Hello Everyone! This reveal post has been a long time coming. I actually worked on this pool and patio area last summer, and never had a chance to share it, so I thought that revealing it as part of The Happy Housie’s Seasonal Simplicity Series this week was perfect timing! I’m joining a group of talented women who’ve styled and photographed an outdoor space this week too- and they’re all stunning, btw- so don’t forget to check out the rest of the inspiration below. Ps.. If you want to see my backyard patio that I shared last summer, click here!

Last summer, I had the pleasure of the helping an amazing family map out a backyard pool and patio area before the contractors broke ground. We selected plans for a small pool house, determined placement, and selected finishes. It’s easy to blow a budget on hardscaping, so one of my tasks was to keep the stonework as minimal as possible. I didn’t want the space to feel closed in or claustrophobic after the fencing went in, so I planned out flower beds to sit right in front of the fencing. This allowed us to use less stone, while also giving everything a much more open feel in the end. And it also allowed for plenty of florally, soft plantings to contrast with the stonework. I love how everything turned out, and I’m so excited that I finally had the chance to style, photograph and share it with you guys! Here are the photos, and sources are in the sliders!

Today some of my friends have joined me to share their summer outdoor spaces with you.

You can visit their full article by clicking on the links below the images.

The Happy Housie

Grace in My Space

Inspiration for Moms

My Sweet Savannah

The Tattered Pew

tatertots and jello

Willow Street Interiors

 

Hi Everyone!

Work has been busy the last few months, and I can’t wait to finally get some projects photographed and shared with all of you (they’re so good!), but today I’m excited because I’m inviting you guys back into our home for the first time in awhile. I’m joining The Happy Housie and a group of super talented women to share how we’ve all styled our summer mantels as part of this year’s Seasonal Simplicity Tour.

It felt really nice to make some changes to our bookshelves yesterday. There’s something about the way rearranging decor brings fresh, new energy and optimism to a space. We’ve had the windows open, and gentle-summer-breezes-coursing-through-the-house-season feels official. I say this all of the time, but I love the start of a new season, because with it comes the return of all of the possibilities and experiences that we’ve missed for the last year. Bucket list this summer- at least a couple of road trips, plenty of time with our toes in the sand, and when we’re home, windows open, music playing, and lots and lots r + r.
But anyway, let’s get to these photos, shall we? Don’t forget to check out the beautiful summer mantels my friends are sharing below too!

And that’s about it, you guys! Don’t forget to check out all of the beautiful spaces being shared below, and check back the next few weeks! There are some fun summer decor ideas on the way.

xo, Laura

Today kicks off the Seasonal Simplicity Summer Series! For the next several weeks we will all be sharing some fun summer DIY and decor ideas with you. You can visit all of these great summer Mantel decorating ideas by clicking on the links below the images.

The Happy Housie

Grace in My Space

The Tattered Pew

She Gave it a Go

Rambling Renovators

Tatertots and Jello

My Sweet Savannah

Joanna Anastasia

Willow Street Interiors

Zevy Joy

Hey Guys! My girls have grown up on these fish tacos, and they’re hands down one of my family’s favorite summer meals. They’re easier than most fish tacos to make, because I use a few cheat ingredients from Trader Joe’s to cut down on time, and because the flavors are so amazing. There’s no breading or deep frying involved with these – I actually use TJ’s mahi burgers for the fish, sliced into strips, which makes the process easier, and the end result a whole lot healthier than traditional fish tacos. I pair them with a cabbage/jicama slaw, a slightly spicy, tangy and sweet mango salsa, and then I make a creamy, smokey and delish sour cream to dollop on top. There’s a lot of ingredients involved, but I’m telling you, the effort is so worth it. The end result is a complex, umami-esque flavor profile that both adults and kiddos will swoon over. Tag me on Instagram or Facebook if you try these! I think they’ll be a summer recipe staple in your house too!

