Been down in Charleston for the last few days, and staying through the weekend. Even though you all know that I love love NYC, Charleston is the other place with a special place in my heart. I have always told people that I only have room in my heart for two cities: NYC and Charleston. And obviously if there is any extra space, it goes to Rome. Enjoy your long weekend! 

Let Me Entertain You

Since I left Philadelphia, I have been all over the place--NYC, Charleston, CT, Charlottesville, and back again. The other day my mother called me a gypsy ... frankly, she's dead on. Just trying to get myself settled back into life not in graduate school and NOT in Philadelphia. To prove that I'm not a gypsy, here are some pictures of my mom's house in CT. Best of luck to my mom for the big party she's throwing tomorrow night! 

Graduation Day ... Goodbye Philadelphia.

Pictures from my two years in Philadelphia at UPenn getting my Masters of Science in Historic Preservation. I chose not to attend my graduation ceremonies today because I didn't want to drive down to Philadelphia in the rain, but that doesn't mean that today isn't still a big day for me. It was a long and fruitful two years, and I won't forget my experience at UPenn or in Philadelphia. 

Going Green

Sorry for the lack of posts of late, moved out of my apartment in Philadelphia last week and it has been absolute chaos! Ok, so I'm moving in with WWB in NYC and we have to "feminize" his apartment. Although as you all know, blue is my favorite color, I am in a green state of mind when it comes to revitalizing the bedroom. 

The bedroom walls are gentleman's gray, and WWB loves the color. I do to, I picked it after seeing it in a bedroom in a magazine and its perfect. Right now he has dark wood antique furniture and map prints on the walls, and sheets with a burgundy stripe ... not exactly feminine. 

So I decided that we should accent the room with green to make it a bit of a more gender neutral and happier room! I bought these  Pottery Barn sheets with green stripes, and I am getting ready to do some additional green accents. Some of the rooms below with their green accents have given me some inspiration ... 

Additionally, I found this extremely cheap fabric at Calico Corners by Anne Selke that I thought I could use ... 

On a cushion for this faux bamboo chair I bought on Ebay Last year ... 

... or for a bedskirt, or both! This photo from Pine Cone Hill gives an idea of what the bedskirt might look like in the fabric, even though I would definitely have a more tailored bedskirt made. So what do you all think? Lime and citrus against a backdrop of navy with white furniture? Is that gender neutral enough? 

Images courtesy of House Beautiful, Pine Cone Hill

My Bags are Packed, I'm Ready to Go ....

Goodbye Philadelphia. My apartment does not look like this right now. Today it is filled with boxes and bags as I get ready to leave Philadelphia. Graduate School is over, I have only to come back on May 16th for the graduation ceremony to be totally done with it. Many thanks to you all and all your compliments on the apartment both here at Lacquered Life and at House of Turquoise. Time to go back to New York and start a new project at W's apartment. 

First, its on to my mother's house in CT to unload a lot of stuff. I don't know if you all can tell where I get my aesthetic, but above is my mother's dining room! Her house was featured in the May 2006 issue of Connecticut Cottages & Gardens - pretty cool, huh? I'll chat with you all from the Northeast tomorrow!  

Wartime Design

There is never much talk about the benefits of homes built in the 1940s. Typically revival style, whether Georgian like this one, or colonial, this era of house does not draw much attention from the street. Walk through the doors, and you find yourself in a perfect family sized space with well proportioned rooms, a sensible layout and good bones. 

This house, outside of Charleston, was featured in Charleston Home Magazine, with interiors by Angie Hranowsky. Although the layout of the house is sensible and proportionate, as mentioned above, the decorating helps to add some interest and fun to this young family's 1940s Georgian Revival. I especially love the Manuel Canovas wallpaper in the kitchen! What do you think?