Sold!

Whew... what a five months it has been since my last post!  In a nutshell, we sold our home in Bethesda, found a new home in the Boston area (we're under contract), found a summer rental and moved to Boston!  We arrived last Thursday, and I'm still catching my breath, but I have been itching to get back to the blog.  If you're still checking in, thank you.  I have lots to share and will do my best to get back into a blogging routine.

Today, I thought it would be fun to show the listing photos of our Bethesda home.

I'll try to fill you in on some of the details of prepping the house for sale in subsequent posts - but, looking over these photos now, I am reminded that:  (1) Less is more.  We filled a 16 ft POD with excess STUFF, and sent it to storage while selling our home and I can honestly say that the only things I missed during that time were my photos and my Kitchenaid mixer.  (2) I need a wide-angle lens.  These photos (taken by our realtor's photographer) capture so much more of each room than I ever could with a regular lens.

Rug love

I came across this rug on PB Teen, of all places, and am totally smitten...

PB Teen Tribal Dhurrie Rug

I might have to work this into a future room.

A few modern tables

My good friends just got a comfy and sleek new sectional sofa and asked for my help in identifying a new coffee table or coffee table-alternatives (stools/ottomans/small tables) - of course I said yes!  Especially since our furniture/decor purchases are on hold until we buy a new home... I have to live vicariously for the moment!

Their style is modern/mid-century modern and they're looking to replace their long rectangular table to avoid a "tetris-y" situation.  They like the idea of a c-table or two (perhaps this one), since they often use their laptops while sitting on the sofa.  They're also thinking about adding one of CB2's knitted poufs  to the room (I'm such a fan).  We're still consulting, but I found a few fun tables that I had to share.

Mag Table by Offi at Designpublic

This table is multi-functional - a great feature for apartment-dwellers!

The one below may be a bit too brown (they're hoping to balance out some of the darker wood/leather tones in the room)... but, I love the concept, and the tipped legs.  How fun!

Blu Dot Lily Pad Coffee Table at Designpublic

I love the look of organic elements in modern spaces as well...

Monkey Pod at Overstock

Natural Tree Stump Side Table at West Elm

 
Know of any great sources for affordable modern furniture?

Happy Blogiversary to Me!

I can't believe it's been a year since my first blog post.  This blog has provided a wonderful creative outlet for me and I'm so grateful to you for reading along!

Happy New Year!!!

I hope you all had wonderful holidays!!

I am almost ashamed to show my face in the blogosphere after such a long absence...  what started with a computer crash and a bad cold has turned into a full-blown two-month blog hiatus!  Well, I'm back today to share some news (to explain my absence, in part) and a before & after!

News first...  as much as we love DC, Bethesda, our wonderful neighborhood, friends, colleagues, preschool... and our lovingly updated center hall colonial... an exciting new opportunity is taking us to Boston!  As you can imagine, things have been a little hectic here since we made this big decision.  I wish I could say I feel totally refreshed and ready to kick it back into high gear on the blogging front... but, I'm afraid that my postings might be spotty for a while.  Once we sort out the logistics of moving a family of four... we look forward to putting down roots in our new city, in a new (probably old) home... and of course, updating/decorating/DIY'ing to make that home our own (and blogging about it all)!   

In the meantime, we finally had the front entrance renovation completed and I'm so excited to share the after pics with you!  First, here's a reminder of our front entrance before (see prior posts about plans, hardware options, old knocker, windows, outdoor lighting options, handlesets, paint colors and knocker):

And, after:

Sconces are Maxim Westlake.  I ended up sticking with white paint on the siding. 

Handleset is by Emtek; mail slot by Baldwin.  The door color is Space Black by Benjamin Moore.  Although I had envisioned the door being a little darker/deeper black and a little glossier... I'm still thrilled with how it looks. 

Door by Simpson; Knocker by Restoration Hardware; peep hole by Emtek.

I'm so happy with the way things turned out (and frankly, so relieved to have a door that opens and closes without a struggle)!  The windows make a huge difference - breaking up the "white blob" on the outside, and bringing much more light to the foyer.  My single favorite thing is the brass ring knocker from Restoration Hardware - I think I'll have to get another one for our next home.  If you've been following - we decided not to switch out our foyer light, in light of the upcoming move.  Since I had already purchased the Robert Abbey Chase flush mount, I'll just have to find a place for it in our new place.


**By the way - if you live in our area - I highly recommend our wonderful contractor, Jerry Gerard, who also redid our bathrooms.  Email me if you'd like his contact info! 

Swatches: Where have I been?!

It's been way too long since I've checked in at my go-to budget-friendly fabric source... http://www.fabric.com/.

So many beautiful fabrics, including a fabulous offering of Duralee prints!

My favorite find of the moment - in three lovely colorways...

Duralee Bokara in Mocha

Duralee Bokara in Peridot

Duralee Bokara in Yellow

I like this whimsical and dynamic take on a geometric print that would make great drapes.

Duralee Kilburn in Brown

Perfect for a nautical nursery or beach home.

Duralee Theo in Marine

A few other fun finds...


Thomas Paul Forest in Red Pepper



Thomas Paul Skimmer in Aqua

Duralee Ada in Watermelon

Have a great weekend!

How cool...

Anthropologie has some of the coolest gadgets I've seen in a while. 

iVictrola Upside Down

USB Typewriter

And, some pretty funny cookie jars...

Cookie Jars



Happy Tuesday!

Barbara Westbrook and Kim Winkler via House Beautiful; photo by Frances Janisch

Happy Halloween!

Mantel update

Thanks for the feedback on my mantel-scape post.  I finally got around to playing around a little more. 

Before (simple and uncluttered for summer):



After 1 (incorporating my grandmother's painting and some Fall elements - this is the version I blogged about - seeking advice on how to achieve a better balance):

After 2 (with a wheat-filled vase on the left side, pinecones to fill in the voids, and a wonderfully lumpy pumpkin we found at the pumpkin patch):

After 3 (testing out a leaf arrangement and scattered leaves):

After 4 (finally, settled on the wheat arrangement and scattered leaves):

And a few gratuitous detail shots at the various stages:

What do you think?