For days I have been wishing I could go away—to anywhere warm and dry. Away from the ice and snow and slush and mud. It could be a family beach vacation, an exotic getaway with my husband, but at this point, I would settle for taking a JetBlue flight to my mother’s house in Tampa!

Let’s make believe we are headed to someplace in the sun, to sleep as guests in this pale, creamy, dreamy room. Long sunny days, cat-naps and relaxation. Maybe even a mini bar and cable TV…. I’m in!

Pale aqua chinoiserie drapes from Schumacher set the tone with a large extra shaggy creamy rug soft for the feet to sink into. A soft and sumptuous tufted velvet bed from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams with crisp Matouk linens.

Mirrored limed oak bedside tables add some rusticity with an asian-inspired lacquer dresser from Baker. A Wow chandelier, classic gourd lamps and a single quirky gold lamp are the perfect mix. A pair of vintage barrel back chairs in a deep turquoise from C. Bell finalizes the room.

Yesterday was one of those days in Boston that was a cold mess. Stepping out of the car was like wading knee deep in muddy slurpee-like slush; it was chilly and raw, and my boots were wet and sloppy. I can’t see out of my windshield or rear view mirror and my car is shrouded in a veil of white dust (it’s salt, people!)

I need to imagine a time, many months from now, when I can exist in a world of warm sun, ice cream colors and tropical patterns. I never thought I would say this, but please, someone, get me to Florida! For now, I suppose I can just look at pictures that remind me of the lazy days of summer and pretend…

Who Knew?

At the beginning of my career in this business I was doing art consulting in the new york area. I used my home as a “gallery”, displaying the work of many un-signed, under-shown, but very talented local artists.

Finding interesting artists to partner with in this venture took a tremendous amount of research, time cultivating relationships and developing and curating “shows” for crowds of people at my home. Not to mention marketing the business, garnering clients and making a sale. I woke up this morning and went to westelm.com to try to find a few modern chatchkes for the house, and what did I find?

This link to a partnership they have with etsy that showcases some really interesting original art. Read More Here. If only we had access to this years ago. Not to mention etsy. Wow.

It doesn’t bite!

Open any design magazine and you will see sisal or seagrass rugs peppered throughout; they are a designer’s best friend. Reason for this is because they are timeless, transitional, utilitarian and fresh all at once. Most fear they will not be comfortable, but they actually are very therapeutic for the feet, and they wear like iron.

I love to layer other rugs over them seasonally to create different looks. In LA, I actually installed wall to wall seagrass in my family room which I adored. These natural rugs are the answer for a neutral floor covering that will never go out of style or compete with surrounding decor.

The only drawback is that they are difficult to clean and/or remove tough stains from. Translation, if stains are a worry, you may want to avoid sisal in a dining room or kitchen. (I actually have sisal in MY dining room, for what it’s worth…) Otherwise, use it liberally!