Atlanta Bartlett's Other Half: David Coote

A lot of you know about my obsession with Atlanta Bartlett's style... well, it looks as if her husband, David Coote, is on my list now too. They work together on a lot of projects and looking over his portfolio, I recognized a lot of overlapping work as well as a lot of his own that I'd never seen. I'm loving the fun color scheme of aqua and reds in the images above & below. This is about as much color as we'll see in any of his work, as the "white love" seems to run in the family. I'm CRAZY over the books in the fireplace, below. I might have to use this idea in our living room?? (remember our mantle??)

The image below just makes me smile. What a beautiful place & the kids are having so much fun. Love lifestyle pics like this!!

Below is the little guy in orange again. I really love the pics with families in them. it brings some life into the spaces. How great is the mirrror arrangement?

Here comes the white!! The picture below is just so clean & beautiful to me. The Vines outside are so gorgeous and with the all-white scheme, you really notice them. Beautiful outside views justify an all-white scheme for me.

Below is a wider view and how great are these nooks above doorways.... super functional & pretty!

Below, I think is the same room... there are some changes- measuring cups in the nook, wood counters, cabinet hardware, accessories, chairs.. But I think it's the same room...

In the adjoining hallway (below) there's another great nook for books. Love the fresh pink peo

nies!!

Below is another great kitchen. The beams are amazing and it's jkust so fresh & open. Love the vintage appliances!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the bathroom below! The white paneling, the chandelier, the tub and vintage accessories are perfection! It's just so simple & pure. I'd love to escape in there for a half hour a day!!

The bathroom below is very similar, but with a bit less femininity, and a more rustic feeling.

Below is another great mirror collection. This would be so easyh to do and look how it makes a simple room so special!! Ok and now I really need a slipper tub. asap.

Below is a super-feminine bedroom. Notice the simple nightstand against the curvey upholstered bed... it's details like that that I think make rooms feel less "designed" and more "real."

Check out the guilded chairs by the fireplace...

This is a bedroom in one of the custom "cabins" David designs:

Some midcenturyh details in an otherwise traditional room:

I definitely recognized the image below but had to show it again. Those barn doors are amazing and the numbered prints make the room for me. I love details like the hooks by the door for coats & bags and how easy is a picnic table in the kitchen?!!

I hope everyone's having a great week and thank you all so much for your kind wishes & sweet comments!!

xoxo,

lauren

Blogger Tags: 6 Things about Me & Splash Awards

I've been tagged by Sherri of Just the Five of Us and Alice of Searching for Style to do a post on 6 uninteresting things about myself and tag 6 other bloggers to do the same. Also, Copy Cat Chic tagged me in the "Splash Awards" where you list a bunch of blogs that you love and tag them. I'm honestly not much of a tagger because it's so hard for me to pick only a few blogs that I love, so I'm tagging everyone who wants to join in to post a link on either of these in the comments section.

1) I agree with people when they say "time is money" but I'd rather get paid in time. My husband and I have made some decisions & life choices that have left us with less money & more time. At times it can be a little tough (we'd love to travel more and furnish the whole house right away!!!) but in the end we're always happy with the choices we've made. Time with each other and our son is what's most important to us. My husband's a teacher & is about to have the whole summer off starting next week & I'm so excited!!!!

2) I love taking pictures of my finished work. When I take a picture of a finished project in a client or friend's home, I feel totally content. Almost like it's mine. Haha I know how weird & creepy that sounds but it's almost like I don't need that gorgeous lamp in my house because it's in so-and-so's house. Living vicariously I guess??

3) Every 5 years of my life, I've cut my hair really short. (chin length) it's very weird & I never realized it until the last time I did it, but literally at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 I've gotten the "chop!"

4) Almost every day (when the weather's nice enough) my toddler & I go outside & I lay out a blanket in the grass and we read & eat snacks & play in the yard. It's one of my favorite times.

5)My toddler is watching Teletubbies right at this minute so I can finish this post (and I'm feeling guilty, so must run!!!) eeeeek bad mama!!

6) I'm pregnant!!! (I'm almost finished with first trimester (cannot wait for that!!) and now can tell you that I have been SO SLEEPY for the past few months and was a pretty worthless helper getting things done efficiently with the move!!!) I'm also showing way sooner (I guess they say this is normal the second time around??) and am wondering how big I'll get this time?!!! :) (The pic below is a little over 4 months during my first pregnancy and I'm almost that size right now) We're so excited & the baby's due around Christmas- New Years!!

so, whoever would liek to participate in the game of tag, just post a link in the comments section!!
xoxo,

lauren

Outdoor Living Ideas to be Stolen

Last night I got this email from one of my best friends... "Can you please blog about back yard summer décor so that I can steal your ideas as I am helping a friend re-decorate this Sunday. Help!"

Hahaha at least she's honest!!! (And she knows I'd love an assignment like this!!) So, here are some ideas I have & things I love for backyard summer fun & entertaining that hopefully Alissa will like & can get quickly. (I have no idea what type of space her friend has but I can only assume since she's friends with a friend of mine that the budget will be tight & that we'll need to get creative!! ;) The picture above is from Cottage Living and is a look I absolutely love. Easy, carefree, white and casual classic. It's my inspiration for what's ahead...

