Decorating – Page 46

Be Our Guest!

May 14, 2015~ Decorating

“She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness”
Proverbs‬ ‭31‬:‭26-27

Don’t you look forward to a little get away? I always love it when I arrive somewhere and it feels inviting! Whether it be a fabulous resort or someone’s home, the atmosphere can just announce “Welcome-we have been expecting you!!!” We all have overnight guests in our homes at some time or the other…so, how do we extend a warm welcome and make them feel comfortable during their time with us? I have often read that you should sleep in your guest room(s) to make sure that everything is inviting and that all the creature comforts have been provided! This guest room is small with only a twin bed, but there is a large writing desk and chair that provides a great place to read and relax! Come take a look…we invite you to be our guest!! What guest would not love being served breakfast in bed!! The twin bed is an antique with a rich patina and is outfitted with a custom canopy. I have a love of fabric and have used different patterns and textures in this guest room! The floral fabric is the primary one with a peach stripe as a secondary! Solids, plaids, animal prints, and a touch of toile add rich layers to the sage colored walls! The large neck roll pillow is great for your feet or for propping your neck while reading! The top of the duvet is a Schumacher floral fabric and the underside is a peach stripe with a fluffy down comforter inside! A light breakfast of coffee and a blueberry muffin is served on a wicker tray along with the morning paper and a current magazine for leisurely reading! I love to fill a basket with water, fruit, chocolate, shortbread cookies, and chips, in case our guest gets the late night munchies! A scented candle is always a nice touch in a guest room! Books are stacked on the desk for reading or just thumbing through! The old hand-painted tool box contains a sewing kit and a few items that a guest might need. I like to furnish toiletry items-we all need a little pampering, occasionally! A small florentine tray holds soap, bath salts, and hair products! Fresh flowers say you are special and we are glad you have come! A magnolia bloom welcomes our guest! Three travel books and a book by a Pulitzer Prize winning author that is a professor at the University of Alabama provide reading for a guest that might have a longer stay! The writing desk has a distressed top and a beautiful antique finish. The sheep painting offers a calm and serene scene!
A floral needlepoint pillow contrasts with the velvet animal print on the chair! Have you noticed I like color and pattern?! This room is definitely a feminine space! How do you welcome an overnight guest?

Linking with Pieced Pastimes , Silver Pennies , Life on Lakeshore Drive , Thoughts From Alice , Mod Vintage Life , Coastal Charm , My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia , The Dedicated House , Dwellings-Heart of Your Home , Savvy Southern Style , Ivy and Elephants, French Country Cottage , From My Front Porch To Yours , Stone Gable , Confessions of a Plate Addict , Worthing Court , Between Naps on the Porch , Cedar Hill Farmhouse , A Stroll Thru Life , The Style Sisters , The Charm of Home , Cornerstone Confessions , A Delightsome Life , Imparting Grace , Posed Perfection , Katherines Corner , My Romantic Home , Chic On A Shoestring Decorating , Rooted In Thyme , Share Your Cup, The Enchanting Rose, Alabama Women Bloggers, 21 Rosemary Lane, Northern Nesting, Oh My Heartsie Girl, Cozy Little House, Rattlebridge Farm, The Turquoise Home

Dreaming Blue

May 7, 2015~ Decorating

“The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth”
Psalm‬ ‭145‬:‭17-18‬

Having served in the interior design field for many years, I have heard so many differing opinions about how to decorate the most private space in our homes…the bedroom. It is not just a place to sleep – it is where we dress, often read, perhaps drink our first cup of coffee , and wind down after a long and tiring day. It is the space in our home where we should feel free to decorate as we wish! My clients have run the gamut in their preferences for their bedrooms. Some want to use vibrant colors with lush window treatments and bedding, others prefer a romantic cottage feel with floral fabrics, and still others have a need for soft and soothing hues. Today we will showcase the latter. When I think of a calming bedroom, I imagine soft shades of blue mixed with hues of white! This is a guest suite (could serve as a master) that I designed in a client’s home over ten years ago. It has a soft and dreamy aesthetic…from the beautiful curves of the iron bed to the creamy silk window treatments to the luxurious custom bedding. It might be hard for a guest to leave these comforts!
Beautiful cabinetry that houses books, collectables, and a TV sit opposite the bed. Sitting in front of a large window is a beautifully painted chest with the perfect accessories on top-particularly the Venetian gondola by Lladro! Between the bookcase and chest is a comfy chair and ottoman! You might think the walls are papered, but they are hand painted. Tall matching lamps flank the bed with differing bedside tables. On the right is a small writing desk and chair, perfect spot to journal and enjoy a cup of hot tea! The left side of the bed has a skirted round table!

The following bedrooms are from my Pinterest Board “Beauty Sleep”. You can go to the original source by clicking on the picture. Follow here: Beauty Sleep

I will always love a poster bed. The sitting area in the bay window, the drop-dead gorgeous chandelier, and the lovely shade of robin’s egg blue combine to make this an elegant room! Design by Cullman and KravisThis ethereal bedroom with its whitewashed ceiling, canopied bed, lovely fabrics, and French doors offers a serene respite!
A smaller bedroom, but no less beautiful, with twin beds and a sweet floral fabric draping the windows! What a perfectly delightful room- dressmaker details on the bedding and window treatments! The bedside table catches my eye along with the lamps and their blue shades! This bedroom would be at home at the beach, in the mountains, or anywhere, for that matter. Casual elegance!So I admit this bedroom had me with its four-posters! The window fabric, bedding, and the pale blue bedside chest combine for a delightful room! Design by Tobi FairleyWhat is not to love about this bedroom? A guest room with twin beds is a great option if you have more than one guest room. You can see a guest room that I designed using twin beds here: A Breath of Fresh Air! The patterned carpet plays wonderfully well with the wallpaper and canopy fabric! Designer: Cathy Kincaid The chandelier is the obvious showstopper, but the matching pair of chests run a close second!
A bedroom that is slightly bolder in its approach. The wall color is a medium shade of brown (latte describes it for me) with blue canopy and window treatments. My personal favorite in this space is the leopard carpeting. A tip: think of leopard as a neutral! I think this bedroom is charming! The French stone mantel and fireplace with club chairs and ottoman would make it impossible to leave for work. Note the desk and clock, antiques, I presume! The bench at the foot of the bed is an ideal spot for putting on your shoes or stacking books and magazines. I have a love of fabric and this pattern is subtle and calming! Miles Redd, a designer known for mixing it up with color and styles, designed this bedroom! Note the contemporary mixed with traditional and the pop of yellow for the lamp bases!

