Urban Nest

Archive for June, 2010

Mad for Plaid

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

I have been wanting to add a breezy, plaid top to my wardrobe all summer and haven’t pulled the trigger yet. I really love the heddy shirt by Steven Alan – maybe for the much needed girls’ weekend that’s in the works for August. I’d pair it with some white matchstick jeans and wooden jewelry:

{heddy shirt by Steven Alan, matchstick white denim jeans by J. Crew, teardrop wood earrings by orno on Etsy}

I could easily see this look working for a summery update to a neutral room, too. Just a few plaid pillows in cool tones on a white couch and some walnut accessories. This Eames stool would be the perfect place to rest a lemonade while kicking back on the chaise:

{chaise by Jonathan Adler, fabrics by Lee Jofa, eames stool from Design Within Reach}

These are the things I dream about when I’m toting 2 kids around town and it’s 90 degrees!

Tags: furniture, outfit, plaid
Posted in Feather the Nest, Inspired Nest | No Comments »

Blogging is fun…

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

…if you don’t have to negotiate all the technical garbage that goes along with it. Seriously, we blog about design trends, house projects, art, lifestyle, shopping and entertaining. At what point did we sign up for database administrator, IT guru, and help desk.

Bear with us as we untangle a few wires.

Juliet, Rachel & Stephanie

{image: GEARFUSE}

Tags: wires
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Faux Real (part II)

Monday, June 28th, 2010

The house painting is in full swing and I think I’m very happy with my color selection for the brick and boards. The windows are primed and already look loads better than before! But I mentioned last week that I had another “faux real” addition to my scheme. This one is more faux than real!

After studying hundreds of houses in my neighborhood and in the nearby Fan district, I’m toying around with some ideas to create architectural detail around the windows and front door.

Take a look at these first two photos:

The white trim above the windows is just painted brick, emulating windows and doors built with stone or stucco surrounds, like this:

Other facades have wooden molding or patterned brick surrounds.

But the one above (and actually quite a few others I came across) is just painted to match the trim. That’s the direction I’m heading in…

I’m also considering a coordinating treatment around our front door. My initial vision was a cottage-style sandblasted brick surround. I know I’ve seen it, but cannot for the life of me find an image to show you! But with the crisp bold colors I’m working with, I’ve decided the time-worn, sandblasted treatment wouldn’t work anyway.

Take a look at this image:

It’s hard to see, but there is a stone surround built around the front door and painted a coordinating shade of white. I’m considering a narrower, painted version of this in white, again, to create that architectural interest. Obviously there would be greater contrast with white on taupe, like the first set of photos showing the window detail.

I think I’m going to let the painters finish the job and then decide if it’s really what I want. But I’m sure I like the idea and am thrilled at the possibilities that paint alone presents. I just need to exercise a little restraint so I don’t end up with an over-edited paint job!

Any strong opinions? I’m operating in a bit of a vacuum as this whole project came up pretty quickly and my husband mostly trusts that I’m doing the right thing. The point is, I’m open to you telling me I’m nuts, don’t ruin a good paint job!

Tags: front door, house paint, windows
Posted in Build the Nest | 3 Comments »

Get Away

Friday, June 25th, 2010

It’s been one of those weeks around here. Nothing terrible, just more challenging than usual. The 100 degree weather isn’t helping because my typical response to a week like this is to head outside and go for a walk or a picnic with the kids or the playground, but we have been stuck in the house all week. So, I’m dreaming of a get away.

It’s time for a lazy day in the sand with a nice breeze and the sound of waves. A cool drink with an umbrella wouldn’t hurt either. Are you with me?

I hope you all have a great weekend and that you stay cool!

Tags: beach
Posted in Inspired Nest | 1 Comment »

Hills & City

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

I know I’m way too old to be watching these shows…but I still seem to catch episodes of The Hills and The City on MTV. This isn’t something I openly gab about at work because, for some reason, I really don’t think any of my co-workers share my same interest…who’s with me?

While the drama is a little over the top, I do love seeing the fashions and all other aspects of the show. So, I was recently wondering what your opinion is of the designers that have emerged from these shows. Would you buy anything from Whitney Eve or LC Lauren Conrad? What age group do you think they’re targeting? And do you think they’ll be a success in the long run?

