{ three ways that i want to "bloom where i'm planted" this spring }

In last weeks SMP Living interview, I mentioned one of the best pieces of advice ever given to me by my dear Granny  was to "bloom where you're planted." Well, this season I'm going to do my best to act on it. 

Here are three ways I want to bloom this spring:

{via}

finish and organize my office space

I think I've mentioned it here a time or two before but I truly am dying for an office to call my own (with a work buddy, of course). An inspiring place to work that is  far away from my unmade bed, dishes in the sink and other household duties that glare at me while I'm trying to get work done at home would be utter bliss. BUT, that's not in the cards for now. So I must bloom where I'm planted, which is my little office in my kitchen. I did quickly get it together to make it semi-functional myself (which many of you saw in the SMP Living feature) but it still has a long way to go before it's a truly functional and enjoyable space. I'd love to switch out the desk chairs, maybe relocate the (FABULOUS) Chasing Paper wallpaper to another wall in my home (yes, that's possible!) and switch it out with a wallpaper that is a little brighter/bolder. I've got a new rug from Dash and Albert, and I'm planning on finally organizing and styling those back shelves. We're gonna make it work, people!

{via}

explore my city and the areas surrounding it

i don't have the extra money to do a ton of traveling right now, but in order to scratch the itch i'm going to make more of an effort to visit the places that are easy for me to get to. one of the best things about living in baltimore is how close we are to DC (just a 30 minute train ride), new york (3 1/2 hour bus or car ride), the beaches in delaware, the vineyards in virginia, as well as an inexpensive bus ride to boston and farther up the east coast. i'm ready to get out of my little rut that i feel like we've all been stuck in with this long, cold winter.

{via my instagram}

move it outside

in an effort to cut down costs, i really want to back away from paying gym membership fees for now. i might start back up again when we're in the dead of summer, but spring weather is the perfect time to take your workouts outside. fresh air and sunshine + getting your heart beating is just about the best medicine one can take. so rather than fretting about not having a gym to work out at, i'm going to take advantage of the great outdoors and challenge myself to some fun, new outdoor workouts. 

what about you guys? how will you bloom where you're planted this season?

lovelovelove.

{ shop for: woven textures }

{photo via}

i came across this photo the other day and it reminded me why i love using woven textures in design so much. so simple (and often very affordable) while still making a huge impact. layering textures is one of my favorite ways to add interest to a room. if you're like me and constantly changing your mind, focusing on textures rather than color can be an easy way to keep your pieces versatile.

1. Threshold Natural Round Jute Foot Stool

2. Woven Abaca Pendant

3. Andres Coffee Table

4. Rattan Club Chair

5. French Modernist Armchair

6. Round Swirl Pouf

{ TGIF }

well, i am certainly ready for the weekend. tonight ANNA is coming over for a girls night dinner and a nancy meyers movie date. god, i don't think anything makes me quite as happy as a nancy meyers movie. i wish i could live in one. it's just instant happiness. 

my hope for this weekend is to balance a weekend of relaxation and productivity. i find that i either spend so much time relaxing that on monday my house is still a mess and i'm disorganized and in a funk, or i spend the whole time trying to get everything in order that it feels like the weekend never even happened. i want to make an effort to stay in bed late with a cup of coffee reading a good book and cuddling with my little family, but not let it get me into a slump for the rest of the day. we'll see how that goes. ;)

thank you all again for the wonderful notes and messages this week. you're the best. i'm feeling so inspired and ready to share content next week that i feel really good about - so stay tuned. and until then, have a happy weekend! lovelovelove.

{ huge thank you + what life is really like before a photoshoot }

{photo by the amazing Love By Serena for SMP Living}

I just wanted to send out a huge thank you to all of you for your extremely kind words about our feature yesterday on SMP Living. I was beyond excited when Jacquelyn reached out to me for the feature, and seeing it come to life was such a dream come true. Most days my life is pretty mundane, and I'll be honest, getting ready for the shoot was tooootal chaos. I mean literally y'all, I had to stuff so many random things in drawers and nooks and crannies so that it wouldn't all be in the way of the shoot, and I STILL don't know where anything is! I was getting ready for this thing until the very last possible second. I think I got dressed five minutes before Serena (the amazing photographer) got there. I didn't even have time to shower. So there's that! Most things aren't as glamorous as pictures might have you believe, but we are so, so thankful to have this little home of ours captured so beautifully, and couldn't be more grateful for all of your kind words and comments.

