. 

Ms. Smith is known for being staunchly anti-traditional when it comes to defining the rooms in your home. Why have a formal dining room that you use only twice a year when you could have a lounge-y music room instead?

I'm not nearly as avant garde in my home choices, but I like the attitude and message that your home is YOURS and should suit your needs - not the needs of our ancestors 100 years ago who built it.

Domino was always one of my favorite magazines, and I love their Book of Decorating as well: 

It's full of really down-to-earth and useful suggestions on how to bring your rooms together. This is another one that has such a beautiful cover it's a shame to not show it off.

Although not strictly "design" books in the traditional sense, I absolutely love purchasing auction catalogs, usually from Sotheby's or Christie's, that detail beautiful home items that are up for auction. 

These catalogs can often be found on ebay ranging from just a few dollars all the way up to hundreds for the historically significant ones. The below is from the auction of Mrs. Paul Mellon's artwork that was held a few years ago: 

Not only is it really fun to look at the items for sale, but it's also a great way to see how collections come together and provides reassurance that if you combine all of the things you love, even if they are of different styles, it will look amazing.

Thanks for reading!