November RDH Blog of the Month – House of Turquoise

via House of Turqoise - Coastal Living Magazine

Annie Schlechter,  photographer - designed by James Radin

If you love the color turquoise and all its many tones and pretty shades, then you are in great company!  It seems lots of people love this wonderful color.  In fact, Erin loves turquoise so much that she created an entire blog called House of Turquoise dedicated to showcasing this pretty color.

I have been following Erin at House of Turquoise for quite some time and was so thrilled when she said yes to being featured today as the Red Door Home November blog of the month!  

Erin from House of Turquoise

Erin finds and shares the prettiest pictures - all featuring some variation of her favorite color. I have shared a few of my favorites from her blog throughout this post.

via House of Turquoise

Michelle Balfoort, architect - Adam Cohen. photographer

via House of Turquoise

Design by Tobi Fairly

Most people probably think of turquoise as being just one specific shade of blue.  House of Turquoise shows that there are so many hues and deviations of this wonderful color that there really are no limits when it comes to decorating with turquoise. 

via House of Turquoise - Kitchen by Young Huh

via House of Turquoise

Geoff Chick, architect - Jack Gardner, photographer

Besides her wonderful blog, Erin also has a great online store called Everything Turquoise. 

Here you can find anything from pajamas to scissors to linens and everything in between all in – you guessed it - the color turquoise.  It really is a great concept.

I hope you will take the time to visit Erin at House of Turquoise.   Her blog is simply beautiful!

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!

About that Big Basket

Thank you all for your nice comments about my living room.  It seems many of you like the idea of no rug – at least during the summer months.  I must say it is a lot easier to keep clean!  I am not sure how the feet will feel come winter but that is a while away.

I had several people inquire about the large basket.  It is a vintage French covered transport trunk.

I purchased it from Bonny Neiman Antiques and I am absolutely thrilled!  Bonny was so nice to work with and I highly recommend her shop.  I also bought the pretty mirror which hangs above the bed in the master bedroom from Bonny.

To be honest when I bought the basket I really did not pay attention to the size and had no idea where I was going to put it.

At first it found a home in the family room.  Although it looked fabulous, the trouble was, now I was left with no place for the wagon.  Then I came across this picture.

Via Southern Living

A perfect solution!

I immediately hauled the basket upstairs and in the bedroom it went – making a perfect bedside table.

I love the extra layer of texture it adds to the room and how it is a bit unexpected.

I have to admit I was fortunate that things worked out so well.  

Have you ever purchased something without knowing  where you were going to place it? I would love to hear what you bought and where it ended up!  

Adding a Little Green

I am not sure if it is the lack of snow this winter which has me thinking about spring or my constant need to rearrange (probably a little of both!), but last week I found the top of my family room built-ins to be looking a bit sparse. I decided some new plants were in order and headed to Lowes to see what I could find.

I ended up coming home with three succulents, a small ivy plant (1/2 price on clearance) and a funny looking plant which reminded me of un-mowed grass.

The succulents and a sprig of the ivy found homes in a white ironstone bowl and the “grass plant” was simply placed in a container I normally use in the summer outside.

I grabbed a few other plants from other parts of the house and within twenty minutes I was quite pleased with the new arrangement.

I now have a little bit of spring inside to tide me over until it finally arrives outside!

Are you thinking about spring too? Have you added any spring touches to your home?

Project Snapshots

Like many of you, the beginning of a new year has me re-energized.  I have been busy organizing, cleaning, purging, rearranging, and checking lots of those little pesky things off my “to do” list which have been there way too long.  (i.e. - the clock above my mantel which has been leaning against the wall for almost two years has finally been hung!)

Along with all of the above, I have also been working on lots of house projects.  So today I thought I would share a sneak peak of what I have been up to and give you an idea of what is ahead.  I will be sure to share all the details as each project is completed.

The biggest changes will be taking place in the master bedroom.  The pictures below are a few hints of the progress which has been made so far.

I have also been completing projects in the basement . . .

. . . adding some new artwork to the mudroom . . .

. . . and updating a few things in the kitchen. 

Changes are also in store for the dining room.

Finally, I wanted to thank everyone who entered the Something About Silver giveaway.  I try to host a couple of giveaways throughout the year as a way to thank you for choosing to take time out of your busy schedules and spend it with Red Door Home.

Christmas House Tour 2011

Christmas has always been my favorite time to decorate.  In years past I have had lots of hours to spend getting my home ready for the holidays – decorating, baking gingerbread houses, crafting, etc.  Things were a little different in 2011, as we were blessed with the celebration of my in-laws 50^th wedding anniversary over Thanksgiving and my Etsy store had its best year ever.  Thank you!

So needless to say, I just did not have time to do all decorating and blogging like I have done in the past.  Rather than dwell on all the things I could not get done and go on and on about how crazy my life has been over the past two months, I decided to celebrate the season and invite you into my home just as it is!  So welcome to my home for the holidays!

I kept the decorating simple this year with fresh greens and the white color palette I have used previously.

We added an extra stocking on the mantel this year for our new puppy, Abby.

She was determined to be in the picture of the family room shown below.

The living room was also awash in fresh greens – my favorite being the garland draped on the clock.

I hope you enjoyed the abbreviated tour of my house.  Thank you for taking the time to visit!  I wish for you and your loved ones a blessed Christmas and joyous holiday!