1 – I have two of these! | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14
Last week I got waist-deep into a huge sconce debate on Instagram Stories. I’ve always loved the detail that sconces add to a home, but when you move frequently it doesn’t feel like it’s worth the trouble to knock a hole into the wall.
SO, when we moved into this home I knew some sconces were in my future. Because of the layout of our bedroom, we needed smaller bedside tables. I didn’t want a table lamp to take up half of the table, so we added these to our bedroom. We love them (sneak peek here, full room reveal to come). We have smart bulbs in them to make them dimmable and I couldn’t love them more!
But you know that’s not enough. There are built-in bookshelves in our den/family room. I have debated adding sconces to the bookshelves (inspiration below) since we moved in. The places I would mount the sconces will only allow for a small backplate, and it’s a whole thing. But I think it would look so pretty!
I love the contrast of a black sconce on a white wall or bookcase. So chic. Although you can’t go wrong with gold or brass either.
Do you have sconces in your house and are you as obsessed as I am? I want to hear! Thanks so much for reading and sharing. More interior content in the “home” category of this site. XO –
Last week I shared the behind-the-scenes of the design process of this room. Today I can finally share the finished result! A neutral room that has some subtle masculine energy… the exact vibe I was going for.
I’m also sharing an IGTV video today on Instagram that walks you through the development of this space. One of the most unique things I learned in this process about Ballard Designs was how incredibly personalized you can make their pieces. Their upholstered furniture selection of over 85 pieces can have one of hundreds of their fabric designs and colors for both the base fabric and the welt piping. Or you can bring or mail in your own fabric and they will upholster their pieces in it. The possibilities of customization are on another level.
I love these Larkin chairs so much. They swivel and glide! We rock Hudson in them, feed him, read, have phone conversations in them… I know they’re going to be so functional and comfortable in our house. I chose the Stockton Cream fabric and love how custom and luxe they came out.
Another fabric I couldn’t live without is the Koko Black. I loved it so much I wanted to marry it. We had it covered on the Jackson and Cecil benches and I love, love, love them.
Last but not least on fabric (if you can’t tell… I could literally talk about this for days), we chose Sunbrella fabric for the sofa in the shade Adena Pure Performance for many reasons. I love choosing neutral anchor pieces and accessorizing with color and patterns. I also have a 10 week old. Which means function is equally important as appearance. Sunbrella fabric is crazy, y’all. It is made to withhold anything. Thankfully we haven’t needed to spot clean just yet but when that time comes, water and dish soap will take care of it. Watch this video. This fabric is literally made for durability which is why it trumped other fabric swatches for our home.
Something that I think makes this room look so polished and styled is the mix of prints. Koko with Stockton fabric, the Casa Florentina rug and an antelope lumbar pillow… that’s what makes it the room look unique and personalized. And that is an area where I really leaned into Robin who I was paired with through Design Solutions. It’s those kinds of decisions that feel so much better when they’re supported by an expert.
And I think Robin nailed – I am so beyond happy that I followed her insight and expertise!
You can shop all of the available pieces in this room here (the coffee table, side tables and rug have since sold out) and read more about the design process here. And be sure to come check out the room in video on IGTV on Instagram!
The bolster pillow was custom made and you can find the acrylic frame for the Hermés scarf here.
Thank you so much for reading, and please leave any questions you have about the room in the comments! XO –
– a new place for Diana (dining room details here) –
– updating our den with a modern floor lamp I’m kind of obsessed with –
– a very tender moment with two of my favorites –
– flowers from a thoughtful friend –
This week felt like a long one. Christian caught a bug and has had to be quarantined as to not get the baby sick… which has meant single mom status. And WOW – this has been my first time without any help from him. Shoutout to all the single moms out there – you are iconic, incredible, resistant, there aren’t enough adjectives.
I haven’t had the courage to share the biggest news for our little family as of late. Two weeks ago we said goodbye to our precious Lula. She has been on a steep decline since we moved to Georgia, and I think I was in a little bit of denial. Saying goodbye to her was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do as an adult. To make that decision when it’s “time” is honestly excruciating. I asked Christian to take a photo of us on one of her last days, and after seeing it, I held her and sobbed in that very spot.
