Outdoor Living (+ ditch the mosquitoes)

Welcome to Spring in Virginia! Specifically, our backyard. Spring around here is lush and fragrant as the foliage surrounding our home fills in, and the aromatic perennials come back to life. With temps lingering in the mid 60s-70s, it’s truly a beautiful time to bring every day living outside.

When our twins were around 1 year and we were pregnant with our third, we build our deck with great hopes of spending those long days with young kids outside. We bought a cheap outdoor table and chairs at IKEA and I did indeed spend quite a bit of time with my littles out there! We played, crafted and ate our way through all the pretty days outside together. Fast forward to the kids starting school, and we just stopped using it like we used to. Partly the natural course of children growing up and starting to have their own activities and schedules, and partly, the mosquitos got TERRIBLE! At the advise of a friend we got a canopy structure with zip-up netted curtains so we could enjoy at least dining outside without the buggers. But, if you have spent any time in Northern Virginia in the last 5 years, you may have noticed how windy it’s become. Our home has survived several tornadoes despite repairable damage to our home. A semi-permanent canopy is just asking for trouble! So, now you’re all caught up on the evolution of our deck, and up until two weeks ago, this is what it had become:

It’s been a sad, unwelcoming extension of our house that we had every intention of enjoying. It was time to reclaim this space and breath some fresh life into it!

We swapped the dining furniture for lounge furniture as that just fits our family better. We have already enjoyed dining out here as a family, entertaining friends, and Albus and I hang out here when I’m getting work done during the week. The versatility of this space now is just what we need!

I found a few outdoor pillows at Society6 to add a little color…since I wouldn’t let Matt get the sofa in Caribbean Blue ;)

To address our mosquito issue (we are nestled into the woods and have a creek on the opposite side of our property), I went to the web in search of naturally repelling plants. I found some great recommendations, took a trip to my favorite Merrifield Garden Center, and put together a planter that would be visually striking AND go to work for us!

Whenever we go out here we rub a few leaves between our fingers and then wipe our necks, arms and legs. So far this is working amazingly well! I can tell a significant difference between the mosquito quantity in our front yard to our deck. Listen, I have that blood type that attracts those suckers, so if I notice a difference there’s a difference!

Here’s what I planted:

And a big pot of mint! Mint is very invasive but effective. Highly recommend it, just in its own pot!

The wood is for Albus. He’s a real chewer and loves wood. You can tell when he’s been out here as there are wood chips covering 94% of the surface.

On a whim I decided to paint the frame around our sliding door. First I painted it a pale blue-green color (Shire Green, in fact), but Matt thought it blended into the siding too much and once he stated his opinion I couldn’t get him out of my head. (Love you!) So I went over with some leftover exterior black paint I had used on our shutters and garage door because I know it will hold up and I really can’t resist a strong black+white+wood moment.

Now available: Albus’ homemade mulch!

There you have it! This space feels like a retreat once again, just as we intended it to be 10 years ago. Let me know if you try your own mosquito repelling planter! The true test will be in the Summer when they get really bad, but I’m feeling optimistic!

Thank you so much for coming by!

Design Reveal: Deedees Digs

Hello there! There’s no dancing around it, THIS is my favorite design project to date. I got to work with my sister! Quick story, when she was around 2/3 and I was 9, she pronounced her name (Casey), as ‘Deedee’. I was Cha-chi (Chelsea). The nicknames stuck and we use them here and there! The past year has been a whirlwind as Casey fled overcrowded NJ as the covid cases started exploding and came to live with us for a bit! Then she moved in with my folks, and just this past January moved back up to NJ! Getting to be a part of her apartment search was a fun and exciting insight into her subconscious. I learned she likes quirky spaces with interesting nooks and angles - and a strong aversion to cookie cutter! So it may be surprising that the below apartment was her winner:

It’s BASIC. And she was weary - in fact, she had seen 4 identical apartments to this one in the same building, which is precisely what she was trying to avoid. But here’s the kicker:

A million dollar view of the worlds greatest city. NYC is a global landmark herself and a place we have enjoyed visiting with our Momma over the years for girls weekends away. This Jersey Heights apartment is nestled high above charming Hoboken, with an unobstructed view of this beautiful skyline. At Christmas, the Empire State building (left window), is list up in changing colors. On Valentines day it glowed pink. There is nothing basic about this view. This apartment is on the corner of the building, so Casey’s other views look out over a bustling park busy with dogs and their owners - one of Casey’s greatest amusements. So, the views of this top floor apartment tipped the scale. But how to create that quirky, nook-y feel?

One of the first ideas I shared with Case was this washed brick wallpaper. I have NEVER used a faux stone wallpaper before and thought I never would…but this was a perfect project for it! It’s non-committal as it’s a peel and stick paper, and it does wonders for this otherwise box-like room. My Mom and Casey installed it together (without a stool or ladder, I hear), and I can’t believe how awesome it looks. Sometimes as a creative I will get really excited about an idea, and still be blown away by how awesome it turns out - like it’s a surprise lol!

