NEW FAV ONLINE DECOR SHOP - JOY & REVELRY - YOURS TRULY

If you have ever read my comments on my blog, chances are you have seen a comment or two from one of my most supportive friends, Chelsea Horsley. You may also remember her little girl's darling bedroom we featured. If there were such a thing as design twins, I think she would be mine. I love everything she does. And now I get to shop her fantastic furniture+accessory picks on a new online decor shop, Joy & Revelry!!

CHELSEA HORSLEY OF YOURS TRULY

The online store is somewhat of a spinoff of One King's Lane's Tastemaker Tag Sales - but these "tastemaker sales" are always going on at Joy & Revelry (thank goodness) so you don't miss out!

Did you also know that another designer that I have worked with is on this site - yes, another fav, Paloma Contreras from La Dolce Vita has her own shop as well!

There are even more great "tastemakers" - Rue Magazine, Copy Cat Chic, Bryn Alexandra, and Courtney Out Loud. And you have to see the fantastic products they are offering at very reasonable prices!

I have my eye on this light fixture for a client and can't wait to present it to them! Such a great and unique piece for the price.

And don't get me started on these bookends - they remind me of some I had in my home growing up. Totally vintage and cool.

This rug is fantastic and reminds me a lot of the favorite Lulu & Georgia rug I've been loving for so long. And it's an indoor/outdoor rug! Perfect for the kiddos and pets.

And possibly one of the best features is that they have pics and videos of the product in real life so you can see what it really looks like. Rugs are especially hard to imagine and the color changes a lot from a picture to actual product. (see what I mean?!)

How cool is this hexagon side table?!! Um, unique and affordable. Yes please.

More than the fact that I'm excited about these great unique finds now so readily available to me, I am so PROUD of these designers and all of the effort that has gone into this website. A new e-commerce website that will be competing with the likes of GILT and OKL is not an easy task, but I think they have a great site and I am excited to add it to my list of "go-to" websites when I look for product for my clients and my own home.

Hope you check it out!
(and no, this is not a sponsored post, and nobody asked me to post about this - just really excited about this new site!)

RELIGIOUS ART

Recently I had a client who requested help with finding religious art for her home. As I was looking for images I realized how beautiful some of the pictures were and thought it would be nice to have more religious art in my own home. So I asked my husband what he thought about me buying some religious art and he said, "Sure, but where are we going to put it?" Good question. I don't know! Where do you put religious art in your home?

I currently have pictures of Jesus with the little children over both of my girls' beds.

And I love having an image of Jesus loving the little children in their rooms to remind them of what I believe, that Jesus loves them! But for whatever reason, I am not loving the idea of hanging any religious art in my main rooms. Maybe I think it's too personal? Or maybe I should because my religious beliefs are a big part of my life.

These images by Minerva Teichert are some of my favorite.

I also love this image by Brian Kershisnik.

What do you think? Where do you think religious art is best displayed?

I tried to find images of how others display their religious art but all I could really find was this image of designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard's own home...

I would love to hear your comments on where you would hang your religious art. And if you happen to have a picture of religious art in your home, please email me! I would love to see it!

SHADES OF LIGHT PULLMAN BATH LIGHT - TRIED + TRUE TUESDAY

Today's product review for our TRIED + TRUE TUESDAY series is the Shades of Light Pullman Bath Light. This light has been such a favorite of mine and client's that I've used it in 2 projects!

THE STATS: Very reasonably priced @ $169 + shipping (my shipping total to UT was $30). Comes in 2 finishes - polished nickel and bronze. Available in a 2 and 4 light version as well. Fixture is 11.25" tall.

Pictures of the Pullman Bath Light installed...

Parley's Creek Dental bathroom

N Street main bathroom

(please excuse the less than fantastic photos)
As you can see, the light in person is exactly as expected! I like the light fixture best in the first picture just because the mirror is better with it and the scale is more appropriate, but I was happy with it in both projects.

OUR REVIEW: + + out of + + +  (pluses are our version of stars). Here's why I only give it 2 pluses instead of 3 - the company. I have been less than thrilled with the customer service of Shades of Light. BOTH times I ordered this light they made me aware at least a week after ordering that the light is BACKORDERED! Seriously? The light was supposed to be in my hands in a week, which in my business deadlines are extremely important, and now they are telling me it won't be here for a month?!! They need to be more aware of their stock and alerting customers BEFORE they buy.

To top it all off, when my light finally arrived for my Parley's Creek Dental office project it was missing a piece that was necessary for installation. When I looked at my receipt in the box I realized they had sent me a returned light without inspecting it first! The receipt in the box wasn't even my receipt - they had just forwarded on a returned Pullman Bath Light. AND when I asked for them to remedy the situation ASAP the best they did for me was to ship the piece UPS Ground, yes Ground, not RUSH. Tsk, tsk Shades of Light. Can you tell how annoyed I am with them?

So, yes, I have loved the light fixture because it's a cute alternative to the typical overhead bath light, but I cannot recommend Shades of Light because of my experience with them. I have yet to find another company who sells the same light, so if you have seen it elsewhere, please let me know!

**UPDATE**
Shades of Light contacted me after seeing this post and not only apologized to me for the less-than-stellar service, but also assured me that they are making changes to their practices to ensure the mistakes and inconveniences that I experienced will no longer happen. I believe they will make these changes, and believe they are worth ordering through. Because of these changes and their very nice email, they have not lost a customer in me.

I hope this review was helpful! And remember, if you are curious about something we have used in a project, send me an email and I will review it for you!

DO YOU USE HOUZZ?

Many of you are familiar with the website, Houzz.com, but if you're not, it's the best photo library of all things related to your home, on the web. Interiors, exteriors, landscapes, and even products for your home. I LOVE this website and used to use it often, but then switched to Pinterest for my inspiration and forgot how amazing Houzz is.
(even though it might sound like it, this post is NOT sponsored)

I recently set up my professional profile on Houzz and am thinking about advertising with Houzz, but before I do I am curious to hear from you whether you use this website/app and what you think about it.

I will tell you why I am going to be using Houzz a lot more from now on:

The search engine on Houzz is better than Pinterest for finding what you want - no repeats of photos, and photos of exactly what you want.

versus Pinterest (not sure how the first photo even relates to my search for a pool house?!)

I love the "LOCAL PROS" feature - great for finding contractors, architects, landscape architects, and yes, even designers! (and I like how there are reviews of the contractors as well)

I like how the photos have price tag icons that tell you where they purchased the items in the room.

 

I love how easy it is to find products for your home on this website and how it is separate from the other photos (unlike Pinterest). I found this fantastic bookshelf from Room + Board that I never noticed before - LOVE!

And I of course love the ideabooks (like Pinterest folders) that I can create. I also like looking at other ideabooks other designers create.

 Ideabooks with a theme created by another designer:

 

So now that I've given you a little tour of Houzz, what do you think? What is your favorite thing about Houzz? Do you use it? How often? I would LOVE to hear what you think!!

 

LOOK FOR THE HELPERS

In times where it is impossibly hard to fathom the evil in the world we find comfort in seeing and hearing about all the helpers. There are good people everywhere. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people in Boston dealing with this horrible tragedy and with the local family in Provo, Utah searching for their teenage daughter.

ANTHROPOLOGIE HOME - SALE PICKS - TREAT YOURSELF TUESDAY

While searching for a few pillows for a client yesterday we found some fabulous home items for sale at Anthropologie. Anyone else love Parks and Rec? We are encouraging you to pick something up and treat yo'self, Donna and Tom style.

Our Picks

These DARLING polka dot napkins are $4.95 for a set of 4!!!! So cute for your next dinner party, or maybe sew together to make some amazing pillows. Also would make a great gift item.

Such a cool stool. Love the texture of the wood and rope. Normally $198 now on sale for $59.95. I mean that price is ridiculous. 

Some great pillows on sale as well. Especially loving the art-inspired prints. 

1/2/3/4/5

We know we are supposed to be over chevron, but are still loving this bedding for a nursery/children/teen bedroom. Just the right amount of color with a graphic touch. 

The ever popular Italian Campaign Canopy bed is on sale! Only available in a twin, if you had the space, can you even imagine 2 of these in a room?? Stunning. 

