Jane's House: The Study

Today we're kicking off the design of Jane's house with her study, which will be in a 12' x 11' bedroom on the second floor of their new home. The room itself is fairly standard, though there is a lovely large West-facing window that we'll be playing up with some wonderful draperies. As this room will be primarily Jane's, we decided to go for a slightly more feminine look and play up the traditional-meets-bohemian look that feels just a bit English: think prep meets paisley. It's warm and comfortable, but still a little bit dressed up. Jane also requested a warmer color palette, professing a love for golds, oranges and reds. Of course, P.W. has declared an affinity for blues and grays, meaning that (as is so often the case), the decorator must put on her mediator cap and find a way to make both parties happy.

So where to begin? Well, I always like to find a rug or a fabric that really ties a room together; something that combines all the colors of the room into one fantastic print. From there, you can simply pull out wall colors and accent colors with ease. While I found this rug actually midway through the design process, I immediately knew it was the perfect piece to pull what had been disparate pieces together into a coherent design. Aside from the great color palette of sage green, orange, red-orange and slate blue, the large-scale floral pattern with its slightly raised pile reminds me of crewel work, lending it the sort of traditional-meets-bohemian vibe that I was going for. What makes this even better: at $329 (less a 25% discount we scored thanks to Horchow's frequent sales) for a 5' x 8', the rug is a good buy.

Next up are the fabric selections. Since Jane is a fan of warmer, earthier tones, I decided to pull out the rich orange in the rug as the primary accent color, with warm shades of chocolate brown and sand to keep the room grounded. The Moroccan-style tile print of the draperies is open, airy and fairly neutral, but still interesting. We'll pick up on the more exotic prints with an ikat print in two colorways of coral and sand. The bolder coral will go on the desk chair, while both colors will be made into throw pillows for the daybed (the one existing piece that's going into the room). Finally, a simple sand and chocolate ticking stripe will add a masculine, geometric touch to the space as another print for the pillows. Besides, I'm of the opinion that a room is never truly finished without some sort of stripe.

To balance the warm tones of all the fabrics, I decided to pull out the slate blue in the rug for the wall color (Benjamin Moore's Santorini Blue). Not only does the contrast of cooler walls with warmer fabrics and furniture create a more interesting room, but it also serves another key purpose: it brings in P.W.'s beloved blue-gray, ensuring his tastes are reflected in the room as well. Now that we've selected the color palette and fabrics, it's time to pull everything together:

As I noted, the only existing furniture we're working with is the West Elm daybed. We'll keep with the chocolate brown finish for the other major furniture pieces as well, selecting clean, modern furniture with simple lines and smaller foot prints to suit the dimensions of the room. Jane originally was attracted to a sawhorse-style desk she saw in a Ballard Designs catalogue; however, P.W. requested a glass-top desk, so we found this one on sale at Pottery Barn for under $300 that combines the glass-top with the open, sawhorse-style that Jane was so attracted to in the other piece. I opted for a simple Parsons-style chair (with slightly flared front legs, which lends it a bit more grace and femininity) upholstered in a vivid orange ikat -- just as comfortable, and infinitely more attractive than an ugly office chair. 

To make up for the lack of storage, I selected a small filing cabinet from West Elm (that can also pull double duty as a side table) and some West Elm woven storage boxes in creams and slate blues add texture and are pretty enough to leave out. On the other side of the daybed, a vibrant orange table adds interest and color and breaks up all the dark brown furniture. A vintage-style task lamp from Pottery Barn adds a bit of antique flavor and interest.

Source List:

Firenze Embroidered Panel in Chocolate (Ballard Designs)
Malabar Fabric in Sand and Coral (Ballard Designs)
Ticking Stripe in Chocolate/Cream (Mod Green Pod)
Woven Storage Boxes (West Elm)

Modular File Cabinet (West Elm)

Upholstered Couture Chair in Malabar Coral (Ballard Designs)

Photographer's Task Table Lamp (Pottery Barn)

Ava Desk (Pottery Barn)

Martini Side Table in Persimmon (West Elm)

Vanessa Rug (Horchow)

Santorini Blue by Benjamin Moore

Of course, I'll post pictures once the room is finished (should be sometime in June), but in the meantime we'll continue to search for a few fun accessories and art to really make the space sing.

Jane's House

Jane's House (as of April 15, 2011)

I know it may feel like I have abandoned you, but I promise I have not. Indeed, I've been hard at work on a new project (and a series here on Odi et Amo) -- Jane's House! My sister and her husband P.W. are designing and building a new home in the greater Houston area (right near me, in fact!) and I'm both honored and excited that they've asked for my help in decorating a few of the rooms.

While the house is still under construction, we're already starting to plan how to decorate it -- after all, that's the fun part, right? Jane and P.W. are almost doubling the square footage of their last home, so they'll be needing quite a bit of new stuff to fill the house. So, while several rooms will remain largely empty for the time being, they'd still like a few rooms to be "done" enough to feel like home. And, of course, since this is reality, they're also on a budget.

The Floor Plan

Over the course of the next few weeks, I'll be laying out some ideas for my sister on a few key rooms: her study, the master bedroom, P.W.'s media room (i.e., his pride and joy) and the open concept living room/kitchen. Throughout this process, my goals remain three-fold: to keep my "clients" happy, to stay within their budget and to demonstrate that great design can indeed come at an affordable price and from accessible sources (i.e., everything will come from "big box" stores -- no trade-only here!).

