Saturday, April 28, 2012

Happy Friday

The weekend is finally here!!!  So what are your plans for this weekend?  We'll be spending most of ours at Dance Competition with our two youngest daughters.  It's the last competition of the season but the most important.  This is the one we need to do really well in to qualify for Nationals in June.  Wish us luck! 

And on Sunday the hubby and I celebrate our wedding anniversary.  Hopefully, we'll find some time this weekend to celebrate  :) 

We have an early start tomorrow morning but before I call it a night I just wanted to share with you some of my favorite things I came across this week. 

Toffee Crunch Cupcake with Caramel Frosting.  Yum!  Here's the recipe in case you want to try it.

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 I am loving Emily's foyer makeover.  You can read about her foyer transformation here

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Then as I was sourcing for a client I came across this beautiful white kitchen.  Gosh, I wish I had an island like this. And that light.  Ahh....

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Or, this kitchen with the beautiful marble herringbone all the way to the ceiling by Bear-Hill Interiors.  OMG!  And those dark floors are amazing!


And then I found this bright, contemporary dining room.  Ohh, so pretty.  Loving these dark floors too + that chandelier.


Totally loving this living room.  To me it feels warm and inviting.  Apparently, I was drawn to "white" this week.  It must be the spring thing kicking in or something.  
   

Oh, and I found this great recipe for a Raspberry Lemonade.  Looks good but I think we may switch it up and add a few more ingredients to make it into a Sarasota Lemonade. It's basically the same thing but involves Moscato, which at the moment is a favorite of mine & the hubby's.  So we may be trying this recipe instead to celebrate our anniversary at some point during the weekend ;)  


Well that's it for now.  Have to get a a few hours sleep before we have to get up and start getting ready for the competition.  Have a great weekend!
 

Thursday, April 19, 2012

A Week In Review

Hello Again!  Okay, so it's been awhile.  A week and one day since my last post.  Boo!  I ended up taking an unexpected time off for Spring Break last week along with my four youngest kiddies.  The eldest had her spring break weeks ago, she was already back to classes.  I started the week off fine but then by mid-week...you know how the story goes.  Well, now they are all officially back to school.  They went back this past Monday and it's taken me this long to catch up with things.

Let me give you a low down of what has been going on around here this past week.  Spring Break, allergies, design consults, allergies, play dates, allergies, quality time with the family, allergies... Oh, did I forget to mention ALLERGIES?!  Wow!  It's really bad this season.  It hit everyone in our family hard.  ALL SEVEN OF US!!!  And all at different times.  It even hit some of us who don't normally get affected.  It was and still is pretty BAD here.  We are all living off allergy medicines right now. 

Anyways,  I picked up Sabrina Soto's new book- Sabrina Soto Home Design:  A layer-by-layer approach to turning your ideas into the home of your dreams.  Can't wait to read it!  I flipped through it quickly and so far I am liking what I see.  I picked up my copy from Barnes & Noble the other day, but if you're interested in picking up your own copy you can pick it up or order on line here or here.  I was already out so figured I would just pick it up from the store that day.  Plus, I admit I couldn't wait.  Love this lady!  She's definitely one of my favorite designers alongside Sarah Richardson of course.




I also picked up a jade plant from the supermarket of all places.  It wasn't that expensive.  I think originally $2.99.  It was sitting there all by its' lonesome, so it made it's way into my cart.  I got to the checkout and found out it was on sale.  Final price- $2.50.  Apparently it really wanted to come home with me :)  I was totally inspired by these images I originally found on Pinterest {no surprise}.


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Right now it's sitting pretty in our master bedroom on the corner of my tesso desk that the hubby and I picked up not too long ago for a steal.  It's still in it's original plastic container.  She is growing nicely but I need to transfer her.  I just picked up the Monogrammed Mug from Anthropologie and was thinking of planting it in here.  I was inspired {yet again} by another image I saw on Pinterest :)  




The hubby and I picked up a few drum shades last weekend.  They were such a deal.  I mean, really a deal!  We also picked up a piece that we are planning on using as a small media center for our room.  I will have to do a separate post on these items though. So make sure to check back here.  

If you want to see what else inspires me, follow me along on Pinterest.  Click here to go directly to the boards I created.  Hopefully, you will be inspired too!  If you aren't already set up on Pinterest send me an email at jenfernandezdesign@gmail.com to let me know and I will be happy to send you over an invite.  Come join me!  

