Simple holiday decor

I must admit, I have not started decorating for the holidays....I have hardly even thought about it.  With bee's in our bonnets, my hubbie and I embarked on phase one of the office make-over, the part where you take everything out of the room so you can paint, etc.  Needless to say my house is a disaster.  After a slight hiccup with our paint color, the walls are now painted and I am fairly confident we can start putting things back together, which means that by this week-end we can bring out the holiday decorations.  I have tried not to focus on holiday decorating but of course as a reader of beautiful blogs, there is inspiration everywhere.

My favorite so far has to be this decor from Pam over at Simple Details. Fresh, clean and easy, done with items on hand like red and white books, gold and brass pieces and white pottery. Sprinkled with a few holiday items and some natural elements, this vignette is just lovely.

When I should have been sewing curtains for my office I got distracted by the piles of old Martha Stewart magazines I pulled out of my office bookcase, especially the holiday issues. (Does this ever happen to you?) Anyway here are a couple of simple holiday decor and table setting ideas that struck my fancy...(no scanner so I had to find them on line....more time wasted). But everything can be found here so at least I have made it easy for you!

Pretty straight forward, right?!  I just checked my spice cabinet and I have a bottle of whole cloves, so for sure the pomanders will get made, but only after I get my office put back together and buy a tree and get the decorations out of the basement.  Oh and then there is the other stuff, like client projects and day to day commitments..... No way I am going to get stressed by all of this which is why simple is best!  Many thanks to Pam  at Simple Details for getting my thoughts going in the right direction!!!!

BTW Centsational Girl is having a table settings link party and contest today so I am linking my book group table which I shared last week.

Does your room need a “prescription” for a change of decor, function or design? 

If so please contact me, I would love to help your room feel better with a Design Concept Board or a complete Room Rx.

Color of the Moment: shades of white

Who says that because white is the absence of color, that it is boring? One look at these photos and the subtle gradations can be detected, snowy whites to milky creams and soft, stormy grays.

Alice's Looking Glass via etsy

Sunday in Bed via Pinterest

Christine Bauer

Winter always seems the perfect time to decorate with white, bright, textural, cozy and interesting. Perfect for a bedroom in your "lodge!" Time to hunker down and snuggle up....

clockwise from the top: clock, lamp, headboard, throw, chest, hide rug, flannel pillow, poof, chair, urn, stool, rosette pillow, blanket roll, orb, quilt

Does your room need a “prescription” for a change of decor, function or design? 
If so please contact me, I would love to help your room feel better with a Design Concept Board or a complete Room Rx.

Room Rx: Timeless Kitchen peek

Today I am excited to share a few photos of the finished dining room of my "Timeless Kitchen" project.  There are still a few details getting wrapped up in the kitchen so it may be a week or two before we are photo ready there.

To refresh your memory, here is where we began.... with a small, enclosed dining room.

One of the goals of this project was to open things up between the kitchen, dining room and living room. You can see we accomplished that, the space is now wide open and light filled...

Let me introduce, (drum roll please).... a light, bright, shiny new dining room.....

The banquette, complete with lift tops and lots of storage.

 

The kitchen cabinets are a dark stained clear Alder with a white painted island. In order to differentiate the dining area from the rest of the kitchen we chose to play up the creamy white cabinetry.  To add to that, my client painted all of her dining chairs the same creamy white.

The re-vamped cornice boards (read more about them here) work beautifully to tie the space together by pulling in the browns, creams and sea glass blue.

I love my client's idea and selection of the three pendants over the table.  The look is casual and fun and suits not only the space, but their style.

A crowd was entertained here for Thanksgiving this past week. The space feels spacious, bright and welcoming and I'm told that it met with rave reviews from the guests. I know my clients are pleased and so am I.

This project has been a wonderful collaboration of ideas and expertise and the results truly reflect the initial goals. Read more about the process here and here and stay tuned for the final reveal of the kitchen itself, I can't wait to show you!

Does your room need a “prescription” for a change of decor, function or design? 
If so please contact me, I would love to help your room feel better with a Design Concept Board or a complete Room Rx.

Thankful

I want to wish each and every one of you a wonderful, family, friends and laughter filled Thanksgiving. Among my many blessings I feel fortunate that each of you stops by to visit Room Rx. Through your comments and emails, I feel I have made some lovely new friends and for that I am thankful.

 

Mary Kate McDevitt

 

Today I have a recipe for you....yesterday I shared my book group table setting for our monthly meeting, which I hosted.  We are a small group and our book selections and gatherings are pretty loose, but no matter what, a simple meal and some great conversation are part of every meeting. Comfort food is always on the menu and my dish of choice was a Chicken Pot Pie,  a recipe a friend shared long ago, which is now a family favorite. I thought you all would enjoy this recipe, because not only is this great with chicken,  it is a wonderful way to use your left over Thanksgiving turkey.

 

 photo via My Recipes

CHICKEN POT PIE

(Serves 4)

· 1 Small Onion, minced

· 1 Stalk Celery, minced (I substitute red pepper)

· 2 Zucchini, minced

· 1-2 Carrots, minced

· 2 TBSP Parsley

· 1 1/4 TSP Sage

· 1 TBSP Tarragon, scant

· 6 TBSP Margarine

· 1/4 Cup & 2 TBSP Flour

· 1 3/4 Cups Chicken Stock

· 3/4 Cup Heavy Cream ( I use 1/2 & 1/2 or a combo of cream and skim milk)

· 3/4 TSP Lemon Juice

· 2 Cups Cooked Chicken or Turkey

· Fresh ground Pepper to taste

  Prepared Pie Crust (make your own or use a store bought crust)

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter over medium heat. Sauté vegetables for 5 minutes. Add herbs, sauté additional 5 minutes. Stir in flour and cook until it bubbles. Gradually add chicken stock, stirring. Add cream, bring to boil, stirring; lower heat, simmer 1 minute. Season, add chicken and lemon juice. (Can be made 1 day ahead.) Put mixture in pie shell, cover with top shell and bake in pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 35 more minutes. Let cool and serve.

