Café Design

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Thrifted Knick-Knacks for a Soulful Home

There are many ways to make a house a home, but that final layer of knick-knacks, those bits and bobs that are a bit quirky and a little off, and that decorate our mantels, table tops or shelves, are (in my opinion) the most personal touch of all. When all is said and done, the floor plan straightened out and the furnishings placed comfortably about, a room still needs layers of warmth and personality, and knick-knacks (thrifted or not) have the power to make a space uniquely ours.

Thrifted lamp base, thrifted lampshade, thrifted picture frames

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Some Much-Anticipated Design & Gardening Books in 2024

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Happy 2024, dear friends! I hope you’re well! For those of you on the lookout for interesting new books on decorating and gardening, here’s a list of some exciting book launches this year, books that promise to inspire our future decorating & gardening projects. Some of the titles on this list are quite new, either newly launched or soon to be released, but some of them are older gems I discovered recently and have found inspirational. Create Academy‘s course, Cut and Come Again Masterclass, taught by Sarah Raven (which I’ll review in detail in a future post) has been an eye-opener for me, and a game-changer for many gardeners who wish to maximize the productivity of their garden patch. Following her Masterclass, I’ve become a fan of Sarah Raven’s no-nonsense approach to gardening, hence several of her books are included in today’s post. So, if you, too, are in need of a distraction from the cold winter weather, I hope something in today’s list will catch your eye. 

Sean A. Pritchard – Outside In

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This Week’s Finds

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Wishing you Happy Holidays, dear friends! If you’re still looking for gift ideas for the gardeners and design lovers in your life, I hope today’s post will inspire some last-minute shopping.

Create Academy’s Christmas Sale – 25% Off on Everything

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New Curtains for the Family Room

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission on all qualifying purchases. Thank you! 

Dear friends, I hope you’re well! It’s been a while since our last chat, but I’m still here, thinking of you. Today’s design story is driven less by aesthetics and more by practicality, and my desire to show off 🙂 I love making pretty things but when these things turn out to be practical as well, I’m twice as tempted to share the outcome, hoping it will inspire some of you to try something similar in your home.

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A Colonial Style Fireplace Makeover

Happy December, dear friends! I hope today’s post will offer you some design inspiration as well, not just a glimpse into the madness of my methods. When it comes to decorating, I tend to develop micro-obsessions – mostly about color and interior architectural details – and our living room fireplace has been a recurring thought in our renovation efforts. Our fireplace  – I don’t think I’ve given this much attention to any other architectural change in our house so far. As little and as insignificant this may seem to most people (normal people), getting the fireplace mantel right has been very important to me. 

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