Ingredients:

2 boxes Trader Joe’s mahi burgers, grilled and cut into strips
Olive oil, for frying
Trader Joe’s corn tortillas, toasted over an open flame and kept warm under a damp towel until ready to serve

For the cabbage/jicama slaw:

1 Trader Joe’s bag shredded cabbage
1/2 box Trader Joe’s precut jicama, sliced into matchsticks
1 bunch cilantro, leaves torn off and chopped
1 lime, juiced
1/3 bottle Trader Joe’s YUZU hot sauce
1/3 cup mirin (Asian section, not Trader Joe’s)

For the smokey sour cream:

1 1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon siracha (more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
1 teaspoon Trader Joe’s garlic salt

For the mango salsa:

6 mangoes, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 1/2 tablespoons Trader Joe’s chili lime powder
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, leaves chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt to taste

For the pickled red onion: *optional*

Place one finely sliced red onion in a bowl and cover in seasoned rice wine vinegar. Let sit at least 15 minutes.

Directions:

• Grill fish burgers on cast iron grill pan, or outside on an oiled grill. Once all the fish is done, slice, set aside and keep warm until ready to serve. Prepare the smokey sour cream.
• Blend the sour cream, mayonnaise, smoked paprika and siracha in a bowl until the mixture is consistent and creamy. Season with garlic salt and refrigerate until ready to
  use. Prepare the mango salsa.
• Add the chili lime powder to the mangos, add remaining ingredients and mix. Refrigerate until ready to use. Prepare the cabbage jicama slaw.

• Add the cabbage, and jicama to a large bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and mix. If you prefer your slaw on the sweeter side, add a little agave.

• To serve, set up the tacos “family style”. Assemble the fish in a pile on a
  plate; the smokey sour cream in a bowl; and mango salsa, and cabbage jicama slow in two others. Set a
  pile of cilantro leaves, chopped chives and lime wedges next to the fish. Toast the corn tortillas lightly over an open flame (on your stove top or grill – don’t skip this step!) Dust tacos with extra chili lime powder, if desired and serve.

Hey Guys! If you watched my stories on facebook or instagram last week, then you may have already seen a little preview of this space. Well, today’s the day that I’m sharing the rest!

I’m so happy about the way this room turned out. From the cozy palette and earthy textures, to the luxe but somehow understated, performance velvet on this gorg, custom sectional – this living room has all of my heart. And you would not believe the comfort level of this sofa. Gah.

This colonial, New England home belongs to the cutest family, and my job was to maximize their living room seating in a way that still allowed their smallish space to breathe. And to, of course, make everything look lovely and beautiful too. I think we accomplished that and then some!

I’m actually going to keep this post short and sweet tonight, because I was running around all day, and all I can think about right now is pjs and a warm, mug full of tea. I’m so exhausted!

And I’m pretty sure you’re all here for the sources and photos anyway, right? So let’s get to it!

I love creating cozy spaces for people to come home to and feel restored by. Home is our escape from all of life’s craziness – and more so now than ever, right? A place to belong, a place to feel sheltered, protected, nurtured.

I adored decorating, even as a child, and I used to use whatever I could find to make things pretty. Empty tin cans without the wrappers became beautiful (to me) vases, and dish towels were perfect mini table runners.

There’s joy in the process of caring about where you live. Which is part of the reason why this blog is so important to me – it’s a way for me to share beautiful finds and simple decorating ideas even if working with me directly isn’t in your budget.

And it’s also part of the reason that I love partnering with Walmart when they reach out! I have so much fun sifting through their home decor lines and pulling out beautiful, budget friendly pieces that I find.

This time, I thought it would be fun to recreate this same sort of look that you see above, which is by Studio McGee, by the way, at a price that’s attainable when you’re on a tighter budget.

The original space is gorgeous, right?

And here are the beautiful, much more affordable, pieces that I found at Walmart, to get the same sort of relaxed vibe on a budget!

And that’s about it you guys! Amazing how you can still create beautiful, restful spaces, even on a budget, isn’t it? If you haven’t checked out Walmart’s home lines lately, definitely do!

Wishing you all a happy, healthy rest of your week!

Oh, and by the way, I’m working on a couple of soon-to-be beautiful bathroom projects that I CAN NOT WAIT to share with you guys, so stay tuned for that too.

xo, Laura

Hi Guys, how is it December 11^th already? I hope you all had a wonderful fall. We’ve been keeping busy around here, still chipping away at the girls’ rooms, and finally got our home office reworked and moved downstairs. It’s 90% complete, but the girls’ spaces are more important to me, so I’ll get the office fine-tuned and ‘revealed’ once their spaces are done. I’m so excited about all of them, but it’s crazy how long it takes to get all of the details pulled together.

But on to what I’ve up to, home decoratively speaking, this week. Our hutch! It’s been 5 or 6 years since it’s been repainted, and I’ve been mulling over the idea of changing up the color for the last few months. So, when Curator Paints reached out and asked if I’d be interested in collaborating, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to make it happen.

Here’s the ‘before’ from my tour last fall.

And here’s the ‘after.’ I really loved the dusty blue/white combo, but it had been that way for a long time, and I was definitely ready for something a little more earthy. I’m so in love with how it turned out.

Bonus that I got to deck it out for Christmas, because it’s always been one of my favorite seasons to style the hutch for.

The color I chose from Curator Paints is called Motte and Bailey in subtle sheen, and I absolutely love the organic undertones. I fell in love with so many of the colors in their collection, but ultimately wanted to go with an earthy neutral that I’ll be able to change up seasonally. You can see a bit of the painting and makeover process here if you missed it.

I think the tone gives the kitchen the perfect dose of elegance, without being unapproachable, if that makes sense, and I’m so excited about the new vibe it’s lending to all of my old Christmas decor.

There’s a few new things too though, I’ll link them down below.

And the bell garland was one of my all time favorite DIY’s from years ago. You can find it here if you missed it.

And that’s about it, you guys. What do you think?

Have an amazing rest of your week!

xo, Laura

*I’ve received compensation for this post, but as always, I only share products and materials that I love and am thrilled to have in my home.

We’re just about to get started redoing the girls’ rooms and I’ve been pulling lots of cute things from Walmart, so I figured I’d share some of my favorites, just in case some of you have growing girls in need of an updated space too! I’m including the shopping list and links down below, so that you can recreate this pretty bedroom in your own home if you want!

Hey Guys! Happy Fall! I hope you’re all doing well and have been staying healthy. We’ve been keeping ourselves busy over here with sports, and school, and work, and life in general. I’m coaching one of my daughter’s field hockey teams this year too, and I feel like it’s made fall completely fly by. It’s been so much fun though!

We’re finally getting started on redoing the girls bedrooms this week, and I don’t know who’s more excited, the girls or me! They’re always so eager to watch me design spaces for other people, and they’re over the moon that mama’s working on spaces of their very own this time around.

Jenna and Aubrey have been saving some of their favorite things to their Pinterest boards for awhile now, and they’re all dying to get started! So when Walmart asked if I’d be interested in pulling another moodboard together using some more favorite pieces from their home lines, I was 100% in, of course. If you missed the first bedroom plan that I shared over the summer, you can find it here.

Walmart has really been impressing me with some of the lines and new products they’ve been coming out with. I especially love the lamp that I worked into this project a couple of years ago using Drew Barrymore’s Flower Home. I know I’ve said this before, but I definitely mix in some budget friendly pieces along with the higher end ones when I design a space to keep projects on budget; and the thing about that method is, when every little detail is thoughtfully selected, and the space is well designed, you’ll having a really hard time figuring out the difference.

We have four daughters, so budget friendly is a priority, and I’m seriously obsessing over how lovely and high end some of these Walmart pieces look, and the affordability makes them all the more alluring!

I’m beyond excited to see the girls’ new rooms come together, and I’m in love with the serenity vibes this space is going to dish out.

How cute are the neon hearts?! The contrast between them, and the grasscloth look wallpaper is going to be SO GOOD.

1. Fun Wallpaper – I plan to frame this and use it as art. I’m obsessed with the pattern!
2. Rattan Pendant
3. Framed Word Art – #amen
4. Modern Lamp
5. Nightstand
6. Lounge Chair
7. Table Lamp
8. Pink Throw Pillow
9. Area Rug
10. Adorable Bed
11. Floral Bedding
12. Writing Desk
13. Leather Pouf
14. Slipper Chair

Seriously in love with all of these pieces!

Happy Decorating, Guys!

xo, Laura

*I’ve received compensation for this post, but as always, I only share products that I love and would be thrilled to have in my own home.

Hey Guys!

I’m so excited to be sharing the reveal of this beautiful home today! Early on in this project, I met with the nicest couple who’d just purchased a ‘fixer upper’ lakehouse. Their former house was a lovely, newer colonial, but when they saw this home’s amazing water views, they were sold. My clients knew it had so much potential, and they were committed to seeing the home through to it’s former glory.

