THE PERFECT SPRING TABLE

Staying in has been rough, but it’s the right thing to do for our country and our world at this time. It means I’ve been cooking a lot more. Cooking is usually fun for me, but when it’s all you do day in and day out, it begins to lose its luster. So I’m finding that I need to be a bit more creative and make dining at home seem special. One way to do that is by making meals you normally don’t have the time to make…if you have the ingredients. Another way is to make a more festive table. And the bonus to doing all of this? When we no longer have to social distance and we can gather with family and friends again, we’ll have sharpened our cooking skills AND we’ll have a beautiful table setting to welcome and delight our guests.

There are a few great places to find affordable home goods to create the perfect table setting. I recently took a virtual trip to World Market and scored big time. My first rule of dinner plates is white. The second rule is large. Because I want the food to be the showstopper, and I want my guests to have room to pile it on. These dinner plates are perfect because they meet the criteria AND they’re affordable. For Spring and Summer, I love a natural fiber placemat. A round, charger-like style breaks up the angles of my rectangular table, but any shape placemat would be wonderful with this texture. That said, I do like a contrast with the wood tone of the table, so don’t make it too matchy matchy. I’m absolutely smitten with this corn husk design. For linens, I like to keep them light and simple, and they should work with the permanent decor in the room. This blue and white floral napkin is perfect in my dining room and the pattern is great for hiding food stains if you have messy guests (or messy children of your own!)

Another favorite for home goods? Target, of course! The glassware and flatware are both Target finds. I love the gold tone because it’s fresh and can take on a more formal look if desired, yet it’s perfectly casual next to our corn husk placemats, as well. The glassware is from our favorite friend Joanna Gaines and is part of their Hearth & Hand line for Target.

When it comes to flowers, I like to keep it simple and low. Low? I don’t want flowers blocking the view of my friends and family. So these gold bud vases from Paloma & Co. are absolutely perfect. Place your favorite seasonal bud in them and line the center of the table. It keeps flower costs low and doesn’t interfere with conversation. I used mini daffodils that are growing everywhere in The Hamptons right now. And I think it’s always a nice touch to give each guest a flower of their own to make their place setting more special. The daffodils matched the in-season forsythia that I have all over our home.

And finally, serving bowls are fun to mix and match. I love a variety of smaller bowls for holding condiments versus putting the ketchup and mayo jars on the table. This set from Amazon is perfect for serving food, placing at a bedside table to hold jewelry, or placing on a coffee table to hold candy. Don’t you just love versatility? The white serving bowl is a Home Goods find from a few years ago (I paid $5.99 each—WOW!), but I found a similar style here. It reminds me of the Nambé Butterfly style, which comes with a much higher price tag. I love a bargain, too!

This is a challenging time for all of us. But I am trying to make the best of it and enjoy time with my kids. They’re always wanting to go somewhere. It’s a bit of a blessing that they can’t, as it forces all of us to spend more time with each other doing the simple things in life. A beautiful table can make our dining at home more special, and in a way, we are “setting the table” for future company. Because it will happen. And I’m looking forward to it. Hang in there with me!

SHOP THE TABLETOP

MAKEOVER MONDAY: BOY'S BEACH BEDROOM

The room in our home with the most issues when we purchased it was Kai’s room. There were cracks in the plaster coming through two layers of wallpaper! It had a really dirty, beaten up, and painted white hardwood floor. The paint was chipping from the windows. I know there are other things that my memory has blocked in order to preserve my sanity. I’m calling it Kai’s room, but truth be told, Kai never sleeps in it. He likes to sleep between us! If you walk straight once at the top of the stairs, you walk into this room, and he’s worried that if someone enters the home, he’ll be the first person they see. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I had that same fear in our family home when I was 7.

The “before”—I promise it looked much worse in person

When we hired an interior designer to transform several rooms in our home, this one was not in the budget. So over time, it was up to yours truly. I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out, especially considering the starting point. Like all of the bedrooms, there was a hideous and dirty through-the-wall air conditioning unit. It was removed and central a/c was installed throughout the second floor. There was a ceiling fan in the front of the room near the windows, so we moved the ceiling light to the center of the room. Because we weren’t certain if we would reconfigure the second floor at some point, we didn’t want to spend the money installing hardwood floors. So we installed wall-to-wall sisal and layered an extremely soft indoor/outdoor rug over it to add comfort and dimension. I knew I wanted the room to have blue in it to continue the theme throughout the home, and I wanted a rug that was easy to clean, so this one was sort of a no-brainer.

