March 10, 2016

Rollins' Vintage Nursery

March 10, 2016/ Mallory

My newest little girl, Rollins, is somehow already five-months-old. Everyone says it goes by fast, and I know that from my first daughter, but man is this one speeding by even faster!

So now that she's nearing her half-year mark, I figured it was high time I share her nursery.

As you may recall, this room started out as a metallic, safari room for a little boy, then we transitioned it into a short-lived man cave. Now it's transitioned again into little Miss Rollins' room.

Quite the before and after, huh? Because we'd spent so much time on updating the room with board and batten and painting, we kept the walls as is and went from there. I love how it turned out with the moody walls and sweet furnishings.

charchoal slate girl nursery vintage rug

Auden had one of my childhood dresses framed over her crib as well, but this time I went with an acrylic frame, and I LOVE it. The sconces bordering it are from Pottery Barn but have since sold out.

I kept the other artwork in the room simple with a black and white photo of big sister, a wedding photo of Jon and myself and a watercolor print that says "Be Brave." The other art print (on top of her dresser) was purchased from Jones Design Co. and is a quote from one of my favorite verses. "Do justly, love mercy, walk humbly." -Micah 6:8.

I loved Auden's bedding so much, I decided to use the same sheet and bumper (flipped backwards to add Rollins' monogram) but in a different color. The crib sheet is the trellis pattern by Serena & Lily in Shell.

The linen crib skirt is from Restoration Hardware Baby & Child.

baby girl bedding serena and lily trellis

The tiger maple dresser was in my room growing up, and I'm so excited to have it in one of my girls' rooms now. The vintage chandelier was a thrift store find from Oklahoma, and I'd been moving it from house to house for five years waiting for the right place to put it. I love how it brings a little sparkle and compliments the crystal knobs on the dresser so well.

Here's my sweet girl during her 3 month photo shoot on her vintage Turkish rug I found on Etsy.

I can't wait to see all of the little memories she'll make in this room. My favorite so far is her sleeping through the night :)

March 04, 2016

Get the Look: Modern Classic Master Bedroom

March 04, 2016/ Mallory

Pinterest is full of beautiful rooms, right? Put what's the point of just looking at them, if you can't recreate them yourself? I pinned this room a long time ago but have come back to look at its understated beauty time and again.

I love the simplicity of it, the layers and beautiful texture and the mix of modern and classic. You can't go wrong there in my book! I love it so much, I thought I should recreate a similar look for anyone else that may be fan too.

1. Sconces // 2. Curtains // 3. Chandelier // 4. Duvet // 5. Bed // 6. Quilt // 7. Lamp // 8. Pillows // 9. Throw // 10. Swivel // 11. Seagrass Rug // 12. Oriental Rug

If you have a room that inspires you, but need some help finding the pieces for your home, you're in luck!

Our Ask My Designer service is about to launch. Ask My Designer bridges the gap between full room design and single item sourcing. Through AMD, we can give you tips on how to enhance your space and even help you track down the items to do so. You can read more about it here.

Have a wonderful weekend!

February 11, 2016

Romantic Rooms

February 11, 2016/ Jessica Nguyen

In honor of Saint Valentine's Day, here are a few romantic rooms with key elements to achieve the look in your home.

Sweet and Feminine

Dark and Sultry

Until next time, lovlies!

January 27, 2016

New Year, New Home, NEW SERVICE

January 27, 2016/ Mallory

The New Year always brings a time of self-evaluation, which in turn leads to new resolutions on making a better you, a better life. But what about other things that need evaluation? Your home for instance. Isn't it worth it for you and your family to have a space you enjoy, a place in which you want to spend time?

Instead of thinking up a list of resolutions for myself (that I'll inevitably forget after a few weeks), I am resolving to complete some unfinished rooms in my home. As they say, "the cobblers children have no shoes." Just because we're designers, doesn't mean every room in our home is finished. And even when they are "done" we quickly think of something else we want to change :)

This year I want to tackle the following:

ENTRY:

I need to finally decide on and order a new entry light and possibly a runner. This one from Ballard Designs is the one I really want, but I need the large size so I may have to look for something a little less expensive.

