Make your home look well cared for and the people who enter it will feel well cared for. Breath some life into your house by incorporating these simple changes!

1. Add some plants or flowers

Nearly EVERY picture I like of a dining table, coffee table, bedside table or hall console has flowers in it! Are we on to something here? Of course I love live flowers and plants but if you can’t keep them alive go for a really good fake or dried plant. Instant decor uplift.

2. Pull furniture away from the wall

Keep your living room from looking like a dormitory and float furniture away from the wall! If you don’t have room to pull everything away, pick a few pieces.  It makes a room feel more cozy and conversation more intimate!

3. Go for a larger rug size

Rugs that are to small look like an island in the middle of the room, and are just plain silly! So instead of doing this….

Do this! Tuck rugs underneath furniture to help “pull the room together”. If you don’t have a larger rug on hand, layer smaller rugs on top of one another. Layering rugs is so in right now!

4. Put fruit in a bowl

First of all it’s super cheap and usually around the house. When you need a quick color splash fruit is an easy way to go. Plus it exudes “I’m healthy and active!” What isn’t inviting about that?

5. De-clutter

When in doubt, take it out. You will have room for more important things like thinking clearly and visiting with friends.

I am so excited for my sisters wedding in June (check out this post to see the bling she now CARRIES on her left finger). The planning, decorating, and choosing colors with her is so much fun! April has a great eye, from the beginning she has wanted each bridesmaid to be in a different color. Here is what she landed on, this is the actual pdf she emailed to everyone so we could order correctly and see the color combo. You see the dress I’ll be in on the left!

I wanted to share some of the images she has saved for inspiration. So sorry I don’t have the links, she’s not an avid Pinterester (shame on her…). I love the whites mixed with burlap and splashes of bright color. This combination feels peaceful and easy going, but not sloppy.

I met with a client/friend/running partner/neighbor to talk about pulling together some accessories for her main floor and a total redesign of her daughters’ bedroom. We’ll leave the bedroom for another post and I’ll dish about the main floor! A lot of clients have items in their house that they want to incorporate into a new design.

This client already has:

• tan leather sofa
• wood floors
• lamps
• bright artwork

On a previous visit we selected brown drapes and pale yellow walls. Here is a design board I put together for the space, and what is new?

• pillows on sofa
• white lamp shades on existing bases
• plants
• frames

I have so much fun pumping up the volume with great accessories! Do you need help with those finishing touches? Artwork, photos, lighting, pillows and plants or flowers help make a house feel like a home! Let’s set a time to pull it all together!

At my Grandmothers cottage there are plenty of flowers in bloom to make a new bouquet every week. We watch summer unfold as the flowers in the vase change from week to week and I’ve always admired that! When Jeff and I got married the first thing I did was start the process of ripping out our grass so I could have flowers for cutting! We soon planted two ever blooming hydrangea’s and they get bigger every year!

This side of the house between next to the driveway used to be grass, not any more!!!

This year my hydrangea’s are loaded!!

I love how they are slightly different…

They make such an easy bouquet because they are a large full flower! “Ever blooming” really does bloom all summer too!! Then in the fall they dry beautifully!

This makes me happy!!!

Find something in your yard and make an arrangement!