I worked with Serena & Lily to choose bedding. As I’ve mentioned before, I like to begin a room with fabrics or a piece of art. In this case, it was the “fabric.” The exact bedding I chose is unfortunately no longer available, but I’m providing a few similar options. We have two sets of sheets for the beds. One has blue crabs all over it, and I chose this to remind myself that I’m a Maryland girl at heart and can pick crabs like nobody’s business! We chose a second set of sheets for when more mature guests are staying in the room so it is not so boyish. The throw pillows are also indoor/outdoor pillows and washable (because my kids are 4 and 7) and no longer available, but I’m listing a few alternate options that would still give you the same feel of this room.

When it came to art, I didn’t want to spend a ton of money because my boys have been known to launch Hot Wheels cars at one another, making breakage of things quite likely, at least for the near future. In a few years, I’m sure they’ll be wrestling and knocking into the walls themselves. One Kings Lane can’t be beat for affordable and attractive art. I actually saw the Surf/Swim print in their Southampton store, and when I applied my 20% off coupon, it was the best deal in town. Framed and ready to hang. The prints over the bed are from Pencil & Paper and also framed and ready to hang from One Kings Lane. Don’t worry if you don’t love my choice of colors, as they have several others and even sell sets of six to create an “I don’t have to think about it” gallery wall. The print between the windows is a limited edition from one of my favorite portrait artists, Sally King Benedict. My little guys love the water, so I just couldn’t resist. I framed it myself in a matted frame from Michael’s.

For the furniture, simple navy blue headboards were an easy and practical option. I’m providing the link to two options—a headboard and a bed—in the shopping section below. For furniture, you know I never match pieces, and in every room I really wanted to have a coastal/beachy element. This bedside table gave me that in this room. I love the shelves and the hidden drawer. And the lamp seemed to be a perfect fit when I saw it staged in a boy’s room at One Kings Lane. My son, Kai, actually chose the campaign dresser, and I said “yes” because it’s a classic choice for a child’s room yet can also grow with them into teenage years. The lamp on the dresser is a classic and could be moved to almost any room in our home, and it’s always nice to invest in classics. It’s presently on sale at the time of this post. This overhead light is from RH Teen, and I’ve listed a very similar option that has a slightly smaller profile.

The things that finish a room can’t be forgotten, so I couldn’t resist this colorful book that is a piece of art itself. The 80 puzzles inside are fun for kids and adults alike. I purchased a small easel for $5 from Michael’s to help it stand and display the cover. The green sculpture was found at HomeGoods, and other accessories are linked below.

This was a really fun room to put together, and I love that Kai actually had an interest in certain elements and helped me. My nephews and their friends have probably used this room the most, and I hope the next time they return, they’ll be happy with the progress that we’ve made. To shop items in this room, simply scroll through and click on the images below. And many of them are also available in the LIKEtoKNOW.it app.

SHOP THE ROOM

GUEST ROOM BEFORE & AFTER

Renovating this old house has been a love hate relationship. There are always surprises. Construction and renovation ALWAYS costs more than you’ve budgeted. Then by the time you get to the fun part—the decorating that you love—you’ve lost a fair amount of steam and A LOT of money. So then the room that you’ve dreamed about starts to cause anxiety because your champagne taste is now on a beer budget. And that’s when the work starts. But then you realize that this work can be fun. Because it’s now a challenge—to still make it the room of your dreams without completely bankrupting yourself. So where do you begin?

The guest bedroom before the renovation

Before you can begin, you MUST see beyond the clutter and everything that’s wrong with your starting point. Just look at the bones. The photo above is our “before” photo. The room as it was when we purchased the home was horrible. If you can believe me, it actually looked far worse in person. And besides the decor, a lot of work was necessary. The second floor of the house had hideous, old, and loud through-the-wall air conditioning units. The ceiling fan light was not centered in the room but instead was close to the windows and the a/c unit. There were two layers of wallpaper, and underneath the wallpaper were cracks in the plaster. The carpet was full of dirt, dust, and goodness knows what else. As for the furniture layout, any light that tried to come in was blocked by heavy drapes and a valance and the headboards of the two twin beds.

