Category: home decor

Holiday Hostess Gift Ideas

Holiday hostess gift ideas abound as we find ourselves deep in the holiday party and get together season.

Let’s Holiday Hostess Gifts Ideas!

greenery-wrapped-gifts

Better Homes and Gardens

Dinner Diaries

antique-sugar-set

dinner-diaries-hostess-giftR.S. Germany (19th Century) Porcelain and Hand Painted Sugar and Creamer   ~  Rogers & Hamilton Raphael Sugar Spoon ~  Antique Mercury Glass Pillar Holder ~  Dinner Diaries  ~  Metallic Rimmed Marbleized Appetizer Plates  ~ Ceramic Pineapple 

Elegant is a state of mind, and even the most casual of casual gatherings can be a stunningly elegant affair when a place is set for personal style at the head of the table.

green-wrapped-giftBetter Homes and Gardens

Holiday hostess gift ideas

Cocktails at Christmas

cocktails-for-christmas

Plantation Pride Red Gift Box  ~ Leopard Print Ice Bucket ~ Godinger Serenade Peanut Dish  ~ Cocktail Utensils Set ~  Caspari Wild Christmas Guest Towels

It’s beginning to look a lot like cocktails, and it’s always chic o’clock with these Cocktails at Christmas holiday hostess gift ideas.

ornament_giftDesign Sponge

Poker Night

casino-night-host-gift

Bicycle Playing Cards ~ Chocolate Gold Coins ~ Godinger Roulette 2 Piece Cheese Tray Set  ~  Assorted Snacks

Don’t forget the host!

Hit the jackpot with a game night themed gift for the host.

rosemary-crock

Seasons Greetings

“Seasons” Greetings!

I love the scent and the idea of a rosemary Christmas tree.

I would always use one at the antique shop during the holidays for the visual and aroma effect.

One of my best clients looked forward to holiday open house and what I called the annual Hopefully Classic Rosemary Rub.

What’s the Hopefully Classic Rosemary Rub you ask?

Gently rub the rosemary leaves with both hands for holiday good luck and health, and the fragrance from the tree stays with you- a holiday bonus.

A Christmas tree shaped rosemary tree is festive function at its aromatic best.

blue-wrapped-gifts-carolyn-roehmCarolyne Roehm

Bon Appétit

bulldogScot Meacham Wood

Delamore Outdoor French Bulldog Garden Statue

Whimsical works deliciously well in the kitchen, especially at the holidays.

black-and-gold-wrapped-giftsBetter Homes and Gardens

Tinsel and Teatime 

hostess-tea-giftTwinings Earl Grey Tea ~ Oro Porcelain Teapot ~ Stoneware Teacup ~ Jo Malone London Orange Blossom Home Candle ~ Ginkgo Gold Foil Notecards

In these hustling and bustling holiday times, taking a teatime out to relax with a cup of tea, author a handwritten note of greetings or thanks to a friend or client, or to enjoy the scent of a favorite candle in a session of aroma therapy is holiday highly suggested.

The key to a great hostess gift is one that reflects a sense of style and ‘with you in mind’ thoughtfulness.

Love your style!

Bold Home Decor

Making a bold home decor statement is a bold move in the right and decoratively daring direction.

Charleston-show-house-BHG-photo-Katie-Charlotte-Fiedler

Better Homes & Gardens – Photo by Katie Charlotte Fiedler

Steven Gambrel

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My Domaine

There’s no time like the present to test the bold home decor waters.

bold-ried-rolls

My Domaine

Taking an all in approach to bold home decor produces bold results.

Miles-Redd-interiorsMiles Redd

Bold home decor statements in bold and living color are alive and done very well in New Orleans style as illustrated page after unique page in Valorie Hart’s book, House Proud: Unique Home Design/Louisiana.  

There’s no place quite like New Orleans, and Ms. Hart recognizes and features the interior design and decorating so expressly unique to New Orleans.

house-proud-louisiana-homes-1-xlnElle Decor

New Orleans based artist Ashley Longshore’s studio is a gallery of bold expression.

