I have been on an indoor gardening kick lately, filling every nook and cranny with plants (that I hope I won’t kill). One of my favorite places to implement greenery is on the mantel. When visiting homes in the south, I rarely see plants on fireplace mantels. Maybe it’s more of a west coast thing? Whatever it is, I am a huge fan of juxtaposing books, plants and sculptures together in this tiny little area of the living room.
After the holidays, I left my mantel pretty bare. We are talking two plants. I don’t know about you, but after Christmas I need a non-decorating season. A clear the clutter, let the house breath, decorating hiatus.
I decided to leave the mantel clear until I felt inspired. Well, January and February came and went. And then March came along with spring, and I still didn’t have a shred of inspiration. But! Then one day I stumbled upon a gorgeous vermilion colored candle on a stack of vintage red books at West Elm. Ding! Ding! Ding! I was smitten by the simple display and could not wait to take this candle home with me. I had finally found my inspiration. This color combination was exactly what I had been looking for, except I didn’t know it until I saw it.
Searching for inspiration without perimeters is a beautiful creative process. If you haven’t tried it, you should the next time you are re-designing a space. Look for a feeling, a color or a flavor instead of an object – the process is more interesting when you don’t have specifics.
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This morning I sat in a bit of luxury. Minutes after I woke up, I knew that all I wanted to do before the chaos of today’s festivities was relax on the porch (with no agenda in mind). Responsibilities would wait, and I would enjoy an espresso and magazine while basking in the morning sunshine. And that is exactly what I did. I happily marched past my dear husband and sweet pups, and ventured out on this fine morning. Well, ventured out about ten feet. But it might as well have been 400 miles south, because my front porch felt as if it had been transported to the gulf coast. The air was crisp, the wind blew gently, and the sunshine drenched my chair in decadent warmth.
Before I cracked my domino magazine open (the one I have had for two months and have only read 3 pages), I sat in quiet and just watched & listened. Pairs of birds danced, fluttered, and darted through the trees before me. Spring was quite evident in my little urban neighborhood. Noisy chirps bouncing from one street to the next, echoing in every direction. It was quite a lovely scene, and exactly what my soul needed.
And then I delved into the gorgeous Domino magazine. Oh the treasures this issue had! Why had I waited so long to experience such goodness?! So much luxe and innovation, it made my heart pitter-patter. This morning felt as though I awoke ocean side, and then traveled to the most exquisite places designed by some of the most incredible designers on the planet. Just two hours, and I feel like I just went on vacation. Sigh…
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I rarely can find the color I imagine for a project on the shelf of any store. Everything I like is an in-between of something. I’m not sure if its the fact that I am complicated, or that I’m simply ahead of the game. Whatever it is, it keeps me on my toes. If I can’t find it, I make it my damn self.
When I bought hanging glass containers last summer for my air plants, I thought finding a coral pink sand for them would be easy. I thought “coral pink is popular, colored sand is popular, there should be plenty of choices”. Ummm, no. Every shade I came upon was too bright, too childish, or too muddy. I was determined to find this color to pair with the art on my living room walls. But after weeks of looking, I knew it was time to rethink my color choice. I either needed to go with a completely different color or dye the sand myself. Neither of which I wanted to do. This was supposed to be a simple project. And then a light bulb went on – mix pink and orange sand together. Voila! coral pink.
Perfect, right?! The color pops against the gray walls and pairs beautifully with my art collection. I could not be happier.
Just remember, there is always a way to bring your ideas to fruition. The key is to step back from the idea when you’ve hit a road block. The solution is likely staring you in the face and much simpler than you anticipated.
If you are in Nashville and looking for an excellent selection of air plants, glass containers and colored sand, head over to All Seasons on 8th Avenue. It’s hands down my favorite garden store.
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I’m a huge fan of shopping local, but I also love a good trip to Home Goods & Target. Over the last few weeks, I have had to shop both stores numerous times for design projects. And along the way, I’ve been picking up gold, white and natural decor for my home.
For as long as I can remember, my house has been decorated in white for the holidays. I pair the white with a few red and natural elements, creating a rustic modern wonderland. This year, I am all about bringing gold & brass into the mix. These glitzy colors have been popping up all year in home decor. And I can’t get enough!
The fresh approach to these metallic colors is the use of white and beige. The combination gives a soft, neutral palette. Allowing you to mix and match them with bold or monochromatic colors, as well as other metals. It’s modern, playful, and sophisticated. What’s not to love?
Stay tuned for my Gold & White Gift Guide this week. It’s so good, you’ll want everything!
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The table is set, the house is clean and there are delicious things cooking in the oven. And! I have enough time to write this post. How incredible is that?! A definite first. I think I am getting a hang of this whole planning/organization thing.
Today I am hosting Thanksgiving and I could not be more happy about it. I love hosting parties, but rarely do I have time. So when I can, I savor every little moment. I had so much fun decorating the table this year. I chose a new color palette, autumn colors mixed with gold, black, gray and white. A wonderful combination of modern and tradition. My favorite way to design.
I hope you all have a lovely day drinking, eating and laughing with your favorite people. Happy Thanksgiving! XO
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