Hoppy Easter!

Hi, friends! Didya like that title? "Hoppy" Easter? Like the bunny? Oh... I was the only one who got it? ;)  


Anyway, happy Easter weekend!! This is one of my very favorite holidays, as it speaks so well to the spirit of redemption that comes along with the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus. This holiday also just screams SPRING to me, with all of the fun colors, CANDY (who doesn't love candy??), Easter Egg hunts, good food and time with family! There are so many fun ways to celebrate Easter, from a bright, colorful celebration that is family-friendly and comfortable, to a more upscale celebration that has subdued colors but is high on style. 


Some of the things that are so essential to me in Easter decor are eggs, (of course!), flowers, candles and a great centerpiece. So, let's get started! Like I mentioned previously, eggs are extremely popular during this holiday, and there are so many ways you can use them to decorate for Easter! 


You can use them to make an adorable, colorful centerpiece by tying them on branches like this Martha Stewart tree. You can make this into a great DIY project by purchasing some floral foam at your local craft store, picking up branches either in your store, OR for free in your back yard, decorating some eggs, and tying them to the branches to make a high-reward, low effort centerpiece that looks fabulous and won't be high on your stress radar.  

photo credit: marthastewart.com

These filler eggs from Pottery Barn are perfect from hanging from your DIY tree, because they come with hooks that make them easy to hang. People will be talking about your brilliant arrangement for months to come!! 

photo credit: Pottery Barn

I also love this Ceramic Egg Tower at Williams Sonoma for a concise, stunning centerpiece that is even easier than the DIY tree. Two of these on a table filled with colorful eggs can make a striking statement! 

photo credit: Williams-Sonoma

Another great option is this French Wire Egg Basket that would be equally as simple and equally as striking for an Easter centerpiece. The wonderful thing about this basket is that even though it is intended for eggs, you can do so much with it throughout the year!

photo credit: Williams-Sonoma

How cute would these eggs be in the above basket? I see a beautiful centerpiece coming together before our very eyes... :)  

photo credit: Pottery Barn

If you aren't really into the decorating with eggs idea, you can always do a floral arrangement, or combine the two! My all-time favorite flower is the peony, which is so delicate and beautiful and is very popular in the spring due to its not blooming very often during the year. Here are a few ideas for floral decor around the house. 

This is a beautiful tulip arrangement that I found at this etsy shop:  http://www.etsy.com/listing/71470959/yellow-tulips-spring-tulips-door  

photo credit: twoinspireyou- etsy shop

This particular arrangement is a door hanging, but it is still so beautiful and perfect for Easter! 

Here are a few more beautiful arrangements that use peonies. How sweet are these? 

photo credit: Blumenhaus Florist

photo credit: Bridgewater Gardens

If you want a little color in your arrangement, here's an perfect example of a peony arrangement that is striking and simple. The best part about these? They will NEVER die!! Ah, I love it! 

This arrangement is also available for purchase through etsy. Here's the website! 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/79641753/fine-silk-floral-arrangement-faux-pink

photo credit: Sky Design USA- etsy shop

In closing, I absolutely must show you my most favorite Easter arrangement I have seen thus far! I saw this image in an email from Crate and Barrel and while I am normally a HUGE fan of color, this all-white arrangement is simply stunning. I am in LOVE with it!! I hope that it inspires you to create a beautiful space for you and your family! 

photo credit: Crate & Barrel

I hope that this post has given you some good ideas of amazing decorating options you can do that will be not only budget friendly, but easy to do! I also hope that each of you has a wonderful Easter filled with family, friends and many warm memories made. Happy Easter, and happy decorating!! 

Cheers!

Catrina 

The D Family

Hi, friends!! 


I hope you guys have had a great start to sunny Springtime! It has been a very busy month on my end, and I've missed sharing fun design tidbits with you all! 


This past week I had a great opportunity to work with a wonderful family- the D Family! They are a very trendy family with great taste and Louiza has a great talent for integrating a beautiful home with functionality for being a mom to two twin boys!! Louiza was looking for help with organizing a few areas of her living room, as well as providing a fresh transition from her grown-up living room to her boys' FUN, kid-friendly play area. 


The D family recently invested in some beautiful custom shelving work in their home and wanted to integrate some beautiful show pieces with the functionality of providing a safe place for her boys to enjoy. The pictures below showcase our updated solution to her design concerns and show off a fun play-room in the background!