OFFICE:

Jon got a new laptop for Christmas so he hardly works in there anymore, which means I have complete and free reign! I'm going to start out by getting some new things up on the wall, adding some more functional storage and ordering a new office chair. The chair we have in there now is a wooden antique chair that is gorgeous, but not so comfortable for sitting on for long periods of time. I have my eye set on this one from Crate & Barrel.

LIVING ROOM:

I want to get a new rug and throw pillows (oh the ever evolving throw pillow saga) for the room. Our current rug shows some wear and tear and is slightly too small for this living room (I purchased it when we were in our old house). I think I’ve found a good neutral option that will last for a long time (yeah right, is what my husband would say J) I also want to get some new pillows. I’m a throw pillow fanatic so all of the ones I have have been collected over time. I think I need to start fresh to really finish off the space. I love these from West Elm for my swivel chairs.

As you can see, I only need one or two things in each room. We’ve found that this is the case for many of you as well, and will soon be launching a new service-- a virtual consultation with a la carte sourcing! We can now help you find that one thing your room was missing and/or give you tips on the room as a whole, at a fraction of the price of an in-home consultation. We're so excited to offer this new service and can't wait to start working in your home!

Stay tuned for our official launch coming soon! Learn more here.

January 20, 2016

Why We Blog

January 20, 2016/ Mallory

Recently, we met for our yearly kickoff where we reflected on the previous year, talked about the things we like about our business, talked about the things we want to change and our goals for the coming year. In 2015 we experienced a lot of growth and with growth comes changes. The biggest change for us was Dana deciding she needed to leave the company after her second baby and focus on her family full-time. We fully support her decision for doing what is best for her family, and we remain friends. She even still helps us out from time to time.

Also during the meeting, we discussed our blog and what we want to bring to the table for you and for us in the new year. In the discussion we narrowed down, quite simply, "Why we blog." For transparency and inspiration, we thought we'd share the reasons with you, and hope you come along for the ride this year! If you haven't already, you can subscribe to receive blog updates by email by entering your address in the "Let's stay in touch!" section of the sidebar on your screen (or the bottom of the blog on your smartphone).

To share our work and love for design

To inspire others

To share snippets from this journey called life and motherhood

To make friends with common interests along the way

Here's to a great 2016!

xo, Mallory and Jessica

December 23, 2015

Jessica's Christmas Traditions

December 23, 2015/ Jessica Nguyen

It took all of us to get Amelia to take a picture with Santa. Pic on the right is of my brother and I with a family friend and Santa one Christmas Eve (my brother's nickname when he was little was The Barbarian; hence the lack of clothes).

Christmas is my favorite time of year. I am one of those people who waste no time getting Christmas decorations up. This year they went up a week before Thanksgiving. I know, ridiculous but I LOVE the spirit of Christmas and in my opinion, one month is too short. In following Mallory's previous post, here are some of my Christmas favorites!

Favorite Childhood Christmas tradition(s):

My mother is from Panama. Like in many Latin cultures, Christmas Eve is a big celebration in itself. The day is spent cooking and visiting with friends. Come evening, we attend a candlelight service, snack on our favorite finger foods, and at midnight open presents! To help the time pass, as we eagerly waited for midnight to come, we would watch Christmas movies and play games as a family. It was always such a special time and I have since carried on the tradition with my own family.

Favorite new tradition:

When my eldest was little, a girlfriend and I started taking the kids for a ride around the local neighborhoods at night to view all the Christmas lights. We pack popcorn and play Christmas music as we slowly proceed down the streets taking in all the decorative lights. It is something we come to cherish and do each year.

Favorite Christmas movie:

Elf! I have seen it a million times and it still cracks me up.

Favorite decor tip:

Give some life to your artificial garland and wreaths by tucking in real tree trimmings. Holley branches and magnolia leaves make attractive additions. Also, avoid unnecessary nail holes and unsightly cords by using 3M hooks and battery operated lights. Game changer!

Favorite dish you look forward to each Christmas:

Hands down my mom’s sweet potato casserole. It has become a favorite for many.

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

Crust Topping: 1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 stick of melted butter

Sweet Potato Mixture: 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, well beaten
1 stick of melted butter

Combine brown sugar, flour, nuts and butter in mixing bowl. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato mixture evenly with the crust mixture. Bake for 30 minutes.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas!