Bloglovin': Armas Design

You need to check out this fabulous blog Armas Design.  Michelle is an artist living in Atlanta who is a graphic designer and a painter.  Her artwork is fabulous.  I love the abstract nature of her work and the colors she uses. 

Payton


I like the names she uses to title her works.  I used to like a guy named Payton back in middle school, but I have to say I like this Payton much, much more!!

Joslyn

Joslyn is my favorite!  She has such a bright and warm disposition.  She would be perfect in my home where I could stare at her everyday and she would be sure to cheer me up on the days when I'm feeling less than stellar.  I've given my husband a heads up since my birthday is next month! (a girl can dream, right?)  However, what I love is that Michelle showcases her art in her own home and her home is just absolutely beautiful.  Check it out. 

Love the box beamed ceiling, sputnik chandelier, camelback sofa, her Zig Zag and Wandering Pods pillows!  Is that a glass of wine I see?  Oh, this is a woman after my own heart!  And, do you see Joslyn in the background?  Isn't she gorgeous?

Love Michelle's federalist server that she found at an antique store! Isn't she a beauty?  Such a classic and timeless piece.

Her bedroom.  So serene.  

She recently recovered this chair!  I wonder if this is Hable Construction's Stripe fabric?  Either way...I love it. 

Thank you again, Michelle, for letting me share your talented work and your beautiful home!  It was a pleasure!  

Exterior House Color Contenders

If you remember this post, we are finally painting our house.  Per advice of a friend, I received some help from a color consultant and here are her recommendations:


Option 1: Body (Martin Senour Desert Cactus), Trim (Martin Senour Linen White), Shutters/Door (Martin Senour Black)

Option 2: Body (Martin Senour Owlet), Trim (Martin Senour Baseline), Shutters/Doors (Martin Senour Black).  She originally wanted to do a burgundy red for the shutters and doors, but I prefer black.

Option 3: Body (Benjamin Moore Weimeraner), Trim (Benjamin Moore Mascarpone), Shutters (Benjamin Moore Wenge)

While, these are great recommendations, I just wasn't 100% happy with them.  And, while I liked the idea of the color green for a house, I didn't love the green the consultant chose.  So, it wasn't until we were down in Florida visiting family when I saw this house and thought I like that color!   This is the house:

Have you ever walked up to a complete stranger's house and knocked on their door to ask them what color they painted their house?  If not, I highly recommend it.  Seriously. 


Think about it?  Who wouldn't like to hear, "Oh, I love the color of your house!  Do you mind me asking...?"  Well, these folks did, and a couple of beers later (no joke) we walked away with the color names in hand!   Sandy, thank you so much!  The paint line they used was Porter's Paints - Body (Tulip Poplar) and Trim (Soft Antique White). 


So, if you're looking to repaint your home, don't be shy and go ahead and knock on the doors of the houses you like!  Hope to have before and afters soon!

And, thank you again for those of you who suggested your favorite headboard in this post, my friend was giddy with excitement.  She goes back to NYC in 2 weeks and will make the final decision.   I'll keep you updated!

Design Dilemma

My dear friend and old college roommate has a summer home in Nantucket which she is in the process of redecorating.    She is a friend who has a good eye and it's not uncommon that we email each other our latest obsessions and inspirations.


Her style is inspired by clean lines (with a modern edge) infused with lots of texture, rough-hewn woods and weathered finishes.  

Lonny 

Think Brad Ford. (BTW, did you know he has a blog ?!?).....or, the recent Elle Decor ,  especially the feature on designer Jesse Carrie. 

Elle Decor 

She recently got rid of the bunkbeds in her guest room and wants to buy a new headboard.  She is torn between these 3 beauties from West Elm:

Nailhead Upholstered 

Grid Tufted Grasscloth 

Modern Weave 

Personally, I think she can't go wrong with any three of them.  But, I have to say that I'm loving the grid tufted grasscloth.  I think the grasscloth texture and yellow hue will add warmth to a room of white washed walls.  


So, which headboard would you choose and why?  Seriously, she is in need of some help and I told her I have the most talented readers out there!! :)   Anyone, anyone?


**My friend is concerned about mildew?  Does anyone know how grasscloth holds up in coastal/wet climates?**

Distracted

Tobi Fairley 

by this and by life.  Will be back soon!

A Remodeled Cottage

Browsing the internet this weekend and came across this remodeled craftsman inspired cottage.  It was love at first sight.

Love the open feel of the kitchen and grass colored green backsplash.  And, how about that box beamed ceiling?  Yes, please!

The contrast between the ebony stained island and flooring with the white cabinetry is so attractive.  I love the hardware on the cabinetry and I'm digging the light pendant.  

