Urban Nest

Do you know about Serena & Lily? A friend brought me their catalog recently and I wondered how it could be that I’ve never come across this company before! I loved the photography just as much as the products on each page. But it was the classic, comfortable design that really drew me in.

{ all images from www.serenaandlily.com }

The duo started Serena and Lily with fabrics and bedding sets to reinvent the nursery, but have since moved to bedrooms designed for all ages. I am in the midst of redesigning my guestroom (more on that to come) so I flipped through the catalog and then browsed the website for color schemes, fabric choices, and other ideas.

In addition to the bedding and accessories, there is also a selection of paints and fabric you can purchase by the yard. And I love the “Get Creative” tips on the site that offer up ideas, such as covering a basic, metal bedframe with rope! Click here for more details.

Lastly, check out the Bazaar section on their web site for some unique finds for your home. If you have the opportunity, visit www.serenaandlily.com or better yet check out a copy of the catalog. It’s a great size and will hopefully be an inspiration to you as well.

The bold, floral wall paper by Anna French!  I placed the order yesterday, so it is official.  Violet’s closet will be lined with this fantastic paper:

{image from anna french}

Thanks for all of your input and encouragement to go bold.  As a few of you pointed out, this paper might make the room a little dark, so I’m considering just papering the back wall and keeping the other walls light and bright.  I have a little bit of time to think about it because Violet’s room is a work site right now, but it is exciting to watch the progress.  I’m thrilled that the old, chipping radiator is gone.

I’m really curious to see what the new transom above the door will look like.   The old one was cracked and previous owners just painted it white to cover the problem.  It’s been removed and we will replace it with frosted glass.  

We also removed the damaged door and have a new 5-panel door and fresh nickel knob from Rejuvenation.  It’s all coming together – stay tuned for more updates!

I’ve been moving ahead with with a fresh blue and white color palette in my living room,  Thanks to everyone who chimed in when I was narrowing down the color options!  I still need curtains and some accessories on the bookshelves, but I now have pillows – woohoo.  Here is a reminder of what the room looks like.

And here are my comfy new pillows.

I whipped these up using this Celerie Kemble fabric from Schumacher and a textured white fabric that I found at Williams and Sherrill.  I have to say that I’m really happy with how they turned out.  Now I just need to find some time to make crisp white linen curtains – maybe after I spend a little time kicking back on my new pillows.

My mom came to visit this week so that I could get a jump start on all of the projects I have in the works.  Violet and I were both sad to see her go this morning, but I made a lot of progress while she was here.  I focused mostly on the updates to the guest bedroom – more on that in the weeks to come.  I did make a little more headway on Violet’s room, too.  I mentioned earlier this week that we are turning Violet’s miniature closet into a playroom.  Behind this small door is a pretty good sized space for a little girl:

It’s about 3 feet by 9 feet, but it’s in rough shape.  The plaster walls are falling apart in some places, and it’s just not very practical for hanging clothes.  These pictures aren’t the best, but you can get an idea of how the closet is set up today.

The shelves and one small hanging bar are coming out next week, and we’ll be fixing the plaster walls.  Once I have a clean slate, my plan is to wallpaper this small room with something very fun and feminine.  Here are the current candidates:

{images from Anna French, Jonathan Adler, Studio Printworks, and Designers Guild}

I’m leaning towards the bold floral print by Anna French – how often will I have a chance to use a wall paper like this?!  But, I still love the softer-hued papers by Jonathan Adler, Studio Printworks, and Designers Guild.  Which one would you choose?

The work on my daughter’s room was supposed to start this week, but our contractor was delayed a week – drat!  Actually, it’s probably for the best.  It will give me more time to line up all of the finishing details that will go in the room once the dust has settled, and it also gave me time to take some before shots.  Here is what Violet’s room looks like:

There are lots of things that I love about Violet’s room today.  I’m a huge fan of pale blue walls for a little girl and the touches of red add just the right punch.  My favorites are the sentimental gifts from family and friends, like the quilt that my mom made and the pewter pea pod from Juliet:

Despite all of the things I love about her room, it’s time for a change.  As Violet has gotten older, she has had more say about what comes in to her room, and everything she picks is pink!  I don’t really like the pale blue and light pink combo for my almost 4 year old, so I’m just going to embrace the pink in her new room (as you can see from the sneak peek of the fabric choices).  Some new furniture is also in order to replace the changing table and rocker that are still in her room.