Stay tuned for the first installment next week: Jane's study! In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend! 

Baby G. Update: Week 5

On Monday Baby G. turned one month old and I have to say it both feels like he's been around forever and that he was just born yesterday. What makes me happiest is that I feel like I'm starting to get more back every day: he's more alert, more active, and even starting to coo and verbalize some! Even better, we're starting to get more sleep as he's been sleeping 5-7 hours straight at night for the past 10 days or so.   I know, I know...I shouldn't brag and it's likely to come back to bite me in the behind in a few weeks or months (or with the next child), but for now I'm eternally grateful for the rest.

So far, his favorite activity (apart from eating, of course!) seems to be laying on my bed, staring at the ceiling fan, but he also loves car rides and walks in his stroller. He's a pretty serious baby, perhaps due to Dave's habit of discussing news and politics with him every night, and is already showing signs of being very independent. He tends to prefer sleeping in his bassinet to in someone's arms and is already good at falling asleep on his own (provided he doesn't get himself too worked up first!).

As you can tell from those chubby cheeks, he's also putting on weight like a champ. At his one month check-up last week, he weighed in at 10 pounds, 8 ounces and based on our inexact weigh-in at home, he's now over 11! I certainly hope he's an early walker because at this rate, I won't be able to carry him for long!

The Elephant in the Room

Palmer Weiss

It's no secret that elephants are an incredibly popular motif in interior design right now. From paperweights to side tables, they're popping up just about everywhere. My favorite iteration so far though has to be this chic console table, shown above in classic white and below in cherry red. It's safari-chic but all glammed up in slick lacquer. 

Ruthie Sommers

You can snag one for yourself from Circa Who on 1stDibs. If you're looking for a less expensive way to bring an elephant home with you, here are a few other great options:

Source list (clockwise, from top left): (1) Hook, Anthropologie; (2) Cast-Metal Elephant, West Elm; (3) Bottle Stopper, ZGallerie; (4) Bookshelf, DwellStudio; (5) Blue Elephant, Pieces; (6) Stationery, Iomoi; (7) Tape Dispenser, Iomoi; (8) Side Table, Revival Home & Garden; (9) Silk-Screen Print, Serena & Lily; (10) Salt & Pepper Shakers, Jonathan Adler; and (11) Pillow, John Robshaw.

HUGE Sale at Mod Green Pod!

Just wanted to alert everyone to a huge sale going on now at Mod Green Pod, an eco-friendly fabric and wallpaper company based in Austin, Texas. Everything, yes, everything is currently 50% off. Fabrics are now $15/yard for solids and $20/yard for prints. Wallpaper is currently $55 a roll. Hurry while supplies last! I'm thinking of picking up some fabric to recover a small bench I bought on One King's Lane a few months ago.

And no, I'm not a paid promoter, just a big fan. A few years ago, I used their Grand Jubliee fabric in cream to recover a wingback chair. It's now one of my favorite pieces of furniture -- and where I nurse Baby G. every night!

Happy weekend!

Spring/Summer Essentials

Although Houston enjoys moderate winters, there's just something about Spring that puts a little bounce in my step. Perhaps it's the promise of summer (though my summer vacations have long since passed) or the newly budding flowers, but a gorgeous spring day never fails to put me in a good mood. And, of course, I love spring and summer fashions: the bright colors, the perky prints, fabulous sandals and wedges...it's just so refreshing after months of grays on black.

This Spring, I'm looking to update my wardrobe with some fresh new staples that are easy wearing...and easy washing (both Baby G. and I seem to go through several wardrobe changes a day now)! The type of clothes that will transition from mommy-hood to my pretty casual office. Navy and white (especially white jeans!) are my go-to's for warmer weather, but I'll be updating the classic nautical pairing with bright accessories like those gorgeous Tory Burch Sandals (orange and hot pink are both amazing with navy) and fun prints like Kate Spade's Daycation shopper. An on-trend maxi dress in a bold print is an easy weekend staple that will keep me cool and casual without feeling schleppy. Finally, I'm longing to swap out my everyday watch for something fun, light and a little bit different, like Michael Kors' resin and rose gold watch.

Clockwise (from top left): Coral Dress (Tory Burch), Jersey Blazer (Boden), Daycation Bon Shopper (Kate Spade), Denim Pleated Trouser Short (Gap), Gold Coast Lacey wallet (Kate Spade), Stripe Sunburst Tank (J.Crew), Horton Sandals (Tory Burch), Michael Kors Show Stopper Resin Watch (Nordstrom), Sexy Boot Surplus Jeans in White (Gap), and Dorrie Skirt (J.Crew).

What pieces are you craving this Spring? Any new trends you're dying to try out?

Baby G. gets his portrait taken

Last weekend my college roommate (who married my cousin!) came over to take pictures of Baby G. for his birth announcement. I went with an announcement from Pear Tree Greetings, which has a great selection of modern stationery that's highly customizable. Of course, I had to do an aqua and orange color theme to go with his nursery. Here are a few of the gorgeous pictures Lisa took: