I love drapes. Have you noticed?

{to see more drape-loving design, click here to view my portfolio}

If I can use drapes, I will.

Here is why I adore drapes:

1. They add texture to your space. Silk brings shiny texture; burlap brings nubby texture; velvet brings rich texture; etc.

2. They are the largest, undisturbed fabric presence in your space. Therefore, they have grand presence. Perfect, especially if you love fabric.

3. They can tie a room together – decor coherency – by using a fabric that links/combines colors in the space.

4. They take your decorating vertically; not many other items in your room do this.

5. If hung properly, they add height to your space.

6. Versatility: They can provide privacy, or just be a decor presence.

7. They can save you money. Drapes insulate from the cool, and shield from the sun.

8. They can add a strong punch of style  and be a powerful decor statement depending on your fabric choice.

9. It is a safe place to use fabrics like silk and velvet, without worry of daily wear and tear.

10. They can be as light or as heavy as you want them to be.

okay, and the main reason why I love drapes? Let’s call it 10 and a half, shall we?

10.5. They are dramatic. That makes me happy.

Drapes give you the perfect opportunity to put a “ribbon” on your room, by adding that final touch of perfect fabric.

Is it time for you to add some drapes to your home?

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{The last three photos are via my Pinterest board: “My Thing for Drapes.” Hop on over for more Drape Love.}

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The January FHD Giveaway has begun! Be sure to enter by clicking here, or by clicking on the photo below:

1. Finishing Touches

I hope to add some finishing touches to the rooms I focused on in 2011: the boys’ room {almost done, and looking just a bit different than the original design board.}, the upstairs bathroom, and the school room.

Here is a, never-before-seen, in-progress pic of our boys’ room.:

For a tutorial on that checkerboard floor {which is just subfloor!}, hop on over here.

Some great used-furniture finds have changed the shape that this room has taken, and I am loving it. Can’t wait to share an “after” pic soon.

2. Focus on our Living Room

It is the room where we spend all of our time. And a lot needs to be done to this new space. But this is the year. I hope to focus on our favorite room. I have already started the Vision Design Board….

3. Finally have our patio done {insert hope here}

I think we can. I think we can. I think we can.

This is what our patio looks like right now:

You can’t imagine how ready I am for that to change! The pile has looked like that for 4 years. Four.

Oh, and all we need is, well, some cold, hard cash. No problem.

4. Plant more trees

Each year we try to plant at least one tree. Lately, we have been working on a row of weeping willows to line the front of our property that sits along the road. Hoping to plant one in the spring and one in the fall!

{via}

5. Plant a vegetable garden and compost

Last year was my first garden, and I loved it. My plan is to make simple improvements this year, and make the garden a little bit bigger. I also plan to start composting.

{our garden beginnings; last year}

6. Replace my Dining Room table

My dining room table has served many wonderful years… and it is a brick house…. withstands anything. Including 6 years of boy-havoc. But, I have never loved its lines, and I am ready to move on.

Our dining room is the only place that we eat. I love that it has a classic farmhouse feel: a central place where the family gathers. So, I am hoping to add to the farmhouse simplicity with this walnut antique, that sits in our builder’s warehouse, awaiting some loving attention:

{It makes me happy to see the fireplace painted, the walls painted and the floors redone in this picture here. And I never realized, my fireplace used to be swine!}

All the table needs is a new apron, some legs, and to be sealed. and. All we need is cold, hard cash. No problem.

hmmm. Notice some trends with my 2012 goals? Apparently, I seem to think we will be coming upon some cold, hard cash this year…..

It is very important to be optimistic.

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I am linking this post up to Nester’s Home Goals Linky Party. I hope you will join the party! Click on the chipper owl to hop over.

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The January FHD Giveaway has begun! Be sure to enter by clicking here, or by clicking on the photo below:

If I had to pick a “favorite room” in my home, it would be my bathroom. And it is about high-time I shared it with you….

But before I dive in, I wanted to share my heart, since many of you may be in the same boat:

I love to decorate. In fact, I am an Interior Decorator who finds so much joy in revamping my client’s spaces all over the country via eDesign. When I started thinking about what my favorite room is, my first thoughts were: “Oh, my! Which room can I fully disclose to my readers!? Will they still love me if they know how much is left undone?”

My husband and I made the crazy decision 6 years ago to bite off a bit more than we can chew, and we bought Fieldstone Hill, a gorgeous, historic stone farmhouse built circa 1820.

