Socialite Sunday!

Seriously? I had SO much fun at a preppy blogger lunch in Baltimore this weekend and am now exhausted but have to tell you about a major preppy monogrammed sale that is tomorrow.  I'm a new huge fan of Joss & Main CLICK HERE!!!!!!!!!!

They have the most beautiful preppy items for the home on MAJOR discount. Joss & Main is having a FAB sale tomorrow Monday April 11th on monogrammed plates.

GO SHOPPING HERE

Collars up

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Matching

I'm the first to admit when it comes to fashion, style and decorating I have no clue what I'm doing. I'm a master at copying a look from the runway, TV commercial, picture in magazine. But, a few years ago I learned one trick. Placing like things next to one another looks best. I apply that rule  to anything I decorate, including myself. The way I dress, decorate etc is a  reflection of not only my personality but my creativity. When I select an outfit I also design a jewelry concept to match, I approach my home and garden with a similar strategy. So when I look pulled together, I'm really just following that one simple concept.

star fishes were on my Miss Trish of Capri shoes, my ring and on my pearl bracelet. I also have starfish earrings.

Juicy Couture dress

What are your style secrets?

Collars up!

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Meet My Decorator!

 Barrie Briggs Spang is my go to girl for all things interior design. She has the best taste and can help you decorate without blowing the bank. Also location is not an issue-she travels and  decorates virtually too! Check her out HERE!!!!!!!!!

 

You are decorator to the socialites! Tell me when you first decided to be a interior decorator?

Honestly, I think I was 8 or 9. My dad says when people would ask what I wanted to be when I grew up I would respond, "I want to put the finishing touches in people's homes." What kid says that???? I believe growing up with a father in Real Estate instilled the love of houses in me. We moved 7 times before I was 12, so I basically grew up with a paint brush in my hand and watched first hand the re-decorating process.

 

I knew for sure I wanted to be an interior designer by the time I was in high school, but my parents really encouraged me to attend a Liberal Arts college so I got a fully rounded education. I am so thankful for that advice as I relay as much on my Pychology 101 class and all of my English and Business classes as I do my Art History degree.

What inspires your designs?

Color! I love color. My travel experiences. I have been fortunate to travel a great deal, to some pretty unusual places, and I really pull from those destinations for my schemes. Other designers. I read a great deal and love to study what other designers, past and present, have done in similiar spaces. I wouldn't say I am trying to copy or emulate anyone, I just want to learn what they have done and make it my own. My clients. I really listen to what they are looking for in their home, office, boat, etc. and I work a lot of their personality into their space. My clients tell me when their friends come to see their new space for the first time they typically say, "It feels like you" or "There is so much of you in this room. It doesn't feel decorated". That is a huge compliment in my opinion.

ARe you a preppy?

Soooo preppy, ridiculously preppy. I always have been and even as styles change and new trends come out, I always error on the preppy side of any new look. I would say I dress classic. I have more cashmere turtlenecks than a TSE cashmere store. I love to wear my grandmother's gold charm bracelet and my other grandmother's pearl necklace. I have a blonde bob. I have a silver lab. You get the idea.

 

My house is beyond preppy. My Living Room has Apple Green walls with a Cornflower Blue and Green Toile for window treatments and a Green silk buffalo check sofa with needle point pillows.

 

Long answer to a very short question....Yes, I am preppy.

Do you have tips for those of us that can't afford U?

Now, more than ever, there are affordable resources for people who want a designer style without hiring one. I should start by saying, most designer(not all, but most) will work as a consultant. Meaning you would tell the designer up front you are just looking for ideas and they will charge you an hourly fee. This can range anywhere from $ 75.00 to $350 an hour. You can accomplish a great deal in an hour or two with a professional designer. Have them meet you in the space you are wanting to re-do. They will come up with the best lay-out, select sizes of furnishings and suggest fabrics/styles. They can make suggestions where you should be shopping and design the window treatments. This way you can do the room on your schedule and budget.

 

Another option which is quite new is e-decorating. You hire a designer that you work with electronically. You communicate via e-mail and never actually meet in person. There is a flat fee per room. Usually about $ 350- 500.00. You will send them measurements of your space. 3-4 photos of the space and fill out a questionere. The e-decorator will send you, again electronically, a room layout, paint colors, fabric recommendations, specific furnishings including style numbers and where to purchase them, wallcovering suggestions, and window treatment designs. They can select low, mid, or high price product based on your budget. This option is growing in popularity.

 

 

 

COLLARS UP!

 

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SC FAB FEB

 I don't go to therapy. I used to, I believe I started when I was 8 but alas it does not work for me. However, I do go to the spa whenever my anxiety takes over (which is fairly often). Today is simply a preventative trip as Feb has been Fab so far. I'm off to Red Door!

