Home Making

This sort of rustic project isn't for every taste. But if pallets suit your design palette, you just might love this ridiculously easy DIY project that turns a utilitarian wood shipping accessory into a compact fold-down desk perfect for a hallway or bedroom. More

With the season of flea markets and antique fairs now upon us, I'm prepping for the summer influx of secondhand furniture finds and putting together the ultimate used furniture cleaning kit. With most of these household items already in your kitchen, you'll be ready to get any grimy piece sparkling in no time.  More

Hostess with the Mostess®For those of you with an upcoming shower to plan and a bride-to-be who loves fashion… Whitney Spielfogel planned her own Fabulous & Fun NYC Bridal Shower, and focused on truly making it a memorable & fun party! She created a few games like “How old was Whitney” and served brunch + cocktails to help the girls get to know each other before her upcoming destination wedding!PARTY HIGHLIGHTS to look out for:– Stunning Louboutin “shoe box” cake with incredible (fondant!) heels – Fashion inspired cookies and monogrammed makeup bag favors – Mini personalized potted paper flowers + colorful menus tied with custom ribbons – Beautiful floral centerpieces with chevron and damask pattern table runners*****PARTY DETAILS, as told by Whitney… :As my Husband (then fiancé), Mother and Maid of Honor will attest – I’m a control freak and I’d like to think that I have a penchant for planning (details, details, details!!). I wanted to be very involved in my Bridal Shower planning from its inception to the day of set up and execution (not always the best idea when you have hair and makeup appointments to tend to – but it was so much fun). Since I have a type-A personality, the ladies in my life allowed me to be in on the process. I envisioned something very girly (this was probably the only time in my life that I could decorate a party from head to toe pinks and purples, florals and fun girly patterns). With this in mind, I selected the Mondrian Soho in downtown Manhattan to host a Saturday afternoon brunch. At the time of booking the venue, the hotel’s restaurant, Cantinetta Antinori, was undergoing renovation but the wonderful and accommodating staff at the Mondrian Soho assured me that the room could only turn out better than the space I originally fell in love with (which it did).Staying with the pink and purple (with touches of black and white and accent colors) theme – I selected my Bridal Shower invitations to set the tone of the brunch. Everything else from there fell into place – from the table runners and flower colors – to the fun and personalized elements (miniature flower name pots, Bridal Shower game cards and thank you gifts to name a few). I wanted the actual event to be very interactive since I had been to many Bridal Showers that visually looked great but were lackluster on-site. I wanted everyone to enjoy one another’s company and really have fun in the presence of such remarkable women. We played “How Old Was Whitney?”, “How Well Do You Know Whitney?”, “Wedding Mad Libs”, “Bride I Spy” and the very entertaining “Newlywed Game” (during which my now Husband popped in on to surprise me at – to gift me with a Jennifer Zeuner necklace with my soon-to-be married initials). Everyone had a blast getting to know each other (and me!) even better and guests roared in laughter over some of the answers to these games. This was important to me since I was having a destination wedding and guests would be spending several days together at the upcoming wedding.The brunch selection was exceptional – everything from an unlimited supply of mimosas, champagne and Bloody Mary’s to lobster rolls, the Mondrian’s delicious signature Cobb salad, their seasonal vegetable egg white frittata to the unbelievable vanilla cream cheese French toast with caramelized pineapples. In sticking with the getting to know each other well theme, we opted for family style shared plates. The afternoon ended on a sweet note –with a Christian Louboutin shoebox cake that tasted even better than it looked (the white vanilla bean cake with Nutella chocolate truffle filling was beyond words) and customized cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes.When my Mom, Maid of Honor and I were done setting up the space before the Shower started, I was in awe – as were my female family and friends who attended. The space was fabulous from the room we mingled in to start to the private back area which was hidden by this amazing book

Of all the rooms in my house the "second bedroom" has been the hardest to resolve. Yes, I'm grateful for the extra space, but rather than be efficient with it, the room has mostly become an oversized storage closet — all the miscellaneous stuff gets thrown in there, including a desk, old couch, drying rack, books, etc. I'd really love for it to be a true combination home office and guest bedroom. But is it even possible? Here are few inspirational photos that give me hope. More

Name: Layla Kate (2 months)Location: Kansas City My daughter asked me to design a room for her new daughter using raspberry and linen. Layla’s room is a mix of repurposed vintage furniture, bold fabrics and hand-made details.   More

If you've seen the new Star Trek Into Darkness, you know two things: 1. John Harrison is not who he says he is, and 2. the sets are seriously drool worthy. So although I won't be boarding the Enterprise any time soon, that doesn't mean I can't borrow some of set design as inspiration to go boldly...well, you know. More

A Vermont-based food advocacy group,  Strolling of the Heifers, compiled data on the number of farmer’s markets and CSAs in each of the 50 states plus Washington, D.C., then ranked them. Vermont (of course) came in first, with Maine and New Hampshire close behind. (Real Simple‘s home state—New York—came in at number 25). The states where you’re least likely to […]

Romantic, shabby chic style vintage Italian linens for the bed, table and windows. Lace details on decorative linen pillow with button embellishments. Fine linen and cotton bedding inspired by your grandmother’s bedding. Table linens and dinnerware that evokes the very notion of feminine, romantic style.The post An Italian Romance: Linens & Tabletop Weaved with Love appeared first on Decorating Diva.

"My Five Year Stretch" • $31 • Nippaz with Attitude Giraffe growth charts too tame for you? This Johnny Cash style one adds some edge and humor to a kid's room with space to record height, finger prints, a yearly mugshot and developmental milestones. More

oh, lookee. ’tis summer on the way and what is it about summer that just screams ‘stripes!!’? i dunno either. i think it has something to do with sailing on those summer seas. anyhow, i digress. this week on new and noteworthy i’m rounding up some of this summer’s sassiest stripes. traditional blues and reds, yes, and some perhaps with a more surprising twist of modern color. 1. Anthropologie Blue Striped Linen Dishtowel; 2. Anthropologie Handwoven Meridian Blanket; 3. Anthropologie red Chival-Striped Hand Towel; 4. a close-up look at Anthropologie’s Blue Striped Linen Dishtowel. 5. toast uk selsey stool; 6. toast uk oleron striped quilt; 7. striped nutcase bike helmet from public bikes; 8. clare vivier striped painter tote from anthropologie. 9. striped edge WALNUT SERVING TRAYS & PLATTERS BY DAVID RASMUSSEN DESIGN; 10. NOTTING HILL DUVET COVER from h.d. buttercup’s in bed; 11. striped color edged chopping boards from the hambledon; 12. PINK and yellow LINEN DOUBLE DUVET COVER from lab; 13. Indigo Stripes Pillow at shop terrain. Tweet#call_to_action h4{padding:0px 5px;}