Emerald Green- Pantone's 2013 Color of the Year

Not a go-to color for me- but here are some pretty images of Pantone's color of the year:

the fireplace

the flat screen approach:

 or…this is my favorite…love the reclaimed wood planks:

 modern version:

 and wall art arrangements:

february 14th

a little bit of valentines day decor…..

Free printables …so sweet from www.justaddgingerp.com

Starburst!

The Bellesol mirror from Ballard Designs

Starburst mirrors- a design trend for sure. But I think here to stay since we've seen them for years (reference Louis XIV- the Sun King)

I was reading in today's Boston Globe that Samantha Schoech (former designer magazine editor) now contributor on Houzz, feels that they are a "horribly misguided" decision.  I disagree! I have a cool one purchased from Ballard Designs (the Bellesol- is a staple, Ballards has carried it for years). Now residing in a bedroom formerly in an entryway-- they are an excellent focal point, no matter the price point:

Keeping Up The Castle

If you love Downton Abbey...you might be interested to know...

It's true name, Highclere Castle, is actually the real life family home of Lord and Lady Carnarvon. At around a million dollars a year in upkeep, the life of the English nobility is no longer one of extravagant parties and opulence.

The fictional Earl of Grantham has struggled to keep hold of his ancestral home, and now things have never looked better for the owners of Highclere Castle, where the ITV drama is filmed.

Before Downton hit our screens, the 8th Earl and Countess of Carnarvon admitted their Berkshire estate needed £11.75million worth of repairs, including £1.8million of urgent work on the main house.

Ravaged by damp and rot, at least 50 rooms were uninhabitable and its stone turrets were falling into disrepair.

But after their friend, writer and producer Julian Fellowes, asked if he could film his new period drama at Highclere, it has become one of Britain’s best-known stately homes.

As many as 1,200 visitors a day descended on the house in the summer, enabling the owners to begin major repairs.

Lord Carnarvon, 55, said the show had ‘taken the pressure off’ for them financially. He said: ‘At the time that we were approached about Downton, it was just after the banking crisis and it was gloom in all directions. We had been doing corporate functions, but it all became pretty sparse after that.

‘Then Downton came along and we became a major tourist attraction. It has been a wonderful thing for us and our visitor numbers have doubled.’

Redundant buildings have been turned into tearooms and a three-year project to fix those distinctive turrets is finally under way.

Atlanta Gift Show-- through the showroom windows!

As a vendor - I am not able to walk into showrooms, BUT I can window shop!!

Here are some of the beautiful showrooms I saw (through the glass!)

Lulu and Co:

Which brings fine French furniture and furnishings to the US

Bliss Studios:

Historically inspired creations with a modern point of view

Ann Gish:

Known for fine Italian bed linens

Home office project starting soon- stay tuned!

On the front door

The wreath is gone, the twinkly white lights are now turned off, and so now …the front door looks bare and sparse.  So I surfed for some pretty non-Christmasy but wintery front door ideas and here is what I found:

And what I've decided on is this cute heart shaped wreath which I ordered from Etsy… this will be bright and a nice transition from Christmas to Valentines Day at which time I might replace with the cute monogram in the first picture (also from Etsy)!