Café Design

Decorating Consultations

Dining Room Progress

If you’ve been following us on Instagram @cafedesignhome, our account dedicated entirely to the renovation of our little New England Cape, you might have noticed that we recently completed some construction work at our house. Big changes have happened that I’m very excited about and thought I’d share them with you. Over the last couple of months my husband and I have been working at warp-speed, in between Zoom meetings and home-schooling efforts with our second-grader, tackling little projects here and there and checking things off of our humongous, ever-expanding to-dos list. Keeping our minds and hands busy has been the only way to retain sanity and a sense of normalcy during these difficult times… 

The dining room, the day of our move last summer
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Decorating Dominos

It’s been a while since I let you in on what we’ve been up to at home. In part because things have been progressing rather slowly, in part because we’ve been making a few boo-boos here and there that I wasn’t too proud to share. But our latest mishap is too major not to, if only as a warning: The more you want something to happen, the harder it’s going to be! Just kidding. Sort of.

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Some Good News

In the midst of so much uncertainty and so much pain and loss for so many it is difficult to keep one’s mind clear and one’s heart hopeful. Like everyone else, I’ve busied myself indoors for the last five days, catching up on reading and forgotten chores, contacting friends and family, making sure they are all OK. We’re doing our best to stay calm and positive, and structured in our days,  while sending prayers to everyone that’s been affected by the recent events worldwide. As we’re all trying to make sense of this new reality, there are ways to help and make a difference. Many of us are so incredibly blessed. We have good health, a warm home and a well-stocked pantry but the sad reality is that many more families in communities across the country live below the poverty line and many kids rely on school meals. And no school means no food for these kids and it is heartbreaking. Donation centers have been set up in most school districts and this is one way we can do good, by taking care of each other. 

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Never Say Never

As the years pass and I’m growing older, hopefully a little bit wiser too, I’m starting to understand that there are no absolutes in life. Some things I’ve said I’d never do have come back to remind me never to say “never” again (especially to people who can keep you accountable for it 🙂 ) For instance, for about a decade now I’ve been a vegetarian by choice 98% of the time, with the occasional slip once or twice a year – crispy bacon, I can’t resist you – and I used to say I don’t eat meat and then realized that it was a lie because I do in fact eat meat, at least a couple of times a year when I really crave it. Writing this blog for so many years has taught me the same thing, even in things as “trivial” as decoration. The latest example? I could never, ever accept taxidermy and animal trophies as elements of décor!!  is something I’ve repeatedly made clear to friends and family over the years. Nothing formerly alive, no stuffed and mounted game trophies in our house. Never!

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On My Mind

I had different plans for today’s post, wanting to show you Caroline Gidiere’s fabulous Mountain Brook, Alabama, home that everyone’s been talking about, featured in Veranda’s colorful Spring issue. But instead, I got sidetracked and hung up on my own myriad of thoughts about our own home renovation and decided to share with you what’s been on my mind lately. Writing this blog always helps clear my head and I’ve included a few images found on Pinterest that best reflect the mood & feel I’m after with our little cottage.

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