client update: wallpapered powder room

last week, i drove to see the house of a client. i brought along my nice camera to take some pictures, and when i got the camera out, i realized that the card was missing! grrr! so, you are going to have to deal with my iPhone pictures until i can hire a pro to take some "real" images. (and who knows how long that will be!)

the last time i saw this project, the wallpaper had not been installed yet, and the light fixture still had plastic on it.  i was so exited to see it all finished.

 i know some people worry about mixing trim, but as you can see here, the textures work
together beautifully. the halls have a horizontal board and batten banding treatment, painted slightly darker than the wall above, and the bathroom has standard board and batten trim with an alternating offset on the top 12".

 the sink console looks expensive, but it is actually very affordable. i put this same console in the powder room of my last house.
the mirror was under $80!

 the light fixture is also a budget find.

its hard to tell from these pictures, but the ceiling is actually the same blue as in the wallpaper.

room information:
wallpaper:
fioretti by cole + son

ceiling color:
benjamin moore winter lake (2129-50)

trim color:
benjamin moore swiss coffee (oc-45)

light fixture:
overtsock

mirror:
lowes

sink:
american standard

faucet:
delta

construction progress week 5

we just officially finished week 5 of construction, and a lot has been done so far! the entire main floor is framed and the second floor is not far behind.

here is what has happened in the last 2 weeks:



the entire second floor was decked and a few exterior walls have been framed and one has been erected...he's a little lonely right now, but hopefully by the end of the week, he will have
some friends.


the rest of the  walls were added to the main floor...this is a view looking into the master bathroom from the master bedroom.


from the kitchen, looking into the dining and living rooms.


we can now see all of the rooms and their sizes. this is a view from the front door.


headers over doors were framed. cased openings were set.


gravel was dumped and shoveled into the garage and basement, in preparation for the concrete slabs to be poured later this week.


unfortunately, our framers had another job they had to do, so they stopped working early last week and will not be back until the end of this week. i can't wait until the stairs to the basement are framed! this monstrous hole is about to give my husband and i a heart attack!

mexican souvenir

ahhhh.
i took a little break from blog land for a while, didn't it? sometimes it is really great to just unplug and detach from cyberland. at least it is for me.

i hope everyone had a great thanksgiving! i started "teasing" my family a few weeks ago about the possibility of going to IHOP for thanksgiving dinner.
or chuck-o-rama.
or anyplace that was going to do all the cooking and cleaning for me.
only i wasn't really teasing...more like testing.
unfortunately, they would have none of it. you would have thought that i had suggested that we kick a bunch of puppies! gheez. the backlash was so furious that i knew i HAD to cook. and indeed i did. it was a nice, relaxed day with just our little family. and in the end, i am glad we didn't go to chuck-o-rama or IHOP.

anyway, onto a few other things that i have been thinking about and am grateful for....travels and souvenirs!
when i went to mexico, i brought my kids back some little trinkets, and of course, i bought
something for myself as well:

they called this a coaster, (it is about 6" square)
but i can't imagine putting a drink on something so intricate and delicate.
i plan on framing it and hanging in somewhere in my new house.
the embroidery is the most beautiful shade of mustard yellow, and i love the handsome little deer.

picking up little goodies while traveling is a great way to add personality to your home. i recently bought nate berkus's latest book, the things that matter, and in it, he talks about all of the items he has collected over the years, and how each one of them has such meaning to him, and evokes a memory. he states that THINGS DO matter:

"our homes tell our stories; they reflect the places we've been land the people we've loved along the way--and there can be no more beautiful design for living that that."

even if your travels only take you down the road, to a nearby town, or to a foreign country, always be on the lookout for something that tells the story of who you are and where you have been!

(i highly recommend this book! i absolutely loved every page. i have a pretty decent collection of design books, but this is definitely one of my all-time favorites. i loved hearing how his design aesthetic was honed and polished...good stuff. the forward is very personal...nate talks about growing up, his time spent in paris when we was just out of high school, and his tragic loss during and survival of the tsunami in cambodia.)

and just for laughs, i thought i would give you a look at another not-so-chic souvenir
that i have from mexico:

yes.
that is a real donkey.

before + after: the power of an hour--welcoming foyer

i am excited to share another pinterest board + phone call success story!

here is the before:

this client needed suggestions on how to warm up her existing foyer.

the hardwood floors, and crisp moldings are a great start, but the room definitely needed a few

items to make it feel inviting and welcoming.

here are some of the things we talked about during our consultation:
*adding a rug...something with some texture, pattern or color.
*having a simple, skirted table with trim on the bottom made to hide some storage and add softness.
*adding a lamp for some softer lighting
*putting a bench in the space
*accessorizing the table, and installing a mirror above

after:

the rug really adds a lot here! this is a great example of how some subtle colors in a bold pattern
can create interest and a little drama, but still fee sophisticated and neutral.
the pop of blue in the lamp references the rug, and adds just the right dose of color.

the small details like the trim on the bottom of the tailored table skirt, and the texture of the

top of the bench add dimension and interest to the space. 