So as quickly as you can, put the past behind you and create a fresh start with inspiration. Find photos of rooms you like. Ask yourself what made you fall in love with that inspiration. Study it. Is it the palette that speaks to you? The varying textures? Is there a piece of art that you think makes and anchors the space? Then ask yourself which of those things could actually work in your room, and when you’re answering that question, you need to consider both scale and budget. 

Photo via Studio McGee

Photo via Studio McGee

I am obsessed with these two rooms from Studio McGee, one of my favorite design teams. I loved the neutral headboards with clean lines on white walls, and our walls are white throughout the home. I also wanted blue in the pillows, as every room in our home has some amount of blue in it. I think it’s important for a home to feel cohesive and connected. Nothing is more unsettling and jarring to me than drastically different colors in every room. In the first inspiration room pictured above, I love the use of mixed metals. The chandelier is aged iron, while you see gold/brass in the bedside tables. Mixing metals is one of my favorite things to do in a room, as I can’t take anything too matchy-matchy. Matching seems very contrived, so you’ll never see me purchase a complete set of bedroom furniture. I really liked the mix of natural wood and white in the nightstands featured in the second photo, but that mix doesn’t have to be on one piece of furniture. I opted to mix it by choosing different finishes for the dresser and bedside tables. I also love layers of bedding because nothing is more inviting to your guests than a cozy bed. I especially love the use of a quilt at the end of both inspiration beds. Lighting should never be an afterthought—it can make a room, so I was drawn to the use of substantial bedside table lamps in both of these rooms. And finally, artwork. I love the use of a long piece over the bed so the bed becomes more of an anchor for the entire space.

The design board. I always put everything together before ordering to see how it will look.

So where did I end up? I can tell you without a doubt that it looks A LOT better than where we started. (And I’m still not completely finished.) As a rule, I always begin designing a room with either fabric or a piece of artwork, and then the rest develops from there. In this room, I began with the pillows because I knew I wanted blue in the room so it would jive with the rest of the house. And my favorite source for beautiful, well-made, and affordable pillows is Danielle Oakey Shop. For our guest room, I purchased two 22” Zoe Pillow Covers and one 14x20 Floral Block Blue Pillow Cover. Not only do I obsess over her products, but I love that she is a hard-working, mom of two, female entrepreneur. She’s also very sweet and genuine to boot, so how many more reasons to you need to shop her site?

The beautiful artwork over the bed is a print on canvas from one of my favorite artists, Emily Jeffords. I think this is the seventh piece I’ve purchased from her. I own original works, but her prints are amazing quality, and you have to look very closely to tell one isn’t an original. I ordered “Harvesting” in a 15x30 size and had it matted and framed in the Olympia frame from Framebridge. If you’ve never ordered from Framebridge, you must. Shipping to and from their facility is free. They even send you packaging to ship your piece if you don’t have it. You can choose your own frame or one of their designers can select it for you. Thanks to this company, gone are the days of framing that is more expensive than your artwork. And finally, before we leave the subject of art, the small piece leaning on the dresser is by Jenny Prinn. Her work is always cheerful and would make any guest feel welcome.

As you can see, I actually used a lot of the inspiration from the Studio McGee rooms. I mixed metals in the ceiling light and bedside table lamps. The dresser and bedside tables are different finishes, and the dresser gave me that natural/raw wood I knew I wanted in the room. The bedding is layered with a quilt at the end. The pillows have the blue, and I installed a large piece of artwork over the bed.

Many of the items featured in this room (other than the artwork and pillows hyperlinked above), including the furniture, can be shopped below by clicking on the product images in “SHOP THE POST.” For bedding, I always love Serena & Lily, and that’s what I used for this room. But Restoration Hardware is also a safe bet and what we have in our master bedroom. The shades are from the Shade Store (Hamptons-2), and I highly recommend their product and service. They come to your home to measure and install, and we had the most wonderful experience with our installer. Accessorizing is key, and I love stores like Target, West Elm, and Pottery Barn for vases, bowls, and sculptural objects. And one of the best accessories ever? Coffee table books! They add color, height where needed, and provide hours of interest and eye candy for you and your guests. I purchase most of my books from Amazon.`The bedside table lamps can be found at Target and Wal-mart.

