Love the One You’re With

I have to admit, I continually put off updating my blog because I don't feel like it is as put together and designed as I would like it to be, but I have been humbled lately by realizing that very few things in life are perfect from the start. So I plan to keep on blogging, and keep on working on the design for as long as it takes to make it beautiful. Thanks for being patient blog readers!!

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For now, I am extremely excited to share something that I have been holding on to for a while. One of my sweet sweet friends, Madoline, agreed to take me up on my attempt at a regular blog column: Love the One You're With. This post couldn't have better timing because today is Madoline's birthday!!! Check out her beautiful house below (perfect for dinner parties I might add!)

MADOLINE'S HOUSE - - -

I can’t believe I live in my house. Yes, as Amy’s blog speaks of, I still dream of the home that will be all my own to decorate and make mine/my family’s own. But until that time, I am spoiled to live with three other girls in a character-filled older home whose owners updated and added on a few years ago.

I love Amy’s concept of “loving the one you’re with,” but truthfully I overwhelmingly treasure this house’s features and want to take them into my “dreams” with me one day.  

Hardwoods. Some rooms have the original wood, some have new, but they all give a woodsy look that is far superior to tile or carpet. Also, my roommate’s cat likes them.

A porch of escape. The swing is where we go to read, to enjoy being outside, to talk or sit as someone (not me) plays guitar. It’s where I take my breakfast and notebook on Sunday mornings. It’s where I most love to be, and it’s where I (mostly) can’t work on my to-do list (amen to that).

A wall that speaks. The best vertical space in our house comes courtesy of the artistry of a special former roommate in the house. I don’t want just something that coordinates with décor on my walls; blame the journalist in me, but I want each wall of my home to tell a story or reflect a season or people in my life. 

Dream kitchen. Gas range, stainless appliances, cookbook shelf—hello, the real reason I moved into this home and am so very spoiled. I intend for my kitchen to always fully function as a hub of family, fellowship and simultaneous host of my favorite love language, culinary creations.

Something unexpected. I would not have picked our front living room wall color, ever, but now that we inherited it, its gold-brown tones really make the room a standout. Plus, my roommate has quality taste in decorating mantels. 

A cultivated bookshelf. For now, I have one bedroom bookshelf, which forced me to form a collection of my most treasured yearbooks, photo books, the books I want to read and the ones I most go back to. It reminds me that I want the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves of my dreams to not just be decorative and make me feel literary but to be crafted to tell of influences of those who dwell there and to be shared with others.

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Happy Birthday Madoline!
Thank you for writing, and thank you for being such a great friend for the past 3 years!

To everyone else, I am so glad that I could share this amazingly talented woman's writing and a little glimpse of her character and love of cooking with you.
Be sure to check out her blog over at Maple Macaroni for some equally amazing baked creations.

Where have the weeks gone??

Soooo, I'm only a month and a half behind on blogging. No big deal right? Thankfully I have quite a few legitimate excuses for my long absence.

1. No internet connection at my old apartment;

 2. Sending off my SIL for her fabulous work adventure overseas! (Aaaand she's back already, ha);

3. Partying with this girl to celebrate her little man who will be here in June (so close)!

4. Spending a weekend with this cutie and his mom and dad;

5. Enjoying this amazing party put on by Richard Joseph SalonSpa at our office;

6. Starting up the office Facebook and Twitter accounts (@AWbham), and soon to be blog (architectureworks.com);

7. Attending a "Dixie Seder" with friends;

8. Picking yummy yummy strawberries with the girls;

 

9. Helping our team decorate (and taste test the jambalaya!) at the Cajun Cookoff;

10. Checking out Paint the Town Red and all the digital displays, like this Mini Coop;

11. Oh right, and packing, lots and lots of packing.

So I really have no excuse for not blogging other than LIFE. I have loved seeing so many people I love in such a short period of time. It will be a whirlwind couple of weeks as I continue to unpack boxes, but hopefully there will be lots of blogging and projects to share on the other end of it all. 

Love the One You're With

LOVE - just in time to finish off February!

I got this great idea from a blog I read almost daily.  The point is to share a space or object in your home that you are truly proud of or really enjoy. I think too often we all, me included, get wrapped up in what's in magazines and what celebrities have in their homes, and we lose focus of the small spaces in our own lives that make us happy. I have lots of little things in my current apartment to share, but I hope to be able to share pictures of other people's spaces too; so start thinking - I may ask YOU!!

I am gearing up to move, but there are a few little things that I captured over the weekend that I love about my apartment. They are nothing extraordinary, but they make my room more cozy and homey nonetheless. 

