Romantic Rooms
/In honor of Saint Valentine's Day, here are a few romantic rooms with key elements to achieve the look in your home.
New Year, New Home, NEW SERVICE
/The New Year always brings a time of self-evaluation, which in turn leads to new resolutions on making a better you, a better life. But what about other things that need evaluation? Your home for instance. Isn't it worth it for you and your family to have a space you enjoy, a place in which you want to spend time?
Instead of thinking up a list of resolutions for myself (that I'll inevitably forget after a few weeks), I am resolving to complete some unfinished rooms in my home. As they say, "the cobblers children have no shoes." Just because we're designers, doesn't mean every room in our home is finished. And even when they are "done" we quickly think of something else we want to change :)
This year I want to tackle the following:
Design by Phoebe Howard
ENTRY:
I need to finally decide on and order a new entry light and possibly a runner. This one from Ballard Designs is the one I really want, but I need the large size so I may have to look for something a little less expensive.
OFFICE:
Jon got a new laptop for Christmas so he hardly works in there anymore, which means I have complete and free reign! I'm going to start out by getting some new things up on the wall, adding some more functional storage and ordering a new office chair. The chair we have in there now is a wooden antique chair that is gorgeous, but not so comfortable for sitting on for long periods of time. I have my eye set on this one from Crate & Barrel.
Designed by Catherine Kwong
LIVING ROOM:
I want to get a new rug and throw pillows (oh the ever evolving throw pillow saga) for the room. Our current rug shows some wear and tear and is slightly too small for this living room (I purchased it when we were in our old house). I think I’ve found a good neutral option that will last for a long time (yeah right, is what my husband would say J) I also want to get some new pillows. I’m a throw pillow fanatic so all of the ones I have have been collected over time. I think I need to start fresh to really finish off the space. I love these from West Elm for my swivel chairs.
As you can see, I only need one or two things in each room. We’ve found that this is the case for many of you as well, and will soon be launching a new service-- a virtual consultation with a la carte sourcing! We can now help you find that one thing your room was missing and/or give you tips on the room as a whole, at a fraction of the price of an in-home consultation. We're so excited to offer this new service and can't wait to start working in your home!
Stay tuned for our official launch coming soon! Learn more here.
Why We Blog
/
Recently, we met for our yearly kickoff where we reflected on the previous year, talked about the things we like about our business, talked about the things we want to change and our goals for the coming year. In 2015 we experienced a lot of growth and with growth comes changes. The biggest change for us was Dana deciding she needed to leave the company after her second baby and focus on her family full-time. We fully support her decision for doing what is best for her family, and we remain friends. She even still helps us out from time to time.
Also during the meeting, we discussed our blog and what we want to bring to the table for you and for us in the new year. In the discussion we narrowed down, quite simply, "Why we blog." For transparency and inspiration, we thought we'd share the reasons with you, and hope you come along for the ride this year! If you haven't already, you can subscribe to receive blog updates by email by entering your address in the "Let's stay in touch!" section of the sidebar on your screen (or the bottom of the blog on your smartphone).
To share our work and love for design
To inspire others
To share snippets from this journey called life and motherhood
To make friends with common interests along the way
Here's to a great 2016!
xo, Mallory and Jessica
Jessica's Christmas Traditions
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It took all of us to get Amelia to take a picture with Santa. Pic on the right is of my brother and I with a family friend and Santa one Christmas Eve (my brother's nickname when he was little was The Barbarian; hence the lack of clothes).
Christmas is my favorite time of year. I am one of those people who waste no time getting Christmas decorations up. This year they went up a week before Thanksgiving. I know, ridiculous but I LOVE the spirit of Christmas and in my opinion, one month is too short. In following Mallory's previous post, here are some of my Christmas favorites!
Sparkle and Love
Favorite Childhood Christmas tradition(s):
My mother is from Panama. Like in many Latin cultures, Christmas Eve is a big celebration in itself. The day is spent cooking and visiting with friends. Come evening, we attend a candlelight service, snack on our favorite finger foods, and at midnight open presents! To help the time pass, as we eagerly waited for midnight to come, we would watch Christmas movies and play games as a family. It was always such a special time and I have since carried on the tradition with my own family.
Favorite new tradition:
When my eldest was little, a girlfriend and I started taking the kids for a ride around the local neighborhoods at night to view all the Christmas lights. We pack popcorn and play Christmas music as we slowly proceed down the streets taking in all the decorative lights. It is something we come to cherish and do each year.