She has been by my side since I found her in a parking lot almost ten years ago. She has survived cancer and an amputation. She’s moved all over the country with us, sat in my lap purring day after day while I worked on this blog until I was 8 months pregnant and had run out of space.
I strolled her in a pet stroller in San Francisco so she could get fresh air when we didn’t have any outdoor space. I would clean her face every day because in her last few years she had trouble doing it with only one front leg. I gave her four beds throughout the house because getting around had become difficult. I would wear her in a pet sling (not even joking!) and she loved it. She was my first pet of my own and one of a kind.
I haven’t been able to talk about it, and I have tears strolling down my cheeks as I write this. We buried her in the backyard next to a baby magnolia tree so I can see it from the kitchen window and think of her. It will be a while until I can talk about it without getting emotional. She knew I needed her and held on as long as she could. I’m forever grateful that I found her that night and her companionship has been everything to me.
With Bailey being in double digits also, I’ve tried to be extra conscious of spoiling her lately. Having two geriatric pets and a newborn has been a little more than I expected but I will do everything I can to give everyone their special time!
Thank you so much for your love for Lula over the years. If you have the opportunity to rescue an adult pet, I’d urge you to explore it. She’s the first adult pet I’ve adopted and her gratitude and appreciation was unlike any other pet relationship I’ve ever had.
And if you meet a black dog or cat, please consider giving them a chance. They are the least adopted at shelters and have so much love to give.
I am so excited to share a project with you guys that has been brewing since we moved to Georgia in the summer. When we were living in San Francisco, I had one of the most pinch-me calls about our future home. I connected with the talented minds behind Ballard Designs to discuss designing our living room.
If you love interiors, you know Ballard Designs. Their Suzanne Kasler Collections are drool-worthy, you’ve seen their chic and traditional touch on classic Southern homes. But for this space the vision was an androgynous, slightly edgier look. That’s what I personally love so much about Ballard. That you can achieve so many different vibes because they have such a large inventory. Throughout this process, I worked with their Design Solutions experts to make our vision come to life. And let’s dive a little deeper on what exactly Design Solutions is –
Design Solutions is a service offered that is not only incredibly educational, but also completely free. You can work with one of Ballard’s interior designers to create your space – whether it’s for a few accent chairs or an entire room design. If you have a store in your area, I would highly recommend making an in-store appointment. It’s so helpful to see endless fabric swatches in person, scroll through the site with the designer and have that one-on-one face time. I’ll be sharing an IGTV video next week that shares some of that process!
If you aren’t local to brick and mortar, you can also schedule a phone or email consultation here. But I do think it’s worth sharing that if you are in any kind of time crunch, visiting a store is going to be the most efficient way to get a designer’s input on your project.
Below you’ll see the inspiration I sent Robin back in July along with measurements of the room and “before” photos. From there she was able to pull some options of furniture and fabric swatches from Ballard that she thought would work for the room and together we went through and picked our favorite pieces that would help the vision come to life.
After my in-store meeting with Robin, we scheduled a time that she could come to our home. At the time, the room was totally empty other than a mattress in the middle of the floor. If you’ve ever moved to a new state… you know that the process of getting settled is a journey!
We confirmed measurements and added a few more pieces to the space once she could get a feel for the size of the room. I would say that having this home visit was incredibly helpful in further confirming our vision and that we were aligned.
You can also gets tons of inspiration and educational info at their blog, How To Decorate. They have a podcast by the same name as well!
Of course I don’t want to reveal too much before the official reveal, but stay tuned for the full room blog post next week on CBL along with an IGTV video of the entire process! I’ll also be sharing more about my favorite pieces in the room and why in that post.
I can’t wait for you guys to see it. It is by far one of our favorite rooms in the house.
February means red and pink aaaalllll month over here! Monday I shared some of my favorite Valentine’s Day blog posts from last year (with updated gift guide links!). Today I wanted to share some super cute picks to treat yourself with.
