Kitchen Prep

When my husband and I bought our house, we considered the kitchen a space we'd live with for awhile but eventually spruce up. We like the layout but the cabinets, countertops and appliances are a bit dated, and the lighting is pretty terrible. We're hoping to repaint the walls, paint the cabinets and get new countertops this spring. In addition to researching how to tackle some of these projects, I'm also scouring the web and magazines for visual inspiration. I like these kitchens by Candice Olson, featured on hgtv.com. I like how they're a mix of modern and glamorous. I could definitely spend some time in these spaces!

Photos from here. 

Glam Christmas

This year I've been having a bit of trouble decorating for the holidays. I'm trying to strike a glamorous and contemporary note -- without straying into overly traditional or cold-modern territory. These two photos from hgtv.com get the sparkly, festive, cozy vibe just right.

Photos from here and here.

Fresh Starts

I have the day off today and it has been glorious. I love my job but it has been so nice to do some spring cleaning at home.

It's so nice to simplify and eliminate what we don't need -- especially when it's something we no longer want but someone else might be able to use -- and then organize and spruce everything up. And it's fun to get our house the way we want it. I love working with what we have and bringing each space to its potential and our style. Even little changes make a difference.

Recently, I had the urge to make our bathroom more of a calming space. After all, it's where we spend a good portion of our mornings getting ready for the day ahead.

I drew inspiration from spa-like bathrooms outfitted with white towels, earth tones and natural elements. By taking out our old blue towels and rug and simply adding in fluffy white towels, shaggy cream rugs, wood baskets to hold our toiletries and a plant, I got the look I was after.

Here are some inspiration rooms from HGTV.

So simple but really luxurious feeling.

Very clean and geometric.

The open space and natural light of this bathroom are fantastic.

This one has a touch of color thanks to the tiles, stool and flowers.

Photos from hgtv.com.