1x57
Favorite Christmas movie:
Elf! I have seen it a million times and it still cracks me up.
Favorite decor tip:
Give some life to your artificial garland and wreaths by tucking in real tree trimmings. Holley branches and magnolia leaves make attractive additions. Also, avoid unnecessary nail holes and unsightly cords by using 3M hooks and battery operated lights. Game changer!
Favorite dish you look forward to each Christmas:
Hands down my mom’s sweet potato casserole. It has become a favorite for many.
What Did You Eat?
SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
Crust Topping: 1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 stick of melted butter
Sweet Potato Mixture: 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, well beaten
1 stick of melted butter
Combine brown sugar, flour, nuts and butter in mixing bowl. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato mixture evenly with the crust mixture. Bake for 30 minutes.
Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas!
Mallory's Christmas Traditions
/It's the most wonderful time of the year! Yes, I truly believe that. Christmas is a great time for making memories and remembering old traditions. We thought we spend this week sharing a few of our favorites, including the recipes for our favorite dishes we look forward to each Christmas!
Favorite childhood Christmas tradition(s):
We went to a Christmas tree farm and cut down our own tree. The hunt for the tree and the hayride were fun, but the best part was getting it home and decorating it as a family. We'd turn the lights down and turn up the Christmas music, and it was like my own little heaven. I also loved having a mini tree of my own to decorate in my room. I'd fall asleep each night just staring at the lights. I can't wait for my girls to get to do the same.
Me (left) and my sister in our matching PJs.
Favorite new tradition:
We attend the candlelight service on Christmas Eve and go driving around looking at lights and listening to Christmas music as a family afterward. It's truly a night of lights! There's not much more beautiful than being in a room full of candlelight with everyone around lifting their voices to the King. I also want to start hosting a Wrapping Party for me and my friends to get together and enjoy food, drinks and making our family's presents look beautiful.
Image via Inspired By This
Favorite Christmas movie:
Prancer, circa 1989. I still like to watch it every year. The small town living, childhood love of Christmas that Jessica has, the cleaning up of the old lady's attic (weird I know, but I seriously LOVE cleaning out and organizing other people's spaces), restoring Christmas joy to so many and of course a sweet reindeer---ahhh what's not to love?
Favorite decorating tip:
Pick a color or theme and run with it, from the ornaments to the wrapping--keeping a similar palette helps everything be cohesive for a well-thought-out look. Also, incorporate lights in indoor decor wherever you can. Everything looks more magical when it's glowing :)
Favorite Dish:
Christmas morning we always had a yummy breakfast on my mom's Christmas china consisting of cinnamon rolls, bacon, grits and and breakfast casserole to name a few. I now make the breakfast casserole for my family as well, and I love that it can be made the day before and just popped in the oven the next morning. There's enough going on Christmas morning to worry about any major baking!
BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
Ingredients
1 pound sausage (I use Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage)
6 eggs
2 cups milks
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground mustard (optional)
8 slices white bread, cut off crust and cut into 1/2 cubes-scissors or a pizza cutter work great
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Black pepper, to taste
Directions
In a skillet, brown and crumble sausage; drain and set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs; add milk, salt and mustard. Place bread cubes in bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Add cheese and then cooked sausage. Pour egg mixture on top. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown.
Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Client Glam-Pham
/It has been a while since we shared any of our projects. Thought I would share today some work we recently completed for our client Glam-Pham.
Client Glam-Pham was in the process of building a new home in Houston, Texas and reached out to us. She needed help with putting together a design for her master bedroom and office, as well as paint color suggestions for the entire house. She wanted a soft glam aesthetic for both rooms. Our color palette consisted of soft blues, grays, and ivories. We mixed in a few metallics, along with luxurious textiles and a couple chandies of course! Here is what we came up with.
Master Bedroom
Master Bedroom and Bath Wall Color Suggestions
Office
Office Paint Color Suggestions
We can't wait to see progress pics and promise to share. In the mean time, we are really excited to be working on a design for her living room. It is going to be fabulous! A navy sofa may make its way into the room. Here is the color pallete we will be working with.
We will keep you posted.
Have a great weekend!
If you are building a home, let us help you. We can help pick out finishes, as well as put together a design that you can implement once you move in. Drop us a line here to start the conversation.