What We Love About September

/

 

1.   "Cozy sweaters, boots, and lots of layers." - Christy 2.   "Bonfires in the canyon. Crisp, cool air mixed with the smell of campfire." - Holly 3.   "Sundance summers are fun but Sundance in the fall is everything! The smells, The Foundry, the General Store, the whole place exudes warmth and feels like home." - Suzanne 4.   "The return of caramel apples and everything pumpkin - bread, cookies, drinks, and more!" - Natalie 5.   "Time for a new candle - Break out the fall smells." - Jessica 6.   "Warm, gooey colors." - Jessica 7.   "Tailored jackets and plaid scarves." - Kristina 8.   "Good TV. All of our favorite shows are back on!" - Jessica 9.   "Getting to sleep with the windows open." - Megan 10. "New school supplies. Nothing I love more than a fresh notebook." - Eliesa

[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]

Book Review "The Perfectly Imperfect Home"

/

Lately, my favorite design book is “The Perfectly Imperfect Home” by Deborah Needleman, the former editor of Domino. I’ve been reading it chapter by chapter and taking notes, soaking in all the great tips and advice for making your home a beautiful reflection of you. The watercolor illustrations are equally captivating. To me they are reminiscent of Mark Hampton’s book “On Decorating.” (Another book I highly recommend!) They are a perfect companion to Deborah’s stylish wisdom.

 

“The Perfectly Imperfect Home” is a wonderful book for the individual looking to personalize their home, to make each space meaningful, functional, and lovely. Not only do you get the “hows” of decorating, but you get the “whys” and “whats” as well. She gives advice for decorating each room and element of your home. From the entry to the bedroom to adding the finishing touches. It’s like a list of stylish secrets from her to you of how to embrace your home and its imperfections.

My favorite chapter is about adding personality and a bit of “quirk” to your home. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to say your home should be goofy, but that it should have spirit and life. It’s about the objects that make your space special and humanizing.

 

“An element of quirkiness in your decor shows that you do not take decorating or, by extension, yourself too seriously. A room that is decorated within an inch of its life feels self-important and static. Style ought to be loose and easygoing; capacious and expansive! A little something unexpected makes us comfortable. Quirkiness and its sidekick, charm, represent the lighthearted humanity of your home.”

She suggests:

- Using pictures by your children mixed in with real art

- Incorporating “jollifiers,” sentimental treasures that spread joy every time you look at them

- Small animals, like a nice inanimate pet. Whether a small stuffed animal on , a painted dog on your bookshelf, or a stately horse on your mantle

- Adding an odd chair to the sidelines of a room

- Including something unexpected with color, art or scale

“Decoration can be life-enhancing. It can make dinner parties more fun, kids happier, relaxing easier, talks more intimate, guests at ease. And to think decorating is often considered frivolous. Making a charmed and happy home is a noble endeavor. The simple secret is making sure that every decorating decision contributes to the creation of beauty and comfort.“

- Kristina

[photos from "The Perfectly Imperfect Home"]

Book Review: Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams "The Comfortable Home"

/

This great how-to book by Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams is an endless cache of design tips, decorating checklists, and inspirational room settings and furniture pieces.  If someone is thinking of re-decorating or re-purposing their home, this serves as a wonderful starting place.

First, they say, you should define your style.   Do you like modern, sleek pieces or traditional, classic pieces?  The authors recommend mixing and matching different styles to achieve a timeless and versatile look.  “For us, it’s all about the mix, whether you’re filling your traditional home with modern furniture or adding elements of country style to a mostly modern living room.  Don’t be afraid to consider furnishings from different eras with a subtle blend of finishes, fabrics and colors.  The result will be a uniquely personal space.”

Mitchell and Bob put the reader’s mind at ease with their room-by-room guide that shows you how to work with your room’s scale and purpose.  Will the room be used for entertaining, for everyday living, or for formal occasions?  Does the room need pull-away seating or hidden storage?  Keep this functionality in mind when you’re selecting new pieces.  For example, a high traffic area like an entry may not be the place for a white rug.

They give some great tips for helping your home reach its full potential.  Invest in simple, clean window treatments, staying with the same draperies throughout your home’s common spaces.  If you need to alter hardware or treatments because of a window’s shape or functionality, use similar colors and fabrics.  Choose a neutral palette for your walls, and limit the number of colors in your home overall.  Change the amount of color in each room to create visual interest.  Finally, let your home’s architecture shine through.  Paint or stain all wood trim in the same way, and use all the same style, finish, and color for all your doors and hardware.  Keep the flooring consistent, as “different floor colors or finishes in hallways and adjacent rooms can make a layout feel choppy.”

Most importantly, they recommend everyone do their design homework.  Scan books, magazines, online photo albums, and see what style speaks to you.  We always recommend opening a Pinterest account, as this is a great place to collect your favorite design moments and discover new, inspiring design elements.

In the hustle and bustle of a hectic world, creating a peaceful and welcoming home is a must.  This book by Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams helps us organize our thoughts and design rooms that will bring happiness to our homes.  “We’ve found that how you arrange the furniture can have a real impact on your home life…Each new update is a chance to reassess what makes us feel at home.”

- Andrea

[photos from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams The Comfortable Home]

Inspiration in Unusual Places - Back to School Fashion

/

It's that time again... back to school. Fall clothes are always a favorite - cozy sweaters, crisp button ups and boots - and a necessity for the first day of school. When shopping for the kiddos be inspired by all of the colors, textures, and patterns. Black and white stripes are always a classic. Keep it casual, easy and breezy or glam it up with a few gold accents.

Keep it monochromatic. Use different shades of blues - on the walls, with accessories and in the artwork. Polka dots are all the rage right now! In your interiors, use them wisely. These tiles are spaced evenly and in line but still gives the polka dot effect.

Blue! Use a striped rug to create and casual, easy and comfortable feel to the room.

Use a bold graphic statement piece for your artwork.

Make a room pop with a bold pair of cerulean velvet chairs. Luxurious and welcoming!

How will your back-to-school shopping inspire your interiors?

[photos 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

 

 

 

 

Book Review: Mary McDonald's "Interiors"

/

Inspiration is all around but books and magazines are a great place to start! We recently started carrying a few of our favorite books in the store - books that feature work from our favorite interior designers. To give you a little taste and inspiration, we will be starting a new feature called "Book Review" where all of our employees talk about their favorite book. Jen, who works in the store to arrange the floor,  will start this new feature off with Mary McDonald's book, Interiors.

If anyone thinks interior designers are not artists they need to be introduced to Mary McDonald! Creativity is bursting out of her! From her custom painted wood floors to 19th century embroidered tablecloths used as bedspreads, her ideas are endless.

In Mary’s book, Interiors, she says, “The first thing to do when you are ready to decorate is to think of all the things and places that you love.”

She does just that. She not only meets her client’s needs but she reflects their personal style better than they could ever imagine.  When Mary’s friend wanted his bachelor pad revamped she drew inspiration from his love for fashion.  She had his living room curtains fashioned from men’s vintage pin striped suites, and his bed pillows made from vintage silk ties. The woman is brilliant!

Mary McDonald is known for her ability to mix old world with the new world.  While reading her book I was amazed that she could effortlessly freshen a historic space using modern touches.   She described this natural style best when she said, “There’s a poetry to layering the new and the old with an insouciance that makes it seem as if everything just fell into place.”

Our homes should be uniquely our own, and Mary McDonald’s Interiors inspires us do just that.

- Jen

[photos from Mary McDonald's Interiors - The Allure of Style]

How-To: Make Your Summer Bed

/

 

Start with your fitted and flat sheet. If your sheets have a pattern turn them pattern down, so that when they are folded back, the pattern is showing. Our favorite sheets are our Libeco linen sheets. They are breathable and light in the summer but keep the heat in the colder months. Really, the perfect sheets!

