Classics and Coral [MOOD BOARD]

The warm weather and longer days are leaving me to yearn for a killer patio to lounge on. Luckily, I actually have a pretty cool patio, but the sobering fact that I am merely a renter keeps me from spending any money to furnish this secondary living space. Instead, I choose to daydream about long hours spent lounging with friends and drinking wine while watching the sun dip below the horizon.

While I don't know if I would design my patio quite like this, I do have a soft spot for the classic black and white stripes and punchy accents (and that VIEW) shown in the outdoor space below. I've broken it down into colors and textures for those of you that would like to recreate it for yourself! Enjoy!

Entertaining: Dining Al Fresco

Mix up some Sparkling White Peach Sangria (a.k.a Porch Pounder Punch) and prepare your favorite summer salad because it's finally time to TAKE IT OUTSIDE! The nights are getting warmer and the days are getting longer. I'm ready for those animated conversations that last all night and may seem a little fuzzy the next day. Who's wants to join me?!

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What does your ideal al freso meal look like? Do you have a tried-and-true porch pounder punch recipe of your own? Share it below!

Design Advice: Integrating Screened Porches

Screened porches are a thing of amazing convenience and oftentimes very little beauty. Immediately  that sideways leaning, hastily built eyesore with sagging screens pops into my mind and I die a little bit inside. Of course, they serve a great purpose to those that love them. You are outside, breathing the warm summer air, becoming one with nature -- sort of.

I currently have a client who is very keen on having a screened porch integrated into the remodel of his home, and in this case I couldn't agree more. The keyword here is INTEGRATED! In Austin, the sun assaults your eyeballs and burns your skin for 8 months out of the year. Not only does this make it nearly impossible to enjoy the outdoors for most of the year, but it also comes with bees! bugs! mosquitos! raccoons! flash floods!

You bet I'm not going to give him just any old screened porch. He is going to get the crème de la crème of screened porches! So far, my search as turned of a few beauties you can check out below. Judging by these pics, a screened porch might be in my future too. You mean I can sit for hours sipping sugary gin + lemonades without the fear of bees?! Count me in! 

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Which of these screened porches would you like to spend hours lounging on? What unique details would you include in your perfect screened porch? Tell me in the comments below!

Design Advice: Designing Around Quirks

After leaving the nest of your parent's home, you no doubt will live in multiple temporary residences. These rentals may include dorm rooms, apartments, condos, townhouses, duplexes, single family homes and maybe even the occasional house boat! Knowing that you are merely passing through and living on an intern's budget, you might end up with a place that has any number of quirks --- a random column in the middle of the living room, a few bricked in windows, yellow shag carpeting, a second story kitchen, windows that look straight into the condo (namely the bathroom) across from you. The horror stories are endless!

The bedroom below is a great example of celebrating and disguising one particularly common addition. Between the intricate bedframe and gorgeous artwork and fun use of color, did you notice that there is an extra door behind the headboard? It nearly melts into the wall completely and the turquoise outline cleverly draws the eye to the headboard, which we are all in awe of, and you forget there is a door there at all! Brilliant!

If you are a renter, you might feel that there is always SOMETHING that seems to deter you from creating the perfect room. If you are looking to purchase your first home, you really never know what "custom" (read: HILARIOUS) design choices the former homeowners are going to throw at you. The key? Have a plan and be flexible.

It can be a pain for most, but as someone who feels the need to live in a new space every year, I have come to enjoy working around these fun little quirks. I have also found that when done right, they can really add an extra layer of personality to the space. Anyone can design a plain white box, but it takes real talent and imagination to figure out how to celebrate or hide those architectural elements that cannot be changed as a temporary tenant. 

What is the weirdest design element that you have designed around? How did you hide or celebrate this potential eyesore?  Leave me a comment below! 

Design Advice: Mirror, Mirror

Amazing countertops? You've got them.
Awesome cabinetry color? Love at first sight.
Knobs and pulls? Stunning.
The perfect backsplash to tie it all together? You're stumped.

Finding the perfect kitchen backsplash can make or break your perfect kitchen design or remodel, and this anxiety inducing detail is completely justified. If there is too much grout and you risk holding onto grease splatters for a decade! Too colorful or trendy and you might end up hating it in 2 years! Too neutral and you wish for more personality! What's a savvy homeowner to do?!

My favorite classic, icy white subway tile is often a great choice when this dilemma arises, but not always the client's cup of tea. With so many amazing tile trends, finding "the one" isn't getting any easier.  Luckily, I have one go-to that I can almost guarantee won't end up in divorce. Mirrors -- with finishes like antiqued, distressed, pewter and rippled -- in shapes like beveled subway, disco mosaic, clean lines or large sheets are versatile, chic and cost effective! This material is also a great solution when trying to  make a small kitchen look bigger or a dark kitchen seem brighter. Check out a few of my favorites below.

Happy Weekend!

In the past 4 weeks, I have been ushered into my "late twenties", reconnected with old friends, lost inspiration, found inspiration, learned the importance of a morning beach run, wrangled in my ongoing design projects, indulged in too much champagne, AND officially registered my own LLC. 

What will this awesome business be, you ask? You will have to wait to find out. What I CAN tell you is that it is my personal mission to make good design accessible to the new generation of smart, economically savvy homeowners and renters --- and maybe, just maybe it will catch on. 

Stay tuned for updates and enjoy the long Memorial Day Weekend! 

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