Gift/Plate Wall/Open Shelving... your choice, so pretty for Spring. 

ANTIQUE CHAIR REUPHOLSTERING + E-DESIGN UPDATE

I love a great re-upholstery project and these two inherited antique chairs turned out just the way I was hoping.

 

The chairs were really nice to begin with, but didn't fit the young, cape-cod style of the home and we needed a more kid friendly fabric for this family with 3 children under 7 years old.

We chose this greenish/grayish velvet-textured fabric because it looks like a high-end velvet but is 100% polyester so it will clean up fabulously.

We didn't want to ruin the antique feeling of the chairs, but the wood frame did not match the home so we did a white rub on the frame to give it a white-washed/antique look. And with the help of my favorite upholsterers, Rocky Mountain Upholstery, this is our finished product!

And my E-Design update is that I am no longer accepting E-Design clients for the time being. I hope to return to doing E-Design in the near future, but for now my schedule is filling up to the point that I can't dedicate the time I would like for these projects. I appreciate all of my E-Design clients who have been SO incredibly great and fun to work with and I hope to return to doing E-Design soon!

And some more news is that our new website/blog is almost finished! I can't wait to share the new site with you so stay in touch and have a great week!

HOTEL STYLE - WHAT WE'RE UP TO!

We are so excited about one of our upcoming projects, remodeling and furnishing a boutique hotel right at the foot of the mountains in Aspen, CO.  The amazing location is a plus, but it needs a TON of work. We are hoping to make the hotel clean, modern and cozy. Another goal is to keep the design classic enough that when an update is needed it can be achieved with accessories and fabrics. Here are the initial inspiration boards we created to show the owner the mood we are going for. He loved it and we are thrilled to be moving forward! Can't wait to share more of this project as it unfolds. Happy Friday everyone!

TRIED AND TRUE TUESDAY

Once again it's Tuesday! We have two finds to share with you that we absolutely loved! In our Parley's Creek Dental office the kids area needed to be clean and modern. We ordered the Elwood Play Table from Land of Nod. It's admittedly a bit of a splurge ($299) on a children's table, but we got it on sale and figured it would take a beating in a commercial space.

It's so pretty in person and so high-quality. The two tone is modern and fun and the top wipes clean in seconds with a Magic Eraser. 

For the chairs we used Kidkraft Avalon Chairs in Navy. We were also so impressed with the quality and they come in a rainbow of of colors. Definitely a great buy. 

We love our little play corner, and the quality kid's furniture in it! 

Restaurant Decor

OVERSTOCK'S SOMERTILE MOSAIC TILE - TRIED + TRUE TUESDAY

So it seems we are only blogging on Tuesdays lately :) But this Tuesday we have a great product review to share with you. It's Overstock's SomerTile Castle White Mosaic tile. We had been eying this tile for a while and were excited when we got to use it in our N Street project as the fireplace tile surround.

THE STATS: $154.99 for a pack of 10 sheets. Each sheet measures at 11.75" x 11.75" so the sheets are just under a foot each. That makes this tile approximately $15.50 a sq. ft. The tile is glazed porcelain so it works for both indoor and outdoor use.

The tile installed...

In this picture the tile almost has a creamy look to it, but in real life I would say it has almost a grayish tone to it. The people who bought the home requested a cream grout to blend in with the tile, but if I had my way I would have done a charcoal grout so you could see the pattern really well (like the picture above of it in the box). We also thought about doing a blueish-gray grout that would bring in some color as well as show the pattern better.

OUR REVIEW: +++ This product gets a 3 out of 3 pluses from us (our version of stars). For the price, this is a fun mosaic tile that is well made, and a good color. Overstock is always a great company to work with, with an excellent return policy and great customer service. The tile arrived in perfect condition and the tile installer had zero issues with the tile. We definitely recommend this tile to you.

Best uses of the tile:
- Fireplaces (obviously)
- Kitchen Backsplash
- Powder Room Bathroom Floor
- Shower Walls and/or Ceiling

Have you used this product? If so, please do share! Also, if you have seen a product we have used in one of our projects and are wondering how we liked it, let us know and we will make sure to give you our review.