Built Ins

HELLO!!! i'm back! we were on vacation for 5 days and between packing and traveling (and celebrating my bday ;) i didn't end up posting a single thing! so a friend of mine went to look at a house over the weekend that needed a ton of work - as she called it, "meredith's dream" - and it literally had me dreaming one night about built ins. not sure why this specifically was my dream but i do know that i have three rooms in my house asking for some built ins! i thought today i'd try to feed the craving by posting some incredible shelving, benches, and nooks that make me weak in the knees.

some of these i may have shared previously so i'm sorry if that's the case but once you see them i think you'll forgive me!!

love the drawers and the hardware and the paint color of these. the lines are clean, not uber traditional which i think looks fresh.

i know i've posted this pic before but it's soooo good!

the perfect window seat.

love this super clean look and how comfy does that sectional look?!

this one is major inspo for me with the shiplap walls and fireplace. and it reminds me, where the hell is my coffee table!!

this style is probably a little too modern for me but i still like it.

what jumps at you most? p.s. isn't summer flying by?? slow down!

The Counter Stools I Wish I Had

sorry friends. work life balance is non-existent at the moment and the blog always suffers as a result. i'm also helping with a couple of friends with projects which is really fun but take precedence over blogging when push comes to shove. btw, for those of you who follow me on pinterest and have wondered whether i'm having a baby named "h", i can tell you that no, no baby for me but one of my projects right now is helping to plan a nursery for a baby girl which is super exciting and fun! the other project is a gallery wall in a kitchen which i think is going to look fantastic. can't wait to share everything when the time is right!

ok, so, this absolutely kills me – you search and search for the right thing of whatever you happen to be looking for. let’s say it’s counter stools. just as an example. and finally you decide on a certain style of stool and take the plunge and buy four of them. and then a little while later – say like a year later – you see this other stool in a magazine that you so would have chosen had it been available when you were first looking. and you possibly scream out loud at the picture of the stool “NO NO NO”. and your husband might think there is really something wrong and doesn’t understand that there really is something wrong when you explain what just occurred. because in the case of counter stools, it’s not like you go buying them just because you see something better. they’re not exactly expendable. we’re not talking about an iphone case here. so you are fraught with this hard and fast buyer’s remorse that makes you want to do something rash like put your current counter stools on craigslist. but you eventually calm down and clear your head and you don’t actually put them on craigslist (but there is still that little voice in the back of your head!).

tell me this has happened to you. actually it did happen to me recently with the powder room wallpaper i guess. but i’m not making a habit of that! truthfully i’m not convinced that these stools would be right for my space anyway but i will file them on my “some day” list for when i'm decorating a summer house. :) have a great weekend!

No Sleep

i hate not having a monday post! sorry :( there is very little sleep going on in my house lately - i think both boys are teething and apparently this keeps them wide awake. at all hours of the day/night. between that, work, and trying to get ready for thanksgiving travel, it is leaving me very little time for blogging.

but in the meantime i had to share this bathroom from caitlin wilson designs. those baseboards make me drool (speaking of teething!).

i would never have the courage to do that on my own but seeing it in a small space like this bathroom  is so inspirational. even if this color is too loud for you, i think you get so much bang for your buck by painting trim an unexpected color. plus there are so many other good things going on in this little space like the blue and white striped walls - in vertical stripes no less. and did you see that chandelier reflecting in the mirror? dreamy.

as the boys would say, "night niiiight"

Serena & Lily Sconces

the olive leaf stencils giveaway goes on all week - don't forget to enter!! how was your weekend? this was the weekend of jt/jay z in boston and someone was feeling a little jealous that she didn't go!! but i did get my hairs did at a new place which i loved and we finished off a little outdoor project (post to come) so i'm feeling accomplished. :)

have you seen these sconces from serena and lily? aren't they awesome?

only downside is that they take a 40w bulb. not enough light, even with two, to be the primary lighting source! file this under the "someday" category when i get to design a beach house.

Day Dreaming

sometimes at work instead of doing work (just kidding bosses), i dream about things i’d rather be doing. usually it’s fabric and wallpaper or marble and hardware. sometimes shopping at home goods :) but this week i was dreaming about a vacation home. a cottage actually. not the yucky upkeep, costs, maintenance, etc part (this is a dream after all) but the cute, relaxing, fun part. i decided a little cottage would be perfect – 2 bedrooms 2 baths, a family room, kitchen, little mudroom, porch and a nice backyard. simple and sweet. and i would name my cottage of course. something incredibly clever that i can not come up with right now.

dream with me...

via pinterest

cabot cove cottages

via pinterest

via pinterest

and my personal favorite from my own files...

also i wouldn't mind if the inside looked something like this:

via pinterest

have a great weekend! think spring!