Day 304's update

Can you believe how big she's gotten?! Remember how small she was when we got her? She still likes to chew on sticks, squeak her pink bone, chew on our shoes (despite our best efforts to convince her not to!) and has managed to befriend Peepers the Cat. They are quite the pair, that is, until Maddie loses her patience with being nice and jumps on top of him ...


Here she is stretched out and being adorable in the living room. We are completely smitten; it's kind of ridiculous. But she's a lot of fun and we're enjoying watching her grow and learn.

Day 303's progress

Let there be light ... fixtures!


Over the weekend, Wes sanded, primed and painted the walls in the bathroom, and hung the light fixture. It's really starting to look like a bathroom again! On the list for this week: grouting the tile on the floor, then installing the sink and toilet (hooray!).

While we were busy at home, our friend Lindsay ran her first half marathon! We're so proud of you, LJ!

Day 300's departure

It's not a secret that I love a clean, white kitchen. Since we've got a kitchen remodel hovering the in future, I can't help but wonder just how much longer they will feel fresh and up-to-date, but still classic. Though I don't think I'm ready for the return of wood finished on cabinets (except in very specific instances), I'm not opposed to considering other options. Namely, cabinets painted a color other than a shade of white.

Now this is tricky territory, especially for a neutral-lover like me, but I think I've come up with some beautiful examples.

This kitchen is by the lovely and talented (and often mentioned on this blog!) Erika at Urban Grace Interiors. I'm really into blues and greens lately, but I'm not sure if I could commit to them on my cabinets! This is such a great kitchen though. Love the mini tiles on the back splash -- Erika, are those marble? Gorgeous! And the back-to-back farmhouse sinks are quite indulgent.

Jean Allsop for Coastal Living

Now this is just ridiculously pretty -- here I go again with robin's egg blue. The island is wonderful, and I'm obsessed with the tin on the refrigerator. Though this is a muted color, once again, I just don't know if I could commit, so let's go a bit more neutral.

Photo via Cote de Texas

Joni at Cote de Texas is responsible for this find. Baton Rouge attorney (yes, attorney!) created this lovely kitchen. To me, it reads like a white kitchen, but is a bit more interesting, and a tad warmer (even when empty). Oooooh and I love dark window casements and the subway tiles that go all the way to the crown molding.

Jean Allsop for Coastal Living

While we're talking neutrals, let's dissect these putty-colored cabinets. If you look closely, you can tell that the color was probably chosen from the tile back splash. And I like the way the island is set off with another color. I can't say I'll ever have green kitchen cabinets, but it is pretty.

If you're still not convinced, there are other ways to bring color into your kitchen without committing to painting your cabinets.

Windsor Smith painted this floor a bold color, and notice that the ceiling is a paler shade. Once again, the tiles go to the ceiling!

Michael Arnaud for Domino magazine

Painting the inside of your cabinets a favorite color is an effective, yet subtle, way to inject a little color into your kitchen. When displayed behind glass-front cabinets or on open shelves, it will also make your accessories and dishes stand out.

If you had your way, what color would your kitchen be?

Day 299

Thank you, thank you, thank you to The Washington Post for naming our story on robin's egg blue one of their "picks to click this week!" We are thrilled to be in such wonderful company!

Day 298

Mmmmmm how much do I want to be sitting by this fire pit right now?! A lot.

See the rest of this house here.

Day 297's purchase

NathanEagan Interiors

I'm feeling pretty uninspired this week (and from the looks of it, was last week too!), so I can't really come up with anything other than this: Over the weekend, Wes and I placed an order for some chairs for the living room. They look a bit like the ones in this photo, and they rock. Yes, they are great, but they also literally rock back and forth. Based on the fabric offerings (blue and pink gingham), I assume they are intended to be used in a baby's room. Soooooo comfortable! We won't have them for 8-12 weeks (!!!!), but I'm already counting the days until we have one presentable room.

Day 293's favorite color

Last weekend, Mom and I were playing with Maddie in the front yard, and Mom found a beautiful robin's egg on the ground. I've been seeing robins in the front yard every day (even though Peepers likes to chase them away), but it hadn't occurred to me to look for hatched eggs, so this was a really fun surprise!

I love colors that are found in nature, and robin's egg blue is one of my favorites. It's happy color that reminds me of spring and of new beginnings, and, of course, it's pretty!

One easy way to incorporate the color in its natural form also happens to be a favorite of mine: antique egg lithographs and prints. Wes and I fell for antique prints on our honeymoon when we stumbled into Carolina Antique Maps & Prints, a charming little shop on historic Church Street in Charleston. We came home with an egg lithograph and a bridge print (can you guess who picked out which?) and we've been hooked ever since.

Tria Giovan for Southern Accents

Designer David Mitchell hung a collection of egg prints over robin's egg blue wallpaper a hallway.

Katie's enviable collection of egg prints hangs neatly in her dining room.

Courtesy of Buck Hollow Farm

It's not just the eggs that charm me, I love the color. This shabby little chest would look great under a big mirror treated like an entry table or bar. I'm a neutral-lover myself, but I still love little bits of color in surprising places.

Courtesy of Pigtown Design

I think my favorite incarnation of this color is also known as "haint blue." You may have seen it on porch ceilings around the South, particularly on older homes. Traditional reasons for using shades of blue vary; some say you should paint it the color of the sky, others say the color deters insects (mosquitoes in particular) and in the low country of South Carolina, blue is said to keep evil spirits away from homes. Whatever the reason, it sure is pretty, and nothing makes me feel more Southern than sitting under a robin's egg blue porch.

Even if you don't have a porch, you can still greet visitors with this happy color, as Housemartin found in New York City (another obsession illustrated here, functioning shutters! more on that another day ...) .

Coastal Living

Blue ceilings work indoors, too.

Courtesy of Bryan Johnson

A blue door or ceiling not enough for you? Paint the house!

What's your favorite color?

Day 291's reveal

Before:


And, after:


Wow, you can barely tell the difference! I promise I slaved all weekend to put two coats of Benjamin Moore's #1032 on the walls. I don't know if I've mentioned it, but every single wall in the.entire.house. is the same color, and changing one room really has made a difference (even if you can't tell in the photo!).

Up next for our bedroom, window treatments (these or these), waiting patiently for my already-picked-out anniversary present to go above the bed with the one we bought on our honeymoon, and painting/replacing the closet doors.

Day 289's pretty

Jeremy Samuelson for Cottage Living

Loving this cool cottage today!

Day 286's hint

A hint of what's to come!

Happy Weekend!