Image of the Day…
July 29, 2010 by Kenya Brantley
Filed under At Home, Decor, Everyday Living
Simply Gorgeous…
Outdoor Living Spaces
July 26, 2010 by Krista Franks
Filed under Decor, outdoor
While many folks long for a distant summer getaway, others are finding a relaxing retreat in their own backyard. Outdoor living spaces have grown in popularity for the past several years, and the American Society of Landscape Architects reports that 94.4 percent of residential landscape architects believe outdoor living spaces will continue to be popular [...]
Garden Ideas at the Southern Living Idea Home
July 19, 2010 by Bonnie Helander
Filed under At Home, Garden Views, Travel
Last week I headed over to historic Senoia, Georgia to visit the Southern Living Idea House – a charming 3.5-story brownstone on the site of the former McKnight Cotton Gin. This is the first time that Southern Living has featured a brownstone property as an idea home. The model is an expanded end unit and [...]
Closet Freak
July 16, 2010 by Kenya Brantley
Filed under At Home
Let’s admit it…Closets are typically pretty boring. You’ve got your shelves, your closet rods…throw in a few hooks and that’s pretty much it. Simple, right? But what if we really started to think about our closets, not as storage spaces for our clothes and shoes, but rather as rooms…extensions of who we are. With pretty chandeliers [...]
The wallpaper comeback: big patterns take stage
March 6, 2010 by Krista Franks
Filed under Decor
Mauve hues and brass fixtures may have lost their luster since their overwhelming popularity in the 1980s, but another feature of 1980’s interior decorating style, wallpaper, is currently making a major comeback. However, the wallpaper being pasted onto foyer and dining room walls today is quite different from the muted florals and swirling ivy patterns [...]
The Christmas Centerpiece
December 14, 2009 by Krista Franks
Filed under Thoughts of Home
The photo above is from a Christmas luncheon I attended last weekend. I thought the centerpiece was elegant and did a nice job of adding a focal point to the table without overwhelming the table or getting in the way of the meal itself or the conversation around it. It is important to consider the [...]
Filling the Home with Holiday Cheer
December 11, 2009 by Krista Franks
Filed under Thoughts of Home
A few ideas for spreading holiday cheer throughout the home:
· Tie wire edged ribbon on anything around the home—candle sticks, chair backs, vases.
· Add greenery and berries to the chandelier in the dining room
· Place candles on the dining table, on the mantle, on the coffee table and anywhere else throughout the house. [...]
A Cleaner Candle
December 10, 2009 by Krista Franks
Filed under Thoughts of Home
As we light candles in our homes this season to enhance the holiday aura, we might want to take a little caution, not just with the burning flame but with the wax.
New soy wax candles are hitting the market with many advantages over traditional paraffin wax candles.
To start with paraffin is a petroleum-based [...]
Making Winter Cozy
December 4, 2009 by Krista Franks
Filed under Thoughts of Home
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8276361@N06/2251683685
In the midst of the holiday season with cold weather and shorter daylight hours, it can be a great feeling to spend the evening indoors–curled up under a blanket with a book or watching a movie. Here are a few tips for making the home cozy for winter.
Lay some throws over [...]
Winter bloomers make wonderful holiday gifts
December 3, 2009 by Bonnie Helander
Filed under At Home
“Go green” with the gift of winter blooming plants this year. There are many beautiful indoor varieties that will continue to give joy long after the festivities are over.
The Christmas Tree Debate: Real vs. Artificial
December 3, 2009 by Krista Franks
Filed under Thoughts of Home
http://www.flickr.com/photos/patrickbeeson
As we prepare for the holidays, some may be wondering what the best ways to remain environmentally friendly are. When it comes to Christmas trees there has been some debate as to which is more eco-friendly—an artificial tree or a live tree.
About 80 percent of artificial trees are manufactured in China, where environmental regulations [...]
Kitchen Trends
December 1, 2009 by Krista Franks
Filed under Thoughts of Home
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nancyhugo
The themes of several posts here at Thoughts of Home lately have centered on kitchens—kitchen sinks, kitchen cabinets and track lighting for the kitchen. A few future posts will also feature a specific kitchen theme. Today, I thought we’d take a step back and look at a few general trends in kitchen design that are [...]
