get it while it's hot

gettin shelly with it

i'm loving all things shell chic these days, and with the holiday coming up next week, what a great DIY for the beach...  get your glue gun ready, and take to the shore in search of some material!  look at all the things you could encrust!






marian mcevoy's home// ashley whitaker dining room // dunno // dunno // betsy burnham vignette // dunno

here are some tips on DIYing a mirror over at hgtv.com


how about prettying up some pots?


or a pair of bookends?


or get real shelly on it, and try your hand at copying one of these fancy busts from christa's south seashells


if a glue gun isn't your speed, check out these shell ready pieces

if...

you need some tips on coordinating upholstery fabrics, pillows and a chihuahua, here are some gentle suggestions

flings

beach memories

i love this project i discovered while browsing completely coastal - the artist is macrina busato, and every summer holiday she collects 'specimens' with her family and brings them home to frame as memories. i just love the tiny details.
 
brian meares and i are both shell hoarders, so bless us all if our kids turn out one day to be the same. we'll have to find some more shelter. (zing!)

what's rowdy on?

oh, he's just on this. it's a leopard print kind of day.

snapshots from the week

a new project

this morning we dropped a few things of at a client's lovely townhouse, and i snapped a few pics to show you how the project shaped up.  granted these are just quick shots, no styling, bad lighting, iphone pics but i'm proud of what we accomplished working together.  we're not all the way there, but we're getting close!

the clients moved from nyc to nc, and rented a townhouse for the year.  they had a baby on the way and were eager to make the new digs feel like a home.  we didn't want to break the bank since they were renting, but we did have the whole place to furnish, so we worked around a couple of things that they brought down with them and selected new pieces - a mix of catalog finds, craigslist scores, furbish items and local finds.  we were lucky they had a ton of great art to fill the walls, and most importantly, they were a dream to work with - trusting, excited, sweet as they could be, and always bright and bubbly, plus she gave birth to a sweet little girl during the process!

we did a gray and white stripe in the entry way, with a fun upholstered chair, and a chest from bungalow 5.  (ignore the wood table and lamp - on the way out!)

before:


after:






we found the amazing lamps on etsy, and built around the schumacher fabric, using stools in the same print, and coordinating with lots of fun furbish pillows. the chairs are vintage with new upholstery, the asian console is ballard, mirror from horchow, and artwork is keila's

before:
after:

we found a great duncan phyfe table on craigslist, and paired it with overstock chairs, vintage wingbacks reupholstered in a silk ikat, a new red lacquer sideboard, and a wool rug from furbish. drapes are pottery barn ivory silk

before:


after:
  eloise's nursery is such a happy place - i didn't have a lot of light in these photos but it's a bright, fun spot for the cutest little girl. custom zig zag curtains from furbish, custom crib bedding, rug from home decorators, mobile from etsy, floor lamp west elm

before:

after:
 
the master bedroom has major wow-factor with the custom huge ikat headboard. mirrored desks are west elm, lamps and pillows from furbish, vintage wingchairs newly upholstered from furb, and throw from anthropologie.

before:

after:

  in the kitchen and adjoining sunroom, we painted the ceiling a bright turquoise, and used that same color on a vintage set of chairs we reupholstered with leopard print. the black and white rug under the tulip table is flor tiles, the floral rug is anthropologie, sofa was one the clients had that we zhushed up with some furbish pillows. desk is ikea and lamp is furbish

 
in the guest room, we started with a new christopher farr fabric headboard, and flanked it with bungalow 5 nightstands and furbish lamps.  the rug is west elm, and the dresser is a plain piece the client had we doctored up by adding overlays and painting.  the happy suzani chair in the corner ties it all together.