Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Wishing you all of the magic the season has to offer!

I'm taking a blog break until the first of the year.  Can't wait to see you back here in 2012!

Best to you and your family(ies)!

Kim

xxooxoxoxo

Here We Go Again - The Buffalo Check Edition

There are classic elements in design that cycle back in from time to time and lately I've been noticing the resurgence of the Buffalo Checks!  Buffalo check, which is just a larger scale gingham pattern, feels fresh and modern again.

Source: notetosarah.tumblr.com via Kimberly on Pinterest

Source: pinkwallpaper.blogspot.com via Kimberly on Pinterest

What do you think of the Buffalo checks/Tangerine binding combo?

Source: Uploaded by user via Kimberly on Pinterest

Source: s752.photobucket.com via Kimberly on Pinterest

I am in love with the image above!  Those rich green walls, black & white buffalo check curtains and accents of lemon yellow!  This image is the inspiration for the family room over at Project Dollhouse (more on that in a future post!)

Do you see Buffalo Checks in your future?

Need some help pulling your style together?  The Green Room Interiors can make your home a beautiful place to be!  Call Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

Color Coded Christmas

Do you remember when Christmas was usually done in red in green?

Source: everyday-houseblend.blogspot.com via Wanda on Pinterest

Even though we often still think of red and green as the traditional colors of the season, Christmas truly comes in every color!
Have a thing for purple?  

Source: houzz.com via Koshina on Pinterest

Source: 4.bp.blogspot.com via Consuelo on Pinterest

I read somewhere that blue is America's favorite color.  Why not use it at Christmas, too?

Via

via

I love the citrus colors Tobi Fairley used on her Christmas tree.  Would you decorate with orange and lime and lemon yellow at Christmas?

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Or what about just black and white?

Via

Via

All great looks, agreed?  I'd love to know your Christmas colors this year!

Need some help pulling your style together?  The Green Room Interiors can make your home a beautiful place to be!  Call Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

104 Ravioli

Did you have a good weekend?  I went to my parents house in Atlanta this weekend to partake in the annual making of the Christmas ravioli.  I'm half Italian on my mother's side (her folks moved to America from Sicily right after they were married!)  Every year we make homemade ravioli to enjoy for Christmas dinner and it's quite a delicious and fun event.


We start by making our own dough.  There are about 5 different versions of the dough recipe, and this year we used some semolina flour.

My brother Greg, who inherited my Mom's "great cook" gene, is mixing the dough.  Then it is left to rest, kneaded, and rolled out on the pasta machine

The pasta sheets are then topped with this filling of meat, garlic, cheeses and a few ingredients I am not at liberty to reveal.  It's a closely guarded family recipe.  In fact, when my brother broke up with a girlfriend many years ago, the first thing my mom asked was, "Does she know the ravioli recipe?"  Luckily for her, she didn't.

 World's best mom working on a row of the world's best ravioli.

World's best ravioli all cut and sealed.

All ready to go to the freezer where they will wait for Christmas Day.

Now all we had to do was repeat 104 times and we've got enough ravioli to feed about a dozen ravioli-loving relatives.

Too bad we our computers don't have smell-o-vision.

What are your favorite holiday traditions?

Need some help pulling your style together?  The Green Room Interiors can make your home a beautiful place to be!  Call Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

Attention: Family, Friends and Generous Persons

Any of these books would make a lovely gift for me on Christmas morning!

all images above from Amazon, where you really can click to look inside!

Are there any books you would recommend for my wish list?

Need some help pulling your style together?  The Green Room Interiors can make your home a beautiful place to be!  Call Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

Project Dollhouse Update

Happy Monday, and can you believe we're already past the first weekend of December?  Yikes!!  Anyway, I have no holiday decor ideas or projects to share with you, but I hope you have a time to take a quick tour of the progress over at Project Dollhouse.

Hooray for new tile!  This is the master shower, which was exceedingly gross, as you can see below. 

Eew.   We used the cheap inexpensive tile from Home Depot and Southeastern Salvage. The darker tile is from SE Salvage. It's 6x6 in a color called Linen, which is lighter than it appears in this image.  The white horizontal stripes are from Home Depot, and they are just 3x6 subway tiles in white. Husband made the magic happen with his insanely good tiling skills. 

Cabinet doors are painted.  Sherwin-Williams Alabaster.  Painting the cabinets was quite a journey, as part of the prep work (done by an outside party who will remain nameless) was  botched and had to be re-done. It all worked out in the end and cabinets look fab.  

