The Vessel(s)

We've chosen earth toned stoneware and creamy ceramics. Tis the season for neutrals and deep colors. This will also allow any subtle pops of color you choose to incorporate to really stand out.

The condo was dated and gloomy. The family tasked us with transforming the condo into a modern mountain condo with a hint of traditional feel while also incorporating family-friendly materials and making it cozy for winter fun in Vermont.

Our goals for this design project included lightening up the space, adding contrast and texture, and taking inspiration from nature.

We also wanted to create some practical storage solutions for the mudroom, a must for a Vermont condo.

Lastly, we wanted to incorporate a few show-stopping details on the fireplace and stairs. 

Flooring & Paint

Fresh paint is one of our favorite ways to lighten up a room. We used shades of white for this condo to make the living areas feel instantly brighter. 

We also installed new wood floors throughout the entire condo to make the condo feel new. In addition, we went with a medium stain to add some warmth.

Practical Mudroom Storage

Having a place to store helmets, mittens, hats, and ski gear is essential for a ski-in/out condo. Unfortunately, many mountain homes are poorly designed and do not have enough space in the mudroom.

We designed a new mudroom with custom built-ins and added shiplap in a darker shade to add contrast and offer a moody but rustic vibe. Next, we styled the built-ins with wicker baskets to keep winter accessories hidden. Next, we added hooks to allow ski jackets to hang and dry. Then, We added a bench in a warm wood tone so the family has a spot to take off their ski gear. Finally, for one more pop of contrast, we added a beautiful red area rug. Now, this mudroom has just the right amount of storage and style.

Living & Dining Room Furniture

The ski-in/out condo has a lovely open concept living area where we wanted to provide a cozy seating area and a dining table to fit the family. 

We sourced all new furniture for the living room and dining room, focusing on contrast, texture, and natural decor.

We sourced a beautiful blue sofa in a family-friendly fabric and a plaid accent chair for the living area. Next, we placed a rustic solid wood coffee table between the sofa and accent chair that fit the mountain vibe perfectly. Then, we added a modern rustic lamp behind the sofa that features a beautiful and raw wood look. Finally, we anchored this area with an area rug with shades of blue and neutrals. 

We reached out to a local furniture maker for the dining area to craft the perfect natural wood table to fit the rustic vibe. We decided to go with black legs to add contrast, and then we added classic black spindle dining chairs. 

Fireplace Details

After a day on the slopes, it is time to keep warm by the fireplace. The fireplace needed a significant update as it was covered in red brick and did not evoke the mountain feel. We channeled the rustic vibe into making this fireplace a showstopper focal point in this ski condo. We added natural granite stone and distressed barn wood board and batten to break up the long spans. 

Stair Details

Adding a new stair railing is a great way to give old stairs a fresh look. The stairs at this condo had a pickled maple original railing. We wanted to make an update to give it a more modern look. We updated that railing to include a light wood top and bottom rail with matte black balusters for contrast. 

Did this inspire you to update your condo in the mountains? If so, head over to our contact page to fill in your contact information, and we will be in touch! We would love to help you create a warm and inviting space at your mountain home. 

All Photos:

Ridegelight Photography 

So… is it possible to take a little slice of heaven on the Salmon River in Altmar, NY and create a property that’s appealing as both a fishing lodge and a romantic wedding venue??? I know you’re asking, “Seriously, how can those even be related? You’d have worn out (and maybe slightly aromatic!) fishermen coming in from being on the river all day while somewhere else on the property is a girl gang getting zenned out and beautiful with spa treatments before the big event!”

Yup! You’ve got the picture now.

Designing for such diverse clientele was definitely challenging, but we were up to it. After Modern Farmhouses, Modern Rustic spaces are my next fave to work on, plus the owner of the property was absolutely the best client ever. OK, I can’t lie - that client is actually my dad!

He started the lodge 6 years ago and since then, it has totally blown up in popularity. The whole endeavor has become a family affair with just about my entire family coming together with an all hands on deck approach to create this world class Hilton Tapestry Collection property in Upstate NY.

We wanted to create a place that was the epitome of modern rustic, elevated from what you might expect in a lodge setting (i.e. lots of deer heads and stuffed fish on the walls). We kept that cozy, rustic lodge feel but made it upscale - even a little romantic. We left the fish and game outside and instead brought nature inside with river rock, birch logs, twig lighting and lots of natural rustic shiplap.

And then there’s the spa…

You’re guided to the center of the spa on a riverbed-like pathway of pebbles and swimming fish.

Birch logs line the hallway walls.

The Quiet Room is an oasis of tranquility with the amazing art of Travis Walker setting the scene in the background.

Treatment rooms are tranquil and cozy with wood shiplap surrounding each room and luxurious navy draperies beautifully filtering the light.

To preserve that cozy tranquility for guests, it was important that we bring the Modern Rustic details all the way through the spa and into the locker rooms. Each private locker room has its own sauna where we continued the spa’s flooring seamlessly and brought more stone work into the space for texture and visual appeal.

The rustic pebbles are repeated in locker room showers, as well.

Ah! Do you feel as zenned out as I do just looking at these photos?

You can see even more of this amazing property here: Tailwater Lodge. Or better yet, head to Altmar, NY to see (and experience) it in person.

You know how it goes: You need to pick tile for your new (or renewed) kitchen or bathroom. You can't wait to get to the tile showroom to pick from all the beautiful styles and colors! So fun!

But then you get there.

And you realize this whole tile picking business isn't just about finding something pretty. You actually have to make important proportion decisions too.

No matter how pretty the tile is, if you pick the wrong sizes and shapes for your space, it could end up looking boring as all get out, or dizzyingly busy with tiny tiles and a million grout lines.

But don't worry. While it definitely takes a little bit of design knowledge and some careful thought, you can pick tile that gives you just the right proportions to make your kitchens and baths visually appealing and looking perfectly designed.

There are essentially 4 things you need to take into consideration to get the proportions of your tile right:

Size (which also determines the amount of grout lines you'll have)

Shape

Color (of both the tile and the grout)

When it comes to the size and shape of your tile, first take into consideration the surface you're covering.

Generally speaking, shower floors require smaller, mosaic-type tiles - the ones that come laid out on a backing, like this penny tile...

Or this river rock tile...

The smaller size and plentiful grout lines of mosaic tiles like these will make it easy for your installer to wrap the tiles over the slopes and slight curves of the shower pan. If you try to use standard 12x12 or plank tiles, it could be difficult - if not impossible - to make the tiles level and flush with the bottom of the pan.

For backsplashes and other tiled walls, just about anything goes for tile size and shape, but generally speaking, smaller tiles will give a more traditional feel while large tiles may look more modern.

And, of course, I think you can’t go wrong with a subway tile kitchen backsplash. For some reason, it’s always just right.

Also, think about the size of the wall or walls to be covered when picking tile size and shape because you could end up with some glaringly obvious awkward cuts if the wall area and the tile size don't "play well" together. That said, it may work to hide an awkward cut or two in corners or on the end of the tile run, as opposed to smack dab in the middle of things.

Especially for bathrooms, you'll also need to consider what the total effect will be from the tile on the floor, shower floor, shower walls, and sink backsplash if you have it. It's a little like putting together an outfit: The blouse could be perfect and so could the jeans and the shoes, but they can all be completely wrong together.

A key principle of good design is that contrast adds visual interest - so using all the same size, shape, and color tile throughout the room could end up looking boring and even institutional.

On the other hand, another design principle is that too much contrast can be jarring. A space needs a thread of consistency running through the design elements to make everything make sense to the eye and keep chaos at bay. That means that just picking different sizes, shapes, and colors for your tile might not work either.