{ dress from Whitney Eve web site shop }

{ image from Kohl’s web site – the LC Lauren Conrad Collection }

I know it’s silly, but I’ll continue watching for now and continue to watch as these ‘stars’ make their name in the fashion industry.

Posted in Inspired Nest | No Comments »

Faux Real (part I)

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

The stars have aligned. My friend, design collaborator and Urban Nest reader, Jill, called just as I walked in the door Monday with my paint samples. At some point in the conversation I said I had decided our shutters were too small and if we were going to all the trouble and expense to repaint the exterior, the shutters ought to be right.

Can you believe Jill was literally in the process, on Monday, of pulling down old shutters from her house? All but four were headed to the dump. The remaining four were still in perfect condition as they had been tucked behind trees and under an overhang. She planned to take them to our local ReStore later in the week.

We quickly whipped out our measuring tapes and discovered that they are the PERFECT fit four my two front windows!

Did I mention that the existing shutters on our house are faux woodgrain plastic? Jill’s are real wood. And I can install them with pretty brackets. Thank you, Jill!

Now if I could just get the painters to show up!

Back on Monday with Faux Real (part II) — I need more photographic evidence to convince you that my next exterior paint scheme is a terrific idea!

Tags: house paint, shutters
Posted in Build the Nest | 3 Comments »

The Dark Side

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

I’m trying to make one last push to finish off Nathan’s nursery before he’s 6 months old (better late than never, right?). That gives me 3 weeks… It’s going to be a race to the finish. I have all of the big pieces in place – it’s just the finishing touches that are left. One final detail I’m considering is a dark accent wall, like this one from designer Sally Steponkus.

{interior design by Sally Steponkus: photography by Angie Seckinger Photography}

And this old favorite in Jenna Lyons’ home.

{image from domino}

My only concern is that Nathan’s room has slanted ceilings. If I paint a wall, I’ll do the wall with the window to make the fantastic curtains that my mom made really stand out. But you can see in this picture of his room, that the accent wall is an odd shape.

So, what do you think? Has anyone else used an oddly shaped wall as an accent? Let me know what you would do!

Tags: dark wall, nursery, paint
Posted in Inspired Nest | 2 Comments »

Painting My House

Monday, June 21st, 2010

I’m so excited! We’re having our house (exterior) painted. I wanted to do this right after we bought the house, not realizing what an investment it can be. Well, the time has come and the pressure is on to pick the right palette.

When it comes to houses, I’m always inspired by someone else’s better version of my own. I’ve had my eye on a beautiful white house with black trim and a golden yellow door in a slightly (way!) more upscale neighborhood just around the corner. But when it came time to actually picking those colors for our architecturally basic Cape Cod, it occurred to me that a simple color palette would not make a house that does not already stand on this lot. So I went back to the drawing board with three main considerations:

I need colors that won’t demand architectural interest — eaves, dormers, columns, copper piping or a slate roof, for example — of which I have none;
I need to choose a palette that will embrace the reddish tone of the roof we do have;
And, I really want something bold and compelling, but still very marketable as we do intend to sell before it’s time to paint again.

After some neighborhood sleuthing over the weekend, I came up with these related palettes as inspiration. I still can’t decide which is stranger — snapping photos of my neighbor’s houses while walking the dog in broad daylight or slinking down the street in my car, holding paint chips out of the passenger side window! It had to be done…

I then set out to digitally paint a photo of my own house using these colors to see how it might all play out. I was quickly frustrated by the major imperfections of online painting and my general lack of Photoshop skills and decided to use a standard, but similar, stock photo on the Valspar site. This house definitely has more of that architectural interest than ours, but the basic components are similarly framed, and the application was easy to use.

The painters come today to prep the house so I’m off to pick up a few gallons of primer and a couple of samples. I’m sold on some version of taupe and ivory (image 3 or 4) to be determined later today after we try a few out, but I think I’ll wait to decide on the door color until later in the week.

Here’s a snapshot of our house today:

Anything I need to know before we take the plunge? I can’t afford to re-paint a disastrous color selection, and I’ve been known to make a few those!

Tags: house paint
Posted in Build the Nest | 4 Comments »

A Chair with Vintage Flair

Friday, June 18th, 2010

These days I want to add a few funky, vintage-inspired pieces to our home. We have a reading nook in our family room that would be the perfect spot for something amusing, like this hanging rattan chair from Weego Home.

