Designer's Challenge: Decorating For Couple's

Over the last year I've put a lot of work into small decorative projects around the house (area rugs, new cushions, artwork etc- nothing major).  Since we rent, nothing that is in our house is exactly perfect and I often daydream about how I'll decorate once we own a place.

When we first moved to London, it was before we were married and was the first time that we were living together.  This meant merging two apartments worth of stuff and it quickly became apparent that it was going to be a tough job!! My husband had the ultimate bachelor pad furniture- think big leather sofas, dark wood, oriental rugs and to this day our big design disagreement is a giant leather sofa that still sits in our living room.   If you've been following my blog you know that is not my style!

I thought I had done a pretty good job of decorating and blending our furniture, until recently, when my husband told me he thinks he lives in a "girlie house".  While I am the interior designer in the family and trust my own sense of style, I also want to make him feel comfortable in his own home.  So I've been thinking a lot recently about things I can do to make a more gender neutral house.

After searching Pinterest, I came across these pics and thought that they were great inspiration for spaces that work for couples.

Pinterest link here.

Pinterest link here.

Pinterest link here.

Pinterest link here.

We're actually in the process of moving and so I thought I would pull together a mood board to provide some inspiration while I think about decorating the next place.  Hopefully this is not too "girlie" and makes everyone happy!  For more help with your projects please checkout SashaMeredithDesigns.com

Sofa / Sofa Pillow/ Print / Coffee Table/ Chairs / Pillows on Chairs / Side Table / Vases / Letters / Lamp / Rug

Travel Diary: Sailing in Salcombe

Over the weekend we were lucky enough to visit Salcombe, which is in Devon on the Southwest Coast of England. With the baby's due date quickly approaching, we thought it would be fun to get away and relax this weekend.  After a little time on Google, I read that Salcombe was like the Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard of England, another website described "a town out of a Ralph Lauren ad"- I was instantly sold.

We boarded the train at Paddington Station and got off three hours later in Totnes.  I would HIGHLY recommend upgrading to First Class.  It is £20 more per ticket, but was so worth it.  We had regular tickets on the way there and it was crazy: kids, dogs, food- people were even drinking and partying on the 9am train.  Maybe it was a fluke, but we upgraded on the way back, and it was much more civilized. We booked Totally Taxis to pick us up at the Totnes Rail Station and the ride into town is about 40 minutes.

The Devon Hills.  You can see these beautiful rolling hills all along the train line and on the drive into town.

Upon arriving in Salcombe we were in awe; the landscape is incredible with fields that literally roll right into the coast.  The mixture of the seaside and farmland was stunning.

The stunning view of the harbor.

We stayed at the Salcombe Harbour Hotel which was beautiful- newly opened this year and truly 5 star, the vibe was surfer chic and we loved it.  Our room fit the "Ralph Lauren" description of the town and had a beautiful view of the water.  There are even complementary bottles of sherry and gin in each room- something I couldn't enjoy but my husband loved!

Talk about room with a view! This was our room and it was fab!!

Lovely neutral scheme with a very "East Coast" Vibe- totally my style!!

Complementary sherry and gin in each room.  And at 6pm room service stops by each room with ice and lemons.

On our first day we had lunch at Dick and Wills, where we sat outside, took in the view and enjoyed the sunshine.  After lunch we planned on taking the ferry over to the beach, but ended up taking quite a long nap and missed that excursion :-)

The view from Dick and Wills.  Who knew this was in England?! We felt like we were in the South of France.

I was in love with our hotel and had no interest in leaving, so we ended up eating dinner there at the Jetty Restaurant and it was delicious.  The hotel is new and definitely working on a few kinks in the service (it was seemingly impossible to get drinks), but we'd read about this on TripAdvisor so we were well aware.  The staff who work at the hotel are so lovely and went out of their way to make our stay enjoyable, so a few extra minutes for our drinks didn't seem like such a big deal.

The beautiful interiors and delicious food are both worth visiting at the Jetty Restaurant at the Salcombe Harbour Hotel.

