Yangyang Pan – Flower on Wall

Art, like flowers, makes a room feel more personal, more lived in and now that our little renovation project is wrapping up (fingers crossed!), we’re on the hunt for a couple of paintings and/or prints for our new living room.  While we have no budget for “important” art (that’s what our mother calls the pieces her husband collects), we do want to invest in things we’ll love for a long, long time.  Pretty trumps “important” in our book and we think these artists might just fit the bill (as long as the bill fits the budget!)

Starla Michelle – Waiting Room 2

Kirra Jamison – Surrender Star

Yulia Brodskaya – PAPERgraphic

Cameron Schmitz – South Road II

Jessica Zoob – Midsummer Dreaming / Passion 2

Do you have a favorite artist or source for art?  We’d love to know!

P.S.  Have you see the “One Of A Kinds” at Anthropologie yet?  A great source for up and coming artists!

Photos via Yangyang Pan, Starla Michelle, Kirra Jamison, Yulia Brodskaya, Cameron Schmitz at The Drawing Room and Jessica Zoob

Oasis – Photographic Floral Shell

with this!

Alaia – Mirror-embellished Sandals

And this…

Lanvin – Sea Breeze Clutch

with this!

Essie – Beyond Cozy

And this…

Julie Elizabeth – Pink Petal Earrings

with this!

Jaeger – Watercolor Floral Scarf

Summer temps are upon us and we haven’t had a chance to clean out our closets and make room for some sensational summer styles!  Are you ready for summer weather?

Photos via  John Lewis, Net-A-Porter, Lanvin, Kohls, Zhush and Jaeger

Trophy Blooms

Winning

Pronunciation: /ˈwiniNG/

Victorious or charming… You take your pick!

Photo via Pinterest

Beleza

Our adventures in New York on Wednesday led to many encounters with wonderful designers, some established stars and others, rising stars.  Having been fans of Young Huh’s work ever since we saw it in the pages of Connecticut Cottages & Gardens, we were so excited to actually meet her in person at the TradHome party.

House Beautiful “Kitchen of the Month”

A local, award-winning, talent with (her Scarsdale, NY home where ”Marie Antoinette meets Jean Michel Frank” won her an Innovation in Design Award in 2011), Young’s style of mixing the old with the new allows her to infuse a fresh creative edge to her interiors.  And as a mother of three, Young understands the need to balance chic design with kid-friendly furnishings.

Young’s Home

A Serene Scene

Juggling both career and family life is no small feat for Young, especially since some of her projects take her to places beyond the tri-state area…  We don’t know how she does it all with such grace and humor and perhaps that’s why we connected so well with her!

Crisp and Clean

Whatever her secret is, Young is definitely shooting for the stars and we’ll be looking for more of her divine design…

Fabulous in Florida

Rumor has it Young is designing one of the 18 bedrooms for the Ronald McDonald House in Long Island with good friend Nick Olsen this fall…  Who’s up for a road trip?  Have a great weekend, everyone!

Photos via Young Huh Interior Design, House Beautiful and Connecticut Cottages & Gardens

Marvelous Mary

“If you don’t go, you won’t know!” has been our motto ever since we took over the helm of our mother’s business yet as busy mom-preneurs with teenage sons, getting out from behind the computer or stove is a feat.  That’s why we try to hit as many places and parties when we do get out and today we’re joining blogging buddy Sue from The Zhush for some adventures in the big city.

Cool Blues

It’s Spring Market at the D & D Building so our first stop will be Schumacher where the dynamic duo, Mary McDonald and Martyn Lawrence-Bullard of Million Dollar Decorators, will be sharing their inspirations and creative insights in a discussion moderated by Jason Chen, home furnishings editor at Departures Magazine.

Pretty Prints

Magnificent Martyn

Since we’re still shopping for furniture and light fixtures for the new living room, we’ll drag Sue to several other showrooms to get her thoughts on some of our top picks, and end up to 200 Lexington to celebrate the release of the TRADhome spring issue with Ann Maine at Desiron.

