Coupon and Some Thanks

I have made two very amazing friends through blogging, one who lives in my state, and the other, half way across the country.  Today, I want to share with you what my far-away but close at heart friend Abby, of  A Delightful Design, had to say about my Etsy shop, 6 Wilson. 

Because of her generous review of my shop (and the fact that I love her blog), I made it possible for her readers to take advantage of a shopping discount, for a limited time, on my custom pillows.

Just click on the chair, above, and visit A Delightful Design.  When you do that, you can use the coupon, too, and in the meantime, be introduced to a very talented designer :)

Thanks, Abby!  And thanks to my readers for going on over to visit!

A Reader Discount and A Delightful Design

I have made two very amazing friends through blogging, one who lives in my state, and the other, half way across the country.  Today, I want to share with you what my far-away but close at heart friend Abby, of  A Delightful Design, had to say about my Etsy shop, 6 Wilson. 

Because of her generous review of my shop (and the fact that I love her blog), I made it possible for her readers to take advantage of a shopping discount, for a limited time, on my custom pillows.

Just click on the chair, above, and visit A Delightful Design.  When you do that, you can use the coupon, too, and in the meantime, be introduced to a very talented designer :)

Thanks, Abby!  And thanks to my readers for going on over to visit!

Blue and White Rooms

Blue and white rooms are just plain classic.  I never tire of looking at them, admiring them, wishing I had one.  I've used a lot of blue over the years, usually mixed with green, but never have I done it with white.

So, to start this week, I thought I would start with the blues (in the very best sense...)

Source: johndd.com via Carol on Pinterest

This image above is just so gorgeous,  I love every single thing about it.  The scale of the pattern on the host chairs is just perfection, isn't it?

Source: niagaranovice.blogspot.com via Carol on Pinterest

See those checks above?  I don't care what trends come and go, I will always, always, love checks.  I think the casualness of it here is a perfect balance to all the elegant porcelain.

Source: johndd.com via Carol on Pinterest

And the wallpaper above, can you even stand it?  To die for.  Seriously. And the leading edge blue on the drapes is stunning.

The profile on the chair below makes me take a breath.  It is startling, don't you think?  Makes you say "wow" even if you're not crazy about blue, I think.

Source: thehuntedinterior.blogspot.com via Carol on Pinterest

Source: flourishdesignandstyle.blogspot.ca via Carol on Pinterest

So this is what I think is amazing about the image above -- that chest is so authentic, so slightly humble, and it's against a wall with high gloss navy.  And of course, I'm loving those drapes peaking in to the picture (my first love will always be window treatments, even if I'm into pillows, too).

Source: wonderfulpalmettolife.tumblr.com via Carol on Pinterest

Being a topiary freak, I'm blown away by this mantel vignette, above.  Simple and elegant.  I'm all over it.

This final picture puts me in such a serene mood, just looking at it.  Even with the season of greenery behind us, I am smitten with this image, and I want to stay in this room in a bed and breakfast in the mountains.

Source: blueroomlady.tumblr.com via Carol on Pinterest

On Sunday nights, like tonight, I am always a bit blue about starting the week.  Two days off from deadlines and schedules is never enough :)  But, I hope these blue images bring a happy start to your week!

Carol

Sister Parish on 6 Wilson

Sister Parish had great things to say, like the quote on 6 Wilson today.  Click on the logo and come one over...

Thanks so much,
Carol

Sister Parish Said It Best

 

"From the beginning, I never followed trends. If I was aware of them, 

I didn't care, for I believed as I do now, 

that rooms should be timeless and very personal."

 ~Sister Parish

 Isn't that just a brilliant quote?  It caught my attention when I saw it today, because, as a designer, it's what I truly believe.  In fact, it's very much the same sentiment as what I have posted on my Etsy shop, 6 Wilson.  So much so, that I fear you'll think I copied it!

Anyway, this image from Pinterest embodies what Sister Parish was saying.  You really can't tell when this room was put together.  And it will still look fabulous ten years from now.  

  But if this was your room, how would you make it personal to you?  

Maybe you would add one of these pillows on each cream sofa if you want to bring in some of your love of the southwest. (Branches of Bittersweet, too, instead of the flowers, perhaps?)




Or what about adding these to the cream sofas, and putting a cozy light blue throw over the arm of the brown one to tie it all together because you love the color blue and can't live without it. 

 Let's look at the room again...

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

Or, if you can't get enough of layering neutrals,  maybe you just need to add more...




I show you all of this because I believe, really believe, that you should live with things that make you happy, and that your home should be more about your personality than what's overly trendy.  (Of course, if you are a trend-setter to your soul, well, you can find a bit of that at 6 Wilson, too :)

So, do tell, is your home true to you, or do you indulge in the of-the-moment?  And don't fear, I do believe in a bit of the right-now to keep a look fresh.

On the Imaginary Sofa...

I just found this bedroom on Pinterest, and I must be drawn to it, because I had an image of just that chest and mirror on my black and white post the other day!  It must be the New England winter that's making me crave a room like this of my own...

Source: twistmyarmoire.com via Cynthia on Pinterest

And then what I see on the opposite side of this lovely room is this (with the rug coming under its feet) ...

Source: muchtodowithnothing.com via Sandi on Pinterest

And these charcoal pillows from 6 Wilson plumped up on it!!

I think the dark charcoal background would be a great balance across the room to the bed  frame, and the texture, well, it just sings in that cozy space.