If you could choose your perfect bedroom retreat, what style and colors would you select? After all, we can dream!!

Linking with Pieced Pastimes , It’s Overflowing , Be Different Act Normal , Silver Pennies , Life on Lakeshore Drive , Thoughts From Alice , Pink When , Mod Vintage Life , Coastal Charm , My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia , The Dedicated House , Dwellings-Heart of Your Home , Savvy Southern Style , Ivy and Elephants, French Country Cottage , From My Front Porch To Yours , Stone Gable , Confessions of a Plate Addict , Worthing Court , Between Naps on the Porch , Cedar Hill Farmhouse , A Stroll Thru Life , The Style Sisters , The Charm of Home , The Winthrop Chronicles , Cornerstone Confessions , A Delightsome Life , Imparting Grace , Craftberry Bush , Posed Perfection , Katherines Corner , My Romantic Home , Chic On A Shoestring Decorating , Rooted In Thyme , Share Your Cup, The Enchanting Rose, Alabama Women Bloggers, 21 Rosemary Lane, Northern Nesting, Oh My Heartsie Girl, Cozy Little House, Rattlebridge Farm, The Turquoise Horn

Patio Possibilities?

April 9, 2015~ Decorating, Outdoors

We are talking backyard project again on the blog today! We have drawn our plans for the garden and will be sharing those with the landscaper in the next few days. In addition to the garden area that we shared a couple of weeks back (See here: How Does Your Garden Grow?), our patio is also included in those plans! To say that it is time for a patio makeover is a huge understatement, seeing as it was built many years ago. We enjoy eating alfresco from April through October and sitting and relaxing-that is its primary function. For the past few years, we have contemplated adding a screened porch (too much upkeep, I think). And we must take into consideration that we have a lot of critters…raccoons, rabbits, opossum, armadillos, turkeys, deer…you get the picture! Friends have told us some of them will manage to get through screening. I can just imagine waking up to find them all having a full-blown party on the porch!!! So a patio make-over is the decision we have made! I wanted to share some inspiration photos and include a few from our back yard space and talk pros and cons.

Most of these were taken from my Pinterest board: Outdoor Spaces.
Click the picture to go to the original source.

This example, with its coffered ceiling and lanterns, is a
dream space and probably not a reality! What a beautiful patio for eating. I love the brick herringbone
patterned floor! What’s not to love about this patio! I can see enjoying morning
coffee and quiet time in the comfy seating with the sound
of the trickling water fountain! A vine-covered arbor is great protection from the
mid-day sun. Of course, a fireplace would be a nice
addition-but how much would we really use it?
This is another example of an arbor covering! Enjoying morning coffee last year on my patio!
To see more of my Instagram photos,
click here: Pam’s Instagram patio As you can see, everything is in disarray on our patio! This is an ideal spot for dining out. I can imagine autumn
dinners with a fire burning! I would not choose a gravel surface, but I love the vintage table
and chairs with a nearby fountain! This partially covered patio has incorporated a sitting area with
fireplace and a dining space! Breakfast on our patio last summer!
You can see more photos here: Breakfast Alfresco! The large coffee table, mirror, vine covered trellis and furniture
offer an attractive space for entertaining! A fire pit has been a consideration and I love this small one! An arbor with a swing is always a good idea! arbor Butch built our arbor over 30 years ago and it was located in our front
yard with a swing facing our Appalachian foothills. We moved it to
the back yard and planted Lady Banks roses. I took this photo
this week! As you can see we have wide open space for our plans! But if we place a swing under the arbor, then we can’t enjoy dinner
under the roses. This photo is from last year!
You can see more photos here:
Reservations for Two Under the Arbor
I think the swing will win!

So many options-and if we weren’t concerned with a budget and upkeep, then the sky would be the limit. We so enjoyed your comments from our post about the garden planning and would love your comments about the patio and arbor. This will be an ongoing story until we can
share the finished project.
Hopefully that will be by the end of May!

pam closing Linking with Pieced Pastimes , It’s Overflowing , Be Different Act Normal , Silver Pennies , Life on Lakeshore Drive , Thoughts From Alice , Pink When , Mod Vintage Life , Coastal Charm , My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia , The Dedicated House , Dwellings-Heart of Your Home , Savvy Southern Style , Ivy and Elephants, French Country Cottage , From My Front Porch To Yours , Stone Gable , Confessions of a Plate Addict , Worthing Court , Between Naps on the Porch , Cedar Hill Farmhouse , A Stroll Thru Life , The Style Sisters , The Charm of Home , The Winthrop Chronicles , Cornerstone Confessions , A Delightsome Life , Imparting Grace , Craftberry Bush , Posed Perfection , Katherines Corner , My Romantic Home , Chic On A Shoestring Decorating , Rooted In Thyme , Share Your Cup, The Enchanting Rose, Alabama Women Bloggers, 21 Rosemary Lane, Northern Nesting, Oh My Heartsie Girl, Cozy Little House