upholstery details

since i touched on the 'small things' yesterday, i thought it would be fun to continue sharing tips on how to take a room to the next level; this time through upholstery. suzanne kasler does an amazing job w/ upholstery details...in fact, i think she nails it. one of my favorite things about suzanne, is the fact that she can make a room look fabulous by the smallest touches...for instance, by adding a small tape banding behind the nailhead of a dining room chair, you get a truly custom looking piece. or take an alternate fabric and create a banding at the bottom of a sofa or chair skirt- so easy but it takes the piece to the next level.

or say you fall in love w/ six dining room chairs in a store. they are upholstered in a great neutral linen...well, to get a more custom look w/out having to reupholster a perfectly fine chair, just do the host and hostess chairs- add a pouch of color on those two. or just have an upholsterer add a different fabric to the backs of the chairs-a simple ticking stripe looks awesome....

another tip i think can carry you a long way is adding nailhead trim. polished nickel looks fabulous on an upholstered piece. if you are creating an upholstered headboard, nailhead gives a great custom look...or if you have an upholstered chair, just simply add a small accent detail by the arms to jazz it up...

none of these tips are mind blowing but if you just remember them when you are decorating a space, it will give you such a great custom look. remember 'small things' can go a long way!!

*images courtesy of suzanne kasler/hickory chair, decorology, house beautiful/ballard design

it's the small things...

lately, i have become obsessed w/ looking at details...when i get a magazine, a catalog, or am searching the web, my eyes immediately zero in on the details that go into the space. it's amazing how effortless the stylists make it look...in everyday life, it's often a step that is overlooked but if done properly, boy, it can make a room go from nice to fantastic....

*image courtesy of the domino mag files, design sponge

what's hiding in your garage....

today i thought i would share w/ y'all what is hiding in my garage....this little diddy (along w/ my DR table and several other pieces i have collected from various thrift stores, yard sales, etc....drives my husband crazy b/c that is his one spot in the house). i found her under a lot of "junk" at one of my secret junkin' spots....when i saw the detail on the drawers of the chest, i knew it was special.

now the chest does have one catch, it was taken from a kiawah house where she was used as a vanity....so it has a hole in the top. i can't decide if i want to turn her back into a chest for my entryway; i could have a wooden top made or i could get a piece of marble cut for it. the other option would be to keep her as a vanity and used it in the 'next house' (wherever that maybe)...i would put a marble top on and maybe paint her a french blue....

so now i ask you...what treasures are lurking in your garage??

*images courtesy of newlywed dairies, design sponge/ betsy burnham

enter

the entryway of your home is the first impression people see upon entering your house...would they stop and linger or would they just pass it by....is it a firm hand shake or a soft one?

*images courtesy of katie sellers, domino, unknown (please forgive me), domino

color trend

i feel like lavender has been creeping into interiors more and more lately. even though as a young child, i would always choose the pink crayon over the purple one...i am digging the way these rooms feel. and if you are looking for a paint color to give you this kind of tone, Ben Moore's Excalibur Gray 2118-50 is a great choice...i used it in a client's bathroom and it reads as a nice masculine purple.

*images courtesy of jessica condatore design studio, abbey goes design scouting, house and garden/ gwyneth paltrow

vintage wildlife silhouettes...

i was recently reminded of these fabulous vintage wallpaper silhouettes when someone asked me about the giraffe i drew on taylor's wall....i saw them in domino a little over two years ago when i was trying to figure out taylor's nursery and fell in love with them. at the time, they only offered three wallpaper patterns and unfortunately, they didn't go w/ the pink and brown we had already painted the room. but today when i went on inke's website, i saw that they offer a huge amount of vintage wallpaper...i think they are just fabulous!

*images courtesy of inke, domino/real simple, washington spaces

the skinny...

i know i have featured monogramming in the last couple of posts but today, i thought i would share my tips on the matter. while it is my ultimate goal to one day own beautiful bedding from leontine linens, unfortunately at this point in my life, i cannot. so i tried to brainstorm how i could get a custom looking monogram but w/out breaking the bank...

here are my tips:

-take your linens (whether it be pillowcases, shower curtains, hand towels, etc.) to your local embroidery shop and start browsing....if the place only offers 10 styles of monograms, this isn't the right place

-i think it is super important to think outside of the box...stay away from any kind of monogram that you may find in a mail order catalog or on a beach tote...we are aiming for something more unique

-when selecting a monogram, the font is really important. you want to find something that is different; i went w/ a scroll b/c it seemed more old world and traditional. modern lettering is great too, just find something w/ a little edge (there are several fonts that have an asian flair that would work great)

-next, monograms with borders give a more custom appearance...for instance, adding a side detail or framing the lettering is a great way to get a custom look. you may have to add this element to the lettering.

-getting the right color is the next important step; you want to select a thread that will allow the monogram to pop...brown is always a safe go-to color. if you are feeling adventurous, add more than one color in the lettering or details. (sometimes finding the exact thread color is hard...it's better to play it safe (brown) then get a color that is slightly off)

-lastly, SIZE totally matters. my thoughts are: the bigger the better; an over sized monogram really gives a punch. for my king shams, i did a 10" monogram. the lady at the shop thought i was crazy (i think she suggested 4"). however, once she saw how they looked, she fell in love w/ them, taking pictures to add to her book.

i hope i have answered some of your questions about my pillows...i created a custom monogram for $17 per pillow. it took a little more time (i think i was in the shop for like an hour trying to figure it all out) but the results made me so happy. now it's your turn to go out and create something beautiful....

*images courtesy of leontine linens, melissa rufty, ny social diary/miles redd