Show Off Your Collection
Baseball cards, My Little Ponies, dinosaur figurines, dolls, and so much more: some of us are born collectors, and we begin accumulating from an early age. As adults, our interests change and diversify, and the resulting collections become a perfect way to personalize our homes. Instead of stuffing your collectibles in a closet or crowding them on a tabletop or mantel, showcase the items that give you pleasure and that make your home unique.
A collection of wax seals might seemed destined for a desk drawer, but we framed sets of them for a cool, historically-influenced yet non-traditional display that beckons guests to come closer for a better look. The wax seals match well with the surrounding rich, warm wood paneling and are offset by gold frames.
In the same home, lighters gathered from around the world (and through time) make a playful, artistic statement when spaced throughout a wall.
Be fearless with what and how you want to frame items in your collection. Vintage swimsuits are too cute to stow away in an old chest. The bold colors and throwback designs make for a nostalgic trip into the past while simultaneously and subtly helping form future dreams of beach time.
We adore the way that a collection of rainbow glasses and goblets becomes the star of this space. Set against a clean, white backdrop, the carefully curated, gradual color changes create an almost magical effect.
Repurposing elements of your collection, as this collector did with her milk glass, is a sneaky way to keep them useful and occupying prime counter real estate. Contrasting with metallic bangles and other multicolored jewelry items, the white of the glass even makes the space appear tidier.
In addition to showcasing goods you have spent a lifetime gathering, displaying your collection is also a great way to keep travel memories alive. Plates selected from antique piles at the Marché aux Puces in Paris or haggled over in a Moroccan medina will find a happy home on walls or in hutches, where they can regularly be admired in their handcrafted, perfectly imperfect glory.
If you have a family heirloom that’s too fragile to frame or in poor shape, consider using the services of Oprah-approved Shana Novak, aka the Heirloomist. A still life photographer, Novak captures beloved and prized possessions (like this wine cork collection) through a distinctive lens and turns them into gorgeous, modern prints.
Got a handbag, hat, shoe, or jewelry obsession? Give your cherished objects some time in the sun, especially when they aren’t often taken out and about in daily life.
Collections help your home reflect your passions and your pastimes, so save the closet space and storage bins for mismatched socks and your kids’ Shopkins, and give your favorite things a chance to shine…and perhaps inspire another collector.
Easy Halloween Decorating During a Pandemic
It’s safe to say that Halloween 2020 is not going to look the same as other years. In some communities, trick-or-treating is banned outright, and in others, the festivities are feeling more than just a little subdued. If you have little ones in your life, however, cancelling Halloween is simply not an option. You can still celebrate this fall favorite and herald the beginning of the holiday season with some home-focused activities.
We are also fans of this modern pumpkin hoop wreath. Both of these can carry your décor through Thanksgiving.
Decorate Outdoors!
Putting up some Halloween decorations well in advance of October 31st will set the festive mood in your neighborhood. We love this dried golden wheat wreath, it’s unique texture will bring warmth to your front door.
Whether your decorations skew creepy, like these oversized spiders, or slightly more playful, like this trio of bate garden stakes, you can create a eye catching display that’s a visual treat for me than just one night.
Encourage friends and neighbors to decorate ahead to make the holiday atmosphere last for several weeks: seeing the spirit of Halloween will cushion the blow of a having a less traditional celebration this year. Your family can walk or drive by decorated houses, perhaps making a game of counting the number of spiders, ghosts, or bats along the way.
Bring the Holiday Home
Especially if Halloween ends up being a home-based affair this year, adding little holiday touches around the house can actually go a long way in keeping the mood feeling festive.
A cozy plaid throw will be in heavy rotation this fall (and is the perfect thing to hide under during the spooky parts of Halloween movies).
We also adore this chic, subtle ghost tassel banner for adorning fireplaces and doorways.
Grab a Pumpkin (or several) and Get to Work.
If pumpkin patches are open in your area and have set up appropriate precautions, going to select your own pumpkins is a time-honored tradition. If not, head to a nearby grocery store and select different sizes or colors, then come home and decorate! Add your finished beauties to your porch or steps to add to your house’s decorations. Even left au natural, pumpkins look great when grouped together. But first…
Make Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.
