Look for Less

March 18, 2011 By admin 15 Comments

As you know, my husband is a second year medical student.

Since medical school is very expensive and I am a stay-at-home mom, we never have much money to spend on decor.

My husband has at least 6 more years of school left, which means I have no choice but get used to a thrifty lifestyle.

Luckily, I find great joy in designing on a small budget.

There is nothing better than seeing a beautiful room come together on a dime.

Style at Home’s High and Low series makes me giddy.

They take an expensive room and recreate it for less.

$17, 485

$4,636

$20,893

$4,408

Incredible, right?

These rooms excite me and they almost look identical.

I would love to do something like this for a client.

If you have room you are drooling over, send it my way!

Textiles Thursday: Fresh Quince

March 17, 2011 By admin 15 Comments

Today we have Danielle from Fresh Quince sharing her favorite textiles in her home.

Not only do I love her name, she also has a great eye for craigslist finds!

I can’t get enough of her Fridays Finest Finds series where she finds the best steals on craigslist!

Thanks so much Danielle for having me participate in your Textile Thursday series! Living overseas most of my childhood has given me the opportunity to see and experience a multitude of textiles from around the world. Every country I lived in had their own special patterns and textures…from Turkish Kilims to English Tapestry. Today I want to share with you two of my favorites from past day to present.

Many years ago, a remarkable Turkish woman gave my mother a number of old linens that had been stashed away in a closet. One of the pieces, the embroidered silk pictured below, has a delicate tracery of gold and silver thread, a creamy background, and a soft orange silk border. Because the embroidery is so finely crafted, you can picture it as a pillow or wall hanging in the bedroom of a Turkish noblewoman. These beautiful linens, some of which the generous giver claimed were made of silk curtains from the last Turkish sultan, are highly cherished by our family…

It rests above one of my newly upholstered living room chairs (I need a new camera)…

My present day favorite may just make you all run the opposite way, call me outdated or worse say I am no longer in vogue. I truly don’t mind because I fell instantly in love the day I saw this fabric in the October 2007 Domino Issue…

Image via Domino

At the time I couldn’t afford the price tag that went with the Schumacher Chiang Mai Dragon fabric. I was born in the year of the dragon and have been fascinated by dragons as long as I can remember. So about a year ago I finally bought pillows for my vintage sofa…

Am I “so 2000 and late” as Fergie would say? Quite frankly my dear I don’t care…I still love it whether it’s passe or not. Does that really matter? Who dictates what’s hip or not? I am a strong believer in…if you love it then it must cool! In my eyes Chiang Mai Dragon, which comes in a few colorways and also wallpaper, always looks chic…

Vogue Living September/October 2010

Entryway designed by the talented Danika Herrick of Gorgeous Shiny Things

Industrial Soul Bedroom by Sarah Richardson

Because fabric and textiles are so much a part of my life, I had a hard time narrowing down the items I wanted to talk about. For instance, I seem to be collecting numerous crewel embroideries that I am finding very inexpensively at local consignment shops…

While they are a blast from the past, their gorgeous color and texture always make me want to reach out and touch the yarn that has been so artfully sewed into the fabric. Textiles have enriched lives throughout history–think about the gorgeous Renaissance embroideries and our country’s proud history of quilting. I have enjoyed so much sharing my thoughts on textiles with all of you.

Thanks!

Danielle

I absolutely love her chevron chair and her embroidered silk linen from Turkey.

What is better than a beautiful textile with sentimental value?

Thanks so much Danielle!