As a decorator, it can be hard not to put a TON of pressure on yourself when it comes to your own home. I wanted this apartment to reflect my style and taste in every way, but it's not just mine. I share it with this wonderful guy and that means that even if every corner isn't exactly as I would design it, it's a combination of both of us, and I think that makes it all the more special. I am a huge advocate of creating homes that are lived in, personal, reflective of those who live there, and have an easy elegance about them. No one wants to live in a museum. If my dog couldn't cuddle up with me on the couch, I'd be horrified. I hope that comes through in my designs and client work.

If you're interested in working together, please don't hesitate to hop over to my website and learn about the services we offer. Whether you live in Baltimore, DC or across the nation, there's a plan for you. Thank you all so, so much again for the support. It means the world!

lovelovelove.

C

{ where to start when designing a room }

one of the main issues i see my friends and family have when designing a room from scratch is not knowing where to begin. an empty room is one of the most glorious but intimidating things on earth. (alright, probably not on earth, but just go with me here.)

most designers have their own process that they use when starting from scratch, so there is no end all be all method. i read a great article the other day on a designer that i really love who always begins his designs with the walls, which i found really interesting. i absolutely love shopping for fabrics and textiles, and since that's where i'm most inspired, that's typically where i begin. one of the BEST pieces of advice for those who are trying to decorate their own home though, is to begin from the ground up. many times a rug will give you an instant color scheme to pull from, which takes the guess work out of figuring out what goes with what. 

here's a simple little doo dad that i put together in photoshop as an example...

now that's pretty basic - it's got just the essentials for the most part so use your imagination and build in some art and accessories, but you get the gist. 

so i started with the rug, and when i came across that peacock blue sofa it was all over, y'all. it perfectly picks out the deeper blue tones running through the carpet. the pillows and lamps were colors that i took from the rug as well, and the chair, tables and ivory paint are neutrals to keep things feeling grounded and sophisticated (though now that i'm looking back at the room i'm thinking crisp white paint would work nicely too).

another key component to take into account are the shapes in the room. the sofa and side tables are all square and streamlined, so i wanted to be sure to add in some curves with the coffee table and chair. if you were to put in a square/rectangular coffee table instead, it might look more like this...

while i love the coffee table itself, it all feels a bit too boxy for me. which look do you prefer? any tips for others on how to approach the design process? do tell!

{ TGIF + a new website! }

happy friday everyone. i am so very thankful for the weekend to be here. i've been spending a lot of time with my sister this week, and it's been so wonderful to get to have some quality time with her. there's just nothing quite as wonderful as family. i'm playing catch up a bit today, as i had a few more important things to tend to this week that took me away from my work for a little bit. luckily, i have amazing clients that are very understanding. it feels good to be getting back on top of things, and i'm looking forward to a fresh new start next week.

in other news...i finally have a big girl website! while Caitlin Creative is definitely sticking around here in the blog world, i decided that as far as my business goes, i'm ready to return to my roots.

hop on over to see the new site if you'd like! i'd love to hear any feedback. 

sending you all lots of love and a happy weekend!

{ monday morning coffee: taking time to live life will only inspire your work }

can you believe it's already monday? i worked most of the weekend so it sort of feels as if it never happened. i woke up at 7:30 yesterday and spent the majority of the day finishing up a design at your door project, and by 5pm i felt like i was going cross eyed from all of the paint samples and fabric swatches on my desk. the bedroom was a mess, there were dishes in the sink, trash to be taken out and (as usual) a zillion loads of laundry. every weekend trevor and i have sunday night dinner with his family, and its honestly one of the highlights of my week. i tossed around the idea of not going last night since there was so much to be done around here, but i realized that if i stayed home i'd be doing uninspired, unenthusiastic work, and that never ends well. ammiright? so i went, had a few glasses of wine, a delicious dinner, and this morning i'm feeling ready to tackle the day. i couldn't help but be reminded of one of my favorite quotes this morning:

have a happy week. lovelovelove.

