Friday was my birthday. I was a bit ambivalent about the whole thing, it is just a number, right? But, my husband and family made sure it was a birthday I would not soon forget.

My husband and I dropped our daughter and the dog off at my parents’ around lunchtime on Friday. From there we headed to Washington, Va for a night at The Inn at Little Washington. We went there for my birthday once before, and my husband has declared it a treat for every five years.

Last time we went, it was a spur of the moment trip. My husband got tied up in meetings and a long weekend trip to New Orleans for my birthday had to be postponed.  He felt bad, rang around and was able to get us dinner reservations at the Inn at Little Washington but not a room at the Inn…it was booked.  But, they referred us to a wonderful little B&B across the street, called The Heritage House. We loved the quaint little inn, and the proprietors Gary and Michelle are just great. Not to mention, the breakfast is to die for. So, we chose to stay at Heritage House again and walked across to Inn at Little Washington for dinner.

We started out the evening with martinis in the bar, where we had the pleasure of meeting chef/proprietor, Patrick O’Connell. I’ll even admit I was a bit tongue tied….any foodie will appreciate he ranks up there with the best of the best.

Dinner was amazing, I started with “From our Hen House: Spinach and Cheese Filled Ravioli with Molten-Gold Center.”  The ravioli was so perfectly thin and my husband and I were trying to figure out how a perfectly cooked egg yolk was placed so delicately inside.  Mmmmm, so delicious.

From there, I had “Our Homemade Boudin Blanc (White Sausage) with Sauerkraut Braised in Riesling and Mustard Scented Apple Coulis.“  It was very good, although perhaps a bit much for me.  Luckily my husband was happy to finish it.

Finally, I had “Beef Two Ways: A Pecan Crusted Barbequed Short Rib Paired with a Minature Filet Mignon Wrapped in Swiss Chard.”  All I can say is I will be dreaming about this one.  My husband cooks amazing short ribs and they are always a dinner party hit, but these….spectacular. 

My husband indulged in seafood….starting with “A Mélange of Spicy Big Eye Tuna with Mango, Avocado, Crispy Shallots and Sake-Yuzu Sorbet.”  I am not much of a seafood eater, but I’ll tell you this tuna was delicious!  He then had a “Maine Diver’s Scallop Sauteed with Capers, Brown Butter and Lemon with Tiny Tomato Gnocchi.”  He rounded out his main course with “Pan Roasted Maine Lobster with Braised Baby Bok Choy in a Fragrant Coconut Sauce Perfumed with Lemongrass.”  Yummmm.

As if this was not all enough, for dessert I had “Southern Butter Pecan Ice Cream Sandwich with Hot Caramel Sauce” while Chris had “Ferdinand Point’s Classic “Marjolaine” Cake: Layers of Chocolate and Hazelnut Meringue with Raspberries.” 

I am kicking myself this morning that I did not take pictures of the spectacular Inn and  kitchen while I was there.  The decor is beautiful having been created by Joyce Evans, a London stage and set designer.  The dining room was comfortable yet spectacular.  From the velvet banquettes and silk lampshades over top of each table, to the exquisite fabrics draped from the ceilings, it was the perfect refuge from a busy week and the bitter cold outside.  Next time, there will be pictures!

As we were leaving town, I did manage to snap two quick photos.  The first, the Heritage House where we stayed.  The second, the front of Inn at Little Washington.

You’ll see from the pictures above that we got a bit of snow yesterday (about 5 inches) and the drive home was less than relaxing.  But, we made it home safe and sound and then headed over to my parents’ house where we played cards and visited for the afternoon.  My mom made my traditional birthday dinner that I’ve requested every year since I was little.  A standing rib roast, roasted potatoes, popovers and salad and vegetable.  My sister made my mom’s famous chocolate cake from scratch.  Maddie is really understanding things better than she was at Christmas and had fun opening all of  my presents…a new word which she was happy to repeat again and again.  In all, it was an awesome birthday.  Thanks to my wonderful husband and family!  Now, back to the real world….

Often, one of the last touches in a room design is to add the accessories and pillows.  While they may be easily overlooked in the initial design, they really can bring a room together and help it look finished.  Since I am in the middle of decorating my own home, I wish that I could say that even just one room could be called “done” and ready for final accessories. 

In addition, once a room is “done”, pillows and accessories are an easy and relatively inexpensive way to refresh and personalize your design.  Although, those reading design blogs will surely appreciate that nothing in design is ever truly “done”…. 

Earlier this week, I met with a rep for a number of different fabric, rug, accessory, furniture and lighting manufacturers that are included in my buying service.  Since I did not make it to Atlanta market earlier this month, I was able to view these new introductions in the comfort of my office.   I thought I would highlight just a few of my favorites from one particular line that features whimsical and expressive decorative pillows sure to brighten any decor.  

The pillows are silk screened, appliqued and fashioned from chic fabrics.  They are 90% down, 10% foam.  All of the fabrics in this line are also available by the yard.  For additional information or samples, please contact me.  Otherwise, just enjoy.

For you bird lovers….

Offered in many different colors….

Perfect for a nursery or play room….

Enjoy your weekend.  Today is a mini-milestone birthday for me.  So, we have lots planned for the weekend.  I hope to see you back here on Monday!

