I am passionate about helping others know their interior style.  More often than not, I think not understanding one's loves leaves a person to freeze up when it comes to decorating their home.  I'm here to tell you, you may know more than you think you know.  If you have a decent sense of what you look good in and what you like to wear, there's a really good chance that your closet would and should translate to the interior of your home.

This doesn't work in every single case but most people gravitate toward certain colors/patterns/textures in their wardrobe and that can say a lot about how you would want your surrounding space to feel.  I have yet to find a person that only wears white and decorates in all the colors of the rainbow.  I'm sure they exist but most of us probably fall into the 95% of people with cohesive wardrobe and interior design tastes. 

To hit this point home, I wanted to show you some real examples.  I may do this in different ways from time to time but I think it's fun to see how a room can inspire an outfit and visa versa.  So, here's where I will quit yapping and get to it:

I chose this outfit for many reasons: I love Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Kate Spade and this is actress Rachel Brosnahan modeling her late aunt's (Kate Spade) clothing line, Frances Valentine, founded a few years before she died.

I also chose this outfit to make my example more interesting.  I wanted to show colors or patterns one might not normally think to decorate with but may wear much more easily-- just to know that those things can and do translate to a room. 

Here's the space that coordinates.  Can you see it?  It doesn't have to be *exactly* the same to get the point across.  For example, if you wear Mickey Mouse shirts, please don't decorate with Micky Mouse-- unless you are under the age of 9!

Let's break it down in a side by side: 

In general, both are refined and an ode to silhouettes and shapes of yesteryear (pants, shoes, purse, chaise, lighting, wall coverings) but playful with the bold and bright unconventional color palette and heavy dose of pattern.

This outfit allows one to pull out all the stops in this comparison game but you could also go the other direction with it. For example taking a neutral room with smaller pops of similar color and pattern.  I just couldn't refrain from a maximalist counterpart :)

It's important to note that this excersize is really about training your eyes to pay attention to the details that make up a design-- weather it's an outfit or a room.  Hopefully after awhile, you can use your wardrobe to help inform your interior style or visa versa. 

Lastly: DON'T BE AFRAID.  I think we often wear colors we would never decorate with.  I get that but try to push yourself a little bit, you may be surprised ;) 

I love how so many forms of art and design speak to each other.  If you thought this was fun-- let me know.  I'm thinking about having you all send me photos of rooms or outfits you love and showing you what pairs well with them!  

xoxo,
​Rachel

Whether it's a long game of cards, something animated or low-key, it's not a family gathering without a fun game.  I rounded up some of our favorite games to play with our kids and with extended family.  Playing games together is one of my favorite memories of childhood and adulthood at our family Christmases.  My mom and her siblings laughing their heads off, my great-grandma trying to draw on a big white board or someone acting out something before the buzzer went off-- you name it, we've done it.

1. Settlers of Catan (one of our son's favorites!)
2. Pictionary (We use a huge whiteboard and dry erase markers, instead of the tiny boards that come with this game. We play with two big groups at my grandpa's Christmas each year.)
3. Password (Best for adults, low-key and brainy but not TOO brainy)
4. Ticket to Ride (Fun and fairly easy, similar to Settlers in concept but easier IMO).
5. Balderdash (SO many funny memories of this but you need to have creative thinkers playing.)
6. Guesstures (What's better than people acting out charades with just a few seconds to do so?)
7. Farkle (Another easy favorite for two oldest.)
8. Quelf (One of the weirdest and funniest games on Earth.  Just make sure you are playing with good sports.)
9. Taboo (Great for a large group-- also funny!)
10. Scattegories (We play this with our kids-- fairly easy and fun.)
11. Catchphrase (I'm sure you know this game, similar to Taboo.)
12. Hedbanz (Fun for all ages but esp with littler kids.)

Some of our favorite games aren't on here because they are so simple or need explanation:

Telephone Pictionary (All you need is pen and paper-- I have never laughed so hard as I have with this game.  It's like the classic game "telephone" but with drawings :) )

Card games like Shanghai (similar to Phase 10 but harder) and Cribbage (Jared and I play this just the two of us or with his parents).