I've so been in the mood for cozy.  It's winter.   And I can just see a fire roaring in the fireplace on the other wall in this room.  Oh, and I would be lazing there, with a hot toddy (my winter favorite) and a red plaid throw wrapped around me.  What about you?  Need some cozy?

Before and After -- Master Bathroom

I love before and after's because they give the client a really clear view of how far we've come on a project.  This is the master bath in this house, which I have shown many times on my blog House and Home Defined.

Here's the before...

This is decidedly not my client's style.  They are an eclectic mix of traditional, southwestern, rustic, and places in between.  Everything but the tub and vanity/countertop was going -- a major face lift was in the asking.  My challenge was to capture their tastes and personalities while incorporating the blue-gray tub and carrera.

Here's the after...

All the blue-gray tile is gone, the white tile floor, the window treatments, mirror, and lights.  Woven wood shades are under the cornices.  Yellow and gray prevail, a hold over scheme from the former look, but much softer and more rustic.

What doesn't come through in these images is that the glass accent tile has blue gray in it, and the floor and tub surround tiles are a sandy gold with hints of gray running through them.  (The tub is a much more muted tone than appears here.) The light fixtures have a marble backplate that matches the marble jams in the shower stall, and the chrome accents tie to the other chrome elements in the room.  The custom mirrors have shades of sandy gold and silver in them.

Here's the old view from the bedroom...

And here it is now...

This shot above gives you a better idea of the shading in the tile.

In other news, thank you for joining me here at my new home, 6 Wilson!  House and Home Defined was a labor of love, but I can't keep up two blogs, a full time job as a Decorator,  6 Wilson on Etsy, and mantain my role as wife and mom without loosing my mind, so House and Home Defined is being retired.  Everything I did there, plus news from 6 Wilson, will now be here.

Talk to you soon, my friends!!

Living in Black and White

That's what I'm talking about at 6 Wilson.  Come on over :)

Living in Black and White

It's funny.  I absolutely black and white rooms,  yet I don't have one in my own home.  Instead, I punctuate my rooms with black and cream accents, though it's not the same.  This image below sings to me of home and comfort, because of the humbleness of it and the strength of the black...

Source: hookedonhouses.net via Carol on Pinterest

Black and white floors are so classic I will never tire of them (and the leopard is a total bonus, on a French chair with an orange pillow, no less)...

I imagine I would be happy making some comfort food in this kitchen.  Grand it is not, but full of warmth and so inviting, indeed it is...

I guess I'm in a comfortable-home kind of mood, with the wind chill at 2 degrees outside this evening, because I'm loving these homey images. This next bathroom is a bit more formal, and I'm nuts about it.  It's the wallpaper with the black chest that just gets me, but to make it mine, I'd have a wide plank pine floor and a rustic mirror.

Source: Uploaded by user via Carol on Pinterest

Please, please, fairy godmother of dream homes, can this be my foyer?

Source: bananneliese.tumblr.com via Carol on Pinterest

Okay, so I'm a little all over the map with style in these images, but it's fun to look at how a color scheme works in different homes, isn't it?

Source: lovinglivingsmall.blogspot.com via Carol on Pinterest

Loving these shelves, above.  Totally says "home."

So this next one's not a room, but black and white houndstooth on a channel-back antique chair?  To.Die.

Source: caitlincreer.com via Carol on Pinterest

Well, I could go on and on, but if truth be told, it's Sunday night and the season 3 finale of Downton Abbey is almost on.  So, I have to run.  Clearly.

But before we go, might I just say that you can always add a bit of black and white to your space with a pillow from  6 Wilson on Etsy.  Just sayin....

etsy.com/shop/6wilson

etsy.com/shop/6wilson

Thanks for reading, my friends.  I appreciate it more than you know,

Carol

These Chairs Were Naked

 Yes.  It's true.  These chairs were naked.

And then, two pillows from 6 Wilson were delivered.

And they became dressed.  And all was right in the room.  (This was a real-life re-enactment, in a real client's home.) 

Do you have naked furniture?  Shop Esty.com/shop/6Wilson and save an empty chair's pride.

Construction Matters

So since I'm selling my carefully crafted pillows on Etsy, you really ought to see how they are made.

Construction matters when you are buying quality items, no matter what they are.   I owned a small custom window treatment business years back (another story for another day),  so I know how to sew professionally.  And I'm bringing those skills to my shop.

On the pillow above, for example, the gray velvet and the Schumacher linen in the middle are different weaves - really tight (velvet) and lots of movement (linen).  In order to have a beautifully smooth pillow, the linen needs to be stabilized to get closer to the heft of the velvet.  Sooo....

As you can see, I backed the linen with muslin (super lightweight cotton).  At the seam of the two fabrics, you can see the pattern on the linen from the front.   All seams are serged (an overlock stitch done on a serger sewing machine) to prevent fraying.  Not all fabrics need backing, but all seams are always serged.

A 6 Wilson pillow will always have a well placed pattern.  Sometimes it will be centered,

sometimes the pattern will be placed for greatest impact.

Whenever possible, the back of the pillow will have the the same fabric as the front, and the side seams will match...

And when I use a contrast back,  it will coordinate...

What I do matters to me, whether it's for my shop or for my design clients (I'm still a full time decorator, by the way!).  So, when you add a piece of jewelry to your space in the form of one of my pillows,  you have my promise that it's the best quality I can possibly give you.   And I can't wait for you to see one in person!


Shop 6 Wilson at etsy.com/shop/6wilson