home decor: neutral and so lovely

I couldn’t help but notice the simple beauty of this neutral styled home in this month’s Better Homes and Gardens magazine. This stunning Virginia home is just the right mix of antique and vintage pieces with contemporary design. The crisp white cabinetry and trim stand up nicely with the muted gray walls and dramatic black doors. Textures play a key role in this living room. In the kitchen, the natural wood beams and chalkboard wall are the fanciful features in this otherwise plain room. The soft color scheme continues in the dining room with the focus still on beautiful antiques and luxurious textures. The chandelier, mirror and settée provide just the right vintage vibe for this pretty room. Which room is your favorite? ciao! fabiana photo credit: BHG

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a slightly spooky Halloween tablescape

Having a little fun with this Halloween tablescape. Can you spot the Harry Potter references? It's my latest collaboration with Romantic Homes.

Check out the whole story of how this magical inspired table came to be, floating candles and all! 

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 RomanticHomes.com

Here are a few behind the scenes looks…

This table was REALLY fun to put together!

 ciao! fabiana

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pumpkins on display

Walking through Roger’s Gardens 

this time of the year is always a special treat! 

I love checking out all their special 

pumpkin vignettes that are mixed in with 

crusty terracotta pots, 

amazing farmhouse tables, 

baskets of herbs 

and 

interesting statues. 

Here’s a little mini tour of my favorite fall scenes…

 ciao! fabiana

just another October day

Meet Dugan... one of our five furry friends who also call this place home. He's been quite the helper today following me around and supervising everything! 

Fall décor is finally making an appearance around here, and this year I’m in love with those soft muted colored pumpkins that are so pretty and seem go with all décor styles.

I found a pretty mini olive topiary yesterday in this gorgeously distressed clay pot. So perfect for the front door, after I added a few tiny white pumpkins and moss around the perimeter of the pot.

Here’s a snapshot of the dining nook from a couple of weeks ago. I just love the copper accents with the gray and white fall colors.

On our family room mantel, I’ve also used a simple grouping of gray, green and cream colored pumpkins which fit in nicely with the existing décor.  

“Hello, Sweater Weather!" I just love this little sign… and yes, after the really hot summer we've had, I’m ready to be sporting some cute sweaters.

This is the only orangy pumpkin that I bought this year because I fell in love with the terracota quality of it. It's one of those "Cinderella" pumpkins that are a little bit flatter on top. Perfect for stacking!

So that's a little bit of the fall touches you'll find around here. I'm not going overboard this year with lots of "stuff"...

As always, sunflowers are hard for me to resist during the fall season. They just really help usher in the whole season, don't they?

What do you think... do you like the sunflowers with the brown centers or the yellow centers? 

Just wondering…. 🌻

ciao! fabiana

blue and white for fall

Happy Monday!

I just wanted to give a little peek at a couple of little things I’ve been working on.

You can just catch a glimpse of my first milk paint project. It was really fun refinishing this antique Victorian dresser that we had in our front hall way. I love the results I got with the milk paint, and the color, patina and texture are amazing!

Other than that, I’m also working a fun floral project, so here’s a peek….  Blue and white for fall seems to work around here!

 ciao! fabiana

halloween 2018 at roger's gardens

Every year Roger’s Gardens goes all out and creates a spectacular Halloween experience for all their visitors, and this year’s no different! In fact this is probably my all-time favorite theme that they’ve done…

Harry Potter!

“Wander the corridors of a most magical school where witches and wizards learn their craft. Prospective students are invited to tour the castle.”

“Explore the Headmaster’s Study, a room filled with curiosities and antiquities.”

"Students wishing to learn about the magical properties of plants can visit the Greenhouse Conservatory where rare and unusual specimens are cultivated.”

Each of the many rooms in this “castle” is brimming with enchanted objects and décor to fill your home and imagination with the spirit of Halloween.

“Who knows what mythical creatures are lurking in the cabinets."

"Discover where novice witches and wizards study in the Potions classroom, be sure not to tamper with their mysterious experiments.”

There’s still time to visit Roger’s Gardens during the next few weeks to experience this fun Halloween display for yourself.

These rooms are so inspirational! 

I love to take my favorite elements like pumpkins, owls and

 candlesticks and mix them in with my traditional decor.

Do you have a favorite decorating theme for Halloween?

 ciao! fabiana

Quotes courtesy of Roger’s Gardens.

a simple fall mantel

Here we are in the first week of October, and I’m just now beginning to add a bit of fall to the family room.

It’s been a bit of a whirlwind couple of weeks where I’ve been working on some seasonal projects for Christmas and New Year’s Eve, so I’m just getting to my own personal fall décor today.

It’s just a start, as I will add more Halloween accents soon… so for today here’s just a peek.

I don't think I bought any orange pumpkins yet this year, since there are so many other pretty colors to choose from that tie in nicely with the blue tones in my home.

You may recognize this portrait of my husband's great grandmother from a previous post. Her name is Nellie, and I love how she watches over us each day!    

I think these soft grey succulents look so pretty in these vintage silver cups, and a bit of Spanish moss softens the look even more.

The pumpkins are real, but I do have a confession to make. The succulents are all faux. I found them at World Market recently.

These air plants are faux as well. I love how they look so real, and their spidery quality makes them perfect for Halloween.

So, we're keeping it simple this week with just a few pastel pumpkins and some spooky succulents.   

ciao! fabiana

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a festive september tablescape

I’ve got two different sets of chairs that I like to switch out between my dining room and kitchen nook. These white Windsor chairs started out life as brown oak chairs, but when I got my hands on them for only $10 each, I quickly painted them white.

And those aren’t the only thrifted finds that I’m featuring here at my September tablescape. You see, there are quite a few little treasures pictured here.

This pretty plaid throw was found a few weeks ago and the soft blue and tan pattern is so perfect for my house and brings in just the right amount of fall character.

You may have noticed the new centerpiece of the room. This large lantern-like glass house with the weathervane on top was found just a couple of days ago at one of my favorite thrift stores.  

I’ve filled it with white pillar candles and lots of white “baby boo” pumpkins. Guess how much I paid for it?

Well, it didn’t have a price, so an employee marked it at $9.99, and when I got to the register, it was 20% off! I couldn’t believe that price, since it's quite large.

The center of the table is left quite simple with one large gray-blue pumpkin in the middle, smaller little pumpkins at each side and a few eucalyptus twigs to soften thing up.

This sort of table will look great from September all the way through the end of November.

I guess some of us are ready for a catnap…

ciao! fabiana

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