Take Five Friday.

Emily, of Jones Design Company

Emily began her business, Jones Design Company, when she realized the stationary she was designing for friends was in high demand. Her blog also shares her passion for interior design and creating projects for her home. Her goal is to make her home an inviting and enjoyable space.

What advice can you give readers on getting started when decorating a new home?
Start with a neutral pieces and build on to that {i.e. a neutral sofa that you can then accessorize with patterned or colorful throws or pillows}. Invest in a few good pieces rather than buying a ton of furniture that you'll want to get rid of after a year. And shop garage sales and thrift stores for pieces you can alter with paint or fabric to update and make it your own.

(emily's entry and dining room)

How do you draw inspiration for the rooms you design?
An inspiration board is a great place to start. Gather colors, textures, fabrics, items that you think could work in a room and then figure out ways to incorporate these elements into your design. I did this with the nursery - first gathering things I had around the house that fit with the color scheme, then deciding how to put them into the room.

(emily's baby girl's room)

If there were no time or budget constraints, what dream project would you do on your own home?
We would build a new home! We dream of a large warehouse/barn type of building with tall ceilings, concrete floors, industrial lighting, a huge fireplace and no Sheetrock. I would love to take a masculine space like that and add charm and coziness with furnishings and accessories. It would be a perfect marriage of my husband's urban style and my country/cottage style.

(emily's "favorite spot")

What has been your most successful DIY project?
We really love how our kitchen turned out. Our home is just a basic new-construction house and we wanted to add our style. By tearing out the upper cabinets, reworking the island, extending the counters, painting the existing cabinets white, installing granite and open shelves, we are very happy with the results.

(emily's kitchen)

Least successful?
We are notorious for starting a project and then not finishing. Like the gaping hole in our living room where the built-in cabinet used to be. We have all of the materials to build a new bookshelf in its place, but just haven't taken the time. (It's been this way for over a year!)

I think Emily's home is truly beautiful. Be sure to check out Jones Design Company and I'm certain you'll be inspired. Thanks for taking five to stop by today Emily!

To market, to market.

The Bijou Market is doing a holiday show November 19-20 at the Historic Southworth Hall in Provo. I attended their show this summer, and got to meet some of my favorite etsy vendors. This time around I'll be helping my sister-in-law run her booth of incredible knitted hats and booties for adults and babies alike. They featured her on their site this week, so if any of you are looking for thoughtful holiday gifts, stop by the Mutze table and visit us! If you can't make the show, you can still view and purchase products on her blog. Check out the Bijou Market site for a list of the other vendors and more information on the date, time, and location.

Catalog inspiration.

I have been seeing so many inspiring autumn tablescapes and beautiful fall decor in catalogs this month!
This image has three easy ideas to copy.

1. Fill hurricane vases with fruit and items you find outdoors this time of year. I've done flowers, acorns, pumpkins, and pine cones in the past.

2. For a dinner with family or friends, fill a hurricane with a candle and photographs against the sides.

3. Wrap large candles with leaves and tie thin rope or twine around and around. Then tie a big knot or bow.

The bottles in varying shades of green really set the decor for this dinner. I love the plaid napkin peaking out as well. Also, did you spot the tiny metallic mushrooms scattered throughout the table?

Here's another example of those hurricane vases filled and wrapped in twine. The wreath is made with different colors of maize. It could just as easily be done with feathers.

*All right readers, now it's your turn. What is your favorite way to spruce up your home for the fall season? Will you be borrowing any ideas you've seen in catalogs, stores, or online?

Thursday's Things to Love:

stripes

(jenna lyons' nursery)

(j.crew bathroom)

(domino)
(tori mellott's living room)
(eric cohler)

I love stripes on walls, the ceiling, the floor... painted, wallpapered, tiled... Unfortunately for me, this is one design trend I'll have to love from afar, since the hubby is completely opposed to the idea.

*Do you and your spouse have any design trends or styles that you disagree on?

Dreaming of a pretty potty.

I recently finished painting my master bathroom. I went with the same color as the bedroom to give it more of a suite feeling. It perked up the "purchased to sell" bathroom tiles a little, but mostly it left me dreaming of a totally new bathroom. I gathered these images to file away as inspiration for someday.

I would love a bathroom sink (or two) with exposed pipes.

Some marble here, some marble there.

In the dreamiest of worlds we'd have a vintage tub.

Some incredible lighting and mirrors.

And I love the look of wallpaper in such a tight space.

