Re-Treat Yourself: Outdoor Living Spaces

In our final salute to July Re-Treats, we are posting some of our favorite luxury outdoor dining and lounge spaces.  Exterior spaces are an excellent way to take entertaining to the next level, as well as extend the usable areas of your home.  Perfect for a summertime al fresco meal with friends or an additional way to bring the family together for dinner.  With styles to suit your lifestyle, outdoor living spaces can enhance your daily activities.  Here are some of our faves?

Via Luxe

Via Traditional Home

Via Style Me Pretty

Via Architectural Digest

Via BHG

If you had to focus on creating either an outdoor dining area or lounge space, which would you chose?  We hope you enjoyed our July theme and check in next week for all the deets for getting back into the swing of things this August.

Have a great day,

Re-Treats: Home Bar

Our ‘Re-Treats’ featured this month is kicking it up a notch today by exploring the fun, entertaining space that can be created with a home bar.  One of my own favorite outcomes of an at home bar is creating your home as the Friday night destination spot for your friends and family!  And you can stock all the items you’ll actually use.  One of the most important things to keep in mind as you envision this space is to have fun with it, it’s a bar after all! Here are some quick tips to imagine this space in your home!

Purpose
So yes, you’ll be entertaining, but imagine just how you would like that to be in your home and the amenities that you require to enhance your lifestyle.  If you’d also like to have a space to prepare coffee and espresso beverages with a dedicated coffee bar or to blend a your favorite beverage with a blender, do it!  Pinpointing functionality is the key to creating a space that will enhance your lifestyle, and hey, our motto is ‘Design to suit your lifestyle’ for a reason!

Storage Area
Whether you are creating your home bar with a bar cart, credenza, or dedicated built-in cabinetry, be sure to give yourself enough storage for all utensils and small appliances you may require.  This allows you to focus on creating a stylized focal point out of the items you would like to display, whether it’s bottle collection, stylized glasses, or other decorative items.

Details, Details, Details Am I beginning to sound like a broken record here?! But it can’t be stressed enough, creating a polished look from head to toe comes from attention to detail and the touches that create intention and harmony.  Texture, pattern, and color are just a jump off points, but imagining your the mood or theme you would like your space to have can help you consider just how those details will complement your space!

Don’t Forget Your Lighting!
From illuminating your display or having just the right angle to enhance a metallic or textured backsplash, your total look comes together with your lighting!  It creates interest, enhances your aesthetic, and can further convey your style and theme for the space.

Via MyDomaine

Via Veranda

Via ML Interior Designs

Via House of Turquoise 

And here is a transitional Butler's Pantry that I just loved bringing to life!

I hope you enjoyed another Tuesday Re-Treat!  Check back on Thursday for our final Re-Treat!  And if you want more at home bar inspiration, check out our Re-Treats Pinterest board!

Have a great day,

Design Retreats: Home Studies & Reading Rooms

So many of us lust after a home library or dedicated reading room to get away from the hustle and bustle and be transported with your favorite author.  The moods a library can evoke are vast as are many of clients’ desires for this space.  From light, airy, and serene to cozy and traditional, there is a style for every home.  And can find their own dedicated space in any home!  Reading nooks are surging in popularity for those looking to maximize their existing space and are still a retreat to steal a little time for yourself.  Check out these styles we love!

Via Alexander Doherty Design

Via Home Adore

Via Charlotte's Own Lindsey Coral Harper

Via Harper's Bazaar

And for small spaces!

Providence Design

This final photo is Karl Lagerfeld's Home Library.  I was so intrigued when I came across it!

Via Flavorwire

What do you think of Karl Lagerfeld’s reading room?  Architectural or mind boggling?  I was absolutely ‘pinspired’ by all the variations of home libraries and reading rooms I saw!  Definitely check out our latest pins here!

Have a great day,

Re-Treat Yourself: Luxury Chef's Kitchen

A luxury kitchen update continues to be on the top of everyone’s wish list.  We all envision having the space and amenities to make life just a bit easier, so you can serve a fresh and health family dinner ready or become the destination entertaining location, because let’s face it, everyone always ends up in the kitchen!

Larger, Custom Designed Pantry
Wouldn’t it be fantastic to have an organized, convenient pantry and not continually find yourself cleaning and organizing and then it immediately returns to chaos?!  Enlarging your pantry space and carefully designing shelves to maximize organization and convenience can truly be one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself!  And can you imagine a bar sink and microwave in your pantry?

Specialty Appliances
Steam cooking, built-In coffee and espresso machine, warming drawers, beverage refrigerators.  The list goes on and on of the ways you can customize your kitchen with the latest and greatest in kitchen appliances.  It’s important to consider your lifestyle and the appliances that will create the largest positive impact on your daily routine.

Don’t Forget the Details!
With space planning and appliances to figure out, don’t forget a luxurious appearance is brought together in the details.  From bringing in luxe metallics to create a mixed metallic masterpiece, (think gold, copper, and bronze finishes that will bring warmth and excitement) or sleek, clean lines, the details can make or break you.  Equally important are finish selections where using texture is key.

Via RW Anderson

Via The Home Bunch

Via 12055 Summit Circle

Via Decorazilla

Via Luxe

We want to hear from you!  What is the one kitchen luxury item you are lusting after?  I can’t say I wouldn’t mind trying the fresh, healthy spin a steam oven could bring. Want more kitchen to drool over? Check out our Pinterest Re-Treat Yourself Board!

Have a great day,

Design Retreats: At Home Gym

We are really re-treating ourselves today with a peek at some fantastic home gyms and some tips for considering your own.  At home gyms are a fantastic way to incorporate health and well-being into your lifestyle with ease and convenience.  And why shouldn’t your home offer a place to promote that!  Here are a few of our quick tips when envisioning your at home gym.

