Anthropologie, London

I have never tried to hide my pure adoration for Anthropologie, so I hope you can deal with this post and my absolute gushing over this store in London.

My husband is stationed in Italy with the Navy reserves so we are breaking up the long distance by getting together every once in awhile. Last week we met in London, which is my favorite city.

I know it seems silly to go all the way to Europe and walk in to an American based chain store, but Anthropologie prides it'self on giving their visual merchandisers free reign when it comes to designing their stores. So every one of them is different. I had heard that London's Anthropologie was over the top.

Let's just say I wasn't disappointed.

Like many stores in London, it's spread out over three floors. There is a wall of living plants that goes from the basement to the third level.

This store was oozing with creativity, upcycling, flea market finds and bold use of color. Everything an artist needs for inspiration.

And let me just say, I was not the only person there taking pictures. How could you not?

I have been blessed in the amount of travelling my husband affords me. He understands it feeds my soul. I hope you all get a chance to leave town sometime soon, if even just to see a different Anthropologie.

Stove Surround

Just in time for Christmas! That's what I was thinking when I wrapped up my brushes and swept up the floor. This kitchen is open for business.

This finish was installed over a previously plastered brick. It was created with a textured plaster tinted to a deep dark chocolate brown and then glazed even darker. I darkenend the arches even more to give the impression of years of cooking having smoked the openings.

The motif at the top was created by trowelling a cracked plaster through a custom Modello. The plaster was then antiqued to relate to the tile backsplash.

Bring on the eggnog!

Living Room Remodel

When a job I was working on got postponed one week before Thanksgiving I decided to take advantage of the time and remodel my living/dining room.

I've been collecting ideas for awhile now and I worked really hard to get as many of them done in the time that I had.

I painted the walls, installed a chair rail (first time ever), made valences out of thrift store dust ruffles and put up a bunch of new shelves.

The color scheme is eclectic but very far from where I started. I'm really lucky in that I have a good friend, I'll call her Melanie, who gives great design advice, especially when my husband cooks a great meal, supplemented with great wine.

When I showed her my original color palette, she guided me back to who I truly am, and what I truly love. I couldn't be more grateful for her guidance and in love with my new room.



Open House

Our Open House is right around the corner. All the hard work that my friends Julie Young,Vicki Schultz and I have put in to this showroom, will be on display.

Liv'N iT Designer Showplace is a great resource for designers, architects, contractors and builders. All the great vendors are represented in one place so that design professionals can bring their clients in and show them all the pieces of their project put together.

I designed a custom countertop for one of the kitchen displays, and it's just stunning. Everyone that walks in just has to put their hands on it.

What we like to call the "mosaic room" was embellished with metallic plaster on the walls, gold leafing on the chair rail and a beautiful gold metallic ceiling.

We lined one of the hallways with faux wood marquetry, using a technique designed by Melanie Royals of Modello Design Studio. It looks and feels like wood inlay and makes a room feel so much richer.

We have three other rooms that we've transformed with our artistry, but I'm not going to reveal them here. You'll have to come up and see it in person!

Capitola inspiration

Our daughter is in school year round, which gives us a two week break in the fall. About every other year we go to my husband's aunt's beach house in Capitola, California. The cottage and the town are almost too precious for words.

I take one day to go antiquing by myself and I always start by having a pastry and a latte at Gayle's Bakery. The place is always busy and always worth it. The mosaic tile tables are so charming.

We also walk a lot in between eating and napping. Northern California is a much moister environment and so you see things like this moss everywhere.

I took a picture of this because it's stunning, but also because I would love to create a finish like this for the walls in my living room. Hmmmmmm.

This was the first time we ever took our new dog Percy on a road trip. He handled it really well, and by handling it I mean he slept a lot. My husband and him went on miles-long hikes while I took the girls on shopping excursions. We wore ourselves out and slept like the dead at night. What can I say, it was Heaven.



Decorative Niches

Decorative niches are a great place to add some pattern and increase the "Wow" factor of a room. This pattern is called Silk Road Suzani and was designed by Melanie Royals of Royal Design Studio. I stencilled it in a warm gold and over glazed it with a brown glaze in a striae fashion.

This family has collected items from all over the world, and display them prominently in this room. This Moroccan pattern compliments them without taking the focus off of them. It's a small way to add a lot of beauty to a room.

Unique girl's bedroom

I just finished one of the funnest jobs ever. I love working in children's rooms, but this one was over the top. So follow the progression and look for the surprise at the end.

Blank canvas

Basic tree form

The finished, more detailed tree.

I enhanced the walls with a soft sienna glaze. It really warms up the room.

And now for the surprise.....

You didn't see that coming did you! How fun is this!

I can't take the credit for the idea. The client found it in a Pottery Barn Kids catalog. Theirs was pretty basic and was only branches. I thought a whole tree would be prettier and these branches will curve right over the girl's bed.

I bought the flowers at Shinoda's, a local wholesale florist supply store. They were clearanced because they're considered Spring colors.

I also painted the built in closet to reflect the mural.

I loved adding those flowers and leaves. I kept thinking, "This is what display people at Anthropologie must feel like all day."

But the best part was when Elisa said,

 "All my friends are going to be so jealous."

Isn't that the whole point?