Home is more than four walls and roof. Home is a door opening to you, your family, your pets, your lifestyle, your neighborhood, your community, your city. It’s all encompassing on so many levels.
The Return of Velvet
The look, the feelt, the velvet! Create drama and luxury with velvet decor…
I have a thing for velvet. I find it to be a fabric of luxe and lush finishing and it’s popular again much to my pleasure. I like how velvet can create drama within a room. For instance, I just bought velvet curtains from Amazon and wowsa, what a difference it made in my otherwise plain living room. I think sometimes people take it for granted because they see it as a heavy fabric, but velvets come in all weights and shapes. I found these luscious finds that you could consider decorating with to bring any room to stun.
The Velvet Couch
You know the one that makes any Oscar Wilde prose delicious. I love the comfort of a velvet sectional, so plush and tranquil.
The Velvet Tuft Headboard
Bring luxury to your bedroom with gorgeous velvet headboards.
Velvet Decorative Pillows
These come in different shapes and sizes and create beautiful contrast amongst your furniture.
Velvet Vintage
You can never go wrong with a signature piece in velvet. Create drama with a velvet chaise in the bedroom or a antique velvet sofa for spilling the tea in the sitting room.
Velvet Dining Chairs
Bon Appetious! Dine in elegance with adding a little velvet to your dining area.
Velvet Drapes
What theatrics is this! Velvet curtains create gorgeous texture in any room. Get hideaway rods for a real dramatic effect.
At Home with Dad
Happy Father’s Day! Check out these cool tips and ideas for starting over again in a space you and your kids will enjoy.
This one is going out to all the single Dads out there. Starting over is never easy for anyone, but most single dads are also creating new living spaces to balance out being single again as well as accommodating those weekly visits with the kids. We’ve gotten pretty used to seeing inviting decor from women with a room for the dudes, ie. the basement game lounge or the garage tinker zone, but what are we seeing in their new solo environments?
Lucifer (Fox)
From musician to geeky to sporty, dads run the gambit. Guys tend to have more monochrome color schemes and sharper edges. Creating your dad space can be fun and you can still create an inviting space for your guests and your offspring. Here are a few ideas for those special dads:
Chordially Invited
Musician Dads, I know a ton of them. Guitar strings strewn about and maybe a buried drumstick in the couch, you can show your love of music while harmoniously classing it up.
Hanging musical instruments nicely on a wall (NOT ALL Walls)
Add some framed art by displaying your fave artists or instruments
Frame your band posters/flyers
Use non functioning instruments as shelving alternatives
Add a record listening station
Create a music room so you and the kids can have “rehearsal”
Use warm tones and relaxed furniture
Create microphone lamps
Mid-century modern seems to attract these types
Son of A Geek
You know them. They have 100 Star Wars figurines mounted on a wall or a life size replica of Iron Man’s suit. Remember neatly displayed versus vomitfest of collectables.
Curio Cabinets are great for Vader, Skywalker, and Solo to hang out
Maybe keep all the “toys” nicely shelved and displayed in one room but keep signature pieces out for conversation starters
Frame old comic books
A gaming area of course (uncluttered)
Use Lego for decor
Keep collectables neatly displayed
Get geeky wallpaper for the half bath (think Star Wars Toille)
Smart home equipped
Have fun with videogamed themed color palettes
Display old gaming systems
Room Ideas from Modsy
My Dad is Old World
The intellectual father has more reserved, but stylish tastes. Think Harry Potter vibes…
Card Catalogs for Furnishings
A Reading Nook for those bedtime stories
Have an ongoing Chess area - intellectual and design savvy.
Rich leather and velvet furniture
Dark Academia looks
Taxidermy
Maps and Globe Decor
Candles and Lanterns
Antiques including apothecary bottles, medical equipment, an old microscope perhaps
Chemistry flasks as vases
Framed schemas and patents of engineering feats
Ephemera everywhere (typewriters, cameras, bike parts)
GOAL!
We cannot dismiss our favorite sports fans, but you don’t want your living space to be or smell like an old locker room. Sports dad should be able to display their love of the game with these winning ideas.
Find sports memorabilia that you can put in shadow boxes
Framed Jerseys
Barware is a great way to root for your team in a more subtle way (Wooden coasters, team engraved glasses, etc)
Hanging skateboards with cool art makes an eye catching display
Vintage sports equipment make for balanced decorating
Use your team’s colors throughout
Trophy cases
Create a “game” room for you and the kids to play and watch your favorite matches/games
A large flat screen TV
For More Fatherly Decor:
It's So Easy Being Green
As we approach warmer weather and the promise of Spring, March ushers in all things green.
My Viridescent Life
Green represents all that is harmony in life, nurturing and growing. Creating tranquil or rich homescapes is easily done with this viridescent hue.
Envy. Life. Eggs. Acres. Money. Gables. Packers. Emeralds. Trees. These are just a few words that conjure in my mind when I think of the color green. When I see the color green I feel calm, refreshed, and growth. The reason restaurants use a lot of green is to promote not just healthiness, but psychologically it puts people at ease, making them want to hangout for a while. Green is the color of money and is so not only because the ink was plentiful and durable at the time, but also because green was associated with stability.
Green is balanced and creates harmony. In your home, it can be inviting and creates a tranquil environment. So as the shamrocks bloom, the leprechauns dance, and the green beer gets guzzled by wannabe Irishmen everywhere this month, enliven your home with adding some touches of the viridescent shade. You can create an inviting ambience by painting some walls with Laurel Leaf by Better Homes & Gardens or Sherwin-Williams color of the year, Evergreen Fog. Want a more moody feel, get yourself some rich velvet greens to enhance your bedroom or lounge area.
