Kids and Your House

Not my house, but I feel for these parents.

A phrase I hear all too often is "I don't want to invest in a [insert] sofa, chair, table, rug for my house because my kids will just ruin it." I usually just don't say anything because what people choose to do with their house and/or money and/or kids is their business. But I heard that phrase for about the 3,324 time yesterday and I started thinking about it. Now, I grew up in a house where my mother was very much into decorating and took a lot of pride in the way her house looked. But I also had friends whose parents really didn't seem to care whether or not the drapes were lined or if the sofa looked good with the chair...and in both of those cases, we were certainly not allowed to ruin anything.

We had rules about how we were allowed to live and also visit in those homes. My parents raised 3 children in their house and aside from an unfortunate confrontation with a bedroom door, I can't recall a time we ever ruined a piece of furniture. Because let me tell you…my mom would. not. have. it.  I didn't pay for one single item in my parents house. I lived there like a squatter who felt entitled to having my dinner prepared and my laundry done. We had rules. No eating on the sofa. No food or drinks upstairs. No shoes on the furniture. And if you want to fight, take that mess outside so you don't knock something over. We never wrote on the walls as children. Because I'm pretty certain it happened once and the wrath of my mother was burned into our brains for eternity. Because there is a 99% chance she painted that wall herself with a color she loved and seeing our squatter-hobo crayon marks all over it made her lose her shit. And rightly so.

When I was a kid I thought these rules were just the result of my mom being a total buzzkill and super bossy. I think she was just preparing us to learn how to treat our houses and the things in them with respect. Now that doesn't mean I don't want my daughter to play and enjoy her home, but in the end it is not hers. She will not be able to do with it as she pleases. She cannot jump on the sofa or paint on the coffee table or have a water gun fight in the living room. She can't play with or mess with certain things in the house and if she does, she gets in trouble. Some might say to just put it away where she can't get to it, but that's not how I roll. Kids have a very "everything is mine" mentality. I am here to break it to her that everything is most definitely not hers.

It was always very clear growing up that our house was my parents house. We just got to live there for free. And it's also worth mentioning that we are always able to go back there if the need arises, and live, for free. Just no shoes on the furniture, a phrase spoken by my father to me not too long ago when I was there for a visit. I rolled my eyes.

New House Files: Den Design Board

So I thought it might be fun to show the design board I put together for the den/keeping room/TV room/whatever you want to call it room that's right off the kitchen. Not all of this is happening at once, obviously. That is unless we find a pile of money hidden in the backyard.

The leather chair was ordered 6 months ago and has been hanging out in the rental house and the sofa will (hopefully) be here not long after we move in. It's not exactly that sofa although it's very, very close. I did my husband a solid and ordered him a leather TV watching chair. He is building the house after all. All the lighting is what I have chosen and is what is being installed in a few weeks. I love the idea of a blue upholstered ottoman and I have loved that West Elm rug for a long time. Everything else is pretty traditional and that rug and the art are just the things the room needs to keep it from venturing too much into snoozefest territory. I like the idea of a striped roman shade, and that one is a great price.

The credenza is very much up in the air at this point. In my dreams it's a brass and burl wood piece like the one below from Jayson Home. A girl can dream. I'm definitely going with 2 pillows in my old faithful "Betwixt" in Biscuit by Celerie Kimble. I've used that fabric many times in almost all the colors and it has never let me down.

So there you have it! Now that I keep staring at this I might have to just go ahead and order that rug…..

Leather chair / Rug / Sconce / Lantern / Roman shades / Credenza 

New House Files: Construction Update

I'm baaaack! With an update! We are in the home stretch. 98% of the cabinets are in, hardwoods are down, the entire house is painted….date to finish is about 3-4 weeks (!!!). Now is when everything is starting to come together so the photos are a lot more interesting.

 The front door has been painted since this photo (in a blue/gray that I can't for the life of me remember right now). And the front patio has been laid. Also that large weed and dirt pile is gone. For the front I am planning on doing 4 large boxwood topiaries flanking the french doors (which will have shutters at some point as well) sort of like thiiiissss….

So, so good.

The kitchen!! I love it so much I can't stand it. The windows are giving me life. Obviously we are missing the right side lower cabinets due to a measuring problem. Which happens. All the white cabinetry and trim in the house is Benjamin Moore's White Dove. It's a perfect white. No gray, no yellow, just soft white. The doorway to the right is the pantry (see below). That hood is awesome too, it's actually curved which you can't see at all from this photo. Should have taken a side shot. But it looks great (shout out to our carpenter Jessie who did every wooden surface in this house).  Two of these fab pendants are hanging over the island…

Rejuvenation Cone pendant

From this shot you can see the fridge area. And the amazing light that comes in in the afternoon. 

That room to the left is the formal living. And the space right in front of where I am standing is where the breakfast table will go.

This is the pantry right off the kitchen. I wanted something different in this little spot, so I went gray on the cabinetry. No doors yet obviously. This is where my collection of tableware and glassware will be living with lots of room to expand. Which delights the hoarder inside me to no end.