The highlight of our trip was definitely sailing on Sunday morning.  We rented a boat through Salcombe Dinghy Sailing, they set us up and we were off!  My husband grew up sailing and loves nothing more than to be on the water- it was fun to see him in his element and it was great to see a different view of the town from the water.

A pink sailboat!  Love, love love (my husband has informed me that in fancy sailor terms, this is in fact a pink "spinnaker" NOT a pink sailboat…i still love it).

Another fab view from the sailboat.

After lunch we walked around town (there are lots of shops, restaurants and especially delicious bakeries to explore), picked up lunch to-go and then headed back to Totnes to catch the train.  It was a whirlwind weekend, but lots of fun and we will definitely be back soon.  If you can make it down to Salcombe I highly recommend it!

Beautiful seaside cottages line the streets of Salcombe.

The view as you drive down through town.

P.S.  I was just on the website for the The Salcombe Harbour Hotel and saw that they are currently offering a "3 Night Break" Package from £295/Night.  Check it out here.

Inspiration Exchange

I came across this on Pinterest and had to share…I know I am guilty of an iPhone addition from time to time.  Happy Friday! x

Dreaming of Blue and White

When asked how to describe my design or style aesthetic I often say "traditional with a twist".  I love the classics, but I also need to have a bit of fun.   One of my favorite combo's is the classic blue and white.  I own about 1000 blue and white striped shirts and Ming Vases adorn my house, but I try to mix and match so that it doesn't feel too stuffy.   I recently came across a quote about Blue and White in House Beautiful just had to share…

Aerin Lauder's personal style aesthetic is such an inspiration!  Checkout the original House Beautiful article here.

Since summer is in full swing I thought I'd share some of my blue and white style inspiration to take you through Labor Day and beyond! I think blue and white can be worn all year long.

Dress/ Bathing Suit/ Nail Design/ Espadrilles/ Nailpolish/ Sunglasses/ Skirt/ Towel

Marylebone Sunday Farmers Market

Now that I'm back from our amazing vacation and officially in my third trimester, I'm trying to focus on being healthy and relaxing and will share some of that here!

We live in Marylebone, a neighborhood in Central London that has been on the rise in the last few years.  Since the neighborhood has evolved so much recently, I thought it would be fun to start sharing my favorite places for Londoner's and visitors to enjoy.

One of my favorite things about Marylebone is the Sunday Farmers Market that takes place just down the street.   At first overwhelmed by all of the choices, I've learned how to shop and find everything I need to stock up for the week.  I love finding seasonal foods that I can cook at home, especially products that I would not find at my local supermarket.

Arriving at The Marylebone Farmer's Market

Wild Country Organics- fresh and organic produce.  This is always my first stop at the market.

The Garlic Farm- they sell all types of garlic, including Oak Smoked which I picked up this week and can't wait to try!

These gyoza from the Garlic Farm have become my sunday afternoon lunch (or snack as I seem to be increasingly hungry these days).  They also have a stand at Borough Market.  This is hands down my favorite stop and the spicy sauce is to die for!

I love having fresh flowers in the house and  from time to time there is even a nursery stand with potted plants and trees!

Amazing sauces and lots of spelt and gluten free pastas from Seriously Italian.  I always stop here.

How can you not pickup some of these from Wild Country Organics.  They look so fresh!

These beans were huge, they looked amazing.

Stocking up to make some green juice and smoothies.

The pear juice from Mannings is a personal favorite.  Its just juice made on a traditional press.  No preservatives or added sugar, its seriously good.

Fresh fish from the Kentish Coast at Seafayre.  Sadly, I got there a little too late, because everything was almost gone! Just goes to show what a great selection they bring each week, its in high demand.

Im a big believer in free range and organic and always stock up on these eggs for the week.

Galileo Organic Farm always has a great selection of meat, poultry, eggs, sausage etc.  And the bacon sandwich looks pretty delicious!