Sick of my SC self I have an adorable preppy professional to introduce today. My bestie Kerri. Not only is she sweet, fun and polished-she even brings the most beautiful wine glasses to our cookouts!

 Are you preppy?  

Mmmm...I guess you could say I was born preppy...I grew up in Barrington, RI...Barrington was listed in the Official Preppy Handbook as a preppy town!  As a child, I summered at the Cape, had monogrammed night gowns, wore Dean or Fair Isle sweaters, wide whale cords (sometimes with whales or my favorite...strawberries...wow!), tretorns and loved the color combination navy blue and kelly green.  My first purse was a Papagallo Bermuda bag and I never went anywhere without a ribbon belt that matched my outfit...I was big into accessorizing...ribbon headband, monogrammed necklace, shrimp ring, etc.  My best friend in high school, Martha, was nicknamed Muffy...if you lived in Barrington you really had no choice but to live the preppy life!  Now, as an adult, I have mainstreamed and mix up my wardrobe but still find myself gravitating toward anything Lilly Pulitzer!!

What is your approach to staging/decorating? 

My company is Show & Sell...I have owned it for 5 years with my extremely talented partner, Christine Droney.  We are the premier Staging and Interior Redesign company in Southern New Jersey.  Staging is all about working with a budget and having a homeowner spend the least amount of money possible to move the home in the shortest period of time for highest price.  We have staged homes that are priced in the millions to homes in the $200s and it is all the same...you just need to figure out what it's going to get the job done.  We ask ourselves...how can we transform a home so that it looks the best it can look...the best in its price point...the best within its competitive set.  Obviously, a home that is priced at $2 million requires a different level of staging than a home priced at $400K....from what goes into the home (quality/level of home furnishings and decorative accessories) to how much you stage (entire home versus a few select rooms).  For vacant homes at the beach we have had great success staging the entire home...that way the realtor can market the home as furnished and it is completely turn key for the buyer...so many of our staged homes have sold that way...they are so beautiful, inviting and equipped that all you need to bring is your toothbrush to move in!!! 

What inspired you in the home?  

Our decorating style is definitely inspired by the coastal homes in Newport, Nantucket and New England...it is what I know and love.  Christine and I don't do "tacky" beach motifs...you will not find flip flops, beach umbrellas, etc. anywhere in our homes.  What you will find are upscale and elegant touches...even in homes that are moderately priced.  Every home deserves to be elegant!  I love textures and items that add warmth and personality.  For our beach homes, we always put textured, woven area rugs down and accent our couches and beds with fabulous decorative pillows. In the bathrooms we love to use woven baskets and roll towels.  New, updated bed linens are a must for any home and can be a great way to convey personality and add color...especially when the walls are builder grade white.   In our signature homes, we always include a Lilly Pulitzer "Essentially Lilly" coffee table book!  And, we always look for those one or two "Tah Dah" pieces for the kitchen and family room...our signature pieces that really demand a second look....these can be decorative accessories...a wonderful brushed nickel crab platter, really great dining room plates, a candle holder filled with shells, etc.  Even if your home is not for sale or staged...I am a firm believer that everyone needs the WOW factor somewhere in their home!!!

What are your top tips for decorating and getting a house sold? 
If you have an occupied home and want to get it sold you MUST eliminate clutter!!  It is the absolute best thing you can do...get a PODS if you have to or a dumpster...just get rid of the stuff/collectibles that are overtaking your house!! If you have a vacant home...consider staging the home with furniture so that it gives a prospective buyer an idea of how to live in the home.  If you use a talented staging company...like Show & Sell...we will stage your house so it shows like a model home!  Our objective is to have a prospective buyer's first impression be a lasting one...we want them to imagine living in the home...to literally want to move right in...we make sure the kitchen and dining tables are beautifully set as if a dinner party was about to begin, we make the bedrooms look inviting and lovely...we pay special attention to outfitting certain bedrooms for children and others for guests...we always place an accent tray and a bottle of wine in the master to give it added ambiance....we create vignettes in rooms that are hard to figure out...we leave no stone unturned...and we get it done quickly and always on budget!!  Oh, one more thought...to anyone who has wonderful crown moldings but the moldings are the SAME color as the paint on the wall...if you can't see the moldings, you won't sell them...consider painting the walls so the moldings pop!!
 For more information on Show & Sell's services and how we can transform and redesign your home...please visit www.shownsellhomestaging.comCLICK HERE or call me at 609-204-8223.  I would be more than happy to help with any interior redesign question or project!!

XOXO

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Happy Preppy Tuesday!

4 Days left to enter my Sorority Give away! click here to enter!

And to celebrate I have another Preppy Post from Guest Blogger Queen Bee Swain. (Don't worry I have another surprise guest blogger later this week). I connect with her spirit and style so much. You can check out her blog here

I'm dying to know how the Queen decorates:

"Carolyn Roehm meets Cape Cod.  Lots of blue and white with lovingly-worn family and antique pieces.  There is nothing quite as crisp inviting as blue and white paired with pieces that have personal history.  It’s put-together and relaxed all at once and has a dash of personal history."