{photo one via my instagram}

{ products i'm dying to use for my clients }

you know those pieces that you just can't get out of your head once you see them? like you look for every opportunity possible to be able to use them? well. i do. and i'm very impatient about it. 

there are about a zillion more wallpapers from Osborne and Little that I could list here (i want to use them all), but i think this one would be so darling in a kids room. 

i love this one too. is there anything more classic than blue and white? {via}

Ann Sacks has some of the most beautiful tile i've ever seen - i love the movement and pattern that this has. it's unique while still being classic. {via}

i love that this fixture feels rustic and a little traditional but modern all at the same time. 

i'd love to use this one in a more traditional setting - i actually designed a "fake" room around it the other day when i was just trying to free up some creative energy and do something without thinking about scale or budget or floorplans.

so there you have it - a few pieces i'm loving lately. thoughts? what treasures can you not get out of your head these days?

{ inspired by this: family-friendly bungalow }

i truly find myself inspired by so many types of design, but my favorite homes tend to be elegant (without being fussy), layered and collected (without being cluttered), and simple (but not lacking interest).

what i really love about this home is that it's exactly that: a home. design is not just about creating a beautiful space. it's about creating a space for people to live in. to sink into the couch and watch television in. to have their family over for dinner. to ring in the new year. and they can't very well do all of those things if their home feels like a museum. 

the gallery wall full of family photos, a classic roll arm linen sofa, and plenty of textures make this home feel interesting, personal, and completely approachable. 

what's inspiring you lately? happy hump day everyone! lovelovelove.

all photos via domaine home with interior design by jute.

{ monday morning coffee: stop thinking, start doing }

happy monday everyone! i hope the weekend treated you well. mine happened to be pretty full of work, but it was the best kind of work and left me even more excited to tackle this week. which is sort of what today's monday morning coffee talk is all about. 

i've been realizing lately that sometimes it really is more important to get something finished than to get something perfect. don't toil over every detail of a project so much that you start to hate it and lose your excitement. there are so many projects that i've wanted to execute but haven't yet because i felt like i couldn't get them just right. all of my fears about the project just fester and overwhelm me, and then nothing gets accomplished. this weekend was a weekend of creating. some of the projects were simple and some were elaborate, but it just felt so good to be getting things done. 

sneaky peeks of two of the projects above {the first one I worked alongside of the fabulous anna reynal - i can't even put into words how much better work is with a friend!}. stay tuned for more to come. i'm feeling good about this year, y'all. :)

have a wonderful week. lovelovelove.

{ TGIF }

{photo via my instagram}

oh my word y'all. i am so, so ready for the weekend. while i will be squeezing in a bit of work (client meeting / shopping trip tomorrow and a photo shoot on sunday) i am veryyy much looking forward to slower days and relaxing evenings. my brain is fried after this week and my house is a freaking dis.as.ter. i really don't know how it gets this way so quickly! one day it's spotless and the next it's a zoo. since our apartment was recently photographed, everything looked spik and span on the outside but if you looked in any drawer or closet it was stuffed to brim with junk. we have yet to get reorganized. don't even get me started on the piles of laundry and lack of groceries in the fridge...

just keepin' it real over here.

happy weekend all! here's to a little work, a lot of relaxing, a few glasses of wine and hopefully, some clean clothes. lovelovelove.

{ bold ceiling treatments }

i've been sourcing lots of bold ceiling treatment inspiration lately, and i have to say, i'm really into it. while i do really enjoy the look of painted ceilings (like the black one in the first photo above) i'm even more into the idea of wallpaper. a large scale pattern up above just feels so unexpected and whimsical, yet not overwhelming {when done right}. i have such a love affair with this hygge and west wallpaper its ridiculous.

