The sisal rug is like the little black dress of home decor – versatile as all hell.
It works for any room, really. It brings in a natural element and great texture.
And when placed below another rug, it helps create depth and visual interest.
And I love that IKEA sells them for cheap.
Filed under Living Room
We’ve been in our house for over a year now and there’s still so much work to be done until I feel it really captures our style (okay, mostly mine but The Husband’s totally okay with all my cutesy decor as long as I make sure to include some baseball stuff. And I have, voluntarily.) and feels more updated.
The biggest eyesore is our 1950s kitchen enveloped in knotty pine. It couldn’t be more outdated than if I were taking a horse and carriage to work.
Check out Interior Designer, Erinn Valencich’s Kitchen. (I also discussed Erinn here).
We both live in the same area and her kitchen layout was identical to mine until she made some changes.
Sometimes people have a difficult time envisioning what our kitchen would look like sanding away the knotty pine, but these images should help a ton.
So much brighter and cheerier. If you look closer you can see the before picture up on the top right.
And to find out how Erinn approached this remodel, visit her blog here.
xx,
Irene
Looking to get a friend, a sister, (me), your mom something cute? Maybe a gift for yourself? You came to the right place.
Filed under Gifts
Looking for some stocking stuffers or a hostess gift? MOR products are so pretty and they smell divine.
For the person with a candle obsession.
A candle in a teacup – so cute!
Lip Balm anyone? I never leave home without it. I’ll take the turquoise one, please.
Mmm…. perfume.
Wash your hands constantly and need them moistened? Travel size lotion would fit perfectly in your purse. I have the pink one!
Maybe you just like pretty packaging, these soaps are no exception.
Happy Monday,
Irene
Filed under Gifts
When it comes to Christmas time, I think people fall into one of two categories:
a) Those who finish their Christmas shopping early, giftwrap the heck of their presents, buy and decorate their tree the day after Thanksgiving, and are now just sitting back eating their home-baked cookies waiting for Santa to arrive. Well let me just tell you, Santa does not exist…. so keep on waiting honey.
I’m just bitter because I fall into this category:
b) the category of people who still have pumpkins sitting on their front porch.
Plus, Evan says we can’t buy our tree until mid-December. He’s paranoid it’s going to dry-out and catch on fire. Neurotic? A little.
And, our oldest dog (seen here) is terrified of everything. Not-so-loud noises, boxes, my purse, our kitchen (sure, the knotty pine kinda scares me too, but c’mon) I’m a little worried about his reaction to a six-foot tree entering our house. He’s been known to be in freak mode for days on end.
Then, there’s the three pounds of mischief with teeth of a piranha who thinks she needs to eat everything and thus perpetually has diarrhea.
Meet Nora (yes, we gave her a human name. What? ) aka My Little Shit Machine.
Look! She even wants to eat our oldest dog. I’m worried she’s going to think the Christmas tree will be her next meal.
Happy Thursday,
Irene
Filed under Holidays
Don’t these images just scream Hanukkah? Of course they don’t.
Happy first day of Hanukkah to any Jewish readers I may have. And to my Jew Husband.
xx
Irene
Filed under Holidays
Don’t these images just scream Hanukkah? Of course they don’t.
Happy first day of Hanukkah to any Jewish readers I may have. And to my Jew Husband.
xx
Irene
Filed under Holidays
I’ve been meaning to discuss Interior Designer Annette English for some time now. She was the first Interior Designer I interned for and though this was several years ago, I still like to check back and see what new projects she’s completed. Unlike the excess of snobs I’ve encountered in this industry, Annette was always super sweet and delightful to work for. I was always a nervous wreck coming into the office and her friendly smile made me feel a tad more at ease.
Just last night, The Husband handed me his most recent issue of Esquire. Without a specific page open, my first thought was, “What am I looking at?” Ahhh, it’s the Esquire House issue. I said, “Oh, I think Annette was a part of this one year.” And bam, I turned the page and there was her friendly smile looking back at me once again.
Annette English and Associates designed the master bedroom of the ultimate bachelor pad for the Esquire House 2010, inspired by the fashion house, Salvatore Ferragamo.
Annette traveled all the way to Florence to visit the Ferragamo Museum to grasp the true essence of the brand’s history.
The result is a space full of rich textures, unexpected materials and handmade pieces, each representing the craftsmanship of Ferragamo products. A sense of luxury and quality is also evident in this room, a traditional/modern hybrid.
Not too shabby, huh?
Here’s a look at some of her other projects.
Filed under Interior Designers
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