I hope you love the before and after of this room as much as I do. Thank you for reading, and keep going to see a bit more and to shop several of the pieces featured.

SHOP THE POST

ENTRY FOYER BEAUTY

As many of you know or may have gathered by now, we purchased a very old home a few years ago. The original part was built in 1896. And it’s been a work in progress for us since we closed in April 2016. The construction part—making the home safe and habitable—just about did us in. The house is about two hours from our apartment in New York City, so “managing” the renovation from a distance was not easy. (I’m planning to do a blog post on renovating an old home, but I have to save up lots of energy to write it because reliving it exhausts me!) When it came time to decorate, I was completely out of steam, so for a good portion of the home, we hired a talented interior designer named Paloma Contreras. And we are so in love with the spaces she designed!

But an interior designer doesn’t come for free. And with construction surprises (very expensive ones), we didn’t have the budget to hire Paloma to design the entire home. So that left yours truly. Fortunately for me, I learned a lot from Paloma and from studying the work of many other talented designers. I’ve made my fair share of mistakes, but I’m getting better as I go along, and I’m proud to share some of the work that truly is all mine.

A few weeks ago, I provided a sneak peek of our guest bedroom on Instagram. It’s now pretty much “finished” so I’ll be sharing that very soon. “Finished” is in quotes because I’m never really finished with anything, always adding or changing accessories and artwork, so it’s finished for the rest of the world of normal people. (Insert wink emoji.) Today I’m sharing a view and source/shopping guide for our second floor landing. It’s a small space, consisting of only two walls and a floor area to decorate. The other two sides are the stairway entry/exit and opposite of that are doors to two bedrooms. I’m not sure many homes have a small landing like ours, but I think this would be a perfect vignette for a foyer, including the artwork on a nearby wall.

I won't talk too much about the space because at the end of the day, it’s s small space. But I like the idea of a sideboard like this one because it provides storage. And every home can always use more storage. In a foyer, you want it to hide junk so that junk isn't greeting you and your guests. As part of a second floor landing, the storage is great to hold things that most rooms on that floor may need. It can serve as a common and obvious area to search for those items. I always prefer fresh flowers, and the hydrangeas here are real. But for boxwood topiaries, I think it’s fine to go the artificial route.

And finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that this vignette was inspired by one of my favorite interior designers, Emily Henderson. At some point I saved a few photos of hers, and she used this artwork from Target, as well as some black candlesticks...perhaps not all in the same spot, if my memory serves me correctly. If I find the photo(s), I’ll amend this post to add them. But my point is that you can learn so much and get wonderful design inspiration from talented designers, making your job as an amateur a little easier.

You can see the entire artwork on the opposite wall in the mirror’s reflection. It’s a steal. I didn’t want to have anything too expensive since it’s low and people are walking by it.

You can shop the post here by scrolling through and clicking on the images. I’m really happy about the way it turned out, especially given that we didn’t spend a fortune.

CREATING AN OUTDOOR LIVING ROOM

Lounge furniture, coffee table, and sofa pillows from Pottery Barn. Rug, chair pillows, and candle lanterns from Target. 

Outdoor living. Summertime makes it so inviting, especially if you take the time to design a homey space outside that mirrors that which you've created inside. Whether alone or with guests, we enjoy lounging on the cozy sofa and chairs, with a soft rug under our feet, anytime of day, but especially at night after the kids have gone to bed. It's wonderful to either listen to nature or our favorite tunes by candlelight (citronella candles!)

So what are the key elements of an outdoor space? Surprisingly, they're no different than those of an indoor space. But there are some subtle differences, so you'll want to make note.