Ahh...that window seat and look at the built in bookcases and all that storage space!  Heaven!

Love the clean lines of the staircase!  

I wonder if the color of the door is intended to be a foreshadow of the pop of green to come from the kitchen backsplash!  

To see more of this cottage, go here.  And, they even detail all the paint colors used in this home here.

Sunday's Farmers Market

Every Sunday I try to make it to Coventry's Farmer Market.  It's Connecticut's largest farmers market offering the freshest locally grown produce in the CT area.  The vendors specialize in organic, heirloom and gourmet varieties of fruits and vegetables, and offer grass-fed beef, free-range eggs, milk, yoghurt, rustic bread, cheeses, flowers, pastries and much more.

Some of my favorite vendors are Cato Corner Cheeses (specializes in raw milk cheese.  Bloomsday is one of my favorites), Ladies of Levita Road Dairy, Wave Hill bread, Four Fields Farm and Sankow's Beaver Brook Farm.   Above is a sampling of what I bought today and tonight I will be using the basil to make brown rice linguine with grilled shrimp and pesto!  Yummy!   Happy Sunday!

Giveaway Galore

There must be something in the water this week because every blog I went to there was another giveaway. Check out these fabulous giveaways and go enter before it is too late!!

Emily A. Clark's Flor Giveaway !

6th Street Design School's Be Still Giveaway!

Deliciously Organized Dani Notes Stationary Giveaway!

Arianna Belle's Blue Lamps Giveaway!

Everything LEB Perricone MD Giveaway!

Gotta love Ikea

Last night, I was browsing through the Ikea catalog and I picked out some of my must have items.   

Ektorp Chaise $349 

Birkeland Wardrobe $299 

Barbar Tray $3.99 

Edland Nightstand $149 

Karlstad Footstool $249 

Jonsbo Egby Lamp 19.99 

Djarv Plant Pot $5.99 

Henny Cirkel Duvet $14.99 

So, have you spotted anything lately from Ikea that you gotta have??

Getting through Hump Day

Just back from Florida and trying to get back into the routine!!  Bear with me!  Thanks everyone for your super nice comments about our striped hallway!  You guys are the best!!!   

via

Hallway - Horizontal Stripes (Part 2)

Last weekend, I painted the upstairs hallway walls Benjamin Moore's Cloud Cover (satin finish) and while it was a huge improvement, I felt like it needed more.  I have been wanting to try some type of stencil or stripes on the wall for a while now.  And, recently, I was re-inspired by Emily's post and I thought, 'Why not?'  So, I decided to do subtle tone on tone horizontal stripes.  Subtle was the emphasis here and I decided to paint the stripe one shade away from the wall color called Benjamin Moore's Winds Breath (eggshell finish).

Hallway before:

And, hallway after:

Hallway before:

Hallway after:

A lot still needs to be done, but I was thrilled with how the stripes turned out so I decided to post it now.  Two tutorials I followed pretty closely were Young House Love and Emily Clark's.


Our hallway (more like an upstairs landing) has a lot of corners, so when marking the walls with the painter's tape, it was important to keep it straight and level.  My husband helped me and we used a "L" square and a level to insure the markings were straight.  

I also decided to have the lighter color as the first stripe and I believe it made a difference and kept the landing feeling lighter and brighter.

Note: Mr. Zebra (from my last post) was intended as a hint, not a red-herring.  I'm going to have to get better at leaving hints! :)

More to come...

Busy packing up for Florida (it's not hot enough here in CT)! And, I just finished up yet another (not originally planned) painting project in our upstairs hallway and will post about it while down in Florida.  Any guesses?  

Chevron on the Diagonal

Thank you for your suggestions on yesterday's post.  There were some really good ideas!  A friend of a friend is a color consultant and she has offered to give me some help on choosing a color to paint my house.  So, stay tuned!

This weekend I found an amazing blog - Live.Like.You.  Jill Sorenson (I love her desire for color) owns her own interior design firm called Marmalade Interiors and you must check out her projects.  While browsing her blog, I found this amazing Swedish shop called Brita Sweden.

They have these amazing woven plastic rugs, and one which caught my eye was the Gunnel pattern.  Chevron on the diagonal - how genious!

They are child proof, woven plastic that can be wiped down or thrown in the washer machine.  They are also eco-friendly (no heavy metals or toxic softener) and affordable!  Supposedly, $150 for their largest size (3' x 6.5').  I could definitely see adding this rug to a kitchen for an added punch of color or to a hallway to brighten it up.

You also have to check out their other products!  Colorful kid's aprons and stylish door mats.

And, I couldn't help but add this adorable picture advertising their products.  Too cute!