To Do List for February

(dominomag.com)
To help me be more productive in the month of February, I’m making a to do list for the house. I’ve always loved lists. There’s nothing like making a list to get yourself organized. I have tons of them floating around: restaurants to try, calls to make, books to read, etc. The key to a [...]

New Dinnerware

I decided it’s time to replace our everyday dinnerware. I’m tired of the white bistro set we’ve had for a while now. A part of me just wants a clean, simple rimmed set like this one from Crate & Barrel:

But as usual, another part of me wants something entirely different – more organic like:
(heathceramics.com)
(crateandbarrel.com)
(cb2.com)
The collection [...]

Goodbye, Domino

I just read that Domino magazine is shutting down after March 2009. I am truly sad and somewhat shocked. I used to subscribe to all the shelter magazines but I cut that down to just Domino and Elle Decor because they were the only ones that kept my interest. And I’ve been very uninspired by [...]

More Living Room

Another perspective of the living room. The amaryllis is going nuts – I think it doubled in height while we were away.

A Chesterfield

Now the last thing I need is another couch. We got the gray one when we moved into our house and a second couch is sitting in my studio, waiting to go to our weekend house (whenever that may be). There is also a settee on the landing upstairs. So really, another couch is [...]

Water, Water, Everywhere

(houseofpictures.dk)
Wouldn’t it be dreamy to have a place like this by the sea?? Or this:
(triagiovan.com)
Or on a lake like this:
(ngocminhngo.com)
(insideout.com.au)
There’s so much water all around Seattle that I’ve got to be able to find something, right? (She asks, hoping!)

Winter Holiday

I’m taking a little mid-winter holiday. See you back here on Monday. Happy Inauguration Day!

Shagalicious

So after two weekends of rug shopping, we went with the shag. With two dogs, any light color rug is a questionable choice but ever since we brought the pups home, our attitude is (almost) everything can be replaced. I have to say the shag feels great underfoot and the dogs are really digging it. [...]

The Studio

This was one corner of my studio in our Paris apartment. Fairly organized and neat the way I like it. But I just haven’t been able to do the same in the new house. One reason is that even though I have about the same amount of space, all our excess furniture has ended up in there. [...]

More White Bedrooms

I think I’ve almost been persuaded against wallpapering the bedroom.
(jasonloucas.com)
(via emmas.blogg.se)
(nytimes.com)

All White Bedrooms

We have an all white bedroom at the moment: white bed, white walls, white shades, . . . I used lots of different textures to make it interesting but it’s lacking something. I was thinking yellow wallpaper on one wall but now I’m having second thoughts. There’s just something so serene about an all white room that I [...]

New Year, New Closet

(dominomag.com)
I decided my next project is going to be to pretty up my closet. And yes, I said “my” because I took over the entire walk-in closet/dressing room in our bedroom. In my defense, it’s not a *big* walk-in. Say, like this one, for example:

Thankfully, my closet is fairly organized already; I’ve been good about purging [...]

The Stone Wall Question

This is the other side of the dining room and the buffet we bought after we moved in. When I first saw this stone wall during construction, my reaction was, “No, no, noooooooooooo.” But then it started to grow on me and it’s actually become one of the green aspects of the house (the stone was [...]

Seeing Yellow

(marieclairemaison.com)
(marieclairemaison.com)
(paulcostello.net)
It appears I’m on a yellow kick these days. It’s funny because I’ve never used yellow in any of my homes before. But I’m seeing it as the color to tie everything together in my house right now. It’s so fresh and surprisingly, neutral.

Still Rug Shopping

I’m getting closer to finding a rug that could substitute for the Orla Kiely rug I haven’t been able to get my hands on.

(anthropologie.com)

(designpublic.com)
(angelaadams.com)
Unfortunately, the last one only comes in a 2′ x 3′ size. I really like it though so I’m tempted to get it for another part of the house.
I’m also really drawn [...]

And Some French Contemporary Design, Too

(left: Paris Living Room; right: Seattle Living Room)
Another piece that made the transatlantic journey with us is my favorite chair. I first spotted it soon after we arrived in Paris and it was love at first sight. I thought it would pass so I resisted buying it on the spot. But as the months passed, [...]

Importing a Little Bit of France

(left: Paris dining room, right: Seattle dining room)
As we left Paris, our household was packed up in a big container and sent ahead of us across the sea. I wondered about making all the pieces work together in our new (and *entirely* different) house but since I’ve always liked mixing styles and time periods, it’s starting [...]

Why I Want a Cabin (Part 2)

(fjordtravel.no)
Another reason I’ve come around to the idea of having a weekend cabin is that I’m in love with everything Scandinavian right now. Fjords, painted cottages, hygge, cool design, fika, Gustavian furniture, . . . I could go on and on.
(bridgetosweden.com)
Then when we moved to the Pacific Northwest and began exploring the area, I saw how similar the [...]

Wallpaper. Who Would Have Thought?

I never thought wallpaper would be a part of my decorating plans but I am officially on the wallpaper bandwagon. The wall behind our all white bed could use a boost of color and I think wallpaper is just the thing. I was thinking of a botanical print in yellow like these:
(cole-and-son.com)

(jocelynwarner.com)

which is pretty in [...]

Why I Want a Cabin (Part 1)

photo: bigleoproductions.com
So I want a cabin. Somewhere in the woods. Or maybe by the sea. Something rustic (without forgoing modern conveniences). For me, this is one of those “never say never” situations. I have always been a city girl who never got the appeal of the great outdoors. I also never understood why people kept weekend houses because [...]

Rugs from Orla Kiely and the Rug Company

I’ve been in love with all things Orla Kiely for a while now. I own an embarrassing number of her bags and I just can’t get enough of her signature stem print. I’m currently in the market for a new rug for the living room so I completely freaked out when I saw this:
(photo: orlakiely.co.uk)
After [...]

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