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Elle Decor

Bold color incorporation on a grand scale boldly colors the world of some, where as a gradual color progression better sets the tone for others.

bold-home-officeNuevo Estilo

Rather experimenting on a small scale or full-on bold color saturation, working with bold home decor colors may be easier to do in baby steps for the decor timid or undecided.

Bold-settee-foyer-Janie-Molster-Designs-Gordon-Gregory (1)

Janie Molster Designs – Flower Magazine

bold-living-room

Domino

Paint-Ceiling

POPSUGAR

From floor to ceiling, a brilliant contrast created through bold color, pattern and texture combined with distinctive accents and home decor accessories notes a truly unique design and decor visual experience.

bold-entrywayDomino

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 “Fiori Di Como” by artist Dale Chihuly in the lobby of Bellagio Hotel Las Vegas

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Domino

bold-dining-room

Better Homes & Gardens

blue-beaded-chandelier3R Studios Wood Beaded Chandelier 

Kips-Bay-ShowhouseKips Bay Showhouse

amanda-nisbet

Amanda Nisbet

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Lindsey Coral Harper Interiors

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DecorPad

Bold color combinations and pattern selections capture the modern twists and turns of today’s tastes, yet stay true to the core appeal of classic designs.

bold color combinations

Southern Living

LOVE Needlepoint Wool Throw Pillow

bold-living-room

Pinterest

Neutral walls more of what you have in mind for the space?

Introduce bold home decor to the space through spot accessories.

Subtle boldness is not a firm contradiction of terms, but more a design approach to keep in mind.

kirsten-kelli

Kirsten Kelli

Traditional styles mixed with bold color choices strike a palette balance and speaks to the unique personality of the space.

Take your look boldly where no look has gone before.

one kings lane_kim bachmann_YELLOW ROOM WALL

Family style time in the home of fashion designer Kim Bachmann as featured on One Kings Lane

Revisiting and refreshing vintage posts is the norm for most bloggers in these slow and easy summer months.

Readers utilize every moment of these summer long days and outdoor living nights to get the most out of their summer season, and I totally respect that.

While I hope these new reads and range of topics keeps us engaged during the summer, I also hope you will enjoy the updated posts as well.

Darleen-signature-love

Garden Home Decor Colors

Every now and then it is necessary to perform housekeeping and updating to clear the cobwebs away from older posts, revivify information and renew resources.

Garden home decor colors is one of those times and one of those posts.

Giuseppe_Arcimboldo_-_The_Vegetable_Gardener_-_WGA00842The Vegetable Gardener ~ Giuseppe Arcimboldo {{PD-US}}

We gather inspiration from the color palette of nature and company.

Funny how the colors of what grows in the garden inspires from the garden home decor colors.

June_3_Farmers_Market,_Harrisonburg,_Va.,_2010_(4953469065) (1)

Farmers Market, Harrisonburg, Virginia

Eggplant #614051

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Southern Living

Eggplant or aubergine takes its place on the color wheel in visually impressive fashion.

Aubergines_Three_Types1 Aubergine

Aubergine commands full focal point attention.

This particular shade of purple is no shrinking violet.

one_kings_lane_plum_rusticwoodfloors

Photo by Emily Gilbert Photography; interior by The Brooklyn Home Company.  As Featured by One Kings Lane

Robust.

Confident.

Vibrant.

Palette Potent.

Eggplant or aubergine brings the hue you calling gorgeous drama to a space.

Valpone_08-531x800

Rachel Volpone 

Buttery French Yellow #e6b70f

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Pattern

Pattern makes a compelling argument for the beauty that lies within in the it’s all in the details details.

yellow-curtain-panelKelley Interior Design  via Pinterest

I do believe a color combination post featuring the swoon worthy color combination of buttery French yellow and luxurious creamy dreamy not quite white is in the immediate future of Places In The Home.

Simply gorgeous!

from the garden home decor colors

Texture

Better Homes and Gardens

 Color

yellow-desk-ghost-chair

Domino

tomato-colors-paint-samples

Better Homes & Gardens

Tomato Red

Tomato Yellow

Tomato Green

tomatoes

There is something so summer about the variety of colors associated with fresh from the garden tomatoes.

