Play ball

August is a slow-down time of summer. I think “dog days” is the perfect phrase for this portion of the year—the air gets dense the way the hours do, stretching into these long, sleepy afternoons, where the best course of action is to take a lie-down out back or enjoy a cup of iced tea, the condensate cool on the side of the glass. The way you feel these weeks always conjures to my mind some old hound dog lazing on a back porch (though sure, maybe the name influences the image, and not the other way around). The most important part of this season, for me—and really, so much of summer—is baseball.

For those of you who aren’t aware, I’m a baseball fanatic. I’ve been an Orioles fan since I moved to Maryland—I’ve seen the bad years (and boy, were they bad), and I’ve seen the good years, the Cal Ripken Jr. and Brady Anderson years, some of the best baseball you could watch. These last two years have been, I’d say, pretty darn good years for the Orioles. We’ve got Gunnar Henderson (and all due respect to Yankees fans, but he’s my MVP pick over Aaron Judge any day), Adley Rutschmann, Anthony Santander, Cedric Mullins, Corbin Burnes, Grayson Rodriguez—plus, the wild assortment of rookie talent that just never seems to quit. Colton Cowser, Jackson Holliday—what more could we ask of a team? 

Excuse my rambling here. Players aside, I consider a trip to Camden Yards one of the finest experiences available to anyone around Baltimore in the summer. There’s nothing quite like the atmosphere of a ballpark: those big soft pretzels and ballpark fries with Old Bay and vinegar, the vantage point from the third tier railing where the game is so immediate, the cheering (and occasional booing) across the stands. I’ll happily say that many of our summer days have been spent at the park, enjoying the richness and energy of that particular atmosphere, watching the Orioles battle it out, to varying degrees of success. Even in lost games you’ll find something, some moment, some individual success, to root for. It’s always fun.

And after the game, of course, is the coming home. The evening games end well after dark, and the world, outside of the Camden traffic, gets a little quieter. People pull inside, dip the blinds, turn on the kitchen lights, cozy up for another warm summer night. There are a lot of lovely feelings, but one of the finest is returning to your own space, your own habitat, with the good exhaustion of a ball game behind you. 

Whether you’re a baseball fan or not, there’s always something you’re coming home from—maybe a concert, or a movie, or a night out with friends and loved ones. Isn’t it nice, to kick off your shoes, throw on your pajamas, settle comfortably into a place of absolute ease? Home is always there, waiting patiently for your return. If there’s anything I want to do, it’s make sure that your home is exactly that kind of sanctuary, ready to open its arms again when you come back.

Are you looking to find that feeling in your space? Drop me a line—I’d love to help you find the best version of your home.

All said, there’s another game on tonight—the Nationals are coming to town, and it’s time to give them the Birdland reception. I’ll be tuning in from home, this time. For all of you, I hope you have a restful, rejuvenating August. Go O’s!

A high summer treat

Welcome to the sweltering dome of high summer—the palette of the world has been upped a few degrees in saturation. I’m leaning more or less consistently on the blessing of AC, but I do relish a foray into the dense heat of Baltimore, especially to do a little grilling or to venture out to one of the many brilliant farmers’ markets scattered throughout the city. Around this time is when our little back garden really gets going. We’ll have fresh crops of tomatoes and cucumbers for sandwiches and salads (or just snacking), and a wealth of fresh herbs for any dish we could want to make. Pair a fresh cucumber salad with some sun tea and lemonade, add a good book, and you’ve got the makings of my favorite kind of summer indulgence.

It’s a lazy, slow-down, take-it-in time of year, and there are a thousand perfect ways to savor it. Today, I figured I’d let you go enjoy that sweet July indolence, and leave you with a recipe for one of my favorite summer meals, best composed of some of those prime July tomatoes and some farmers’ market bread. It’s quick and easy, and a real treat—enjoy!

Ombré Tomato Bread 

Courtesy of Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

• A loaf of your favorite rustic bread—we use ciabatta

• 2 cloves of garlic, sliced in half

• 2-3 lbs. of heirloom tomatoes, ideally in an array of colors

• Olive oil

• Flaky sea salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Fresh basil to garnish (optional, but very tasty)

Instructions:

1. Slice your loaf in half the long way, like you’re making a massive sandwich.

2. Grill, with sliced side down, until toasty. If you’re not using your grill right now, a broiler works too. You want a nice crisp surface.

3. Rub the toasted side of your bread with the cut side of the garlic cloves—to imbue some garlicky flavor—then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4. Slice your tomatoes, as thin as you can get them. Hold on to any accumulated juice—drizzle that over the bread.

5. Arrange your tomato slices on the bread. This is where the ombré comes in! Lay them out to make a lovely color gradient.

6. Drizzle a little more olive oil over top, then sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper.

7.  Slice into wedges and serve!

The best and simplest—and most summery—open-faced sandwich you’ll ever have. 

And drop me a line if you’d like to talk home design! If you need me, I’ll be enjoying this weather (in moderation, I think).

Sending my best for your long, hot summer days.

Dining room, evolving

The dining room is evolving, and it always has been. Picture, if you will, the most classical formal dining room you can think of—for me, this calls to mind a sort of Regency-era atmosphere, involving dark polished wood, brocade-backed seats, crystal chandeliers, and posh British drama spoken in mild voices over a five-course meal. I’ll admit that I am thinking about Downton Abbey (an enduring favorite show), but the notion is still there. The idea of an old-style formal dining room conjures up certain aesthetic imagery that doesn’t necessarily apply to today’s dining rooms. And let’s be clear, there’s a lot of change that’s happened between then and now—a formal dining room of the 60’s might feature sleek mid-century modern furnishing, a Sputnik-style overhead light, cream fabrics and warm woods. In the past, the aesthetic of the dining space has flowed with the times. Now, we’re seeing a new change: a change in function.

Today’s dining rooms are something of a different beast. Typically, we take our meals in more variable, and often more casual, places. The kitchen island or counter has fast emerged as the new mealtime venue of choice—it’s also not uncommon to settle in for a meal in front of the TV with your latest favorite show on (we partake in that sort of dinnertime entertainment in our house plenty). When we turn back to our dining rooms now, they emerge as slightly different creatures, whose purpose broadens to suit our immediate functional needs. The dining table, with its vast open space, makes for a good spot to settle in for work-from-home duties, or putting together a puzzle. In our house, our dining table ends up more often than not becoming a craft station—you’ll probably find the middle stages of a sewing project laid out there, or trays of beads for bracelet-making. When we have special company, usually around holidays or other home-centric celebrations, we clear the space and use the table for, well, dining. But the rest of the year, we’re usually asking more of the dining room than has been asked of it before.