The backdrop. Inside your home, your walls are the backdrop. So you choose paint colors and wallpaper carefully. Outside, you may have to choose paint colors, as we did, but you also often have a "free" backdrop from Mother Nature. At our home, we have a lot of green around us, in addition to brown cedar shingles. So we chose a crisp white paint for the millwork. All three parts of our outdoor environment were key considerations when choosing the decor. Because we had green, brown and white, and because we have a coastal home, we chose to keep it clean and simply bring in navy blue.

Flooring. Every space, whether indoor or outdoor, can be anchored by spectacular flooring. We have a traditional wooden deck so we opted for an outdoor rug. Today's outdoor rugs are fabulous! Many are soft, and best of all, they can be spot cleaned or squirted down with a hose if necessary to clean a big mess. Our rug was a steal from Target last year.  $90 for an 8x10! But these days, everyone makes awesome and inexpensive outdoor rugs. In fact, some are so wonderful that we chose an indoor/outdoor rug over sisal in our son's bedroom. But you may want to consider a beautiful and decorative tile or pavers if are able to make the investment and have the appropriate space. Check out this fabulous patio tile from Emily Henderson.

Photo via Emily Henderson's website/blog. Her tiled patio is to die for!

Seating. You can find outdoor lounge furniture to fit just about every budget and style. But I do have a few important suggestions to consider. First, when looking for a sofa (indoor or outdoor), I really like one seating cushion along the entire sofa versus two or three. (This doesn't apply if you have a sectional.) The problem with multiple seating cushions is that the sofa ends up looking lopsided at some point when people sit on one side more than the other.  Second, invest in stain-proof fabric or cushion covers. Sunbrella or Perennials will be your best friend and lifesaver. Because even if you're careful not to spill red wine, you may have nature's critters visiting who like to leave their calling card in the form of footprints or other "treasures." Although it comes at a price, Restoration Hardware makes the most fabulous outdoor lounge furniture. The Provence Collection is my favorite. 

For furniture frames, I like the all-weather wicker that isn't actually wood. When we purchased our Torrey All-Weather Wicker sofa and chairs from Pottery Barn last year (our color no longer available), the salesperson gave us a tip that might be the most useful one I've ever received. Regardless of the weather-resistant claims, anything can start to get a little funky in damp environments. So if you have a pool, throw the furniture frames (NOT the cushions) into the deep end of the pool for a few minutes at the end of the season. Allow them to dry in the sun and then store. The small amount of chlorine in the pool water should kill any mold or mildew that has begun to grow. (This obviously won't work if you have a salt water pool.)

Pillows and Blankets. Yes, you need cozy pillows for anytime and a blanket for those cooler nights. 

A Place to Set Your Drink and Snacks. Coffee tables and end tables are also required outside. Small garden stools make great side tables. And like the cushions, make sure they are easy to clean and can withstand humidity. You should get something labeled "outdoor."

Lighting. If your outdoor space has electricity, you'll want to choose light fixtures. Far too often, lighting is an afterthought when people decorate a space. But for me, it's one of the most important elements of a space. The right lighting, both style and the amount of actual light, can make or break a room, even an outdoor one. If you don't have electricity in your outdoor space, choose beautiful lanterns that hold candles. The candles will provide light and ambiance, and if you choose candles with citronella, they'll also help keep the bugs away.

Flowers (and Accessories). I can't tell you how much of a difference flowers and plants make to any space. Before we had art and accessories to complete the inside of our home, I purchased fresh flowers to fill the void. Your outdoor living area, even if you have lots of trees around, needs color in form of table plants, hanging baskets, and/or nearby landscaping. Be sure to choose plants for the amount of shade and sun your space gets, in addition to plants that nature's furry friends (and I'm not talking about your house pets) won't view as a salad bar. Think about how long they will last...some plants will last for a good portion of the summer. Finally, think about how much maintenance they require and how much you (or someone else) can give them. 

And last but not least, Ventilation. If you're right on the ocean, I think the ocean breeze will do. But if you have a roof over your space, a stylish and functional fan is always a good idea to help keep you cool and to keep the bugs at bay.

A few of my favorite sources for outdoor essentials are: Restoration Hardware, Serena & Lily, Ballard Designs, Pottery Barn, Target (for rugs and tabletop lanterns), Annie Selke (for Dash & Albert rugs). I hope you're enjoying the summer!