Café Design

Decorating Consultations

What to Do with an Ugly Chair? Or Two.

Have you ever had a piece of furniture you couldn’t stand looking at any longer? But still felt like throwing it /donating it/ gifting it was not an option? A family heirloom perhaps? Well, I have. And in fact still do. Our living room is cozy and comfortable but the seating options are far from glamorous, a hot mess really – a brand new Ikea Ektorp sofa, which I kind of like (bad design blogger, sorry!), made friends with two hideous but extremely comfortable brown Wayfair bargains and a pair of swivel English roll arm chairs, discards from a friend. I love the sofa and the swivels but the two brown Wayfair chairs have been my decorating nemesis this entire year. No matter now much I style our living room, no matter how many flower bouquets or pretty coffee table books, candles or knick-knacks I rotate, they stand out like eyesores. 

This is not as bad as the brown ones I got… mine SOLD OUT and are no longer available! 🙂
View Post

Q&A with Tessa Foley of Nine and Sixteen Home

Note: Due to a few technical glitches behind the scenes, a number of past Café Design posts have been lost. Unfortunately, the Q&A post with Tessa Foley of Nine & Sixteen was among them and since I know that that one had been one of reader’s favorite last year, I have retrieved the interview with updated images and inspiration. Enjoy!

A few months ago we started a blog series of interviews with inspiring women entrepreneurs, talented ladies whom I’ve connected with through social media and who run their own creative businesses. The goal with these interviews was to celebrate & inspire fellow creatives to follow their passion and launch enterprises that reflect their true calling, be it baking, decorating or gardening… We started with Alison Carabasi, co-founder of Hillbrook Collections – a mother-and-daughter company that brings to life the most whimsical garden houses you’ll ever see. Next, we sat down to chat with the lovely Heather Strommen, designer, writer and founder of  The Vignette Box, a carefully curated selection of items you’ll love decorating with time and time again. Today, I am delighted to welcome Tessa Foley, the talented writer and decorator behind the blog Nine and Sixteen.  

View Post

Q&A with Lynn Morgan

I have been an admirer of Lynn Morgan’s work ever since I first laid eyes on a project she had published in House Beautiful magazine, in their April 2009 issue. I have studied her portfolio countless times since and over the years a lot has been written about her fabulous rooms. Today we will explore some of her iconic interiors as well as more recent projects from her portfolio. In addition, I am delighted to welcome Lynn for a Q&A! 

View Post

The Search for Home | A Colonial Farmhouse

Long before we knew we’d be settling in Amherst, we thought about buying a house in the area. My husband had just gotten a position at the college, a position extendable for up to three years. The question was “should we buy or rent in the meantime? “ We decided to rent because as much as we loved it here, we wanted a permanent position as soon as possible so our family can start growing roots and feel like a part of the community. That being said, we had no intention of staying here longer than necessary and buying /selling in a whirlwind could have resulted in major financial loss – a risk which did not make sense to us at the time.  Nevertheless, we had a peek at the market in those early days and one of the first houses we looked at still tugs at my heart strings so I thought I’d share it with you. 

View Post

Our Home | Updates

It feels like a long time since I shared an update on our home… I mentioned before that a we’re in the process of buying a house and, if all goes well, we’ll be closing end of June, around the same time our current lease expires. Eeeek!!! I’m so excited I can hardly think about anything else! My head is spinning with ideas and improvements and I’m daydreaming more than usual. It doesn’t  help that our lives have been hectic over the last couple months. As first time home-buyers in the states we’re learning so much about the process, the different aspects and the people involved and I’m aching to show you images of “our new home” but will have to wait until we know for sure that stars and people have aligned and the purchase is a “go”. Inspections went well and we’re contingent on getting the mortgage approval on time. Fingers crossed! 

View Post