Because the summers in Utah are so warm, we use a quilt or coverlet as your overall top layer and fold the duvet at the bottom of the bed. Place the pillows used for sleeping at the headboard. Then layer the Euros in front of them - three for a king and two for a queen.

For the final touches - add decorative pillows. Use the decorative pillows to connect the dots. Mix sizes, patterns, texture, and scale  - make sure that they relate to one another through color or style. Choose from hair on hide, woven leathers, furs, shell details, wovens, velvets, these will give your decor a feeling of luxury and authenticity. This is your room - you deserve to feel like a queen!

Party at Your House - Make your Event Come to Life

/

When hosting a party, you want your guests to feel comfortable and to set the mood. Flowers and candles have a huge impact on the setting with little effort. Whether your party is indoors or out, add each of these to create the feeling.

Adding flowers to the coffee table or a side table will bring in color and life. Pick up a bunch at your local floral shop, trim the stems and add them to a vase. Using one type and color of flower is a quick and foolproof way to do it yourself.

Use a small grouping of votives on a tray or just place one in a setting on a side table to create that warm glow.

A patio setting is a great place to use candles and flowers. Keep it neutral and earthy with white flowers and succulents or make it loose with a few wildflowers in vases spaced over the table.

[photos 1-4 by Meikel Reece, 5, 6, 7]

Inspiration in Unusual Places - The Fourth of July

/

Celebrate the Fourth of July in glamour. This red, white and blue color scheme can be very patriotic but used, in the right way, it can also be very sophisticated. These are a few of our favorite rooms. Use the scheme literally, and add a flag as wall art.

Adding in a piece of artwork adds some pizazz to this room and makes a bold statement. Add some color to your bedding with red, white and blue.

Navy blue walls add sophistication and depth to this dining room but the contrast of the white slipcovered chairs and linen drapes make it feel a bit more relaxed and breezy.

A pretty tufted persimmon headboard, with the contrast of crisp white sheets make this bedroom glamorous. I'm in love with this velvet navy sectional and that gold elephant! Love!

Happy Fourth of July! What will you be doing to celebrate?

[photos from Elle Decor, Lonny, and Rue]

Summer Twirl 2012!

/

I am such a seasonal girl; whether winter, spring, summer, or fall, I welcome all with open arms! As soon as the weather starts to change, I always get an itch to throw a party, so naturally, as the summer solstice approached, I sent all my home girls at Alice Lane a lil' invitation to the FIRST ANNUAL ATTIC TWIST & TWIRL! Everyone chatted about what they'd wear, what we'd eat, and where on earth would I fit everyone in the itty bitty attic!

I had big ideas and a small deck where I wanted everything to take place. After the lights were strung and the tables set, my guests began to arrive. We ate the seasons best; Megan brought potato salad, Christy brought caprese bites, Natalie brought kouign amanns (go to Le Madeline in Salt lake and experience these for yourselves) and Jesi topped it all off with her grandma's famous Strawberry Rhubarb pie! After dining on the deck, we retired to the garden where we played croquet till dark. It was silly and spontaneous - we even hula hooped!

Once the sun had set, it was time for us to make fairies in a jar! All you do is take an old mason jar, dump glow sticks and diamond glitter inside and shake. It was a riot and with just the right Pandora mix, our party got a little crazy! We danced on the rooftop with the lights and no matter what they say, the accidental lantern fire made everything more exciting!

The hour was late but I didn't want it to end! We still had one more activity... a gift exchange. I believe that you shouldn't leave a party empty handed and, as women, we love to give gifts almost as much as we love to receive them. Jess was a big fan of the butterfly net Andrea gave her... Megan was not as amused. Such fun!

It was pure  joy, gathering all of my favorite girls together for a midnight summer's dream - and that's exactly what it was, a dream. A twirl. A time to celebrate the season and each other. La chiam!

Cheers to summer! Suzanne