​I hope you try a new game this year and make some fabulous memories.  Let me know how it goes :)

xoxo,
Rachel

If I could have a shopping spree at any store in the world, it would be at CB2.  It's my favorite home store with their velvet furniture, rattan pieces and plenty of glitz and glam. Knowing that, can you believe that I have never even been inside a CB2 store?!  Much like how I love Miami and Palm Beach styles and I've never been to those places either!  Maybe 2020 will be the year I check those places off my bucket-list!

In honor of my love for this store I made a Christmas moodboard for your viewing pleasure!  If I had no budget, 95% of my Christmas would be from here.  Those cockatoo ornaments?!  The cane pattern ornaments?!  Marble! Leopard! Gah!

The only thing I would maybe change for my own home is bringing in green a bit of green. Or maybe not, sometimes just the basics are so chic. 

See below for sources.  

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9
10 // 11 // 12 // 13 // 14 // 15 // 16 // 17 

What's your favorite item on the board?  Those wood trees are to.die.for.  What is inspiring you this Christmas season?  If you love this-- shop these sources or make it your own by taking out and adding in what makes it "you"!

xoxo,
Rachel

A lot of you already know that I own my own online boutique where I sell vintage decor, vintage-inspired jewelry and graphic tees I've designed.  Because of that, I have had a lot of people ask me how to style a graphic tee.  Here's three of my tshirts, three different ways!

Tshirt // Cardi (similar) // Favorite Jeans // Necklace (similar, same brand) // Clutch // Shoes 

Tshirt // Cardi (obsessed) // Jeans // Earrings // Shoes 

Tshirt // Blazer // Skirt (similar) // Earrings // Clutch // Shoes 

So tell me, what's your favorite outfit??  What do you want to see next? Enjoy, my friends!

xoxo,
Rachel 
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I love making moodboards because it's therapeutic and like trying on new outfits and in different styles I may not regularly "wear".  I made a traditional Christmas design with a modern twist-- that way, if you already have red and green Christmas decor, adding in a bit of something different shouldn't be too hard.

Some of the items are things you could use year round: the blush or red pillows, gold flatware, abstract dish set and candlesticks.  In case you do already have some similar items, for example, large green ball ornaments, then use those and get wide wire ribbon in red instead!  

My vision is to have the room be about 50% pink, 30% red and 20% green and that's why most of the tree ornaments are the rose gold.  However, you could always do more red and less blush-- or switch up one color from year to year!  Just make sure to disperse your colors around the room and have one that's more dominant.

I would get at least a dozen of the "special" or non-rose gold ornament, just FYI.
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Here's the links to all the items!

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10
11 // 12 // 13 // 14 // 15 // 16 // 17 // 18 // 19 // 20
21 // 22 // 23 // 24 // 25 // 26 // 27 // 28 // 29 // 30

If you liked this, let me know and I will do some more :) 

Links contain affiliate links

Oh sorry, I'm just over here enjoying my new night club -- er, living room. With a neon sign it's pretty tempting to start jamming in here, and since I haven't been cool since the early 2000s most of my music is outdated, but whatever.  ANYWAY, onto the reveal because that's what you care about ;)  

I'm going to try to keep this short and sweet because lots of words are just annoying-- amirite?

If you want to catch up, here's the past several posts:

Week 1 // Week 2 // Week 3 // Week 4 // ​Week 5

And this is now:

What did you think the neon sign would say?  Are you surprised?  There's so much in those two tiny words for us, and I'll get into it more at a later date, but in a nutshell, it represents everything up until this point-- every risk, every dream followed, every idea that's crashed and burned.  We have done some crazy things and we are better for it.  It's not easy or even close to perfect, but it's good.

This corner is the focal point with the wood wall and bright windows and I wanted to pull out all the stops. 

I found a gorgeous chair on Marketplace and had it recovered in a leopard fabric I got for a steal at Hobby Lobby!  I added a faux plant wall and then topped it off with a gorgeous neon sign from Hey Light Co.  They were amazing to work with and I LOVE HOW IT TURNED OUT.  It got here with time to spare and completely makes the space.

