January Dining Room

Well, I'm cutting it pretty close putting January in the title. Even though February is just a few hours away I thought I'd show you what our dining room has looked like these past couple of weeks. Like most people, I always struggle a bit after Christmas trying to still make things looks cozy and not too bare once all of the greenery comes down. Obviously it's a bit too early for anything that has a spring-like feel to it so I generally keep things pretty simple. Although I do put all of my Christmas greenery away I generally use paperwhites for at least another month or so.  (We have just a few of our Ruffled Table Runners left in stock!)

You can see in the first two photos I had some cute little frames above the wingback chair that were a Christmas gift from my sister-in-law. I really wanted to use them in the living room but they were just too small so I ended up swapping them out with this painting we got several years ago and I think I have a good spot for the frames upstairs!

I have to admit I miss having the chairs on either side of the buffet. I moved them into the living room when I changed things around. I am keeping my eyes out for the perfect chairs for the living room, though, and when I do I will move those two back here.

Although we got rid of the Christmas greenery, we keep the hot cocoa station up for most of the winter. (You can see it decorated for Christmas here).

You can see photos of the living room side in yesterday's post.

Last year we got a bunch of e-mails requesting that this year we offer the Valentine's silhouette in a boy option to go with the girl. We just got them finished up and are listing them in our shop right now.

Have a wonderful evening!

Est. 2013

Just wanted to pop in this morning with our newest pillow cover. We thought these would make great wedding gifts. I'll be back tonight with the some photos of our dining room.

Have a blessed Thursday!

Updated Living Room

In the middle of December (I think it was December 15th) I took all of our Christmas decorations down seeing how I knew that when we returned from NH it would be mid January it would be the last thing in the world I would want to do. Plus all of our fresh greenery would have been completely dry and probably have made a huge mess. Lillie was a bit confused why were packing it all away when there was still ten more days until Christmas (and I am sure our neighbors were too, since I had put our tree up in early November - haha, I think they must all think we are crazy) but I was so glad we did it because it certainly was nice to walk through the door after a fourteen hour trip to a clean, blank canvas. Once everything was down, everything looked so bare and I decided I was getting kind of bored with the layout as it was and that it might be fun to play around with it a bit. After trying a few different things I ended up with this. Although I have to say I liked the other way a bit better, it is nice to switch it up every once in a while and this way really makes the space feel more open and larger.

 

Our "Love is..." pillow cover sets are available in our shop.

 You can see how we made our tufted ottoman here and the painted lampshade here.

 I was excited to add our 2012 Family Albums! I wrote a post on our 2011 here and will do another one soon on this year's books!

This was the layout we had before:

So it's still pretty similar. I tried putting the couch opposite the mantel but it was just a hair to close to the door which was disappointing because I liked the look of that best.

 We also are offering this year our Je T'aime pillow covers in the 12 by 20 size in white ink!

 

And we have just restocked our Valentine's Silhouette pillow covers and they are on sale! 

And here's my little photo bomber. She was dancing around while I took these photos and I had to try to not get a flash of purple in just about every shot! =)

I hope you all have a beautiful rest of the week!

So you want to hire a decorator

Many people think that working with a decorator is out of their reach financially  or that the results of the pairing would create a space that wasn't personal.  Neither of these beliefs are true if  homeowners  matche their  needs with the right decorator's skill set. 
 
Professional decorators usually hold a set of  basic beliefs about designing spaces that support  their interactions with clients.   For example I believe: 

everyone deserves a beautiful space ....

 
 Margaret Ryall
 
interesting and inviting interiors can exist without a high price tag;
 
 
Photography: Brian Ricks
 
a space should reflect the needs and interests of the owner;

 

 Margaret Ryall 

furniture arrangement makes or breaks a space;

Margaret Ryall

personal items are the best accessories;

Margaret Ryall

editing a space can transform it;


  

  Margaret Ryall
 
layering objects, colours and textures create interesting spaces;

Photography:  Brian Ricks

art completes an interior design;

 

Margaret Ryall

harmonizing is more interesting than over matching;

designing a room is the same as designing a painting; 

and most important of all .... 

listening is key to designing.

 As you can see these are broad beliefs that can be applied to most spaces. They do not dovetail into any particular look.   Everyone is different and their spaces should reflect  this individuality.  

My approach: 
I  compose spaces  in various ways, problem solve situations, use colour to harmonize or contrast; understand the various principles and elements of design and put them together to produce  interesting spaces.   I like to meet clients, find out about them as people, look at their spaces and what they own,  and then create a space  that is personal to them. The key to this process is listening and questioning.

 Do clients  have to love what I love?  NO! Are there projects that are easy for me?  Yes!  I love mid century modern styling and like to mix it with more contemporary pieces for a  clean edged  look with lots of neutrals, texture, splashes of colour and interesting lines to create quiet spaces.

 Can I create  traditional designs?  Yes!   How about eclectic?  Yes!  It's all about understanding the characteristics of these styles and working with the likes/dislikes of the homeowner.    

Is there a decorator in your future? 

I Love You All The Way To God And Back...

"I love you all the way to God and back..." 

- Blake Brower Hubbard