A fantastic surprise home makeover for a soldier returned from Afghanistan!

What caught my eye in this home makeover was the casual, "collected-over-time" look. What I loved way that newly wed Meg Stein surprised her Army sergeant husband with this home makeover when he returned from Afghanistan! How sweet is that?

I love the cozy but clean design of this dining room.  Wood chandelier - $50 at a garage sale...vintage Duncan Phyfe table - great deal on eBay.

It's all about white kitchens for me.

Meg already had the flat file coffee table, so she designed the room around it.  I really like the file as a coffee table.  It's unexpected, and what a great way to store mags!!

What do you think of this charmer?

via HGTV Mag June/July 2012 issue

Calling all vintage and natural design lovers - you'll love Enjoy Co.'s interiors

If you love that cabinet of curiosities, industrial, or vintage design and decorating sense, then you'll love  Monique Keegan of Enjoy Co.'s interiors.

Any collector/crafter/artist, etc. would appreciate a cabinet like this!

You may remember some of these photos from Country Living's coverage of Keegan's own home.

What do you think of the shiny table and chairs paired with the mostly dark woods of the rest of the space?

If you're lucky enough to live near or in Granville, OH, you can visit the Enjoy Co. store, as seen in the above 3 pictures.

Some Enjoy Co. treasures were used in the German Village Walking Tour.  I had never heard of German Village, but it looks pretty cool...has anyone visited before?


Go to Enjoy Co. to see/read more.

An East Village apartment by the Novogratz - A home with a vintage and scholarly air...

I'm sure most of you by now have heard of the designer husband and wife duo the Novogratz after the widespread popularity of their Rizzoli book, "Downtown Chic". Well, Rue Mag was awesome enough to feature one of their latest projects, a friend's small three bedroom, 1 bath apartment in the East Village. It has a sort of vintage, masculine vibe, and I also feel like the space has an academic feel to it.

Not only did they find the perfect rug, they found the perfect *rugs!  Layered vintage oriental rugs give the entire space an "old study" feel.

I'm seriously crushing over those gilt bamboo chairs

The Novogratz used paint to accent certain architectural details

Wall mounted, open shelves like these are a great way to make the most of limited space.

Gotta love french doors for the bedroom

What do you think of this East Village apartment?

All images via Rue Magazine

*disclosure: this post is in partnership with theperfectrug.com

Meet me in Austin! Time is running out to sign up for Design Camp! (And a great Austin bungalow)

I am counting the days until Oct. 24th, when I will be attending the kickoff to Design Camp in the very cool Austin, TX.

 What is Design Camp you may ask?

 Design Camp is a two-day seminar hosted by Celebrity Interior Designers Lori Dennis and Kelli Ellis, with special guests segments led by local and national industry experts in niche fields. The course is tailored for design professionals and design aficionados. Each day runs from 9AM-6PM and is broken down into 8 segments per day.

Drinks, Snacks, Lunch, and Cocktail parties included. By the end of Camp, attendees will have the confidence and ability to run successful modern-day design careers, execute magazine ready interior projects, take careers to an entirely new level, network and collaborate with local suppliers and colleagues.

 Design Camp is your destination for practical, applicable, real-life design insight you don’t get from traditional institutions. In two fun-filled days you will discover more at Design Camp, while saving time and money.

 I AM SO EXCITED!

Check out the agenda...

KICK OFF COCKTAIL PARTY

Wednesday

6pm – 8pm

Meet and Greet Cocktail Mixer

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Day One: Design Today

Thursday

8:00 – 8:45	Registration
9:00 – 9:45	Interior Design: Past and Present
10:00 – 10:45	Inspiration Boards
11:00 – 11:45	Upholstery
12:00 – 12:45	Finishes and Trends
1:00 – 2:00	Complimentary Lunch
2:00 – 2:45	Kitchen Design
3:00 – 3:45	Bath Design
4:00 – 4:45	Green Interior Design
5:00 – 5:45	Staging – Stage your Career ---> very excited for this segment
6:00 – 8:00	Networking Cocktail Party --> and this ;)

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Day Two: Design Business

Friday

8:00 – 8:45	Contracts – Successful Strategies for negotiations with contractors, vendors and clients.
9:00 – 9:45	Blueprint for Success: What your Contractor needs you to know!
10:00 – 10:45	Design Blogging – What you need to know!
11:00 – 11:45	Getting a Project and a Book Published (and Sold!) --> another one I'm looking forward to...
12:00 – 1:00	Complimentary Lunch
1:00 – 1:45	Marketing and Branding
2:00 – 2:45	Social Media --> Iooking forward to learning some new tips on this one!
3:00 – 3:45	How to become a Design Star, Spokesperson and Television Personality
4:00 – 4:45	Awards and Closing

I see Design Camp as the second chance to get the interior design education I never got - and in 2 days! October 24th is fast approaching, and I would really like to meet you there! Visit the Design Camp site to learn more and register!

 Austin also has some great shops should you be in need of a little retail therapy. I am particularly looking forward to visiting Howl.  Howl is an amazing antique store with a mix of items from all over the world, curiosities, and glam.

Here are some photos from a cool, eclectic Austin bungalow:

 the gray walls make this sunroom soo serene!

 Love the big armchairs on each end of the table...

the lights are fab too...

images via Apartment Therapy