We love roasted pumpkin seeds: by the handful, folded into granola, sprinkled on salads. We promise they won’t last long however you decide to use them. Here’s a tried-and-true recipe that you can spice up as necessary
Play With Your Food
Halloween-themed food is so easy and so much fun to make, your kiddos may even forget all about the candy. Just kidding, they will definitely remember the candy, but at least they can nosh on these creations in between getting their sweet fix.
Mini Pumpkins: Peel a bunch of clementine. Chop up a celery stalk into small pieces to resemble a stem. Stick a celery piece into the clementine and voila-snackable pumpkins!
Ghost Bananas: This is such a simple and sweet idea. Add two chocolate chips as eyes to a peeled banana.
Mini Mummy Pizzas: Place am English muffin half or a mini bagel half on a sheet pan. Spread on some tomato sauce. Pull apart a cheese stick into shreds and layer/cross the shreds on top to look like mummy bandages. Finally, add two black olives slices as eyes. Toast until warm if desired.
We hope that everyone has a happy and spoooooooky Halloween Season!
5 Reasons to Hire an Interior Designer
In a world of Pinterest boards, readily available internet design apps, and design savvy homeowners, people often wonder why they would even hire an interior designer and if it’s “worth it”. We absolutely think that experienced, professional designers are worth their weight in gold, and we’ve outlined 5 reasons why you should think about hiring one!
1. The price of a good designer is offset by the connections, time savings, and reduction in stress levels!
Decisions, decisions, decisions! When designing a room or a house, you have tons of choices regarding styles, colors, textures, and more. Thinking about designing or redesigning a house or even a room can be so overwhelming that people often end up giving up and living in a space that doesn’t serve them or their interests. We get it: many decisions can’t be taken lightly. Buyer’s remorse, especially for big- ticket items like custom furniture or a whole house paint job, is painful and real (especially because they are often nonrefundable). By talking through the process of what to expect and things to consider as well as using our years of skill-building and expertise with a huge variety of clients, designers can help make the decision process much easier and streamlined. As we get to know you, we can quickly identify what best suits your personality, preferences, and budget and connect you with the resources you need. We also help ensure your projects proceed in a timely, predictable manner and that the final product is one you absolutely adore.
2. We can broaden your style horizons.
There are a multitude of options beyond mass-produced versions such as those at Crate and Barrel or Pottery Barn, and we are constantly learning about new vendors through trade shows, word of mouth from other designers, antique distributors, and social media. The result: your home looks and feels personalized and unique. Instead of having the same pieces as everyone in your neighborhood, we can help you find artists and artisans that perfectly reflect you and your family. Some of these smaller, independent vendors are often able to customize pieces!
3. Our senses of scale, functionality, and proportion are well-honed.
While many people have a great sense of color, getting a sense of scale and size within a space can be tricky. In addition to our formal training, we’ve worked in a huge variety of homes and living spaces and pride ourselves on our ability to make sure a space feels balanced, fresh, and serene. We know all sorts of tricks to make spaces appear bigger, lighter, and more open, and we create rooms and homes that feel comfortable and chic. As a company proudly run by a mom-of-three, we are experts on stylish, family-friendly living and choosing design elements that durable, sustainable, and hardworking.
4. We can help with projects big and small.
On one end of the spectrum, we offer full service interior design for whole house renovations and new construction. We guide you through the whole process from soup to nuts! Having a professional act as your liaison to help handle logistical issues as well as aesthetic ones keeps the process manageable. Tackling whole house redesigns is a challenge we are happy to accept, but we also don’t underestimate the power of even a single room refresh. Whether through adding new window treatments, helping to select new art, or finding the perfect paint color or wallpaper for an underutilized room, we love taking a space that needs a little TLC and make it functional and livable.
5. Designers work WITH you and the pieces you love and don’t push unnecessary changes.
The job of the designer is NOT to clean house entirely and start from scratch with entirely new pieces and products (unless, of course, that’s what your heart truly desires). We strive to incorporate the elements and pieces you currently have and love into the final edit. Because of our expertise and experience, we have innovative ways to incorporate the collections, keepsakes, and new purchases that tell your story. Our clients love that they end up with a marriage of some of their “favorite things” alongside impactful additions or changes. Our specialty: creating a space that still feels like home…but newer, fresher, more inspiring, and representative of the life you and your family are living.
BONUS REASON!
We recently launched another service that brings interior design right to your mailbox, Design Delivered by SH is a flat fee room by room design and decorating service and a great option for all those do it yourself-ers out there. Click the link below to learn more!