And increasingly, the dining “room” isn’t so much its own room as it is a conjoined area with the kitchen. The most common iteration of the dining space is one folded neatly into the open-concept kitchen, whose borders flow freely into the area of the dining table. This shift has made our homes more communal—we’re able to chat and coexist in the cooking space and the consuming space in one, spend time together while we prepare a shared meal in a way that closed-off, delineated spaces allow less. Our dining-kitchen area is open-concept, which I’ve really enjoyed. My daughter can work on her projects while I’m doing some baking in the kitchen, and we can listen to the same albums and make conversation. 

So all these new fluctuations in function—what do they mean for the state of the dining room? Is the dining room’s sun beginning to set?

I certainly don’t think so. The way we live and move through spaces is an ever-changing thing—as our world changes, so do our routine practices, and in conjunction, so do our needs at home. Today’s homes are undoubtedly different from the homes of the past, and that’s okay! Adaptability is a good thing.

And at the end of the day, the dining space is still a space of real purpose and utility. You might not take every breakfast and dinner there, but having the capacity to sit more visiting friends and family for those special occasions is invaluable. The singularity of the dining room is expanding into a lovely multi-dimensionality. We view our dining spaces now as multi-function—they handle our special occasions, and our day-to-day operations, when we just need somewhere to sit and sort bills or play board games. The dining room is willing to change with us—what more could we ask?

A note on design: sometimes the sense of “formality” in the dining room can be foreboding. It can feel like you have fewer avenues in which to express your own style—you’re more constrained by a certain set of aesthetic guidelines around what “formal” really feels like. These blended spaces alleviate some of that feeling—they’re a little more relaxed to start with—but generally, you shouldn’t worry about the perceived rules of dining room styles. It’s your home, after all, and especially with the new flexibility of the modern-age dining room, the aesthetic options are as unlimited as they are in the rest of your home!

Are you ready to take your dining room to the next level? Drop me a line! Let’s talk—and let’s make your dining room really work for you.

Never fear—the dining room is here to stay. It’s just changing its coat.

Walking the gallery

It’s hard for me to pick a favorite museum. I’m lucky enough to live in a city that has plenty to offer—the Walters, the BMA, the American Visionary—and be close to a coastal wealth of them, especially in New York, where I’d admit I’m most inclined to the MOMA. Spaces of art are rich in experience for us. As we pass through them, we come in contact with the density of history, the hand of the artist, a new aesthetic encounter that shapes how we feel and think. These are places of inspiration, places of feeling and evocation. To spend a little time in an art gallery is to feel the wonderful expanse of humanity, and to see beauty in ways you might not have thought to see it before.

And it’s no surprise that we so often want to bring home a piece of that beauty for ourselves (museum gift shops must really make a killing). Art in the home is not only a great way to amplify the aesthetic quality of your space, but also a perfect opportunity to cultivate your home to best express you and your unique array of tastes and styles. A gallery wall—the topic of today’s post—is one of the most fun design elements to create, and a perfect way to add character to your spaces.

A gallery wall is the optimal point for personal expression, in large part because it’s so defined by the hand of its curator. Perhaps you consider yourself a minimalist—by all means, stick to a sleek selection of black-and-white prints, neatly arranged. Tilting more towards maximalism? Layer paints, framed curios, mirrors, and hey, maybe even an interesting tapestry.  There’s no limit to customization when it comes to gallery walls. Today, I have a few tips for you to help make your gallery wall experience museum-quality!

First off, logistics. Dedicate your gallery wall location with intention—and don’t limit yourself to convention. A broad blank wall space could be perfect, but also consider the out-of-the way nooks—the tops of stairwells, the sides of window seats—that might benefit from some flair. Figure out the space you have to work with, and then get to the fun part: picking your art!

Don’t restrict yourself to what’s deemed standard in the world of wall hangings. There’s more that can be put up than just paintings in frames. Have some fun trinkets you’d like to display? A small shelf can be a part of your gallery wall, just like any other piece of art. Vintage signage more your wheelhouse? The right vintage piece will add that perfect retro feel that you’ve been craving. This is the part of the process where it’s all about you: your style, your vibe, your aesthetic preferences, your sense of self. A gallery wall shouldn’t overpower your space or make unreasonable demands—it should harmonize with your pieces to add another brilliant layer to your home, and make it all the more you.

After you’ve selected your pieces, it’s time to arrange them. It can helpful to lay them out before you commit to putting nails and hangers in your wall—you can spread your pieces out on a clear area of your floor to get an idea of how you want to slot things together, and assemble a set of measurements and spacings which you can then lightly mark on your wall in pencil, or line out with painter’s tape, which will keep your paint job safe and let you get a real idea of how the shapes will sit once they’re up. Start with the largest pieces and accessories, whose shapes have the largest profile and will serve as anchors for the rest of your art. Then shuffle in your smaller pieces to form a cohesive gallery selection!

Looking for a hand curating a space in your home, art and furniture and all? Drop me a line and let’s talk!

A trip to a museum is a lovely treat—what’s even lovelier is having your own personal museum, right in your own home. 

Clarksville Construction

There’s nothing more valuable to community structure than local business—as a local business myself, I really appreciate the dedicated energy and attention that goes into maintaining a business, and the labor of love it is to foster those community ties. Local family companies are the backbone of our towns and represent the best of our ideals. And in that vein, I’m delighted to tell you all that I’m collaborating with a great local family owned business: Clarksville Construction Services.

Clarksville Construction Services began as a two-man business in 1999—today, CCS is a team of 30+ experienced professionals, amply qualified to handle your home projects. CCS is a design build company and does beautiful work—I’ve seen it myself!—creating additions, kitchens, bathrooms, decks, finished basements, and more. Like Woodside Home, they’re all about personal service tailored to your home needs. They listen to you, first and foremost—no sales tactics here. And more than that, they’ve got a track record of reliable, punctual, as-promised service. When CCS makes your plan with you, they deliver. As a designer, I respect not only their commitment to excellence, but their commitment to their clients. That’s a top priority.

