Decorating ideas & techniques

Our Favorite Things… Spring Stems and Greenery

31 Thursday Jan 2019

Posted by à la Maison in Decorating, Floral arrangements and Interior Landscaping, Living Beautifully, New at à la Maison, Our Favorite Things..., Redesign & Interior Style

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#alamaison, #baldwinsville, #downtownsyracuse, #flowers, #interiorstyle, #livingbeautifully, #succulents

This polar vortex is really grabbing a good portion of the country. Here is Central New York, we woke up to below zero temperatures with a wind chill factor of -24 degrees!

However, I’m focusing on what’s going on inside – a new shipment of beautiful spring stems and succulents!

Nothing chases the cold away like a room full of flowers and greenery. There’s no time like the present to bring the look into your house – whether fresh or faux. Plants and flowers bring warm and happy thoughts of spring and summer.

Here are a couple of my favorites:

Floral branches in white and green. I love a brimming vase of all white and green flowers. It’s so organic, elegant and feminine. Fill a vase and see what it does for a room – just lovely!

Creamy cabbage roses.

White peonies arranged in a rustic green metal can.

Faux Queen Anne’s Lace with ferns.

White and green floral stems ready and waiting for an afternoon of flower arranging.

A mantel decked out for spring with white and green.

Succulents and ferns. Both succulents and ferns are typically easy care options for fresh indoor plants. However, if you are really busy, faux is the way to go. Today’s faux greenery is gorgeous and hard to spot.

Faux succulent and boxwood spheres in various sizes and styles.

Faux succulents arrangements work perfectly on a interior stone wall. No watering required!

Potted ferns are always ready to go at the store. Tuck them in anywhere for a quick pop of green.

Greenery adds a pop of color to this black and white tablescape.

Options abound, so don’t let winter get you down… just bring in the green!

Our Favorite Things… Pottery Inspired by Nature

15 Tuesday Jan 2019

Posted by à la Maison in Decorating, Easy Entertaining, Living Beautifully, New at à la Maison, Our Favorite Things..., Tablescapes

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#alamaison, #cny, #dinnerware, #livingbeautifully, #tablescape, entertaining, Pottery, Tablescapes

It’s January in Central New York and I’m already dreaming about spring… Sunshine, fresh green foliage and flowers – I can’t wait!

In the meantime, there are so many ways to bring the outdoors in – including freshening up your tablescape. Fresh flowers, centerpieces and seasonal linens are always an option to bring in natural elements, but how about your dinnerware?

This gorgeous Riviera pottery is designed by the famous French floral designer, Christian Tortu. The detailed design on these Hydrangea leaf salad plates are amazing.

Whether used in your tablescape, as appetizer plates for your spring gathering, or adorning a sidetable or night stand – they are sure to add a refreshing touch of nature.

These petite Laurel Leaf plates are a perfect little dish for olives, condiments… plus how pretty would it be on a bedside tables and a little jewelry tray for rings and such?

Simply to pretty to hide away – consider using them as art when not in use – hang them with plate hangers or display them on your mantel or buffet with an table top easel. Stunning!

pottery - white beaded platter bowl with laurel leaf plate

florals and hydrangea leaf salad plate - better

70’s Colonial Redesign – Dining Room

23 Tuesday Oct 2018

Posted by à la Maison in Before & Afters, Decorating, Furniture & Accessories, Living Beautifully, Redesign & Interior Style

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#baldwinsville, #cny, #dining room, #downtownsyracue, #homestagingsyracuse, #interiorstyle, Decorating

So excited to get to work on this 70’s colonial. This house has great bones, a huge kitchen and a fantastic backyard… just needs a bit of updating to make it feel like home.

Since the first thing you see when you walk in the door is the dining room, so that was the first project to tackle.

For instant gratification, a fresh paint job (walls in taupe-greige and ceiling in a soft gray-blue), a new area rug and window treatments were the answer.

To keep costs down, we elected to work with furniture that we already owned with the exception of two new distressed leather upholstered chairs and a new chandelier.

I love the rustic feel of this chandelier – almost looks barbed wire – with subtle lightly brushed gold accents.