So then how do you put together the right tiles for your whole bathroom? This part does take some practice because there's no exact formula or hard and fast rules. But essentially, if you have several different tiles in your bathroom, you want to be sure that each has something in common with one of the others - size, shape, or color.

For example, white subway tile on shower walls + same tile on sink backsplash + white penny tile on shower floor + charcoal gray plank tile flooring (the rectangle shape of the planks relates back to the rectangular subway tiles).

OR white subway tile shower walls + black penny tile shower floor + black and white penny tile flooring.

With both of those scenarios, you have just the right amount of cohesiveness with color but a little added contrast with shape and size to make things interesting.

Just to round out this idea for you, here's a combo that wouldn't look proportionate: gray 12x12 square tile shower walls + black square mosaic tile shower floor + taupe plank tile flooring. There's no commonality amongst those tiles in color or size, which looks random, but they're all either square or rectangular in shape, which lacks creativity and visual interest.

Here's another wrong approach:  white penny tile shower floor + white penny tile sink backsplash + white square mosaic shower walls + white penny tile flooring, all with charcoal gray grout. In addition to the huge amount of grout lines stemming from such small tile everywhere, having a strong contrast between your tile color and your grout color really makes the grout lines pop out. A space tiled that way would look entirely too busy. And although white grout would calm that down to some degree, you'd then have a boring all-white space. Plus just imagine all the scrubbing someone would have to do to keep it clean! Ugh, no thank you!

One note about flooring tile: Wood look plank tile flooring can change the equation with your other tile. Depending on the color and texture, it can come across as a wood floor, neutralizing the tile/grout effect that you'd otherwise need to take into consideration with the rest of the space's tile. I find this to be not as true of wood look flooring that's lighter in color with a more beach-y or modern style as it still looks tile-like enough to count in the space's tile equation.

I admit it's probably more art than science - and I probably handle it by instinct more than anything else at this point. But getting your tile "recipe" to work hinges on learning to put the specific ingredients of shape, size, and color together in a way that's cohesive enough to look logical but contrasting enough to be interesting.

If all else fails, but the tile combination you're considering together at the store and snap a picture. Look at the photo in your space and think about the levels of contrast vs similarity and the amount of grout lines you'll end up with if you use those tile options in that space. And of course, if you're in the Syracuse area OR in Vermont where we now have a new studio (yay!), you can always give us a call to help you get it just right!

A client recently asked me how to figure out the right proportions for things like lighting, tile and furniture. She said she always seems to pick things that are too big or too small.

She's not the first person to ask me about this. Proportions are a mystery to a lot of non-designers, which means that, even if you have great taste, your home can end up looking "off" because things are out of proportion with the space or with everything else in it (or both).

What I usually say when people ask me about proportions is that it's something I just have a knack for - I know what's going to look right and what's not without really thinking about it. But my client's question made me want to try to unravel exactly how I know and to explain it in simple terms, so here it goes!

Proportions 101

First of all, "proportions" are really just about taking the size of one thing and relating it to the size of something else (hence the saying "blowing it out of proportion," meaning making a bigger deal out of something than the comparatively small situation calls for).

Proportions aren't as much about being "right" or "wrong" as they are about simply being visually pleasing or visually jarring. You know how they say that if you notice a woman's makeup and not just her face, she's wearing too much? It's the same thing with proportions in design: If you walk into a room and immediately notice the size of the light fixture it's in the wrong proportion for the space. 

When it comes to lighting, I'm sure there are highly detailed and technical ways to find the right proportions. But for the average homeowner who just wants to pick a darn chandelier that won't look like it belongs in a dollhouse compared to their dining room table, here are some simple guidelines.

Tips for picking lighting in the right proportions

1.      How high are your ceilings? If you have "low" ceilings (10' or less), go for smaller fixtures. In fact, you can make low ceilings feel much higher by sticking with flush and semi-flush mount lights (not to mention a few can lights here and there so you get enough illumination).

But if your ceilings are a more generous height (11' and above), you may be able to pull off larger, more dramatic fixtures.

2.      That said, if your room with a low ceiling also happens to be fairly large, go for a sizable fixture that's wide but doesn't hang low, or add a series of smaller fixtures in a row.

3.      For bedrooms, you can opt to have a hanging fixture even if the ceiling's low as long as there's not a walkway directly beneath it (if it will hang over the bed or a bench at the end of the bed, for example). Just be sure to add lamps to the room, too, so your lighting is "layered" for a cozier feel.

4.     What are the other measurements of the space? One guideline (though I think it should be used loosely) is to add the width and length of your room together and look for a fixture with a width/diameter that's the same number but in inches. So for example, if your space is 16'x20' you'd look for a fixture somewhere in the neighborhood of 36 inches wide.

5.     But of course, there's an exception to that. If your fixture will be over a kitchen or dining table, take the table's width and subtract 12 inches. The result is the width/diameter you need to look for in a fixture (a 42" wide table would need a roughly 30" wide fixture).

Apply the same formula to kitchen islands, or use multiples of a smaller fixture.

That's it in a nutshell. Proportions aren’t as complicated as you may think, and they’re certainly not an exact science. People like me, who seem to "just know" the right size fixture to choose are essentially automatically processing all of that information just by looking at the room and without realizing they're doing it.

I'm betting that once you've used the guidelines above a few times, you'll be able to put your tape measure away and still pick something in the right proportions.

Then people will start asking you how you do it, too!

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Proportions series coming soon.

Want help finding the right proportions for lighting, tile and furnishings for your home in upstate New York, Vermont or Connecticut? Let's talk! Live somewhere else but still want us to help? Call us anyway. We like to travel!

Photo Credit: Whitney Nichols Photography

I’d say the number one complaint I hear most often from homeowners about their homes is that their kitchens are too small.

And who can blame them?! No one wants to cook and wash dishes day in and day out in a space that feels like a closet.

Historic homes are particularly bad about this. Sometimes the kitchen feels like a tiny afterthought because it was hastily added on when having a detached kitchen house went out of vogue. But the real problem is that they just weren't built for we use our kitchens now. Back then, it was just a utilitarian room, but in our modern lives, cooking is as social as eating, the kitchen is replacing the dining room as our main eating space and everyone gathers there all the time because we see it as the heart of the home.

The Skaneateles area is full of the most beautiful historic homes with space-challenged kitchens just like our clients’. When they first came to us, these homeowners were tired of living with their dark, cramped, tiny kitchen. It was closed in and separated from the other public rooms in the house and they wanted to make it a space that suited how we really live today.

The solution? Open up the existing kitchen's walls, add on and give the whole space a new look that honors the home’s roots.

And that’s exactly what we did!

We not only created a much larger, brighter cooking space, but also a cheery breakfast nook, a cozy sitting area ( I love that in a kitchen - just look at this one and this one!) and storage for the homeowners' wine collection. By laying out the space just so, we also created a much better flow into the dining room and the rest of the house.

The centerpiece of the new kitchen is the large custom kitchen island, made from a richly stained walnut and topped with a gorgeous quartzite that looks a lot like marble, but will stand up to use much, much better.

We had the wide plank white oak flooring extended throughout the addition, then stained the new wood to match the existing floor.

The whole space gets tons of style and visual interest with a mix of hardware, and the super stylish light fixtures add sophistication.

We gave the homeowners an appliance garage next to the wall ovens so they can tuck away the toaster, the mixer and more. Do. Not. Forget to add one of these to your kitchen renovation wish list! It's a little detail that makes a huge difference in keeping your kitchen tidy on a daily basis.

By building the breakfast nook into the bump out window space, we left room open in the main kitchen area for that oversized island and four barstools.

The addition gave us a roomy sitting area, so in went a new sofa and two of the peppiest blue plaid chairs you ever did see. They make me happy!

We wrapped the cabinets all the way around the corner to create a clever bar area. Wine storage and an ice machine, along with generous storage for glassware and a bar sink, are perfectly positioned for hanging out as a family or for entertaining larger groups. Handy dandy!

Here’s the view from the newly redecorated dining room into the kitchen. See how it all flows together visually? That’s mostly thanks to the blues we carried throughout both spaces.

No more complaints about this kitchen being too small! Now our happy clients can cook, eat, gather and relax together in their new spacious addition.

Do you suppose that one day a long, long time from now, people will complain that our 21st century homes had kitchens that were just way too light, bright and roomy. Then maybe instead of asking for kitchen additions like this one, they'll be asking for "kitchen subtractions?" Ha!

All Photos: Raquel Langworthy Photography

Flowers: Teaselwood Design

Dining Room Floral: Fleur De Lis Floral Design Skaneateles N Y

Pottery: Farmhouse Pottery Woodstock Vermont

Most of the time, working with an interior designer on a project for your home is fun, creative and satisfying. I mean, what's not to love about letting a style guru with access to gorgeous, exclusive products guide you through fabrics, wallcoverings, lamps and furniture?!

 But every now and then your designer might tell you something that's decidedly un-fun. Maybe they deliver the news that something you planned to keep is making your home look dated and unappealing. That something you had your heart set on just isn't going to work. Or that you actually do need to invest in something you'd hoped to sidestep.

Believe me, I feel your pain! It can be discouraging and frustrating to hear that you need to be open to something you'd rather not have to consider.

But if your designer is worth their salt, they're only trying to help you. Their design advice is rooted in the fact that they have your best interests at heart - whether you like that advice or not.

I've definitely had the experience of steeling myself in preparation for telling a client something I knew was vital to their project's results . . . but that I also knew would be hard for them to hear. Fortunately, I have the most amazing clients who have just about always ended up thanking me for telling them the truth. It might not be until the very end of their project when they see how it all came together, but eventually, they see the wisdom in my hard-to-swallow words and realize that I really did have their backs.

 As far as the kinds of things I've had to tell my clients, here are some highlights.

"Yes, you really do need to add window treatments."

I've actually said this to more than a few of my clients. Once the big swag-y, swoop-y window treatments of the '90s and early 2000's went out of style, many homeowners got a little gun-shy about having any window treatments at all.

But while they may not be the show stopping, attention-grabbing features they used to be, curtains and blinds still play important roles in our homes' designs. Even the simplest, most unassuming window treatments will go a long way toward warming up your space and making it look truly "finished."

Without any fabric on your windows, you could end up with an unbalanced ratio of hard and soft surfaces resulting in rooms that feel cold. Plus, whether they're functional or just decorative, the presence of window treatments lends a sense of privacy.

Matching or coordinating your window treatment fabric with the wall color is a great way to create softness without introducing too much of a standout element to the room.

Of course, white is almost always a great choice for dressing your windows.

For more formal rooms or in cases where you want to add some style, a great approach is to edge otherwise simple curtains with an eye-catching trim.

Alternatively, blinds and shades in natural materials look effortless and "just right."

"Stop trying to decorate around a hand-me-down piece of furniture unless you really like it."

I know, I know - your mother-in-law saved that dining set from the "old country" for all these years. How can you not keep it - in all its dark, heavy, ornate glory - as the centerpiece of your dining room, even though your style is much more relaxed, bright and airy?!

Trust me when I tell you (just as I've told a client or two of mine) that the style of the items we use in your spaces dictates the style of your spaces. Filling the room with other things you love cannot and will not make you love (or even just not notice) an heirloom piece that's not to your taste.

Sometimes contrasting styles works beautifully, but if the styles of the new items are completely discordant with the style of the hand-me-down piece, redesigning the space around it will only serve to make the old piece stick out like a sore thumb. A very obvious sore thumb.

Of course, it's always worth asking your designer if they think a piece can be worked into your room's design. But be open for the very real possibility that even a seasoned, highly creative designer can't work that kind of magic.

And if you simply can't face your mother-in-law if you get rid of that dining set, it might be best either put it into storage or postpone your design project.

"No, that paint color really isn't too dark."

Yet again, this is a case of what the average homeowner knows about design versus the real design project experiences of professional interior designers.

Everyone's heard the design "rules." Don't place furniture against walls. Avoid mixing patterns. Don't paint a small room a dark color lest it look even smaller.

That's all completely irrelevant in reality - especially for skilled, experienced interior designers.

We know when it's ideal to place furniture against a wall, how to mix patterns to stunningly beautiful effect and that painting many a small room dark is the perfect means to a cozy and/or dramatic end.

With every design rule, including the dark paint/small room one, it's a case-by-case basis. If it will ultimately be a bad thing for your small room to be painted dark, we won't do it. But if it will add just the right moody drama or warm, cozy vibe to your home we'll be all over it.

Trust that your designer knows the difference between bad-dark and good-dark paint for your rooms.

"Design is a gradual process. Don't freak out until you see everything come together when it's completely finished."

Again, hopefully you hired them because you trust them and know that they truly have heard you on your tastes and preferences. But it's also our job as designers to bring in ideas that might be a little bit out of your comfort zone.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard this from my clients when they see the finished product:

"I would never have thought I'd love ________ so much but it looks amazing in this room!"

Seriously, context is everything when it comes to design choices. Each ingredient from the color palette to the furnishing selections to the lighting choices and every little accessory are chosen by your designer as one piece of the larger whole. We choose them because of how they all look together in the space.

Generally speaking, the average homeowner just can't picture accurately in their minds what an item is really going to look like in the finished space, but the designer can. That's actually one of the biggest reasons to hire a designer in the first place - because they can see the big picture and make every decision to move your design toward a specific end goal.

Sure, there's a chance you might still hate that rug or the ottoman. But there's an equally good (or even better) chance that your designer knows you'll actually love it for what it adds to the room as a whole when all is said and done.

Give them the benefit of the doubt by taking a deep breath and trusting that they would never deliberately do something they know you'll hate. Be open to something new and different. After all, isn't that what this process is for?!

I know it's uncomfortable to give your trust to your designer - especially if they're telling you things that seem counter to what you think or what you think you want.  

 But before you send your designer packing, think about it this way:

Would you want your doctor or lawyer (or even your hairstylist for that matter!) to just nod and smile and let you dictate what they should do no matter what their education and experience tell them is best?

 It's really no different with your interior designer. Of course you want them to listen to you and to take your ideas and preferences into serious consideration. But you should also want them to bring their experience and know-how to your project. They do this all the time. They've seen what works and what doesn't, what's worth the money and what isn't, what stands the test of time and what's just a passing trend. If they feel strongly enough about an issue in your project to tell you something they know you might be very happy about, you can bet they have a good reason. They're trying to protect you from making a design mistake and to provide you with the best possible results.

Trust their expertise and know - like my clients did when I gave them some tough-to-take perspectives - that they're looking out for you.

Then give them some love. Or baked goods. Or both.

Now that you know from this post all the ways trade furniture is better than retail furniture in terms of the actual pieces themselves (higher quality, longer lasting) and the impact the much greater selection and customization options have to how your rooms can look and feel, let’s talk about the less tangible benefits.

When you’re making big decisions and investing in anything you’re entitled to have a good service experience with product and service providers you can trust. It’s also vital that you know you’re making wise choices with your investment that you won’t regret later.

Budget

This probably goes without saying since most of us have been in the position of finally finding a piece that's exactly right for our space in every way. . . except that it's double or triple what we'd planned on spending.

More furniture budgets are blown when the lack of retail options back us into a corner, forcing us to either settle for something that's the right price or spring for something that's more than we should really spend (and of a quality that doesn't even warrant that premium price).

When I'm designing my clients' spaces, we start by developing a realistic budget (you can learn all about that in this post). Because I essentially already know what's available and what the price points are, I can guide my clients to know what's possible in terms of the look and the quality they want for their budget.

Then, once it's time to pick actual pieces, I work the selections into their budget like a puzzle. If it's necessary to spend more on a certain item to make the whole design better, then I can adjust by using other items that are fine at a lower price so we still stay within the overall budget, but end up with a great result.

It's not magic, of course, but it certainly feels like it to the client!

Plus, depending on the designer and the piece, there's a good likelihood you'll actually save money by buying furniture through a designer. Even if you could get the exact same item without the designer (which you can't, especially in terms of customization) the retail price and shipping would be much higher simply because designers are getting volume discounts and most pass a portion of that at the very least along to you.

Trustworthy Vendors

This is one thing most homeowners don't really think about. When you buy an item from a furniture store or online retailer you haven't bought from before, you don't really know what to expect from them. Is the quality going to be reliably good? And if there's a problem, how will they respond? Will they be in your corner or will you be in for a fight to get them to stand behind their products?

But since designers like me are ordering furniture all the time, we have the chance to actually get to know our vendors. We go to trade shows like High Point Market and visit the showrooms, which means we actually get to touch, inspect and sit on their furniture before we ever recommend it to you.

We meet and talk with the vendor representatives and get a feel for how they treat their customers (us!). Believe me, if they're rude or unresponsive to our calls and emails and/or if it seems like the quality of their products isn't consistently great, we simply don't buy from them.

That in turn protects you from having problematic dealings with them in the lifetime of your furniture.

Not to mention, these companies have some real skin in the game in selling to designers. We do loads of repeat business with the good ones and we warn each other off the bad ones. Having that kind of weight backing up your purchases and ensuring your experience with the vendors is positive is a huge benefit.

And you just can't get that by buying retail furnishings on your own.

Done-for-You Ordering, Tracking & Receiving

Um, seriously - who wants to spend hours upon hours managing every tiny detail of your furniture orders?

Not you! But another hidden bonus of buying trade furnishings through a designer is that you don't have to deal with all of that. The designer (and/or their team) takes care of it.

Here's what they do so you don't have to:

Place the orders (picture hours scouring the orders to be sure every detail is correct, then more hours on the phone and on email actually placing the orders)

Orchestrate and schedule the shipping arrangements

Spend weeks contacting the vendor over and over to track where your items are in the process of being made to be sure nothing falls through the cracks and stalls your orders (because this does and will happen if someone doesn't stay on top of it).

Can you see how vastly different buying trade furnishings is versus retail from every angle?

I hope this sheds some light on how this all works - and why shopping for furniture on your own pretty much stinks.

Save yourself that dreadful ride to the third (or 30th!) furniture store and just call me. I promise you'll actually have fun and end up with a gorgeous room full of furniture!

Does the thought of furniture shopping make you go cold inside? It seems like it should be fun, but we all know the good vibes start wearing off around the time you're driving to the third store.

The entire ordeal usually lasts for months, especially if you're buying a whole room full of furniture, and it's one big exercise in frustration. This store has the right style sofa but the colors it comes in are all wrong; that website has a chair in a great fabric but the arms are weird; that console table would be perfect for your foyer - if it were about 14 inches shorter. Something's off with every piece - and what you do find often seems a little flimsy even if it's not the cheap stuff.

So what are you supposed to do? Spend good money to settle for something that's not ideal, or just keep looking indefinitely in hopes the right pieces materialize at some point?!?

It's crazy-making!

Sure, you can find tons of furniture buying tips and tools out there that are supposed to help make the whole process easier. And while I'm all for measuring your space carefully and sitting on different types of cushions to see what you like, no shopping strategy or online room designing software can change that fact that what's available to the public through retail outlets just doesn't cut it for getting you what you want and need.

And so I really think there's only 1 tip that actually matters for homeowners:

"Trade" furniture is better than retail.

Yep. I said it. The furniture itself is absolutely better in both quality and selection, but buying furniture that's sold only through the design trade offers the customer an infinitely better experience and service process.

I know that might sound like meaningless marketing-speak, but hear me out.

There are some major differences between retail and trade furnishings the buying public just doesn’t know about. For starters, we feel so limited with retail furniture options because we are limited by them. When you're dealing with mass-produced products of any kind, you basically get what you get in terms of styles, colors, details, sizes, etc. With the exception of a few additional fabrics and style choices that open up with new retail “custom” programs, your choices are set in stone long before you even know you’re in the market for new furniture.

Which is exactly why designers shop "to the trade" furniture brands for their clients instead.

There's just no way I could get my clients' homes to look as balanced and well designed as I do if I was limited to ready-made retail items. Getting a space to look right is a delicately balanced equation of scale, symmetry, color, style, texture, etc. Get any one aspect wrong and the whole thing looks off.

If I'm limited to retail furniture options, I lose a lot of my control over that balance. Given enough time, I might be able to find good options and create a nice design, but my clients certainly don't want me to take a year or two on their projects. Nor do they want to potentially end up with subpar quality pieces that won't last very long anyway. Being able to customize pieces as needed to fit into the room's design equation and being assured that what I source for my clients is of great quality is invaluable.

Let's break that down even more into exactly what's better with trade furnishings.

Fabric Selection

This is huge, huge, huge! After all, what good is a beautiful chair that only comes in white or grey if you need blue?

Or a sofa if the gorgeous fabric it's covered in is too delicate to survive your kids and pets for a few months, let alone 5-10 years?

The best designs include a mix of different patterns and textures in the fabrics. Designers have entire libraries of fabrics for each manufacturer.

Where you might have 5 options in a retail piece, you have literally hundreds for a trade piece, which means the likelihood of being able to create a killer combination is exponentially higher.

And if the manufacturer doesn't have the ideal fabric, we can usually opt for "COM" - customer's own fabric. That means we can use any fabric we want (as long as it's suitable for upholstery). We just find out from the manufacturer how much we need, order it from a fabric supplier, and have it shipped straight to the factory for your piece to be covered in it once the frame is made.

Finish Selection

The same holds true for finishes on case goods - bookcases, tables, etc. - and seating legs.

I know you've seen retail furniture before and thought, "Why on earth did they ruin that beautiful coffee table with that hideous stain color?" or "That chair would be great if the legs weren't painted white."

While we don't have hundreds of options like fabrics, designers do have libraries of paint and stain finishes from each manufacturer.

Those finish samples are usually sent to us as actual finished pieces of wood, not as sample cards, so we and our clients can see exactly what we're getting.

Having more finish options open to me has saved so many designs for me over the years. Without the right stain or paint color choices, it’s back to the drawing board to find a totally different piece that does come in the right color. And good luck finding the right size and style from there!

Details

Beyond beautiful fabrics and finishes, the fine details on your furniture pieces can really make your entire space look more elevated and feel more luxurious and functional.

Decorative trims, nailheads, contrasting piping, leg and arm styles, cushion fillings, soft close cabinets and drawers, etc. - these seem minor compared to the overall style and color of a piece.

But these aspects actually make a very big impact on how your rooms look and feel in the end.

Instead of having to choose between the boring sofa that has ridiculously comfy cushions and the gorgeous sofa with rock hard cushions, trade pieces let us put together the right combinations of details to make your rooms amazing from top to bottom.

Size and Scale

Put simply, if your furniture isn't the right size and scale for your space, it will never look right, no matter how beautiful it is.

When our furniture is too small, we find ourselves trying to fill in the gaps with more too-small pieces, but all we end up with is a cluttered mess. If it's too large, we lose valuable walkway space and our rooms look small.

This is actually one of the hardest aspects of design to get right in general, let alone to find the actual pieces that work in the design in every other way, as well.

We can't always adjust the size of pieces sold to the trade (sometimes we can get them to use taller or shorter legs, etc.) but we do have a much bigger selection to begin with. I'll start my search for the right size and overall style piece for a client. Once I land on that, I can customize the details and finish as needed.

Quality

Even moderately priced furniture adds up when you need an entire room full.

If you're going to invest, you definitely don't want to be replacing it all in a couple of years, which is why "throwaway" furniture isn't a bargain at any price (unless, of course, you happen to be a college student, in which case, you might happily use that broken down, sorry furniture until graduation!).

Even if you don't really care about handing your furniture down through the generations to come, you still want to be sure it looks beautiful and functions well for at least 8-10 years for seating and even longer for case goods like tables and bookcases.

Here's what I look for to make sure the items I recommend for my clients will last:

Solid wood - not veneer

Kiln-dried wood frames

Solid, well-crafted joinery

Pulls, knobs and hinges made from brass or another metal with some heft (no plastic or thin sheet metals)

That all adds up to a good argument for my one furniture buying tip to purchase trade furnishings, doesn’t it?!

But there’s even more that makes trade furnishings better than retail. Come back for Part 2 and you’ll see what you get in addition to better options and higher quality when you skip retail and buy through a designer.

In the meantime, you can make some actually fun plans instead of schlepping around town to every furniture store in sight!

We're pretty sure guests will never want to leave our clients’ dreamy new guest cottage!

Our clients came to us wanting help to design a new guest cottage on their lakeside property. They, of course, wanted it to be comfortable for guests, but they wanted the cottage’s footprint to be kept as small as possible while including as much storage as possible.

That meant using every space creatively, finding clever ways to tuck storage in anywhere and everywhere we could and making sure not a single square foot of space was wasted.

In terms of the style, our clients wanted the cottage - and the kitchen in particular - to look as if it were put together over time, rather than screaming, “Hey! I’m brand spanking new!”

What we ended up with is a sweet little guest cottage that sleeps eight, feels light, bright and airy throughout and looks delightfully ageless!

Over the next couple of posts, we'll be showing you the entire cottage, starting here with the ground level - which includes the entryway, kitchen, master suite, and powder room, plus a little hallway we managed to claim for some serious storage.

Outside, we played up the “timeless” theme with simple-but-charming architecture and details. Three lantern-style light fixtures and a coat of teal paint on the double doors feel fresh but still classic enough to feel just a little bit quaint.

It was important to get as much natural light into this little house as we could, so we chose the double front doors, each with six big glass panes.

Here's a little curb appeal trick - Look for a key feature on the front of your home and repeat it in the landscape like we did here with the cement pavers that echo the front doors' grid of windows.

Multi-purpose is the name of the game when you're dealing with small spaces. For starters, we took full advantage of the entry space by tucking little nooks outfitted with cushioned benches, shelves, and coat hooks on either side of the entry to create not just one, but two spots to sit and take off shoes and muddy boots and to stash guests' bulky bags and coats.

The happy blue paint and crisp white wainscoting create a cheery welcome.

Far be it from us to miss an opportunity for a surprise craftsmanship detail - see that narrow planked ceiling?

We added even more storage on the living room side of both entry nooks by creating a deep doorframe and building tall cubbies into it.

I can't get over how cute this wallpaper is that we picked for the hallway. Doesn't it look perfect next to the plaid curtains on the cubby doors?!

To the left of the entry, we carried the blue into the living room/kitchen/dining area with the pale blue ceiling and the kitchen island's end piece.

We gave this multi-purpose space extra wide doorways, scaled down (but still comfy) furnishings and plenty of big windows to keep things from feeling cramped.

While it can be tempting to add draperies to big windows. that would have made this room feel closed in and cluttered. Instead, we opted for subtle white shades that offer privacy and light control but that stay up and out of the way when they aren't needed.

We kept the living room furnishings - as we did throughout the house - classic but in colors and textures that give off a casual “lake cottage” vibe.

In the kitchen, the gorgeous bright white cabinets have subtle details like the moulding around the top and the pair of star cutouts in the pantry doors that help obscure the cottage’s age.

We maxed out the storage capacity here with the large island, tall pantry cabinet and the pie safe-style cabinet we tucked into the corner.

The glass front upper cabinets maintain the open feel while still keeping dishes dust-free in between guests.

The handle on the built-in refrigerator adds the character of an old-fashioned icebox. So cute!

We're all for mixing metals (like we did in this project's mudroom bath), but we kept all the cabinet hardware, lighting and plumbing fixtures (including that fantastic range hood) in a nickel finish in the great room (and in the rest of the house) to help achieve a historic cottage feel.

We chose the sleek countertops instead of something with more of a worn-in look to not only keep the kitchen from seeming overly rustic - but also to elevate the entire space with a little note of luxury.

Using upholstered bar stools are a great choice when there isn't much delineation between the kitchen and the family room. Plus, they can act as flexible seating for the living room just by turning them around.

We kept things consistent in the living and dining areas by painting the built-ins and the shiplap wall with the same white paint as the kitchen cabinets. In small spaces, consistency and repetition of elements equals visual calm!

Backless benches on the family room side of the dining table save space and are more versatile than chairs for seating more folks for meals.

Apart from the lantern lights over the kitchen island and the dining table and the sconces flanking the kitchen window, we used can lighting. Anything hanging down in the middle of the family room's open space would interrupt the sight lines and feel in the way in general.

We added linen storage at the end of the hallway with this lovely navy blue cabinet.

In the compact powder room, we focused on simple, classic elements like the hexagonal floor tile, the globe sconces and the lovely greenish-blue walls.

Also on the cottage's ground level is the master suite, where we used yet another riff on the blue and white palette.

The light wood shiplap wall is an extra special touch for this room.

We took inspiration for the closets on either side of the little passageway from the bedroom into the master bath from a swanky New York City hotel.

Statement-making details don't have to be big or fussy. Case in point, the basket weave patterned tile in the master bath.

So much for sticking the age old warning that guest start to wear out their welcome after 3 days because clearly, anyone who stays in this guesthouse is never going to want to leave!

Who knew there could be so much to look in such a little cottage?! And there's still more to come with the top floor which is also filled with great features. Stay tuned!

This was such a fun client project for us to tackle! Small spaces are always challenging (and particularly when they need to be highly functional as this little guest cottage by the lake does). But problem solving is kind of our thing, so - challenge accepted!

This was a new build (the “Old” part of “New Old” comes from our clients’ request that we make it look and feel like it’s been there forever, slowly evolving over time). The main goal was to keep the cottage’s footprint as small as possible while adding as much storage as possible. And since it's going to play host to a parade of guests at all ages and stages, the finishes, furnishings and textiles need to wear well.

 We employed some clever storage solutions and used indoor/outdoor products throughout the house to meet those needs, then leaned on a fresh blue and white color palette, stylish area rugs and just about the coolest light fixtures ever to make each room truly special.

Just to warn you - you're absolutely going to want to take your next vacation right here in our clients' cottage once you see the first floor here in our previous post and the second floor which we're showing you now.

And even though this sweet little cottage isn't available to you, just hang on because there just might be something very, very big on its way from Teaselwood Design that may be of interest to you! How's that for a teaser?! Seriously, follow us on Instagram if you don’t already so you’ll be in the loop!

Now on to more of the "New Old” guest cottage! The second floor holds not one but two cozy sitting rooms, and two comfortable guest bedrooms, both with en suite baths. The palette upstairs is a continuation of the colors downstairs with a mix of watery blues, crisp whites, and a few brights here and there for fun.

It's always nice for guests to have somewhere to sit besides on the beds created a small sitting area off each bedroom.

We gave each sitting area a small-scale (yet comfy!) sofa, and tucked a little writing desk under the window in one of the rooms. That way, guests can catch up on emails or jot down a quick shopping list, all while enjoying a view of the cottage's yard.

Isn't this little fish pattered rug as cute as can be?!

The key to making your guests feel comfortable is thoughtful little touches like you find in boutique hotels - things like local magazines, cute writing essentials, and small snacks and treats.

But let’s be honest - it's the Moravian star ceiling fixture over the window seat that's literally and figuratively the "star" of the room, right?! At night they steal the show and are seen from every window outside.

As far as storage is concerned, we outfitted both upstairs bedrooms with window seats flanked by a built-in dresser and a wardrobe.

The built-ins are mirror images of each other in the two bedrooms.

How fun is this fringe-y little accent pillow?!

One of the bedrooms features a pretty navy blue headboard upholstered in a fabric similar to the one we used on the window seat cushion. It's a great design trick to balance out a space by echoing a contrasting color on opposite sides of the room.

How could we possibly resist those cool ombre ceramic table lamps?!

The second bedroom's headboard was covered in a pretty white upholstery, and we brought in another fun fish pattern, this time on an accent pillow.

We got the majority of the cottage’s bedding from Serena and Lily. This pattern is a cool take on the classic ticking stripe.

This watery blue circle and stripe number seems like it was made to go in a lakeside guest cottage!

Each bedroom has its own full bathroom. Just as we did with the bedrooms, we designed the baths to be exactly the same in terms of layout but changed up colors and style elements to make each one go with its attached bedroom.

We employed two very different console sinks in each - one is a single sink with a wood base in a warm finish . . .

The other has a double basin and a shiny chrome base . . .

Classic hex tile floors and hand-held shower heads play starring roles in making this new cottage feel timeless.

The built-ins under the windows plus a generous linen closet in each bath make up for the lack of closed storage under the console sinks.

We snuck in even more storage with deep open shelving perfect for hampers and laundry baskets.

And more hooks . . .

And or course, we took full advantage of adding beautiful style with the lighting in these bathrooms.

One last view of each beautiful bathroom . . .

And there you have it! There may not be a “Book Your Stay” button for you to stay at this New Old Cottage, but you can daydream, right?! Or here’s a thought: We could always just go ahead and design one for you. You bring the property. Sound good?! (Just kidding - kind of! Call us!).

It’s true! Long before we got our hands on it, this small-but-mighty kitchen led a much-remodeled life, first as an 18th century tavern and later as a private home.

When the current owners came to us, it was a dark and dated 1980s-style space. It did the job as far as cooking was concerned, but it wasn’t pleasant or efficient for the family to use.

Especially because of its small footprint, it needed lots of help to make it look open and bright and to maximize its work surfaces and storage.

Enter gorgeous custom cabinetry from Timber Mountain Woodcraft!

We tore everything out and designed these clean-lined Shaker style cabinets as a nod to the home’s historic roots, but with a thoroughly modern look and functionality. We chose a creamy white paint so the space would feel bright and warm at the same time.

The cabinet knobs and bin pulls feel right for an older home.

I bet some pretty interesting guests stopped for a meal at this tavern. And now it’s a sweet family that “bellies up to the bar” every day for their breakfast.

We carefully designed little details like the microwave niche above the counter, the stained exisitng wood beam, and the pared down custom range hood made the best use of the space available while still infusing the kitchen with loads of character.

It’s a pretty dramatic change from when we started and the owners love how it turned out. It doesn’t feel like cooking in a cave anymore, ha! And the new space now complements the adjacent family room, making the whole house feel fresher, brighter, and more livable.

Not bad for an old tavern, right?!

Just picture a Christmas morning filled with laughter, a cozy fire in the fireplace, the unwrapping of gifts, and finally, the festive pouring of corn flakes for your Christmas morning breakfast.

No way! Christmas morning is way too special to default to an un-special breakfast. But, of course, there's always the problem of no one really feeling inclined to cook while everyone else is enjoying their new stuff.

 At our house, we go for these heavenly cinnamon rolls.

These things are seriously so yummy. Visions of them are already dancing in my family's heads!

 And they can be partially made ahead, then popped into the oven while the last of the wrapping paper scraps are being cleared away.

 If you tend to be intimidated by recipes that involve things like yeast and kneading and rising, don't shy away - this one is actually really do-able. And anyway, with butter, sugar, and cinnamon in the mix, they're going to be good pretty much no matter what, right?!

The recipe isn't my invention. It's third-hand from alexandracooks.com, who got it from Molly Wizenberg on Epicurious. But you don't mind a hand-me-down recipe, do you?

I didn't think so!

Yield: 18 cinnamon rollsAuthor: Charity Buchika (from alexandracooks.com)Print RecipeWith ImageWithout Image

Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls

ingredients:

• • 1 cup whole milk
• • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• • 3½ cups (or more) unbleached all purpose flour, divided
• • ½ cup sugar
• • 1 large egg
• • 2¼ teaspoons rapid-rise yeast
• • 1 teaspoon table salt
• • Nonstick vegetable oil spray (I used butter)

• • ¾ cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• • ¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

• • 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• • 1 cup powdered sugar
• • ¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

instructions:

1. You can approach making these one of two ways: 
2. You could do the initial mixing at night and let the dough rise overnight in the fridge. This would require a little bit of work in the morning — punching down the dough (provided it has risen sufficiently), rolling it out, rolling it up, cutting, etc. Your rolls won’t be ready first thing in the morning, but they’ll be ready soon enough.
   
3. Or you can follow the recipe until the rolls are cut and placed in their baking pans, then stick them in the fridge to rest overnight. As far as timing goes, allow yourself about four hours to mix the dough, let it rise, assemble the rolls, etc.
   
4. Combine milk and butter in glass measuring cup. Microwave on high until butter melts and mixture is just warmed to 120°F to 130°F, 30 to 45 seconds. Pour into bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add 1 cup flour, sugar, egg, yeast, and salt. Beat on low speed 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add 2½ cups flour. Beat on low until flour is absorbed and dough is sticky, scraping down sides of bowl. If dough is very sticky, add more flour by tablespoonfuls until dough begins to form ball and pulls away from sides of bowl. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 8 minutes. (or just leave it the mixer, switch to the dough hook, and let it mix for 8 minutes.) Form into ball.
5. Lightly oil a large bowl with nonstick spray (or with butter or oil). Transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
6. Meanwhile, mix brown sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl. Punch down dough. Transfer to floured work surface. Roll out to 15×11-inch rectangle. Spread butter over dough, leaving ½-inch border. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over butter. Starting at 1 long side, roll dough into log, pinching gently to keep it rolled up. With seam side down, cut dough crosswise with thin sharp knife into 18 equal slices (each about ½ to ¾ inch wide).
7. Spray two 9-inch square or round glass baking dishes with nonstick spray. Divide rolls between baking dishes, arranging cut side up (there will be almost no space between rolls). Cover baking dishes with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, 40 to 45 minutes.
8. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake rolls until tops are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and invert immediately onto rack. Cool 10 minutes. Turn rolls right side up.
9. Make the icing: Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until smooth. (Note: if ingredients are at room temperature, you can whisk by hand.) Spread icing on rolls. Serve warm or at room temperature.

