Friday the 13th and 13 Best Outdoor Spaces

April 13, 2012 Ruthie Staalsen

Since it's Friday the 13th, I thought it would be fun to post my 13 most favorite outdoor spaces!

My husband and I have been enjoying our gazebo being that it's beautiful spring weather right now.

Here are some of my favorite outdoor spaces.

No. 1

Love all the stone work in this courtyard. The pops of color make it so alive too! Red chairs are delightful.

No. 2

The ivy, the shutters, the balcony, the lights....all of it is perfect for entertaining elegant parties. Again, the red chairs make it fun.

No. 3

Rustic and charming.

No. 4

Loads of greenery makes it feel tropical. Grass in between the terra cotta tiles is a great touch.

No. 5

Brick patio, iron gate and fountain, ahhhh...

No. 6

This patio looks so cozy and inviting. I could chat with friends forever. The candlelight candelabra is the best part.

No. 7

A fireplace is always a good plan! Perfect place to sit with a glass of wine.

No. 8

Loads of terra cotta pots and stone. I would want my whole house to surround this courtyard.

No. 9

So peaceful.

No. 10

Rustic, imperfect and comfy.

No. 11

Eclectic and romantic.

No. 12

Don't you wonder where this leads? What is behind that door?

No. 13

An amazing outdoor oasis.

Happy weekend to you! Enjoy your outdoor space.

(All photo's taken from Pinterest.com and Houzz.com)

Visit my website DecRenew Interiors to see my design portfolio.

Before & After Banquette

April 10, 2012 Ruthie Staalsen

(Pinterest.com)

I'm preparing a design plan right now for a client that wants a banquette in her kitchen.

(Pinterest.com)

I've always loved the feel that this kind of seating brings to a kitchen/dining room. It's welcoming and comfortable. I especially like the idea of storage underneath the banquette. Especially if you have a small space and storage is a problem.

(Pinterest.com)

Bench seating is a great way to solve a problem with form and function if space of your dining or kitchen room is small. You can maximize your kitchen space by building your own kitchen banquette seating.

(Pinterest.com)

Definition of banquette seating, a French word for “bench”, is a long upholstered bench/seat placed against or attached into a wall of a space.

(Pinterest.com)

The curved banquette is also so attractive and works beautifully with a round or oval table. The fabrics on a banquette can make the kitchen have such personality and class.
I discovered the below photo's from a project that I finished about 4 years ago and thought you might enjoy the before and after shots of the room.

BEFORE

(Photo by Ruthie Staalsen)

AFTER

(Photo by Ruthie Staalsen)

Amazing what a change the banquette made to this space. It use to be a "catch all" space and now it's a room that is used for gatherings. The table opens up into an oval shape and they can pull in the additional chairs when they have more people they need to seat! It's a great space now for better entertainment and the client was so happy to get a buffet for all her linens.

To see more before and after pictures of my work, visit my website DecRenew Interiors.

Happy Easter

April 7, 2012 Ruthie Staalsen

My husband just installed my new lights that he gave me for my birthday this week! We are enjoying this beautiful spring weather and a long weekend! My Jasmine has started to creep over my arbor so that makes me happy too!

One principle that the resurrection teaches us is that God will always finish what He started. No matter how dark it looks, no matter how long it's been, no matter how many people are trying to push you down; if you will stay in faith, God will always take you from Friday to Sunday. He will always complete what He started in you!

Happy Easter to you all!

Hand written notes - do they still exist?

April 3, 2012 Ruthie Staalsen

I have to say that I really miss a hand written note. They seem very rare these days with the electronic way we communicate with each other because of convenience. It seems that more often "I love you" and "thank you" as well as other words of affection are usually communicated via text or e-mail. Even Happy Birthday is usually a "Facebook" wall post!

Source - Love these hand painted cards from Etsy.

Tomorrow is my birthday so this past weekend my husband and I celebrated together with family.

His birthday was last week so we usually celebrate together.

I have to tell you that I really enjoyed my Birthday cards because of the heartfelt notes that were hand written in them. My husband received some beautiful handmade cards from our girls and they really meant so much to him and they melted my heart too.

It made me think about how I miss a personal handwritten note and how it makes you feel. For some reason it's more meaningful when it's written in their handwriting. Do you know what I mean?

As a matter of fact, I don't hear my friends voices as much anymore either.

I also rarely get a dinner invitation in the mail. It usually comes to my inbox via evite. Is this how you usually get invites now?

It did make me happy yesterday, as I drove out of the driveway, I saw my daughter putting a letter in the mailbox.

I asked her what she was doing and she said that she and her cousin had decided to write letters to each other and mail them the "old fashioned" way. It made me smile that she at least knows how to address an envelope, stamp it and mail it. Really, has it become old fashioned?

Is it just me, or are you feeling the same way? Am I the only one that loves a hand written note? Are we losing personal contact with each other because of technology or am I just getting old?

I have no problem with technology and use it to the fullest myself. I'm just wondering if my feelings are valid? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Kitchen Renovation Sneak Peak

March 30, 2012 Ruthie Staalsen

Today I finished up my part of a kitchen remodel that we have been working on for the last 5 weeks. My team has been working hard to get it completed so my client can get back to regular family life in her kitchen. Here are some up close shots of the details. I'll be posting before and after pictures of the whole room soon.

I loved this picture of this turquoise vase on her new counter top. I happen to set my camera down and came back later and caught a glimpse of this capture on my screen. I'm glad I decided to take this shot because it's my favorite. The textures are so beautiful and represent all the colors we used in this kitchen. Her laundry room that adjoins her kitchen is going to be painted this wonderful turquoise in Phase II of this project.

We painted the walls Sherman Williams "Brandy Wine" including the ceilings, making the room feel incredibly warm and inviting. Yeah, no more popcorn ceilings. Wait until you see the lighting in this new kitchen!!!!

The new back splash has tumbled stone, granite and glass tiles that make a huge statement when you enter the room.

We had a cabinet custom built for her new double oven.

The black counter tops are the jewel in the room! The light ceramic floor tile has opened the room and makes this galley kitchen feel more open and airy. The thin grout lines were a big part of making this tile look so fabulous!