Shelby's room is painted by me.  Benjamin Moore's Blue Spa, which is a vibrant teal.  She thinks it's Blue Surf, which is nails-on-the-chalkboard electric teal.  : )   Don't tell.

Foyer, painted by me too!  It's Benjamin Moore Gray Cashmere, one of my favorite colors. 

This is the palm frond chandelier that will go in the hall bath. As a reminder, here are the selections and inspiration board for that bathroom.

Kitchen countertops have been cut

Guest bedroom is painted Benjamin Moore's Heather Gray. Looks more green here than it does in person.

Thanks for checking in on our little project, that is really turning out to be bigger than anticipated.  Isn't that always the way?

Need some help pulling your style together?  The Green Room Interiors can make your home a beautiful place to be !  Call Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

Faux Distressed or Slick & Glossy?

Folks around these parts are ga-ga over painted furniture with that "distressed" look.  It seems that the magic formula is a flat painted finish with the edges sanded and a few nicks and scratches thrown in for good measure.

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I have to admit that the distressed finished is not my favorite way to reinvent a vintage piece, but I'm not above a little sanding and nicking if that is what the buyers are looking for.

Source

Source

In most cases, and certainly for my own home, I prefer to finish my vintage pieces in a shiny, high-gloss finish.

Two images above from here

House Beautiful

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which I'm sure has the distressed furniture fans shaking their heads.

So, do you have a preference for how you finish a vintage furniture piece?  Or do you think it depends on the mood of the room and the style of the piece?  

Discuss.

Need some help pulling your style together?  The Green Room Interiors can make your home a beautiful place to be!  Call Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com.

One More Reason to Give Thanks

Just when I was about to give up all hope that I would ever see a Campaign dresser in this town ...

there it sat out on the sidewalk of my favorite thrift store, with a lovely green "Sale" sticker on it! 

Taking delivery today and adding it to my "Things I'm Thankful For" list.

See you back here Monday, hopefully with another Project Dollhouse update.  The husband has the whole week off and I have a long list for him!

Hope you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday!

Paperwhites in the House

Last week I potted up a bunch of paperwhite and amaryllis bulbs to sell in the shop and give as gifts.  Paperwhites are so fragrant and I love the natural element they bring to holiday decorating.


You can find the bulbs at Home Depot, Lowe's or Wal-mart and they usually come boxed with a plastic pot, potting mix and the bulbs.  I usually buy them in the garden center where you can find bags of bulbs. I plant them in vintage containers and use regular old potting soil.

Red Lion Amaryllis in blue & white porcelain pot with Nandina berries

White milk glass container planted with Paperwhites and blue and silver ornaments

Vintage elephant planter with Paperwhites and acorns

Potted bulbs make great hostess or teachers gifts, or keep them for yourself!  They're beautiful when used en masse on a mantel or on your dining table.

Image

Martha Stewart

Christmas bulbs in pots available at Merchants on Main.  607 E. Main St., downtown Chattanooga. Priced from $10 - $32

Have you started your holiday decorating?

Need some help pulling your style together?  The Green Room Interiors can make your home a beautiful place to be!  Call Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

Project Dollhouse - Master Bath Wallpaper Options

Originally I had planned to paint the master bathroom over at Project Dollhouse in stripes of white and Benjamin Moore's Spruce Green, which is the paint color in the master bedroom.

I have decided to also consider wallpapering the bathroom for a few different reasons.  First of all, the idea of measuring, marking and taping the space is a little overwhelming - especially considering I have to work around a window, some doors, a toilet, a vanity,and a shower in a very compact space.  Also, the walls have many imperfections.  There are already a few layers of wallpaper under the paint and I'm just not sure it will look good.


So, I'm leaving the wallpaper option open, and I found a few prospects that look promising.  They are all from Design Your Wall.  As a reminder, here is the plan for the Master Bedroom I posted a few weeks ago.

And the wallpaper options:

Sticking with the stripes here - with a side of polka dots.

This one may be too pink - is that possible?

This one is called Fountain.  Kind of zebra, kind of marbleized.  Zebralized.

This one is a real contender.  Love how it picks up on the Chinoiserie feel of the bedroom.  And I think a big floral could be really exciting in a small bathroom.  We'll call this Floral 1, because

Foral 2. Equally lovely.

Beige stripe.  My attempt at restraint.

Which would you choose?

Need some help pulling your style together?  The Green Room Interiors can make your home a beautiful place to be!  Call Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com