There you have it. Bet you can't wait until Christmas to make them!

Enjoy!

Charity

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]]>Our favorite Christmas Morning Cinnamon RollsCelebratecharity buchikaTue, 04 Dec 2018 12:00:00 +0000https://www.teaselwooddesign.com/blog/christmas-wreath-with-fresh-flowers-55a408b7e4b0eb421c6a5162:55b13f64e4b07e693bdbde3f:5c03c68d758d46bbd4823113In case you haven't noticed, I'm a wreath girl.

I love something a little unexpected in a wreath - like a Christmas wreath with fresh flowers or even just hanging a wreath somewhere other than the front door.

Remember this wreath tutorial from last Christmas?

And this fall version...

Lately more than ever, I'm very into putting wreaths in unexpected or less expected places around the house and farm.

Of course, I always want one on the front door and I usually keep one on the back door, as well, since we use that more than we use our front door anyway!

But have you thought about your wreath game this holiday season?

 I love a wreath on a mantle at Christmastime. Hanging or propped, I'm in for either.

The back of a dining chair is a favorite spot, as well.

image via Better Homes and Gardens

On top of a mirror is always a good choice

 This year, I decided to make one for our front gate.

It's simple, but I really think that's what's needed on a gate. Anything that feels too precious or fussy would just look out of place here.

All I did was wire mums and roses, and a few pine and cedar branches plus some random clippings from bushes in my yard onto a grapevine wreath and add a pretty green silk ribbon that we dyed see this post . It probably took me all of 5 minutes to make but I love the way it turned out.

And I love that it's a little bit non-traditional with a unique color palette and flowers that aren't poinsettias. But the evergreen sprigs make it just right for the holidays. This wreath would even work on a deck railing or propped in the corner of an outdoor bench.

Besides your front door, where will you be putting a wreath this holiday season?

Happy Decorating,

Charity

Images: Whitney Nichols Photography

You'd think with how early Thanksgiving was this year, none of us would be ready to face Christmas yet, but it's definitely had the opposite effect on me. Of course, our early heavy snowstorm here in Skaneateles may have played a role in things too, but I feel like I actually have time to enjoy prepping for the holidays, as opposed to our usual speeding through it all and basically just hanging on for dear life!

That said I'm taking a little extra time to get creative with holiday decorating. Rather than resorting to pine boughs and twinkle lights on my client's mantle, I thought I'd come up with something that's sweet and nostalgic but also totally fresh and new.

And what could possibly fit the bill better than an explosion of roses and dahlias all tied up with silk ribbons we hand-dyed ourselves in a rich holiday red?!

We worked with our talented friend, Whitney of Whitney Nichols Photography, to create this stunning mantlescape.

It's the perfect look for the holidays, especially if you'll be throwing a party. Just imagine your guests oohing and ahhing over your great taste and mad decorating skills!

We started by defining the space with a few branches from a tree in my client's yard. They add a little height and give the eye a stopping point on either end of the mantle. We used an asymmetrical approach by using more branches on one side.

Next Whitney created a eucalyptus garland to act as the base of the whole mantlescape. We hung this so it would hang over either side of the mantle to the ground.

We added some brass antlers to keep the middle of the garland from drooping forward, but they just happen to also look great peeking out from under the leaves!

We used a mix of flowers in colors ranging from deep red to the palest of pinks. We used real flowers, but for a more lasting arrangement, you can use high quality silk flowers. I love the realistic-looking options from Terrain but I've also found beautiful individual stems on Etsy.

We tucked the flowers into the eucalyptus garland one by one, arranging the colors from darkest to lightest to create an ombre effect.

A few brass candlesticks on the mantle and below on the hearth will add sparkle when they're lit, but even unlit they give the whole scene a sense of balance.

A pair of evergreen trees carries the greenery all the way to the bottom and adds visual weight to balance with the florals above.

And last but not least, we added our hand-dyed silk ribbons trailing down one side of the mantle and trimming out a few wrapped packages.

Isn't it all so lovely against the robins egg blue wall?!

It might surprise you to know how easy it is to dye ribbon yourself.

In case you're curious to know how we did it, we used 2 yards of 10 mm wide Habotai silk ribbon from Dharma Trading Co and this dye.

You'll want to follow the directions that come with the dye, but basically you just mix it with hot water and immerse the ribbon in it until it looks slightly darker than you want it to be once it dries. We did it all outside in an area where any drips wouldn't be a problem.

Then when the ribbon was totally dry, we tied a couple of bows around the garland on one side of the mantle, leaving the ends to flow freely down onto the hearth.

And finally, we wrapped our gifts with a black and white checked paper (the geometric pattern was a perfect contrast against the flowers) and tied them up with more of our crimson ribbon.

It makes me think of A Christmas Carol and Little Women - big hoop skirted dresses all trimmed out with these very ribbons!

Using ribbon you dyed yourself would add such a charming personalized touch to packages you give to your loved ones this Christmas.

And you actually still have plenty of time to get it done (thank you, early Thanksgiving!).

Show us your holiday mantlescapes and dyed silk ribbons  - tag us @teaselwooddesign on Instagram when you share your creations!

Happy decorating and ribbon-ing!

Charity

Is anyone else feeling the crunch of our oh-so-early Thanksgiving Day this year? I feel like we've only just shut the door from our last trick-or-treater and it's already time to make the turkey!

Fortunately the timing hasn't dampened my enthusiasm for the holiday - or for my Thanksgiving table decorations.

I mean, how many people do you know who own actual Thanksgiving dishes?! If that's not dedication to the day, I don't know what is!

 Of course, the food is important too. Remember these recipes?

But I think what I love so much about creating my Thanksgiving table setting (or any table setting, for that matter) is that unlike decorating a room, the world (or at least my collection of tableware and linens!) is my oyster when it's only a table for one meal. I can put together any combination of plates and silverware and flowers, plus an unexpected element or two. And if I don't love the way it turns out, I can just clear it away and start again. There aren't that many decorating endeavors you can say that about, are there?!

Anyway, back to this Thanksgiving table. Because not everyone gathers with about 150 of their closest family and friends for their feast, I really wanted to show how you can create a festive, elegant mood when your Thanksgiving meal is a more of an intimate dinner party.

And by the way, you don't need a formal dining room table to get an elegant look. See how polished and dressed up my rustic farmhouse table (by Timber Mountain Woodcraft, of course) looks when set this way?

 Here's how I did it:

First I added a Pottery Barn burlap table runner (because runners = unfussy, but also polished). I topped that with a gorgeous and very of-the-moment marbleized paper runner from Drooz + Co. Drooz is a fun and fabulous store here in Skaneateles. Their tagline, "A Modern Day General Store," really paints the picture of what they're all about. I love their wares!

Marble patterns are everywhere lately in the design world. They're on fabric and wallpaper and just about anything you can think of. Because this runner is a man-made element, but it mimics a natural element, it really helps bridge the gap between the rustic farm table and the more traditional, elegant dishes.

I knew I wanted to use my turkey salad plates and I also know the best way to add interest to anything you're decorating is to mix different styles and textures. So I placed these wood chargers and Teaselwood's own stoneware plates underneath.

See how the contrast of homespun and fancy schmancy makes the whole thing come together?!

I love the warmth my gold flatware from Anthropologie (this style is similar) adds to the table.