This is the shallow pantry shelving wall to the left when you walk in the doorway. The door goes outside to the back patio.  

And this is the dining room. It needed one more coat of paint when I took this photo, but you get the idea. It's such a dark green that it's almost black. It's very dramatic and very awesome. A shout out this time to Sherwin Williams for the custom color. 

Last stop on the tour is the master bath. Aaaaand more props to carpenter Jessie for taking my crazy sketches and making them a reality. This bath is gonna be gooood y'all. 

That's it for now! Things are moving quickly so hopefully I can show tile and countertops next! 

Get In My Closet.

A few things from the interweb that I think are pretty great...

Black dress / Bag / Red flats / Maxi dress /  Hologram heels (dyyyiinngg) 

Vest /  Coat / Necklace / Skirt

Just a few things...

Everything is moving right along with the house. Sheetrock starts next week! Hooray! Because of this, I've been super busy with the credit card and checking account. Here are a few goodies I've recently purchased for the house. I'm not spilling where things are going yet (although you might have a clue for a few things), you must wait for the big reveal!

John Robshaw Mani fabric in chambray

Large Morris Lantern

Canopy Bed

Currey and Company chandelier 

Tilton Fenwick Zula fabric

Cone pendant

Random Bits

It's been a while since I've done one of these. Warning: this post is totally random.

Two, wait three, new skincare items I have to tell you about. The first isn't skincare but makeup. And it's really, really good stuff. I wear it alone most of the time, but you can also use a powder on top for more coverage. There's a reason Sephora was sold out of it forrreevvveeerrrr.

Complexion Rescue 

Does anybody else love a clay mask as much as I do? I've tried a lot. Most of them are eeehhh. I got a sample of this in my Birchbox and loved it. Really loved it. It's not a thick clay, it's almost like a cream, but it dries like a clay. And it cleans your face and pores like a boss. 

Marcelle Clay Mask

And the heavy hitter. As I have reached my mid-thirties (!!!!!!!) it has become abundantly clear that I need some heavy-duty skincare happening on my face. I caved and bought these. 

Radical Skincare Exfoliating Pads

And yes, it's working. I've been using them for almost 2 weeks. My skin is soft all the time. Like, I touch it constantly. Which is terrible and I should stop. I haven't had to do my 80 step exfoliating/moisturizing procedure since I started using these pads. I just wash my face and swipe away. My pores are smaller. My complexion is brighter. The wrinkle thing I'll get back to you on. I don't see a huge difference, but I don't think this product is what I need for that. My next item to get is the eye cream or the youth serum. Yes, this stuff is pricey. But good anti-aging skincare should be. 

I'm obsessed with this show. I binge watched the first 8 episodes, and seeing as how there are only 16 in the first season, I need to slow down. Holy crap it's good.

I have been busy planning a vacation to….

Disney World. Am I excited? Scared? Both?

A few new things I've added to my closet for the summer…

Tory Burch wedge

J. Crew slide

Kaftan 

Kendra Scott

J. Crew tank dress

New House Files: Construction Update

 Framing is finished! We had such great weather the past few weeks and it just sort of steadily moved along with no issues or hiccups. Hallelujah. 

It's realllyyy hard to try and show photos of a house in framing stage because you just can't get a grasp on the spaces without physically being in them…but I'll try. A lot more has actually been done since I took these photos.

The front. Obviously. 

Kitchen. You are going to have to have imagination from here on out. Those windows are on either side of the range. The wall on the left will house the fridge and a wall of cabinets. That doorway on the right is for the butlers pantry. The exterior door you see leads to the back patio from the butlers pantry. Pipes sticking up from the floor is where the island will sit.

Same area of the house. The kitchen/butler pantry is on the left and here you can see the keeping room with the fireplace. Where I am standing to take this photo is where the breakfast room will be. 

Dining room. Yeah it's big. But I have dreams of everyone in the family sitting around a 12 person table. The wall on the left will be a huge wall of built-in bookcases and a built-in buffet. Front door and entry is on the right. French doors will open to the front patio. Because I also have dreams that I live in France. 

Formal living. You can't tell in these photos, but this ceiling is 13 feet. There is a fireplace on the left and those french doors lead to the backyard. My search for a 12 foot artificial Christmas tree is underway. To the left behind the fireplace wall is the master bedroom.

That's all I got for now. I'll post again when we have walls and things are starting to take shape. It's all super exciting and I can't wait to see it come together! 

Lily's Closet

Summer is my absolute favorite time of year to shop for my daughter. It's her favorite too because it's all  dresses, all the time. They are all she ever wants to wear. Shopping for a girl in 2015 can be an interesting experience. Everything seems to be super short or cropped or glittered or bedazzled. I don't want my four year old wearing rhinestone short shorts. Just, no. I saw a shirt yesterday that said "No Text On the First Date". Um, excuse me? It was in a store aimed for tweens/teens. What. The. Hell. That being said, I have my go to brands that never fail.