Gretchen-BondGretchen Bond

From the garden to the table to the perfect color choice of a decorative home accessory, garden home decor colors inspire.

red-washstand-with-alabaster-sconces

 Mandarina Studio 

Love the pop of garden bold colors paired with a Places In The Home house favorite- the ever so chic choice of leopard print accents.

gold-matte-velvet-drapes

Anthropologie Matte Velvet Curtain

cucumbers-at-market

384ea816d0600b9363ab43204097cba9

Striking color combinations in fresh from the garden home decor colors make an anything but garden variety statement.

dwmmaloos-portfolio-interiors-art-deco-contemporary-eclectic-modern-dining-room

DWM | MALOOS

Kitchen_Green_Cabinets_DE10 House & Home

Summer home decor updates in from the garden home decor colors are naturally influenced by the seasonal palette influenced by the deep, rich, bright and vibrant shades represented at the farmers market.

It’s a growing trend!

Darleen-signature-love

 

 

 

 

 

This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Summer Entertaining Suggestions

Summer entertaining suggestions and information is always worthy of repeating- exactly the reason I’m featuring these suggestions new to the Places In The Home summer entertaining repertoire.

Summer is in our sights, arriving with the summer solstice gift of extra daylight.

Talk about the ultimate summer entertaining hostess gift!

Invite vibrant color, easy entertaining tips, and fun home decor touches to the party, and prepare to impress.

lantern luminaries

John Jacob Interiors

Summer nights frame the art of entertaining with a canvas of color and hosting ease.

Retro-Outdoor-Camping-Kerosene-Lamp-Oil-Light-Lantern

Creating an evening under the stars atmosphere begins with bringing down the house lights and illuminating the summer night with soft accent lighting.

candles-in-wrapped-jars-outside-living

Casual elegance is easily achieved by strategically placing kerosene lanterns or glass jar luminaries along a walkway.

lights-in-trees

House Beautiful

For extra ambiance wrap, hang, drape or string white twinkle string lights from trees, in shrubs and around columns.

Stunning!

yellow paper lanterns

Maze Yellow 8″ Paper Lanterns

Tiki torches, table lamps on loan for the evening from your interior home decor, garden chandeliers, and decorative paper lanterns also make great options in the quest to create a comfortable and inviting atmosphere.

outdoor-lanterns

Outdoor Lanterns

summer entertaining tip

Invite the wow factor to your summer soiree- the consummate guest.

DIY party ice buckets and ice cubes serve a gorgeous and delicious purpose.

DIY-ice-bucket

DIY Ice Buckets

Ice ice baby too cold, too cute!

Ball Jars prove a versatile party decor darling.

ball-jar

Light them up, fill them up, or chill them down.

Ball 4pk 32oz Regular Mouth Quart Canning Jars Rose Vintage

A midsummer night’s entertaining dream becomes a reality with these quaint and stunning homemade hurricanes.  I discovered this simple how to supply list for colorful jar lanterns from Joann Stores and promptly pinned it to my Pinterest account.

outdoor-hanging-jar-lights

Joann Stores

Simple and affordable combine decorating forces to add subtle yet palpable charm to a perfect summer evening scene.

DIY summer citronella candles how to video from Southern Living show us how to make a DIY bug-be-gone candle that is not only visually impressive, but an essential must for comfortable summer soiree nights.

clay-pot

Give me a reason to turn a flower pot into a serving piece and it is summer soiree party on.

I’ll never forget the look I got the first time I announced we were having pot brownies at our pot party to a co-hostess.  I don’t believe I have ever clarified something so quickly before or since.

Vidalia-onion

Anywho, clay flower pots are an inexpensive and summer appropriate alternative to traditional serving pieces.

Baked beans, barbecued wings, Creole seasoned French fries, baked Vidalia onions, summer sausage- all great “pot” options.

