{ 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}