The paisley napkins (I can't remember where I got them, but it may have been Pottery Barn) bring in a little of the unexpected, which always makes things more interesting. The reason this busy pattern and semi-bright color palette don't look completely random is that their colors are also in the flowers and even somewhat in the turkey plates and bowls.

I picked up those soup bowls somewhere along the way at Marshalls. If there's any one thing to know about creating table settings, it's that the most beautiful tables are set with a mix of different dishes - not with totally matching sets. It's the same thing I always say about designing rooms - the beauty is in the mix!

See that gorgeous blue-green pumpkin soup tureen? I absolutely adore it. I got it from Pottery Barn ages ago and I think it really rounds out this table setting's colors. It's so unique and lovely that I almost think you could set your table with just it and paper plates and it would still make everything look amazing. Of course, paper plates don't pair well with soup and it is a soup tureen, so let's not try it, ha!

I added a few candles from my own collection. You can find them here in the Teaselwood shop. I also have a yummy holiday candle collection, which you can find here. They all make great gifts and you're right on time for holiday shipping.

And of course, flowers - there must always be flowers! It may look like an expensive arrangement from the florist, but I actually just picked up some bunches of flowers at Wegmans (which is a grocery store here in Central New York in case you don't have them where you are).

I grabbed a good mix of sizes, shapes and colors (because again, the beauty is in the mix, right?!). There's autumn sedum, roses, sunflowers, oak leaves, plus some eucalyptus and a few berry sprays to stick in and keep it all from looking to rounded.

Who knew pumpkins and turkeys could look so grown up and fancy?!

Now that my table's all ready, I can actually turn my attention to Christmas shopping - I mean, to cooking

(But seriously, stay tuned because you're going to want to get all your gifts taken care of with Teaselwood starting Black Friday - trust me, wink, wink!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Charity

For more tablescape inspiration take a hop over to this fun demo I did with The Coastal Table magazine on simple ways to change up your place settings?

****We love this post so much and it seemed to have gotten buried so we have updated it with some new content that we feel is so valuable to new and old clients. ****

Most people get a bit uneasy when we start talking about how much money is needed to accomplish their interior design project so it looks and feels the way they want it to. It's totally understandable - we don't like to talk about money either! But often, their apprehension comes from simply not knowing what to expect in terms of how much everything that goes into their dream design actually costs. Their confusion is only compounded by unclear design budgets that make it difficult for them to figure out what kind of furnishings they can afford—and how much they actually want to spend.

Getting crystal clear on all of this information right from the start of a design project is key to everyone’s overall happiness! Working with a clear and established budget for your project allows us, your interior design team, to create your dream space without the drama of unexpected expenses or disappointed expectations, and which also means it allows you, the homeowner, to rest easy and truly enjoy the process.

Because we believe in transparency, we’re about to unveil what interior design projects actually cost...

...and the three budget levels homeowners follow most often. For the sake of example, we're pricing out a traditional living room and a dining room at three different budget levels.

Note: There are times in a project when we may suggest items that exceed your budget. This doesn’t mean you have to take our suggestion. It only means that we want you to be aware of your additional options and that we don’t want to lock you into a certain budget category. 

Living Room Interior Design Costs + Breakdown

Level

Economy Level (Ikea) 

Mid-Range (Pottery Barn) 

High End  (trade-only)

Sub-total

$2500

$15,000+

$34,000+

Cost Breakdown

Item

Sofa

2 Chairs

Wool Rug, 8x10

Coffee Table

3 Occasional Tables

2 Table Lamps

2 Floor Lamps

4 Drapery Panels

Drapery Hardware

2 Natural Woven Shades

Light Fixture

Throw Pillows

Art + Accessories

Total

Mid-Range

$2900

$3600

$2000

$1200

$1500

$400

$900

$550

$750+

$240

$350

$175+

$3000

$15,766+

High

$4500+

$5000+

$5000+

$2000+

$3900+

$900+

$1600+

$2500+

$1000+

$750+

$1000+

$1000+

$5000+

$34,150+

+Not including shipping, delivery, installation, labor and hardware.

Dining Room Interior Design Cost + Breakdown

Level

Economy (Ikea)

Mid-Range (Pottery Barn) 

High End(trade-only)

Sub-total

$1,500

$9,000+

$18,000+

Cost Breakdown

Item

Dining Table

6 Dining Chairs

Chandelier

Rug

Buffet

Mirror / Art

4 Drapery Panels

Drapery Hardware

Total:

Mid-Range

$1800

$300 / ea

$700

$1100

$1500

$1000

$500 (off the rack)

$750+

$9,000+

High

$3000

$500 / ea +

$1200+

$3000+

$4000+

$2000+

$2500+

$1000+

$18000+

++Not including shipping, delivery, installation, labor and hardware.

At Teaselwood Design, we get really excited about creating beautiful and inviting spaces for our clients and their families. We work closely with you to design a home that's all about the little details, designed with your lifestyle in mind. 

Photos by

You know I love hosting small dinner parties for friends and family, and when our wedding anniversary rolled around, I knew I wanted to celebrate with a handful of friends here at Teaselwood Farm. But I didn't have any good anniversary party ideas.

 And then I found these amazing plates . . .

And it came to me:  A fancy, romantic woodland picnic!

I feel so lucky to have such a beautiful setting right here on Teaselwood Farm.

I took the party's slightly moody color palette of quartz pink, aubergine, smoky grey, and balsam green from the plates (which are reproduction vintage from Pottery Barn but I think they look like the real deal!).  It's the palette's moodiness that keeps it all looking romantic without being too sweet and precious.

 Whether it's for a party or for designing a room, I always love mixing vintage and new items. That's a little design trick that never fails because it blurs the lines between old and new, formal and relaxed. That way, the look and feel isn't quite one or the other - it's something entirely unique and interesting.

I layered in the vintage crate and trunk for a cool, casual, collected look.

That's actually not my good silver, believe it or not. It's gorgeous stainless steel flatware from Liberty Tabletop. They have so many beautiful patterns, but I think this one's my favorite.

And those pink (or should I say rose colored?!) glasses. So lovely!

I added a touch of sparkle with the brass lanterns (from Pottery Barn) and candleholders (from our Teaselwood Shop) to balance things out and to set just the right couples-only dinner party mood.

The table is (of course!) by our favorite Timber Mountain Woodcraft, and those gorgeous linens are from our Shop.

Did you notice the candles?

They're branches! I'm completely obsessed with them. They're from Stick Candles and I want them in pretty much every single color.

Whitney didn't just take these amazing pictures - she also put together the perfectly romantic flower arrangements using roses in shades of pink, along with a few red blooms and a sprig or two of eucalyptus.

Dinner was wonderful, but let's skip straight to the desserts. We feasted on Lavender ombre naked mini-cakes from the Skaneateles Cake Lady (she's the best!) and a lemon hibiscus pound cake, made by me. And since chocolate covered strawberries are the quintessential romantic dessert, I did a spin on that by filling fresh strawberries with Nutella.

Oh. My. Gosh. I'm never going back! It was way easier than dipping strawberries and they were ridiculously yummy.

I love that it all looked so fancy, but it was very easy to create.

You can take inspiration from our woodland picnic for your own celebration. And if you don't have an anniversary coming up, it's perfect for a baby or bridal shower, an engagement party, a wedding rehearsal dinner, or even a wedding reception.

 The only trick is remembering not to leave the cake where the deer can get it!

~Charity

All photos: Whitey Nichols Photography

Flowers: Whitey Nichols Photography

Styling and Creative Director: Charity Teaselwood Design