One Room Challenge: Week 3

Well, I haven't made a lot of real progress this week on the dining room at White Oaks.  I've gotten some official ordering done and a few things have arrived so that is exciting!

I did make my way to Lowes to pick out the Valspar Paint color I need for the baseboards.  I want to paint them dark to blend with the bottom of the ombre Brett Designs Wallpaper. 

I missed out on the winning bid for the Gray Malin photograph that is serving as my inspiration for the room at the MTV ReDefine charity art auction on Friday but that is alright because I found out later that it went to a friend!  Yay! But....it did get me thinking about what art will go in the room and how I will hang it. I don't want to put a bunch of holes in the beautiful wallpaper so I ordered a sample it from Walker Display to see if the crown molding hooks they offer will fit the existing molding!  I hope so!  That way, I can easily shift the art around the room as I decide where it needs to be or as our collection grows.  I hope it works!  

I decided on this soft check fabric from Ronda Carmen's line for the chairs. They need to be recovered. I did learn that the 20 yards I need are in stock but I need to get my act together and get it ordered!  This six-week challenge is so good for me because I would drag my feet on making design decisions for years if you let me!

The ranch is an hour away so I haven't had a chance to get up there this week.  I'll head up this weekend and hopefully give you a better idea of the progress next week!  The walls are being prepped for the paper and the baseboards are being painted so the transformation will finally start to come to life! 

My check list is still quite long though!  I am on the hunt for the perfect trim to add to my solid drapes and I still can't decide what kind of rug I want.  Any ideas for me?

Don't forget to check out the progress of the other bloggers who are as crazy as me and accepted this challenge!

Jana Bek

Autumn Clemons

Coco+Kelley

The English Room

Vanessa Francis

Greige Design

Hi Sugarplum

I Heart Organizing

Jenna Sue Design

Stephanie Kraus

The Pursuit of Style

Julia Ryan

Savvy Home

Simple Details

Simply Grove

6th Street Design

Jill Sorensen

Swoon Worthy

Waiting on Martha

Trademarked by Calling it Home

Tablescape Tuesday: Friendsgiving

My sister, Krystal, decided that she wanted to host a "Friendsgiving" celebration and, of course, I jumped at the chance to help her set the table.  I also stole a moment to switch out her napkins for my own monogrammed napkins that I wanted to photograph for my next book: Monograms at Home (Gibbs Smith Publishers coming in August of 2015!)

We met up at her place and arranged the flowers together - so much fun!  We added in loose antlers that I picked up on One Kings Lane.

The inspiration for our table was the beautiful Tartan Cloth from Ronda Carman Fine Fabric's new collection.  I'm crazy about her elegant fabrics and was just looking for an excuse to use them with my Royal Crown Derby Old Avesbury China this Fall. 

What do you think?  I'd love to know how you set your table for your friends! Leave a comment and let me know. xo

Etched Glassware / Monogrammed Napkins from Lettermade / Tartan Tablecloth from Ronda Carman Fine Fabrics / Similar to Tartan Tablecloth / Place Card Holders and Place Cards / Calligraphy by Halo Calligraphy / Antlers in Flowers / Antler Table / Nest Candles / Antler Oval Platter / Tartan Glassware - not shown but would look great! / Royal Crown Derby Old Avesbury China

Photography by John Cain Sargent

The sham is over!

When we go shopping for linens the stress and confusion can overpower the excitement of it all. I know what a dust ruffle, sham, and duvet are, but thread count, ply, matelasse, percale..those terms can persuade me to break out my acting skills. Not knowing the terminology that backs the world of bed linens can be embarrassing at times, but more importantly, it can cause you to purchase something without knowing if it’s what you want or need. SFERRA has come to our rescue and will allow us to hold our heads high while we shop for our new 500 thread count (that’s 500 threads per square inch), Egyptian cotton (A variety of cotton, grown in the Nile region, known for its extra long staples, and is the finest quality in the world) pillow cases.

SFERRA educates us on the “anatomy of a bed” and gives video tips for learning how to care for your linens properly. They tell the importance of changing your bed with the seasons, how we can improve our bedroom comfort, and they even discuss hints for folding a fitted sheet. My friend, Ronda Carmen, creator of www.AllTheBestBlog.com first told me about SFERRA's thread count tips.    It's always so difficult to pick out new sheets while getting lost in the labels of linen language.  Thank you Ronda because the SFERRA site's section on bed anatomy taught me to add a blanket between my sheets and duvet for warmth and color, and we should welcome accents like a cashmere throws (or any soft blanket) to our clean, monochromatic bedding.

Here is what I learned from SFERRA's Loose Count Video:

Thread count refers to the number of threads per square inch.  The higher the count, the better right?  Well, not exactly!  There are really four more important elements to take into consideration: wieght, fiber, finish and feel.

Weight - Weight preferences can vary from season to season.  I like a light sheet almost year round in Texas but if you live in a cooler climate, you might want to select something heavier in the winter.

Fiber - The finer the fiber, the finer the sheet.  Egyptian cotton is the best!  Look for that label when buying new linens.

Finish - A linen's texture, color and softness are all developed during the finishing process.  Most luxury linen companies keep their finishing techniques top secret and it is really considered an art form!

Feel - Everyone's taste is different so put some thought into the feel that you are longing for.  I love sheets that are "angel soft" but I have friends who prefer real linen for it's crispness!  What do you like?


If you still need more clarification on your bedding vocabulary, check out SFERRA's bedding glossary.