Pajamas are always top of list for me for any season. I can’t really describe why, but I can’t say no to a cute matching set. These look pretty dreamy.
These sunglasses are designer dupes and $11. I have them in both red and black – so fun!
This sweater is under $50 and I love fuzzy sweaters like this. So so soft.
A water bottle that doubles as a foam roller? I’m interested.
A little bit of a splurge but this feather-trimmed top is too much. Adorable!
I’ve never owned Le Creuset (have you and is it worth the splurge?), but this little mini cast iron gem is too cute. It comes in white too!
When in doubt… treat yourself on Valentine’s Day. Even if it’s just an uninterrupted bubble bath with a cold glass of wine and candles. Take a little time for yourself. It’s so important!
With February upon us, I wanted to round up some of my favorite Valentine’s Day-inspired posts from last year! I updated all of the links in the his and her gift guide posts so everything should be current for you guys if you’re looking to get ahead on some gift shoppin’.
Christian and I were discussing what we might want to do this year since we would need to reach out to a babysitter early if we wanted to go out. With our recently completed dining room, we decided to put the baby down early, light candles and enjoy a date night at home.
If 2020 has taught me anything so far, it is to enjoy everything. Your fine china, crystal chandelier and 15-inch tapered candles in silver candelabras? ENJOY THEM. Decadent desserts, fancy scented bath salts and diamond drop earrings? ENJOY THEM. Life is short and the months breeze by too quickly. Don’t save the fancy champagne for the perfect moment. Pour yourself a glass and appreciate it now.
Let me know what you’re thinking for the weekend this year. Let’s look forward to it together!
I’m so excited to share photos of the home office I’ve been working on – welcome to “#CBLHQ!” When I left my corporate job in 2015, I knew having a designated office “space” was so important for my productivity. I wanted to maintain some of the structure of a traditional office even though I was working at home. It’s remained to be incredibly important to me throughout our many moves to have this little home base if you will.
The below mood board is how I worked on a few rooms in the house that I was looking to complete. It helped me see different patterns together to continue checking in to see if the room would flow. I also did this for the basement and dining room. It was honestly so helpful!
In our Georgia home, all of the bedrooms other than the master bedroom are upstairs. So I knew I would be transforming one of those spaces into an office. The downstairs is wood floors and the upstairs has carpet, which I appreciate because it really minimizes how much you can hear from downstairs. But I knew I needed more of a vibe than beige carpet and enter this rug.
There’s a little bit of a saga about how I ended with this desk. I ordered this one but the order was being “processed” for over two weeks and no one could tell me when it would ship. Then I ordered this one and it came damaged. I tried to buy one from Facebook Marketplace and the seller ghosted me. I had been in Georgia for over four months and still couldn’t find a desk!! I love this desk but I think it might be too big for the room. So I managed to snag this one 40% off and went for it. If I come cross one someday that I love, I can replace it. But at least I could get something to work on!
Originally this room had a white ceiling fan, but that wasn’t gonna do. I worked with Sullivan and Phenix who custom made this Sophie chandelier. They will work with your space and dimensions to make sure you have a completely unique fixture to work in your space which is very, very cool.
After I had the desk, rug and pink chair set up, I knew I wanted some edgy accent chairs. When Christian comes home, I’m often up here working while Hudson is napping next door in his room. We end up sitting in here discussing the day, what’s for dinner, etc. These boomerang chairs from Paula Rallis Home are so comfortable and sleek. They look great in here but I can also see myself moving them to an other room one day. You just kind of melt into them in the best possible way.
I also had to throw in something to remind me of when this blog actually started to grow in California, so the little cactus that I can see from my desk is a little nod to those special years.
1 | 2 | 3– 40% off | 4– 40% off | 5 – 15% off | 6 | 7 | 8 – 15% off | 9 | 10 – 40% off | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 – under $50! | 15 | 16
Back at it with a wish list, and with the super cold weather we have been having lately, I’m all about the winter loungewear!
