Small Space, Huge Potential

Smaller rooms can be a popular place to gather in the house. Friends and family are able to sit close and enjoy conversation. The problem with small rooms seems to be that they clutter way too easily. The potential of a small room is huge, if you know exactly what to do with the space. Southern Living Associate Photo Stylist Alan Henderson revamped his den when he decided that it needed to be a more inviting space. Check out his work for some inspiration:

This is the space Henderson started with, a small room lacking that comfy, cozy feel.

Henderson’s finished product- He kept his existing furniture and re-covered it with fabrics (a great way to revamp and save money) that flowed with the color scheme of the room. Solid velvet and synthetic suede paisley in golds and browns provide just enough contrast but still work together. Nail heads add a decorative touch and delineate where the two fabrics meet.

An oversized ottoman was changed into a coffee table. It’s a versatile piece of furniture that you can prop your feet on or you can toss a colorful throw on it to look more formal. Furniture can do double duty is always a great addition to any room. Use your imagination and you’ll come up with endless possibilities.

Textured walls are sometimes the most striking change in a makeover. Henderson went with grass cloth because it has a natural weave. He liked how the black tones behind it draw the darker colors throughout the room in, like the chocolate brown on the windows.

For more inspiration, visit the Southern Living site.

Photo credit: Laurey W. Glenn via Southern Living.

Bring the Outdoors Inside with Mosaic Patio Tiles!

Interested in creating a new summery look in your in your kitchen? Consider tiling your patio and kitchen  floor with black and white mosaic tiles! While the idea seems simple, the outcome will be a dramatic one that seamlessly brings the outdoors right inside. Take a look at these mosaic tile examples from CocoCozy.

Photo Credit: CoCoCozy

Italian Inspirations

Rome, Italy is where we are headed today! Rome is one of those places that was very intricately planned, from the stones that marked the paths of the streets to the carvings in stone buildings. Designer Erin Schlosser of Fresh Nest Design recently visited Europe and shared some great pictures on the Fresh Nest blog. Here are some favorites:

These basalt paver stones mark the path at the Roman Forum. Julius Caesar was just one of the many Italian greats who walked this path.

Architectural ruins from the Roman Forum… although simple, they are beautiful and were meticulously carved.

The Colosseum… need we say anything other than “Wow!”

 For more pictures of Italian stone architecture, visit Fresh Nest Design.

Photo credit: Erin Schlosser via Fresh Nest Design.

Add a Touch of Cottage Style to Your Home

There’s no better time than summer to touch your home up with light cottage décor. “Cottage” style can incorporate so many different elements that make the season from –everything form the breeze of a beach house to the warmth of a county inn. In fact one of the most tantalizing things about cottage style is its implied “no-fuss” vacation-y energy, notes Freshome.com in a recent article of theirs called Simple Touches to Bring Cottage Style Decor into Your Home.

“Cottage style décor is reminiscent of vacation homes and small tucked away cabins that are no fuss, and all about leisure and a slower paced lifestyle.  You can achieve this look in your home with the following touches to bring cottage style décor into your favorite spaces. Whether its summer or winter, who doesn’t love laid back interiors to come home to?”

Visit Freshome to learn more about incorporating cottage-inspired décor into your home.

Whites, neutrals, and colors inspired by the beach are very common in cottage décor. Sun bleached hues of blues, and greens give a sense of weathered interiors. Cottage inspired décor looks like it has been there for years.
Try combining modern materials coupled with cottage décor – the results can be beautiful! The kitchen is the perfect place to add modern marble or granite counters, paired with cottage inspired cabinetry.

Photo Credit: Freshome

New Julia Rothman Patterns

They’re here! Julia Rothman’s latest collection of patterns have been unveiled this month! The Brooklyn-based illustrator and pattern designer has become recognized for her light and fun, whimsical patterns and is a fixture at a number of hip boutiques and retailers like Urban Outfitters and Hygge & West.  Her illustrations have even appeared in The New York Times, Details magazine and on a line of puzzles for Kid O. If you haven’t had a chance already to take a look at her designs, please do! They’re fun and can be used for a variety of projects. The possibilities are endless!

Visit Julia Rothman to learn more about her work.

Photo Credit: Julia Rothman

A Closer Look at Sister Parish

Did you know that many of the eccentrically traditional rooms that you see in magazines and around showrooms today have been influenced by American interior decorator and socialite Sister Parish? The New Jersey-born design partner of Albert Hadley, was first brought in to decorate the Kennedy White House in 1962 and has become known for her homey, cluttered traditionalism, her passion for patchwork quilts, painted furniture, and red-lacquer secretaries. Her stylistic influences can still be seen at the White House today, particularly in the Family Dining Room and Yellow Oval Room.

“It is only my eye that has helped me. I am still hopeless with that thing called a scale ruler. I love color, but that comes very naturally to me. From the beginning, I never followed trends. If I was aware of them, I didn’t care, for I believed as I do now, that rooms should be timeless and very personal. And I certainly don’t have a “look”-just a mishmash of everything that somehow, by instinct, usually turns out to be a warm, imaginative, ‘living room’.


-Sister Parish

The Yellow Oval Room at the White House during the administration of President John F. Kennedy, as decorated by Sister Parish
Parish influenced room by designer Bunny Williams.

Photo Credit: Sister Parish Design-a design essential

The 13 Best Summer-Blooming Shrubs

Wondering what shrubs to add to your garden this summer that don’t require a ton of upkeep?  There are plenty to choose from! Better Homes and Gardens has put together a list of some of the best summer-blooming plants that will add color and elegance and are also pretty easy to grow. Here are a few of our favorites! Click here to see the entire article form Better Homes and Gardens.

Carolina Allspice

Bluebeard Shrub

Photo Credit: BHG

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Wainscoting in Bathrooms

Today we are featuring a guest post from our friends at Wainscot Solutions located in nearby New Milford, Connecticut.

One of our favorite techniques for adding personality and style to a basic bathroom is to add instant architectural detail with wainscoting.  Not only does wainscot look great in bathrooms it is practical as well.  People usually select wainscot because they love the look,.  However, historically it was used to protect the walls of high traffic areas.  No debating that in most homes bathrooms are definitely high traffic areas!

We really love using wainscot in powder rooms since they tend to suffer the most from the every day wear and tear of family life.  Dirty hands, swinging bags and high traffic do tend to take their toll on these small rooms.  Wainscot will add that extra protection to your powder room walls while offering endless decorating possibilities.

Go ahead and use wainscot in your full baths too since MDF will construction will hold up to these high humidity areas.  A bathroom that has wainscot walls and an interesting tile selection really stands out from the crowd.

Here are some favorite bathrooms.

Photo credit Wainscot Solutions
Red-and-White-Wainscot-Canandian-House-and-Home
Photo credit Canadian House and Home
freestanding-bathtub-bathroom
Photo credit Canadian House and Home