Posts by Sherry Petersik

While the majority of America seems to love hoarding and clutter, John and I are lone mice. Or whatever the opposite of a pack rat would be. But there’s a fine line between clean, uncluttered spaces and cold, stark rooms. It’s not an easy assessment to make on your own. But I was able to make an honest evaluation by photographing each of our rooms and then comparing each room in our house to rooms in decorating magazines and favorite furniture catalogs like Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel and Ballard Designs. I quickly realized that while our rooms were clean and simple, they were severely lacking in the design department. So of course I was

I am rarely excited by anything from JC Penney, but we just got the most amazing area rug for the living room. It has this great pattern (they call it “honeycomb”) and it’s real wool, which makes me feel like such a grown up. It was a steal for around $200 (the detail, the quality, and the coloring is totally reminiscent of a thousand dollar version I saw a while back- yessss). Plus since I ordered it online, I was able to use a promo code to score an additional 20% off AND free shipping (tip: google the name of the store along with the words “promo code” to save a bundle of cashola- in

We got our second guest bedroom ready for its close up just in the nick of time (we’re hosting some family tonight). A few days ago we showed you the new daybed and reading corner, but now we get to share some pics with more personality thanks to a bunch of punchy accessories. Much to my surprise, John okayed two fuzzy leopard pillows (he’s not really crazy about animal prints in general… now that’s love). The addition of a woven basket of books, some furry leopard slippers, and a splash of turquoise (in the form of a throw on the chair and a book on the ottoman) made the room practically scream “be our guest”

We gathered favorite photos that we took and turned them black and white. Then we hung them in a grid on the wall to create a collection of art that looks elegant and chic.

The third bedroom (also known as our second guest bedroom) has finally come together. And not a minute too soon since we’re hosting a gaggle of guests on Friday night. As a reminder, this is the former dining room that we converted into a bedroom by closing off the doorway that connected it to the kitchen (we didn’t miss the dining space since we moved it into our jumbo living room). Lucky for us, the old dining room already had a closet, so other than ripping down the chair rail and switching out the light fixture it wasn’t much work at all (after the doorway was closed by a professional). Here’s a picture of the

The PB Basic is a nice couch, but it’s more expensive and less attractive than the much more affordable versions from Rowe. Hopefully you’ll learn from our mistake.

Our house has never looked more festive. We decked the halls (well, more like the living room, the den, and the front door) with all things sparkly and even though it was 82 degrees yesterday (!) it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Our silver themed tree came out really well, and a few strategically placed silver balls made other objects around the house feel totally Santa-ready. My favorite new ornament holder is a giant clam shell from Z Gallerie that John surprised me with for my last birthday. The different toned silver ornaments inside twinkle like oversized pearls- but glass balls also look great in vases, on platters, and even hung from fishing

And they’re like Brangelina… so gorgeous it’s unfair. The cabinets came a long way today. In fact our installer is done with everything except for that reversed corner cabinet which is in the process of being reordered (and the baseboard, which he’ll put in once that cabinet arrives). He hung the microwave, put up all the doors and the brushed nickel hardware, and added all the crown molding- which really was the icing on the cake. Bellisimo. But enough chatter. Here are the pics. This is the view of the kitchen from the doorway that we widened in the living/dining room: And here’s the right side. We especially love that glass door in the corner-

Richmond got its first taste of winter yesterday in the form of some light snow. Sadly, nothing stuck and life went on unaffected (no snow day for John). Well, mostly unaffected. The precipitation kept the installer inside all day, instead of outside sawing the crown molding and cabinet baseboards. That meant progress was limited to getting the last couple cabinets in, sliding the dishwasher into place and getting 99% of our range hood hung (he still has to add the stainless steel “chimney” which will cover the big pipe that goes up through the ceiling). Admittedly, they’re not the most exciting update pics, but here they go anyway. Note: the dishwasher and hood are still