white geraniums + back porches

I don't know about you, but I am a lover of all things summer.

sandals + sunnies. warmth. beach trips. cool drinks. poolside.
+ making memories with friends + family.

I have been breathing a little easier after a rush of Spring HP Market design work and photo styling gigs ... but I wanted to take a few moments to blog about my current inspirations + finds.

My recent mission accomplished: getting the porch put back together again. We sprayed off the piles of pollen and washed down the furniture; pulled out the stowed-away cushions and planted a few white geraniums. AAaahh. I love the calming effect of white-on-white + breezy spring days + nights on the back porch ...

{outdoor pillow from World Market}

I love fresh outdoor living spaces (see my outdoor décor pinboard here.)

... 

A yummy recent find: a genuinely real simple recipe via Real Simple ... A refeshing dessert, "easy rice pudding," made with rice, natural vanilla ice-cream (i love breyers) and cinnamon.

{image via Real Simple.}

So very delish. promise.  

...

A source of inspiration: attending the book signing of the Nester's newly published book @ Bebe Gallini's (that's where I found the fun sunnies too). Link over to Myquillyn's blog for constant aesthetic and life inspiration and to find out where to buy her book ~ The Nesting Place (it's full of real + inspiring images + stories + how-to's...)

{journal is from greenroomeco, found at target}

...

A fab find: the perfect summer sandals. My first official Rachel Zoe purchase (a TJ Maxx find). Have you ever watched the Rachel Zoe Project on Bravo? She is such a style icon + fun to watch. Here's a snap of the sandals on a sunny day with a new fave shade on my toes, taupleless beach by opi (part of their Brazil collection) ...

Hope ya'll are well. Thanks for checking in.
Let me know what is inspiring you lately.

xo

patti

white pumpkins + feathers

Just got back from High Point, designing furniture showrooms in time for Fall Market {#HPMKT}.  Now I'm ready to style some of my own finds + creations. Here are a few of my recent instagram images to let you know what's been on my styling-obsessed mind...

...had to get a collection of these sweet white pumpkins when I spied them at the local farmer's market.

Together with my handmade sunprints (see here for my diy how-to.) they make-up my fall mantel. Of course, candles go with everything...

...and then there's my recent obsession...with FEATHERS!...

...these are my instagram snaps of feathers in the morning light and feather on snakeskin (box by Nate Berkus for Target)...

I have been pinning images, like these...

...and getting inspired to do something creative with feathers.  As often happens, I came across a blogger who had already done what I had been thinking of, and oh so well (see here for her how-to for framing feathers as art)...


{image via city farmhouse}

...and lastly, please visit the youngamerica blog for my latest diy: bohemian-inspired trays with mod podge and world market papers (I love how the trays turned out. let me know what you think)...

Hope you are having a good October. Fall is going fast...so seize the warm sunny moments and the chances for fireside chats with close friends. 

xoxo

patti

styling lately

School is back in session.  Fall is practically upon us.  And I am motivated anew to re-organize and refresh. How about you?

I've been guest posting over at Young America recently. See here for my post on back-to-school style tips (inspired by my teen girls).

I also had a photo shoot this month and was able to style a few fun vignettes.  Here are some of my favorites...

We shot these images for Young America with Diana Parrish Design and Photography. I love the light in this shot...and of course that gorgeous chandy I found at Home with Heart in Charlotte (a great shop for one-of-a-kind interior finds).

 ...an instagram close-up of the chandy candy...

A fresh desk vignette because we all like to at least pretend we have organized desks and live orderly lives.

I styled this room with classic childhood nostalgia like the slinky + striped straws + Crayolas + bubblegum balls (more on decorating with candy here).  Plus the fun + color of handmade paper streamers. I found these shape streamers via etsy. I think they are perfect for a kid's space or any festive occasion. I'm always up for any excuse to throw a party.

