See Charlotte Moss in DC - May 6th

The Mid-Atlantic Chapter of  ICAA is hosting a lecture and book signing with celebrated author and designer Charlotte Moss

 at the always beautiful Dumbarton House.

Wednesday, May 6th
6:30 pm Reception
7:15 Lecture
The Dumbarton House 2715 Q Street NW Washington, DC 20007


In her latest book, Garden Inspirations, Charlotte shares key lessons from her time spent exploring gardens around the world, and how they all came together in the creation of her own garden, Boxwood Terrace in East Hampton. In the book she talks about ways the garden provides daily inspiration, gardening women of influence, and her 25 year collaboration with Lisa Stamm and her husband, Dale Booher, a landscape-design and architectural partnership.

This is a WMA ICAA event in partnership with Dumbarton House.

Tickets are available here.  It looks like it will be a wonderful evening!

Charlotte & Ivy Warehouse Sale thru May 4th!

Charlotte & Ivy is having a Warehouse Sale - 25% off, thru May 4th or until sold out.  I want at least half the things here…especially those Les Touches pillows!  The price you see here is the regular price.  

You'll see the discounted price in the shopping cart and shipping is FREE.   Happy shopping!

Charlotte & Ivy Warehouse Sale

Power of a Yellow Door

This ranch is beautifully landscaped and appointed but imagine it without this gorgeous yellow door- wouldn't quite be the same.  And,  let me add those amazing large scale sconces to the list too. From Garden Studio

Black and Blue Outdoors

 This stunning combination of exterior black and blue by CWB Architects caught my eye - one of those, "Wow, that's gorgeous!" moments.

The inside is pretty hip too.   Hope you have a great weekend!

Panelled Maps

At our recent stay that the equestrian inspired Campbell House in Lexington, I came across this office off the lobby.  The  maps were incorporated into the panelling.   First shot is a bit blurry - the walls were a beautiful deep blue.

Also - the paint job by EasyPaint in my family room turned out beautifully!!  

I'll be posting about it next week. 

EasyPaint to My Rescue! - our Family Room

My Family Room - If you've read this blog over the years you'll know that I've never done a post on my family room primarily for two reasons:  (1) it's a bit of a jumble of furniture that used to be some where else and (2) I painted it myself and did a terrible job, especially on the ceilings.  13+ feet  up -that was way more than I could ever handle.  "We really need to get this professionally painted" has been said by my husband and I many times over the years.  Well this week it's finally happening!!

A few weeks ago I met Marty Cornish, CEO of EasyPaint.  You may remember I mentioned EasyPaint in my post on the DC Design House where they donated their painting services to 11+ rooms.  There work is impeccable and when Marty offered me the opportunity to have a room painted free of charge to try out their service here in the DC area I was in heaven.  Our family room was finally going to get the paint job it's needed all these years.

EasyPaint makes finding a qualified, professional painter in the DC area easy and stress-free. You can request a quote online in 5 minutes. No need to have a parade of contractors coming through your home giving you estimates. EasyPaint crews are certified, licensed, background checked and have at least five years of happy customers.  Your job is covered by insurance and they stand behind the quality of their work.

The process is simple - you use their easy to navigate site and pick the room(s) you want painted

 and upload three pictures.

Here are the three pictures of my family room.  I submitted my request on April 12th and selected the first date available (7 days later) and scheduled it for April 20th at 8am. After confirming the project and providing the standard information, you submit your request for a proposal.  Within 24 hours, you'll have your EasyPaint quote and you can make your decision.  The proposal I received outlined the scope and specifics of the job and let me know it would entail a crew of 3 for 2 days to complete.

Yesterday morning Luis and his crew arrived exactly at 8 am and it's off to a great start!    My next post will be all about my newly painted room!     Here are the colors I've selected:  In the meantime, be sure to check out EasyPaint to get a quote for that room you need painted!

BM Classic Gray

Walls and Ceiling:  BM Classic Gray (eggshell for walls, flat for ceiling)

Trim:  50% formula BM Classic Gray in semi-gloss.  I got this idea from Loi Thai's  post on his house in Castine, Maine where he used this combination in his living room.  