The cheese selection here looked amazing, unfortunately, they were un-pasturized (a big no in pregnancy) so I'll have to wait until Baby NC arrives to sample these.

You can't leave without picking up a little dessert! (Or pudding as its called here in the UK).

P.S. for those who are as celeb obsessed as I am, here is a pic of Kate Hudson (a Marylebone resident!) checking out the Farmer's Market.  Interestingly, my husband has been very interested in coming with me on Sunday's ever since we spotted Kate here last year :-)

Vacation!

Well I've been MIA- but with good reason.  We've been on summer vacation for the last two weeks.  We were lucky enough to visit both NYC and Nantucket, spending time with family and friends.  I have lots of exciting posts to share, including my "Guide to Nantucket" and "Summer Shopping Essentials".  Stay tuned!!!

Luxe for Less: Hamptons Beach House

In my opinion, a successful interior designer can make the most out of every budget.  Even when the budget is high, every project does have a budget and it's amazing how quickly it vanishes!  On my projects, I like to focus on blending high and low-end pieces to create a space that is both stylish and liveable.  

One of the things that I miss about living in the U.S. is the access to affordable furniture and design accessories at stores like West Elm, Z Gallerie, Pier One, Target, Home Goods etc…  

Recently, friends of mine made a very grown up purchase and bought a beautiful beach house in the Hamptons.  I've been working with them, using their inspiration photos and finding affordable pieces to fill their new home.  While the house is near the beach, my friends will use this house all year long and do not want it to feel overly beachy.  The vibe is light and airy, while still incorporating luxurious pieces to create a year round space.

Below are a few examples of their inspiration images and what I've suggested.  If you're interested, don't forget to check out my design site here.

All inspiration images can also be found on my Pinterest page.

Chair/ Side Table/ Lamp/ Coral/ Sailboat Print/ Chandelier/ Curtains/ Sofa/ Pillows / Coffee Table/ Garden Stools/ Sisal Rug

All inspiration images can also be found on my Pinterest page.

Lamp/ Curtains/ Bedding/ Architectural Print/ Figure Print/ Side Table/ Headboard/ Brass Knot

Designer Inspiration: Lilly Bunn Weekes

Today I wanted to share one of my style icons, Lilly Bunn Weekes.  To those of you in the design world you've definitely heard of her by now.  She is an amazing NYC based interior designer.  I stumbled upon Lilly's blog a few years ago and ever since have been following her growing design business.  Her designs have a polished preppy style with a young twist.  

A native New Yorker, Lilly started her career as a fashion editor at Town & Country Magazine, then moved onto McMillen Inc. before starting her own firm a few years ago.  She is someone that I look up to, both stylistically and as a businesswoman, not to mention, she is a mother of two adorable girls that she often features on her blog.  Although she has taken a break from the blogging, I often see new projects of hers pop on on Pinterest and thought I'd share some of my favorites that are featured on her website.  Enjoy!

P.S. If you're interested in seeing more, here is a link to Lilly's design website; as well as an article in Elle and one in Vogue.

How amazing are these turquoise lacquered walls?!

Lilly says that she likes to base her designs around neutrals pieces, with pops of color and interesting accents tied in.  I totally agree with this strategy.

Most NYC kitchens are so small and Lilly makes great use of every space here.

Fab sofa!

I have a minor cheetah/leopard obsession and have always wanted a runner in this pattern.  The wall to wall is amazing!!!!

Such a sweet girls room.  I love the Jonathan Adler mirror and lamp, Ive been on the search for similar pieces in the UK since Jonathan Adler UK is so marked up!

I am a sucker for monograms and who doesn't love those Porthault heart sheets?!!

These silhouette portraits are amazing, I think they are Carter Kustera.  I may have to get these for Baby Girl NC.

Great use of color and materials.  I love that nailhead detail combined with the trim on these chairs.

Im always afraid to use bright colors, but this bedroom is definitely inspiring me!!

For more projects from Lilly checkout http://www.lillybunn.com.