Note the pops of color throughout the photos-  you'll see them alot in this post!

Up-close detail. Don't you love the figurines of the twins? So cute!

Shelves on the left side of the room. How much do you love that gorgeous crystal bowl?

Close-up shot of a beautiful piece!

In an effort to make the shelves attractive AND functional, we put some of the twins' books and toys on the bottom shelves, which turned out wonderfully! 

Here's a shot of the two shelves that provide just enough access for young hands to reach! 

Louiza has had some beautiful decor items given to her over the course of her career and many of them resulted in gorgeous accent pieces in her living room! 

Doesn't this shot just make you want to pack your bags at hop on a plane?

I have to brag on Louiza for a second- she had ALL of these beautiful items in her living room already AND had previously styled her decor in a similar way! Amazing!!

The accent plate and the amazing vase in this picture were previously on the shelves shown in the first pictures. A quick switch brought a balance of color to the entire room. 

P.S. Is anyone else IN LOVE with the vase in this picture? Surely I'm not the only one! 

So, here's the low-down on the beautiful D Home!! Louiza, thank you SO MUCH for such a fun evening and for the chance to work with you in your living room! I had a wonderful time with you and look forward to working together again soon!! 

Thanks for checking in, you guys! Hope you enjoyed my latest project and as always, happy decorating!!

Cheers!

Catrina

Friday Favorite! Ok, ok...Saturday Favorite!

Hi, friends!! Happy Friday! Or, if you're anywhere in the Houston area, Happy Go Texan Day!! ;) I *tried* to make my look a little Western today, but I'm not sure how well I did. I just know I used to LOVE dressing up in "Go Texan" gear in elementary school!! Not sure I can say the same about my enthusiasm level as an adult...


Ahhh, but I digress!


So, today, I wanted to touch on something that is so basic, so fundamental in decor that I can guarantee that each of you reading this post has some sort of story relating to this. Today I want to talk about... paint!!! It is something that we all have dealt with, from the institutional-white colors of our dorm rooms to the crazy paint colors we wanted in our bedrooms as children, all the way to the funky colors you have throughout your home right this very second!


I think that many people choose to go with a safe color in the white/cream/beige/khaki family just to make sure that you don't end up with something horrific that you will hate forever and feel stuck with. This is completely reasonable, but I want to encourage you to be brave and step out of the box every now and then!!


Let's do a small, teensy test. Quick- think of a color, any color. Do you have one? Ok, now look around your home and see if the color you thought of is anywhere around your home. I'm willing to bet that in some capacity, it is. It may be in a throw pillow, or a rug, or a comforter, lamp, or shower curtain. Now here comes the crazy part: have you thought of painting a wall in your house that color, or a variant of that color? What about painting a piece of furniture? I know, I'm getting crazy over here.


To help you with getting over your hesitation, I'm going to give a personal example and show you some fun, creative ways that color can be used in your home to make a dramatic, beautiful impact. For me personally, the color I keep going to over and over is... of all colors... black!! I LOVE black, you guys! If you have ever been in my home at any given time, you'll notice there is lots of black everywhere. I haven't had the opportunity to paint a wall that color yet, so I don't have any personal pictures to show you, but trust me... this is going to be inspiration for the future! I proceed to showing you exhibit one:



photo credit: House Beautiful


The paint color used in this picture is Benjamin Moore- Black Satin. I think it is absolutely stunning!! So sexy and so fun!


Exhibit two:



photo credit: House Beautiful


Note that there is tons of natural light in both rooms. This a must, and a south-facing room is best for any dark color like navy, chocolate, eggplant or black. If you don't have a south-facing room but still want to paint a dark color, try to ensure that the room has as MUCH sunlight as possible to lighten the room. We don't necessarily want to channel Cruella DeVille here...

photo credit: c.d.b. design

Here is a beautiful example of chocolate in a room as well. I did not pick out this paint color, but it was in a clients' home and was absolutely stunning. For the ceiling height and room size, the paint color makes the room feel so very warm and inviting.


Ok, let's move on to some brighter, more fun colors. Another color I hear mentioned often is yellow. Yellow is certainly making a huge comeback this season and can be beautiful if done correctly.


