Weekend DIY: Furniture Nails

Furniture nails are a great way to update your old furniture pieces to make them look more sophisticated and classic. This is a great DIY project that is inexpensive and easy to do. Most hardware stores carry them in a variety of finishes (bronze, brushed or polished nickel). The most popular size is 7/16" but you can find lots of specialty websites that carry an ever broader range of finishes and sizes. Select a finish that matches your décor and find a chair, ottoman or even a table that needs a little updating. If you don’t seem to have anything on hand, visit a thrift store or ask friends/family if they have any interesting pieces they want to get rid of. Trust me, a little paint and some furniture nails can yield amazing results.

The key to making your new furniture piece look professional is S-P-A-C-I-N-G! You want to make sure that each nail is equidistant to the next. To make this process much easier, I created a quick template that will help you space these perfectly . Simply print, cut out and place over the piece of furniture. Hammer each of the nails in the designated space. Once you have a row, pull the template away and start over with your next row. Add as many or as few nails as you would like!

Looking for ideas? Check out the images I collected as inspiration. You can accomplish many of these looks on your own.

image from left to right: Restoration Hardware Chair, Marco Cabinet, Pottery Barn chair detail, Visconti storage ottoman, Marco side table, Restoration Chair, West Elm headboard.

Cook to Impress, Truffle+ Pasta=Heaven

Cooking is one of my passions. Unfortunately my crazy schedule limits the time I have to cook which is a real issue. I often wonder what it would be like to have tons of free time to pursue every single one of my interests. Clearly, I am not the only person who struggles with this. Between our regular jobs, everyday things such as errands/laundry and the ever growing 'to-do' list who has the time to spend 2 hours cooking a meal?! It's no wonder people so often opt to eat out or in the worst of the cases grab some fast food. I say, do what you need to do but when you are looking for some good old home cooked flavor, try a simple (but OH SO AMAZING) recipe like this one. No need for tons of prep time or ingredients. This is a great option for one of those Friday nights when a good glass of wine and home cooked food is overdue!


Mushroom Tagliatelle with Truffle Oil and Scallops

2 cups mixed mushrooms (oyster, crimini, enoki, white)
3 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves
1 shallot finely chopped
1 package of thick noodles such as tagliatelle or fettucine
1/4 bunch flat leaf parsley
1/2 lb small scallops (optional)
Pecorino Romano cheese

In a large pot, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a sauté pan on low-medium heat. Add shallots, garlic and mushrooms and cook until soft and tender, about 4-5 minutes. If you wish to include scallops, add to the pan and cook until cooked through. Toss pasta and mushroom mix along with chopped parsley. Drizzle with the truffle oil and grate some pecorino cheese on top. Serve and enjoy!

Design with a Spa in Mind

I recently completed a really fun project that involved transforming a tired bathroom into a modern day mini oasis. My client loved the clean and crisp feel of spas so we opted for a soothing blue, white and ivory palate using richer dark woods to add that unexpected element. Glass mosaic tile to the back wall, chrome finishes and porcelain tile helped keep the space open and modern. A new pocket door, lighting and a beautiful square vessel sink were the perfect finishing touches to help turn this bathroom into a spa
worthy retreat.

Check out the before and after shots.

I'm Back!

It's been a little busy lately, but I promise I haven't been twiddling my thumbs. Lots going on and more importantly lots to add to my blog so many many great posts to come. You know, things like work, grad school, and a new design business in the works has been keeping me on my toes. Oh yeah, throw in a wedding to plan and now we're talking about a whole new chapter on what is a standard one page to do list. Regardless, these past few months have given me lots of inspiration and I am excited to blog all about it so check in often for some great design and entertaining ideas!