home away from home

over a year ago i was asked to by the parents of my dear friend julie to help update their home.  i have spent a significant amount of time at their home over the years and they always make me feel at home during my visits... i wanted to give back to both julie and her parent by creating a home they could truly enjoy and be proud of. on more than one account sheri has told me she feels as if she lives in a magazine! there is nothing more rewarding than knowing i was able to create an environment where she feels special.

we began with the family room, moved to the living room, and as of this week the demolition in their bathroom remodel has begun... the kitchen is last on our list (as soon as julie and her younger brother are off the "payroll")

photography by crazy beautiful photography

quote of the day...

"don't spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door."

~coco chanel

stroll down merrywood lane

shameless plug day three

on to the next stop on my portfolio shoot: a bachelor pad of sorts.  my client was recently divorced, had two young adult daughters, recently purchased and remodeled a brand new home, and was in need of furniture!  the living area was the first room we tackled... the carpet was brand new (completely off limits to switch out) and the wall paint was practically the same color (blah) so needless to say we needed color (to match the personality of my client) and we needed it fast! inspiration for the color scheme came from a fish (now hanging above his prized television) his late father had caught and we went from there... enjoy!

photography by crazy beautiful photography

quote of the day...

"i want what i do to speak volumes"

~alexander mcqueen

r.i.p.

home sweet home

two weeks from now i'm embarking on a new chapter of my life and moving away from my small hometown of vienna, wv for the city life in pittsburgh, pa (more on that later) in lieu of the big move i have been on a bit of a design roller coaster trying to pull together colors, fabrics and etc for my new apartment but can't seem to make any decisions (also, stay tuned)... why is it that i can never make decisions for my own home but make decisions daily in the homes of my clients?

but anyways, back to the subject at hand... my home! i will always look forward to future visits back to my hometown and wanted to share with you where i call home... 

two years ago my mother and step father purchased a very awkward and small condo-like home sitting on our country club golf course along with a view of the river (location, location, location) there was absolutely nothing about the house i even remotely liked so my work was definitely cut out for me.  to make matters worse i was fresh off the train from college and had zero real life experience with remodeling. working closing with the contractor we successfully turned 2,500 square feet of ugliness (i'm talking oak woodwork, berber carpet, hunter green counter tops) into 5,500 square feet of cozy! for the most part everything from our previous home was taken to the furniture grave yard (to be refurbished by yours truly) and i was blessed with freedom of starting from scratch! my mother often comments that she loves her home so much she never wants to leave!

hope you love it, too!

pictures by crazy beautiful photography

ta-da! suite three reveal

over a year ago i promised to showcase the after pictures of my first project upon graduating college... one project turned into another and then another and shooting pictures for my portfolio quickly fell to the bottom of my to do list!  after many attempts to take the photographs on my own i quickly learned my pathetic camera  was not going to cut it and hired a professional to get the job done... last weekend we were able to shoot my recent projects and i could not be more proud to share some of them with you!

(stay tuned this week... more locations and picture to come!)

read the back story of suite three with before photos here and see progression photos here

a big thanks to crazy beautiful photography for taking the pictures!

sold.

via hsn

vintage starburst & lattice sheet sets from none other than the oh-so-handsome nate berkus

today i'm loving...

via madeline weinrib 

wanted:

this fabric. can anyone identify the print?!

i will love you forever. i promise.

blue & gold

i ran across this lovely kate spade number (on sale i might add) and had visions of the tote under my arm at future wvu sporting events (i realize one might consider spending 200.00 on a bag to carry a handful of times at football and basketball games to be somewhat neurotic, but i could argue otherwise)

the combination of the decorative bow and collegiate colors provides the perfect balance between my femininity and love for wvu sports!  while i continue to mull over the purchase i complied a few images illustrating why the pairing of blue and gold not only works well in fashion but also in interiors... enjoy! (let's gooo mountaineers!)

celerie kemble

house beautiful

celerie kemble

lindsey coral harper

tobi fairley

dear anthropologie

considering the thousands of dollars in business i have sent your way over the past two years i am formally requesting the above rug for under my dining table in my fabulous new sex-and-the-city-ish apartment. i would appreciate the gesture more than you know.

sincerely, alisha gwen