Happy New Year!

brent foster photography

wishing you a safe and happy evening, and every bit of luck and love into the new year!

cheers!

Carlton Shores

As you know from Monday's post, we are up for a Reader's Choice Award as part of the Detroit Home Design Awards with our residential design called Carlton Shores. Here is a more in-depth introduction to this contemporary twist on the American lodge:

A fresh take on a time-tested favorite can be risky, but the Carlton Shores design is an example of a risk worth taking. This sprawling cottage harkens back to the Arts & Crafts revival, while still managing to exude contemporary appeal. The home sits on the property like a great hunting lodge with its use of exposed wood trim and brackets. A striking array of windows gives the exterior an inviting look, as if to defy the elements and welcome nature right in.

Simplicity rules the interior of the home, leaving the dramatic decorating to the outside views. A creative use of natural materials, such as wood and marble, compliment the flora-and-fauna focus of the home’s aesthetic. Every wall is dominated by glass. Windows of every shape and size allow residents to take in their surroundings, while creating a spacious, open atmosphere. The curving wooden staircase with its high ceilings gives the impression you are climbing into the trees.

A soaring two-story vaulted ceiling covers the indoor pool area, which includes a kitchenette and sitting room. Glass doors open out to a vanishing pool and sundeck. All of this has been designed with the stunning lake vistas in mind. A beautiful deck and boardwalk lead from the house down to the shore, giving homeowners beach access.

Don't forget to vote for this beauty before January 20! Click here to read instructions on how to cast your vote.

type tuesday || cielito

i've sort of gotten away from my design posts . . . well, i couldn't help but showcase this one.

question: what's better than bold color, bold type, food, coffee and spot-on environmental graphics?

 cielito by cadena+associates branding via lovely package

answer: trick question. absolutely nothing better if you ask me.

We need your votes!

It's time again for the Detroit Home Design awards and we need your votes! We are up for a reader's choice Best Overall Home Award with one of our projects, Carlton Shores. Here is how to cast your vote...

Step 1: Visit Detroit Home Design Awards' ballot webpage for the 2012 Reader's Choice for Best Overall Home:

http://www.detroithomemag.com/Detroit-Home/Detroit-Home-Design-Awards-2012-Readers-Choice-Ballot-for-Best-Overall-Home/

Step 2: Scroll down and select Carlton Shores, which is Entry #6.
Step 3: Scroll down to the bottom of the page where you are asked to enter your email address, answer a simple math question and then click, "Place your vote!"

The deadline for voting is January 20, 2012, so please cast your vote now and pass this along to all of your friends and family. We need as many votes as possible to hopefully win our first ever Detroit Home Design Awards Reader's Choice!

interiors || turquoise done right

okay, okay, so i said i'd be gone. but this could not go without mention.

feast your eyes on all that is right about going rustic with turquoise and black (i'm still drooling):

photos by erica jones dines for atlanta home & lifestyle, design by benjie jones

spotted via house of turquoise

how's that for a little holiday inspiration for ya?

In this Holiday Season, we reflect on the past year and are grateful for those who have helped to shape our business. We value your business, your support, your interest, and your feedback and look forward to working with all of you in the years to come. We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year filled with peace and prosperity.

holiday wishes

images: lyla & blu, the pioneer woman
via the paris apartment

well, i'm being even more selfish this month and signing off until the new year.
i may stop in next week...and i may not. lots to do, and the boy has promised me a few days (a whole week possibly?!?!!?) off to enjoy some QT before the hustle and bustle gets started again.
so i'm takin it!!

wishing you a holiday as blessed and beautiful as you are.

thank you for your visits and your constant encouragement.

starting this blog has truly been a gift to my life, and that's largely because of you.

stay awesome. ox

interiors || luxe and warm

well, we're in the final stretch, folks. are you ready for christmas? seeings how i have yet to purchase my holiday stamps and get my christmas cards out (even though they've been addressed for weeks), you can tell i'm totally on point this year.

