A new favorite (Jenn's mood boards)

It feels like I did these designs sooo long ago but I really love how they turned out so I wanted to share. I have loved working with Jenn on the design of her new home. It is so awesome to have the opportunity to design each space so they are cohesive. However, each one is still unique and fits the function of that room. (be sure to check out her family room and master bedroom designs)

Typically when you hire a designer, you are in one of two situations: you have no time to do it yourself and want someone to take over or you don't have the "eye" for it and can't pull it together. Jenn just simply is busy and wanted me to pick up where she left off. I have to give her quite a bit of credit for this dining room. When she sent me before pictures, I had to stop and think "what does this space even need?" She already had a gorgeous table, classic chairs and a rich rug. I wanted to add in a bit more color and texture. The colors tie in to the family room but have a little more formality in the luxurious materials.I didn't want it to be too stuffy and formal because Jenn does have a young family and I'm sure she would appreciate something low maintenance.

Now for my favorite design to date- Jenn's Living Room. She gave me some good bones to work with like the wicker wingback chair. And BM revere pewter walls! You can't go wrong with those. I wanted to use the same color palette as the rest of the 1st floor but it specifically needed to tie in to the dining room because it was adjacent.

You may recognize some of these because the rug is in my home (but in the grey color) and the coffee table is the same collection as my new console table!! But I think what gives this space the wow factor are those floral prints!!

So how do you design for someone you've never met? I want Jenn to love each space that I design but more than that, I want it to work for her and her family. I can just imagine them having game night in this room. A lot of times formal living rooms are just dust collectors but I wanted to give her an affordable, comfortable room (and home) so that they feel like they can use it and not worry about breaking something.

This is weird

(my new haircut!)

It feels weird to be writing to y'all considering so much has happened since I was last in this space. I want to review all of the fun things that happened and share my Christmas decor but that wouldn't be very "blogger" of me to do so at this point. I want to have a year in review post to look back on for 2014. I want to tell you about our New Years Eve. Hopefully you follow me on Instagram and have been able to get a glimpse into some of that but if not I don't want it all to be overlooked and forgotten.

I miss this space....sometimes I will open up blogger and just stare at the screen thinking about what to write but then I don't. I want to connect but then I don't take the time to read other blogs. What's a girl to do?

Never have I been one to just throw out a post that has no meaning. I want it to inspire someone, touch someone or at least share something real. Blogging is a hobby for me. As much as I would like to make lots of money from it and be famous in the blog world I know I cannot invest enough time to do so. Besides, it's definitely not why I started blogging in the first place.

I wanted to jump right in and publish a design post I wrote last year but I didn't feel it would be fair to  act like I didn't neglect this blog and my loyal (and occasional) readers. I am not apologizing for not writing but I am asking for a fresh start. I want this blog to really reflect who I am. Sometimes I will read an old post and think-that doesn't sound like me. However, I don't want a total blog makeover. There are still plenty of aspects about my blog that I love and that I have worked very hard on.

Bare with me as I go off on a tangent for a moment. I met up with some old friends from high school over break and one of them asked us a very deep question during our conversation. How do we think we've changed since graduation? I went last (mostly because I didn't have an answer right away). My answer in summary was that "I don't care about what others think as much" and "that I am more appreciative and thankful for what I have". But even after our little reunion I have been thinking about this question. What would my family members and friends say? What would my husband say? After all, we have been dating for about 9 years. How do people perceive me? I am not talking about appearance...I am talking about my character.

So I hope you will stick around to find out more about the girl behind "designer in teal". I want to talk more about my faith and (attempts at) living a healthier life style. I want to share what's on my mind and my heart. I still want to share design posts about our home but I know it doesn't look like its out of a magazine and I won't pretend that it does.

So, are you still there? Leave me a comment letting me know how 2015 is treating you so far!

p.s. that design post that has been sitting in my drafts for months will be published tomorrow!!