Since I posted a preview of my dining room rug yesterday, I thought I would continue with the dining room theme and participate in “Tablescape Thursday” over at the blog Between Naps on the Porch.  But, I have to admit I am not great about photographing our table…I am usually rushing around at the last minute before dinner guests arrive, shoving plastic toys in any drawer or cabinet I can find…trying to outpace my daughter who is pulling them back out as fast as she can. 

Since we are expecting snow here in Northern Virginia this weekend, I am still in the winter mindset.  So, I thought I would share an image of our simple holiday setting.

The glitter tree, the tea lights and mint julep vases are left over from our December wedding just over 4 years ago.   (We had a Tiffany blue and silver scheme.)  The name cards were done on the computer, using green labels and red card stock from Paper Source.  The place mats were from Kmart Martha Stewart collection from several years ago.  (I have to thank my mom for bringing over the linens and polishing my silver….)  The grocery store was out of red roses so we improvised with a mix of red and pink.  We even had Maddie’s high chair decked out down to her own mini silver service.  It was a great night with family, not to soon be forgotten.  And, that is what is most important.

To see more inspiring tablescapes, hop on over to the “Tablescape Thursday” party.

One of the first design blogs I found was KATIEDID.  I love her blog and particularly loved her feature on Jay Jeffers’ designs in the Modern by Design 2009 Showhouse.  I thought everything was gorgeous (and spent hours on Jay Jeffers’ website after I read her post).  Particularly, I absolutely loved the rug he used under the game table in the below room.  It was supposed to look like the cross section of a tree stump.  I wanted this rug and set out to find the source.  I did not have to look far before I found Mark Nelson Designs.

Photo by Matthew Millman. Design by Jay Jeffers.

So, I contacted him.  He was wonderful in explaining the process to me, answering my questions, sending samples for me to touch and feel, etc.   So, basically the process was….

1. Contact
2. Rough estimate of price (e.g. Am I in the realm of possibility or am I dreaming).  Mark was great, he offered three options with a wide variance in price from the top to the bottom.  The difference was in the materials, of course.  The options at the varying price points were wool, semi-worsted wool, and silk and wool.  Of course, the showhouse rug was silk and wool.
3. Once we determined this purchase was realistic, I sent Mark paint and fabric swatches from the room.  From there, I received a box from him with samples (so I could figure out what type of materials I wanted to use) as well as a plethora of “poms” in various color possibilities.  I spent a while finalizing the perfect colors and finally made my selection.  I sent everything back to Mark and sent over a purchase order and a 50% deposit.
4. Many weeks later, I received a “strike-off” of the rug.  This was my chance to give final approval, make any changes, etc.– sortof speak now or forever hold your piece!  I LOVED it.

So, that’s where we are in this process.  But, I recently received an email from Mark.  My rug is being put on a ship tomorrow!  It will arrive in a month.  From there, it will go to a local carpet workroom.  They’ll cut a custom rug pad (which Mark included with the rug) and will deliver it to my home.  I’ll post pictures when it arrives.  To say I am excited would be an understatement!

So, do you have a vision? A rug you’ve seen that would be perfect if only a few colors were changed, materials were slightly different, etc?  Do you want to start from scratch and design your own rug from start to finish?  I’d love to hear about it.

Yesterday I met with my Robert Allen Fabric representative to review the new line of fabric and catch up.   They have a bunch of beautiful new fabrics that will conjure up visions of Spring.  But, one thing that most excited me was to learn more about their new partnership with Sherwin-Williams Paint company.  The program, called “DesignStudio,” takes a lot of the guesswork out of determining how to pull together a room of coordinated fabrics and then takes it a step further and suggests four coordinating paint colors.  I think it is a great idea and could save hours upon hours of research time trying to pull something similar together.  This is especially perfect for the DIY designer who needs a little inspiration.

I was able to see many of these sample packages yesterday and thought I would highlight some of my favorites.  To see the full range of selections, go here.

Robert Allen DesignStudio, Leaf- "Artisan Texture"

Robert Allen DesignStudio- Tulip, "Breezy Bohemian"

Robert Allen DesignStudio, Tulip- Chinoiserie Modern

Robert Allen DesignStudio, Hydrangea- "Cottage Chic"

Robert Allen DesignStudio, Terrain- "Eclectic Modern"

So, if you have some time, hop on over to Robert Allen and check out the great collections they have pulled together in partnership with Sherwin-Williams.  It is a great source of inspiration–and once you find a collection you like, the site allows you to drill-down to obtain more details on each component.  Finally, each grouping has varying ranges of durability which I love.   Most collections offer a “high performance” option which is not only pretty on the eyes, but will withstand the wear and tear of a busy family. 

If you have any questions on the fabrics or want pricing information, please feel free to contact me.

So, by now you have probably heard all about the Big Window Challenge at the Bloomingdale’s flagship store in NYC!  The contest consists of three studio vignettes created by representatives of Apartment Therapy, Elle Decor, and Bloomingdale’s.  Eddie Ross created the vignette for Elle Decor and I am a big fan. 

The  fictional occupant is founder and president of her own fashion public relations firm with offices in Paris, Milan and New York.  She has a husband and two kids who are ready to go off to college.  She is a modern thinking woman with traditional values.  She lives out loud and allows her decor to reflect who she is.  To read more about this woman and the room designed to represent her life, go here. 

Photo by Addie Juell, via Eddie Ross.

So, please head on over to the Big Window Challenge take a look at the three designs and vote for your favorite.  You can vote twice a day!  I guess you can tell who I am voting for!