This is a bright, fun yellow that would be great in a hallway or a child's room. This paint is by Pittsburgh Paints and is called Forsythia Blossom.



photo credit: House Beautiful


If you love yellow but don't want the brightness, try something a bit more muted. I tend to call this shade of yellow "butter", but this picture refers to it as a cream. I can imagine this color in a bedroom or living room, and what a calming effect it would have!!! So warm and inviting!!



photo credit: House Beautiful


Another color people tend to love but shy away from is red. There are so many variations of red that you can use to suit your exact decor desire.



photo credit: House Beautiful


This red is called Blazer 212 by Farrow & Ball. LOVE red but nervous about committing to a whole room?
Paint a piece of furniture! This shot is classic and exciting at the same time because of the color use.



photo credit: House Beautiful


The red used in this photo is Heritage Red by Benjamin Moore.


Ok, for just a few more tidbits of encouragement, I want to leave you with just a few more ideas of paint colors you can use throughout your home. 


Now, I know, if you were a client of mine and I told you to think about... say... a hot PINK color in your house, you'd think I was crazy right?? Well... not so fast! If you are in the stage of life where you can make a fun color choice in your home, why not? I think this may do a bit of work to convince you...



photo credit: House Beautiful


Cute, right?? What a jolt of energy before you even get to your morning coffee! This paint color is so very appropriately named Razzle Dazzle by Benjamin Moore. 


Another great idea is to paint not the walls, but the ceiling of a room to provide a fun pop of color to a unique space. 

photo credit: House Beautiful


Beautiful, no? I normally RUN away from a soft, powder pink, but I think that the presence of pink in this room is so romantic and is just right. 


Here's another fun color that is appropriately toned down by a great print and classic colors. Can you imagine yourself buying paint in a punchy lime?



photo credit: House Beautiful


For a softer green, why not try something a little closer to mint? This option can be a serene, calming color choice while being chic and completely up to date. Check out the nursery I consulted on for Baby Rebekah! 

photo credit: c.d.b. design


Are you inspired yet?? I sure hope so!!! Just a tip for those of you that are ready to take the COLOR plunge: paint a poster-board size block of color in the room you are thinking of changing. Or, go even bigger and do a 6x6 ft. color swatch and let it sit for a few days. If you are in love, take the plunge!! If you hate it, there is no commitment and less work to change it to a neutral color, or back to what you originally had. 


Best of luck, and happy painting!! I hope you are inspired to create a beautiful space this week!! Have a wonderful weekend!! 


Cheers! 
Catrina

Friday Favorite!

Hi, friends!! Happy Friday!!

I hope that you all had a great week and that this Friday caps off a productive, happy week for each of you! 


In many of my conversations about decor, many friends and clients share that they want to change the look of a room in their home, but REALLY don't want to commit to changing a paint color or pay for new furniture. They want a new feel but just don't want to spend the time or effort to dramatically re-decorate a room to suit their new look. 


The good news is that there are so many different options that can deliver the change that you want with minimal effort! New curtains or a new rug can dramatically change the personality of a room in an instant. However, I want to touch on one of my FAVORITE decor items and our topic today, throw pillows!! There are SO many options out there for such wonderful prices that you simply can't go wrong. I know many people overlook throw pillows because they "don't serve a purpose", but in the decor world, they can! Also, there are so many patterns and styles out there that you can easily find pillows that are decorative but functional at the same time. So, without further adieu, here are some of my favorite combinations. 

www.pier1.com

www.zgallerie.com

You can take something simple like a circle pattern and mix it with something a bit more complicated, but complimentary in the color category. 

Here's another example of mixing patterns- these are a bit more modern and I love the colors combination! Yellow & gray is so very in these days!

www.zgallerie.com

www.zgallerie.com

This is a perfect example of a neutral combination with a LOT of style! This Layla pillow from Crate & Barrel is so simple, but SO stunning!



www.crateandbarrel.com





www.crateandbarrel.com


This pillow would provide lots of substance while letting the cream show stopper take center stage! 


I'm not sure if you're like me at all, but I also like to see the finished product, or see HOW these looks play together. So, here's a few examples that show just HOW MUCH a few throw pillows can bring a room together! 



credit: Crate & Barrel



credit: House Beautiful 


*Notice how well the different patterns and colors play off of each other? Not something you would pick in the store, but they come together beautifully in this room!! 


Remember the Layla pillow from Crate & Barrel? Designer Melissa Warner used them in this room and they are gorgeous!! 



credit: House Beautiful


This final picture is a perfect example of how patterns can play off of each other to tie a room together, and how the right throw pillow can finish the job! Notice that on the left couch, a solid color is used, while on the right, cream couch a bold, complimentary pattern is used. 



credit: House Beautiful


Hope you guys enjoy!! Happy decorating, and here's to making beautiful spaces no matter where we are! See you next week! 


