Inspiring Workplace

Even Spike has outgrown his crib.
MY STUDIO: I should be embarrassed to show you this! is that an elliptical ?
How dated is this furniture?An organized desk an organized mind ?
If I get one more fabric book #*!#*!

Not a bad view.
MY INSPIRATION- LOOK, white washed wood.
This house by designers Harriet Maxwell MacDonald and Andrew Corrie in House Beautiful
I want my wood " soft and romantic "

I, am in a funk !!! Yesterday I started feeling sorry for myself. Maybe I do too much; interior design, murals, commission paintings and now a blog. But I like being busy, accomplishing things energizes me. So what's wrong? All I had to do is look up at my dated surroundings. In the insanity of completing show houses, participating in art shows and completing the homes of all my wonderful customers I have neglected my own home and workplace. Next to my house I have a great studio. It has a view of the river a small kitchen and bath. It is a wonderful place to work but I feel like I'm in a western saloon. The furniture is left over from a rental we owned. The floor ( it was a good idea 9 years ago ) is brown and cream check. The walls ruff cut pine boards. " Yee Haw " I need to practice what I preach. The energy of the universe answered me. I picked up the new issue of House Beautiful magazine and found my answer. " The New Look of Wood natural, light, relaxed. White Washed is a beautiful word and I do faux finishes. I will use a soft color and wash the pine walls ( don't tell Bill ) the floor will be enameled in a charcoal gray. I am heading to the furniture market in High Point N.C. next month, so I'm thinking Linen slip covered sofa and chairs from Lee Industries . O. K. the funk is gone and I am pumped.
Bill and I have had the good fortune to live our dream and run a business in this magical ,beautiful location on the Tuckahoe River for 9 years now. It's time I live up to the spirit and mood of this home. Promise to keep you posted.

Simple Abundance

Back to 1995 and a book I purchased , Simple Abundance, a Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach. Sarah had written 366 essays - one for every day of the year. Written to help women live an authentic life. A life full of gratitude, peace, happiness, and confidence in one's self. A life where you make your dreams come true.
I was ready to think of me and discover my purpose in life. I began an inner journey that lead me to where I am today. This book still resides on my nightstand. It is picked up on occasion to redirect myself back on the path of believing in myself. Simplicity by Sarah Ban Breathnach

Spring is Here

When the weather breaks I need flowers. It's almost an obsessions. I stalk the local garden centers seeing who gets in there herbs and Pansy's first. Come July I hate every plant in my yard, but now I want to dig in the dirt. There are vegetable gardens to plan, window boxes to fill, and my English flower garden to weed. Roses that I meticulously prune and fertilize ( never to do again till next year ) This time will be different I promise I will water every day, weed and take care of till September do we part.

This is a Spring selection for any planter
Sage
Winter Savory
Ivy
Thyme (you can clip it fot cooking)
Honeysuckle
Young pine plants

Whats on Your wall ?

I love the mirror niche with a painting hung.
This room has it all . Color, texture, a mix of style and they layered the art .
Just write on the wall.


These would make a statement.

The frame is just hanging over the map, WOW !
What are these ? But I love the look.
Ceiling rosettes ?
Hang your kid's art.



Baskets

What is on the wall is probably one of the biggest mistakes people make. To small, hung to high, framed poorly, to crowded etc. etc. etc. Also get rid of the notion it has to be original art. Mirrors, baskets, collections all can be fun on your walls. Think out of the box. I love oversize paintings or posters, just make sure you give them room to breath. If you are creating a grouping have the bottom row level . It's easier on the eye. All art does not not have to be hung at eye level. That pretty little landscape hung to the side of your chest is a nice surprise. Do what is pleasing to you. Please don't ask someone if this art is good. If you love it and feel it, it's right for you.

Questions?

Any questions out there? Color, design, painting. Email and I'll answer.

Matching Night Tables ?

Great idea for a small guest room.
The look is elegant and quiet; but I think the artist forgot to come.
I love the geometry of this room.
You could create this headboard with fabric.
I wish they had Scandinavian style hand painting over the bed.
This room is perfect if she is a little bohemian, married to a suit.
Glamorous and feminine

For years I could be heard saying " Don't match your end tables it looks like a furniture store" . Now I'm loving the symmetry and balance it brings to a room. Could it be my life is a little out of kilter now ? Or is it my subconscious picking up signs from the home decorating industry.

Inspirational Women from the Past

It was 1977, I was newly married and determined to do it all, career, wife, homemaker. I received my November issue of Country Living magazine and there she was Martha Stewart . (O. K. stop screaming now ) She was posing confidently in her drop dead kitchen. My sister and I drooled over it for years. She had it all successful career, beautiful home but better yet she did it herself. The first D.I.Y.
I was in a small apartment but her carrot soup was on my menu, and her first book Entertaining was on my shelf. Orchids were not in my bath tub but I did start dreaming of my first home and the decorating to come.
The house came , I planted a herb garden like Martha, entertained like Martha, took on daunting task like Martha. People were impressed but more important I was growing . I was gaining confidence to pull off a dinner party with vegetables from my garden. I wasn't afraid to try marbleizing the trim in my foyer or painting a mural in the dining room. I was teaching myself.
My business started in 1988 Interior Design and Decorative Painting, with party planning in the early years. It grew with my children to a gratifying and successful enterprise . We have completed many homes in the Washington D. C. area, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Bermuda and more. I still turn to Martha's Monthly magazine for ideas and plan party's around her recipes. In the creative world one idea leads to another.
We continue to grow and change. Always looking for new ideas and inspiration to better serve our customers, Just as Martha's kitchen has.