The lucite stool is also thrifted.  I changed the cushion from white to black because it got lost in the shuffle before and now it stands out.  #ilovelucite

I made cornice boards for the windows in the space to bring in a traditional Palm Beach feel.  The goal of this room was to marry a sexy Miami vibe with a preppy Palm Beach vibe.  I honestly wasn't sure I could pull it off but I think I did!!!!??!

This shelf is one of two items that stayed in the room (obviously because it's amazing). I restyled it with items I mostly already had, including this "neon" art from Hapi Art-- one of my favorites.

I had really wanted a new sleeper sofa in this space but in the end, it just wasn't in the budget.  We pulled our green velvet sofa out of storage and it works perfectly.  It was originally from IKEA and still so pretty even after 3 kids + a bunny and all their fluids ;)

The coffee table is SO fab.  It's an original Milo Baughman piece from Craigslist.  Each circle rotates independantly which makes the piece so sculptural and functional.  It can fold so the circles completely stack, or it can spread out really far.

One of my favorite parts of the room is the white Chippendale chair I scored at a local shop.  The shape brings in that Palm Beach style and adds so much interest to this side of the room.  I hunted and hunted for the perfect chair and was so happy to find this one.  

I don't know why, but the pillows in this space were so difficult for me!  I don't have the budget for custom pillows and could. not. find. what I wanted.  Thankfully, The Land of Pillows came through and sent me these gorgeous flocked crane pillows.  I honestly think I would have ended up with pumpkin pillows from Tuesday Morning if it wasn't for their super swift service.  I'm grateful!

The painting is by my friend Kindra (she's amazing and has done lots of cool stuff for me!) and then the photograph is from my friend, Molly.  I met her a year ago when we were thinking about moving to Florida.  She's a Florida girl through and through and I'm so grateful she is in my life as we embark on these new adventures here.  She took this photo in Miami and it's so fun to have a piece of her in this space 'cause she loves design as much as I do.  

Really, all the main pieces in the space are vintage or thrifted.  This bird's eye media cabinet is no exception.  It's so good in person-- modern lines with a nod to Deco via the curved drawers.  I love the warmth it brings to the wallpaper wall.

I had a lot of fun styling this area trying to bring in the preppy/traditional/bold elements of my style.  It's a little bit of everything I love in one place.

Halfway through the challenge, I decided to also do something about our dining area.  Yes, that black table folds out to be a dining table.  I was sick of not eating around the table together as a family but there's literally no space in this place for a real table.  So I got creative and am SO glad I did.  Not only can we eat together instead of all around the room, but I love the look of this area SO much.  I have always wanted a "console" table with two stools underneath and I was able to do so on a budget.  I think this whole area was only $300.  

The table is from Target, the stools were plain gray ones I recovered in the same fabric as the chair.  The mirror was in our back storage room and I didn't remember it was there until a few days ago! I was thrilled because it was FREE and PERFECT.  We sprayed it gold after a brief debate about going neon pink :) 

The sconces are the cherry on top.  They are not hard-wired and I plan to do the "magic light trick" with them (remote operated lights) which I'll explain sometime soon.  

This vase is a dream and was only $20 at Homegoods-- man, I love that place!

I am so excited by how this room turned out.  I was venturing into new territory combining styles I have never put together before and have basically never seen combined, so it was a true challenge but SO FULFILLING.  I hope you love it as much as I do and that it inspires you to live bold in whatever way that means to you.

This project would not be possible without Linda from Calling it Home, who organizes the One Room Challenge.  I had no idea I would be doing this two short months ago and it's truly been a blast, connecting me with awesome people and sharpening my design skills.  Better Homes and Gardens is the sponsor and that's incredibly exciting because they are AMAZING, and because we are both from Des Moines :) Thank you, BHG, for championing good design for so many years.

