1 SETTEE, 5 WAYS

I LOVE a good settee, but I really find that I never use them in designs.  I'm not sure why.  I think they get forgotten about.  Usually I lean towards an accent table or console table where you can also use a settee.  This year, I am determined to use more settees in my designs, starting with this bold black and white buffalo check patterned settee.

Buffalo check is one of this years most popular patterns.  It's most popular in black and white, but also be found in gray and white and navy and white.  You will see it in pillows, throw blankets, furniture, tile flooring and even wallpaper.  It has become so popular I think because of its versatility.  It is a timeless, sophisticated print that can be traditional or modern, and go with just about any other pattern as well.   To showcase that versatility, I am showing 1 settee, 5 different ways for a client.  She has the option to keep the space traditional or a little more funky with some more modern elements.  The shiplap walls in her home are the perfect backdrop to this bold settee.  

This first look is the most traditional with floral prints with a black background to coordinate with the black in the settee.  A wood and marble accent table.  And a traditional task floor lamp in an antique gold. 

Look #2 is more fun and modern with the large cactus print with gold frame from World Market.  To keep things modern, I switched out the traditional floor lamp with a gold tripod lamp.  The side table is swapped out for this simple black one. 

Look #3 is more modern farmhouse.  Wood accents in the lattice wall decor and side table.  Yet still has a little modern edge with the gold floor lamp.  Everything in this 'look' can be found at Target, except the settee.  

The fourth look leans more transitional with some modern gold accents in the floor lamp and side table.  The traditional botanical artwork keeps it classic and timeless.  Botanicals are very popular this year as well!

For the fifth look, I switched out the artwork for a mirror.  A mirror is always a great choice to bring more light into a space.  This vignette has a good mix of modern and traditional.  

All of the looks above are easy to pull together yourself.  Every item shown above can be found at Target, World Market, and Hobby Lobby.  All of the artwork can be found on my Pinterest page WALL DECOR.  This settee shown above is from Ballard Designs.  It can be customized with any fabric and will also set you back about $1500.  

I came across this less expensive settee, similar look, at At Home for less than $300. 

I really think a settee is a good alternative to a console table or accent table and can work in a lot of different rooms.  They will run you about the same price as a table and it is such a different, unique look to a space.  Which look do you like best?  Do any of you own settees or have you been eyeing one for you home??

Most of the items shown in the Mood Boards above can be found at Target.

This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Happy New Year 2017!

I don't know how time flies by so quickly sometimes.  How is it 2017 already?!?  Where did 2016 go?  How is it that Christmas is already here and gone?!?

And how is my baby 3 months already?!?

Little Harrison was born on September 23, 2016.



That's right, it has already been 3 months since I had this boy.  Life with a new baby has been amazing, crazy, tiring, challenging, everything I expected and more!  As you may have noticed, I have been very quiet around here, but I wanted to take some time out to really cherish every minute with him, because newborns grow way too fast!  I didn't want to miss a single thing.  It has been really nice to take a little step back from work, become re-inspired, and refresh the soul! 

Unfortunately, though, this 3 month "break" of baby snuggles all day in our jammies has ended.  January is "back to work" month and I am very excited for new clients, new projects, new opportunities for Jessica Stout Design, and looking forward to all that 2017 has to offer.  Stay tuned to see what Jessica Stout Design will be up to this year and what we are working on already this year.

Fall Home Tour

I know it's been 90 degrees this week and still technically summer, but the cooler temps we had last week really got me thinking about Fall!  I think now that it is September, Pumpkin Spice is back at Starbucks (and everywhere else), and football has started, we can officially start talking all things Fall!

 With less than 2 weeks until our due date, every weekend is huge for us because we don't know if it will be our last weekend before we become parents or even the weekend we spend in the hospital having a baby!  We are soaking up and cherishing every last day we have of being just the 2 of us because we know how much our lives are about to change.  This past Labor Day weekend, I slept in on Saturday morning and didn't really want to get out of bed, knowing this could be my last Saturday to sleep in and just lay in bed.  Labor Day weekend for us was a great time to get some home projects done (organized the garage, outdoor projects, gardening) and time to just relax as we didn't have a lot of plans.  But one thing that was on my agenda for the weekend, was getting my home decorated for Fall!

