1) Gather your artwork Make sure you have enough pieces to feel like a collection and to really anchor the wall space you’re going to be using.  You want the whole grouping to cover most of the wall so that it doesn’t look like it’s floating awkwardly.  Don’t be afraid to go floor to ceiling! As far as what type of artwork to use- that’s totally up to you! There are no real rules, but you do want to keep in mind how well the pieces work together.  I had some wall art pieces already, but not enough to make a gallery as big as I needed for the long hallway wall, so I painted a cou ..read more

The experts have spoken — and the hottest design trends for summer 2021 will run the gamut from vintage nostalgia to country chic, with a touch of ocean tropical thrown in for good measure. At least, so say the design industry professionals throughout the US, where decorators and retailers are stocking up on an array of trending paint colors, furnishings and accessories for their summer makeovers. Given the stresses of the past year, it’s a great time to indulge yourself in a revitalizing home makeover this summer. And whether your project involves an entire house, a single room or a tiny corn ..read more

Happy 4th of July! This holiday weekend, instead of giving your money to all the big-box and fast-furniture stores inundating your email inbox with Independence Day sales, consider showing patriotism by supporting some of my favorite Black-owned Etsy shops! I’ve even made it easy for your with a curated selection of my picks, links to shop below! Enjoy your holiday weekend! -Annabel Top Row (from left): Batik HIBISCUS ZORI Pillow | African Print girl's playsuit | Concrete Hands Catchall | African wax print lampshade Middle: Unity Hands- Woven Art Throw | African Print Cosmetic Bag | Libby Ski ..read more

Perla Venata Quartzite Countertops. True quartzite has the look of marble with the durability of granite. Here’s How Four Countertop Cleaners Stack Up …In my very un-scientific study, that is! First, A Quick Review of Kitchen Countertop Materials In the event you’re getting ready to do a kitchen remodel or renovation, let’s first brush up on some of the popular kitchen countertop materials out there: Misterio Quartz from Pental Quartz was used in this kitchen project we completed last year. Quartz Quartz is hugely popular these days, and it’s easy to see why. It’s durable, family friendly ..read more

We’ve Got the Gifts Dads Won’t Have to Pretend to Like Well, you all know that Annabel has been home on maternity leave taking care of Baby Cilla these past couple of months. And that means for the first time, her husband, Kean, is about to join the ranks of dads everywhere celebrating Father’s Day this year. So I thought it only fitting to put together a Father’s Day gift guide, in case Annabel and Cilla might need some ideas. First, here is the new dad himself! Kean with adorable daughter Cilla in a pic Annabel recently shared on Instagram. Annabel’s husband Kean with Baby Cilla And over he ..read more

PPE: Pandemic Painting Experiment My Dining Room Refresh Revealed We’re back to bloggin’ in the She-Shed this week! Sophie is doing some homeschooling at the counter over there, and I’ve set up my favorite green vintage desk facing outward so I can enjoy all that lush, Spring greenery outside. You might remember this vintage desk from an earlier blog post we did about home workspace solutions. Yes, this desk was in my middle-daughter Elise’s room and I quite liked it there. But, tweens will be tweens, and she definitely has a bit of her ‘ole mom’s redecorating genes in her. We’ll hear her mov ..read more

The One Wine You Don’t Want in Your Fridge This Summer... Plus 8 You do! Well, it certainly turned into the Winter of Our Discontent this year, didn’t it? Make that late winter into early spring. But, now, boy oh boy are things looking just a little bit brighter each day! I hate to jinx it, but with Connecticut joining the rest of the 50 states with tentative steps towards partial re-opening, I’d say it’s high time we take a moment and look forward cautiously and positively to…? Of course I don’t know exactly what we’re looking forward to, but whatever new reality rises from the ashes has got ..read more

Of course we’ve got grand plans for our small backyard, but for now I’ll enjoy these vintage Tropitone chairs. In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours. --Mark Twain So May, 2020 certainly hasn’t been the warmest May on record here in New England.  My sentiments as of May 9, 2020. In fact, when I saw this image posted on social media, it pretty much summed up my sentiment over this past Mother’s Day weekend. On the heels of learning that the dreaded Asian murder hornet had infiltrated US soil, we were assaulted by yet another unpleasantry.  A ..read more

Of course, Adding Green with Plants is always a good idea too! Greetings from “The Playhouse”! Since the weather has warmed up a little, and my husband Andy has gotten really tired of working in the basement, we decided to clean out the shed/playhouse in our backyard last week and will now use it as an office outpost for the duration of the pandemic. (By the way, “Shed/Playhouse” is a euphemism for this space. Really it has become my hoarder shed. Basically this is where everything I forage from estate sales ends up until it finds a permanent home. We also always thought the girls might use i ..read more

The (Lampshade) Saga Continues You didn’t think I could let a blog post about the reemergence of empire lampshades slip by without including The Empire Strikes Back film poster, did you? I mean, Darth Vader with that amazing blush velvet cone shade atop his helmet? Before we dive into empire shades and how they are once again popping up in homes everywhere, I just want to say that I do realize this topic of empire lamp shades can be quite polarizing for some of you. Perhaps almost as polarizing as Dr. Deborah Birx’s scarves? Her scarves, by the way, have their own Instagram account. At last co ..read more