It’s The Little Things

A fresh bouquet of flowers, the right picture frame, a pretty pillow, or a lamp shade – interior design is all about the little things, those very details that make rooms original and beautiful, don’t you think? I find that designing a home is a lot like baking …you gather the right ingredients, you try to keep out the wrong ingredients and do your best to combine them in a way that tastes good, ahem, is harmonious, beautiful, and hopefully functional. There is a recipe, of course, but whether you follow it to a T, tweak it or ignore it completely is up to you. But more than the big picture, design recipes and rules (they do exist, and for good reason) it’s about the little things that I’d like to talk to you today. The right clay pot and saucer, the right paint color, the right sconces, a great shopping find…they all collided to make my week a little bit prettier, a little bit different, and a lot more exciting.

My heart skipped a beat (OK, maybe two) at the sight of a gorgeous set of seashells and natural corals at a local natural curiosities shop. GOR-JUS!! I couldn’t open my wallet fast enough! Can you blame me? 🙂

While we’re on the topic of small victories, after weeks of deliberating I finally landed on sconces for the living room and they were delivered earlier this week! Funnily enough, they were the ones I had in mind all along, the first one’s I’d seen and loved. I’m learning to trust my instincts more and more and stop second-guessing myself. Anyway, when the sconces went on a flash sale last Friday (almost 50% off!!) I took it as a sign and pounced! The finish is a dark gray, rustic, textured bronze which may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I love that they look old, as if a good Samaritan salvaged them from an old medieval cottage (sans electricity though), and I think they’ll look beautiful in our living room.

I also landed on a paint color (I’m tweaking the existing color since the electrical work we had done last month left our walls patched and spotty, in need of fresh paint, and I’m itching to try a darker hue 🙂 ) so painting is happening next. Fingers crossed we’ll have a functional living room by Halloween. 

And last but not least, my sweet friend Alexia and I had a fun shopping trip recently and found clay pots and saucers at Walmart! Surprisingly, I also found a pair of white mums at Home Depot (the white ones are the first ones to go in September and I was late in getting some this fall) and they make our front door steps much prettier! 

I’ve also gotten a rosemary plant, watched some Youtube tutorials and attempted a topiary-like trim… Key word being “attempted”… I hope it grows bushier and fuller in time because right now it looks like a large victory sign and I’m being teased by my babes about it. I can take it but still, it would be nice to make it grow. Fast! Any tips on training rosemary? If not, I’m afraid it will end up in a baked potatoes recipe Ivan was hinting about the other day…

And since I’m guessing you had enough closeups of my living room rug, here’s a change of scenery…

The weather was unusually warm yesterday and I took advantage our maple tree still has some foliage left and snapped a few photos! It’s the little things…

Thanks for stopping by and reading! Any interesting finds on your end this week? Wishing you a fun weekend!