Ballard Master Bathroom

Living Room

A more traditional concept.

Rosemary Kitchen

A rosemary plant served as the inspiration for this kitchen pallet.

Flowers should be easy

When it comes to flower arrangements I like to keep it simple: one color and one flower. Even though I tend to fuss with the arrangements, I always want the flowers to look like I picked them up from the market and plopped them in a vase…or in this case, a tomato can. There are so many wonderful colors to choose from, but for some reason I almost always end up with white flowers. White feels more modern and tends to blend in with the room, rather than becoming the focal point.

The Key to Great Window Coverings

Now that we’ve had a few months to live in our new house, it is time to turn our attention to window coverings. The first thing that had to go was the cheap white sheers in the front room, left behind by the staging crew. I wanted to make a statement in this room and tie the furniture together with the house. We considered various patterns, stripes, prints and bold colors, but as soon as I saw these Key Embroidered Drapes from Pottery Barn I knew I had to have them (and we got them on a great sale!). Now the room feels more elegant and put together. Next up is a more modern light fixture. I know exactly what I want -- I just need to track it down.

Easy Dash of Glam

I’m always on the lookout for easy ways to add a bit of glamour to a room, a certain sparkle that is both unexpected and sophisticated. Our bedroom that needed a little extra something and I found exactly what I wanted at Anthropologie: I replaced the boring round drawer pulls that came with our black dresser and nightstands with Coral Knobs in brass. Instantly the dresser looked far more expensive that it was and the room felt all the more luxurious. When we give house tours to guests, those six dollar gems always garner special attention.

Blame it on the Snow

At least that’s the excuse I’m using. The snow hit Seattle just before Christmas and set off a chain of events that kept me from updating my blog. Nothing bad happened ---- just 3 weeks of kids at home and not a lot of places to go. We were very thankful for our Subaru that helped keep us in hot chocolate and coffee. And thank god for restaurants that deliver.

I do love Christmas and all the trimmings, but I love January just as much. The start of the New Year offers a fresh start with all the decorations put away (lights on the patio are coming down today!) and the house feeling fresh and clean again.

How my favorite stores transition from Christmas to January is always of keen interest. So far I’ve seen an array of bright, crisp colors in shop windows including big splashes of aqua at Nordstrom. Martha Stewart Living’s January cover provides inspiration, this year with very bright yellows and oranges.

The roads and clear now, school is open, everyone is back on schedule and we can start planning 2009 with a clean slate.