Furniture Buying Tips From Real Moms (Part 1 of 2)

Romina Ventianni nursery furniture collection

Usually, the arrival of a new baby precipitates many new big-ticket purchases, including furniture and home furnishings – and not just for the nursery. The life changes that come along with children often include moving into a new apartment or home, with an opportunity to furnish it in a baby- and kid-friendly way. This can…

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A Soft Landing

Crate & Barrel Collette Bed

Until recently, I’ve resisted thinking about furnishings and decoration for our new house (which is under construction, about to enter blue boarding phase!), in order to focus on the “bones” and other things that are a higher priority to address now. But I’m starting to succumb to temptation, partly because of some great sales I’ve…

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Sunbrella Fabrics Come In From The Patio

Sunbrella Indoor Pillows

I have talked to so many people who are nervous about investing in good upholstered furniture because they have children. With good reason – I have witnessed said good upholstered furniture permanently stained unwittingly by a child who had just gotten her face painted. We all saw it happening, as if in slow motion, but…

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Color For Dummies

ColorTheory_Screen_White

I have to admit – when it comes to color, I am a bit of a dummy myself. After all, I am but a student of design, with my required color theory class still ahead of me (this summer – can’t wait!). I’ve certainly been guilty of timidity when it comes to using color, and…

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My New Home Scrapbook

Pinterest New Home Scrapbook

Yesterday my husband and I learned that our offer to purchase a new construction home was accepted, but we’ve actually been moving down this path with the builder for several weeks. During that time I’ve been amassing a collection of ideas for designing and decorating, and thought I’d share it with you. As with all…

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Designer Furniture…Actually Within Reach

West Elm's Stackable Chair

If you’re at all like me, you covet certain classic or iconic pieces of furniture, but can’t or won’t spend an automobile’s worth of cash to acquire them. You pop into stores like Design Within Reach and Room & Board, and sigh longingly, and futilely, as you browse the who’s who of important mid-century designers,…

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Quinlan’s Yellow Submarine Nursery

Beatles Figurines Vignette

In a recent post (Oh Baby: 7 Steps to Decorating a Unique Nursery), I promised to post pictures of my son’s room. The theme we chose was “Yellow Submarine” – mom is a big Beatles fan. I featured our glider, the Dutailier Cadenza with midnight blue leather upholstery, in a previous post as well, so…

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Oh Baby: 7 Steps to Decorating A Unique Nursery

Quinlan's Nursery - Crib and Glider

When you’re expecting (and if you are, congratulations!), there’s no more exciting – or daunting – project than creating the perfect room for your little one. I recently went through this process myself, and I can tell you it was very time consuming, but very rewarding – not just for me, but for my now…

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Couching Human, Hidden TV

According to Wikipedia the Family Room is: “…an informal, all-purpose room in a house similar to a living room. The family room is designed to be a place where family and guests gather for group recreation like talking, reading, watching TV, and other family activities.” Let’s face it – in most homes, Family Room is synonymous with TV Room.  There…

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Thoroughly Modern Glider

Dutailier 730

Nearly ubiquitous in nurseries across America, the glider is often viewed as a pedestrian piece of furniture – yet an essential one. As a mother of an infant myself, I can attest to the utility of this piece. I’ve spent countless hours rocking, feeding, reading, singing, and even sleeping in our glider (pictured at left).…

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