CCS is a superb family owned business, and I can’t recommend them enough. The next time you’re in the market for a new kitchen, finished basement, upgraded bath, or that new addition to your home you’ve always wanted, give them a call!

And, as part of our partnership, I’ll be working with them to help interested clients from the very beginning of the process. With early access to layouts and floor plans, I’ll be able to get to work on your home design project before completion. That way, your home will be finished, A to Z, in a timely, cohesive manner.

I’m so excited to be working with CCS—do check out their website, clarksvilleconstruction.net.

Take a seat

The chair is the stalwart draft horse of the furniture world. Consider the chair’s inarguable necessity—where would we be without it? Standing around our dining tables or bowing over our desks, wreaking havoc on our lower backs? The chair is the ultimate functional piece, adaptable to any room in your home, any spot you might want to rest your feet (and in a pinch, it’ll get you up to that high shelf to grab the baking sheet or extra glass you’re after). We tend to view chairs through this function-oriented filter—after all, their ubiquity and versatility are born from that innate sense of exact purpose.

But why limit the chair’s reach, its breadth of form? The chair can still easily excite us with unique design features, curious shapes and colors, all while retaining that perfect ease of use that makes the chair— well, a chair. Today, I thought I’d talk accent chairs with you. Let’s get to know the chair’s scope of possibility!

There are few basic types of chairs: slipper chairs, smaller armless chairs usually found in bedrooms; wingback chairs, everyone’s favorite dramatic armchair (or ideal reading nook); club chairs, typically roomier and often leather, fit to sink into; and the classic swivel chair (supposedly invented by Thomas Jefferson!). Any and all of these chair types can themselves become an accent chair.

What an accent chair really represents is an opportunity to have one of those wow moments in a corner of your home. Accent chairs typically embrace unique design shapes and particularly unique colors—a strong design choice turns your average sit-down spot into a feature, a place in your room that adds personality and helps define not only the aesthetic of the space, but the tenor of your home, which reflects you and your tastes.

You can make a variety of particular design choices when developing the perfect accent chair for your space. Let’s run through the gamut of options—a mix-and-match set of decisions can be combined to make the chair of your dreams!

Fabric — No furniture selection would exist without, of course, the ever-recurring task of considering your fabric options. When it comes to accent chairs, you have the opportunity to explore the wilder realms of color, pattern, and texture. Want a pop of brilliant color? Leap into jewel tones or saturated hues that shine against the rest of your room’s color palette. Looking for visual texture? Embrace funky patterns in all varieties—stripes, florals, the world’s your oyster! Here at Woodside Home, we have access to a massive selection of fabrics that are both durable and beautiful, so don’t feel worried about limits—there are none!

Arms — There’s more to a chair than the fabric, of course. A chair of unique shape can function as a lovely accent piece just as much as one in a bold tone or print. There are a vast array of style options for chair arms—paneled, pleated, sock, saddle, track with nails, scrolls, slopes, and beyond—each of which has its own sensibility and its own individuality. If you want something with a more neutral color, consider mixing it up with your arm shape to keep that dose of visual interest that keeps the “accent” in “accent chair”.

Legs — And on the topic of form, let’s not forget the vast array of options available when it comes to leg styles. Chair legs can really set the tone of the piece as a whole. A simple, sleek leg will bring with it a modern, streamlined feel. An ornately carved leg adds some vintage flair that can add a little classical chic to your space. Attention to these detailed choices can help you find your way to the perfect accent chair—and we’re here to help you keep from feeling overwhelmed.

Details — But wait, there’s more! There’s a plethora of details—piping, fringe, tufting, nailhead trim, and more—that will contribute something to your final accent chair. It’s all up to you—your tastes, your preferences, dictate the whole picture, so you end up with the perfect seat.

Ready to spice up your chair selection? We’d love to help you sort through the sea of options and suss out the accent chair made just for you—drop me a line and let’s talk!

The stalwart chair will always serve us faithfully—don’t be afraid to let it shine.

Free to be colorful

This time of year — with the tulips and daffodils, purple clover and apple blossoms — certainly speaks the language of color. All around us, flower beds and parks are dressing up in their green and yellow and blue finery. The cherry blossoms have bloomed in DC, carpeting the paths in that sweet soft pink. Color populates the world in profusion, and I often find myself inspired to catch a little of it to keep indoors, whether with a new art find at a local shop or just with a vase of fresh-cut orange chrysanthemums.

Color has long been understood to affect not only the visual aesthetics of our surroundings, but the way we feel in and move through them. Shades of blue tend to be soothing and centering; greens can be invigorating, refreshing; softer, lighter neutrals can make spaces feel more open, more peaceful. The way your space is colored has a real effect on your mood, so when you think about colors for your home, what you’re really thinking about is how you want each room to feel. It can be a lot to consider!

When you’re considering home design, you want to aim for a nice sense of aesthetic cohesion, and operating from a unified color palette can go a long way towards achieving that put-together sense while still suiting your specific tastes. A foundational color palette gives you a baseline — a standard against which you can measure your color choices for things like lighting, fabrics, and hardware. This way, you end up with a lovely sense of harmony, where the various tones and shades of your tables and art are concordant with your walls, ceiling, and molding.

Now, it’s not about total homogeneity — a whole-house paint plan doesn’t entail painting every wall in every room the same color. Each room in your home has different functional needs, and a different goal atmosphere. That energizing sage green you put on an accent wall in your kitchen — a place of activity, where you often find yourself in motion — might not quite suit a bedroom, where you’d like to cultivate a more placid, restful atmosphere. And besides, all one color? Where’s the fun in that?

When you plan your home’s color scheme, you do want to repeat some color elements throughout, to help build that sense of unity. You can diversify your palette by considering the aesthetic and functional goals of each room (as in the kitchen/bedroom example), which will allow you to branch out a little without losing cohesion. Accent walls are great ways to add pops of different, more striking color — or wallpapers, too — without sacrificing harmony in your home. 

First, you’ll want to select the color or colors for your common areas — your living room, your kitchen, and sometimes your dining room. If you’re working with a smaller footprint or an open floor plan in which these rooms are all connected, you might want to opt for one color for all of them. If you’ve got more subdivision and more wall space to play with, you can broaden the palette. Since these rooms get the most traffic, they make a great anchor around which to build the rest of your paint plan.

After you set the starting point, you can move on to considering colors for adjoining secondary spaces — offices, bathrooms, and bedrooms (and your dining room, if it wasn’t part of your common area color plan). This is where you can start adding more to your palette, and specializing your color selections to fit the sensibility of each space. Bedrooms are a great place to experiment with color, since those rooms are so personal to the user. 

And then — accent colors! Accent colors can go on specific walls, or define specific rooms (which then function as accents themselves — think a fun pop of color in a guest bathroom or a home office). You can even consider an accent color on your front door! It can help to pull accent colors from the specific decor of the room. For instance, if you have a lot of blue tones in your furniture in a room with neutral walls, a complementary accent wall could really make those blue pieces pop.

Designing a home paint plan can be a lot to consider — which is why designers like me are here to help! Looking to get a paint plan for your whole home? Drop me a line and let’s chat! I’d love to help you put your palette together.

In the meantime, I hope your spring is beginning to bloom. Take some time to relish in the brilliance of the season!

Mount Vernon Flower Mart

The azaleas have gotten an early start this year — already, in front beds and gardens, their rich pinks and red are spilling into the air, bright studies in pointillism. Myself, I’m a longtime gardener, and so this time of year has an extra layer to it. Now we prep the pots and beds, start mulling over what we want and where it’ll go, and sooner or later make an excursion to the local nursery to stroll through the humid greenhouses and long trays of petunias, flox, marigolds, in search of whatever strikes our fancy. It’s one of those yearly rituals that defines the season, gives the year some shape. 

With the spirit of gardening—and really, spring—in mind, I wanted to take today’s post to recommend to you one of my favorite Baltimore events: the Mount Vernon Flower Mart.

The Flower Mart is a steadfast classic on the Baltimore calendar of happenings. It’s been around since the early 1910’s, and over a hundred years later, is still going strong. The Washington Monument circle in Mount Vernon, right by Peabody, blossoms with vendor tents selling not only a cavalcade of fresh floral companions, but local jewelry, wall art, and food (a special favorite of ours has to be the Ekiben truck). The atmosphere is thick with the perfume of blooms and the cheerful chatter of renewal, the energy of warmer weather and clearer sun. And, on top of that, Flower Mart features a Baltimore classic: a lemon stick. For the uninitiated, this treat consists of a halved lemon and a peppermint stick through which you suck up the lemon juice, creating a sweet-sour-sharp delight in the mouth. The lemon stick dates back to time immemorial—and if you’re local, odds are you’ve had one in your time!

Flower Mart has been a part of our lives for ages. In our photo albums are pictures of my daughter and her friends, all little, enjoying lemon sticks and the painterly colors of the market. I hope Flower Mart can bring that kind of easy joy into your month, too!

Flower Mart runs May 3-4 from 11 AM to 8 PM, at the Washington Monument in Mount Vernon.

And besides, a little bit of landscaping goes a long way towards making your home all the more charming. Check it out!

Let there be light

The first place we really learn the power of lighting, I think, is the movies. Growing up (and now, in my adulthood), I watched a lot of vintage film noir, especially The Thin Man series of detective stories. Those old movies — noir in particular — always had a masterful grasp on how light and shadow defined a scene. The dewy soft-focus haze for our leading ladies; the thick chiaroscuro of bad guys; the stripes of slatted blinds across the silhouette of a hard-boiled PI. Light in a space changes the way we engage with that space, and the feeling that space gives us. An easy modern example: who among us hasn’t felt a little unpleasant under the continual fluorescent glow of a waiting room? Or, on the flip side, enjoyed the cozy yellow-gold of our favorite cafe in the evening hours?

Light is how we understand environments — our visual processing is defined by the reflection, absorption, and decoding of light. So when you’re considering lighting in your home, the importance of good lighting choices really can’t be overstated! Today, I wanted to talk a little about lighting: what to think about, what to look for, and how to find the best lighting for your home.

In general, there are three types of lighting: ambient, task, and accent. 

Ambient lighting is your base layer — your general illumination, from things like windows and recessed ceiling lights.  Chandeliers and pendants, as well as recessed lights, are the typical modes of introducing ambient light in your space. Think of ambient lighting like the underpainting in a picture. It provides the unified ground over which your other lighting choices will play, adding depth and levels. 

Task lighting provides targeted light in specific areas of your house, especially in places where you want a clear view (think lighting over kitchen islands, or your bedside lamp). As the name suggests, task lighting is task-oriented. Need a clearer view over your kitchen counters? Looking for good dining table illumination? Task lighting is there to make those cutting boards and dinner plates clear and visible. Sconces, lamps, and under-cabinet lighting — all typically intended to provide ready functional light — are task lighting standbys.

Accent lighting is just that — an accent, good for picking out certain architectural or visual features in your home and creating focal points. Accent lights can be sconces or lamps, like task lights, but can also be track lights and picture lights, whose focus is more directed and can be used to spotlight art. Accent lighting is all about finding the unique features of your space and showing them off!

When you start figuring out your interior lighting, it’s ideal to layer all these lighting types to create a textured light that serves all the functions you need it to. For instance, you might have a living room with wide windows and recessed can lights, and augment this with a table lamp or two by your sofa (task lighting, for when you want to cozy up and read) and a picture light to really make that perfect piece of artwork on the wall shine. 

And layering light isn’t limited to having all the lights on at once. Ideally, your ambient and accent lights are on dimmers, allowing you to more delicately shape the lighting of your space — and with variations on which lights are on and off, your space should take on new characters and reveal lovely new facets. Lighting can do a lot of heavy-lifting in terms of making a room both highly refined and adeptly functional. Cohesion in your lighting is an absolute must!

If you’re ready to talk lighting for your home, drop me a line anytime — I’d love to talk about the right way to make your space glow!

Never underestimate the value of good lighting. A little silver screen magic never hurts.