We are transforming the little closet into a pint-sized playroom, and the toys that have landed all over our house will finally have a home!  We are going to replace the changing table with an armoire to make up for the loss of the closet.  Violet and I have lots of other tricks up our sleeves for her new room – I can’t wait to share them all.  Keep your fingers crossed that the work will start next week!

They’re out there. The 2010 calendars are slowly emerging on blogs and web sites. It may be a little early to be thinking that far ahead, but I love to see the fresh designs and creative solutions that surface each fall. Here’s a round-up of some I’m digging right now. So what do you all think-have you seen any out there that are must haves?

{ 2010 calendar round-up (top-bottom, l-r) }

1. Offset desk calendar from Egg Press printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks.

2. Mini accordion folding calendar (comes with easel) from Paper Source.

3. Paper Source wall art calendar, backside has template to reuse each page.

4. Letterpress desk calendar from Snow & Graham.

5. Blackbird shipping tag 2010 calendar from Etsy seller The Paper Thieves.

6. Yee-Haw Industries 2010 letterpress “weiner” calendar.

7. Yellow birch wood pattern calendar from Night Owl Paper Goods.

8. Letterpress wall calendar with ribbon from Linda & Harriett.

All of the talk about back to school has me thinking about getting some new “school” supplies myself.  I particularly like having a stash of notebooks and notepads around for when inspiration strikes.  These are on my wish list:

{images from kate's paperie and paper cup design}

I love this 100% recycled notebook from Kate’s Paperie and the printed spine on these pastel numbers from paper cup design – perfect for when I want to keep my thoughts together in one place.

For making lists and leaving notes, I’d like to have these:

{images from see jane work and anthropologie}

I can just picture how pretty my grocery list would look on this crisp, white notepad from See Jane Work or this kraft paper notepad from anthropologie.  

What school supplies are on your wish list?

While all the teachers we know are busy this week moving into new classrooms, I am dreaming of summer getaways to this gorgeous East Hampton, NY weekend house where the design and decor is loaded with charming and innovative details reminiscent of school days.

This is brilliant – a mop sink in the bathroom! Paired with tiled walls and linoleum floors, not only do you have a sleek, industrial, masculine bathroom, but a completely functional place to hose off the dog or rinse out your bathing suit in style.

And who knew those worn wooden classroom chairs would play so nicely together in the dining room?

The owners (who are also the designers) employ other schoolhouse details like roller shades, metal doors, and filament bulbs that subtly enrich the effect. The minimalist palette is crisp white with shades of gray and black throughout — kind of like a chalkboard — and is the perfect backdrop for pops of color found in fresh flowers, a bowl of fruit or a stack of books. 

Even the long span of stainless steel cabinets and appliances recall the cafeteria line.

What a clever and sophisticated interpretation of “old school” functional design. And a great example of ways we can use any space to inspire our own. 

article :: slideshow {all images: Eric Striffler for The New York Times}

I’m the type of person who likes to reread books, so I like to own books that I enjoyed and have a hard time lending them out. When I do give to others to borrow, I usually end up scribbling my name in the inside cover last minute…and it doesn’t look to pretty! I would really like to add a book plate to all of my coveted reads, so I am thinking on a cold day this winter I’ll get organized.

{ click to download printable pdf }

These are some book plate designs I came up with. Click on the image to download and print at home. Avery labels sells 8.5″ x 11″ sheets that are sticker-backed you can easily run through your printer. All you need to do is trim out and place inside your book. Let me know if these are helpful or if you have some interesting book plates to share!