Houzz Feature: The Boston Library Light

Check out this Houzz.com ideabook featuring the Boston Library light that's not just for libraries anymore.  It's interesting to see the many ways such a simple element can add pizzazz to a variety of spaces.  Our design, Sunset View can be spotted in this article, too!

New Classics: The Boston Library Light

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Room Guide: Outdoor Living at it's Best

Spring is here (for the most part) and that means summertime is right around the corner.  People are dusting of their grill tools, cleaning off their decks, washing the patio furniture and getting ready for a new season of adding the outdoors as an expansion of their home living space.  Outdoor living can be overlooked as just an added bonus or a "plus" in a home design only if there is room for it in the budget, but sometimes these spaces are where the most enjoyable time at home is spent with family and friends.

Here are a few fun porches and patios we designed that are sure to bring the party to the out-of-doors...

Nothing foils plans for a summer get-together like bad weather, a scenario we Michiganders know all too well.  Consider retractable screens by companies like Phantom Screens, making the porch more versatile for a variety of weather conditions.

These spacious porches not only offer ideal entertaining and dining space, they also give the rear elevations of these homes charm and interest.

 Complete with a built-in grille, this stone patio has plenty of space for entertaining and enjoying the expansive view of Lake Michigan

You don't have to have hundreds of square feet to create a welcoming space - this quaint screened porch adds miles of charm to Traverse's design.

 Multi-leveled stone patios add beauty and elegance to the exteriors of these designs

This beautiful terraced patio gives a bit of shade from the hot summer sun without completely blocking the rays we wait all winter to enjoy

Turned 45 degrees off the kitchen from a glass vestibule for maximum air circulation, this outdoor room extends residential living space and makes the most of seasonal ambience. The homeowners loved to cook and entertain, so we turned this space into the ultimate screened room and dining experience, a place that allows them to live outside, inside.

Doesn't this outdoor fireplace just make you want to snuggle down in one of the comfy chairs, put up your feet, open a book and enjoy a chilly summer evening in front of a roaring fire?

 This gives a whole new meaning to the term "wrap-around porch"

guest post // here, there and everywhere

you guys should come by apartment 34 for our 3rd installment of where/wear today! michelle armas will be there . . .

then meet me at second street east for happy hour (it's 5:00 somewhere, right??)

cause i got nothin' for you here today.

house guest // the aestate

i really doubt that today's house guest needs any introduction. if you haven't been following jessica before now, you have seriously been missing out. she's hilarious, stylish, honest, and has an unbelievable eye for design. i'd be lying if i said that i don't occasionally want to lick my computer screen when i see her posts. i'm also fairly certain we'd be fast friends in real life if we ever met. super honored to have her visit today!

. . . . . . .

Jessica here from The Aestate! I want to give a big thanks to Tobe for having me as her house guest!

Variety is the spice of life and nothing gives a room the “wow” factor like a great pattern combination, but mixing patterns can be tricky. The pros make it look easy- throwing together mixes that looks effortlessly chic and daring. Its a skill I'd love to master myself, but it takes time and practice to develop an eye for patterns that play well together, so I want to share with you a basic method used by many decorators. Remember we’re not just talking throw pillows here. Upholstery, curtains, rugs, wallpaper, lamp shades, and trims are all opportunities to inject some pattern and texture into a room. When you’re feeling stuck, try this method for selecting patterns…

1. Pick a large-scale pattern with many colors in it: This one will set the tone for the whole room. The more colors it contains, the easier time you’ll have finding textiles to fit the mix in the room.
2. Pick a medium-scale pattern with a few colors found in the first pattern:  Doesn’t need to have all the colors, but it definitely should have a different motif.
3. Now, pick one small scale pattern with just a few or one of the colors found in the first two: This one can have a similar motif as one of the first two.
4. Bonus:Add one or more very small-scale patterns or textures.

I hope these rooms will inspire you to mix it up...

{1 2 3 4}

Have any pattern mixing tips to share?

interiors // channeling house beautiful

forgive me for the radio silence yesterday. aside from just being too lazy to get anything accomplished over the weekend, we had a storm sunday that knocked out our internet and prevented me from even procrastinating until the last minute. i'm dipping in today to tell you about the paint swatches all over my family room . . . aparently, i'm channeling hillary thomas and jeff lincoln because what i've had in my head for our room is looking a lot like the 60's town house they spiffed up. like, eerily similar.

interior design by hilllary thomas and jeff lincoln, photography eric piasecki  // via house beautiful

no kidding - i have minty blue swatches all over the walls right now. i've also been thinking about switching out the trellis rug for something a bit lighter and more neutral. maybe i need to go for the leopard print like erin? rawr. we've decided that, while we love it's modern lines, our current couch must go. in it's place, i'm imagining a more traditional shape in medium gray fabric (with fringe!!). we'll keep our low cb2 coffee table, the parsons chairs will be recovered in a monochrome (blue?) patterned fabric, there will be a similar console/bench sitch to the above photos as you enter the room from the front door. there's really no room for it in the entryway proper, and extra tucked away seating will be nice when we have more booties than normal. i even love the idea of pairing large-scale photography (thinking over the couch) as they've done above the console here. i'm still undecided on the necessity of window treatments. that will be secondary, i guess.

all of this is, of course, subject to change because the longer it takes me to get anything done, the more likely i am to change my mind (ahem. like the rug). but i think it's important to take your time when you're first in a space so you learn how you use the rooms, how much light you get, what the architecture calls for, etc. (you can stop laughing now, mom. i'm not making excuses for my apparent lack of motivation.)

just one more. because i die for this table and chairs:

house beautiful

Cabin Life: Dreams on Paper

Cabin Life magazine featured another one of our designs in their "Dreams on Paper" section of the June issue.  At just over 1,000 square feet, Tupper Camp has grand style in just the right size.

Thanks, Cabin Life!

For ease of reading, click here to view full article on our website.

party on // cinco de mayo

happy friday, all! are we all prepared to get our cinco de derby on?? i know we have some fun plans for the weekend.

truth is, cinco de mayo kind of has a special place in my heart, because eric says that our first one together marked the night he knew he loved me. he'd be spittin a bunch of mumbo jumbo about never wanting to get married again or have more kids. i didn't care too much about getting married (or so i thought at the time), but the idea of not having any babes of my own was a deal breaker. legend has it, when i explained why i was so intent on having kids, he knew he'd found the one.

collective awwwwww.

whatever your reason to celebrate the day, here are some delicious ideas to get your party started:

strawberry mojito

coconut mango mojito

classic sangria

ginger cilantro margarita

blood orange margarita

i have my own tried and true margie recipe that i'll be sharing in a guest post next week, so stay tuned.

Disfrute de su fin de semana! ox