Category Archives: Her Home

Sight Seeing in Colorado: The Double RL Ranch

Posted on July 5, 2012 | Leave a comment

Last week we were in Colorado, Telluride to be exact, for a friend’s wedding.  It was beautiful, more on that in a later post.  Today is all about what we saw on the road.

We flew into Grand Junction, which is about 2.5 hours from Telluride.  Mark had done this drive before and had said he’d seen the Ralph Lauren ranch on that trip, so as the fence posts started to straighten up and the grass started to appear a bit greener it was clear we were passing the Double RL Ranch, owned by Ralph and Ricky Lauren.

I recognized it right away from the many times I paused and hit play on Oprah’s visit.  I didn’t take any pictures but these are some great ones, better than any I could have taken from the road.

P.S.  How cool to have your own custom Americana teepees, that’s also how I spotted the ranch.

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Posted in Her Home, Her Inspiration, travel

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American Girl

Posted on July 4, 2012 | Leave a comment

Ever since I went to American University I have had a soft spot in my heart for this song by Tom Petty.  It is perfect for today.

Happy America Day to all of you American girls!

P.S. If you need some last minute holiday treat and snack inspiration, check out my Pinterest!

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Posted in DC, entertaining, Holidays

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What is Your Summer Style?

Posted on July 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

Tomorrow is the 4th of July!  Three cheers for fireworks, bbq’s, mini-weekends in the middle of the week and an all-American summer. What are you doing and what are you going to wear?

I spent this past weekend in Telluride, Colorado.  A beautiful town, more on that on Thursday, with a really terrific sense of style.  My trip got me thinking about what American style is, beyond Ralph and Tommy.

Which of these most closely match your all-American summer style?

P.S.  I am a mix of all of these.

Shop: City tee/jeans/shades/bag/bracelet/sneaks
Shop: Country dress/clutch/jacket/belt/boots
Shop: Beach bikini/bag/shades/shorts/flips/sunblock
 
 
P.S. for more American fashion inspiration check out this editorial from Vogue.
 
 

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Posted in Fashion Inspiration, Her Closet, Holidays, Shopping

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New Old Apartment – The Vanity

Posted on June 12, 2012 | 1 Comment

Part of the apartment updating included the bathroom vanity.  It needed some freshening up and we were in hot pursuit of a look that 1 part sleek, 1 park chic and 2 parts “ohm”.

We went to Restoration Hardware and fell for the Spritz.  It was fabulous for sure, but when I got it home and saw how big the piece were and considered the prices I was more OMG than Ohm…

faucet/mirror/bar/toilet paper/hook

I am a bargain shopper, and it turns out not just for shoes and t-shirts.  I scoured the Internet and found a vanity set that was so similar you’d almost think they were related.

sconce/faucet/hook/toilet paper/bar/mirror

I found all of the pieces, except the mirror which is the only RH item I kept, at Lowe’s – they were a better fit for the space size wise and the savings – though not huge – is something I feel good about.

The little extra shopping around was worth it for me.  I love the look and it’s one more new feature in the new old apartment that I am loving.  What do you think?

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Posted in Decor, Her Home

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New Old Apartment – The Closets

Posted on June 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

One great thing about our apartment is the storage.  In fact, our 1-bedroom apartment has more thoughtful storage for clothes and more then our entire house.

Upon moving back we knew that our closets would get an upgrade too.  Off to the Container Store we went, the purveyor of all things efficient, to design our new closet system.

40 minutes with Maureen (our helpful Container Store associate) and a few hours of Mark doing all of the heavy lifting we have new closets!

The closets are sliding door closets.  Mark’s has mirrored doors and mine now have beautiful grasscloth wallpaper – another impressive DIY project! The closets have sliding shelves for all my shoes; baskets for tops and sweaters; hanging spaces for jackets and jeans (yes, I hang my jeans); and an amazing caddy for my jewelry.

No more clunky dresser and fabulously chic organization.  This is pretty close to heaven!  Thanks to Mark for DIY-ing for this awesome wardrobe upgrade!

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Posted in Decor, Her Closet, Her Home

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New Old Apartment – Paint and Color

Posted on June 6, 2012 | Leave a comment

When we lived in our old new apartment the first time the walls were a standard white.  White on the ceiling, white on the walls, white on the baseboard. 

Around year 1 we got antsy and painted our vanity a shocking tomato red and the entry and dusty maize.

In year 3 we realized the error of our ways and painted the vanity creative a light morning blue and our kitchen a faint seagreen.

When we rented, our apartment was painted again.  This time the bedroom dark chocolate brown and pale avocado green.  The kitchen a roasted almond butter and the living room a saturated indigo. 

This was a LOT of color…

We repainted the entire apartment in neutral tones.  If you follow me on Pinterest, you know that’s what I favor in design.  We chose Behr Ultra Paints in Creamy Mushroom for the bedroom and living room, and Powdered Snow in the kitchen and bathroom.

I am loving this new palate.  It plays well with real color.  It is solid.  It is a touch romantic.

Which colors were your favorite?

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Posted in Decor, Her Home

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New Old Kitchen

Posted on June 4, 2012 | Leave a comment

I am sorry I have been a little quiet these past few days, maybe even weeks, but we have been very busy in our house.  In fact, in the past month we cleaned, staged and sold our house.  Last week we packed it all up and moved.

Where to begin… Two years ago we moved from our condo to a rowhouse in central DC.  It was big and spacious but in the end we realized, for us, it was too big and too spacious.

Exhibit A.

My Old Kitchen

We have since moved back to our old condo, more on that later.  When you leave a kitchen this large you have to think thoughtfully about what you need, not just want in your new space.

Here are my space saving kitchen must-haves:

Shop: Bowls, Pot, Utensils, Cutting Boards, Knives

Where space is a premium you have to be smart.  Bowls and dishes should be multifunctional and stackable, gone are the canisters and jars of utensils, no longer are we cluttered by a big knife block when we only use two knives anyway.

We thought long and hard about and have right-sized our supplies to fit our needs and space.

Do you have a big kitchen or a small kitchen?

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Posted in Decor, Her Home, Her Kitchen

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Underfoot – Shopping for a Rug

Posted on May 22, 2012 | 2 Comments

The most happening place in our house?  The kitchen.  To keep it fun and colorful in this high traffic space I am looking for a rug that’s fun, durable, affordable – all options are under $50! – and oh so chic.

Here are some fun contenders from World Market.

What do you think?

Rugs: 1/2/3/4

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Posted in Decor, Her Home

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Yellow and Gray at Home

Posted on May 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

The Spring 2012 runways have provided inspiration for our shopping this season. But, what about our decorating?  The three major color trends for Spring 2012 were icy pastels, yellow + gray and beach blues.

Yellow + Gray, Spring 2012

Do you want the runway look in your humble abode?  It is a look that can play sleekly modern or boldly retro.  It can be subdued and nearly silver and gold or pop with charcoal and neon.  Either way the color play between the vibrant primary and neutral is great in your wardrobe or your wall.

Check out these ideas.

Yellow and Gray at Home

Shop: Chair, Bedroom, Tea, Vase, Rug

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Primary Colors

Posted on April 30, 2012 | Leave a comment

I get into a color rut.  I wear black and white and in the paint aisle I gravitate towards the hundreds of shades of beige.  But, that doesn’t mean I don’t get awe-struck and perhaps a little green with envy with bold splashes of color.

At home it is certainly an affordable design choice to play with color on the walls as opposed to furniture.  And think about how much it could be to come home and be greeted by a big wall in fiery red, sunny yellow or classic blue.

Images from Pinterest

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Posted in Decor, Her Home

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