Doors:  BM Chelsea Gray in semi-gloss

BM Chelsea Gray

FREE Audubon Prints - high res

Thanks to the John James Audubon Center we can now download high resolution Audubon's Birds of America prints for FREE!!  You can search the 435 life-sized watercolors either alphabetically or chronologically here.  I've downloaded a few of my favorites  and will be uploading them to a service like Shutterfly or Spoonflower to print.

One you find the bird you want, click on the bird and then swipe to reveal the icon where you can download the high resolution file.  I only mention this because it took me a while to figure that out!

The great part of being able to download these images it that you can then crop it if you only want part of the print. 

Pretty Pattern

This pretty patterned bedroom is from Residence Five - a private home you can rent at The Dunmore - Harbour Island, Bahamas.   Happy Friday!!

Looks & Feels Like Real Wood - Thibaut Eastwood

Walking into Scott Cooke's Gentleman's Retreat in the DC Design House for the first time had me reaching out to touch the walls, certain he had clad them in wood.  After touching them I was still surprised to be told it wasn't wood but Thibault Eastwood - a vinyl, embossed wall covering.  It looks and feel that real.

The wall covering creates a rich backdrop for Scott's serene and tailored design.  Thibaut Eastwood also happens to be scrubbable which means it can serve heavy duty in in mud rooms, foyers, family rooms, vacation cottages, etc. If you're looking for a paneled look and and real wood isn't the right choice, be sure to check it out.

Now back to this beautiful room inspired by Bill Blass. Love the grouping of photographs near the bed and the abstract prints above the bureau.

The window pane plaid and the barley twist legs on the ottomans give it a bit of a Scottish vibe for me - or maybe that's because I've been binge watching Outlander these last few weeks.

The coverlet has a cut-out for a tailored look on the antique poster bed.

The DC Design House is located at 956 Mackall Farms Lane in McLean, VA**  Don't trust your GPS** - Mackall Farms Lane is right off of Georgetown Pike.  For directions head here.

Open April 12 - May 10, tickets are $30 and the hours are:
Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m
NEW Thursday Evenings 5 to 8 p.m
Saturday-Sunday, 12 noon to 5 p.m

Closed Mondays

Must arrive one-half hour before closing time to take the tour.  All ticket proceeds benefit The Children's National Health System. 

A DEER, Sweet Nursery - DC Design House

Nancy Twomey of Finnian's Moon Interiors has created beautiful children's rooms for a number of DC Design Houses over the years and this year's nursery is my absolute favorite.   The vision was a modernity meets Swedish country and the barely blue textured walloper and blush pink ceilings create a restful haven that is stylish and endeering at the same time :)  The modern crib is watched over by a baby fawn you just can't help but fall in love with.   (First three images provided by Finnian's Moon Interiors, photography by Angie Seckinger, copyright 2015)

So nice to see a honey-toned wood bureau - goes beautifully with the room's color scheme.

Here's a view from the nursery into the adjoining pink bathroom and to the walk-in closet beyond.

The DC Design House is located at 956 Mackall Farms Lane in McLean, VA**  Don't trust your GPS** - Mackall Farms Lane is right off of Georgetown Pike.  For directions head here.

Open April 12 - May 10, tickets are $30 and the hours are:

Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m
NEW Thursday Evenings 5 to 8 p.m
Saturday-Sunday, 12 noon to 5 p.m
Closed Mondays

Must arrive one-half hour before closing time to take the tour.

All ticket proceeds benefit The Children's National Health System. 

Home + Garden Tour - May 9th

If you're in the DC area, mark your calendars for the 2nd annual Home + Garden tour benefiting the Love Quilt Project on Saturday May 9th from 11 am - 4 pm.  Five homes designed by local architects will be featured this year.  Tickets are $25 and can be purchased in advance (email lovequiltproject@gmail.com) or on the day of the tour.  Ticket pick-up and the start of the tour is at St. Peter's Episcopal Church at 4250 N. Glebe Rd, Arlington VA.  After the tour, return to St. Peter's for a tea and artisan boutique.  The event will benefit the Love Quilt Project.