Antiquing in Leesburg, VA

Happy Wednesday!

So more about my trip to Leesburg, VA...first here is a map of all of the antique stores below. Luckily most of the shops are off King Street and Market Streets.

Before we could do any shopping we had to build up our strength. We ended up at this super cute cafe called Shoes Cup and Cork Club. I highly recommend it! Located in the former Arthur's Shoe Repair building on historic King Street, Shoes Cup and Cork Club loving restored the building with an eclectic mix of reminders of the shop's past and present.

And then we hit up the shops. I found two great pieces. An absolutely huge lamp for just $28! Seriously this pic doesn't do it justice. It is large, and totally reminds me of something you'd find at Restoration Hardware for $250. I think I'll put a charcoal shade on top...now I just have to find space for it in my house!

The second find was this super fun mirror for $39. This mirror will look great in my NEW office design! I already like the color green, but Ryan hates it...so I might spray it gold to go with my navy and gold theme...we'll see. Also, that hideous chandelier on the mirror is just a sticker so it's coming off faster than you can say "ewww."

There were also about 10 other beautiful gold mirrors and a pair of crystal sconces I wanted to bring home with me...but I literally have run out of room in my house for all of these great finds! Which gets me thinking again about opening up an Etsy store so I can share my finds with others :) Oh if I only had about 5 more hours in the day...

Check back tomorrow to see how Amy's family room paint came out...and the super bold colors we are considering for her dining room!

My Office Redux

In addition to sprucing up my guest room...I'm also thinking about redoing my office. We plan to rip up the carpet in my office and have my floors refinished so I thought now would be the perfect time to redecorate!

Here is my inspiration pic:

My plan is to have Angel add wainscoting 3/4 of the way up the wall, and then paint navy and white horizontal stripes up the rest. This will make the room feel so much brighter.

You know I have been jonesing to put gold/bronze/brass accessories in my house, and since this isn't Ryan's favorite idea...I figured my office was the perfect space to get this gold out of my system :) So I hoping all accessories will be

I love the idea of incorporating a rug like this one from Dwell as well as some throw pillows. I love how flexible this color scheme can be...I can change up the color from Nantucket red to bright yellow, to even turquoise and Kelly green. The options are endless.

I also got a great lamp and mirror at the Leesburg antique stores this weekend. The lamp is literally larger than life and reminds me of something from Restoration Hardware. All it needs is a huge, maybe charcoal lamp shade, and we are good to go. The mirror is super cute and swirly...and is currently green. Ryan hates it so it might get turned into a new color...stay tuned!

I'll post pics of my Leesburg finds tomorrow!

Amy's House - Post 1

Happy Friday everyone!! Have I mentioned how much I love Fridays?? :)

Anyway...I'm so excited...my friend Amy and her husband recently bought a huge and fabulous house in Maryland. She took me on a tour yesterday and let me just say it's awesome! Her and her husband moved down from NYC a couple of years ago, have two beautiful sons, and need a lot of great pieces to furnish their new digs. Amy asked me to help her and my head is spinning I'm so excited.

Amy and her husband have such great taste, and we like a lot of the same looks so this is going to be so fun. But like so many people, yours truly included, they don't know where to start. There are so many rooms, so many pieces needed and they don't want to make the wrong decision first that will affect everything. What I told her is...there really is no wrong choice. There is no perfect wall color, there are lots of options that will look fabulous in your space...the key is to go slowly, pick out things you love, and over time build a well collected and edited (you might have to move things around from one room to the next) home.

I can't wait to get started on our plans for Amy's house. I'm headed up near Camp David this weekend to source fabric from a designer fabric warehouse for my guest room :) and Amy's house!

Like me, Amy gravitates towards grays, whites, creams, and blues. She has decided to paint her gigantic living room Benjamin Moore's Moonshine (my fav gray of all time)...and then we are going to wait to see what fabrics and textures she wants for the rest of the house before choosing paint colors.

Here are some quick inspiration photos I pulled for Amy's living room...stay tuned :)

Amy has two little boys...so I like the idea of slip covered chairs in the living room, across from the sectional, that she can just pull off and wash.

I love this graphic rug which would work perfectly with the gray walls and cream couch!

Amy just added built-in cabinets on either side of their fireplace, and I'd love to see the back of the built-ins painted a darker shade of gray!

 Amy is super chic and modern...but really likes the "new rustic" look. I think graphic pillows like these paisley prints are the perfect combination of modern rustic.

I just threw this pic in because Amy has a beautiful dining room with thick crown and chair rail molding, and I'd love to see this room be super dramatic and glamorous. I love this navy/charcoal/almost purple color!

Amy's downstairs space is so large, I think there will be a great opportunity for a wall gallery of family pics and travels!

 I hope everyone has a super great weekend!

Inspirational Images

Today I am swamped with real work...and finding time to do my interior design homework (I forgot how much I hate homework...even if it's cool homework)...so I thought I'd just share some inspiring images on this cloudy Wednesday...

 I love this wood burning fireplace and brass hardware in this kitchen.

I love the cow hide rug and pops of green in this room! I have the same color pillows in my living room!

Also I came across this super cool organic modern textile company, Hammocks & High Tea. Hammocks & High Tea offers a modern perspective on traditional, global textiles. Their hand crafted collection uses eco friendly fibers and water based, solvent free inks.

Anniversary + Lonny = Good day!

Happy Tuesday everyone! I had yesterday off and it was amazing! What a great long weekend full of family time.

And today is my three year anniversary with the most wonderful husband ever! I am such a lucky girl!

And now back to design. I had the chance to devour the newest Lonny issue over the weekend. Here are some of my favorite pics!

I love this simple design for maybe my guest room downstairs? I love all of the gold frames and black iron bed (which I already have).

When I find my inspirational kick-off fabric for my upstairs guest room...I think it would be cool to paint the dresser a bold color like this peacock teal.

Just thought I'd include since it kind of looks like my current bathroom :)

I'd love to get my wing back chair (I bought for $20) reupholstered in a navy velvet like this chair! Seriously, a room looks so much better with gold frames...is everyone over silver or is it just me?

And here is my favorite feature...the bathroom reno. I love the neural palette  of camel, cream, and warm wood. (the pink rain boots and claw foot tub don't hurt either)

But look how beautiful this space is? I love the wallpaper, mirror, vanity and chandelier! I'm always thinking bolder is better in small bathrooms but this is just lovely.

Lovin Fall

Happy Friday everyone!

I couldn't be more happy that today is the last day of the work week! It is crisp and beautiful out and I am looking forward to some good ol' family time this weekend! Almost exactly one year ago today I featured the most beautiful fall photos of my fav actress Kerri Russell...and I just couldn't go another day without posting one again! Seriously this is what timeless means...no matter the year it is still fashionable and relevant!

PS I am wearing a similar infinity scarf today...but mine is Leopard!

Since I have been completely distracted and avoiding doing anything productive in my house for about 3 months...I figured I'd set some goals to tackle this weekend.

First, it is getting tragic how many frames are empty in my house. Not only have I not yet filled my wall gallery (below) but random beautiful frames I had to display immediately still do not have photos! It is so hard for me to narrow down which photos I want to use--but I just have to bite the bullet.

Secondly, due to allergies I had to sleep in my guest room last night and let me tell you...I was so bored by the decor I immediately fell asleep :) I'm not sure what my vision is for this room but I'm going to start looking for inspiration this weekend. I usually (and against the advice of every designer) start with a paint color...but I'm forcing myself to be patient and logical...and instead I'm going to start sourcing fabrics that I love and then determine my color scheme! But I am loving this room...

One thing I know is that I might want to try some textured paint. I saw something similar in Carson Kressley's bedroom feature in House Beautiful's June issue. He has a beautiful charcoal paint that they textured so it looks similar to a linen or grasscloth wallpaper...but less permanent. I think it would be fun to try something similar!

Lastly, I'm finally getting a cleaning service to come bi-weekly. Ryan and I have held off long enough due to the fact that we are a little embarrassed we can't adequately take care of a house with only 1.5 bathrooms...but we finally caved! I am so excited for them to come on Monday...but of course I want to get my house in order...isn't it funny how people clean so much before the cleaning crew come?

So that's it...I'm not holding myself to anything too hard...I'm just excited to start focusing on my house and life again!

Hope everyone has a great weekend and enjoys the beautiful chilly weather!

Restoration Hardware Baby & Child...For Grownups!

Today is the final day of my work madness. Sure it will only be a brief relief but I'll take it! For the past two weeks all I've been able to do is work, eat and sleep :) But next week I'm hoping for a return to semi-normalcy.

So the other night, when I just couldn't stare at my work computer anymore...I quickly perused my favorite online stores and blogs, and I was blown away by how cool Restoration Hardware's baby & child accessory line was. None of these scream baby--and can be used in any room in your house!

Check out some of the pieces I'm eyeing below...especially the pendant lighting (all for under $300) and then charcoal/white pillows.

I think I'm going to have one of these embroidered with my last name--this would look amazing on my bed!

I don't know why but I am completely charmed by these school pillows--I especially love the Spectacles!