Curtain Alternative

Sorry guys for the lack of posts. I've been working away on projects, so my blogging time has been minimal, but thanks for continuing to check-in and have faith that eventually a new post will appear. Today is your lucky day!

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Often window treatments can be the most expensive thing in a house. I love the look of window treatments because they make a room feel done, "clothed." Plus it is a great way to bring in a fabulous fabric! However, there are ways to make your windows feel "done" without window treatments that also save you a few bucks.

Lately, I've been seeing a lot of interiors paint the window frame a particular color - the head, the jamb, the sash, the sill, the muntins - the whole darn thing. It looks fantastic and really emphasizes the architectural details of the window(s). I think it still provides a finished look but in a clean, fresh, minimalist way.

I also found this genius idea while flipping through the most recent Traditional Home magazine. Of my favorite designers, Ruthie Sommers, designed the home of a young couple and rather than put window treatments up in the dining room, she outlined the windows with a narrow tape trim - brilliant!

I love the idea to choose another color other than a dark color like this sun room in Country Living magazine:

So there are OPTIONS if you can't swing window treatments...in my opinion they are not always a 'must' in an interior!

52 Degrees and Dreaming

I love the fall and winter seasons because they call for cozy environments, lots of coffee, comfort food and tall boots and warm sweaters. However, I'm a beach girl at heart, and with this 50 degree weather we've been having I've been dreaming about warm weather vacations and new swimsuits to wear while I'm lounging on the beach.

I'm LOVING this sharp, graphic suit from Urban Outfitters:

One of my dreams/goals is to own a beach cottage one day. I don't need anything fancy, just four walls, a couple of bedrooms and beach front property. I think the charm in a beach house is that it's a place where you can carry sand into the house and eat pimento cheese sandwiches while sitting on the sofa in your wet bathing suit.

I've had these photos of this house below in my files forever. I believe they were from a past Domino magazine. I think the layout and design of this place captures the essence of a beach vacation home. I love how everything is bare, yet it's still inviting with the upholstered, mismatched furniture. It's a place where you could have a large family with tons of kids running around and not worry about getting fingerprints on the glass or sand in the floorboards.

A Bit of Wisdom

I came across this short video clip that I had to share. It made me so thankful for our furry family member, Max.

Ushering in 2010

I know the new year began last Friday, but I feel like today is the beginning of the new year. I don't know why, maybe because I think in "weeks" so any resolutions I made for this year I didn't start until today. Plus, it was nice to have the weekend to say, " I'll eat those extra two slices of bread because starting Monday, less bread."

I'm excited for this new year, although I cannot articulate exactly why. I'd rather embrace the mystery of what will come to fruition during the next 365 days. I did make a list of resolutions, but I'm only sharing two of them because I've gotta keep some things personal here;)

1. Try to be better, not perfect. (I tend to be a perfectionist, or rather strive to be a perfectionist. So rather than hold myself to ridiculous expectations, I'm going to try to have a bit more grace with myself this year and pat myself on the back when I just do better at something.)

2. Enjoy the beauty in small things every day. (Reflecting on 2009, I realized how quickly the year flew by, which is scary the older you get! I want to pay attention more to the little beauties in every day life. Being immersed in the design world, it's easy to dream of the perfect house and then decide not to use your good china until you move into that perfect house. Well, no sir-ree! Even though we are house hunting, I love our little rented hobbit home and it will be a bittersweet day when we leave. So I'm making the most of it and pulling out my fine china even if it's for a cup of tea for myself!

I did want to share with you a fun idea I pulled from Joanna's blog, A Cup of Joe. She discovered an artist that has been illustrating the "missed connections" column in Craigslist. I love these, and it's a great reminder of the sweet things that happen every day that we are not aware of. Check more of her illustrations here.