If it can be worn by a space heater or a crackling fireplace (or even just the video of it, not even kidding)… count me in. You know I love a teddy coat. In a camel and under $50? You’ll wear it with everything. A robe with a hoodie? Sign me up. Long cardigans to pair with leggings and fuzzy slippers for around the house = my uniform.
I’m officially 10 weeks postpartum this Friday… but I still find myself wearing a lot of leggings and joggers. Not only because of the weather and straight comfort, but also because I just don’t know if the last 13-ish lbs that I’m holding onto is here to stay for a while or will be coming off slowly. I can’t decide if I need to start sizing up or give it time… it’s the whole limbo situation. That “fourth trimester” thing is starting to make a whole lot of sense. Being a woman is WILD at times. Truly!
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I was thinking about gift guides for the next few weeks. Is that something that would be helpful or are we past gift giving for V-Day? Personally, I’m more of a dinner and roses kind of gal, but if you are exchanging gifts this year let me know. Will work on some guides if you guys are into it!
– my Target finds (mentioned here) that I’m still obsessed with –
– enjoying floral arrangements from an earlier photoshoot in our home –
– a sneak peek at my custom office chandelier from Sullivan + Phenix –
– upholstering a bench of Christian’s grandparents –
It’s been a few weeks since I posted my last Friday’s Five, and I had so much fun taking these photos! I typically try to post on CBL 4-5x a week, but with a two month old… 3x a week has been all I’ve been capable of lately. I do have help a few days a week but until he’s older and on a more reliable schedule, this is where we are.
I’ve continued to put the final touches on some of the rooms in our home. We’re waiting on a few last deliveries that are finally arriving, praise be! With that, Christian keeps telling me to stop “tinkering” with different rooms. I keep rearranging bookshelves, looking for nooks to hang the remaining art we haven’t hung, switching lamps around… I need to just leave things alone. It just feels so good to finally be in a space that doesn’t feel like I need to apologize to those who visit for “the mess!”
While the days are busy working from home, finishing home projects and taking care of a babe… I still prioritize two things each day. To pause and snuggle with Hudson, really soaking it up. I know a year from now I’ll want to remember those cuddles, his smell, the coo’s. And to do something for myself. That might be a walk, exercising on our treadmill, a face mask, organizing a closet – anything. That alone and quiet time makes me instantly feel a little more balanced and connected to myself.
How do you make time for yourself each day? I’d love to hear. Thanks so much for reading and have a beautiful weekend – XO –
I was planning on waiting until Hudson was out of the newborn phase to share our tried and true, but so many of you have requested this post so I’m going to share what we are really loving so far!
H is 8 weeks old and the below are some of our must-haves:
Comotomo Bottles | We have a few different kinds of bottles but these are my favorite. They have fewer pieces to clean and fit into our bottle warmer perfectly.
MAM Pacifiers | My SIL said babies “choose” a pacifier. We have all these cute ones that I’ve tried to get H to like and nope, he like these glow-in-the-dark ones. We continually go back to them, so he has indeed, chosen.
Burp Cloths | We have been given so many adorable burp cloths, but I continually reach for these. They are so soft and the perfect size.
Boon Bath Tub | Hudson has always liked baths and I credit this tub. He is able to sit up in a comfortable position without slipping. And as my mom once said, “be careful… wet babies are very slippery!” It sounds ridiculous… but they are.
Doona Stroller | Wow wow wow. Where do I begin? This single piece stroller/car seat combo is incredible. It’s small and compact, making running errands as simple as possible. Hudson also is known to take some of his naps in it because he loves how cozy it is.
Baby Shusher | People told me to get this and I thought it was so dumb and a waste of money. Fast-forward a month into H’s existence and I bought it. I was wrong – it’s actually the best. I always take it with me in case of a public meltdown when the sound machine isn’t nearby. It helps calm him in fussy fits… it is in fact, the greatest.
Lounger | We use this lounger every single day. On the bed, on the sofa, in a bassinet for a short nap, Hudson loves this thing. Honestly I wish they made it in my size.
Pampers Diapers | We have tried a few different kinds and Pampers is the best by far. Less blowouts, the line that shows if the diaper is wet or not… they are just the most functional. This was a recommendation by a friend with twins (and OBGYN!), and she’s right. After enough outfit changes, we use the Baby-Dry diapers.