Enjoy!  Let me know if you try it....  Happy Thanksgiving friends!

Does your room need a “prescription” for a change of decor, function or design? 

If so please contact me, I would love to help your room feel better with a Design Concept Board or a complete Room Rx.

A Table set for Book Group

Last week I hosted my book group meeting and decided to set a simple Fall table for my "Lovely Lunas" (as we call ourselves). I used what I had, including my collection of vintage sterling and pewter napkin rings, casual dinnerware and ruby colored cloth napkins.  A cute white Halloween pumpkin as well as leaves, acorns and feathers I gathered added to the look.  I made the burlap runners for my Thanksgiving table last year  and found a scrap of fabric in my stash to bring in the bit of red my table needed. I think it turned out nicely and the "Lunas" appreciated it. With a few tweaks, this table setting will be the foundation of my Thanksgiving table tomorrow.

We had a delightful evening and while our conversation veered from what we had read, it was thought provoking and interesting as always. We usually meet on meet on Thursday nights at a member's home and dinner is typically served.  Our December meeting is always a themed pot luck with a sock exchange! Each year I look forward to not only purchasing a unique, warm pair of socks and other goodies, but to receiving the same, (though the trading can get a little crazy)!

Do you belong to a book group?  What is the format for your meetings? Do you share a meal or just snacks and conversation?

Does your room need a “prescription” for a change of decor, function or design? 

If so please contact me, I would love to help your room feel better with a Design Concept Board or a complete Room Rx.

Color of the Moment: indian corn

The colors of Thanksgiving, symbolic of Fall's harvest, a rainbow of brassy golds to smokey, almost black purples, this is indian corn.

Beach Bum Chix on Etsy

Everything I dreamed on tumblr

Zinc Door is a new on-line home shopping destination, the modern sibling to Layla Grace, have you discovered it?  Today my indian corn design board is filled with colorful goodies found there, links provided!

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Does your room need a “prescription” for a change of decor, function or design? 

If so please contact me, I would love to help your room feel better with a Design Concept Board or a complete Room Rx.

Room Share: A Cozy Sunroom

Today I am sharing the delightful sunroom in the home of some local clients who I worked with on this Room Rx project and this one.  This room was the staging area when the family first moved in to the home. Beautiful bones, with solarium windows on two walls and a tall ceiling, make it bright and airy, ripe to become a cozy sitting area.

 

Other than a few suggestions, I can not take credit for how this room turned out.  My clients pulled things together themselves using several pieces they already owned as well as a few well thought out purchases, the first being the four club chairs and the round coffee table.  Initially, an already owned rug was pulled into duty, but it was not quite right due to size and color.

With the right rug under foot and some standout accessories and artwork, this sunroom is not only cozy, but comfortable. The color story plays well off of the nearby dining room and living room, bringing in the soft blues, brick red and neutrals.

The subway art makes a huge impact on the paneled wall with a low ceiling, placed on either side of the beautifully crafted book case.

Using four chairs circled around a round coffee table is a fresh way to outfit a room like this.  Perfect for grabbing a "cup of joe" and reading the Sunday paper or for sharing a glass of wine after a long day.

Didn't they do a fantastic job creating this welcoming room?  I am always delighted when after working with my clients, they feel confident enough to forge ahead on their own in pulling a room together. I just love how this one turned out.

Do you have a lot on your plate this week with Thanksgiving only three days away?  I have a list a mile long, so I am off to get a few things accomplished today, including the very un-glamorous visit to the grocery store for my turkey dinner fixin's.

Does your room need a “prescription” for a change of decor, function or design? 

If so please contact me, I would love to help your room feel better with a Design Concept Board or a complete Room Rx.

Fresh Fabrics Friday: Global Modern Luxe by Dwell Studio for Robert Allen

Happy Friday one and all, time for another installment of Fresh Fabrics!  Since I received notice of Robert Allen's introduction of the new Dwell Studio Line I have been meaning to take a look.
Global Modern Luxe does not disappoint and I predict these fabrics will become as wildly popular as those from the Eclectic Modern collection. This collection incorporates interesting color, fresh takes on classic patterns such as Ikat and Suzani as well as statement graphics and lovely textures.  The designs have a modern, hip feel but many would be equally at home in an updated traditional setting.

Mallory chair in Casablanca Geo

Sofa in Batavia Ikat - Citrine

Here are few fabrics that I think are the stars from this collection, each available in more than one colorway...

Freja - Amethyst

Veracruz - Citrine

Medallion Band - Toffee

Aravali - Blush

Ogee - Aquamarine

Ikat Blocks - Amethyst

Asha - Khol

 

What do you think?  Aren't they stunning? So many unique and original patterns with so many applications....The fabrics are quite affordable too, considering they are original, branded designs. They can be purchased through designers from Robert Allen or from the Dwell Studio website. For more about Christiane Lemieux and Dwell Studio, there is a great interview and article on the blog Design Gush.   Did you know the Christiane Lemieux and Dwell Studio have a blog, The Studio Blog?   

So much to read and check out, good thing it is Friday!  Enjoy your week-end, as always thanks for stopping by and I'll see you back here on Monday!

Does your room need a “prescription” for a change of decor, function or design? If so please contact me, I would love to help your room feel better with a Room Rx