They immediately painted over all of the wood trim and paneling, which tremendously freshened up the interior, but the furniture they’d moved from their old home wasn’t working.

Before!

After!

There are pretty much always issues trying to make all of the furniture from a previous home work in a new space, but this room is long and narrow and having just the right size furnishings was hugely important. So, they decided to pull me in to get their design plan just right!

Before!

After!

When I walked into this house I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the views outside the windows.

Before!

I knew immediately that that view would be both the inspiration and the focal point for the space. The moment I walked in, I thought that the plan I came up with for the interior couldn’t be loud or overly colorful. I didn’t want the interior to fight the majesty and natural beauty happening outside.

After!

So, I decided to use earthy neutrals and cozy textures to create this laid back, sheltered indoor space that let you fully relax and enjoy what was happening outside the windows. I think all of the interior selections flow really harmoniously with their lake views, and I’m so thrilled with how it all turned out.

Their family of four includes two teenage boys and (the cutest!) dog, so finding comfortable, casual, and durable furnishings was paramount, and I also wanted to be sure that we were utilizing every square inch of the floor plan.

We opted for a custom sofa (which ended up holding us up for months and months – darn you covid!) to get just the right scale and fit for the space. The fabric’s gorgeous, and has been treated to repel stains, and I absolutely adore it!

Also, FYI, there’s going to be an AMAZING custom chaise going in in the far corner by the wood stove. I only took a couple of photos there, because it looks pretty barren without it, but you get the gist. It’s going to be the snuggliest little nook, and I’m so thrilled that my clients are going to get to enjoy this beautiful space for years and years to come. Here are the rest of the photos!

And that’s about it, Guys! Have a great rest of your week!

xo, Laura

I’ve always been a sucker for screened in porches. Part porch, part living room, I love the way they let you enjoy the fresh air and being out in nature without the annoyance of bugs, or dirt, or bears (Ok, so that bear part is incredibly unlikely, but you never know.)

My clients wanted their beautiful new space furnished with comfortable pieces that would allow them to to both nestle in and relax, or enjoy a cozy dinner with friends and family. Like any other space I design, figuring out furniture placement is task number one. My aim was to arrange the furniture in a way that would allow my clients to best enjoy the views of the backyard and also leave enough space to move around. Here’s the floor plan I came up with.

Some of the pieces you see above are different than what you’ll see in the photos. Covid backorders continue to be crazy, so it took a few different plans to give us a beautiful, pulled together design that was also in stock! Fortunately, I’m still equally in love with the final design as I was with the first! Here are the rest of the photos and I’ll share the sources at the end.

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And that’s about it, you guys! Enjoy the rest of your week!

XO, Laura

Hey Guys! I have some exciting new to share with you all!

I’m going to be part of the High Point Market Design Influencers Tour this fall, along with nine other incredible designers and bloggers! You can see the official High Point Market press release here!

High Point Market is essentially the home furnishings equivalent of fashion week in the fashion industry. Twice a year, designers and home furnishings buyers from around the world converge in High Point, North Carolina to be inspired by the new trends and refresh their inventory. I’m SO honored and excited to be part of this tour again, and I can’t wait to see and share all of the new trends that I spot while I’m there!

Make sure you follow along on Facebook and Instagram if you’re not already, so that you don’t miss any of my stories/posts.

Believe me, there will be a lot!

I’m like a kid at Disney World whenever I’m at High Point, and if you’re as passionate about home decor and design as I am, you’re going to love this behind the scenes peek at pieces and showrooms that are normally available to the trade only! I’m SO excited to be able to share it all with you guys!

Here’s the talented lineup of designers I’ll be taking the tour with!

Clockwise from the upper left:

Bari Ackerman | barijdesigns.com | Tiffany Cassidy | lagnappe.com | Liz Elliot | francandeli.com | Matt French | frenchandfrenchinteriors.com | Chloe Mackintosh | boxwoodavenue.com | Karen Wolf | kbwinteriors.com | Samantha Regan | shiningondesign.com | Jewel Marlowe | jeweledinteriors.com | Me! | Dee Frazier | dkorhome.com

And here are the tour sponsors!

I’ll be posting a few updates on Facebook and Instagram between now and October, so be on the lookout!

xo, Laura