October Blog of the Month – Design Chic!

Happy Monday!  Hope you all had a great weekend.  Today I am thrilled to introduce you to another fabulous Red Door Home blog of the month – Design Chic!

Design Chic is a beautiful design blog written by the mother daughter duo of Beth Woodson and Kristy Woodson.  Kristy does the writing and Beth is the curator of all the lovely pictures – sounds like a perfect match.

Their blog is one of my favorite places for inspiration on everything from farmhouse sinks to boxwoods, white clapboard houses to butler’s pantries, bobbin chairs to garages and so much more.  The list is truly endless.  In fact, if you follow me on Pinterest you will see that many of the pictures I have pinned have come from Design Chic.  They have impeccable taste and always find the most wonderful pictures. Below are some of the pictures I just love!

A garage by Patrick Ahearn  - architect

Clapboard House from Country Living

Boxwood Design by Arabella Lennox Boyd landscape designer

This designing duo also has a new project in the works.  They are in the midst of renovating a house in beautiful Beaufort, North Carolina.  Beaufort is a quintessential coastal town and the third oldest town in North Carolina – lots of history here and a great place to visit especially in the summer.  In fact, I am very familiar with Beaufort as my husband and I made a stop there on our honeymoon.  The house is definitely a diamond in the rough just brimming with potential.

The front part of the house was built in 1813 and the remainder in 1907.

Future guest room

The master bedroom with another great fireplace.

One of the most spectacular features of the house is the view from the widows walk.

Demolition on the house is in full swing and they are currently working on remodeling and reworking spaces.  I am so excited to see this entire project as it progresses to the finishing stages.

As with all the blog of the month features on Red Door Home, there is so much more to see at Design Chic including their “In Good Taste” features as well as  “Fashionable Friday.”  I hope you will visit Beth and Kristy and leave a comment letting them know you stopped by.  I know they will be thrilled to hear from you! 

August RDH Blog of the Month – Henhurst Interiors

Today I am pleased to introduce you to the RDH August blog of the month – Henhurst Interiors.

I discovered Henhurst Interiors not too long ago while reading Tone on Tone – another RDH blog of the month – and instantly felt a connection to the warm, comfortable and inviting decorating style Phyllis infuses into the spaces she designs.

Phyllis has an interior design business – also called Henhurst Interiors - located in Vermont.  She is a busy mom, wife and owner of two dogs and believes that beautiful interiors can be compatible with an active lifestyle. (I love this philosophy!)

Last month, Phyllis took a road trip south and stopped at several shops on my bucket list of “must visit” places.   Her tour included Trouvaille (Bonny Neiman’s store in Summit, NJ), the Ekster Antiquesbarn sale in Hamilton, Virginia and Loi Thai’s shop Tone on Tone as well as his beautiful home. 

Trouvaille

Ekster Barn Sale

Tone on Tone

After seeing the photos of her tour I now have an even greater desire to undertake a road trip of my own!

One of my favorite regular features on Henhurst Interiors is Phyllis’ “Words to Decorate By” series.  Phyllis chooses a quote by a well-known designer and includes a picture from their portfolio.  Here is one of my favorites by Charlotte Moss - “Decorating is like music. Harmony is what we constantly strive for.”

Charlotte Moss

Besides travelling in the United States, Phyllis also recently spent time in England where she visited with her cousin and family.

It was such a treat to follow along her journey and see all the wonderful photos of the places she visited – my favorite being Sissinghurst.

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There is so much more to see at Henhurst Interiors so be sure to stop by for a visit.  Thanks once again to another fabulous blogger for allowing me to feature your blog!

Weekend in the Garden

Hi all!  Hope you had a wonderful weekend and Mother’s Day.   We had beautiful weather which allowed my family to partake in our annual Mother’s Day tradition - planting our garden.

Saturday typically involves basic clean up, readying the soil for planting and purchasing various vegetables, herbs and other plants.   Sunday is planting day!

With the arrival of an early spring, we had already brought out the garden furniture and spruced up the fire pit area and back and side patios.

Over the years, our garden has evolved from haphazard to a bit more structured and symmetrical.  We have figured out what type of plants work best and what simply will not do well in the shortened growing season here in the northeast.

Tomatoes, herbs and cucumbers seem to thrive and have become a standard. Each year we try something new and this year’s “experiments” are eggplant and cantaloupe.   We also added peppermint to the herb selection.  I have been told mint can be quite invasive so it was planted in a separate container to keep it from overtaking the entire garden bed.

As you can see from the pictures, the garden looks a bit sparse as the plants are just getting started.  Hopefully within a few weeks everything will have taken off and the garden will be lush and green.  I will be sure to post pictures later in the summer.

Oh – in case you were wondering about the “tom junior” sign in the mint pot.  Years ago my kids decided to name all the plants in the garden.  (I am guessing this one used to be for a tomato.)  We have kept the signs and truly get a kick out of ourselves every year as we again use them to name our plants!  Silly I know but lots of fun too.

A Country Farmhouse – the RDH April Blog of the Month

Today I am happy to be featuring A Country Farmhouse as the April Red Door Home blog of the month.

A Country Farmhouse is the story of Trina and her husband’s renovation journey of an old farmhouse in the country.

Before

After

Along the way, she shares her passions for country life, antiques, old houses and healthy living.

Her eye for the beauty in every-day objects, her uncluttered, fresh decorating style, as well as her amazing photographs, are just a few of the reasons A Country Farmhouse is a favorite of mine.

When I think of Trina and her wonderful blog, the first words which come to mind are elegant, simple sophistication.

I just love how every object in her home seems to be something she loves, uses and is not just for show.

You may recognize the Country Living magazine cover from this past winter shown below. It is a picture of Trina’s living room all dressed up for the holidays.

There is a lot more prettiness to see, so be sure to stop by A Country Farmhouse. A thank you also to Trina for allowing me to feature her amazing blog!

An Urban Cottage – The RDH March Blog of the Month

Today I am happy to introduce you to An Urban Cottage – the March Red Door Home Blog of the month.

via An Urban Cottage

via An Urban Cottage

An Urban Cottage is a new to me blog that has quickly become a favorite.  You know I love a good house renovation story and this one is superb!  An Urban Cottage chronicles Steve’s journey of restoring his 1842 Greek Revival cottage in Boston, MA.  Along the way he also shares tidbits about flowers, decorating, favorite finds, and more.

Below is how Steve’s house looked when it was purchased.

via An Urban Cottage

Here is what it looks like today.

via An Urban Cottage

Quite a beautiful transformation, wouldn’t you say?  (For all the details click HERE.)  Along with restoring the outside of his house, Steve has also been hard at work renovating the interior. Take a look at the inspiring pictures below to see the beautiful transformation which has taken place.

Kitchen before

via An Urban Cottage

Kitchen after

via An Urban Cottage

Steve has done such amazing work on his house that not too long ago it was photographed for and will be featured in the new Better Homes and Gardens New Cottage Style book.

The book is not available yet but is scheduled for release in June of this year.  You can visit HERE to preorder your copy.

Steve’s current project involves an update of the bedroom shown below.

via An Urban Cottage

He is stripping wallpaper and plans to remove the turquoise paint from the floor as well as change the vintage Cape Cod cottage look into something more in keeping with the rest of the house.  I can’t wait to see the results!

Thank you Steve for allowing me to feature your incredible blog!  To see more Urban Cottage happenings please stop by Steve’s blog.  I know you will be thrilled you did!