Mini Boden
I love Mini Boden. I love that everything is extremely well-made and lasts wash after wash without fading or coming apart. I love that it's well-priced and adorable. I love it. Well played Britain, well played.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 

Pink Chicken
The cutest dresses ever. Pricey, yes...but I usually get 1 or 2 for the summer. They wash really well and in the fall she wears them with leggings and boots.

1 / 2 / 3 

J. Crew
Oh J. Crew. Thank you for keeping my young girl looking like a young girl. Yes, you can be pricey too and sometimes I laugh at you and your ideas of what a t shirt should cost. But I always know a coupon code is in my inbox and all is right with the world.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

Lilly Pulitzer
Because, duh.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Gap
I hesitated putting Gap on the list because it can be so hit or miss. Sometimes their girls items look like they should be dressing like boring pre-school librarians. These dresses are super cute though and I could see Lily in any of them. Especially that white one. Love it.

1 / 2 / 3 

And because she is still only (almost) five and runs and jumps and climbs, I stock up on these at the beginning of the summer. She wears them under all her dresses and skirts, because while she is awesome at climbing trees and doing cartwheels, she is still a lady.

Tuesday/Shoesday

Get em while they're hot.

1/ 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12

If you buy anything this spring/summer, make sure it is tasseled. I couldn't resist those silver flats. Also, mules are back? But I suppose when they look like that Vince pair, I'm down.

New House Files: The Kitchen

Progress! It's happening! The slab foundation is being poured tomorrow (!!) and then framing can commence. Still have fingers crossed for a September/October move-in date. I've been finalizing a lot of decisions, one of those being the kitchen. It's white. It's classic. It will never (hopefully) go out of style.

I went back and forth and back and forth on marble countertops. And while I looooove how they look, I don't looooove how they patina and need to be handled with care. Some folks don't mind the occasional stain or scratch or chip..."character" and all that jazz...but it would drive me insane. I decided to go with quartz. It's as hard as granite, doesn't stain, and it comes in a myriad of colors. Also, just for clarification, the island will be quartz and the counter behind that where the range will be, will be butcher block.

I've had this kitchen pinned for years. During the planning process I kept coming back to it. It's pretty much the layout of the new kitchen…large island, back wall with windows, range in the middle. I just love it.

Can we discuss that range?! I just CANNOT wait to get that bad boy installed. And I can't seem to part with my beloved subway tile. Though she will be getting a fancy herringbone pattern this time around. And finally, brass hardware for the win!

Can We Talk About Banana Republic?

They have hired a new creative director. Who is BRINGING IT. I haven't thought about BR in probably 5 years (because, let's face it, it sucked). It was all silky tank tops, cardigans, and business lady skirts. And not in the good way. I want boss lady skirts. Remember what happened to J. Crew when Jenna Lyons came on board and resurrected it from the brink of death? And made it awesome? It's happening again. I had that black popover dress in my cart in 5 seconds. I can't wait to see what's in store.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 

New House Files: The Master

Things are sort of at a weird in-between stage on the house. Kind of a calm before the storm. Plans are being permitted and things are getting priced. I'm picking out things like brick, doors, and windows. I'm designing built-ins and fielding calls from the contractor husband about 5 times a day. I've had a few people ask me if building a house is hard. It's not hard for me. I always ask them "Can you handle making 5 decisions at one time and not changing your mind?" Or, "Do you care about things like gutters and grout lines?" If you can and do, building a house should be pretty easy for you. If you can't and don't, you can still build a house, but it will take you about 3 years…or you can hire someone to make all the decisions for you while you drink sangria on a beach. Or something like that.

Because gutters are not exciting at all, I've been dreaming up a master bedroom design board. I really had no idea what I wanted to do until the genius that is Biscuit launched their Spring collection. I fell hard and fast for the Bloomsbury in green and ordered the duvet in about 30 seconds. So naturally everything is falling into place now. I'm pretty sure I'm going to reupholster our bed in a light blue to make it pop off the Schumacher linen wallpaper. I also want to do a chaise in front of the windows. I love this slipcovered version, but with a pink tape trim added to the bottom.

I'm also carpeting our bedroom this time. Last house we did hardwoods and it never felt cozy and inviting. I'm hoping to find something with a subtle animal print sort of like the one on the board. A few accent fabrics for pillows and the such and voila!

Duvet / Wallpaper / Chaise / Trim / Dresser / Mirror

New House Files: The Powder Room

I live for a good wallpaper. Especially in a powder room or bathroom. I'm planning on wallpapering the powder room on the first floor of the house. They are great places do something dramatic and fun. They are like little jewels boxes where you can play with color and pattern and lighting. Usually only guests see it so why not go for a wow moment.

Here are a few on my Pinterest Board…

Obviously there is a theme here. Dark, moody, with lots of brass.

Here are some of the papers I have narrowed down from the millions of beautiful options. Seriously, wallpaper is bringing it these days.