Recent Pins

Hi Everyone!

Hope you had a fabulous Fourth of July and a long weekend to go with it!  We were up in gorgeous Vancouver and had a wonderful time.  I thought I'd share a few images that I have pinned lately...  Enjoy!

I was drawn in by the subtle Spanish/modern feel of this room.

A gorgeous bolster can provide the perfect polish to a bed, bench or sofa...

That velvet sofa is just yummy!

I haven't seen something like this before - they are made of metal!

What a fun spot to curl up!

The mirrors, the chairs, that accent table - great stuff.

Sources

My Favorites Lately...

Just a quick post for today with a few gorgeous images I have come across lately that have really inspired me.  Take a look and see if anything makes your heart skip a beat!

What has been inspiring you lately?

Sources

White & Green Gardens

Hello Everyone!  

Hope you're having a lovely week so far.  I haven't forgotten about all of you - or blogging - my mind has just been on other things lately and I have found it hard to get back to my computer on a regular basis.  However, I thought you might enjoy something that has been on my mind, which is the idea of an all white (and green) garden.  Take a look at some of these lovely examples and see what you think:

You know I'm a huge fan of trailing vines...

Gorgeous!

OK so there is a tiny bit of peach in there, but you get the idea.  :) 

I love the texture of baskets in this neutral palette...

Are you with me on this?  :)

Sources

Sprucing Up For Spring!

With Spring rolling around (and Seattle weather cooperating now and then for inspiration - yahoo!), I have been changing things a bit around here.  

Perhaps this is obvious in Spring, but I am drawn to green this time of year.  I'm rearranging the furniture, moving the focal point away from the cozy fireplace and instead facing out into the garden.  I will be using these great botanical pillows in my living room, inspired by the view.  (The picture doesn't do it justice since the leaves are a beautiful mossy green but in this picture don't look as great as they do in real life!) 

Linen is a must for me for Spring and Summer, so the linen curtains are going up again to replace the silk ones.  Mine don't have banding like these, but I really like them.  Maybe I feel another project coming my way!

  Here are a few of my favorite accents that I'll be focusing on:

Fresh flowers!

Moving around accessories to make the home feel "new" again...  
I think layering art looks so casually sophisticated.  Do you agree?

and...THAT LAMP.  Wow.

I'll also be working on a gallery wall in my stairway landing.  This idea has been brewing for a while, but I think I'm ready to take the plunge!

I never want to neglect the kitchen...I spend way too much time in there.  

Fresh citrus is never a bad idea and of course the flowers are fab.  :)

(And I am crazy for those drawer pulls...they are going on my wish list)

How about you?  What do you do to spruce up for Spring?

Favorite Things: Topiaries

I love the look of a topiary - indoors and out.  Currently I have an olive topiary in the kitchen window and right after Thanksgiving some oversized topiaries with twinkly lights will be sitting on either side of the front door, but I could go on and on in several rooms in the house.  :)

Here are a few of my favorite examples!

Sources

More Green!

Do I think I live in the southern hemisphere and that Spring is approaching?  I'm not sure, but the last few days - in spite of all the spice colors around me - I have green on my mind big time.  

Maybe it started with this post...many of you said you prefer this look over the more traditional colors...especially paired with white pumpkins.  It sounds lovely to me!

Or, maybe it was the visit this week to the fantastic Watson Kennedy store in downtown Seattle where the purveyor, Ted Kennedy Watson, had a beautiful display of all sorts of yummies for the home in various shades of green...  (it was so great to finally meet you Ted!)

To top it all  off, I have a client that I met with on Tuesday who is considering celadon as her "neutral" throughout her open plan home....it's going to be gorgeous.

Whatever it is, green is in the forefront of my mind in spite of the cooler temps and influx of richer colors for the season.  I gathered up a few beautiful ideas that I thought I'd share today.  Maybe y'all will find this refreshing.  :) 

In some of these mother nature does the designing in green, but you can't go wrong with that.  :)  

What color is calling your name right now?

Sources

Green for Fall?

If you have read my blog for a while now, you know how much I love orange and all of the spice colors, especially in the Fall.  However, I am really loving this Fall look with green mixed in rather than the expected orange for a fall table.  I just bought some twine pumpkins like these and you know I can find pine cones everywhere around here, so this is a strong possibility for our table very soon!

http://ciaonewportbeach.blogspot.com/

What do you think?

Serenity In The Garden

I don't know what's up with me lately...I am drawn more and more often to outdoor designs rather than interiors...I don't recognize myself!  I promise this blog won't turn into a gardening blog (no one would want that :)), but I do love a beautiful exterior as much as a beautiful interior....just not the maintenance!  So put practicality aside and dream with me...

via

 Wouldn't this be a heavenly place to spend an afternoon?

via

I love the Scandinavian slant to this little space, but could easily see this as a view of Puget Sound...serenity at its best!


 And bringing a bit of the garden inside is always beautiful...

via

via

Simple and beautiful!