Saturday, October 30, 2010

Decorate Your House Like a Barn

My sister came down to visit me last week and we had an equestrian-themed weekend driving out to Winchester to see our three horses on a retirement farm.


Horse country in Virginia is absolutely gorgeous in the fall and especially the horsey town of Middleburg.  We stopped in at a local sandwich shop for lunch and they had done such a cute job decorating the bathroom like a little stable using textured wallpaper. 




The textured walls give a little nod to equestrianism, but chic details like the pistachio wainscoting, the brushed silver sconces, and the decorative door trim make it a polished look rather than rustic.  Here are some other ways to use textured wallpapers successfully:
Decor Design

Apartment Therapy

Apartment Therapy
 
I started doing a little research and, according to this website there are many advantages to textured wallpaper, that just-getting-started people could really appreciate:

* more affordable than a lot of wallpapers
* easier to install than a lot of wallpapers because you don't have to match up patterns
* looks super good

Friday, October 22, 2010

Time to Reorganize the Closet!

The age old problem...not enough room for the clothes I do have, and not enough money to replace the ones that are pilling.  I am told I will look back on this time of life with fondness.  Remember when I used to have to buy store brand cereal?...I sure do miss that!

Anyway, I decided the other day that it was better to wear the same outfit every day than to be dressed like a hobo so I decided to purge my wardrobe of all the misfits while simultaneously packing away my summer clothes :(


This is what my armoire looked like when I started:



and this is what my closet and I looked like when I was finished:

Katie Lee Joel's Closet via Domino via Little Green Notebook

No?  Actually my closet looked like this (very sad and small):


My armoire was actually an accomplishment. PLUS it is designed by me and built by my dad so even better!:


It doesn't look like I got rid of any clothes, but actually this armoire is less two garbage bags of clothes in this picture!  I like to organize my clothes first by type and then by color because it makes getting dressed so much easier.

The bottled water is in my closet because my persnickety little cat, Daphne, prefers bottled water to tap.  She deserves it, though, because she was VERY helpful while cleaning my closet out.  She was solely in charge of making sure that all summer clothes I packed away were properly coated with a protective layer of cat hair.


She took her job very seriously.

You can't really see it at all in this photo, but I also designed the box (the big wooden one, not the cardboard one).  I'll do a post about my room in a few days and then you can see it better.

In the meantime, here are some other closets I would not hate to have:

I love the dark grey walls and the painted red table with the pretty perfume bottles on it.  Very elegant...

Absolutely Beautiful Things

Much like everyone else in the world, I am loving reflective surfaces on furniture right now...

Ada and Darcy

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

My Dream Future: a stone house, fall clothes and horses

During my daily perusals of my favorite blogs, I came across a few pictures which will now define the rest of my life.  Heather Clawson at Habitually Chic never disappoints and now she has provided me with the photographic inspiration I needed cement my resolve to find a wealthy young country gentleman.  Just kidding, I really only need the house and the horse...and maybe the clothes!

Friday, October 15, 2010

It's Time for a New Fall Wardrobe

The air is getting crisp and and that means three things:
1.  It's time for a new wardrobe
2.  My Q3 bonus is on the way so I can actually afford clothes!
3.  My birthday is almost here so other people can buy me clothes and probably would like some guidance!

That's why I've put together my top picks for fall...

1. JCrew is the best place to go for big, chunky warm sweaters!  I'd like to wear mine with....
2.  A new pair of trendy leggings from Anthropologie
3. Frye boots are absolutely the best!  I can't decide which kind I want but I do love these.
4.I've been hearing that this Smashbox makeup primer is an absolute necessity.  I really want to try it out but I'd like to get a few more opinions about it first!
5. Um I really like this skirt...picture it with a black long sleeved shirt and flats.
6.  One of my many books about job hunting tells me that scarves are the ties for women's suits.  Now that I'm traveling a lot more for work, I think I definitely need this Hermes scarf!
7. One of my new favorite sites is EmmersonMade.  They just came out with their clothing line and I absolutely love this simple shift.  AND it's in that hot new color, purple!
8. I like high society, I like houndstooth and I like this High Society Skirt from Anthropologie.
9. And finally, something that I will never own: this AMAZING dress worn by Serena on Gossip Girl a few weeks ago.  Did you just lose respect for me now that you know I watch Gossip Girl?  Well I don't care; it is amazing and I love Chuck!

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Purple is the Color for Fall


Fashionable rooms everywhere this fall are wearing purple, plum and lavendar. I think it's the perfect color for the season - deep and rich but not heavy and dark.  My lovely friend, Hillary, recently repainted her bedroom purple and it looks gorgeous.  I guess she is just riding the crest of the wave of cool.








All Above Via LiveLikeYou

Above from the October 2010 Elle Decor

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Eastern Market Mirrors

I like for every nicknack and decoration in a home to be a great find, not just something you picked up because you needed to fill space.  This way, everything in your home has a little personality and it's like you're always surrounded by friends.  Granted, that sounds a little shut-in of me but I promise that sometimes I like to be friends with real people, too. To prove it, here are some photos my friend, Isel, showed me of some mirrors that I think would add personality to any home.


I think these would look amazing in a front hall or foyer hanging over an old chest of drawers painted black, with a big, round vase of flowers on it!  My friend made this great find at our local Eastern Market, where vendors gather every Sunday on Capitol Hill to sell artwork, crafts and food.  This is a great place to shop for home decor because every piece is one-of-a-kind meaning a) it has a lot of personality and b) no one knows how much money you didn't spend on it! 

Plus, it's very trendy to shop local.