Two Insanely Cool Teen Rooms

In the words of Rachel Zoe, I die.  Betsy Burnham, my friend and previous boss, has seriously outdone herself with the redesign of her two kids' rooms.  But really, nothing about these rooms screams KID.  They are creative, colorful, eclectic, and oh-so-layered...  maybe similar to a teenager's personality?  And, I am crazy jealous.  I never had a room that cool.  Union jack flags, menswear prints, chinoiserie, stripes... and lions and tigers and bears.  It's awesome.

Meet Carson.

And, this is Carson's insanley cool bedroom...

Her one-of-a-kind dresser was signed by Amanda Bynes...

And, this is Carson's equally awesome bathroom.  Classic tile and nickel plated bathroom fixtures, meet a python mirror (!!!) and modernly graphic wallpaper...  and that roman shade!

So, Carson's room is totally off-the-rails cool.  Are you ready for room number two?

Will is Carson's younger brother.  This is his bedroom...

This shot kills me.  It's so fabulous.

So, I'm speechless. 

To read the entire (excellently written) article, and to see a few more gorgeous pictures, please go to Decor Demon.  And, while you're there, make sure to subscribe to future articles.  They are so good.

for betsy's professional website, go HERE.

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New At CB2!

I received the new CB2 catalog in the mail today... and there are some pretty cool things in there, I gotta say.  Here are my favorite picks...

the bengal coffee table...  rugged wood top with a steel frame.

the twine floor lamp in polished chrome...  nobody will believe that you paid $199.00 for it, it's so chic.

the scan flint lounge chair...  love the shape of this guy.

the smart round marble coffee table...  a carrera marble top with a chrome base.  enough said.

the luxe floor lamp-- perfect for a sectional...  and it has a square shade!

the oversized equator pendant lamp...  this piece is huge at 36" in diameter!  how cool would this be over a large kitchen island?

hello lucite barstools!

(they also have lucite dining chairs!)

these cuatro serving platters...  gleaming white and square!

the side by side orange pillow... 

the gear c table... 

the perfect table to slide up to the couch and hold a laptop (or a glass of wine!).

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Rue Magazine!

I am so excited for the premiere issue of Rue Magazine to launch in September!  This brand new shelter mag will be entirely online for our viewing pleasure.  And, there are some very talented women at the helm.  I can't wait to see what they come up with!  But, mostly, I look forward to more design inspiration that I can sink my teeth into every month (or every other month).  It hasn't been the same since Domino died. 

And, did you see the snow leopard pillow on the Rue teaser page?  It's from my shop!  My favorite snow leopard print in the history of the world made the cut!  If you want one, I still have a few left HERE.

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By the way, speaking of Domino, you know that the archives are on Brides.com, right?  Yes, they are.  Go HERE to relive all of the goodness.

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Main Street Parade!

As I've mentioned before, we live in a historic district, on Main Street, in an old borough outside of Philadelphia.  And, since we are new to the neighborhood, we were completely oblivious to the fact that our town has a 4th of July parade.  Running right on Main Street.  In front of our house!  So, we grabbed front row seats (on our front porch) and watched the parade go by for a total of 23 minutes.  It was nostalgic and wholesome and wonderful... and just reinforced how much I love living here.

After the parade, we went for Reeses Peanut Buttercup ice cream at the ice cream hut down the street.  Then, when it finally got dark, we lit sparklers on the porch.  And, played with the camera's "night setting" by taking pictures...  I still hardly know how to use that thing.

Happy 4th of July!

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The American Flag: Fun Facts

1st Dibs has posted an appropriately timed article entitled, "The Top Ten Things To Know About Early American Flags."  It's pretty interesting, especially since these flags are SUCH collector's items.  For example, did you know that until 1905 commercial advertisements were allowed to be directly printed onto the flag itself? Or, that before 1912, the flag had no official shape?  It could have been square, or long and skinny? 

Read "The Top Ten Things To Know About Early American Flags" HERE!

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Happy 4th of July Weekend!

Happy 4th of July, my loves! 

For the first time in four years, my husband and I will NOT be going to the lake in upstate New York.  I'm sort of bummed about it, since I love going and it has sort of become a tradition for us.  Instead we will be staying home and working on the house...  but we WILL try to catch a local fireworks show!  I mean, what could be better than celebrating the birth of America in America's birthplace? Philadelphia!  Holler.  :)

Since I will not be making my 4th of July Crabcakes, like I do every year, I am sharing the (totally awesome and foolproof) recipe with you HERE.  Please, whatever you do, if you decide to make these crabcakes, don't cheap out.  Buy the good stuff.  Trust me, it's worth it.  You'll thank me later.

Enjoy this wonderful holiday and I will see you next week!

xoxo
Kelly

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2nd Floor Demolition Pics

The dust hasn't really settled yet (we have a bit more to demo this week), but I managed to snap a few pictures to show you the chaos on the 2nd floor.  The picture above shows our two front bedrooms (you can see through the wall now!).  This space will one day become a master bedroom and bath (plus closet!).

This is what the space looked like when we moved into the house... I know what you're thinking.  I was sad to lose that beautifully sponge-painted wall too. 

Here is another wall in this bedroom...

This is what it looks like today!

And, this space?  The 2nd floor landing...

now looks like this...

Here are some other shots of the wreckage... It has to get worse before it gets better, right?


This ceiling still has to come out in this space... this is the landing looking up towards the 3rd floor.

Fabulous knob and tube wiring.  You're jealous, right?

Remember this room?

Here it is now... the boards still need to be carried down to the dumpster.

Hello, Load Bearing Wall...

The floor joists, from the 3rd floor, being supported by the brick frame.

Remember the drawer liners on our 3rd floor ceiling?  Those were pretty chic, right? 

Well, they are finally gone!  Every last 12" square of them.

And, now the 3rd floor ceiling looks like this!  I snapped this picture while standing on the 2nd floor landing.  Loving my new peaked ceiling!

So, that's it for now. 

Thanks for all of the support you guys.  The comments, the emails, they mean a lot to me.  This house is a monster project and I hope we can finish the renovations before we die-- there is so much to do!  And, it's easy to get bummed out living in an old house that doesn't work, sleeping in the first floor living room, half of the electrical outlets aren't working, you're walking through demolition zones to get to the shower...  yeah.  So, I really appreciate all of the kind words!  It will be fabulous when it's finished...  we just need to keep at it!


xoxo,
Kelly

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