House Beautiful

Elevate an otherwise average patio table to party perfection by topping it with a stylish outdoor tablecloth. Layer the look with chairs, cushions and outdoor pillows decked out in bright summer colors.

Decoristas have long had a trusty trick up their sleeve. Home decor and furnishings that work gorgeously inside the house will rock an outdoor living space like a Led Zeppelin concert!

Domaine

Love your inside dining chairs and know they will be the key to pulling the entire outdoor tablescape together, but don’t want the chair legs to get dirty?

outdoor-table-setting

Architectural Digest

Wrap the bottom of each chair leg with clear plastic wrap.

Perhaps a tad time-consuming, but it will save time on the clean up end of the party.

Be as pre-party proactive as possible with certain tasks.  It’s a summer entertaining essential skill for the host and/or hostess to hone.

Hello-my-name-is-summer-name-card

With the very, very good points of summer outdoor living and summer entertaining comes the very real concern over controlling mosquitoes.

Burning sage or rosemary repels is said to kill mosquitoes. The mosquito killing power is in the smoke so I’m thinking summer fire pit or campfire plays into being a natural necessity.

mosquito_sage

Pure Wow

At the point in the party when the food and drink has hit the spot, the music is summer smooth, the outdoor party life is kicking up a notch, and the company and the conversation is hitting all the right notes it’s time to hand out summer relaxation party pails.

fresh-rose-petals

Fill plastic beach pails from the dollar store with his or hers flip-flops, individual aluminum spray bottles filled with chilled homemade rose water (the guys love this stuff almost as much as the gals), cold cucumber slices in freezer bags and Burt’s Bees Cucumber & Sage facial cleansing towelettes (love the scent).

Assemble party pails beforehand adding chilled and cold items to pails right before handing them out.

Cucumber_Cleansing_Towelettes

Enjoy the colors and celebrations of the season.

What better excuse for throwing a stylish summer entertaining soiree!

Darleen-signature-love

Our Home For The Holidays

Happy Holidays friends!  We are T-3 to Christmas 2015, and the joy of the season is electric by way of white Christmas lights and treasured traditions.   Welcome to our Home for the Holidays where the theme of comfort and simplicity is well represented.

grape-vine-tree

Our tour is of the dining room and the part of the foyer decked for the holidays. The dining room, a forever work in progress, has seen several design and decor changes in 2015, and will continue to see more in 2016.  The walls are devoid of artwork (the piece you see in this photo is part of the kitchen gallery wall) and the style jury is unable to reach a unanimous decision on accent rug vs. hardwood floors.  The dining room isn’t the only space getting a makeover.  My Mother’s Day gift from our son was paying for the new wallpaper I fell in love with at first sight but took several months to decide if I really had to have it. Turns out I did. Dave the Builder began the project, but real life obligations and unexpected circumstances stepped in and halted the foyer beautification project.  Patience is not only a virtue it is a necessary tool of the trade in design and decorating.

our-home-for-the-holidays

On the Monday before Christmas, my true love gave to me.  A single Santa leopard-ing

Santa-dinner

and a Christmas goose in the foyer displayed in front of the new zebra wallpaper sitting pretty (pronounce it prit-tee and it rhymes with tree.  Get it?  Partridge. Pear Tree).

Christmas-Goose-in-foyer

A  holiday table centerpiece of magnolia leaves and holly is indeed so Southern, so holiday, so easy and so beautiful.

magnolias-berries

angel

Bob’s Sweet Stripes as swizzle sticks and crystal finial ornaments as wine charms? You bet!

home-bar

I purchased these vintage mini framed Madonna prints for my kitchen gallery wall.

place-setting

Inspiration is everywhere.

ring

The subject matter is holiday appropriate, and the petite size of the framed prints sealed the DIY deal.  Napkin rings it is!

frame-napkin-ring

mother-and-child

I have collected Victorian inspired Santa Claus figurines for years.  Due to the epic move aka the gift that keeps on giving, combining two households into one and the renovation of my childhood home into our new to us home, most of my Santa collection now resides in climate controlled storage.  These inexpensive stand-in Santas have no great provenance or famous artist signature assigned to them, but I do love the colors and facial features of these old world replicas.