i did take some time to put together a little wish list over at savvy home with many gorgeous items that are sure to make their way under my tree . . . in my dreams. come by to see what i'm lusting over!

something else i've been lusting over in an unnaturally big way lately is fur. fur fur fur. i want it on everything, and i'm successfully finding ways to sneak it into every room of the house.

a girl's gotta have priorities, you know. nevermind that we should be saving pennies for a new fridge, furniture for G's room, a dining table, anything for the formal living room . . . nope. i just want fur.

images via lonny magazine, photography by patrick cline

* to be clear, we're only talking faux fur in this house!

* also, yes, G might be getting a faux fur bean bag for her room. she wants a bean bag + she wants i want fur = double win!

house guest || veranda interiors

hey, all! apologies for the silence yesterday. too much fun over the weekend + a lot to cross off my list yesterday left me a bit crunched for time. but i'm making up for it today (well, indirectly) . . . my last house guest for the amazing guester series is melissa of veranda interiors. i'm a broken record at this point, but i never miss anything melissa says. or shows. because it's always ridiculously chic. plus she legitimately knows a thing or two, and i like knowing people that are smarter than me. this is especially true when it comes to kitchens, my immediate association with melissa and her mean talent. so that's what she decided to focus on today, and i am pumped to see what advice she will bestow on this new kitchen of ours . . .

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Hey everyone, my name is Melissa from Veranda Interiors, and if you don't know me one thing you need to know is I am addicted to kitchens. When Tobe asked me to participate in this series I was so excited and honored! I thought it would be perfect to do up her kitchen for her if it were my own. Now she already has a great space, but how can we update it, make it her, without breaking the bank? Well follow me for a little journey...

 {1} White subway tile to replace the existing backsplash, but take it one step further by carrying it around the window above the sink, also around the the entry to the right of the fridge, from floor to ceiling, it will be nicely framed by the crown at the ceilings and the casing around the passage way.

Since there are great Absolute Black granite counter-tops already installed lets bring it together by using a black grout rather than the typical white/cream grout, make that tile POP! The images above are great examples of that.

{2}   Next up is the fridge, kinda obvious in the image above. It appears to be a standard depth fridge (35" deep) which can really encroach in the the space, so I would love to see a new counter-depth (24" deep) stainless steel option replace it in the future. One of my favorite brands for a good 'bang for you buck' is Kitchen Aid, something like the Counter-Depth French Door one below would be perfect!

 {3}  Next up is new hardware, an easy way to update the cabinets without forking over a large chunk of cash. I would love to see a beautiful polished chrome replacement for everything. And no, it is not hard to keep clean, I went with polished chrome throughout our home and even with 2 little boys it is just as easy as a brushed finish to maintain.

{4}

So with 3 simple changes in the kitchen I know it would bring it up to date and it will reflect a style that Tobe would love. But...I can't forget about the 4th thing, the fan that is above the kitchen table in this image below.

While it may be practical lets face it, it isn't a WOW fixture, and this is something that a stylish lady like Tobe needs. Here are a few of my favorite picks for a light in this area.

So, Tobe, when can we get started?? I don't know about you guys but I am thrilled to see this talented lady put her mark on this home...it is going to be stunning! Mel xo

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melissa, i am pretty obsessed with all of these calls. i've made some very similar assessments, much to the chagrin of the hubs. i am most certainly down with the subway tile (hadn't even considered dark grout, which would be both beautiful AND practical); i've already started scoping out a new fridge; the knobs aren't terrible by any means and would probably be last priority but i do believe that a little bit of glam would go a long way; and eric was not the happiest when i said that the perfectly good fan would be departing. because it's gotta. but i need a wow chandy in that dining room first!

i hope you guys have enjoyed my house guests as much as i have.
i highly recommend stalking visiting each of their blogs as regularly as i do.


now you'll have to put up with me again :)