Spark

Dining Nook Pillows from Martha Stewart

For those who have small dining and kitchen areas, I often suggest built-in banquette seating to maximize the space. A banquette allows you to carve out little dining nooks in oddly shaped rooms or to double the width of free space in rectangular rooms. The long bench seat is perfect for piling up the kids or squeezing in an extra dinner guest.Kelmscott

There are many design options in banquettes, including whether or not to have a wood or upholstered back . . . or whether to have a back at all. For benches with either a wood seat back or just the original wall as a back, cushions come in handy. This ingenious idea (pictured above) from Martha Stewart calls for hanging pillows. They are a snap to make and the pillows stay just where you need them!

This same concept of hanging pillows could be used with a bench seat in a foyer or even in a play area for kids sitting on the floor. Find many more ideas for handmade pillows on MarthaStewart.com.

There’s a Texas Tornado’s song that goes, “A little bit is better than nada, sometimes you want the whole enchilada”. Maybe it’s my craving for TexMex or maybe I’m just consoling myself, but these lyrics keep popping up in my head. When I think of all the decorating projects I want to do, the mundane [...]

With the ease of communication and travel to all parts of the world, it’s no wonder that the greater world would make it’s way into our inner sanctuaries. The second part of our color trend series for 2011 is all about going global when it comes to color, pattern and textures. The Sherwin Williams color [...]

These gorgeous images show how two artists,  Friederike Hamann and Colin Sullivan-Stevens conjure magic in their gallery called Field in Portland, Maine. I spent the better part of an afternoon wandering through their gallery by way of their  beautiful month-by-month posts…dating back to July 2006. Each month a newly designed storefront window hinted at the [...]

It’s no secret to anyone who has been in my home that i fancy birds and flowers. I’ve often wondered if it’s because of my genetics.  My father’s nickname was Spider.  My mother’s name was Phoebe.  And they called me Rosie. That might explain how my love of gardens grew. Art allows me to throw [...]

If you love high style brands and shopping bargains, then you need to know about Gilt. It’s a website that provides access to fashion and home luxury items at prices up to 70% off retail. Each sale lasts 36 hours and features hand selected styles from a single designer. It works on a first come, [...]