(my client liked her foyer so much, she hired me again to work on her master bedroom!)

have a space that needs help? interested in working together? 

contact me at autumnclemons@yahoo.com to set up a consultation!

(the fee for my pinterest board + phone consultations will be going up slightly feburary 1, so let me know if you want to set one up before then.)

global home accents at novica

i always get excited when i am introduced to a new source for finding unique home accents. a few weeks ago, i was approached by novica-- one of the leading fair trade artisan websites, and asked to review their product line. i had to admit...i was really impressed with their selection!

novica works with national geographic (yes, THE national geographic!) to give talented artisans from around the world a place to sell their creations. 
they have thousands of top fair trade corporate gifts, accessories, jewelry and home decor items on their 
website.

as you can see, they have just about everything---art, mirrors, furniture, sculpture, vases, rugs and tableware.

i really was impressed with the variety and price points of the items. i especially love the feature where you can click on an artists name, and it pulls up their picture and bio, and lets you see all of the creations that they offer on novica.com. you can also search by region--you can look for something from central america or thailand, or west africa....pretty amazing!

in addition to all of the home decor items that they carry, they also sell items that would make terrific christmas gifts, like:

Mens Cufflinks from Indonesia 

Painted Silk Scarves from Brazil  

Pashmina Shawls 

Wraps and Ruanas from Peru 

Wristband Bracelets

Silver Chandelier Earrings 

this post was sponsored by novcia, but all of the opinions are mine.

happy shopping!

my holiday table setting in pimlico magazine

the holiday issue of pimlico magazine is now live!
you can read it by clicking here.

there are some really beautiful spreads on wrapping paper, gift giving, a portable feast, travel, 

and a fun hot chocolate bar.

you can also see the article on holiday table settings, where i am featured!

here a few more higher resolution images of the table setting.

you can find all of the sources in the article.

 
(i gave you a peek of this table setting several weeks ago on instagram.)

be sure and check out the holiday issue of pimlico here!

sun + snow

well, i am back. it was a very lovely trip full of sun and laughter and great memories. it was nice to relax and (almost) completely unplug from life. we stayed at a resort just south of cancun, in a little area called puerto morelos. it was really beautiful and uncrowded and serene, and perfect for a girls getaway.

i left sunny mexico sunday morning, and arrived in salt lake city later that evening to a LOT of snow...more snow than we have seen in a couple of years. (the framers measured 21 inches)
because a lot of leaves were still on the trees, there are broken tree limbs everywhere!

 the snow has slowed down the framers a bit. they spent nearly all day yesterday shoveling snow out of the house so they could continue to work. by the end of the week, we SHOULD have some walls on the second floor up, and maybe even a few of the roof rafters in place. i am not getting my hopes up though...i know the cold weather and the snow will make things tough.
still, things are moving along faster than i expected, and i am pretty darn thrilled!

south of the border

guess where i will be the rest of the week?
yep. thats right.
south of the border....
i am getting away for a girls weekend in sunny mexico. yeee-haw!
(a HUGE thank you to my sweet husband, who just may be the worlds greatest dad. 
not only does he coach almost all of my kids sports teams, he is the family safety "enthusiast" and is that dad that makes everyone laugh and feel at ease. he is taking off some time from work this week to be mr. mom so i can get away. oh, and on top of that, he has spent 40+ hours over the  last two weekends at our new house/lot doing manual labor. love that man!)

in addition to beautiful beaches, and tons of culture, mexico is also home to some pretty amazing design. take a peek inside the celeste teahouse, located in mexico city, mexico:

aren't you in love with the striped tiles?

via

another source of fantastic design is the mexico based husband/wife design team behind casamidy.
i have been in LOVE (deeply and madly) with everything that casamidy produces for YEARS now.
i wrote an extensive post on them a while ago, which you can read here, but here are a few of

their gorgeous items that i would love to sell my car to buy:

 (oh what i wouldn't give to have one of these hanging in my new house!)

 (i'll take 6 of these too!)

 (ok, and this too.)

you can see more here.

adios amigos.
be back soon!