{photo 1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

{ monday morning coffee: managing expectations }

{via}

sometimes i wonder how i can best use this little blog. it's become harder and harder to update as blogging becomes a bigger, more powerful and elaborate beast. as people keep saying, the blog world has changed over the last couple of years. it's not just about sharing inspiration photos anymore. inspiration is EVERYWHERE. in fact, i think that's half the battle. we're so high on inspiration all the time that we don't quite know how to put it into action. we're overwhelmed with ideas and don't know how to act on them. so instead of offering more inspiration on this monday that has me particularly stressed for the coming week, i thought that i'd spend each monday morning moving forward giving you a little update on what i've learned about my own little business as of late.

i think one of the biggest lessons that a new entrepreneur has to learn is how to manage expectations. both of his/herself, of his/her peers, of clients, etc. 

when you start a new project, especially when you're just starting out, it's SO EXCITING. you have SO MANY IDEAS. you think you have SO MUCH TIME. you imagine everything BIGGER AND BETTER. and then little by little, reality can set in just a little bit. you're spending tons of time on one project and not able to devote enough to others, your vision differs from a clients or your peers, the constraints of the deadlines and budgets begin to weigh on you...you get the picture. it's not all fresh flowers and fabric swatches. it's a lot of work. 

it is so important from the get go to enter a project with enthusiasm and high expectations for the outcome, but to not let that overshadow the less glamorous, but very important items like contracts, budgets, timelines, communication strategies, etc. taking the time to sit down and detail your expectations for each of these components of the project not only gives you and your client piece of mind, but it also allows you to focus more time on the fun stuff - the part that you're good at!

are there any other freelancers or business owners out there who have had to learn this lesson? do tell!

{ thoughts on valentines day }

{photo via}

it's not that i love valentines day, and it's not that i don't. all year round i tell myself that i don't care about this holiday and i'm content just to sit in with trevor getting take out and watching a movie. and every year i end up retracting that statement. all of the tweets and instagrams and posts about so and so receiving flowers at work or a fancy dinner out on the town or what have you, gets to me. so this year i learned to speak up from the get-go and say "VALENTINE'S DAY IS FRIDAY. I CARE. PLAN SOMETHING."

:)

so tonight we are using a gift card that we got at christmas to a local restaurant that we've been wanting to try for a long time, and i'm excited! i really don't think it'll be too extravaggant, but trev and i don't get to have many "dates" outside of the potbelly/chipotle variety these days, so i'm just excited to try something new and spend a little time together away from a tv and a computer. plus i've been cooped up in the house for the past couple of days thanks to that little snow storm everyone's talking about, and have a little case of cabin fever. ;).

happy valentines day everyone. hope you all feel the love!

{ snowed in }

{via}

it's been a crazy week around here. yesterday we were so excited to have serena from love by serena over to photograph our home. i can't wait to see the final photos. i love serena's work and know she did an incredible job.

today i'm snowed in and pretty much thrilled about it, minus the fact that i'm out of coffee. i've got plenty of client work to catch up, and a skype call later with anna to discuss some up and coming projects we're working on together. andddd i will be doing all of this from the comfort of my very own little office which recently got a facelift thanks to a new ikea desk, some furniture rearranging, the amazing chasing paper, and my new print from the everygirl shop.

little sneaky peak. i know, it's a lot of white. ideally i'll get new chairs at some point, but i also figure if there's one room you want to be white and washed out, it's the office. a nice blank slate. :)

happy thursday everyone. hope you're staying warm. lovelovelove.

take me to santa barbara

i know i'm not alone when i say that i'm pretty much done with winter. yes, there's still a part of me that hesitates to say that because i really try to appreciate and soak up all of individual seasons since there are so many things i truly love about each. but i'm ready to walk outside without feeling like i want to cry, and getting out of bed in the morning is such.a.chore. because it's just so dang cold.