{Fieldstone Hill, after a few years of rescuing}

It came with wide-board, pumpkin pine floors…. that were black. It came with an authentic log cabin from 1796… that needed a new roof, and still is filled with holes. It came with stunning, deep window wells… that caused my hair to blow in the wind when I was sitting on our sofa. Oh, and that was the least of our list. In the first week of living in Fieldstone Hill, the septic backed up and filled our basement, the water stopped running, we had water dripping from our light fixtures, and black mud regularly shot in geysers out of our steam radiators. True story. No exaggeration here, folks.

oh. and I was pregnant with our first baby.

Yes.

All that to say, this decorator has not spent much {hardly any} energy or funds on decorating our home. It is tempting for me to look around my home and feel bad about the fact that I have NOTHING finished, and easily become discontent. My home should look like a magazine! But that is a lie I choose not to believe.

All in due time. { sigh…and you should see what Fieldstone Hill looks like in my head! The stuff of dreams, I tell ya}.

So, today, I will share the only room in our home that is even CLOSE to being finished. Our upstairs bathroom.

I love this room. Why?

Because there is no painting left to be done in it.

Can anyone else relate?? I also love this room because my two little boys have to respect my privacy when I am in this space; so I get some precious alone time. Anyone??

Our bathroom still has things that need to be done. In fact, I left out a picture of a hole in our wall, above the medicine cabinet, that is awaiting some kind of wonderful light fixture.

Now for the tour! We refinished this bathroom immediately after moving in due to mildew infestation {I told you our list was long. Don’t even get me started on the mouse poop}. It has been updated with lots of Carrera Marble, a shower that I designed, and by adding built-ins {the room formerly had no storage at all}.

Our bathroom features an old claw foot tub that I painted black. The walls are painted “Sachet” from Sherwin Williams old Martha Stewart collection {this paint is still available for the mixing if you head to Sherwin Williams and ask them to look it up}:

We added a built-in linen closet and drawers in an empty space behind the door {see below}. I designed the shower so that it would not need a glass door {ultimately, they will mildew}, and saved money by using ceramic subway tiles up the walls of the shower:

Below is a view of the half wall that makes up the side of the shower. This allows the room to feel more spacious, as the sunlight can get from one end of the room to the other. It also provides water protection, a handy little ledge, and {ahem} a place for toilet paper:

Using mosaic tiles is an excellent way to get a cheaper price, but still use gorgeous marble. We used Carrera marble tiles on the floor {below} and on the shower floor. We used larger slabs of Carrera to top thresholds and the half-wall ledge:

Some of the details that we added to this room can be seen below. We purchased an antiqued medicine cabinet {$30} and spent way too much time and energy bringing it back to life, but I love it. We also added shaker pegs all around the bathroom, which is both practical and architecturally interesting. You can see a glimpse of the interior transom window in this pic as well:

Below is a better view of the interior transom window. We added it because the hallway on the opposite side gets no outside light at all. We found the transom in perfect shape at an architectural salvage store for $10. I won’t tell you how much we paid the painter to paint it….:

When we added an addition 4 years ago, we had to close in the window on the back wall of the bathroom. This was the perfect opportunity for additional storage! So we had some doors added. Now this bathroom {which we all share} has plenty of storage:

I am a fan of the spa. I think another reason why this bathroom is one of my favorite rooms at Fieldstone Hill is because it reminds me of being in a spa. If I make sure there are plenty of lavender soaps and fluffy white towels, then suddenly I am transported to my own place of relaxation:

Well, there you have it. My favorite room is my bathroom. And it is one of my favorite places to escape to, and close the door!

Still, one never knows what my favorite room will be by this time next year!

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The January FHD Giveaway has begun! Be sure to enter by clicking here, or by clicking on the photo below:

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{this post has been adapted from an original guest post}

I hope that everyone’s new year is off to a great start!

Don’t you just love the feeling in the air at the beginning of a new year? And, as for me, I love to organize and purge my home of clutter and excess… so I am quite giddy this time of year.

I also love that “fresh, clean, and breath-able” are feelings that are embraced in our homes as we start up a new year together. Today’s ditto embodies all of those things!

Doesn’t this room just make you want to have a clean slate? {house beautiful}

DITTO :: {WHAT I WOULD STEAL FROM THIS SPACE}:

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The January FHD Giveaway has begun! Be sure to enter by clicking here, or by clicking on the photo below: