A Unique Tieback

Welcome to the weekend! As I start to scout window treatments for my dining room I have been thinking about unique tieback ideas. Who else to inspire me but Martha Stewart! Not only is this tieback idea great to jazz up solid panels it is also an affordable option. Imagine the below image with a deep plum panel? The combination would be striking!

How did they do it? They purchased these Pedra 4" coasters and used a glue gun to fasten the tieback hardware. Voila you have a one of a kind tieback that could be the highlight of your room!

 

What type of coaster would use? A decorative tile? An over sized Scrabble block? Maybe a coaster you purchased while traveling? The options are endless!!

(images from Martha Stewart and RabLabs)

Home Typography Tuesday - Libra Style

Morning! It's one of my favorite months...the month of the Libra! Maybe I am biased but I love being a Libra, it's in everything I do. The balance, the creativity, the love of family, home and fun dinner parties I am the quintessential definition of this sign! When I came across these adorable Zodiac Pillows at Serena & Lily I scanned my mind for someone about to have a baby! This pillow would look darling on a rocking chair or this print hanging on a nursery wall! The secret is out I love astrology but as they say....I take it with a grain of salt!

Happy Birthday month to a few of my favorite blogging friends

Stacy of Stacy Style

Stephanie of Sabbe Spot

Sarah of Sarah Winchester Studios

This wouldn't be the first time I was called a "Social Butterfly"!

Not a Libra? No worries there is a pillow for you too!

(images from Serena & Lily)

Monday Morning Happy

To start off the week I thought I would share an image from my "Visual Happiness" board on Pinterest. It's a place where I save photos that speak directly to my heart!

 

(image from my fabulously creative friend Stacy of the Quintessence Blog)

Brizo makes it a breeze

Early in the summer I received an email from a company named Brizo and was convinced the email had been sent to the wrong girl. The invite was a all expenses paid trip to NYC not only to learn more about their products but also an invitation to attend the Jason Wu Fashion show during Fashion Week! I squealed so loud I think my family thought we had won the lottery. Well they didn't but I certainly felt like I did! To be completely honest I felt as if my degree in fashion was colliding with my career life in interiors. Isn't this what I had always dreamed about while spending hours in Color Theory class and the abundance of sewing classes I have taken during school? Pinch me silly, I was over the moon!

First let me be proper and introduce you to my host. Brizo is the luxury line of the Delta faucet company and let me tell you they know about luxury. Can you say Smart Touch kitchen faucets (look Ma, no hands!) and H2O kinetics that keep your water warm from shower head until it hits your body? Ummm goodbye cold winter mornings! The best part? A behind the scenes look into how a faucet's design comes about. After 19 years with the company Judd is a master and yes he can find inspiration in anything. The mood boards and color stories they created were incredibly inspiring. YES FAUCETS CAN BE BEAUTIFUL, just take a look!

  

The Baliza Faucet was inspired by a lighthouse, "A Beacon for the Kitchen"

The Venuto faucet is taken from the Italian word Benvenuto which means welcome! This is also the faucet which introduced the Smart Touch Technology. Fabulous, right?

After we learned all we could about the line we were broken into groups for the "Design Challenge" and sent out into the city to find inspiration. This was truly a fun afternoon! My group was inspiring, creative and worked really well together.

All of the boards were incredible and I loved the story we created but I was a little shocked when we WON! Here we are with the judges. Our prize was a Brizo Flip Cam AND a very generous Brizo gift certificate. I can't wait to use both. To see our inspiration and more photos of my team jump over to my Facebook page.

Thank you once again for the fabulous team at Brizo, this was such an amazing experience one I will not soon forget! Now let's get to specifying some faucets!

Check back in tomorrow for my recap of the Jason Wu Fashion Show, it was incredible!

(images from Brizo and Jayme Thronton)

Home Typography Tuesday

There is something about this home I came across on Design* Sponge that really resonates with me. I am not sure if it is the mix of the rustic pillows and the glam sunburst but it feels so...well...me. Isn't that incredible when an image can speak directly to your sense of home? Then again it could be the Typography that is tugging at my heart strings!

 

Imagine being welcomed home by this "Love You" pillow everyday? Now this would make me stop at the front steps, take a deep breath and be thankful for what I have!

(images from Design Sponge of Designer Cortney Bishop's home, Photographer Andrew Cebulka)

Monday Morning Happy + Sofa Hunting

Morning Friends! Wow it has been a while since I did a MMH! The last 2 weeks have been filled with traveling to Maryland for some family time and NYC for an exciting event (which I will share more of later)!

This weekend Mr. Vog and I went sofa shopping. What an interesting experience this was. A financial guy and a designer scouring the stores for the perfect compromise. I must admit as a designer it can be a challenge shopping for your own home and even more challenging explaining to the fiance why it is so difficult to make a final decision! Has anyone else every been in this position?

Here is a little background, our space is small so the sofa needs to be under 82", at least 34" deep and Mr. Vog prefers a tightback. I prefer a cleaner look with sleek arms and a cushioned back. These are the 2 options we are considering and a settee that we both immediately agreed upon! Phew!

Mitchell Gold Cara Sofa 

Stats: Tightback, 3 seater, sleek arms, 77"w 35"d 34"h

Ethan Allen Monterey Sofa

Stats: Loose back cushion, 2 seater, 76"w 37"d 36"h

Crate and Barrel Suffolk Settee

I am so excited the fiance loved this settee, it has been a favorite of mine for months!! It will be the perfect addition to the sofa we choose and a great way to maximize our seating!

Now to pick fabrics...

(image 1 via Pinterest & Tons of Photography)

Home Typography Tuesday

Sometimes we are all so busy running around our cities that we don't stop and take the time to appreciate the small details that make our home towns so pretty. Recently the fabulous Cassandra of Coco + Kelley came to town and we took a little walking tour. It was so much fun to have an entire day to wander around the neighborhoods and just soak in the architecture. Every few yards we would stop and stare at a gorgeous building which was promptly followed up with a long sigh of  "awww I wish I lived here"!

 

This doorway in the South End of Boston is one of my favorites and I thought Home Type Tuesday would be the perfect time to share it! A great home number can truly set the tone for the rest of your house!  With the abundance of detail in this archway, this one works seamlessly. I can just imagine what the inside of the house looks like!

(Image from Jace Interiors)

Transition into fall with Stone and Wood

Welcome to the unofficial start of fall!! Once September arrives I start what some people in my family might call the "mourning period". My withdrawal from summer can be fierce but a few things gets me through including sweater shopping and finding cozy pieces for my home! Warm wood tones and stone always exudes a very warm feel especially when there is a fire in the fireplace!

I love taking out cozy blankets to add to the living room during the first few days of fall. This Pottery Barn throw is the best of both worlds a chunky knit on one size and faux sheepskin on the reverse. Heavenly, right?!

I love these two kitchens, I always feel like there are even more gatherings in the kitchen during the fall months! A large island is the perfect spot for those long impromptu conversations!

 

As you can tell I am only thinking of the inside options but to be realistic there is still a months worth of outdoor activities to be had before I am relegated indoors!

(images 1-3 from Canadian House and Home, Jonny Valiant House Beautiful)