Amazon Baby Wipes | On that note, we have also tried lots of wipes and these are our favorite – also recommended by a mom friend.
Keekaroo Peanut Changer | A gift from my manager, this changing pad rules. If there are any accidents, you just wipe it down and move on.
Socks | I love how soft these are. For a splurge, these are also amazing!
Fleece Halo Swaddle | The hospital we had Hudson in actually let us go home with this one and I feel like he sleeps more soundly in it because it’s so warm. I don’t mess with DIY swaddling. Stick with the zip up or velcro. Know thyself.
Taking Cara Babies | I have Moms on Call and 12 Hours by 12 Weeks, but the Taking Cara Babies course has by far been the piece that has given us the biggest results. After taking this course, I instantly felt like I could pick up on cues from Hudson. Worth the time and money, 100x over.
These are my favorites so far for 0-3 months! Let me know if you have any must-haves that weren’t on this list. I’d love to hear. Thanks so much for reading and sharing – XO –
As of this week (!!!), the main level of our house is almost complete. It feels so wild to actually say that, but I have spent countless hours working on this space to try to make our first home feel more mature than our previous apartments. Knowing we will be here for *hopefully* quite some time, I’ve been mindful to choose and invest in timeless, versatile and classic pieces that can be moved around room to room. This is especially helpful if we were to ever move in the future into another home… pieces could move around!
Now I’ve shifted to finishing our basement and patio that have sat mostly empty since we moved here in July. This means in addition to the dining room and nursery reveal, I have a living room, bedroom, den + kitchen + breakfast room (this is one large space so I’ll be sharing all of this together) and office reveal coming very soon!
In Target news, we bought two of these egg chairs for the patio and they’re even more amazing in person (photo here). I bought two of these giant poufs for the sectional that’s going in the basement and they are soooo comfy. I found this vase and this tray at Target this week and can’t believe how expensive they look in person. I love them!
I have a match striker on my wish list. This floor lamp is really speaking to me… I’m wondering if Christian would let me splurge. Also… what is y’alls thoughts on firewood racks. Helpful? Not helpful? We have a giant stack of firewood on our patio but I’m thinking… what does one do with the rack during the seasons that firewood isn’t necessary?
Now that we are in a home larger than our former apartment, I actually need more coffee table books. I recently bought this one and have my eye on a few more. Do you have any favorite design books?
I am so excited to share Hudson’s room with you guys! It’s probably the most special room in our house because it was my first time looking at cribs, rockers, baby toys, etc. A completely new kind of project but so much fun.
I worked on this space with Pottery Barn Kids… and no one does a sweeter nursery than Pottery Barn. They have so many beautiful children’s pieces – everything from cribs and bookshelves to swaddles, play mats, travel cribs, baby carriers – the list goes on.
The crib, dresser and glider are all Greenguard Gold Certified. This means that they are made from sustainably sourced, chemical-free materials. These products are screened for more than 10,000 chemicals that are known to pollute the air in your home. This is something I hadn’t considered until I started reading about it and now I can’t stop thinking about it! When you look at items on the PBK site you’ll see little stamps showing you what is fair trade and Greenguard Gold Certified.
I’m breaking down where every single item is from below. I also wanted to share my vision for the room before we started! This room is at the end of the hallway upstairs. My thoughts were that it would remain the nursery for all of our children. I wanted all of the big items to be gender-neutral, with a few splashes of blue throughout. This way when Hudson is old enough to sleep in a bigger bed we can move the Babar art and blue rug with him and leave the rest for the next baby.
Pottery Barn has so many gender-neutral items that it made pulling this room together so easy. I love how we carry the animal theme throughout the room not only with stuffed animals and art, but also with books, play mats, this quilt, organic bedding and changing pad covers.
I spend so much time in this little room. It’s such a happy place to walk into each time I feed Hudson and get him dressed for the day or bedtime. I know there are going to be so many memories made here, and I can’t wait to watch him grow into it.
