Labor Day plus New Purchases!

I hope everyone enjoyed their long holiday weekend! I am still recovering from my long weekend and first day back to school! I celebrated my birthday on September 1st so the hubs and I snuck away for a few nights to Mohegan Sun and saw American Idol in concert. Totally loved it and it made me feel like a 17 year old again screaming "I love you Colton" with the 'tweens around me.

We started school yesterday so to I am finally getting back into a little bit of a routine. While of course I adore my kids, I have to admit by the end of the summer I am ready for the schedule and routine to begin. Yesterday I was a little bit like this guy....



Anyway, since this is a design blog, here is a bit of a design update....my amazing sister got me these two books for my birthday....totally loving.... this one is HUGE and the illustrations are great. Haven't popped in the CD with black and white illustrations to use on projects but I hope to this weekend!

Design Directory of Window Treatments,

If you are a fan of House Beautiful this book is like a condensed version of all my favorite spaces they have featured....great to share with clients for inspirations and style discussions!

House Beautiful Style 101: 400 Designer Secrets to a Beautiful Home

And I treated myself to this nifty gadget which I am going to use at my client appointment today....It is about the size of an iPhone only fatter and it ROCKS! I don't know how I lived without this thing!

 Bosch DLR130K Digital Distance Measurer Kit

And I think I may have selected a new couch....I am not ready to purchase just yet but when I am I think I am going to get this beauty from Pottery Barn. What I love about their couches is that you can remove the cushion covers (or slipcovers if you buy a slipcovered couch) and machine wash or dry clean the cushion covers based on the material you select. I don't think I can commit to a couch that says "spot clean only".

I am thinking about the Pottery Barn Carlisle in the upholstered version (no slipcover for the living room...I want to see those beautiful legs!) I am loving it in the Caramel Twill....and at 90.5" with such a narrow arm....you are talking major seating space....just what I am looking for!

Pottery Barn Carlisle Sofa

Wow...finally made a decision! Now must take the husband to test sit.....hopefully it passes the test!

Monday Morning Book Review: House Beautiful Colors for Your Home

In today's Monday Morning Book Review, I am going to share a book that I flip through for inspiration when selecting paint colors. The book is: House Beautiful Colors for Your Home: 300 Designer Favorites

One of my favorite sections of House Beautiful, the magazine, is where they feature designer's favorite colors- I often find myself ripping those pages out for inspiration so when I saw this book I was absolutely foaming at the mouth for it! I figured once it joined my collection, I would flip through it once in a while but surprisingly, I find myself referring to it often when I am trying to find inspiration for a room plan. I think the layout is genius: you can search paint colors by shade or by the room that the designer uses it in. It also has an entire section dedicated just to the color WHITE!! It is a very useful tool as it has the paint manufacturer and number right next to the paint swatch. And these paint swatches are dead on...they almost look like you can feel the paint on the page. Best part- the book is portable so toting it to appointments or to the paint store is super easy...oh and you can't beat the price!

House Beautiful also has another book but I don't own this one. I am curious how useful it is for the DIY decorator. The description sounds like it is chock full of tips on fabrics, colors and even a home style quiz.
House Beautiful Style 101: 400 Designer Secrets to a Beautiful Home

Maybe next time I find myself in Barnes & Nobles I'll have to give this one a flip through. For the price, I might just have to scoop it up to have the pair. Anyone else check out these House Beautiful books? I'd love to hear more about the 400 Designer Secrets! Happy Reading!