Monthly Archives: June 2012

If kitchen cabinetry, flooring, and countertops are the clothing, cabinet hardware is surely the jewelry, the finishing touch to the ensemble. Such a small item, physically, in relation to all of the larger, expensive, and important design elements in the kitchen, the choice of hardware can still drive you crazy! Choosing cabinet hardware is in the same angst-ridden realm that includes choosing paint colors, wallpaper and tile—SO many choices, and awesome ones! Here are...

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I just moved into a little mid-century modern house just steps from the mighty Atlantic Ocean and along with rocks, roses, and a pet seagull—the neighbors named him Joshua—is a small but rather dreamy deck. (Ignore the flaking paint—I am on it! “Christian….umm, I mean, Stonington Gray” for the floor and “Simply White” for the railings, both available from Benjamin Moore.) But, how shall I furnish this little space?  Selfish creature that I am, I...

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What can’t you live without? That one thing? Some ladies can’t walk out the door without a swipe of lipstick. Some can’t survive without coffee. Or chocolate. Coffee and chocolate may be close to the top of my list, but I recently realized that my "must have" is a little more razor edged. I. Can’t. Live...without my knives. I rely so much on my favorite knives that I can’t bear the thought of parting with them, even...

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I'm Courtney Lake, the designer behind the lifestyle and decor blog, Courtney Out Loud.  A graduate of Stanford University, I worked in high-tech marketing and events before launching my successful interior design business, Courtney Lake Interiors. My work has been featured on The Nate Berkus Show, Adore Magazine, Casa Sugar, Joyus.com, and Le Rapport Minoritaire. I am thrilled Wayfair asked me to guest post for My Way Home :). On numerous occasions, I have walked into...

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Have you heard about Olioboard?  If not, it’s a super cool online tool that enables users to design and create virtual mood boards. You can curate any kind of room then share it with the Olioboard community of interior designers and home enthusiasts for comments and feedback. See for yourself: Olioboard has a good tutorial for first-time users on their Youtube Channel. I first heard about Olioboard at the Design Bloggers Conference in LA this...

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My summer-loving heart is still fluttering after hosting a recent #HomemakerHappyHr Twitter chat on the topic of summer fun. I was elated to see so many wonderfully creative and enthusiastic homemakers participate, each offering their most sacred tips for hosting memorable warm-weather soirees. We even had signature dessert and cocktail recipes flooding the feed. Can you imagine a more fun “happy hour?” I can’t help but share these morsels of summer fun with each of you. I...

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Art takes many forms! From unique container plants to garden accents, the landscape is a great place to express your creative side. Gardens don’t have to be all hard work. Garden decorations and art can give personality to your home. It’s time to think of your landscape in a new way!

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As I sit in my seat, hovering over 30,000 feet above the ocean, I can hardly consider myself an explorer. I lack the adventure of Marco Polo or Lewis and Clark, and I certainly lack the seemingly glamorous lifestyle of our modern day gustatorial explorers, (if I may call you) Tony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern. Perhaps this applies better to my brother in his travel writing days, armed with his backpack, moleskin notebook, and...

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I know a little something about Father's Day. I've been a dad for a while and have an inside track on how to celebrate the day.  I enjoy being with family and working together on a meal that can include my own father, my wife's father, and any other siblings, cousins, friends, and relations that like to be a part of the day. For us, an old-fashioned clam bake is a great way to celebrate. ...

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When it comes to the color, red one of the most iconic rooms in America is the Red Room in the White House. The vibrant color scheme and intimate size has made it a favorite place to retreat for presidents and first ladies. The famous red room has changed its look throughout history but the one thing that hasn’t changed since 1840 is the color. Prior to that time you might be surprised to learn...

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As I packed my bags to move with my fiancé to the suburbs after five blissful years in my one-bedroom, miniature, bachelorette city dwelling, I knew I was standing at the start-line of a journey of compromise on issues of decorating, house chores, and (gasp) cooking. I wish I could travel back in time to that day to assure myself that the transition would, in fact, be wildly fun and easy. Now, with two years...

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While I don't re-arrange my home's decor seasonally, I love to bring the seasons into my every day life to create a mood. It's easy to incorporate the colors and textures of the season with accents and accessories. Swapping out rugs, adding new lamps, pillows, or objects and accessories will change the scenery to fit what's happening outside. These are small but noteworthy investments—things you can store in the off-season and bring out again and again. Look at the way a few...

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Do you have a signature color? Yeah...me neither. But if I did, I would like to think it was a shade of green. Not a happy chartreuse, a moody olive, or even a lovely shade of hunter, but a preppy Kelly green. That green reminds me of rolling around the grass, or monograms (this is an odd one I realize, but for some reason, it pops up in my brain when I think of green), and of course,...

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In our home, the entry serves many functions. It offers the first glimpse into our home and is where we welcome guests. It's also a drop zone for such things as coats, purses, keys, backpacks, and mail. It's not a large space, so it takes some planning to achieve the function and organization we desire, while still reflecting our home’s style. If you find that your entry isn’t living up to its full potential, here are six...

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White kitchens seem to top everyone's "Want" lists these days. Think white kitchens have been popular for a long time? You would be correct. However, more and more homeowners want white in their homes than ever before. There are dos and don’ts as well as pros and cons to designing and living with a white kitchen! WHY WHITE? In the past 50 years, white has proven to be a timeless look. Whether designed in a traditional theme or a...

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Hey everyone, Kirsten Grove here from Simply Grove. I am honored to be posting at Wayfair! I love designing, and I love talking about design, so this is a treat for me. I launched my blog almost five years ago hoping to create a site where I could write about inspiring design and decor. Nine years ago I began doing freelance interior design, and when my kids were born I slowed down a bit. Having the ability to talk about design, with people from all...

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