Desired Goods

Then, if we still have energy and a skip in our step, we’ll head uptown to Gracious Home to celebrate the launch of Scalamandre’s new Maison collection…  Whew – we better bring some comfy shoes!

Join the Party!

Do you pack it all in when you get a day “off” from the office?

Photos via Schumacher, Desiron and Eastern Accents

Clean Living

Clean

Pronunciation: /klēn/

Pure, tidy and spotless – which is exactly the opposite of what our house is right now under construction…  The bright side – there are less rooms to clean!

Photo via H&G Living Beautifully

Terrific Terrariums

Imagine our surprise when our boys asked if we could spend Mother’s Day afternoon making a terrarium together…  Then we found out that they would get extra credit in science if they complete the assignment!

Tall Terrarium Plants

Regardless of why they want to get their hands dirty and plant little botanical beauties in a jar, we think it’s a great idea – especially since we get to drag them to Terrain for the afternoon!

Frances Palmer Epoch Vase

Summer Cocktails Gift Set

And while we’re there, why not treat ourselves to some Mother’s Day gifts…

The Sprouted Kitchen

Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,
Hundreds of bees in the purple clover,
Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,
But only one mother the wide world over.
~ George Cooper

Hive Bowl

How are you celebrating Mom this weekend?

Photos via Terrain

Lovely Lanterns

Styling a look book with the super talented team of Ashlina from The Decorista and photographer Michelle James on Monday was such fun and the fact that our friend, Sue, from The Zhush graciously lent us her gorgeous home was the icing on the cake.

Elegant End Table

We’ve been dying to do a look book with Ashlina and it’s been a year in the making.  In preparation for the shoot, Ashlina had us pull our favorite vignettes for inspiration and create coordinated looks to fit the settings.

Pretty Pop of Color

Once we unloaded two car loads of flowers and botanically inspired gifts, Ashlina went to work creating vignettes all over the house.  From the powder room, to the bar, to the front hall table and the living room coffee table, she created looks that brought our designs to life.

Bedside Beauty

Watching Ashlina work was a real treat and she shared so much about her creative process…  Ever mindful of color and pattern, she likes to use odd numbers in her settings and loves putting unexpected objects in her shots.

Sensational Shelves

We even overheard Ashlina discuss with Michelle the type of girl who would live in the environments she created – the blue powder room shot was definitely a single girl in the city while the pink powder room shot belonged to a married lady in the country.

Blossoms in the Bath

After a busy day of primping and posing, we called it a wrap in Sue’s beautiful garden with the sun shining and bees buzzing in the bushes…  All in all, a very productive and wonderful day!

Photos via Pinterest and Pretty Pink Tulips

P.S.  Catch a sneak peek of our day on Instagram here, here, here and here!

Fresh Fun Florals

Snappy

Pronunciation: /ˈsnapē/

Lively…  We’re snapping a look book today and will share some pics on Instagram (look for carolyn_thebuzz) so stay tuned!

Photo via La Belle Vie

Beautiful Bunch of Blooms

Something about early May brings a spring to our step…  The weather warms, the flowers bloom, we celebrate yet another birthday and the Kentucky Derby is always a great excuse for a party.  We’re also mindful as we age that we need to try to live in the moment and have fun, even as time seems to speed up exponentially.  The words of Dan Fogelberg’s iconic song are especially appropriate today…

Heavenly Hues

Pretty Posies

And it’s run for the roses
As fast as you can
Your fate is delivered
Your moment’s at hand

Crowned Glory

Pink Perfection

It’s the chance of a lifetime
In a lifetime of chance
And it’s high time you joined in the dance
It’s high time you joined in the dance.

Garden Gems

Will you be dancing this weekend with a spring in your step?  We hope so!

Photos of our favorite David Austin roses via Pinterest, Flower Magazine and Decor8