Here's what I'm taking away from these images today:

1. Apparently I really like black toilet seats (as in 3 of the 5 images even showing a toilet above). I found an inexpensive one that should fit the toilet in our guest bath and ordered it.

2. We need better lighting and mirrors in our bathrooms. Our sconces and medicine cabinets are cheap, and it shows.

3. I'm a sucker for marble and brass. There's nothing I can actually do about that one today except file it away in my brain for the future. Maybe I'll drive up to Idaho and buy a lottery ticket.

Take Five Friday.

Welcome to the weekend! I have one last treat for you this week - an interview with yet another Canadian blogger. Shannon is so sweet and relate-able, especially when she clearly states that she and her husband are not DIYers. (Sound familiar?) She is, however, incredible at scouring Craigslist.

Shannon, of 8 foot 6

Shannon, together with her husband and son, live in a 1920-something home in Toronto. With the help of a professional designer they've completely renovated the main and top floors of her home. Her blog was created to chronicle their work as they begin to tackle the basement.

What advice can you give readers on getting started when decorating a new home?
We started from scratch and slowly filled up each room with pieces that worked perfectly in the space...now I wouldn't suggest you throw away all of your furniture every time you move, but since we went from condo (and condo sized everything) to a house, we didn't try to "make it work" - we bought new. Now since we were buying new we brought in the help of an interior designer, and gave her a clean slate to work with. She scoured the city for us, and sent potential items to our inbox. This is the funnest type of shopping I have ever done in my life!

(shannon's foyer)

What is your favorite piece of furniture in your own home, and why?
I am not really attached to the furniture, but I couldn't live without the art...I want more art!

(shannon's guest room)

If there were no time or budget constraints, what dream project would you do on your own home?

Our next project is the driveway, landscaping, garage...make the outside match the inside...we have been fortunate enough to have already accomplished our dreams on the inside....(Oh except for the upstairs bathroom...that project is going to be happening sooner or later...we just need a breather!)

What is the best part about renovating a historical home?

The best part is that your house is completely original, and unique to you...

(shannon's dining room)

Most difficult?
It takes FOREVER...there are soooo many decisions to make...you will spend every weekend shopping for faucets, and toilets, and tiles, and door pulls etc...

(shannon's living room)

I love the mix of new and old in Shannon's home, and the overall muted palette. If you'd like to see more of her home, or just follow her daily adventures in decorating, check out her blog. Thanks Shannon!

Lonny Mag: Issue 7.

The one-year anniversary issue of Lonny Mag came out this week. I love that they chose to feature designer Celerie Kemble (photographed here on her rooftop garden) as their cover story.Here's Eddie Ross' dining room all set for Thanksgiving Dinner. The best part of this table setting? All of the gold pumpkins (real) and birds (from Hobby Lobby) were painted by Ross. He used Rust-Oleum's "Painter's Touch Metallic" in gold.
Designer Lulu De Kwiatkowski's Los Angeles home has an amazing mix of textiles and artwork. I love how she mixes graphic artwork with a historical portrait in her guest room.
Designer Palmer Weiss created this amazing bedroom for her two daughters. So much to love here: the matching twin beds, the pale pink and bright orange color scheme, the photos above each bed.

A nursery for "the boy".

My girlfriend is decorating a nursery for her baby, whom we fondly call "the boy", due the end of this month. She and I have been bouncing ideas back and forth, and I had to share what she has come up with.

Color scheme:
Inspiration rooms:

James' nursery

She ordered the crib skirt and blanket from DwellStudio for Target (on clearance) and purchased two little canvases for her daughters to paint pictures for their new baby brother.

Finn's nursery

She loved the gray walls and bright pops of color in this room, as well as the mix of finishes on the furniture. She also purchased some cute bicycle art for the room. The rocker used in this nursery is easy to find on Craigslist if you search "bentwood rocking chair", and they usually run $20-30.

I cannot wait to see the finished product (don't worry, I'll try to convince her to share it with all of you).

Getting the look.

Today I'm recreating a Domino Magazine classic: Tori Mellott's home office.I love how she uses the ever-popular EXPEDIT shelving unit as a room divider. A splurge-worthy Jonathan Adler rug really sets the color palette. This crazy inexpensive parsons desk is perfect for apartment-sized spaces. Then you can tuck in this tulip chair... ...throw in some black and white fretwork upholstery, a pair of vintage lamps, and you're ready to work!