What To Hang Above The Sofa

Briggs Edwards Solomon Design, here

The wall behind my sofa is similar to the wall in this living room.  The ceilings aren't as high, but it is one big white wall.  There is a mirror over the sofa at the moment, but this photo has me reconsidering my choice.  I'm absolutely smitten with this room.  It will be a challenge to find such a large print without breaking the bank, but maybe I'll take some photos this weekend and see if I can make my own print.   

Sunshine and Light

Image Source

It has been rainy and cold all week in Boston.  We are all desperately craving sunshine and warmth. The only place I can find it now is in this photo. My day is brighter just from looking at these pink ranunculus.

Happy Weekend!

~ D ~

Signs of Spring

I thought you might enjoy these photos I took of tulips in the Boston Public Garden yesterday.  Spring is well under way and with it comes rain for the next few days (but I'm not complaining!).  And I have to add that the quality of photos from the iphone 4S camera continues to delight me....

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Petals from nearby cherry trees make lovely confetti.

I love the intense blaze of red and yellow.  

Pink petals with white edges. I'd say these are at their peak.

Happy Monday!

~ D ~

Tricia Foley's Basement Renovation

The basement in my house isn't terrible, as far as basements go. It's dry, fairly bright and roomy, but could use some TLC. I'm not sure how much time I'd spend down there even after sprucing it up. The furnace and water heater are  noisy and I have an irrational fear of creepy-crawlies. It's also very dusty, which is a mystery to me.  The previous owners finished a section for their children's play area, complete with heat.  It's currently storing 24 cans of old paint.  I've been thinking that it would nice to have an attractive area for doing laundry and a large table for sewing projects (not that I sew very often) or even a home office.

New York designer Tricia Foley renovated the basement in her Long Island country house with fabulous results.  She even has a fireplace and uses the room for work as well as entertaining.  Her project inspired me to start cleaning-up my basement and see what I can make of it. Tthe painted picnic table and benches are simple and elegant.

There will be no fireplace or entertaining in my basement (here's a before shot of Tricia Foley's basement), but it may be comfortable enough for ironing clothes and a few DIY projects.

Tricia Foley in her renovated basement.

Plenty of storage...

Laundry would become a pleasure here rather than a chore.

How about a place for potting plants and flowers?

And this is the ultimate -- a simple home theater for watching movies. It's a projector and a blank wall.  So smart.

The full story is on the Martha Stewart website (from the November 2010 magazine).  You can also visit Tricia Foley's website, which will link you to her four (yes, four!) delightful blogs and she's also on Pinterest.

Have you renovated the basement in your home?  I'd appreciate any tips and suggestions.

~ D ~

Window Shopping

We spent Saturday morning walking Charles Street in Beacon Hill (after indulging in French Toast at The Paramount Cafe) and stopped by my favorite antiques store, Churchill & White.  Unfortunately, the shop hadn't opened yet when we arrived so I took photos of the window display.  This is only a small sample of the treasures inside and I recommend a visit if you're in Boston.  

~ D ~

Pinterest Point of View

One of my boards on Pinterest

I'm a reluctant follower and usually at the tail end of a trend.  I only joined Facebook and Twitter last year.  My list of Facebook friends is embarrassingly short and my tweets are sporadic at best. It's hard to keep up with my blog, never mind "social media".  The problem is that I'm not a very social person.  I'm quiet, reserved and basically an introvert.  And I'm happy that way.  Socializing with people other than friends and family makes me uncomfortable sometimes. Socializing online with strangers can make me, well, tense.  It's the same feeling I get before going to the dentist. I've realized that since I'm not gregarious by nature, a website won't transform me into a social maven.  Even with some comfort of anonymity.

So when Pinterest rolled around, I rolled my eyes.  I'm busy enough with a full time job, my parents, my partner / boyfriend, friends, (even a cat), tennis.  And a blog (and I forgot about LinkedIn).  I wasn't looking for another reason to sit in front of the computer.  But it's done now.  I've tried it and like it.  Very much.

Pinterest is a different medium than FB or Twitter, for sure.  But for me, it's ideal because it's all about visuals.  Pinning photos from the web onto your boards is lightning fast and easy.  The source of the photo is included within the pin so no need to track the source yourself. Once I got going, it only took me ten minutes to create a board.  And if I'm in the mood to write, I can add a comment to the pin.  It's less time consuming than blogging and Facebook and Twitter. 

And more fun sometimes.

So what do you think of Pinterest?  Have you tried it yet?  Are you using it more often than your blog / Facebook / Twitter account?

~ D ~