Here's a quick checklist for Alissa for an instant pretty outdoor space:

-Plants

-Furniture

-Rug

-Pillows

-Lanterns/ lighting

-Flowers

-Accessories

I think it's really important for outdoor dining spaces in particular to feel a bit enclosed or delineated in some way. (like in the country living pic below) This can be easily done by a surrounding a patio or table with flowers, bushes, a pergola, an awning, outdoor curtains, etc. But something to make the area feel special, private & pretty. So, I think they should hit up the distressed plants section of Lowe's and get to it!!


I'm not sure if her friend is looking more for eating or relaxing areas, so we'll give her both. She may already have furniture but that's okay... let's have fun with this ;) I'm going to use this picnic table from http://doitbest.com/ It's only $135 and can easily be painted white or any other color. (Painted tables seem to cost more!! arg) You can find them at garage sales too this time of year... They remind me of summertime when I was little...I really think she should go with a couple of adirondack chairs. I love these white adirondack chairs for only $85 from lovemypatio.com

I do think it's important to go with wood adirondack chairs instead of the plastic ones if you can afford it because you can tell it's plastic from a mile away. (BUT I totally understand waiting for upgrades if you want the look for now for less!! Believe me, I'm SO there right now!!) And check out these painted wooden ones here in white for a steal at only $60!!!! We got ours at Kohl's when they were having a big sale for $65 each and I can't say enough how much I enjoy sitting in them.

Then I'd add a white market umbrella (see Maria from Colour Me Happy's post for details on color choices!!!) because I think they're classic and simple. (And honestly, doesn't it look perfect in our cottage living inspiration picture above??)

I'm kind of obsessing about fans right now. They keep the bugs away and I love the look too!! (Anything to bring more inside stuff outdoors!!) How great is this $80 fan from Home Depot?!!:

Ok, now onto the pretty things!!! (Which is probably what my friend's looking for :) She'll probably want a rug. I LOVE this herringbone natural-looking one from Restoration hardware. (They range from $79 and up depending upon the size)

And I'm kind of going nutty over these pillows from Restoration hardware which are only $21!!!! (--They come in so many pretty colors and they're having a huge sale on outdoor stuff right now.) I've had my Restoration hardware outdoor pillows for a few years & they've held up so well, so this is a really good buy. (Home depot also has some cute ones right now but they're actually more expensive)

Ok, and I don't know if she like to lay out in the sun (i know it's so bad for you!!) but I used to when I didn't have a child (now that sounds like a joke or a dream!!!) so maybe she'd love these gorgeous RH towels as much as I do: (Again RH towels are THE BEST!!!!- barely any fading and they're so thick!) Now I think my excuse to get these might be because we have a kiddie pool! ;) ;)

I love lanterns outside. They're so pretty- night or day- and they really up the look. All of Pottery Barn's are gorgeous but also try Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, walmart & other cheaper places.

When you're having guests or just want the space pretty for you & your family, add a flower arrangement or 2. (Even greenery works when you don't have flowers as in Eddie Ross's fern arrangements below.-- I LOVE THESE!!)

If you'll be doing lots of outdoor entertaining, there is so much adorable melamine outdoor dishware & drinkware. Target always has cute stuff:

And finally, here's a quick something I do every summer. I put all of my condiments & some paper napkins in a basket in the fridge so we can grab them quickly for eating outside. Then you can put in other things you need like silverware and flowers. It's one of those things you can do that just makes life easier. (By the way if you're looking for a good bbq sauce, try Sweet Baby Ray's- It's THE best!!)

Anyway, I hope this helped a bit!!!I'm SO excited for summer & can't wait to find my rug & lanterns!!! (Don't worry, of course I'll post pics!! haha)

xoxo,

lauren

In the Garden...

This weekend, we spent most of our time outside. We got a lot further along on the fence we're doing around the property and we also made some garden beds!



We went to Lowe's and the prices were AMAZING!!! You have to go if you have one near you because you can go CRAZY in the "Distressed Plants" section. All distressed plants are 75% off and there are so many that just need a little TLC! (I got TONS of zinnias for 87 cents each!!) (image below) from here

I was also able to get some hydrangea bushes for only $6!!! I went through the "healthy section of plants" and found sad-looking plants & was able to talk to the manager and get them for 75% off too! (The hydrangeas I found literally were just wilted and needed some water and they perked up within a couple of hours of watering them at home.) image below from here

We got the Nikko Blue Hydrangeas but they're pink right now so (me being lazy) I'll be waiting to see if my soil is acidic enough to turn them blue eventually. (If not, I'll have to add some, but I'm actually loving the pink right now because they work beautifully with all the zinnias!) image from here

Our yard & garden is super-rough right now but my next goal is getting some creeping groundcover around some stepping stones like in the Country Living pic below: (This website specializes in groundcovers you can walk on: http://www.stepables.com/ )

We have woods at the back of our property & how amazing would a pathway like this be?!!! (Should be no big thing after that fence, right? ;) ;) ok so this would really be years away from happening...

And next we're planting a veggie garden!! Our sweet friends Amy & Greg have TONS of tomatoes, squash and other veggies for us that they grew from seed. I am SO excited as I am a tomato FREAK and can eat them every day. I also picked up a bunch of herbs and lined our patio with them for easy grabbing for cooking.

yum yum!!! love those maters!!! haha

I've also really been on a pepper kick lately:

Well, I'll post pictures when the plants mature a bit & it's something pretty to look at!! So, what's going on in your garden or window sill for this summer?

xoxo,

lauren

ps- It's June!!! Come on summer!!!!