The color green denotes nature that can nurture your soul. Try adding some touches of green to your home design, refresh the bath with a rustic shade of Sage or enliven your kitchen by painting those dull cabinets with a nice Moss green and contrast it with some nice neutrals. You can quite literally add a touch of green by adding some real growth with a well placed tall plant in the corner. I love using green in my design work and this year I’ve been seeing a lot of it in home decor and fashion and I love the freshness it can bring to a home.
- Ginny Sawatzky, GS Design
I personally am a huge fan of Hunter Green or darker greens. I like the intenseness of it and coupled with gold or black can definitely create a come hither vibe. I’m no green thumb, I leave that up to my mother, but I can handle hung succulent terrariums (yes, I will kill those too) for some subtle biosphere feels. With as much suffocated quarantined life as we can muster, it’s time to exhale don’t you think? Green is the perfect way to renew and refresh and replenish. It’s springtime, aren’t you ready to add life back into your home? Here are few ideas to inspire you this very verdant month.
Exteriors
While everyone is still on the charcoal greys and dark blues, get ahead of the curve and dare to be green!
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Walls
Accent walls with a hint of green can be calming, add a dark green shade and see the drama unfold.
Kitchens
Green eggs and Ham never tasted so good in your gorgeously viridescent kitchen.
Decor
Touches of green, from plants to green glass vases to accented pillows, you’ll find these along the way to Emerald city.
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Furniture
These signature pieces would make any living space inviting and you’ll be in the envy of all your guests.
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Plant Life
We couldn’t add touches of green without including the natural and tranquil nature of…well—nature. Enter the biosphere with these green adornments sure to help you breathe easier and say, “ahhhhhh”.
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Sugar and spice and everything daughter
September 25th marks #NationalDaughtersDay and what better way to celebrate than give them some room!
written by: Jo Ann L. Breaux
My step-daughter has been watching fashion shows with me since she was 3 years old. The question, “Jo, can we watch more Chanel?” never made me so proud. She’s 8 now, and her sense of fashion and style have grown into finding identity in her room. Her dad built her a loft bed this past Christmas adorning her very own initial in it. She has her very own reading nook underneath and a place for her dolls. Every daughter’s bedroom is a special place. It’s where she gets to relax, to get dressed up, to imagine and play, to cry over heartbreaks, and to hold her keepsakes. It’s her sanctuary.
These days decor has changed for little girls, pink is no longer a dominant color and nor is the princess palace themed room. Don’t get me wrong, there are still a LOT of princesses out there, but there are a lot more options when it comes to the progression of nursery to teen hideout. I personally am a huge fan of the dark academia themed rooms, but hey all ladies are not the same. My girl’s room has gone from My Little Pony to Mermaids to her current obsession with stars and Harry Potter (I too wanted Gary Oldman to look over me while I slept). It will be interesting to see where her bedroom goes from here, but I’m praying for posters of her music idols and fashion themed decor. There are a ton of YouTube videos for DIY projects to recreate their sleeping quarters and finding cool second furniture and decor is a fun thing you can do with her.
So, in celebration of #NationalDaughtersDay (September 25th), here are some cool ideas to decorate your daughters’ bedrooms.
Wallpaper
I’m really digging wallpaper in general, but these are perfect for creating drama and fun in her room. Tapestries are excellent options due to how easily interchangeable they are. (click photos more info)
Paint Colors
We all know pink can be a dominant girl color, but adding contrast with it can create a less mundane princess pad or try something different with these paint trends.
Decor
No daughter’s bedroom would be complete without those little personal touches. From rugs to bed canopies to cool mirrors and wall art, creating a space that’s all her own will give her the confidence, privacy, and ability for her to be creative.
What a Girl Needs
Every daughter’s room should have these essentials. These will give her utility, identity, and self-care needs to make her space her very own haven from the outside world. Don’t forget to add a record player/good speakers for her listening pleasure.
FOR MORE INSPIRATION
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
I think having daughters is a bit more of a challenge than sons. The best gift you can give your daughter is support and understanding. If she’s confident and knows herself, she will do great things in the world. Cherish your daughters, they are special creatures and spend time with them. Need some ideas?
Pinkies Up
Jefferson (make your reservation NOW)
Make Me Pretty
Spa-Tacular (6+ years)
Renewal (grown daughters need love too!)
Take your pre-teen to learn how to apply and do her makeup right by booking an appointment at Ulta or visit one of the counters at the mall
Go Girl!
Get your Katniss on with an Archery Lesson
We all want ponies! Take her on a ride at Greenwood Stables
Take a hike! Virginia is full of amazing hiking trails. Pocahontas is always near and dear.
Take her fishing!
Go Rollerskating or take a bike ride on the Capital Trail
A Date to Create
Make Dinner by taking an online cooking class (all ages)
Get a Reading with a local Tarot Reader or for a more mature and highly fun reading check out Madame Adam (18+ activity)
Take a Shine Dance Fitness Class at Dogtown (all ages)
Take them to the VMFA but give them clues to find things in art
Have some fun with plants and visit PlantHouse (21+ activity)
Rock Out
Get tickets now to see The Killers
Take her record shopping, talk about your favorite songs growing up
Design your very own band shirts
Write a song together
Girls Just Want to Have Fun
Here’s some prime advice, sometimes daughters just want to talk. This is a prime opportunity for you to listen. Make it a teachable moment and one that is encouraging. Talk to her about school, boys, dating, girls, bullies, dreams. Take some time out of your busy lives to visit with your grown up daughters. Take her out to lunch or a movie. Enjoy your day together and vibe on all that love!