Cheers,

Catrina 

Friday Favorite!

Hi, friends! I hope this week was wonderful for each of you! I had a bit of a rough start to this week- I was sick on Monday and Tuesday and still don't quite seem to be at 100%. We've got a busy weekend ahead, so I'm hoping that I can get caught up on some rest and FAST!!


This week's Friday Favorite is a bit unexpected for me. I have always been a fan of using lighting to enhance a room's personality. In my humble opinion, choosing the right lighting can be just as important as choosing the right paint color or furniture to put in a room. It speaks volumes with regard to what message you want to convey with your space! Just think- a dimly lit bedroom can enhance the feelings of relaxation and comfort, while a well lit kitchen and entry-way can convey warmth and emphasize that area as a busy hub in your home!


So, my new latest obsession in the lighting world is hands down pendant lighting! It is fresh and simple, but can be so striking at the same time. I think that given how you use pendant lighting, it can convey so many different moods and enhance SO many different settings!! My favorite location for pendant lighting is in the kitchen and entry way, but I have seen them used in tons of different rooms in so many different ways! So, my favorites are actually almost all from Pottery Barn!! Of course, there are GORGEOUS ones at Restoration Hardware as well, but Pottery Barn has amazing options for much more attractive prices. However, if you can rock the Restoration Hardware, I say, more power to you! You've got excellent taste!


For example, if you're into the more industrial look of pendant lighting, check out this beauty. Or, if you like something a little more streamlined, I am in love with this piece. 


Ok, for my all time favorite- this is the Exter 5-Jar Pendant at Pottery Barn. Is this not to die for??

Here is another one from Pottery Barn- I think this one is beautiful if you prefer softer lines and want something a little more feminine looking, but still in a pendant style. 







This last example would be PERFECT in a study or library or in a general family area that doesn't necessarily need bright lighting. I love the simplicity of the lines mixed with the honeycomb design. 





Ok, so there you have it!! Lots of examples of one of my latest favorite things- pendant lights! Hope you enjoy, and if you happen to stop by Pottery Barn this weekend, take a peek for me!! 


Hope your Superbowl weekend is splendid! Happy decorating!!


Cheers,
Catrina 

Friday Favorite!

Happy Friday, friends! I just wanted to share this STUNNING item I found this week during my normal decor perusing. Ballard Designs has this mirror for sale that I am in love with! (Love their name... we were meant to be friends!)

source: ballarddesigns.com


If you are looking for something that will be a bit nicer to your wallet, check out this similar and equally gorgeous option from... TARGET! I love it!

source: target.com


Looking for inspiration on how to use this in decor? Check out this picture of an Atlanta home featured in House Beautiful. Fabulous! 



I hope this inspires you to create something beautiful! I'll be stopping by more often to share my finds and items that inspire me. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! 

The P Family

Happy New Year!!! I hope that you were able to ring in the new year with loved ones close by, lots of laughter and a world of hope for what the new year brings. 


Several weeks ago, I had the pleasure of working with an old friend of mine on her home! We started out doing consultation for a remodel that her family is planning, but we ended up being able to do some decor work as well!

This opportunity was especially fun for me because we had the chance to use items that Michelle already had to  decorate a space. We were able to pick out items that coordinated well together and gave her dining room a completely new look with no extra cost! 

Don't you love the pops of turquoise, blue and green in this picture? I LOVE how earthy and calming it is!

A view of the wall. Michelle already had this painting in her collection (BEAUTIFUL!) and it ties the colors and feel of the room together perfectly!

Michelle, I had so much fun working with you and I can't wait to see all of the wonderful things you do with your fabulous home!! 

Just a quick side note that I must share: I feel so blessed because I have had SUCH a wonderful time working with each of my clients and each project this year has been so fulfilling and rewarding. Thank you all so much for your continued support and encouragement during c.d.b. design's first year. I know that trusting someone to enter your home to make changes can be a personal decision that requires a leap of faith and I am genuinely honored to have the opportunity to work with each of you.

I am so excited for what the new year holds for c.d.b. design and I look forward to sharing it all with each of you! I wish each of you nothing but continued health, success and happiness in 2012! 

Cheers!

Catrina