Or, how about this fiberglass chaise lounge from modiglianis via ebay.

My husband thought I’d lost my mind when I showed him this one, but I think it could be so fun!

If my budget would allow, I would love a pair of these Haines chairs from Jonathan Adler for the living room.

It’s time to add a little vintage flair to my house – we’ll see where I can sneak it in!

Tags: chairs, chaise, furniture, vintage
Posted in Build the Nest, Feather the Nest | No Comments »

Orange Beautiful Studio + Shop

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

You may be familiar with Emily Martin’s blog The Scoop or her fabulous stationery products under the name Orange Beautiful. Well, last month the designer and entrepreneur opened the Orange Beautiful Studio + Shop in the Ravenswood neighborhood of Chicago.

The shop features many local and indie products, as well as Martin’s creations. You can even see her printing on her letterpress while you shop! Check out the new shop if you’re in Chicago and also visit the Orange Beautiful Etsy shop for lots of paper goodies!

{all images from the Orange Beautiful Flickr collection }

Posted in Inspired Nest | No Comments »

Wow.

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

I spent some time yesterday cleaning up my Evernote folders, where I store all sorts of images, ideas and notes as I come across them online. In doing so, I re-discovered this amazing office transformation. Can you get over this wall? It’s hand cut from molding! Wow.

This fabulous studio belongs to (and was designed by!) wedding photographer and delightful blogger, Jessica Claire.

{all images: Jessica Claire}

Tags: accent wall, molding, studio space
Posted in Inspired Nest | 5 Comments »

Simple Pleasures

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

I mentioned last week that I belong to a farm co-op called Fall Line Farms. The co-op program connects 75 local farms and businesses with customers like me. Each week the farms post what they have available online, and I place my order. A few days later, I pick up my goodies at a church that is right around the corner from our house – it couldn’t be easier. Pick up day really has become a treat for me. It’s actually fun to unload my groceries (something I don’t normally enjoy doing) and see all of the fresh food. Like last week’s Purple Royalty raspberries, so delicious, and these eggs:

Normally the eggs I get from the farm are all dark brown, but this week there was a pretty mix and even a few in shades of blue. Last night’s dinner was the first I’ve made that came entirely from the co-op.

We had pork chops, a mix of summer squash, and a roasted beet salad with goat cheese and micro arugula. I didn’t do anything complicated with the ingredients, just a little salt and pepper and olive oil. It’s amazing how delicious simple, fresh food can be! If you’re interested in finding a similar program near you, check out LocalHarvest to search your area.

Tags: co-op, fall line farm, farm to table
Posted in Local {Richmond, VA} | 1 Comment »

Summer Lovin'

Monday, June 14th, 2010

I’m feeling summer. Hard not to when it’s 95 degrees and humid, which I don’t really love. But I do love bright colors, crisp white linens, juicy books and the freedom to indulge in icy cold treats.

{images: left, Lonny June/July 2010; right, Wood & Wool Stool via Flickr}

I love this laundry line from the latest issue of Lonny, photographed for the cover story featuring Deborah Lloyd’s “Lakeside Serenity.” I guess if you are co-president and creative director of kate spade new york this is what your laundry looks like blowing in the breeze – pure delight.

As are these PopSicle Flowers by Marshalls Art! In fact, I’ve been hanging on to a popsicle recipe from Eating Well for a year now and finally got around to making some this weekend. I found BPA-free popsicle molds by Tovolo at Sur la Table for $12 and whipped up a batch in no time at all. They, too, are delicious.

{images: left, Marshalls Art via Flickr; right, Godiva}

I couldn’t resist sharing this image of Godiva’s version of summer bliss — mine too, actually!

What says summer has arrived for you?

Tags: laundry lines, Lonny magazine, outdoor living, popsicles
Posted in Inspired Nest | No Comments »

Have you found 'The Found'?

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

Last month the National Stationery Show took place in New York. It’s amazing if you are able to attend and see booth after booth of creative paper products and more. One relatively new company that displayed this year is The Found. All of their products are inspired by vintage photos and found ephemera…stationery, journals, buttons, and more.