Santas

A picture is worth a thousand words, and this perfectly imperfect image serves as a visual reminder of my personal design and decorating philosophy.  Perfection, style and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  The life lived within a home comes alive through personal style and taste, and there is nothing more gorgeous than a home that beautifully illustrates personal style lives here.  Design and decorate it with a sense of you!

dining-room-table

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Love your style!

Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark Interiors

Dark interiors make a dramatic, commanding and intimate statement. Dark interiors are coming out of the shadows and into the trend spotlight.

Halloween-DraculaTurner Classic Movies

Although black is not the only dark color choice associated with dark interiors, it does seem to be the basis for dramatic back in black magic. Black is the new black- a perennial color classic and decorating color essential. What oomph the perfect little black dress lends to a fashionista’s wardrobe, a space dressed from floor-to-ceiling in the color black speaks to a decorista’s personal interior design and decorating style.

dark interiorsAtlanta Homes & Lifestyles 

Visual allure produces a theatrical statement.

Practical-Magic1stdibs

donna-mondi-interior-design-portfolio-interiors-stylesDonna Mondi Interior Design

Dark interiors keep beautiful company with deep accent colors rich in palette intensity, and therein lies the secret to the perfect design and decorating marriage.

Neu.BohemeNeu.Boheme

My initial thought when sourcing the Vertigo pendant by designer Constance Guisset for Petite Friture?  Haute witches hat.

vertigo-chandelierPetite Friture

Dark interiors introduce a sophisticated warmth to the space.

d95b066e3c1683ef09a375d783092110Elle Decor

ver040115ferrierdeskVeranda

Dark interiors.  What say you?

Love your style!

Placing the Seasonal Decorating Accent Mark on Fall

Welcome to the Places In The Home first day of fall home is where the fall is feature.  My for the fall of it all decorating is not what I would categorize as a traditional fall home tour, per se however, I do love placing the seasonal decorating accent mark on fall with set spot arrangements and seasonal accessories here, there and about.

home-bar-on-sideboard

sideboard-bar-2

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Fall flower arrangement inspiration came in the form of neutral colors and natural elements.

elephant-figurine

I pulled decorative things together from spaces, bookshelf displays, Hopefully Classic Antiques and Interiors inventory, tabletop favorites, ghosts of preserved floral stems past and nature’s arts and crafts store.

fall-flower-arrangement

A late summer experiment with drying hydrangeas proved successful enough to fulfill my fall and holiday decorating needs.

sideboard-arrangement

I bought this framed print at auction.  This particular antiques auction was held off the beaten path in the piney woods of North Louisiana.  The smalls at this hit the jackpot auction ranged from spectacular to premier, and the prices were equally fantastic.

picture

I chalked it up to coincidence, but it seemed the auctions held in the fall brought forth the best finds.  I was like a kid in a big old country barn candy store with a cup of hot chocolate in one hand (it gets cold in the piney woods) and a bid card in the other.

maybe

Good deals.

Good times.

Great memories.

chair-fringe

Fall weekends offer up a snapshot, a glimpse from the past of those Saturday nights spent at the auction.  The framed print reminds me of a not quite, but almost fall stroll through those piney woods.

natural-fall-display

fall-display1

candy-corn

Apples, walnuts and cinnamon.

bow-1

It’s how I roll.

rolling-pin

Hotel china demitasse cups are both a passion and a weakness of mine.

rolling-pin-apples-cinnamon

The price wasn’t exactly right for the set, but the I have to have these part of my brain convinced the a better deal is out there part of my brain that this was the last set of hotel china demitasse cups on the planet, and if I did not immediately buy them right then and there the treasure hunting gods would forever rain down it’s full price for you wrath on all future treasure hunts and finds.  Retail logic was alive and well.

cups

Layering the look with gold tones and warm textures seems naturally autumn appropriate.

dried-hydrangea

“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.”   

Jim Bishop

bull

Welcome home, fall.

Love your style!