The great outdoors

Spring is springing — you can feel it in the air. Something about the texture of the light starts to shift this time of year. Fall and winter’s sharpness starts to soften into the glowy clarity of new growth, warmer days, energized rhythms. I, for one, have always been a lover of winter — with its coziness, its interiority, and the perfect delight of a mug of something toasty — but I can’t deny that these brighter days are a welcome change. There’s that rich, fresh smell on the breeze, and the crocuses are starting to shake off their dirt coats and open their fine purple petals. It’s always a nice feeling, just stepping into spring, even if March insists on all that lion-like roaring. I find myself more and more inclined to spending time outdoors, preparing my garden for April and May and June, or just taking the time to walk to my favorite local coffee shop instead of driving. 

After the restoration and interiority of winter, I think spring beckons to all of us in the same way, calling us back to the great green outdoors. Our homes can open themselves to this verdant spirit, too — we open our windows and spend our time on our porches and stoops, drinking it in, letting the freshness float through our rooms. This makes it a ripe time of year to start thinking about our outdoor spaces: our patios, our pergolas, our backyards. 

You might have the most resplendent gardens and the spiffiest front lawns, but until you have the right furnishings, the space never quite feels finished. Outdoor furniture is a specialized notion, and there are a lot of things you want to keep an eye out for when you’re on the hunt for that perfect patio chair. Today, I thought I’d take a minute to give you some tips and tricks on how to find the right outdoor furniture for your home needs!

1. Weather-resistance

Outdoor furniture spends its time— well, outside! So when you’re picking your outdoor pieces, keep in mind that certain materials — poly, and woods like acacia, teak, and eucalyptus — handle the weather better than others. Poly furniture holds up all on its own — wooden pieces will require a bit of yearly maintenance, but can make beautiful additions to your outdoor arrangements. Look for fabrics rated for outdoor use and weather-resistance.

2. Durability

On the topic of weather: you want your outdoor furniture to be heavy-duty, so it can withstand the many whims of your local climate, especially winds and storms. You don’t want to end up chasing that cheap plastic lawn chair halfway around the neighborhood! Look for pieces with some heft to them, so they’ll stand up to blusters and be sturdy enough to last you many years. Typically, outdoor cushions that tie down to the base piece are best.

3. Color

Your outdoor space can be curated exactly the same way you’d curate an indoor space — in fact, keeping an eye on colors and tones that suit not only your tastes but your surrounding natural environment will help creative a beautiful cohesion that can enhance your outdoor experience. Don’t be afraid to weave some color into your patio furnishings!

4. Comfort!

Above all, you want your outdoor pieces to be comfortable, both physically and aesthetically. When choosing your hammock, your sling chairs, your outdoor sofas, and any other piece intended for frequent use, make sure it’s as comfy as the pieces you’d want in your home. Make sure, too, it’s true to you! 

Looking to revitalize your patio or your porch? I’d love to help you find the perfect outdoor pieces — shoot me an email! Let’s talk!

As for me, I think I’ll go take a long walk in this crisp new sunshine. Wishing all of you a March season that isn’t too terribly windy!

America Craft Made: Baltimore

Winter is receding into a frosty memory — theoretically, that is — and as the days get nice and long and the air a little warmer, community events are springing back into action. That in mind, I wanted to take this quick blog post to highlight an upcoming Baltimore event: American Craft Made, coming to our fair city’s Convention Center from March 15-17th of this year!

American Craft Made is a series of markets produced by the American Craft Council, a nonprofit whose aim is to support artists and their craft. Baltimore is the flagship marketplace of the ACC — this year will be its 47th year! The Baltimore marketplace features the work of local artists and craftspeople, and is an immersive, interactive experience designed to showcase our plethora of wonderful local work. There are some changes to the marketplace this year — including these new springtime dates — that are sure to brighten your experience! The marketplace’s entrance has been moved to the gorgeous Charles Street lobby, with its brilliant natural sunlight and fresh fountains, right at street level. Plus, the ACC has upgraded the event floor plan to include cozy visitors’ lounges (for anytime you want to sit a spell).

The marketplace features vendors and artists of all ilks — you can expect to find ceramics, clothing, furniture, glassware, studio art, basketry, woodcrafts, fine jewelry, and more. All work is handmade and reflective of the unique vision of its maker or community. You’ll find pieces like no other here! The marketplace also offers hands-on activities with local crafters, so you can really get the full artist experience.

This is one of my favorite Baltimore events — I never go without finding some unique, lovely piece that I’m sure to cherish. For those of you in the DMV, I’d say, come check it out!

And if you’ve got that eye for the unique — the personal, the custom, the you — send me an email anytime, and we can bring that brilliant individuality to your home!

All that said — hope to see you there!

Bedroom sanctuaries

This little factoid has been passed around quite a lot, but in context of today’s post, it bears repeating: we spend about ⅓ of our lives sleeping, which means that we’re certainly spending a not-insignificant amount of time in our bedrooms.  And even discounting the time we’re snoozing, our bedroom is the place where we start our days, often where we prepare for them, and where, every evening, we end them, so we might face the next one.  It’s worth emphasizing that our bedroom does a lot of heavy lifting in our day-to-day lives — and with that in mind, we really should be giving them some thoughtful attention.  Your bedroom should be your sanctuary, so today, I thought I’d give you some tips on how to make that happen.

1. Give yourself a neutral canvas

Starting with neutral colors is a great way to create a foundation for a calming space.  Think pale tones, grays and camels, eggshell and cream.  These colors are simple and soft, and work with most anything, so if you change up your palette on your bedding or your furniture, it’ll all still form a cohesive picture.  Plus, these neutrals help bring a peaceful, relaxed air into your space, which makes them perfect for a bedroom, where peace and relaxation are top priorities.

2. Let there be light

Our circadian rhythms are governed by the day-night cycle, and follow changes in natural light to tell us when to get sleepy and when to get a fresh jolt of morning energy.  With that in mind, it’s ideal to keep as much natural light in your bedroom as possible.  Roman shades, or similar cloth shades, can help allow in a soothing amount of sunlight for a gentle wake-up without glare from neighboring lights or other extraneous light sources.  When thinking in terms of electronic light, it’s best to keep lights warm and soft — harsh light, and especially electronic blue light, disrupts your sleep cycle and can keep you up.  Go for gentle light, and reap the benefits of healthier sleep.