Lastly, I want to thank my mom who let me turn her beloved cottage upside-down.  She is the most generous, loving woman you could meet.  I know it pained her to have me change this place because it's so dear to her heart but she was happy to let me do it and championed me along the whole time.  Thank you, mom, for always being my biggest fan, I love you (and I hope you don't hate my design- ha!).

Now, go and support ALL the other featured and guest designers.  We are all happy-tired and need your love and encouragement.  Thank you for following along, you guys keep me going.

xoxo,
Rachel

Week 1 // Week 2 // Week 3 // Week 4 // 

And this is what I ended up with!  This was my first ever upholstery project so I was proud of myself.  It was easier than I thought it might be and these stools were great pieces to start with.  I did use a lot of hot glue-- fyi ;)  I recovered two of these stools and they will go under a new console table that flips out to be our dining table (small cottage-- big on function).  

I had a really hard time finding something that was the right size and look that extended to fit our whole family.  For the price, I am very happy with the functionality and quality of this!  

I have been searching high and low for the perfect accent chair for the space.  I was able to snag two of these beautiful vintage bamboo armchairs for a great price!  It adds the perfect punch of Palm Beach to round out all the "club" vibes I have going on in here with my neon sign (I AM DYING TO SHOW YOU!).

I've got pillows coming tomorrow from Land of Pillows that are PERFECT for the space.  I can't wait to hug them!!!!

And then I have to decide on art and if I'm going to hold out for this incredible mirror.  It's my style in a nutshell, but it's not available until early December-- i.e. after the ORC is over (boooohooo!).  So, I may track down something thrifted to put in its place for the big reveal and hang this once it comes.  

It would hang on the wall with this awesome wallpaper and be flanked by some modern black sconces.

Alright, I'm off to go watch Netflix and finish 2 of 4 cornices.  Wish me luck.  AND COME BACK NEXT WEEK FOR THE BIG REVEAL!  I guarantee you won't have seen a room like this one before ;)  

Make sure to check out all the featured designers this week and then peruse all the guest designers.  Everyone is knocking it out of the park and your support is so encouraging!

xoxo,
​Rachel

Last week we accomplished a lot in our One Room Challenge space-- this week, not so much.  I think I'm in the "slump" phase.  There's still a lot left to do but it's the hard or not-as-fun-stuff and I guess I have to mentally prepare -- psych myself up -- whatever, before I can get back into beast mode. 

If you want to see my plans and what I have been up to the last few weeks, here are the links:

Week One // Week Two // Week Three 

To summarize this week, I will use two words: cornice board.  I'm wondering if a lot of you may not know what this is OR if you do, you probably have horrific images flashing into your mind from the 1980s.  Let me show you what you should be picturing: 

Is your jaw on the floor?  Because mine is.  In each room I just showed you, the cornice boards completely MAKE the room.  They take these rooms from great to spectacular!  Now, cornice boards don't go with everyone's style and work best in traditional, preppy, or regency spaces, but BAM, they are DA BOMB (does this phrase date me?) and you should find a way to install one in your home immediately.  If I was known as the designer to make the cornice board mainstream again, I would totally be OK with that.  

So, at this point you are probably annoyed and want to see what I did in the ORC space this week-- I get it, I would be excited too.  Without further ado..........

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Here she is!!!!!!!!!! 

She was a labor of love and at one point our giant cage-free bunny even took a bite of her, but she was worth all the effort and protection I could muster.  She was a very strategic choice as I seek to balance my love of modern and Art Deco design with a little more Palm Beach Regency.  I specifically felt like this wall needed this window treatment to add in some prep and detract from the rustic wood that has to stay as is.  

If you are interested, I will be happy to post a tutorial eventually.  It was fairly easy and affordable.  We used insulation foam board from Home Depot (similar to Styrofoam), fabric and stick pins.  By far the hardest part was getting the Greek key pattern perfect.  Obviously, you could just do a simple stripe, a bold color or some fringe and make it easier on yourself but just as stunning (well, maybe ;)...).  

My husband is mounting the TV on the wall as we speak, and this week I'm tying up a LOT of loose ends.  I have to recover some stools, find a bamboo chair to paint, finalize pillow selections and order, hang our NEON SIGN and lots of other things I'm forgetting.  It's coming together though and I'm excited to move toward that finish line!!

Make sure to go check out all the featured designers to see what they are up to this week and then send some love to all the other guest participants.  See you back here next Thursday!!

xoxo,
​Rachel

Last week we put up the wallpaper and showed you in Week 2's post.  If you want to read more about my concept head to Week 1's post.

So, now onto this week's progress!! The plant wall is done and the corner chair has been recovered!  I can't believe how fast they were both done.  The plant wall went up easily and was even fun to do. 

I read this tutorial from A Beautiful Mess and mostly followed it.  I wanted my plants to completely cover the area so I skipped the astroturf and just stapled green chicken wire to the wall (found at Home Depot).  Since it's a wood wall that hides imperfections and we didn't need a ton of staples, I could do that.  With a drywall wall, I would probably have had Jared screw wood to the top and bottom of the wall and staple the chicken wire to that.  I used green pipe cleaners to attach the plants to the chicken wire just like they did.  

Now this wall is not done yet as the pièce de résistance is still on it's way to me.  It's a custom neon sign that I had made for the space and will show you during the big reveal.  Can you guess what it's going to say?!  HINT: it's directly referencing my design style and some of the decisions we have made lately. I can't wait to hang that baby up with my planties!

I also have to work on valances for above the windows and smaller styling details to finish off this corner completely.

But I'm guessing you want to see it so far...

Drumroll please...

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THE LEOPARD CHAIR!!!  I found this baby on Marketplace.  It seems to be a Milo Baughman though I couldn't find any labels.  It's definitely cool and vintage whatever the origin.  Just as a reminder, here is what we started with last week before we took it to the upholsterer:

It was cute already but I really wanted something spectacular with that plant wall and that's what I got!  I was so impressed with the quality, price and turnaround time of the upholster we used.  If you are local to the Clearwater, Florida area, it was Sunshine Upholstery in Tarpon Spings -- you'll be thrilled with them!

We added legs to the chair because though it was meant to be low and modern, it was not very comfortable to sit in at only 16"H.  We added 4" legs and it's perfect now!  I planned to bring the upholsterer fringe to go around the base to hide the legs but he was done so fast that I didn't get it to him.  I actually don't hate it the way it is but what do you think... black fringe or clear coat the legs?

Here's what we have left to do:

• Paint the media cabinet (new addition to my list)
• Construct/hang valances
• Hang TV
• Hang sconce lighting above sofa
• Hang wall art 
• Hang neon sign when it arrives
• Source and paint bamboo armchair for extra seating
• Replace ceiling fan with something modern
• Bring in green sofa from storage
• Style and photograph!
  ​

With this space, I also decided I am going to do our "dining area"-- I'll explain more next week but it's basically a wall that we put a table against.  I needed something small that could extend for dinnertime and I think I found the perfect thing.  Once I get the table, I'm going to put it together and then decide on the chair situation.  Hopefully something bold and state-ment-y.  Yes, that's a word :)   

As always, make sure to check out the featured designers and the other guest participants and their amazing projects.  We are halfway through the One Room Challenge and I think it's time most people are needing some cheerleading! 

More soon! 
xoxo,
​Rachel

I love me a pink sofa and whatever you call it: Millennial Pink, blush, etc., it's here to stay.  What's great about light pink is that it can bring in color without being scary and plays nice with other colors you may already have in your home.  At first glance, it could seem too feminine but if you bring in colors like black, deep greens, mustard yellows, and/or graphic patterns to your space, your home won't turn into a princess palace.  Promise.
​Allow me to convince you: 

via
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#1 for $1099
#2 for $979
#3 for $929
#4 for $999
#5 for $1450
#6 for $1289 (in royale blush)
#7 for $839
#8 for $999
#9 for $1528
#10 for $1283
#11 for $1359
#12 for $1595 (in blush)

​So what do you think, could you ever do a blush sofa?  I know I could!