moments

June 7, 2017 By Melinda 5 Comments

A Touch of Summer

There is a feeling of ease when it comes to summer, isn’t there? Spring is a very busy season, with the welcoming return of light and warmth. In summer, nature slows down a bit and subtlety becomes the new path to take.

When April from House by Hoff and Krista from The Happy Housie asked me to join them and 25 other bloggers in The Seasonal Simplicity Home Tour, I couldn’t resist the invitation! I was so excited to share how I add a nod of summer to our home.

If you are joining the tour by way of my talented friend Abby from Just A Girl and Her Blog, welcome and thank you for joining us. Now, let’s get started!

I like to begin decorating for the seasons starting at our front door. It is the first moment you see when you visit our home and it sets the feeling for what is to come when you open it.

I decided to try my hand at making a wreath of my own using a wreath form, floral wire, and the most beautiful rosemary branches from Rose Bredl. In the winter season I place emerald green boxwood wreaths against my painted black door and I absolutely love the contrasting colors. I thought the rosemary branches would provide a similar effect. What do you think?

This time of year means the local farmers markets are up and running. I love to visit the busy scene on the weekends, find inspiration, and stock up on local foods. There is just something about the sun shining on a beautiful day, seeing some of the familiar faces of my neighbors, and trying the goods of people who put a lot of care into their products.

On this particular visit local breads and eggs found their way into my basket at the market. I thought they would be a wonderful addition for a summer breakfast outside on the patio.

I gathered different “serving” pieces that I have collected over the years to hold the bread, eggs, and butter. It just makes the everyday feel a bit more special. Of course it is not something that I do all of the time, but I thought a nice summer weekend with my family was the perfect reason to use it.

I love to decorate my home in a way that just feels like me. If you have any interest in learning how to do the same I am teaching a FREE 5 day email course called, “Finally Decorate Your Home”.

If you doubt yourself when it comes to making decorating decisions for your home and/or you feel overwhelmed by all of the choices available in making those decisions this free course is for you.

In this free course you will be introduced to the step by step process I created that teaches you the right way to making decorating decisions for your home. It is a framework that will teach you how the feeling you want to create in your home (hint, it has a lot to do with your personality) has specific patterns, textures, colors, collections, finishes, etc., that will communicate it best. Making decorating decisions for your home becomes easier and something that you are happy with for a long time.

Okay, now it is time to sit back, relax, and enjoy our beautiful breakfast with my family. A simple summer morning that is made special with what might be little effort, but effort that can create some of life’s biggest moments.

I hope you enjoyed your visit to my home today. If you have any interest in learning the same process I use to make the decisions I do for my home please sign up for my free 5 day email course, “Finally Decorate Your Home”.

Please be sure to visit the next stop on the tour with Kristy from Robb Restyle. Also, don’t forget to check out all the home tours throughout the week!

Monday

House by Hoff / House of Wood / Refresh Restyle / Cassie Bustamante / That’s My Letter

Tuesday

The Happy Housie / Simplicity in the South / at HOME with the barkers / Sincerely, Sara D.

Wednesday

Nina Hendrick Design Co. / The Wicker House / A Burst of Beautiful / Paint Me Pink / Town and Country Living

Thursday

At Charlotte’s House / Just a Girl and Her Blog / House 214 Design / Robb Restyle

Friday

My Fabuless Life / The Turquoise Home / Erin Spain / Place of My Taste / Cherished Bliss

November 4, 2016 By Melinda Leave a Comment

“It’s Not About the Perfect Home”

Do you have a list of things that you hope to accomplish some day? Whether you have them in the back of your mind or actually have them written down, they are there, and little by little you work towards them in one way or another.

When I discovered Karen and Zandra from Little Yellow Couch I just knew I wanted to take part in what their philosophy was regarding the home. In their own words, ” It’s not about the perfect home. It’s about creating moments that delight you amidst your everyday life”.

Their past guest list includes Grace Bonney from Design Sponge, John and Sherry Petersik from Young House Love, and many many more. So, when I was asked to take part and be a guest on their podcast, Style Matters, I was beyond thrilled. To listen to the full episode, please see below.

Oh, and the icing on the cake was Karen and Zandra had asked to teach a segment on my new and live (that you take on your own schedule) course, Creating a Timeless Feeling Home. It really has been a wonderful and rewarding collaboration. The best kind in my mind!

August 9, 2016 By Melinda Leave a Comment

A Timeless Living Room Design

I have found that people tend to have two different types of feelings in their home (hint, it has a lot to do with your personality). I refer to them as your “major” feeling and your “minor” feeling. Every feeling has specific design elements that will help convey its message.

Creating a feeling in your home is far more than just a checklist, but it does help to have a framework to reference. It is about finding a balance between your creative side and the specific framework that communicates your feelings. The purpose is to help you see how all of the different design elements fall into place. For example, when it comes time to purchase a pillow for your couch, you will know which patterns will best communicate your feelings.

I created these living room design boards below based off of a timeless feeling. Within the timeless feeling are two categories, simple and elegant. You will see a mix of both categories in this living room. My free “Timeless Feeling Design Plan (available to my email subscribers) is based off of the simple side of timeless. Once you receive it, look to see what design elements in the plan are put into practice here and how it is done. Pay attention to color palette, patterns, finishes, etc.

I started with the largest piece in the living room, the Arhaus sectional (#1 design board) and Arhaus couch (#2 design board) because it is a focal point and makes an impact in the room. I then moved onto the other large pieces and kept my timeless framework in mind throughout the design. I wanted to show you two examples, one using a standard size couch and the other showing a bit more seating by using a sectional.

This design plan is a small sample of what you could learn in my online course, “Creating a Timeless Feeling Home” that you can register for now on my website, here. This course will guide you through the framework that I use to create a timeless home with my own clients. You will finally be making decisions for your home with ease and a new found confidence.

A FEW COURSE DETAILS

The early registration price for this one week course (4+ hours of content) is $38.00. This course will begin on November 1, 2016 and you will have LIFETIME ACCESS to the videos.

[jetpack_subscription_form title=”Subscribe To Blog” subscribe_text=”Sign up to receive updates and get a FREE Timeless Feeling Design Plan!”]

May 9, 2016 By Melinda 7 Comments

Moments of Home

don’t think. it complicates things. just feel, and if it feels like home, then follow its path. -r.m. drake

There are different moments a person remembers in life. Some are connected to food, some to travel, some to school, the list goes on and on. For myself, moments of home seem to always depict the different times of my life.

We moved around a bit growing up. One region very different from the next. Starting with the authentic Italian side in New Jersey where my mother was raised, to the old world feel in The Netherlands where my father is from, to the southern culture in Tennessee and finally to midwest living in Ohio. These places and homes, were and still are, the basis of my childhood, filled with love, learnings and living.

My mother, also referred to as Marmee at times by her three girls (remember Little Women?), always knew how to make anywhere we lived feel like home. She made it seem effortless, but took her time to “study” (her favorite word) the home. Always taking note of the home’s surroundings, the architectural elements, as well as the feeling she wanted to create. Whether the house was big or small, new or old, or modern or traditional she would discover the elements needed to make the house feel like home for all of us.

I learned and continue to learn so much from her and hope to pass on these bits of knowledge on to you. There seems to be a hunger for this type of approach to decorating. It is a different approach, yet to me is the only approach.

Little Women: Marmee and her four girls