I’m inspired by my travels to Italy where hand painted ceramics are part of the aesthetic in this region of the world. I stumbled upon a collection of hand painted ceramic sinks that caught my eye. It’s been my experience that basin sinks are less practical for daily use in primary bathrooms (I prefer undermount… Keep Reading ..read more

Greetings from the Cinque Terre! I’m here with my 20 year old daughter, it’s her first glimpse of Italy. Today we’re taking a pesto making course in the town of Manarola at a restaurant with spectacular views (it’s ranked #1 on this list for its views). My girl is a foodie so I planned this… Keep Reading ..read more

Earlier this week, I posted my sea green door inspiration and the paint colors I considered before repainting my front door and shutters. Since the house is white, I wanted the perfect shade of sea green to go with my coastal meets mid century aesthetic and I’m delighted to have found the perfect color! The door is old fashioned with its frosted diamond glass but I think it’s also retro so I’m keeping it for now. I may replace the glass in the future but I kinda like it now that it’s repainted. I strongly disliked it before and wanted to replace the door with a mid century style but I’ve cha ..read more

Since we bought the Florida house in 2022, I’ve been meaning to paint the front door, but it took me two years to finally get around to doing it. I was inspired by the door images I kept in a Pinterest file, I found myself turning time and again to the color sea green. Our single story house is white, so sea green seemed the perfect choice for my mid century meets coastal style. I didn’t want my door to be too minty or aqua, just a nice blend of the two, between a mid tone and pale green with a hint of blue. Finding the perfect shade of sea green for my home’s front door and shutters took some ..read more

Today I am flying to Nice, France to meet my daughter, she’s been in Spain for a week with friends and now it’s my turn to be with her. It’s our first mother daughter trip together, I’m very excited to be showing her the Côte d’Azur! We will be visiting Nice, Antibes, Menton, Éze, and maybe Monaco for a day if we have time. France will be busy, the country is hosting both the Olympics and the Tour de France, but thankfully all of our traveling is by train, not by car. We’re also visiting the Cinque Terre for a few days, I haven’t been back to that region since before she was born. Follow along ..read more

Have you noticed lately in every styled kitchen a little piece of art pops up somewhere? Art has been displayed in European kitchens forever, and it’s a layering technique we’ve seen in domestic kitchens for a few years. Framed art adds warmth and character to a space so naturally designers and stylists use art as alluring decor in kitchens. Ever since open shelves became a timeless addition to a kitchen, people look to fill the vertical area between or above shelves with pleasing elements, this is where one or two pieces of framed art helps to draw the eye to the shelf scene. In addition to w ..read more

I love the concept of romanticizing one’s life, this happens in part when we surround ourselves with things we truly love, that favorite coffee mug or candle you use daily, or the glassware and dishes you choose for meals. I bought these charming blue and white melamine plates for summer, they’re perfect for salads or snacks during the day, I’m crazy about them. The entire Blue Bay collection is so summery! my lenox blue bay melamine salad plates (set of four) with pink linen napkins Melamine plates are a summer staple for meals: melamine is portable (perfect for camping), lightweight (beach ..read more

I’ve been in Florida for over a week, slowly making changes around the house and also exploring the local area. I’m repainting the front door as soon as I settle on the perfect shade of mint or sea green. I’ve also ordered a few more decorative accents for the primary bedroom makeover. I get a few things done in the morning and then when the heat arrives, I set aside time to relax, to exercise, and also practice what I began years ago, the act of sitting in stillness. I’m left with greater clarity, gratitude, and a sense of calm as a result. I find this easier to do in the summer months when t ..read more

The Fourth of July is tomorrow and since red is a patriotic color, let’s take a look at its use in interiors. I’m all for the use of wine on the walls or pinks and oranges in sunset hues, but I find that primary red can be jarring in interiors if it’s too intense or overused. The unexpected red theory has been featured in many recent design articles, spotlighting the use of a burst of red as a refreshing twist in modern interiors. Red is notoriously tricky to work with, too much of it can be overwhelming, however the hue can be exciting when used in unexpected ways. Red screams “look at me” so ..read more

Where we live on the gulf coast of Florida, there are a lot of white sandy beaches and many of them are perfect for shell collecting. Since I’ve been back and forth for two years, I’ve gathered a collection of shells from beach walks and was inspired to create art in the classic shadow box format. This framed shell art project is incredibly easy to piece together, all you need is a collection of shells (or you could use sea glass too) and shadow boxes. I had three sources for mine, the local Florida beaches, ones I bought on Amazon for variety, and sliced shells from a shop on Etsy.   ..read more