I wrote more about this bohemian-inspired room set here.  FYI: Some of my fave prop shopping stops for creating a boho vibe are Anthropologie (yarn spools), World Market (votives)and Pier 1 (pouf).

Please let me know what you think of my most recent styling work. I love hearing from you!

Wishing you a colorful week!



xo

patti

boho chic

Hey all!

I have a photo shoot for Young America this week in High Point and had some fun today creating, crafting, styling + designing.  My fav set was a bohemian-inspired room. You know I love me a bohemian interior... + Moroccan influences... + colored glass.

Here's our boho chic room in the works...

So...What do you think? I'm in love with that amazing Schumacher wallcovering. I also adore the colour rug by nuloom. The prop shopping + selecting process is fun, but mixing it up + layering the details is what I love the most...creating the scenario. I especially love designing spaces I'd happily live in myself.

For the shoot (+ the showroom) I created a groovy boho-style tray, using mod podge + graphic, colorful wrapping papers from World Market. 

Take a peek at the finished result...

{link here to purchase yours}

{link here for the how-to}

Now I'm in the mood to wear a little something boho- hip as well. Maybe something like this...

image via

Have an incredible week!!! Wishing you moments of fresh perspectives + fun!

xo

patti

bohemian love

Been crazy busy with a showroom design gig (more to come on that after High Point furniture market) and spending a lot of time over at in-the-gray ... see my latest post on global influences in design (there are lots of fabulous inspirational interior images).

While I'm on the subject of global, bohemian style, I dug out one of my fave issues of domino magazine from 2008 featuring Amanda Peet's home.  It's always been a go-to source for creating a bohemian feel. There's lots of layers, candles, pink, textures, coolness, chicness.  I'm a fan, obviously.

Here are a few images to spark your interest (all images via nathan turner design)...

I remember being inspired by the images of Amanda Peet's home from domino magazine to add a little touch of boho to my space. I coincidentally had a photo shoot with a Moroccan theme ... so I did some prop shopping at world market and target to create a tray of candles with a hint of Morocco...

Of course I lit them just this morning to add onto this blog post. Here's what my morning looked like through my instagram lense...

Coffee + Candles = Morning Therapy.

Isn't it crazy that it's so dark in the mornings after the time change?

Hope you've had a great week.  Can't believe this month is racing by oh-so quickly.

Wishing you beautiful moments.

xo

patti

collage crazy

...okay. I admit it. I'm a bit obsessive sometimes. I think all stylists, designers + creative-types tend to be a tad OCD.

This weekend, I stumbled upon fieldstone hill's blog post on signature-style-boards. And I was hooked. I just had to do one of my very own style-boards or mood boards. Of course, one collage didn't quite feel like enough, so I did two.

A style-board (inspiration board, #moodboard) is a way of summing up your design style, pulling together images of inspiration that define your style. I loved the exercise and I think you might to.  It's a brilliant way to hone in on your loves so that when you're actually looking to tweak your interior or enhance your wardrobe, you know what to look for.

Here's how my style-boards turned out...

So...what do you think?

As you can tell from my style-boards, I love MIXING textures, like raw wood + high-gloss WHITE...I love NATURAL linens, LAYERS, faux FUR, LUCITE, CANDLES, ORGANIC elements, aqua + TURQUOISE, white + PINK, BRACELETS + STATEMENT RINGS, hints of MID-CENTURY modern, BOHEMIAN influences ... and TWINKLE lights.

What's your design style?

Click on over to this link for the quick how-to and make one or two of your own.  And PLEASE SHARE.  I'd love for you to comment below and share yours (You can upload it to one of your pinterest boards and copy + paste the link). 

THANKS for stopping by.  I hope this inspires you to define your style just a little bit more.

Have an incredible week!... and don't forget to COMMENT below. I seriously do a happy dance when I know people are actually reading these random thoughts of mine.

xo

patti

ps. If you like what you see, please follow me on instagram or twitter or pinterest ... or all of the above. :) Share your thoughts. I adore comments.