Seriously from these pictures you can tell how much she loves to read and all the personal family heirloom touches! PS I recognize ALL of those pink book covers. I had to run and look up Carolyne Roehm when I saw her answer.

 QBS adds:

"The mirror above the green bookshelf is from Nanny's patio furniture, the jug is from my other grandmother and a couple of the loving cups are from family.

The hutch is totally me- kind of Cape Cod Shabby Chic- found it at a junk store just after I graduated for $150.  

MoMo just about died when I painted the end table next to my bed white- I am highly pro-Gustavian influences in decor (Gustavian is Scandinavian traditional- white painted wooded furniture with a paired-down Louis XIV style).  MoMo is very anti-painting wooded furniture."

That is what I love about decorating. You can mix old, new, expensive and plain old practical. Throw in your favorite family photos, books and you are Chic in my world. Thank you QBS!

Happy Preppy Day to everyone and wear some fab pants and call me if anyone gives you a dirty look!

xoxo

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The Official Preppy Handbook challenge

"Have                                          Have Not"
Uphostered pieces                         Vinyl protectors

worn Oriental rugs                         Wall to wall

Prints of boats, birds                       Abstract art
horses

Museum documented                         Flocked wall paper
18th century wall paper

Lots of old table lamps                    track or spot lighting

Portraits of ancestors                     Portraits of U.S. presidents (unless they are ancestors)

Lots of fireplace equipment            Macrame

Ship models, nautical                     Hummel figurines
memorabilia

Dust                                               Dirt

Dishes of beach glass                         Dishes of candy 

OK so this is the list from TOPH! Love it. Check, check! I pass again with flying colors as I would never dream of having dishes of candy in my house---I would eat it all. Plus, I don't even know what flocked wall paper is or macrame.

Have a preppy Thursday!

xoxo

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The Official Preppy Handbook Preppy challenge

The Home:

"If The Look must be pinned down, the look is English-American, with a dash of seaside resort and women's handicraft. It is where the Chippendale secretary meets the needlepoint covered brick doorstop, and the lobster-trap coffee table meets the prized Kerman rug.  Understatement is essential--perfect proportions and clean lines are preferred over ornate detail. The key words are classic, handsome, patina, and Mother's." *

Mommie's needlepoint foot stool I use every day to reach my sweaters and shoes

Our nautical fish door knocker

Our original ship lantern and mermaid that hang over our front door

Check, check! I've passed another preppy challenge. What Mommie did not give me we have purchased from nautical antique store. It probably helps that we live sea side.

How do you decorate? Do you like to mix in the nautical theme?

xoxo

SC

* all quotes taken from TOPH

The Official Preppy Handbook

"Look, Muffy a book for us."

The Duck Motif

"The duck is the most beloved of all totems. The duck suggests hunting, water, Maine--all things worth thinking about. The basic duck is the mallard. The most common view of the duck is the silhouette, although the duck in flight runs a close second.  Three-dimensional decoys are nearly as popular and may appear as lamp bases, planters, doorstops, candlesticks, and paper-weights."

I am so excited with this chapter of The Official Preppy Handbook!!!!  I literally can't wait to take the pictures and do the post as I go around my house and think of all of the cute items I've been collecting that are so appropriate. Check! I pass this preppy challenge with mallard, duck and beak colors galore!!! I will have to sport my duck shoes next as I continue on--I have more ducks to share!!!  I have them all over the house plus, I'm a huge water loving hunting Maine girl.

xoxo

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all quotes are taken from TOPH

The Official Preppy Handbook

TOPH:
Of Mahogany and Macrame
Decorating Haves and Have Nots

"There is only one look in Prep decorating: Not Decorated. Nothing is consciously coordinated, but everything works together through a successful marriage of utility and excellence.  Furnishings have always been in the family, but are not treated like museum pieces.  Everything is used: The Georgian silver is on the table at meals, the Canton china is chipped regularly by the dishwasher. And not using certain rooms except for special occasions would be like wearing curlers in public."

 

CHECK CHECK!! I pass this preppy challenge with flying colors.

#1 My house is filled with Mahogany

#2 I did not hire a decorator (I wanted to do it myself and save the money)

#3 I've inherited close to 90% of my furniture/art

#4We use all of our rooms/china/silver etc

#5 My furniture boasts some of Husbands nick nacks and they all blended beautifully (or they were thrown out)

This is going to be a fun chapter! I can't wait to show more of my preppy furnishings (just wait until you see all the ducks we have)! What's in your house? Did you get it from Mummy???

XOXO

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