3. Embrace natural materials

Natural textiles — linen, down, silk, cotton — are often the best options for creating a cozy feel.  Lean into those organic textures and woven fabrics, especially in bedding, where it’s nice to have fabrics that naturally breathe.  Layer your bedding up to prep for variations in sleep-temperature preference (or depending on your local climate).  And the use of natural materials doesn’t have to stop there — touches of wood, whether in furnishings, wall panelings, or accent decorations, amp up the warmth and comfort of any room, and can bring another layer of serenity to your sanctum.  Consider, even, a houseplant or two, just to bump up that organic feel.

4. Add a rug

For me personally, there’s nothing tougher than a cold floor on your feet first thing in the morning, especially here in Baltimore where it can get pretty chilly on winter nights.  An area rug will not only curb that less-than-ideal experience, but will also dampen sound in the room and add a gentle texture, helping make your bedroom a place of real repose.

5. Consider atmosphere

A little bit of lavender in the air can go a long way to making your bedroom as tranquil as can be.  Keeping electronics at bay — not always easy, of course — can also help preserve a soothing environment, separated from the rest of your life.  Small details like that can really help turn your bedroom into the perfect place to settle into at the end of the day, and the most refreshing atmosphere to greet in the morning.

I’d love to help you make your bedroom the haven you deserve — send me an email anytime, and we can talk design! 

Pretty in pink

February is the harbinger of Valentine’s Day, and with it, an onslaught of that most sweet, effervescent color: pink.  Ever since the crowning of Rose Quartz as Pantone’s 2016 color of the year, pink has retained a place in fashion and design trends — particularly that muted, blush pink that gives us pink in a subtler mood.  Pink is fun, but more than that, it’s versatile — it can give us elegance, femininity, and muted refinement, or it can give us a brilliant pop of color perfectly suited to the set of Barbie.  Whatever you want, pink can often provide.  So what are some of the best, and easiest, ways to take advantage of this color trend?

1. Keep it small

If you’re just beginning your foray into the usage of pink in your space, keep it simple and start with the small stuff.  Pink, especially the ubiquitous dusty pink of modern design trends, can function similarly to a regular old neutral like beige or white, and so will play nicely with existing colors and furniture, especially in controlled doses.  Try out some pink throw pillows, or a lamp with a rose-gold base.  A pink accent piece, like an armchair, adds that gentle color without requiring a total room overhaul.  In bedrooms, pink textiles and comforters can be cozy and sweet.  Dip your toe into the water and give pink a trial run — see how you like it.  

2. Embrace pink in your functional spaces

Kitchens and bathrooms — often the more utilitarian spots in your home — make great grounds for incorporating pink into your life.  Who can forget the pink tubs and sinks of a classic 50’s bathroom, or the chrome and pink refrigerator some more artsy vintage kitchens love to include?  Of course, you needn’t go all-in on pink appliances to bring color into these functional spaces.  These are great spots to experiment with pink accessories and decorations — towels, bathmats, shower curtains, and displayed glassware can all bring pink into your life.  Feeling pretty in pink?  Go for a statement and opt for those pink appliances!

3. Bust out the paintbrush, or the wallpaper

A statement wall can bring a bold artistry to a room.  If you’re feeling the call of pink, a wallpaper with pink can really say something, and say it in a fresh, chic way.  And your wall modifications don’t have to be traditional Valentine’s pink — a dusky rose or muted blush will function just like a neutral wall, while also adding a warm, modern feel.  The color of a room really sets the tone, and if you like what pink has to say, it can make the perfect backdrop over which to set your furniture and art.

4. Always consider hue

When considering pink, the particular hue is of real importance.  Pink is a broad color category, and because of this, you’ll want to be specific about the kind of pink you decide to bring into your home.  Are you interested more in the subdued tones of a desert-y pink?  Do you yearn for flashes of flamingo?  Picking the right hue will affect the way pink meshes into, or defines, your space, so a mindful approach to selecting your desired shade can go a long way.

5. Think floral

Not looking for a big pink commitment, but still interested in being part of the trend?  A fresh bouquet of pink flowers — carnations, tulips, peonies — is a perfect way to get that pop of color without great expense or major interior changes.

If you’d like a hand curating the pink accents and pieces of your dreams, send me an email and let’s talk!  

‘Tis the season to let pink into your life.  I, for one, will be investing in some tulips.

How’s it go again?

Let’s you’re looking to start this fresh new year with a fresh new look – a new armchair, some brighter window treatments, maybe a whole ground-floor redesign.  Well, at Woodside Home, we want to help you do just that.  But how exactly, you might be wondering, does that work?  Today, I wanted to walk you through the steps of the Woodside Home process.  Our tried and true methods are meant to keep your project stress free and on schedule!

So here’s how we roll.

1. Book a call

Your first phone call with Woodside Home is an opportunity for us to see if we’re a good fit for your project.  We’ll go over what you’re looking for, your deadline, and your budget, and figure out the best way we can work together.  Once all that’s settled, we’ll move on to your formal consultation.

2. The consult

Once we’ve got an idea of what it is you’re after, we’ll schedule a virtual meeting, or meet with you at your home or place of business, to talk in more detail.  We’ll consider the space (or spaces) to be designed, the pieces you’ll need, your aesthetic inclinations and personal style, and get into more of the nitty-gritty of your budget.  Once we have all that information well in hand, it’s time for us to take the next step: the design plan.

3. Assembling your design plan

This part’s all on us.  With the facts and figures you’ve given us during your consultation, we’ll put together a full design plan for your project, custom tailored to you and your needs.  This typically takes about two weeks, though depending on the scale of your project and our schedule it might take a little longer.  Your design plan will be available to you on a personal portal, where we’ll be posting designs and you can share photos, inspirations, and questions and comments about potential selections.  This kind of collaboration is a cornerstone of the Woodside Home process!  It’s your home, after all – you should be able to keep tabs on the design process, and pick pieces and palettes you love.

Once you’re happy with your design plan, it’s on to step four.

4. Approval!

When you give us the go-ahead, we order your furnishings and materials.  As soon as all your pieces are in, and have been inspected to make sure they’re up to par, we arrange for white glove delivery of all your perfect new items, as well as professional window treatments installation for your fresh shades and draperies. 

All that’s left for you to do is sit back and wait for that final transformation!

Four simple steps – that’s all that it takes for you to get a brand new look for your home.  Ready to get started?  Take that first step and shoot us an email!