Being so close to my due date, I knew it was now or never.  I didn't want to think about dragging out Fall decor with a brand new baby.  So I decided to take this long weekend as the perfect opportunity to get this completed.  After planting mums for our front porch and front of the house, I was really in the Fall spirit to decorate indoors.  (We always go with yellow mums for Notre Dame football!)

We moved into our new home in April of this year, so it was fun to think of new ways to decorate here.  And this is my first year to have a fireplace mantel to decorate for all of the holidays and seasons as well, which is very exciting!  Here are some ideas you can take from my home and incorporate into your home this Fall season!

The orange plaid pillow is from Joann Fabrics craft store this year and the "Our Nest" pillow was from Tuesday Morning, bought last year.  The fuzzy stool is from World Market.

The gourd on the mantel is actually artificial!  Bought from Michael's craft store.

When we moved into the house, I decided to swap out my old entry way table for this longer one from World Market, called the Everett Table.  It fits so much more decor, which I love! 

We intentionally had the builders paint the walls white and we haven't repainted anything yet (except the nursery) and I am actually really liking the bright white!  So, we will probably keep the walls white for a while.  I have ideas and plans to add wainscoting and shiplap around some places, so it may be smart to paint when we do those projects.

I recently painted this buffet table I had Mindful Gray by Sherwin Williams.  If you remember it used to be bright mustard yellow!

I like to layer things when decorating a long buffet table like this, with lots of different items and different heights.  All of the pumpkins you see here or in my Fall decorating, are all from Michael's craft store.  They have a great selection of artificial heirloom style pumpkins that are great for decorating.

This rather frightening photo to some holds lots of meaning to us.  This is actually a photo from the Chicago Tribune of my husband's great-grandfather who owned and operated a meat packing business in Chicago at the time.  So while it may be a bit disturbing to some, we think it is a really neat photo to have. 

All of the floral arrangements were put together with random stems of flowers, berries, or feathers that I already had.  There is no rule of thumb here, just throw whatever you have together. 

The wood tiered tray is from The Painted Fox Home online. 

I think this makes me officially ready for the baby to arrive.  We have less than 2 weeks until our due date and I think I am driving myself crazy with wondering everyday if today is the day!!!  We are just SO excited to meet him! 

Baby Shower {Part II}

Baby Showers are so fun, why stop at just one?!?  My invite list was getting so long between both sides of my family, both sides of his family, and friends, that it was so much easier to break it up into 2 different events.  More fun that way and more cake for me! :)  First was the "friends" shower a few weeks ago.  I am so glad we decided to do this, not only as an excuse to eat more cake, but I actually got to enjoy the time with friends and family and talk to them without feeling like I was just making small talk, making my rounds through the room.

The following week we had the "family" shower which was held at my sister's beautfiul new home.

 

We used the same decor as the previous week, at my first baby shower, but this baby shower was all about the cupcakes!!!  A family friend, Cupcakes by Heidi, from my home town of Brookville, IN made them for us and they were divine!  They were so good and really the hit of the party!  Everyone thought these cupcakes were from some big fancy place here in Indy but are actually made in Heidi's kitchen in her home.  She is a very talented baker!

In all, we had Strawberry, Oreo, and Peanut Butter flavored cupcakes and there was no clear favorite for me.  They were all delicious! 

We changed up the Baby Shower games a bit for this crowd and tested their knowledge on how well they know their nursery rhymes.  Personally, I need to work on mine, but surprisingly, some people knew all or almost all of the questions!!! 

These amazing family members traveled all the way from Texas and Wisconsin to be here to celebrate!

My beautiful momma who provided all of the gorgeous flowers for the day.

My amazing sister who put so much work into not only one but two baby showers for me. 

Sister-in-law

Mother-in-law

Grandma Stout

Grandma, Gail & Betsy

 

We are in the home stretch now with only 4 weeks to go!  Let the nesting commence!!