Christmas Decorations: Country

Here's a little Christmas spirit, country style.  I've combined some great picks for the rustic country look in Christmas decorations.

What I'm Loving now...

This month I'm loving large tables in the Kitchen.  A large table in the kitchen can work as a place for family members to visit in the kitchen while you're cooking, perfect for doubling as a prep space and a place for sit down meals. 

This one provides extra prep space in a galley kitchen and seating for 8.

A beautiful farmhouse table doubles the workspace in this kitchen.

A smaller table next to the island is great for quick breakfasts.

Bench seating on one side and none on the other keep the kitchen from looking too cluttered.

No seating on one side defines this table as a prep island too.

This one provides great contrast against the white kitchen.

Hope you enjoy the inspiration. These images make leaving space for a table in the kitchen wonderfully appealing!

xoxo Erin

Living Room Design Board

Here's an sample board for my living room furniture.  I'm hoping to get the sofa in taupe, not the color shown so I won't have all beige furniture.  I love mixing colorful pieces in with the accent chair, and my current drapes which are a green/yellow damask floral.  The floor cloth I plan on making myself by painting a dropcloth. Hopefully it will be a bit easier to keep free of dog hair too!  I'll be sure to post the tutorial once I finish it.

 

Happy July 4th Everyone!!
Here is some inspiration for your bbq's and outdoor parties.

Enjoy!

My Living Room layouts

I have a very long somewhat narrow living room.  It makes it an odd space to decorate.  If you place the seating area in the center of the room you then end up with an awkward amount of space on each side that is not enough to do anything with, so I am brainstorming ideas for new layouts for my hallway-like living room.  I've edited my ideas down to 3 options, two of which create a desk/office area in the extra space, and the other uses it as dining space. 

This first one is a simple free-standing desk with a bookcase separating the two areas. There's a lounge chair for reading or guests in this area too.  All of the options have a seating area in a U-shape that faces the TV.  The second option creates an open living/dining area that would be great for entertaining.  The third option is almost a mirror of the first but with built in bookcases and a bench seat below the window.  Which do you like best? 

My mini helpers...or destructors?

I'd like to introduce you to my little helpers.  My girls Ruger (Black Lab) and Riley (Yellow Lab). They seem to be much more helpful with demolition than construction so far, but no matter what they do, I just can't stay mad at them, they're just too sweet. 



The Pups with their new toy on Christmas

They've chewed through many rope toys, 3 collars, 1 leash, a custom made curtain panel (welp), a button down shirt, a tapestry, a really cute bomber jacket, the plastic handles of their kennel, quite a few socks, and several rolls of toilet paper.  All in all they're pretty good dogs though. While my blog is mainly about interior design, I'm sure they'll pop up from time to time.  Just recently I had two sick pups within 24 hours of each other which meant a lot of cleaning up on my part, and then tonight a gashed paw which meant a trail of blood following my blondie.  After we got her all wrapped up...

She was a really good sport about it surprisingly, and the gauze is holding up so far.  Well it got me thinking about the durability of furniture.  I'm sure those of you with pets or kids have learned a lot about what will and will not work in your home.  I'm planning on a new couch for the living room and I am definitely leaning towards a slipcover or something dark.  I do love bright white couches though so we'll have to see if slipcovers win that tug of war.  I have removed the carpet in most of my home (I was lucky that i knew there were original hardwoods underneath), and am looking at area rugs too.  The fur from a dark and a light colored dog mix to a mucky gray color that shows up on everything, dark or light!!  My next project is a painted floor canvas in place of a traditional area rug (There will be a post on that in the near future).  It will be much easier to clean, and in the worst case scenario, a lot cheaper to replace if necessary.  

So along with slipcovers, dark furniture, and rug alternatives, here are a few of my other suggestions:

- Keep breakables above knee/thigh high. We have had many glasses knocked off of the coffee table by happy tails.

- Provide a designated spot for pets to lay, if you just can't resist letting them on the furniture just be prepared to vaccuum often, very often.

- Provide lots and lots of safe toys to keep them occupied, Every instance in which one of the above mentioned items was destroyed was when the dogs were bored in their kennel. I emphasize safe toys because i worry about leaving them with bones that splinter easily and can be a choking hazard or toys that they can easily get tangled in if left alone with it.

- Use Semi-gloss or satin paint.  The flatter the paint finish, the harder it is to wipe clean.  The glossier finishes are great for wiping clean when muddy dogs run through a room. 

- Keep nails trimmed short.  It helps prevent scratches on hardwood floors

- Most of all...Relax!  You can't control everything.  Messes happen, things break, items get damaged and have to be replaced, it's just a part of being a homeowner, pet owner, or parent.  But its always worth the sacrifice.

Hope these suggestions can be helpful to your future room planning.  I would love to hear any other suggestions you  parents and pet owners may have out there.  I'm sure there are many more situations I haven't yet encountered. 

My House Sneak Peek

Hello all of you out there in blogger world.  If you have come across this page you are viewing my first post as a blogger.  I am an interior designer using this blog to post my ideas, projects, and hopefully inspire others with their own projects.

Now a little about myself... I graduated from Syracuse University with a BFA in Interior Design.  I live in a pretty small rural town (I am far from many stores so many of my posts will show items you can purchase online and are accessible for all.) I am a new homeowner working on making my first house my home.  As a somewhat new homeowner my own house is coming together somewhat slowly. It's my starter home, and I think a pretty good one to start with.  I do little projects here and there when i have the time between my other projects and work.  I am looking forward to showing it once it is complete but for now i have a few little sneak peek vignettes for you to look at!  Its a small cape cod in the village so its walking distance to the downtown shops and restaurants.  I am playing a lot with color and patterns, since thats what i love. 

Anthropologie Hooks... they can hold a big, huge purse

Green Damask curtains, bamboo blinds

Mini photo gallery

Picked this lampshade at the local Lowes

I've been using this dress form as an inspiration board, all you need are some clothespins.

Yes you're seeing that right, my room is pink! It's a pink with gray and lavender undertones.  It's pretty versatile.  I figure it may be the only house i don't ever have to compromise with anyone on the decisions, so I had to choose pink for one room.  I plan on using black and white accents as you can see from the hooks from Anthropologie, and i love the turquoise blue accents with it. The living room is a light blue called Blue Silver and i have light green damask printed curtains and bamboo blinds.  I plan on bringing in some gray, turquoise, and maybe some more pink in accent pillows.

Check back for a post of my design ideas for the various rooms and wishlist items that i hope to be able to purchase for it.  I'll also be posting various other projects I am working on and hope to be able to inspire you with your own projects.  Hope you enjoy and take the time to visit again.