Consider Your Space

Whether you are seeking to transform an existing space or dedicate a space with renovation, you will first and foremost want to consider your space.  Creating a spacious feel in your at home gym regardless of the actual square footage you can dedicate.  We love creating a grander sense of space with mirrors and exciting window treatments!

Simplify Your Selections

Consider what you will truly use!  Rather than go all out on purchasing large gym equipment think about what you will truly use.  Surround yourself with things that will create and enhance your routine.  And don’t forget a space for stretching!

Don’t Forget Your Audiovisual Experience

It wouldn’t be a home gym without an audiovisual system set up to give you great sound on your favorite show, play your favorite tunes, or creating a mood of relaxation for meditation by softly dimming your favorite sconces.  This feature will truly pull you back into the room!

Glamorous 

Via Architecture Art & Design

Contemporary

Via Neumann Mendro Andrulaitis Architects

Transitional

Via Architecture Art & Design

Eclectic

Via Favreau Design

Small Spaces

Via HomeStratosphere

Are you feeling in the mood for a workout now!  I certainly would any one of these at home gyms.  Check out our Re-Treat Yourself Pinterest board to check out more at home gyms and retreat worthy spaces to make you drool.

Have a great day,

Design Retreats: Luxury Bathroom

Bathroom design has been evolving to accommodate the growing desire to elevate a bathroom into an experience that expands far beyond bathing.  Transforming or renovating an existing bathroom to create a relaxing haven complete with furniture, television, sound systems, and fireplaces is growing ever more popular. 

Via Sarah Sarna

Room To Lounge

One way to take your bathroom from a utilitarian space to a luxurious retreat is to devote space to lounging.  Whether that is selecting a bathtub with Chromatherapy, an adjacent dressing lounge and vanity, a fireplace, or wet room, pinpointing what amenity suits your lifestyle is key.  Consider how you would like to use the space and grow from there.  

Via HGTV

It’s All About The Details

From beautiful Carrera marble to brass fixtures, selecting your finishes can really enhance the mood you would like to the space to have.  These selections can elevate your bathroom for a natural, spa like feel or a glamorous dressing area.   The sky is the limit but it all comes together in the details.  

Via Decoist

Via Style Estate

Creating luxury bathrooms are one of my favorite types of projects.  Is there one dream feature you wish your bathroom had?  We would love to hear it!

Have a great day,

Re-Treat Yourself!

As we move into July we are all no doubt craving a vacation!  Whether it's a weekend to the beach or the mountains or even a larger travel adventure, it's the season for retreats!  Retreats are entirely individual and can be a quiet refuge from the hustle and bustle of everyday, an invigorating space to stimulate your body and mind, or even a dedicated space to an activity you enjoy sharing with family and friends.  Since retreats come in so many different forms, why not consider making your own at-home retreat, waiting for you 365 days a year to invoke just that mood and indulge in it!  This month we will be dedicating our blog posts to creating that ideal at-home retreat providing a range of functions with tons of style!  

Every space in your home has the potential to be a retreat, it's simply putting the elements together to invoke that feeling inside.  For instance, why should a laundry room be dull simply because a chore goes on there?  Wouldn't an energetic and vibrant wallpaper that delights and invigorates you make you feel 100x better about doing the dreaded laundry?  That's just one example of how to bring life to everyday spaces and derive a source of energy from them.  To begin our theme, check out some of helpful tips below to get those creative juices flowing!

You May Already Know What You Want
 

Did you recently eat at a restaurant that featured a color you love? Get a peak into a neighbor's powder room and loved their daring wallpaper? Most likely, you've already seen something that you love that can inspire you. Whether it was a painting on a recent gallery trip or a color you can't seem to get out of your head, USE IT!

Function
 

How you will use the space greatly influences the things you put in it.  For instance, if you are seeking to create an at-home yoga studio, you would want to avoid carpet and find a flooring that would best enhance your practice, provide comfort, and be long-lasting.

Via Architectural Digest

Consider Things You Love

Featuring something sentimental is an excellent way to begin defining your space.  Be sure to include at least one piece that makes you reminisce and encourages the mood you would like the space to reflect.  Decorate for you!  

 Re-Treat Yourself!

Indulge and delight yourself, it's your retreat after all!  Whether it's a fun chair with a bold print or a lovely, lacquered etagere in a striking shade, select a piece just for yourself!

Via Carla Lane Interiors

We hope you enjoyed our July Newsletter! Click here to subscribe to our newsletter and stay in the know!

Have a great day,

Creating Your Smart Home

Our final post in honor of the men we love this June came after an incredibly interesting meeting I had with Jim Price of Audio Advice.  With so many different forms of technology we rely on and their presence in almost every room, creating a centralized unit that broadcasts TV and music to every room in your house without the clunky box that you never quite know where to put!  Not to mention, you can even broadcast the same system for outdoor entertainment!  And creating an ideal sound system is the tip of the iceberg!  You can create a complete Smart Home controlling your home security system, interior and exterior lighting, and your heating and cooling system.


With so many options to take advantage of, it  can be difficult to navigate but that's where we come in!  Creating a functional, convenient system to suit your lifestyle with a polished aesthetic will give you more time to spend on things you love, making your home the entertainment destination!  Here are a few media rooms we love to get you inspired!

Via BuzzFeed

Via HGTV

Via The Home Bunch

Via Tracy Hardenburg Designs

Have you ever considered a Smart Home?  Has yours system enhanced you life?  We would love to hear your experiences!

Have a great day,