Style Advice for Choosing a Rug

Katherine's grandmillennial living room with graphic overlay - Style Advice for Choosing a Rug

Choosing a rug requires many key decisions from material and size to style! Learn about the four main styling elements to simplify those decisions and decorate with rugs successfully! The character of a room is instantly elevated by the addition of a stylish rug. Rugs can inspire a room design or be the finishing touch…

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5 Tips for Traditional Framing

Tips for traditional framing: flat lay of art works on paper framed in gold frames from Frame It Easy

Get that Grandmillennial look on your walls with these 5 tips for framing and matting works on paper. The arrival of Fräulein Auguste Strobl and permanent residence here at Dogwood House necessitated some re-arranging of art this past weekend. I just shared the story of that portrait in this post. Totally unplanned but totally fortuitously,…

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A Paragon of Beauty – Ruminations on a Portrait

Reproduction portrait of Auguste Strobl originally painted by Joseph Stieler for Ludwig I Hall of Beauties

Some of you keen observers noticed this charming lady serenely smiling out of the Hunt Collection sale photos from Thursday. I’m excited to introduce you to the newest resident here at Dogwood House: Fräulein Auguste Strobl (1807 – 1871)! Auguste came to me by way of auction, and I must confess to only leaving a…

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Hot Pink for Autumn Decor in the Living Room?

For autumn decor in the living room, I decorated the mantel with hot pink candles, ceramic pumpkins, Staffordshire spaniels, and a fall floral arrangement in a toile cachepot

YES! You can go bold with a vibrant pink for autumn decor in the living room and still have a traditional, cozy feel! Just take a look… Mixing autumn favorites with lush florals and colorful pops defines the traditional but playful feel of my autumn decor this year! See my inspiration board here. The mantel…

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3 Fall Centerpiece Ideas – No Pumpkins!

Middle Eastern inspired enameled vase filled with dried wheat makes a beautiful fall centerpiece

Decorate a sophisticated autumn tablescape with one of these unique fall centerpiece ideas sans pumpkins! Some of you lovely peonies have confessed to the grave GRAVE crime of being Pumpkin haters! 🙀 Oh the shock and horror! LOL… I personally find pumpkin hating hard to fathom because I am simply enamored by the squat adorableness…

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Strolling the Autumn Forest

Strolling the Autumn Forest - a flatlay mood board for fall decorating and entertaining with lush color and moody botanicals

Inspirations for fall decorating and entertaining mixing moody botanicals with worn plaids, French Country with English Cottage, and bold color with burnished metallics. Two years ago I started the tradition of creating a flatlay mood board for autumn decorating and entertaining, and I love doing this creative exercise. It pulls together my ideas and inspirations.…

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Charleston Weekend Itinerary

The Bennett Hotel lobby

Head down South to the marshlands where candy-colored architecture meets cobblestone paths and alluring history, delectable food, and refined shopping abound! That’s right let’s go to Charleston, S.C.! My girlfriend and I had a little reunion rendezvous a few weekends ago in this most delicious of towns. We shopped, explored, ate, and cheers-ed to our…

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A Chinoiserie Fall Table

Top view of a Chinoiserie themed table perfect for autumn entertaining

Welcome guests for autumn entertaining with a Chinoiserie fall table filled with elegant Royal Doulton china, sparkling metallics, lush fabrics, and colorful florals. The soft crooning of jazz is tinkling in the air… A pork roast is browning in the oven… The wine is chilled… The dessert’s been bought… And the table is set with…

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3 Things You Should Know About Wedgwood

Sage green Jasperware vase from Wedgwood

Curio IQ Series: a short and sweet lesson in antiques, discussing Wedgwood ceramics. Here’s 3 things you should know to start a collection! I’ll never forget my first real introduction to Wedgwood ceramics — the polished basalts, the velvety jaspers, and delicate curling reliefs. I was a registration assistant working on a cataloging and photography…

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Secrets to The Art of Layering

The art of layering: mix your window treatments, using curtains and shades

Six decorator secrets to the art of layering to achieve that collected style without looking cluttered. Grab your cup of coffee or tea and come sit with me! I’m going to let you in on a few of my best secrets to the art of layering! You know the look I’m talking about. It’s collected…

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