Thursday, July 16, 2009

The power of Pink...












When i saw this room...i fell in love! It's just makes me happy! It was designed by Phoebe Howard. She's a fabulous decorator with impeccable taste. I love what she had to say about this room after she finished decorating it...{it gave me chills~being the Mom to a little girl...it had an effect on me}. You can read on her blog.

"The subconscious mind can really play tricks on you when you least expect it. As I stood in this room that I decorated for the Atlanta Symphony Show house, it suddenly became alarmingly obvious to me what I had actually created. It was not a room designed for a teenage girl as an ethereal oasis to protect and shelter her from the trials of being thirteen. My concept was to use pink in a way that was not sticky or sweet, but quite current and hip. It would be feminine and pretty, but not girly. The room would be a serene cocoon, but the tone would be stylish. This was what I had set out to design, but in fact the outcome was something quite different.
Eighteen years earlier my beautiful daughter Nellie was born, my second child, and I was completely overjoyed. I desperately wanted her to be a girl and was not afraid to admit it. I had four brothers and had always longed for a sister - no such luck. We did not know that she was a girl, four sonograms failed to identify her, and I had done the unthinkable. I decorated the nursery completely and entirely for a girl. I painted the walls the dreamiest shade of shell pink, painted the ceiling light grey, and the trim white. I hung sheer white billowy batiste curtains at the windows. I dressed her crib and the iron bed in white linen. A faded needlepoint rug lay on the floor, and I covered tufted furniture in creamy soft fabrics. It was a risky move, to decorate that way, and everyone was worried what might happen. I was never concerned. When the joyous day arrived, and I carried that baby into that nursery, my world was absolutely perfect. She was beautiful, healthy, and I was intoxicated with the purest form of true happiness and love. I spent many months in that room with my little girl, and the hours melted away. The light was perfect, and the room was so warm and enveloping, in a calm and simple way. I was lucky, and I would never forget it.
When I walked in to my room at the show house, that was when it hit me. I had recreated her nursery, one month before her graduation from high school. We were about to be empty nesters. The walls were pink, the ceiling grey, and the trim white. Billowy white sheers draped the bed, and hung at the windows. An old oushak lay on the floor, and tufted furniture was covered in soft fabrics. It took my breath away. As I realized what I had done, and the tears streamed down my face, I suddenly knew that it was going to be alright, and that I would be able to let her go. I had been a good mother, and my nest would never be empty. I could let her go. So I knew that my room would touch others in a different way than I had envisioned. Mothers with daughters would visit my room, be able to embrace their feminine side and paint rooms pink with full abandon. Pink is a color that actually has many layers, and not necessarily sweet. For me it was such a surprise, I still smile when I think of my shock when I entered that room.
Who would have thought that pink could be so powerful?"
by Phoebe Howard

Monday, July 13, 2009

Charlotte, NC architect...Ken Pursley

Check out this beautiful kitchen...{it's not beach inspired but still fabulous} and the architect is a great friend. I had the chance to photograph him and his beautiful family while in Charlotte, North Carolina.




photos from House Beautiful
And this is the talented Ken Pursley...


enjoy more of his work here Pursley Architecture

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Outdoor Living











Living in Southern California, outdoor living was the way of life. All year long, we entertained outside and it was always perfect weather {sometimes a blanket came in handy when the ocean breeze blew in}. Things are different on the east coast...very different...but outdoor living still can exist.

here's some ideas to inspire...




Check out canadian house and home on how to design an outdoor living space.
http://www.canadianhouseandhome.com/design/designing-outdoor-living-spaces

Saturday, July 4, 2009

red, white and blue



happy Fourth of July!

photos from {marthastewart.com}

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

beach bound




we are off to the good ole south! Two weeks of vacation {with three kids in a car!}...i look forward to it...and getting to see my sister and her family...the best part of all!
I hope to get lots of pictures of beach inspired decorating...if not, you can guarantee lots of photos of my little ones! {which are growing into big ones~ I'm just not ready to accept that...}
we also will be celebrating two birthdays while we are gone...my son and mine! we were born the same week...he is my oldest and that was the best Birthday present ever!

here's a picture i love...how perfect for a beach inspired wedding!



{coastalliving.com}

Monday, June 15, 2009

beds to dream about...

http://www.cottagehomemaine.com/index.html

beachtown charm





below is a beach house in Beachtown~ Galveston, Texas...when we were down in Galveston last year we visited this charming little beach community...so many fabulous houses {wish I had the money honey}...keep dreaming





{coastalliving.com}

Friday, June 12, 2009

eye candy

here's a little eye candy to keep me dreaming of the day when i get my beach cottage...







These beautiful rooms are created by Brooke Giannetti. http://brookegiannetti.typepad.com/velvet_and_linen/

Thursday, June 11, 2009

turquoise and pink {makes a lovely combo}

I'm in love...


Thibaut
Pattern ~Nautilus
Collection ~Toile Resource Vol II

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

paradise found...

















{I love when photographs are the focal point in a room...maybe that's the photographer in me?? fabulous frames...}





will this rain ever go away?

when we lived in California...I missed the thunderstorms {why??}...after yesterday...I could live without them!

we are planning a little vacation down south...our first stop will be Charlotte, NC {one of my very best friends lives here...can't wait to visit and takes lots of pictures of this cute town} and then we head to the Gulf Coast. I think my favorite place to visit is Fairhope, Alabama. I don't know if I like the cute quaint town best or the yummy seafood...I'm dreaming of the fried crab claws...only in the south!

More on Fairhope later...
here's some dreamy beach decorating {enjoy}

{photos from bhg.com}