which is why i've decided i'd like to go on vacation in santa barbara. and i've decided that this little house will do just fine. isn't it charming? i love that it feels like a real home instead of just a vacation house with a few leftover folding chairs and random furniture so that you don't have to sit on the floor (although truthfully i'd probably still take it :). i'm such a sucker for slipcovered dining chairs and am loving those barstools, along with pretty much all of the textiles. 

i can just picture myself waking up after a wonderful nights sleep, ready to greet the day by enjoying a cup of coffee on the little balcony outside of my bedroom, overlooking the gardens. ah yes. yes, that will be just fine.

but seriously, if you have an actual vacation coming up (not the virtual kind that i tend to take quite often) consider me jealous. i do hope one comes around at some point this year, but i suppose only time will tell.

hope you all have the best day. lovelovelove.

{ new living room lamps + happy weekend! }

we've been really, really needing lamps in this humble little abode. i mean, if there is a bigger mood killer when you're entertaining than glaring overhead light, i'd love to know what it is. all the ceiling lights in this apartment somehow feel especially blinding and harsh, so you can imagine how dang excited i was when my friend allyson (fellow past intern at the everygirl!) over at lulu & georgia offered to send over a pair of their beautiful lydia lamps. seriously, i can't get over how much better this place feels now with our new lighting situation. 

i particularly love the pretty gold detail on the edges. layered lighting is so important y'all. when i come home from work and switch on my little lamps, it's the simplest pleasure. do i sound overdramatic? i'm sorry. living with only overhead lighting for 6 months does that to me. 

bentley loves them too. don't let that forlorn face fool ya.

happy weekend, everyone! i hope it brings you lots of joy. lovelovelove.

{ the power of styling }

{ABOVE IMAGES VIA 1, 2, 3}

we're in the midst of finalizing corners of our home (which you will all see very soon!) and as i switch gears into styling territory i've realized that just about everything looks better with a bunch of branches. they add the perfect amount of texture and height, while feeling easy and relaxed. 

as a side note, i love the way all of these vignettes tell a story. finishing things up around here has been a little stressful for me because i have such a clear idea of how i want this home to feel. collected, soulful, warm. i want it to tell a story. unfortunately, two twenty-something year olds live here which means we can't always avoid big box stores like IKEA. i'm really relying on the final stages of styling to help keep things from feeling too sterile or generic. wish me luck!

hope you all have the best day. thanks for stopping in. lovelovelove.

{ enjoy today }

{photo via}

i started my day with a broken computer charger, meaning i was unable to work on my design projects or put up a new blog post. instead, i read, made a to-do list for the day and had a nice, quiet breakfast. around 9:30 i walked over to the local arts high school that i work at part-time (in the theater department). i answered some emails and did a bit of work around there and thought about the styling project that i need to make a dent in when i get home, and the two clients that i will be following up with later today. i even  thought about the business idea that i've been brainstorming the last couple of weeks, and how i could carry it out in real life. and then i got a phone call saying that a substitute is needed for a theater class in a local after school program tonight. would i be interested in filling in?

sure, i said!

sometimes i feel like i'm working on so many things and i'm not sure what each of them means. how do all of these things fit into my life? my career? how do i make sure i'm thriving in these areas and not spreading myself too thin? at the end of the day, what's the point in it all?

but.

sometimes you've got to stop assigning reason and calculating how every move you make and project you work on will add up to your ultimate success. today, i'm enjoying everything that i'm working on. and that's enough for now.

lovelovelove.

{ inspired by this: beacon hill town home }

i came across this photo over the weekend of this wonderfully whimsical beacon hill town home and just fell totally in love. i've decided that i need nine lives in order to live out of all of my decorating dreams. the more i'm immersed in interiors and design, the more i begin to appreciate it all.

it's a bold choice to use a wallpaper like this in such an open area, but this is done so, so well. there are just enough traditional details (foyer table, staircase) to help the design still feel grown-up and sophisticated, without watering down the playful aesthetic of all the colors and patterns. i am in complete awe, and inspired to push the boundaries this week with my own designs. 

make sure top stop over HERE to see the full house tour. happy start to a new week! lovelovelove.