Moccasin Path - Dining Room AFTER Chand 2

Moccasin Path - Dining Room AFTER chand 3

I’ve been obsessed with these distressed leather-covered dining chairs since I got them in my store, and knew they would be a perfect replacement for the arm chairs at the head of the dining room table.

This room was starting to remind me our of trips to California wine country and Sedona, AZ.

Luckily the dining room is huge, so I was able to include a special family heirloom – my grandparents piano, along with a couple of favorite Stickley pieces and a great accent chair.

Moccasin Path - Dining Room AFTER accent chair

All and all the room feels like home. It’s warm and inviting and ready for guests, which is a good thing since our first family gathering is tonight!

New Life for Tired Flowers

11 Monday Jun 2018

Posted by à la Maison in Decorating, Gift Ideas, Living Beautifully, Tablescapes

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#alamaison, #flowers, #interiorstyle, Tablescapes

One of the easiest ways to breath a little life into a fresh cut flower arrangement that’s starting to fade is a fresh water and a snip of the stems.

Look over the flowers and discard any that are truly past their prime (limp or browning petals, etc). Working with the flowers that have potential, remove them from the vase so you can thoroughly rinse out the vase and add fresh water.

Because you’ll probably working with less flowers/greenery, now is the perfect time to get creative and re-arrange the stems to create a totally new arrangement. Many times, I’ll opt for a trio of smaller vases to create a little floral vignette for a new centerpiece or accent to a tray.

Select the vases or vessels you’ll be working with and clip the stems at an angle to the appropriate high for the vase and style of arrangement you wish to create.

If desired, add fresh greenery (I’ve just mixed in a bit of lilac greenery that I slipped from the yard) and embellish with ribbon if desired.

Quick and easy updates that will prolong the life of your flowers!

Quick Styling for a Wooden Tray

17 Tuesday Apr 2018

Posted by à la Maison in Decorating, Floral arrangements and Interior Landscaping, Living Beautifully, Quick Tips, Redesign & Interior Style

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#alamaison, #home decor, #homestagingsyracuse, #interiorstyle

Wooden Tray are not only useful, but also a great staging tool. Here are some quick and easy styling tips to dress them up…

1) Think in odd numbers – Three decorative items are perfect. 2) Pick items that are different heights. 3) Add something green – plants & succulents are very popular right now and will add an organic element to the room.

Your newly styled tray will look great on a cocktail table, buffet, or dresser!

Dining Room Redesign

27 Tuesday Mar 2018

Posted by à la Maison in Before & Afters, Decorating, Floral arrangements and Interior Landscaping, Furniture & Accessories, Living Beautifully, Redesign & Interior Style

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#alamaison, #baldwinsville, #downtownsyracuse, #homestaging, #interiorstyle, #livingbeautifully, #syracusehomestaging

The main objective with the redesign/staging of this dining room was to lighten and freshen the space while working with the furniture that was already there.

The first order of business was selecting a new color palette of taupe for the walls, a pale blue for the ceiling and crisp white trim. Replacing the ceiling medallion and painting it the same color as the ceiling was a quick and inexpensive way to add some overhead detail.

The furniture needed to stay so the goal here was to minimize the heavy, dark and dated feel it brought to the room. By simply removing the hutch top and working with just the buffet (which we found was plenty of space once all the clutter and used items were removed), and covering the side chairs with neutral cotton chair covers did the trick.

Removing the hutch allowed us more wall space which was the perfect location for a great architectural feature – a pair of antique armoire doors.

Some art and a bit of greenery for an organic touch and this room is complete!

Our Favorite Things… A Great Bench

02 Friday Mar 2018

Posted by à la Maison in Decorating, Furniture & Accessories, Living Beautifully, Our Favorite Things..., Uncategorized

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#farmhouse, #interiorstyle, #livingbeautifully, Decorating, furniture

You just can’t beat the versatility of a great bench.

Here is one of my favorites… So many options with this new bench. Measuring a generous 76″ long, it makes the perfect window seat or mudroom bench. Also perfect for dining table seating… especially in a tight space. Consider a bench for a beautiful and useful piece to place at the foot of a bed.

