Fresh Styling with Brooke & Lou!

my friend bria hammel of bria hammel interiors started a new line of furniture, accessories, pillows, artwork, and wallpaper called brooke & lou after her two kiddos! when she asked me if i wanted to join her in supporting the launch of the brand, it took me maybe .5 seconds to say yes. i love seeing other woman succeed and it is so empowering to watch (and even help!) someone grow.

as soon as i saw the email, i knew exactly which pieces i wanted to use and where i wanted to put them. the new build i had worked on over the summer has this great built in nook upstairs with two bookcases and a bench seat. it was still empty! i chose the between the lines artwork in pink in the 30x40 size as well as two 20" pillows in lyla stripe in blue. the photo online does not do this fabric justice. it's so pretty!!

i paired the two lyla pillows with a bungalo lumbar pillow that i already had and the colors worked really well with the artwork. the art was all created by artist abbey holden and framed in a soft gold frame. it comes in a bunch of other colors too!

that took care of the bench seat and the wall but the bookcases needed some major accessorizing. i shopped at west elm and target (it doesn't need to be fancy!) to make the shelves come to life. i wanted the overall feel to be fresh, light, and feminine.

styling isn't a perfect science - at least for me! but there are some tricks i use to get it just right.

1. lay everything out in one spot so you can see everything you have to work with.

2. work with odd numbers. stacks of books, vases, or even just one larger item feel better when there is 1, 3, or 5.

3. pay attention to height of the items and vary it left to right and up and down. for example, three times i used one accessory by itself but i made sure not to place them both on the highest shelves, especially since they weren't a pair.

4. find a color palette and stick to it. here i did a lot of pastels but also included some darker accessories to ground everything.

5. proof of life (to steal a phrase from alyssa rosenheck!). greenery is a must and always makes whatever you're looking at feel alive - pun intended ;)

i always tweak and tweak some more. it's never right the first time! what other tips do you have for styling a space? thank you to bria for the beautiful art and pillows and to my client for letting me invade her space!

ACCESSORIES LIST

bench: art | lyla pillow | lumbar pillow | basket

left bookcase, top to bottom: cement box | marble planter | white round vase (homegoods)

pink bowl | glass box | surf shack book | white vase 

right bookcase, top to bottom: plaid vase | rattan basket | white dipped vase | blue marble planter |

plant | topiary | pink vase | bowl | inspired home book