Found goodness
When I got to my studio yesterday morning ......waiting for me right inside the gate, were these beautiful little flowers in a tiny little handmade ceramic vase.....and a note that read "miss your face". This is the best kind of found goodness you can have my friends. It made my month.....
I feel so blessed to be surrounded with so much love and friendship....
xo,
Barb
Roomage
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| roy g biv |
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| apartment therapy |
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| abode love |
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| design sponge |
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| home town girl |
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| because it's awesome |
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| a sense of design |
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| the paris apartment |
My sweet, sweet mom asked me to help her start brainstorming some ideas for her sun porch that she is getting ready to transform. So, I started looking around for some goodness all the while thinking of her criteria: comfortable seating that can be used as an extra bed, great rug{s}, place for the grand kids to play/hang, and storage. You may find that my collection of photos is a little all over the place....but there is a method to my madness! I love parts of every photo, and I will explain below.
It was hard for me to pinpoint one porch that completely captured my mom and her style, so I just pulled together some inspirational photographs that had some really cool design ideas:
1. great rugs, and the layering of different sizes and colors is casual and fun.
2. again, love the rugs.....and even though the bed is a little small I love the way it looks with the stack of books beside it. Also, the artwork on the wall reminds me of how much my mom likes to display her kid's artwork, and I think the porch would definitely need some artwork from the grandkids!
3. love the window trim in this photo, and the beautiful gray blue shade. The colors of this whole photo are very soothing.
4. I think a blue ceiling is a must, and my mom will not like the couches here, but I would! hee hee!
5. Everyone knows that a painted chest of drawers is so multi functional and perfect for all of your storage needs! {wink!}
6. This bench is perfection, and a fun DIY that dad and I could make!
7. "I do not like all the white and tan, I do not like it sam I am" {in my best Dr Seuss voice} but I do love that this daybed could be an extra bed or a comfy reading spot with storage to boot.
8. I threw these guys in for fun because who wouldn't want to have a grouping of succulents to stare at every day while on your porch?!
Porches are great.
Hope you like these ideas mom!
xo,
Barb
FYI
I know that most of you all have already seen, and heard the exciting news about the Design Sponge book coming out in September.......but I just wanted to add my excitement and put in my two cents about how beautiful the cover design is!
I am so excited to have a few of my projects in this book, and was part of the editorial team during a lot of the decision making time for this book. Grace would send all of us editors sneak peeks at the designs and we would all give feedback. I have to say that this final book cover by Julia Rothman is something to be really proud of......and is really clean, simple, and beautiful! Then you add in this happy and beautifully well done video by Ryan Marshall....and there is just a whole lot of good going on!
I know this has been a very hard and long couple of years for the Design Sponge team, and so I want to add my congratulations on a job well done and my happiness for the success and beauty of this labor of love!
P.S. the landing page for the D*s book where you can find all the information you need on pre ordering, book tour dates and more ...is right here!
xo,
Barb
Introductions
Today on this lovely Monday, I would like to introduce you all to Llewellyn. This lovely French style piece is one that my mom and dad purchased a few months back and wanted me to paint for them. I said "sure".......but then looked at it in the studio for weeks as I worked on the many other jobs that I have going on. The guilt finally got to me, and my sweet parents were so very patient with me! I am thrilled to have their piece done and safely delivered to their living room.
My dad left all of the design decisions up to my mom and I...{smart man I tell ya!...must be where I get it from! hee hee!}.....so we chatted about color and hardware and all of the other good things that come with transforming furniture. Mom wanted the darker green....I kinda wanted a lighter more gray green.....but I am so glad mom stuck to her guns because when we actually got the piece in the room, the dark olive was exactly the color it needed to be.......perfection! Mom also wanted to keep the original hardware, so we compromised and I painted over it to help it look a bit more fresh, modern, and intentional.
So sorry that I do not have a shot of this piece before I started on it. I have been forgetting to take them lately as we are painting so many......in fact, I started another piece on Friday and halfway through realized I forgot to take a "pre knack " shot! I have got to stop doing that!
Hope you all have a productive and happy day today!
xo,
Barb
Etcetera
This book is one of the first purchases I made with some of my birthday money! I spied it a couple months ago while enjoying my weekly reading time at Barnes and Noble, and I knew that I would add it to my collection one day! Well, yesterday was the day....and this book is so beautiful and wonderful and full....so full.....of inspirational and beautiful photos. Very well played, and very well done!
Check out Creative Walls by Geraldine James.....I think you'll end up bringing it home too!
Have a fantastic weekend! I have lots of fun things to show you next week!
xo,
Barb
Found Goodness
Hattie and I have been working on a set of 6 found mirrors for like two weeks...each one of them different and unique...and we just about finished them up yesterday! All of these mirrors are ones that I found or removed off dressers that I purchased, and I have just been waiting for the chance to do them all at one time and hang them as an installation.
Well, that time has come, and I think I will dream about these mirrors tonight as it feels like FOREVAH since we started on them! I changed the design plan a couple of times, and painted over one of them that just looked totally "wrong" in the first color of choice. {whoopsie!} I got back on track though, and threw in a little bit of this and that until I was happy with the conglomeration, and I am super excited about hanging them and photographing them all together! The plan is to get them all styled and photographed tomorrow so that I can show them to you next week! Yipee!
{Oh, and P.S. Today is my BIRTHDAY! Woot Woot!! , and I plan to soak it all up and enjoy this day to the fullest....cupcakes and all! Party, Party!}
xo,
Barb
Introductions
Hello, hello my friends! I hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July and got to partake in all of the goodness that comes with such a holiday! We snuck away for a few days and spent time with the hubs side of the family....oh my, what a hoot! It is amazing that we still have all of our limbs and eyeballs!
I have had a couple of really, really busy weeks in the studio and it was great to just unplug and unwind for a few days. I am back at it again today though, and ready to tackle all of the new projects waiting for me in the studio! I only have miss Hattie for a few more weeks so I have to get it while the gettin' is good!
We finished two pieces last week, and the first one I would like to introduce you all to is "Aderyn". This piece was brought to me by miss Meredith, who wanted it to fit into her home aesthetic with a little freshie fresh look. It was a beautiful mahogany piece that had just seen better days and needed a little patching, and a little knack love. I chose a dark slate blue and and away we went! The classic shape and curve of the roomy drawers combined with the fluting and stature of this piece just make it a joy to work on......oh and the knobs for this piece are just the best! I have been dying to use them again....I mean who doesn't love a little octopus and ship action?! ME, ME, ME! They are the perfect detail for this piece!
Have a fantastic day guys!
xo,
Barb
Etcetera....Happy fourth!
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| flickr |
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| bakers royale |
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| cranny |
Have the happiest holiday weekend! I love fireworks and celebrations.....it smells like freedom, and my birthday coming! {wink!}
We will indeed be celebrating, visiting, and firework igniting so I plan to unplug and enjoy some down time after a couple of the busiest weeks I can remember in a while! Let's plan to hook up again on Wednesday, and I promise to have a brand new "Introduction" for you, that you are going to love!
Enjoy, and spell your name out with a sparkler just for funsies!
xo,
Barb