Den makeover.

I recently finished a quick makeover of our den.

Really, all I did was buy some new furniture on deep discount at a going-out-of-business sale.

Click here to see the before.

And here to see the after.

Presto-chango!

If only all my re-dos were this easy.


Green is the new me.

The latest issue of House Beautiful just hit the stands and it’s all green and all me.

I’m not talking about green, where green equals eco-friendly. I’m talking about green, where green equals the newest neutral. I’m talking about the green that is everywhere in home decor, in every lovely shade from moss to aqua to chartreuse to mint.

I’ve always been a green girl. I painted my kitchen cabinets Celadon long before Martha. I painted Parker’s bedroom pine needle when he was just a wee lad. In the ’90s, I was all over the hunter green phase, which then evolved into my sage phase. And just a few years ago, I helped Kate paint her bedroom the brightest grass green you’ve ever seen.

When we moved to our new home not long ago, I discovered my predecessor was a blue lady. I walked through our soon-to-be-home and groaned loudly. “I don’t do blue” I told the realtor.  There were blue Formica counter-tops everywhere and blue shades in the kitchen and dining room. I took a deep breath and figured I could remake the place in my own image.

The kitchen and master bath counter-tops were banished immediately, in favor of marble. But I got busy and never got around to taking down the blue shades. Funny, though, how when I mixed in all my green, the blue didn’t look so bad. In fact, I started liking touches of it here and there.

I started looking back through home photos I’ve taken since we moved in, and I was surprised just how “green” our home is.

Take a look. There’s green in pillows . . .

and more pillows . . .

and in pottery . . .

and in a side table . . .

and in the pantry . . .

and on my formal tables . . .

and on my casual tables . . .

and in my draperies . . .

and in my art . . .

and in more art . . .

and on my dressing vanity . . .

and all over my kitchen . . .

including my stovetop . . .

and my counters . . .

and my bookshelf . . .

and more counters . . .

and my kitchen desk mail tray . . .

and my keeping room . . .

and on plates and mixers . . .

and on bedding and rugs  . . .

and, whew, I think you get the point. Green and me got it going on.

And isn’t it funny how touches of blue worked their way into my life? I mean, there’s as much blue in this area as green.

And, somehow, I love it all.

One of these days when I get the time, I want to show you the kids’ bathroom. It had a hideous aquamarine counter-top that I couldn’t afford to replace after I spent all my money on marble for the kitchen and the master bath. Aquamarine counters with white walls (remember, every darn wall in this house was white when I moved in) was just too hideous for me to take. So I immediately wallpapered the bath to tone down the blue, and I was amazed at the transformation.

And here’s a teaser until I get the time to photograph it all . . . the wallpaper is predominantly red. I know — sounds like a clash. Bet you’ll be surprised how well it works.

Go get yourself your some green. You’ll feel instantly springy and oh-so house-beautiful.