{ Booth photos from the National Stationery Show }

{ booth photo and close up of card from the 'Matchbox' line }

If you’re looking for something new to add to your stationery stash, check out their fun products. It’s a mix of great design, witty humor, and bold images. And better yet, everything is available on their web site www.thefound.com.

Posted in Inspired Nest | 2 Comments »

I'm loving…

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

…these new cotton dhurrie rugs from Serena and Lily.

Especially this one:

It would be perfect for Violet’s room – now all I need is a rug sale!

Tags: rug, serena and lily
Posted in Feather the Nest | 1 Comment »

I can do this.

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

I clipped these images from last month’s Lonny magazine — there is something so alluring to me about the simple black brush strokes framed in gold. I’m no artist — and these were likely created by a deep and thoughtful painter — but I think I can do this.

There probably won’t be a mysterious depth of emotion behind my canvas, but it’s going to look bold and dramatic on my wall.

I’ve been looking for the right gilded frame for a few weeks and haven’t found it yet. But just as soon as I do, I’m going to give it a go.

I’ll keep you posted!

{images: Lonny magazine, April/May 2010}

Tags: artwork, Lonny magazine
Posted in Inspired Nest | 4 Comments »

Dinner's Ready

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

Last week I got a big bunch of cilantro from the farm co-op that we belong to here in Richmond (we are huge fans of the co-op, by the way). I love cilantro but haven’t really used it for much more than salsa and guacamole. I also got some pork chops from the co-op, so I checked epicurious to see if there was a good recipe out there for pork with cilantro. I found this fantastic recipe for grilled pork chops with garlic lime sauce.

{image from epicurious}

It was delicious and so quick and easy. Even Violet, my picky eater, liked it. I served it with a tomato and avocado salad and a crusty baguette (the tomatoes and baguette were also courtesy of our amazing co-op). I’ll be adding this one to our regular summer meal rotation, yum! Anyone else have a new favorite recipe for summer?

Tags: cilantro, pork, recipe
Posted in Build the Nest | 2 Comments »

Rogue Tooth Fairy

Monday, June 7th, 2010

Can you get over this adorable gift card packaging from Anthroplogie? How about the birthday coupons they are sending out this year? A plastic candle strung on a cotton rope necklace makes a wish come true, or at least 15% off of a wish!

Wouldn’t this make the cutest “tooth fairy” pillow, especially for a little boy? You could easily recreate the jagged tooth card by printing a clever message on cardstock, cutting it to fit the pocket and trimming the top edge with pinking shears. In fact, you could actually recreate the whole Happy Monster thing out of fabric scraps and a handful of pillow stuffing in about 20 minutes!

I just love the tooth metaphor…

Tags: anthropologie, diy, tooth fairy
Posted in Build the Nest | 1 Comment »

Gone Skiing

Friday, June 4th, 2010

Not exactly ideal skiing conditions in the south, but it is the perfect time to sit on the porch and listen to the summer breeze conducting my recycled ski-pole wind chime from Colorado.

Isn’t this a terrific use of discarded materials? The aluminum tubing generates the most delightful music — it sounds a bit like church bells ringing in the distance. Grounding but ethereal.

Mine are from Breckenridge, CO, handmade by Jerry Rawles, who recycles old gear into wind chimes, ski racks and coat racks. He sells his items locally and donates the proceeds to the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center.

This is a great article from a few years ago about Jerry, his craft, and his commitment to the mountains. Could be a perfect addition to Stephanie’s backyard plans!

Here’s to a breezy weekend!

Tags: outdoor living, recycled ski poles, wind chimes
Posted in Feather the Nest | 1 Comment »

Backyard Plans

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

This is my backyard. It’s a good size space with some interesting plants that were there when we moved in. Over the past few years we’ve mostly just maintained what we had, moved a few plants, and tried to plant some grass, but basically it’s a blank canvas.

I’ve been brainstorming what I would like to do back there so we have space for entertaining and hanging out. This is the start of my vision. Currently to get to the backyard you either have to go through our sunroom or through our laundry room (door to the far left), so I’ve been dreaming of knocking out the window and putting in those french doors off our dining room. Has anyone had experience with that kind of renovation before? What fun elements do you have or have you built in your outdoor space? Do you have any recommendations for a backyard overhaul?

This will be a project that does not happen immediately, so in the meantime I’m just making the plans so I’m ready.

Posted in Inspired Nest | 6 Comments »