Crafted from 100% solid oak, featuring a carved trestle base finished in a smooth tobacco finish, this bench easily fits into traditional, farmhouse, cottage or even modern decor.

Our Favorite Things… Blue and White Pottery

06 Tuesday Feb 2018

Posted by à la Maison in #easy entertaining, Decorating, Living Beautifully, New at à la Maison, Our Favorite Things..., Tablescapes

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#alamaison, #blueandwhite, #home, #interiorstyle, #kitchen, #livingbeautifully, #tablescape

Blue and white pottery has long been a tasteful and timeless home decor and dinnerware choice of both homemakers and interior stylists alike.

Although I still love the classic blue and white patterns (think Blue Willow, South Hampton, the gorgeous french and Italian patterns), I’m also loving the fun new patterns that are available today.

The best thing about blue and white style is the more, the merrier! Whether in my store displays or at home, it’s the perfect “mix and match” choice to create fresh and fun tablescapes and vignettes.

At the table, blue and white pottery just feels like summer. I see this place setting for a beautiful summer barbecue. Add red accents and you’ve got a great nautical look… go for yellow accents to add a touch of southern french style.

Adding a touch of blue and white pottery filled with greenery or flowers to a shelf or china hutch to an organic touch and pop of color.

pottery blue and white potted with flowers 2

pottery blue and white potted with flowers 3

Whether you prefer traditional, contemporary, farmhouse or coastal cottage decor, blue and white pottery would be a smart design choice and look right at home!

Interior Style… Easy Office Updates

31 Wednesday Jan 2018

Posted by à la Maison in Before & Afters, Decorating, Floral arrangements and Interior Landscaping, Living Beautifully

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#alamaison, #artificialflowers, #flowerarrangments, #interiorlandscaping, #officedecor, #officeinteriors

The standard office and modular office furniture in many office buildings tends to be a bit bland and generic. When you consider the fact that you spend 8 hours or more of your day in this environment, you want to make it a place you are happy to be in.

By adding a few personal touches and a little color, you can liven up your work space and still maintain a professional, polished look.

To start, we created a focal point for this young woman’s office. The art on the wall immediately brightens the space and draws your eye into the room. A small custom floral arrangement carries the color down to the table – leaving plenty of work space for meetings, etc.

The desk and window ledge also were in need of a little warmth and greenery.

The lamps add some balance and potted ferns added to the window sills bring a nice organic touch without blocking the view.

Good quality faux plants are very realistic and an easy care option for busy professionals.

A simple orchid arrangement to the corner of the desk finishes the look.

The result is a polished, bright and inviting work space!

Exterior Style – Holiday Color for a Village Carriage House

21 Thursday Dec 2017

Posted by à la Maison in Before & Afters, Decorating, Holiday Decor & Styling, Living Beautifully, Redesign & Interior Style

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#alamaison, #baldwinsville, #downtownsyracuse, #exteriordecor, #holidaydecor, #interiorsylist, #wreath

This charming village home, now owned by a lovely family, wanted a pop of bright holiday color for their historic carriage house.

I was thrilled to take the job as this home has special meaning for me>.. my mother-in-law, who recently passed, owned and loved this home for over 30 years.

Accents in lime green and purple on an evergreen base looked great with the neutral brown/taupe of the exterior shingles.

The homeowner loved them and I think Norma would be pleased with the results as well!

Wishing you all happy holidays, a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year!

Michele

à la Maison… Living and Giving Beautifully

~ Snippets & quick tips on home décor, interior style and entertaining

Category Archives: Decorating

Our Favorite Things… Spring Stems and Greenery

Our Favorite Things… Pottery Inspired by Nature

70’s Colonial Redesign – Dining Room

New Life for Tired Flowers

Quick Styling for a Wooden Tray

Dining Room Redesign

Our Favorite Things… A Great Bench

Our Favorite Things… Blue and White Pottery

Interior Style… Easy Office Updates

Exterior Style – Holiday Color for a Village Carriage House