Archive for July, 2008
Nice Weave
It just occurred to us that we’ve introduced a woven item to nearly every room in our home. And we don’t play favorites. We love everything from jute rugs…
… and seagrass carpets…
…to textured baskets of all sizes.
Even the bamboo blinds that appear in more than a few of our rooms have a textured woven feel, whether they’re framing a window…
… or hiding the clutter in our laundry nook…
Perhaps the reason we adore all things woven are the soft neutral tones that seem to work in every space. Maybe its the calm, spa feel that they bring- reminding us of an exotic bungalow in Fiji. Perhaps it’s the timelessness of the texture that’s kinda rustic and kinda worldly but still super current and oh so now (not to mention oh so easy to keep clean). Or maybe it’s the added visual interest- the subtle depth and pattern that they add to a space.
Whatever it is, we’re hooked, as demonstrated by the ottoman we recently snagged (on sale of course) for our third bedroom:
Our fabulous new water hyacinth ottoman (with a removable top for storage) was a steal at just $29 thanks to a big sale at Michael’s (it was 40% off). Of course we love the certain “je ne sais quoi” that it adds to our cozy third bedroom. And we love the fact that it’s so versatile (it would look just a good in the den or even the sunroom). Gotta love the magic of the weave.
It’s also a good time to note that in moving around a few things for our master bedroom’s recent mini-makeover (stay tuned!!!) we removed the big mirror that used to lean against the wall that you see above, so we decided to rehang our entire photo collage (which used to hang on a less visible wall in the room). We love that our feature wall is now in full view- it seemed kinda silly to have it on such an obscure wall anyway (you had to walk all the way into the room and turn around to see it).
And before you ask, it was totally worth making all those holes again (and puttying and painting all the old ones). The best thing about an asymmetrical display like this is that nothing really has to be lined up at all. In fact, we like this slightly-more-haphazard arrangement better than the more painstakingly planned original version that existed on the opposite wall. Hurrah for our third bedroom’s summer sprucing! Now all we need is a rug…
What about you guys? Do you have any items, patterns, colors or themes that reocurr throughout your home? Do tell.
Burning Question: Float Your Boat?
Another burning question for you guys: what do you think about floating a bed in the middle of a room? Is it serene and stylish or just plain strange?
Image courtesy of Domino
Christine’s Design Dilemma
Our latest family room redesign calls for a Domino makeover on a shoestring budget. So we’re ready to get super creative for a room that’s eclectic and effortlessly chic. Here’s Christine’s letter:
Help!!!! We moved in 6 months ago and this room has me totally stuck. It’s the only room that the kids don’t use so I’d like to keep it “adult” (not a museum, but toy-free). I’m dying for a room worthy of Domino magazine- but on a serious budget. My style is a combination of traditional, beachy, and glamorous (if that’s possible) and the stores that I love are ZGallerie and Williams Sonoma Home. The sofa has to stay as does the TV but I’m looking for a rug (sisal w/ zebra hide? a dhurrie? something else entirely?!?!). I’d also like to keep the wall color (a pale silvery-green color) but possibly paint the wood wall and ceiling (maybe white?) since it’s currently much too rustic for me. -Christine
A room worthy of Domino is a little bit modern, a little but chic, and a little bit cheeky. And we can tell from Christine’s ceramic bunny sculpture and acrylic ghost chair that she’s open to something fresh and fun. So without further ado, we give you Christine’s beachy glam family room makeover mood board:
Here’s the mood board breakdown:
Read the rest of this entry »
Wedding Crashing: An Elegant Southern Affair
We’re thrilled to announce a new feature here at Young House Love: Wedding Crashing. Since you all seemed to be enjoying our house crashing posts, we figured it was about time we started peeking in on people’s nuptials as well. And we’re not discriminating. We’re dropping in on a wide variety of events, from modest $300 celebrations to $75,000 galas and beyond. And the locations will range from scenic rural farms to fabulous Manhattan lofts and everywhere in between. So slip into something swanky and let’s get crashing.
Meet Patrice and Jeff, a sweet southern duo who wanted a day of traditional elegance with a few modern and memorable twists. Their July wedding was held in Charlottesville, Virginia where their family and friends gathered for an unforgettable evening with a heaping portion of southern charm.
Patrice didn’t overlook even the tiniest of details, as demonstrated by this cross stitch of her initials handmade by her mother (which a seamstress then sewed to the inside of her gorgeous Justina McCaffrey dress from Kleinfelds in New York City).
The bridal party wore emerald green dresses from J Crew and carried contrasting violet-blue hydrangeas to establish her elegant jewel toned color scheme.
Since the traditional tossing-of-the-petals was out of the question (thanks to a one and a half year old flower girl) Patrice and Jeff wisely chose a decorative ball of flowers for Grace to carry down the aisle instead. And since the pomander was made of faux-flowers, there was no worrying that she would destroy her prop before making it down the aisle.
The couple got hitched at the University of Virginia’s historic chapel (the college where Patrice & Jeff first met and fell in love). Couples fight to get on the waiting list for this charming location and Patrice and Jeff were lucky enough to score a prime date in the middle of the summer. The reception was then held at the nearby Farmington Country Club. The couple chose timeless white on white linens for the tables and added some height in the form of a few tall candelabras (which were more affordable than floral ones).
They also reused the bridesmaid bouquets (set in elegant metal vases) on some of the tables for a mixed and matched look that provided more bang for their buck and kept everything from looking overly symmetrical and eerily identical.
Another personal touch that we adored was the collection of wedding portraits of their parents and grandparents that were displayed just outside the ballroom. This was a fun project for the mothers of the bride and groom, who enjoyed feeling involved in the planning process.
But our favorite display had to be the groomsmen gifts: personalized bobbleheads created to resemble each and every one of ‘em. The bride and groom picked up the utterly unique novelty gifts here.
Now when we crash a wedding, we don’t sit back and try to blend in. In fact we may have been single handedly responsible for the inexplicable formation of this conga line. But credit should be shared with the awesome twelve piece band (Horizon) who had everyone on the dance floor the entire night.
And not a memory was missed thanks to the couple’s photojournalist-style photographer (Rob Garland Photographers) who snapped a bevy of candid shots throughout the night.
When it came to Patrice & Jeff’s white almond cake with amaretto buttercream icing and blackberry filling, well, it took the cake. The traditional tiered design with pretty hydrangea accents kept things simple and sweet. And it tasted as good as it looks.
The party continued into the night and culminated with a much anticipated bouquet toss (from the balcony above the ballroom). There wasn’t a fistfight, but lets just say that there were plenty of extremely enthusiastic bouquet catchers below.
Then the evening sizzled to a close with a wow of an exit complete with sparklers (see the first picture above) and Patrice and Jeff escaped into the night as husband and wife.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our brand spankin’ new wedding crashing feature. Be sure to tell us what you think so we can bring you more of what you want. And stay tuned to see which wedding we’ll drop in on next. So many nuptials, so little time…
Why Can’t We Be Friends?
You guys read. You comment. Some of you even e-mail us. But don’t you think it’s about time we take our online relationship to the next level? And these days, what better way to make things “official” than to announce it to the world on Facebook? So click the image below to become a fan of Young House Love on good ol’ eff-book. We promise to give you some special news and announcements in return. And don’t worry, there won’t be any superpoking or weird zombie requests involved. Ever.
