New Year's Resolutions

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!  We had a few days off to spend with family and friends and Friday we are headed off to Key West, FL to celebrate New Years!  Normally I don't make New Years resolutions but this year I will be making a home resolution!  There are a few areas in my house I have been talking about changing and updating but just haven't gotten around to it so I am posting it here in hopes that I will stick to my resolution!


The Living Room

Our Living Room/Dining Room is the first room you enter when you walk into our house.  Above the settee I'd like to do a gallery wall with family photos and artwork.

The Dining Room

This is one long room and is directly connected to the living room.  This room is in desperate need of a tall hutch.  I'm hoping to do some thrift store shopping to find one I can paint myself!

The Family Room

This picture may look familiar from my Holiday House Tour here.  I hate the metal medallion above the couch.  It's from our old house and we only put it up to get something on the walls.  It's too small and looks odd right smack in the middle there.  I'd like to do 3 large framed vintage travel posters.  I've already found a few at art.com so stay tuned for that one!

Master Bathroom

When you look at the photos you're probably thinking- what's so wrong with this room?   The layout of the bathroom is terrible- constantly bumping into each other with the sink directly at the door.  And the tub- which has been used maybe once is taking up the majority of the space.  All of the finishes are builder-grade and just so-so.  I'd love to get rid of the tub and replace it with a double sink vanity.

Interested in working together on your own "home resolutions"?  E-mail me at olivelaneinteriors@gmail.com  I'd love to work with you!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from Olive Lane!

Gifts for the Host

Christmas is only a few days away and by now you are probably up to your eyeballs in wrapping paper and cookies!  For those that have put off shopping I have pulled together my top 5 host gifts that your host will actually want to receive!  Most will ship in time for Christmas if you order by noon so hurry up and get shopping!

Crate and Barrel - Glass Tilt Bowls

Simple, elegant and versatile.  You can use the small ones for snacks or as a votive.

Capri Blue Candles



These are my most favorite candles because of the way the smell and also the gorgeous blue glass jar.  I have the pomegranate citrus right now and LOVE it.

C. Wonder Cheese Board 

 They will use this a million times!

Pottery Barn- Antqiue Silver Cheese Knives, Set of 4 



They make serving cheese look good!

And if all else fails... grab a bottle of wine and dress it in one of these guys from Sur La Table.

Nate Berkus for Target

As I was perusing the Home aisles at Target I saw Nate Berkus' new book, The Things That Matter and had to have it.  He writes about his life, his experiences and how it all shaped the style of his home (which is gorgeous).  He also shows a handful of other homes that he's designed including Dr. Ruth, yes that Dr. Ruth!.

Favorite quote from the book: "For me, the most successful interiors in the world are put together by people who surround themselves with objects that bring them joy."

Here's a few of my favorite from his Target Collection which you can purchase online here.

Wood and Bone Top Box | $24.99

Basket Tray | $17.99

Monterrey Decorative Pillow | $24.99

Studded Lacquer Tray | $29.99

Chevron Urn | Stores Only

Home Office Update

Last week I posted about the Josephine desk I had bought from World Market and it arrived this weekend!

Olive inspecting the box.

These are my kind of instructions- check out that parts list: (1) desk top and (2) desk legs... that's it! 

Ta-Da!  I am amazed at how nice it is.  It's a really sturdy desk with a nice white glossy finish.  Thanks World Market!

Over the past week I did some pinning on Pinterest (button on the left to start following me) and I had an epiphany... I want my office to be Femme.  For the most part I try to keep my house pretty gender neutral but this office is all about me and my new venture and I want it to be happy, simple, chic and feminine!
Looks a lot like my desk- and that ghost chair is a total must. via Pinterest
I love the gold screen behind the desk. Desk of Dallas Shaw
Love this one too- so pretty! From EveryGirl

Home for the Holidays

I love having the house decorated for Christmas.  It makes it feel so warm and cozy.  Since we've only been in our house for a year we really don't have much Christmas decor but I think I've got a good start and can definitely add to it every year.  A great way to keep your decorations from looking too choppy and scattered is to pick a, dare i say it... theme.  I chose red as my main color with accents of gold.  So I added gold ribbon to the tree and gold ornaments to the garland.  I used red berries in the garland, in some of my everyday objects in the house (the lanterns and the pitcher) and one of the pillows I chose had red berries.  It's gotta be subtle to work but it really creates a cohesive look throughout the house.

We cut down our tree ourselves for this first time this year- didn't we get a great looking tree?!

Stockings from Pottery Barn.  I bought the garland pre-lit at Lowe's and then hot glued ornaments and berries in it.  Stocking holders are from Target.

The lanterns are on the hearth year-round but I added some berries to get them looking festive!

Candy Canes and Cinnamon in apothecary jars in the kitchen behind the sink.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Holiday Pillows

Hello December- Where did you come from?!  The past few months have flown by for me!  We had a really busy year with all of the wedding planning for our wedding this past July, getting the pup in September and we've still only been in our new house for a year!  Last week we got our tree and I pulled out all of our Christmas decorations... which fits in one Rubbermaid tub (so sad)... so I've been on a mission to shop for decorations to put our house in the Christmas spirit.

First stop- holiday pillows!

Berry Wreath- Pottery Barn

Christmas Tree Crewel- Pottery Barn

Really love this one from Etsy shop The Lauren Collection- here!

And this fun bolster from Target- here!

 Here's what I ended up with... all from Pottery Barn. 

Nothing says winter like cable-knit sweaters!

Make sure you check back tomorrow for the rest of my holiday decorations!

Roberts Ave- Master Bedroom

I just started working with a young couple that settled on a gorgeous home in the suburbs of Philadelphia and they contacted me for some help with selecting a few paint colors.  The previous owners were more on the 90's traditional side (think tassels, floral vines and swags) and this young couple was looking for a fresh new look.  I went to their home last week to select colors for their master bedroom, master bath and guest room.

We started with their master bedroom.

Isn't this an amazing master bedroom?  All of the natural light and the wooded view- not to mention a great size room!  She wanted the room to feel "clean and cozy".  They have espresso wood furntiure and a pretty white duvet they wanted to keep.  We decided on one of my favorites, BM Rockport Gray.  

 

Action shot!  I promise to get a finished photo but already I am loving it.  Next up is window coverings and I'm thinking relaxed roman shades- clean, soft, and not fussy!