Here’s hoping your January is crisp and refreshing – and I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

And a happy new year

It’s a busy time of year, to be sure — we’ve just emerged from that holiday landslide, into the second clear day of a fresh new year.  Winter is the season of restoration, drawing inward and preparing for spring’s impending new growth.  At this junction — these first few days, where we’re just beginning to settle into this new year — I always find myself feeling reflective.  The year behind us was full of highs and lows, new experiences and moments, all of which shaped not only our months, but who we became over the course of 2023.  So knowing where we were, where we’ve been — where do we want to go next?

I’ll keep it short and sweet, this time around, because I’m still recovering from that back-to-back holiday season, and sometimes the best thing you can do is just sit and take a breather.  All I wanted to say is this: let this be the year that you decide to embrace who you are.  Strive for your goals, the things that you want, with joy.  Of course, part of that self-embracing can certainly be a home makeover, and if that’s what you’re ready for, shoot me an email anytime.  But in all that you do, in the year to come, I hope you live with authenticity.  It’s freeing and wonderful to just be you, isn’t it?

All the best, to all of you, in 2024.  I think I’ll kick back for just a little while longer.

Take a seat – on the right sofa

Consider the humble sofa – companion and comrade, participant in every casual Netflix binge or family reunion.  Beloved by all, the sofa is a ubiquitous home design staple, and the backbone of your living space.  No piece better represents true functionality, versatility, and endurance.  Where else would you turn for a cozy evening in with your favorite film on the TV?  Or a comfortable spot to settle in and work from home?

Suffice it to say, the importance of the sofa can’t be overstated — which means that your choice of sofa will have real impact on your space.  You want to be sure your sofa is perfect for you, your taste, and your day-to-day needs.  So in the interest of helping you figure out where you stand in the world of sofas, I thought I’d take a second today and talk sofa specs.

Choosing a well-constructed sofa involves three principle factors: the frame, the suspension, and the cushions.

The frame of the sofa is what holds the whole thing together — think of it as the skeleton, the bones that support the rest of the structure.  Because the frame does so much heavy lifting, it’s important to make sure your sofa frame is top-quality, both in terms of materials and in terms of construction.  Ideally, you want a sofa frame made of kiln-dried hardwood or engineered hardwood, which’ll ensure your sofa stands the test of time.  On top of material, the way that frame is put together is as crucial as the material itself.  A well-assembled piece — one that doesn’t just rely on screws and glue — is a piece that’ll last.  Keep in mind: a lifetime frame warranty is a sign of a good frame.  (At Woodside Home, all the sofas we’ll offer you have lifetime warranties on their frames!)

There’s also the sofa’s suspension to consider.  There are a variety of styles of seating suspension — eight-way hand tied, springs (both drop-in and pocket coil), sinuous springs, grids and webbings — each with their own unique facets.  For sofas in particular, you’re going to want eight-way hand tied suspension or any kind of spring suspension, as grids and webbings are more appropriate for things like seat backs.  Good suspension not only increases the comfort of your sofa, but also enhances its durability, especially since sofas are subject to a lot of wear-and-tear.  Sinuous spring suspensions are the most common sort you’ll find.

Of course, the part of the sofa you interact with most directly are the cushions.  Typically, cushions are either foam or down, and each option has its own benefits depending on your lifestyle and the lifestyle you expect from your sofa.  Down cushions offer a plush seat you can sink into — foam holds its shape and bounces back quickly after use.  A combination of the two — a foam cushion wrapped in down — is fairly common among manufacturers, and offers the comfort of down with the robustness of foam.

And there’s more to a cushion than the stuffing — there’s also the fabric to consider.  The color and pattern on your sofa — as well as the type of fabric — will set the tone for your living space, and can add a layer of durability to your piece.  When you opt for a custom sofa order, you might find yourself confronted with the thousands of fabric options available, each with their own style and strengths.  At Woodside Home, part of our job is optimizing your fabric options — we’ll narrow down that immense catalog to a curated selection of options for you to choose from, customized to your personal aesthetic and your day-to-day needs.

Purchasing a sofa is a big decision — it’ll change the face of your living space.  At Woodside Home, we’re here to help make that decision fun and stress-free.  After all, there’s nothing better than a fresh look for your home!  Interested in chatting about a new sofa, or a new living room entirely?  Send me an email — I’d love to hear your story, and help make your home yours.

At the end of the day, we should all be sure to show our sofas some love.  We’d be lost without them — or at least, a lot less comfortable.

Mulling over mulled cider

In Baltimore, at least, it is at last decidedly winter.  Will we get any snow?  Who’s to say – it’s been a little while since our last real blizzard.  But the air has that smack of snow to it, that certain clear crispness, so maybe we will get a flurry or two in the next few weeks.  We can hope, anyway.

It’s around now that, for me, my game night routine starts to kick into gear.  With the days getting shorter and the nights encroaching further and further into those early evening hours, this is a time of year I like to cozy up and settle in with friends for Risk, or Parcheesi, or Ticket to Ride – or whatever fascinating new game our neighbors, board game aficionados, have brought to share.  Of course, any sort of social night demands the right kind of snacks and beverages.  Usually, we rustle up some sort of charcuterie board (often courtesy of Trader Joe’s) or whip up a loaf of pumpkin bread.  And there’s no better accompaniment to those fall-winter flavors than a crockpot full of rich, aromatic mulled cider!

Today, just for fun, I thought I’d share my favorite mulled cider recipe with all of you.  It’s easy to make, and easily refreshed – perfect for game nights, dinner parties, or really any night you feel like a warm mug of the stuff.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 whole cinnamon sticks

• 1 tsp. whole cloves

• ½ tsp. whole allspice

• ¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

• 1 large orange, washed

• 1 small apple, washed

• 1 thin slice of washed lemon

• 1 slice of fresh ginger (or ½ tsp. powdered ginger)

• 8 cups (2 quarts) fresh apple cider

• 2 tbsp. brown sugar, packed

Instructions:

1. Pour the cider into the crockpot.  Add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves, then turn the crockpot to high.

2. Stud the orange with the whole cloves.

3. Add the cinnamon sticks, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, apple, lemon slice, and clove-studded orange to the crockpot.

4. Cover and cook on high for around 2 hours, to let the flavors cook through.

5. Keep the cider on low until ready to serve!

As you serve the cider, replenish the crock pot with fresh cider and turn the heat back to high for a bit to let those flavors meld again.

Here’s hoping your wintry evenings are full of firesides and friendly competition!

Thanksgiving

We’re in the thick of the holiday season – for most, no doubt family and friends are beginning to descend upon your home (in a welcome way, of course).  Thanksgiving is just a few days away, and in my house, the preparations have already begun.  It’s time to start pre-baking a pie or two, and endure the mad dash of the last-minute grocery run in pursuit of the perfect stuffing ingredients.  This time of year, while certainly hectic, is also joyful.  After the marathon sprint, there’s no lovelier reward than your Thanksgiving dinner, shared with friends and family in the spirit of the season.

This post almost writes itself, really – Thanksgiving is all about home, about taking time to express gratitude for the loved ones that populate it.  It’s a time when we draw in to our most beloved spaces, and really push our functional spaces to their limits.  Your home should always keep up with your holiday needs – it should make them easier to handle, so you can sail through dinnertime like a champ and enjoy the fruits of your labors.

And our homes are the place where we often find those things we’re most grateful for, this time of year – our families, our friends, our history, the year behind and the rest of the year to come.  It’s a reflective sort of mood we often find ourselves in, these days.  Embrace it.  Enjoy it.  There’s always something to be thankful for.

We at Woodside Home are grateful ourselves – grateful to be part of your home journey, however we can be.  When the whirlwind has calmed to a temperate breeze, shoot us an email, and let’s talk.

In the meantime, happy Thanksgiving!  That’s all from me – I have some baking to do.

Area rugs 101

A rug is a wonderfully multi-purpose piece for any room in your home – it wears many coats and fulfills a bevy of functions, all while looking stylish as can be.  A rug forms the foundation of a room, anchoring the furniture in position and setting the tone for the whole space.  It protects your floors, enhances the warmth of your room, and adds a delightful level of under-foot comfort.  On top of all that, the right rug can make that succinct, expressive design statement that tells everyone what the aesthetic of your room really is – and tells them a little more about you.  From a minimalist modern to a resplendent Persian-style, a rug can be a defining piece for your whole room, which is why it’s important to make your rug choices as informed and intentional as possible.

At Woodside Home, of course, we’ll help you with all of that, and make sure you get the perfect rug for your space.  And in the interest of helping you get to know what rug might be right for you, I thought I’d tell you a little bit about four fiber types for rugs, and what each can offer you.

Wool – Wool is one of the most common – and most durable – fibers used for rugs.  It’s resilient, while still remaining soft and comfy, which makes it perfect for high-traffic spots like living rooms or dining rooms.  Plus, wool rugs are naturally dirt- and water-repellent, and their elastic fibers help them bounce back to shape quickly.  Wool rugs are actually one of the oldest types of rugs around, dating back to antiquity!  Heirloom Persian and Oriental rugs are typically woll, as are Kilim rugs, which originated in Turkey and the Middle East.

Natural Fibers – Natural fiber rugs have a great organic feel that can add unique, earthy textures to your space.  These rugs make for perfect layering rugs underneath other rugs!  The most common natural fibers rugs are jute, sisal, and seagrass rugs.  These are classics that work with interior styles from coastal to farmhouse, and they’re great for hallway runners.

Cotton – Cotton rugs are not only soft and comfy – they’re also typically super affordable.  Cotton is a perfect rug type for places where you’ll get a lot of use and might have to replace or clean the rug more often, places like entryways, kitchens, or bathrooms.  A lot of cotton rugs are machine-washable, too!  Kitchen runner rugs and entryway runners are usually made from cotton.

Synthetic Fiber – Synthetic rugs are usually made from polyester or a blend of polyester, nylon, and other synthetic fibers.  These machine-woven rugs are affordable and plush, and made to look like their more expensive cotton or wool counterparts.  Synthetic rugs are durable and stain-resistant, so they work well in high-traffic spots like living rooms, dining rooms, and kitchens.  Wall-to-wall carpeting is usually synthetic, since that kind of carpeting needs to be tough for all seasons. Synthetic fibers have evolved into being as beautiful as heirloom rugs, while equally functional.

Your home is thoroughly unique, as are your needs, which vary from room to room.  Maybe you’ll decide on the investment of a beautiful wool rug for your living room, and a synthetic fibers rug for your kitchen table – or maybe you crave the comfort of cotton, or the texture of a natural fiber.  On top of the fiber options, rugs come in myriad shapes, styles, colors, and sizes.  There are really limitless possibilities for the kind of rugs out there, which means that no matter how crisp or eclectic your style, there’s a rug for you.

Looking to secure that perfect new area rug?  Send me an email – I’d love to talk about your space, from rugs to sofas to window treatments.  The rug is just the beginning!

A rug can say it all – let us help you find the words.

Halloween tidings

Halloween is right around the corner, kicking off the start of the back-to-back holiday season.  Myself, I’ve always been fond of Halloween.  We’re a Peanuts-loving household, and no Halloween is complete without a viewing of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, with the ambient lighting of a jack-o’-lantern and a selection of trick-or-treat candies.  Halloween is a big holiday for me – my mom was a consummate designer of costumes and spooky decorations, and one of the great joys of my life was always helping my daughter put together her Halloween costumes.  It’s an opportunity for us all to embrace our inner creativity and showcase our wildest notions and designs – and get a little spooky, if we’re so inclined.

Since my next blog post would fall right smack on the holiday itself, I’ll be taking a day off to enjoy some homemade pumpkin cookies and some Jack-o-lantern carving.  Our neighborhood has its fair share of trick-or-treaters, and I expect our doorbell will be ringing from dusk onward.  I just wanted to drop a letter into your inbox to wish you good holiday tidings!

Part of our Halloween tradition includes decorating our home in the spirit of the season.  Your home should be versatile in that way – when it’s time to get festive, don’t be afraid to toss in some timely extra decor to match your living space to the holiday!  A few painted pumpkins, a ghost or two in the window, and your home can be tasteful and appropriately haunting.  Your home should always match your needs, even if those needs are just having a little extra space to put up your favorite Halloween candles.

And with the long holiday season upon us, there’s no better time to start considering your space more thoughtfully.  Interested in reworking your home, making it yours?  Drop me a line – I’m always here to chat.

That’s all from me, folks.  Happy Halloween!