Urban Backyard Garden Party

With this beautiful weather I thought I would share with you a recent event request for a garden party to showcase a recently acquired wall mural and updated landscaping in a backyard in Baltimore City.  I immediately had a vision that included strung globe lights, soft music playing in the background, good drinks, and great company.  Below are some images I found that perfectly illustrate that vision.

Image from The Daily Nest

Image from Pinterest

Image from Pinterest

Once I had a chance to discuss the party and space with the client I set to work on a design board and (very) rough sketch of the backyard.

The mural mentioned above has a flamingo theme which I attempted to highlight with accessories.

I will be sure to take before and after pictures of the set up and post them soon!

Design Show House: The Before

We had a meeting at the house this week, which officially kicks off the date we are able to take over the space and begin the transformation.  I was able to get a couple of pictures of the space before we get started.

Here is the design board:

1. Light, 2. SW Paint Color, 3. Mirror, 4. Shelf, 5. Kohler Purist Widespread Faucet, 6. Radiator Cover, 7. Succulent, 8. Fabric , 9. Mornings Away Art Print, 10. Towels

The homeowner doesn't want the tile walls or flooring to be removed so that created a bit of a design challenge but that soft blue tile coupled with a rich dark charcoal wall will give this room a completely different feel. Switching out the fixtures for brushed gold versions and covering the radiator will give the space more of a finished look.  I can't wait to get started!

To read about the whole process start here:

1. Announcing the Design Show House

2. BSO Design Show House Sophisticated Bathroom Design Board

3. BSO Design Show House: Adventure Awaits Reading Nook

4. BSO Design Show House: My Design is Selected!

Design Show House: Adventure Awaits Reading Nook

Hello there and thanks for following along as I write about the experience of submitting for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's 40th Annual Show House.  You can see previous posts about it here and here.

The second room I felt inspired to design was a small nook on the 3rd floor.  It was barely large enough to stand up but perfect for a small boy and his dog to get away for hours plotting great adventures together. I imagined the boy reading aloud to his dog, scoping out the stars, and dreaming of exotic far away places that only pirates can find.

The nook is the 1/2 circle window at the very top of the house.

Here is an image of the nook (it was hard to get a good image because of the size):

Isn't that huge window dreamy?

Below is the design board I submitted:

1. World Map Wall Mural, 2. SW Paint Color, 3. Telescope, 4. Lego Head 5. Light Fixture, 6. BB-8 Pillow, 7. Bike Pillow, 8. Dot Desk, 9. Floor Cushion, 10. Sailcloth Storage, 11. Sign

I have to admit, I felt inspired by my 6 year old son when designing this room.  Some of the items in the design board above are his favorites.  The letterpress box is an antique and holds all his little treasures from lego men, sea shells found on the beach, to that random robins egg found on a walk. He loves his adventures!

Design Show House: Sophisticated Bathroom Design Board

The BSO allows each designer to submit design boards for up to 3 rooms. I decided to submit for a bathroom and a small nook on the 3rd floor.  If you look at the picture from the last post of the front of the house, the nook is the semi-circle window at the top.  It's a perfect hideout for a small boy and his dog to daydream about all the adventures they will take together (more about that coming soon).

My first design submission was a small blue-tiled bathroom. The moment I entered this room I had an idea to transform it from it's current condition to something with a bit more wow-factor. The challenge in this space is that the designer is not permitted to change the tile wall or the floor.  I found a way to incorporate them into the design.

The view of the bathroom from our first visit to the Mayfair House:

Here is my design board showing the concept:

1. Light, 2. SW Paint Color, 3. Mirror, 4. Shelf, 5. Kohler Purist Widespread Faucet, 6. Radiator Cover, 7. Succulent, 8. Fabric , 9. Mornings Away Art Print, 10. Towels

This space was envisioned as the spot where a sophisticated woman gets ready in the morning and wants to start her day inspired by her surroundings. Updating this bathroom with a dark wall color above the blue tile along with modern French gold fixtures and accessories melds perfectly with the painting, titled Mornings Away.  A fabric roman shade and matching shower curtain would be added to bring diverse texture to the space. 

I am excited for the opportunity to work on this project. Wish me luck!

Tyler's Room: Big Updates for a Big Boy

I've been wanting to update Tyler's room since May (when he decided he was over the crib and crawling out was so much more fun).  I bought him a full size mattress and box spring to use with his crib (it converts to a full size headboard).  It's been sitting on the floor in case he falls out he wont hurt himself.  Also so he can get back in on his own because this Mama likes her sleep.  A lot.  :-)

Here is an inspiration board I put together of everything I have been considering doing in his room:

Source List:
Curtains, crib, dresser, chair, shark sheets: PotteryBarnKids
Striped duvet: West Elm
Sailboat picture and pillow: Etsy
World map: EBay
Paint: Behr

Here are a few pictures of Tyler's room when we first moved in:

The lovely light:

Here is some of the progress we've made:

We painted the walls,  hung his curtains, and added his furniture.

To see his nursery in the old house click here .

Our Lego Duplo House Party

I signed up at the House Party website to host a Lego Duplo Read and Build party and was so excited when this arrived one day:

Inside the box was 4 Lego Duplo Read and Build games and a bunch of other goodies to hand out to the guests:

I got to work right away creating a Lego Duplo board over on Pinterest to get some creative ideas for food and decoration.  {If you are thinking of throwing a Lego party for your kids there is some great inspiration on Pinterest.}

I decided to go the simple route with the food.  I was out of town the day before the party and had no time to bake Lego shaped cookies or mold Lego jello.

The kiddos had a great time playing together and at the end of the party we put names into a hat to see which 3 lucky guests got to take one of the Read and Build sets home with them.

Tyler's Bathroom is complete!!

FINALLY!  Ha!  We had a minor hiccup with the light.  It arrived slightly bent on one side but Shades of Light shipped another one right away and we recieved it two days later - great customer service!  Without further ado, here are the final pics of this bathroom:

The Before Pictures:

And here was my inspiration board I put together:

A few more after pictures:

A couple shots of the hardware:

This was Jeff's project.  Each of our 3 bathrooms have a fan timer.

Source List

LED Lights - Cree from Home Depot

Paint - Sherwin Williams Bathe Blue & Snowbound

Hardware, Art, & Waste Basket - Homegoods

Shower Curtain - West Elm

Towels - Macy's (already had)

Vanity Light - Shades of Light

Wainscoting - supplies from Home Depot installed by Superior Interiors

Shower Curtain Rod - Lowes

Toilet Seat/Kiddie Potty - Lowes