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: Gallery Walls







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Welcome, Won't You Please Come In

I had completed a design & installation on an entryway for a client not too long ago and I wanted to share some of the photos I had just taken recently.  The client had never had an entryway/foyer before prior to this new home, so we basically started from scratch when designing this small space.  Unfortunately, I do not have BEFORE photos to show you, but here are the AFTER photos. 

The entryway is the first thing people see when they step through the front door so first impressions are very important.  It sets the tone for the rest of the home.



I believe that a space should be functional, as well as beautiful.  I like placing a dresser or console with drawers in the entry so that you can hide {and find} all the everyday clutter that always seems to accumulate like mail, keys, sunglasses, gloves, scarves, wallet, cell phone, kids toys...you know...the everyday stuff.

The client found this reclaimed pine dresser from HomeGoods.  She text me the day she found it and sent me a photo.  I told her BUY IT!  So glad she did.  I loved that it was open on the bottom.  It didn't feel so heavy and she was able to still stick a basket underneath for more storage.  Isn't she pretty?  Boy, what a deal!


I also like to place a mirror in the entryway.  It helps to reflect light and brightens up a space during the day.  It's also a good thing to have to check yourself before you walk out that door.  You never know especially if no one is around to tell you that you have food in between your teeth or something :)

The client found the driftwood mirror from Marshall's.  The mirror was heavy and such a substantial piece for this space.  Proportionally it fit the wall perfectly as did the dresser.



A bench is a necessity in this space.  You need somewhere to sit to put on or take off your shoes.  The client tells me her kids love this spot.  It's definitely more convenient then sitting on the floor or stairs.

This little bench was a great find from HomeGoods.  I absolutely love the nailhead trim and so did the client.  And these pillows were a great clearance deal.  We grabbed as many as we could find.  Again, HomeGoods.



This entryway is not so big.  We were trying to find a proper sized rug to fit this awkward shaped space.  We are still on the lookout but for now we found this cute rug/mat from Target.  Gotta love Target!  For now it works.



I also have to mention that we added crown molding as well as had it painted in this pretty neutral Benjamin Moore paint color.  We also had the ceiling painted white.  Goodbye builders chalky white paint!  What a difference the crown molding and paint did for this small space.

Thanks to Kevin & Charmaine Kane who I contracted to have the molding installed and the walls painted for this client.  They did an awesome job!  If you are in Central New Jersey and are looking for good, reliable contractors contact me and I will be happy to put you in contact with them. 

I created an entryway design board in this week's Design Board Monday Series.  If you missed it click here.  So, how is your entryway in it's current state?  Is it pretty and functional?  Is it in need of an update?  Or, are you happy with how it currently is?  Leave me a comment.  I would love to know.


Monday, April 9, 2012

Design Board Monday: Chic Entryway Loveliness

Welcome to another edition of Design Board Monday!  Every Monday I plan on presenting a designed board here at Dwell With Style.  A Design Board {aka mood board, inspiration board} is the perfect inspiration plan for any design.  I hope you will find the design boards as well as this series inspirational.  Design Boards can help in envisioning what a space can potentially look like.

Today I have for you a design board in a neutral color palette for an entryway.  It is very chic and modern in design.  I thought outside of the box and  used a bedroom dresser instead of a regular console table for the entryway.  By choosing a dresser it gives the client more storage space to hide things like mail, scarves, sunglasses, etc.  Sometimes we need to think outside of the box and be creative when designing a space.




Instead of displaying just one mirror I chose two and stacked them one on top of each other.  So instead of spending money on one giant mirror I chose two smaller ones and gave it the appearance of one large mirror.  Above the bench I have four inexpensive frames to create a small gallery.  And as you can see I kept things simple with the accessories as well.   To me, sometimes less is more.

So there you have it.  What do you think of this chic entryway?  Let me know and leave a comment.  I would love to hear your thoughts.

If you want to check out some of the other past design boards I've posted in this series, you can do that here, here, here and here.   Design Boards are just one of the design services I offer.  If you're interested in your own personalized design board or just want more information about my design services, please contact me at jenfernandezdesign@gmail.com for more details & rates.  

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Wise Words

I thought this was appropriate to post today.  Wise words to remember not only today, but everyday.


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It's a beautiful Sunday afternoon here in Jersey.  Hope you are enjoying it with the people you love.  Wishing you a Happy Easter!

*Image Source Calder Clark via Jen Fernandez Design on Pinterest.

Follow me along on Pinterest.  Click here to follow, or email me at jenfernandezdesign@gmail.com to request an invite and I'll be happy to send you one.