(Please excuse the low quality pictures)

This is a set of three trivet-like wood decorations I got from a yard sale when I lived in Atlanta. I love the detailed carvings and most of all the weathered look of each one. Even better is they are not matchy-matchy in shape. The farthest one is an octagonal shape, a square, and a circle.  I hope to paint these and reuse them when I move.

 Another great thrift store find! My mom scoped these out one weekend when we were searching for apartment decorations. They were such a deal because (although you can't tell from this picture) they are both about 24x36 in size, so they make a prominent statement, especially when grouped together. Botanical prints are very popular now, so they are hard to come by, let alone pricey! The muted browns, tans, greens, and whites all work perfectly with my current bedroom colors.

       Lastly is this great leaner mirror. (I refused to take a bigger picture that reflected my unmade bed or pile of laundry, I mean . . . ) It was a little addition to my room, but it made a huge difference. It was the first time that I have upgraded from what I call a dorm room mirror. The kind that is tall and skinny and works perfectly stuck to the back of a door. This one is much wider, can sit on the floor, and has a substantial frame.

       I also love the brushed bronze finish. To me, this kind of finish works with darker tones in a room without being too masculine.  

       For a similar mirror try: Kirkland's Home 36x67 

There are many more things I love about my space, but I'll save a few to share later. 

So, what do you love about your home???

A Day of Sweets

 Happy Valentines Day Everyone! 

I hope everyone has big plans today. I wish you were all here to share these homemade goodies with me:

Some HEARTfelt sugar cookies for all of the sweet guys in my life

 

 and a tasty batch of CHERRY swirl brownies for the sweet tooths in my office!

 

 And my favorite kind of sweet: design! 

My roommate found this picture that pretty much sums up everything I want in my apartment style: kelly green, weathered furniture, a graphic print, glass jars, neutral palette, feminine curtains - pure love for sure!

 

And stay tuned for a regular design post I hope to do on LOVING your own home.

Thanks for reading! 

Love you guys!

 

"I might have to wait, I'll never give up

I guess it's half timing, and the other half's luck

Wherever you are, whenever it's right

You'll come out of nowhere and into my life"

- Michael Buble, Haven't Met You Yet

Home (Apartment) Dreams Coming True!

Exciting news - I'm getting a new apartment! Like anyone who gushes over interior design magazines and catalogs, I am beyond excited for the chance to move into an apartment with blank walls and empty space! 

Needless to say, planning out what I want to do in a new apartment is filling up my Pinterest decorating boards fairly quick. I am also quickly learning what my style is and what I love in terms of design.  I'll share a few things over the next few days and weeks that are starting to become themes on my pin boards.

1. KELLY GREEN 

I love this as an accent color in a room full of neutrals or paired with a light blue or crisp whites. I'm even finding that I like larger pieces of furniture, like cabinets and hutches in a weathered kelly green finish.  

Thanks for reading!! 

Happy 2012!!

Happy 2012 to everyone!!

I'm off to a slow start because of a new years cold, but nevertheless I couldn't be more excited for the start of a new year! Maybe it's my OCD-list-making-type-A-personality, but I love the idea of starting everything over on a fresh slate. Mentally, I feel like I can let go of anything that I didn't accomplish in the past year and look forward to more aspirations and motivation in the new year.

That said, I feel like this is going to be a great year! I am coming off the natural high of having spent time with so many friends and family that I love over the holidays, and my new phone is the ultimate motivation to organize my life into one convenient little digital, hand-held life planner. Not to mention I will be 25 this year!!! Blame it on the OCD again, but there is something exciting to me about reaching a quarter of a century - - - seems pretty important to me!

Well, I haven't made concrete resolutions this year, but one of my personal goals is to devote more time to writing, photography, and blogging. Hopefully I will be able to pour more into this little blog and really focus in on my interest in interior design and everything else inspirational.

I know my passion for design is still there because of the overwhelming joy I got out of finding these little gems in our office mail on the first day back:

West Elm

Design Within Reach

Pottery Barn

Birmingham Home & Garden

Birmingham Magazine
I mostly love this for the fun graphic layout and fonts. I'm excited to see where the new management takes this magazine in 2012.

I hope your new year is off to a great start. Check back often for great blogging in 2012!!

"We're live!"

This morning our whole office got an email with that message - meaning after months of hard work by my co-workers, we finally have a brand new, fabulous, website!!!!

Check it out! www.architectureworks.com 

Be sure to look at the PEOPLE page under FOUNDATION. I was able to put my photography skills to use and take everybody's picture for their profiles!