An Empty Nest

Trove Wallpaper

Roots and Wings

If I could give you many things,

I'd give you gold and silver rings

Of knowledge that I've gained with years

The gift of smiling through the tears

Confidence, courage, determination

Laughter and spirit and love of creation,

Wrapped up in a box with a bow, I'd give

To you these gifts to keep as long as you live.

"If I could give you just two things,

One would be roots, the other, Wings."

Roots, not to tie you to the ground,

But to guide you to where your fulfillment is found.

The nourishing start, the firm foundation, 

The source of your inner determination.

Wings to soar over obstacles, wings to fly free,

Wings to glide to the heights of the best you can be.

And when obstacles loom, from your roots grows a hand

Providing a strong, sturdy, safe place to land.

I'd choose these two things for the gifts that are best,

For with Roots and with Wings, you'll find the rest!

                                                    ~anon

Gracie wallpaper

My youngest son has left the nest, moved out of state to join his brother.  The house is empty and quiet and cold and dark and a little lifeless.  I find myself saying, "I'm an empty nester" to describe my new station in life, a transition that is difficult at best.  Coincidentally, everywhere I look I see all forms of birds and cages and nests. 

                                 

Miles Redd

Hunt Slonem painting

Faberge Egg

Antique Gilded Cage Mirrors

ph: Penny Morrison

Tom Sheerer

Jonathan Adler

John Derian Nest Bowl

Roost birdcage lighting

Douglas Friedman

Ingo Murer Birdie Chandelier

Dedon, The Nest Rest

Global Views

Bye bye birdie cocktail table by Frøystad + Kloch

I gave them wings so they could fly, but they assured me I will always represent home to them. That's all a mother can ask.
<3 to J and D

The Winter Garden

Bitter cold and record snow in the northeast has forced us all indoors.  Many an hour has been spent gazing out the window.  If you are hyper-aesthetically attuned to your surroundings like I am, you appreciate a room with a view!
Even in the snow a yard, garden, or landscape should look balanced and beautiful.   A strong foundation of plantings or hardscaping for snow to rest upon produces the most magical results.  Inside or out, the same rules apply.  Think about how your garden will look in the winter when you're preparing it in the spring/summer.

There's a quiet beauty to a winter garden.  It's the simplicity of the bare branches, grasses, and ornamental objects set against the cold blue sky that creates a perfect picture.  Void of all the other seasonal color, you notice nature's shapes and textures.

Color in the snow covered garden gives way to optimism that spring will surely come

And just think…. soon we'll be complaining it's too hot

Clever Idea # 7

Liza Phillips created Alto Steps.  Modular rugs for your stairs. They're made of 100% wool in fashion forward designs, that are designed to be compatible with each other in several ways.   It is a great way to warm up stairs, make them kid proof, non skid or change the look without hiding the wood underneath.  Think of it as  "a handmade rug for every step."  The best part, they come with adhesive mesh so you can apply them yourself and change them out if necessary.   They come in standard and wide sizes.

Brilliant!

Palm Prints

House of Hackney

Between the chill in my bones and the runways full of palm prints teasing me, I am yearning for warm weather, or the perception of it.  The sun kissed days and balmy nights are calling.  Even if you can't escape physically, these easy, breezy prints and decorative objects transcend time and place.

With the help of the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Greenbrier in West Virginia, and Indochine in NY, this print (technically a banana leaf) has become a classic palm-tastic print!  

But there are certainly many other papers to choose from ~

Osborne & Little

It lends an airiness to anything

Alison Elebash

Palm prints and harness, who knew?

photo by Benjamin Dimmitt

It says, "I'm fun and freewheeling"

Peter Pilotto and Fausto Puglis

It has a wonderful abstract quality to it

Kenzo

and can be preppy and precocious

Christopher Farr fabric

Cavalli via Style.com

Kazumi Yoshida festive print

                                                  as well as sexy and sophisticated

ph:Simon Upton

Amanda Nisbet for Neirman Weeks

The pattern seems to convey a free spiritedness.  These long, spiky leaves are more than merely decorative.  They have long held a symbolic meaning, but to me they mean fun in the sun & WARMTH!

Prada

James Radin

Just the mere suggestion of this fantastic frond has me warmed me up considerably.  The power of suggestion  +  get me a pina colada = WINNING

The Big Black Box

Jeff Lewis

 
In the lexicon of new words ushered in for the year 2014,  I think I heard binge watching, as in watching TV, episode after episode of a particular show.  Hello, GUILTY.  My husband and I were very busy watching all the Netflix shows over the holiday.  I am telling you almost nothing else got done.  We were obsessed!
Sitting in front of that black box hour after hour, I started thinking about the placement of it.  I asked myself if I was truly comfortable, were the height and distance sufficient?  These are questions you should ask as well.

Phillip Gorivan

I love the idea of the TV above the fireplace.  Focal points stacked neatly above each other, neither    vying for our attention more than the other.  Plus, it makes creating a seating arrangement that much easier.  Putting the TV on an arm that rotates or angles helps with the possible neck strain issue if it happens to sit a little too high over the mantle.

Bunny Williams

via decorpad

Incorporating the TV into a series of shelves or media cabinets doesn't exactly hide a TV, but it does mask it.  Surrounded by books, accessories, more media equipment, and the like, there is no definitive focal point, which just may be the point.

via Lonny

While I don't have a problem walking into a room and seeing a television, after all it is a big part of our  everyday lives, there is something serene about the absence of seeing it as well.  Hidden behind panels, pictures, and wall hangings, all cleverly disguise the offending object.

Julia Blailock via Cote De Texas

The rails with which theses paintings slide open to expose the TV are relevant to the overall design.  Be mindful of that.  I have seen some that didn't make much sense when the artwork was in place

If I ever redid a bath...a TV in mirror seems the epitome of luxury.

I'm kinda freaking out over this.  It's a TV, no it's a fireplace, wait, crazy but true ~ it's both!  The ultimate space saver!  Not only is it exceptional looking, but you could slide it into an apartment or tight space without missing a beat, and the mirror is light reflective ~ Be still my heart!

Safretti

Which camp do you fall within?  Are you; someone who likes to see a TV in a room or someone who likes it hidden?