Mixing up the heights of the elements in the room helps, too! Balancing high pieces with lower pieces is a great way to create some movement around a space. These shelves from Castlery were one of Casey’s early requests - a place to shelve books, and ultimately collect a whole shelf of childrens books and short stories about disabiliy (not just the career Casey has pursued but a tremendous passion of hers to learn and share through education).

The sofa itself was a complex decision - being that this is a one bedroom apartment, Casey really wanted to have a place for guests to sleep. The obvious choice was a pull-out sofa, but I was having a hard time finding pull out sofas that also functioned as long enough sofas. Most of them were in the 50-72” length, which would have been too petite for this space. I, myself, have an Article Sven sofa, and one afternoon was doing my work from it, and realized how comfortable the cushion itself is. And not only does the cushion come off, but underneath the cushion is a memory foam type padding. SO, this Article Sven sofa could sleep 2 people comfortably, but as a sofa by itself, it’s 86” length is perfect for this space.

And a typical stop in anyone’s home these days, the WFH corner (work from home). Casey does not like clutter ( we are cut from the same cloth, afterall), so having a modern secretary style desk that can close and hide all work-y materials was a perfect solution here.

Another little architectural detail one can add to make a space feel more unique is lighting! This plug-in sconce adds some height, a little shine, a little interest, and does a fantastic job illuminating the space at night so she doesn’t have to use her overhead. Thank you for installing this, Dad! My Dad could work for TaskRabbit, he’d love it.

One must-have in this apartment was closed storage. With zero closets in the main living spaces or entryway, I really wanted to give Case a place to store things like towels, linens, textbooks, etc, without cramming her small bedroom closets. This ‘sideboard’ is actually a pair of kitchen uppers bought new from Lowes, that I then painted and added legs to, while Matt added a flat top surface.

In the bedroom, the solution de quirk is the canopy bed. I didn’t want to cram a lot of things in here, but knew a canopy bed would feel very cozy and nook-like all on its own. Paired with simple bedding from Magic Linen, a cane nightstand, leather pull dresser and a woven chair (FB Marketplace), this space came together very organically. The very first element, however, was the rug! I found the rug at one of my favorite Etsy shops, Rugville. My inspiration for this room was the gorgeous sunrise that poured in over the skyline on the first morning I woke up in this room - Casey and I came up to see the place together after it became hers, and we slept a hard night on the floor. But it was so totally worth it. The surprise in the morning was like heaven kissing the city right in front of us. I wanted this room to have the same glow.

As I mentioned, this apartment is a bit short on closets. This storage piece from Vasagle is a perfect entryway drop-zone. Easy to walk around, it doesn’t take up a lot of room but it carries a heavy load.

Rugs are literally one of my favorite elements of creating a home. This was another vintage find from Etsy shop Vintport.

The kitchen is simple, cozy. We had held out hope that we’d be able to paint the cabinets something neutral, which was denied. So to suit the space, a gorgeous blue-green chair just felt right. After sorting through a few options, Cate found these while we were all sitting together one evening amongst children, video-gaming men and wine. And they’re lovely!

There you have it! A not-so-cookie-cutter apartment anymore. Shire and I have already been treated to a weekend visit and while we thoroughly enjoyed the fun of Hoboken and the neighborhood parks, it was so special to enjoy this home together at the start and end of our daytime adventures. The fun of this project is only just beginning.

Thank you so much for coming by!

Design Reveal: Cali Meets Traditional Part 2

Welcome back, friends! In case you missed it or want a recap, part 1 of this 9-room reveal is here. But I’m especially excited for what’s in store with this second half of our design reveal! We’ve got wallpapered walls, bold built-ins, a refinished stone fireplace, and some serious Pearl Jam appreciation. In my opinion, today’s rooms are even more dramatic than what I shared on Monday in part 1!

But I’m going to start with the most laid back of the bunch - the family room! As I mentioned on Monday, the clients hired me to really make this home feel 100% them - vibrant, fun and echoing their California roots. This was a tall order for a heavily traditional colonial style home - complete with rounded windows and lots of dentil trim throughout. This job was all about making intentional decisions big and small - doing what we could and making the rest work.

The one major update in the family room, aside from white paint which I had them do throughout, was the fireplace. The clients were on the fence with the stone - they didn’t hate it but something wasn’t right. We decided to do a limewash treatment which made a drastic difference. After swapping the mantle for a rustic wood piece, the fireplace looked brand spankin new!

Here was my strategy with this room: Since I couldn’t do anything about the obvious traditional style of the home itself, I could at least bring in an overall organic feel with woven pieces, camel leathers, and natural dyes. I wouldn’t say organic is a style, but rather a feel, or a tone you can incorporate just about anywhere.

Due to the very long and narrow shape of this room, we had a custom sofa made by Interior Define, covered in an extremely family friendly fabric, (we used ‘Pepper’). Surrounding pieces had to be comfortable, durable, and interesting (without being loud). A striped rocking chair, for example, is visually interesting and balances the left side of the room, but it’s not distracting from everything else.

TVs are just not something you see in a lot of design reveals, but I’m here asking, Why not?! They are a part of most homes and I don’t like pretending they aren’t. Why designers refuse to show the TVs in their projects is perplexing to me. When styling this room with finishing details I pondered what to do on the fireplace mantle. I like a well dressed mantle just like anyone else. But nothing felt right. Books, plants, candles - any items I added just felt like clutter. I think when the only place for your TV is over the mantle, a nice clean mantle is the way to go. Instead, I focused on the hearth which balances the visual weight of the TV above.

I need to point out this brass and rattan sconce. The previous light fixture was a half dome that had moons and stars punched out - like a child’s nightlight. Actually, I just need to show you:

It’s not the best picture but you get the idea. It had to go! This light below is one of my favorite pieces in the house (interpret as you will - I have lots of favorite elements in this home)

Is this what people did before open floorplans became a thing? A little unusual, but we worked it out and I don’t mind it at all with a bit of soft styling.

One more fireplace appreciation shot. I can’t get over how gorgeous this stone turned out. I mean, I imagined it and loved it in my head, but seeing it in real life is just so much fun.

I mentioned this on Monday, but one of the best parts about designing in a colonial is getting to do whatever you want in each room! I mean, I aimed to give this home a consistent feel throughout - fun, vibrant, laid back - but how we achieved that feel from room to room is so different! The couples’ two offices are a prime example of how I created two TOTALLY different rooms to reflect them as individuals. And because they are on completely opposite sides of the home, it really doesn’t matter! Here is her office:

The star on all her zoom meetings? Why yes, yes she is. (No really, she told me so) We had the idea to paper this wall right off the bat, and float her desk in front. The paper itself is secretly edgy - there are snakes woven into the pattern which lend to her edgy personality. The family moved with the white base under the shelves, so I added on with additional units from this CB2 line.

Battery operated picture lights finish off these shelves for a subtle evening glow highlighting the various pretties on the shelves themselves.

If you must work from home, you may as well add a sofa to that office! A perfect lounge place to answer emails, review files, etc. A little movement throughout the work day feels like a luxury these days, and since she had the room for it I wanted to give her a second option during the work week.

Not once did I compare the blue velvet of the sofa to the blues in the wallpaper. I didn’t need nor want them to be a perfect match, and I love that the sofa has a very subtle green tone.

Like I said, the two home offices are polar opposites! Where I went soft and feminine in one, I went hard and bold in the other.

If I had to guess, I would bet his coworkers appreciate his zoom meeting background, too. Even if they aren’t outright saying it. ;)

True story, this space was designed and complete before one evening when I got a text from the clients asking if there would be anywhere to add their collection of Pearl Jam concert posters. It was like meeting them again for the first time. A shared obsession with one band?! I was THRILLED to use these pieces and promptly had them frame their collection at Framebridge and played with an arrangement that would suit this office. I had actually picked that pole wall lamp before knowing about these pieces, so it was really fun to work the gallery wall around that piece. I am still beyond words excited with how this turned out!

Sophisticated meets rock n’ roll? Oh yes. Please and thank you.

Hard pivot now from Pearl Jam’s shrine to adorable childs room. Hope you’re hanging on tight, lots of twists and turns in today’s reveal! From black and bold to…butterflies!

I need to stop us here really quick to say, I think we can all agree the wallpaper MAKES this room. Well guess what? I was utterly stuck on wallpaper. I was chasing after big bold florals, enchanted forests and everything in between. But nothing felt right. I wanted a wallpaper that would suit this 5 year old little one as she is now, and when she’s a teenager. Everything I was finding seemed either too nursery, or too sophisticated. Fast forward to one of several afternoons I got to spend with a teen from our church over the summer, when her and her brother would come over and literally just play with my kids (and the other 234 kids in our neighborhood) for a few hours. I asked if she’d help me with this room if I paid her for her time, and within an hour she sourced THIS PAPER. It knocked me right over. So, huge shout out to my friend, Meredith Jolly! Thank you!!

The velvet teal bed felt like an unexpected pairing with this wallpaper, which made it feel just right. I really got into this groove of making brave choices with this home, and their daughters bedroom was no exception. Don’t overthink design, friends! You never know what you’ll uncover.

The rug felt like another unusual choice - the bed doesn’t really match the wallpaper which doesn’t really match the rug - and it all totally works and is glorious.

I wanted to finish the room off with more neutral pieces - you don’t really see the winks of black and brown in the wallpaper until you layer those colors in and it hits you.

I think if happiness were embodied in a physical room, this is what it would look like. It’s just pure delight in here!

I can’t believe that’s it for this reveal! Or is it? Good news, the family has just hired me to work on the master bedroom with a quirky adjoining side room, and their finished basement. Who knows what we’ll get into but I’m all in. After these rooms I am sure it’ll be very exciting, indeed!

Thank you so very much for coming by! Every hit to our website helps our little business so much, so we sincerely appreciate you taking the time to visit on our very special reveal days. It truly means a lot! Have a wonderful rest of your week!