Kitchen Facelift

Despite the fact that upon purchase in 2016 we oversaw all the renovation of our Connecticut home personally, being 100+ miles away in New York while the work was being done took its toll. For example, the cabinet color was wrong. What was supposed to be 'bright white' was, in fact, antique white. And when the custom made counter tops, finishes, furniture and back-splash were all ordered based on bright white, not antique white, you can imagine some problems arising. But being sensible (forcibly so, in the form of budget limitation, not because I'm actual sensible) we lived with it. Antique white worked well enough.

Until now. New year, new cabinets. (New cabinet knobs, pulls and kitchen faucet coming next month so stayed tuned!)

Lighting: Pottery Barn // Cabinet paint: Benjamin Moore Advance in 'Gray Shower' // Back-splash tiles: Tile Bar 'Mangata Satin Starlight' // Wall paint: Sherman Williams 'Lazy Gray' // Counter stools: 'Dakota Adjustable Stool' from Target (on sale right now) // Rug: Savafieh via Wayfair

Living Room Refresh

Thanks in part to a new baby, and mostly to a rambunctious 6 year old, our relatively new couch looks well beyond its years at this point. And a saggy, stained couch really drags down the decor factor of any room so a little face lift for the family living space was in order. I am always drawn to grays, and lately I am loving mixed metal accents in bronze, gold and steel. While the room needs to be family friendly, it also has to reflect our taste so its an ongoing process. I love West Elm for mid century style pieces, with an industrial feel. These items seem to mix really well in the updated farm house aesthetic of our CT house.

Any new or favorite home decor sites I need to visit?

Autumn Accents

I love to add seasonal decor elements to the house, but I'm not into large scale, overtly 'holiday' themed merchandise (the kind that lights up and blares a song at you when you walk past, and is more reminiscent of a trip to Chuck E Cheese than anything else). I also don't want to spend a bundle on things that are on display for a few weeks out of the year. 

My 6 year old shares his mother's home decor genes, and loves to accompany me to Pier 1, Michael's and my other top stops for choosing (tasteful, budget-friendly) seasonal items. A few new candles in subtle fall scents set the mood (I love this one from Pier 1), and swapping my summer silver and white vases for some deeper, golden tones is a nice start. Sunflowers are an amazing and local choice for me, and another convenient excuse to hit the farm stand on my lunch jog with Wells. Adding a throw pillow cover in fall hues is simple and wallet-friendly, and easy enough to do in one main living space.

And there is no such thing as too much pumpkin!

Insta-Snaps

Life is great here lately, baby Wells has brought immeasurable joy to the family, and the sleepless nights riddled with anxiety over having another baby are a distant memory. The days are busy, and our plans for daycare were scrapped in favor of a hiring a nanny so we can still spend many hours of the day in close proximity to our nugget. Big brother loves his new baby brother more than I really thought was possible.

Wells at 11 weeks (left), Tucker at 11 weeks (right)

Cocktails at Sayulita

Moist important feature in the house lately

Typical Saturday morning

Tucker's new desk (overstock) and chair (pottery barn kids)

family of 4!

Happy Easter! Boys outfits: Janie and Jack, Mommy's romper: Loft

 Brunching with new friends

2016 In Snaps

A picture is worth 1,000 words, so here is a look back at the past year as summarized in a few of my favorite images. Next time you hear from me will be in 15+ days, and I'll probably be drinking wine and holding a new baby. Happy New Year to all!

Stripes

And stripes....

Preppy casual

And more stripes

View from mom's boat

New House under construction

construction nearing the end

new living room!

my love

shot of the new dining room picked up by pottery barn

kitchen in progress

Spring tweed for a client lunch

watercolors from J.Crew

How I miss alcohol....

Yup! We moved from NY to CT!

Yup! Were ending a long line of only-children!

I miss regular clothes

Kitchen complete!

Exploring our new state- Essex Steam Train!

Berry picking in our new town

5 months pregnant

last shot as a family of 3

Florida Dreaming

My in-laws are off to Florida this weekend, and between the anxiety of the school year and the 6th month of pregnancy I wish i was anywhere but the Northeast (though I do love the New England fall season, don't get me wrong!). When I think of the warm sunlight of the southern getaway state, I think of white, ocean blues, and natural wood. Ideally you have a place in your home where you can feel the calm, serene vibes you'd experience on a Florida vacation anytime of the year. This is what my ideal Florida room might look like, complete with the hum of breaking waves in the distance. 

This post was inspired by Douglas Elliman - they can help you find your dream home or rental. If you'd like to browse some of their Florida properties, you can check them out here.

Home Decor: Kitchen

Small but big in impact is a kitchen back splash. We never got around to putting one in at our former house, and oddly enough its one of the features our new house was similarly lacking (that along with any sort of light fixtures in the kitchen and dining area). Though I love classic white subway tile, I didn't think a shiny white back splash would exactly fit. We opted instead for the traditional size and cut of subway tile, but in a sheer, glass tile with monochromatic grout.

Sherman Williams lazy gray painted walls throughout

Monogrammed canisters from Pottery Barn

cutting boards from Wayfair, menu easel from Amazon

All lighting fixtures from Pottery Barn, bowl a gift from my dear friend Christine, also from Pottery Barn

Insta-Snaps

17 weeks/4 months pregnant, last week in regular jeans

living room in progress

work from home dress code

Play-doh fun

Long Island friends came to visit us in CT!

1st day of Kindergarten at his brand new school

21 weeks/5 months pregnant- had to give and and go with maternity jeans

Weekend morning arts & crafts