Bloggers beautiful abodes...Mary Ann of Classic Casual Home

 Sure hope this posts on time as I scheduled this for Monday morning while I am away. I  am being featured over at Amy Vermillion's blog today for her "Whats on my nightstand" posts...such a fun idea! Hope you will come visit me there after reading this post. Click here to visit.

Good morning! Time for another  round of "Bloggers beautiful abodes" and have I got a treat for you! So sit back and savor that cup of coffee or tea and enjoy this post full of beauty and wisdom.  Say hello to super talented........

Mary Ann of Classic Casual Home

                                     
Mary Ann is an uber talented  Newport Beach, California based designer (if she wasn't so sweet it would be easy to hate her for being lucky enough to live that California dream). She is always doing something gorgeous whether in her own beautiful home or adding her touches to  her friends ......and trust me they ALL look right out of the pages of your favorite design magazine! 

She has totally nailed the elegant coastal vibe to perfection and I am a huge fan of her work and her blog. Whether she is redoing a guest room, prepping for the most beautiful taco night I have ever seen or planning a little fete in her home...rest assured its something you want to see and take notes on!  Her blog is one I simply do not miss. Period. I feel like we are friends and know we would be fast friends if we ever meet  If you don't know of her, be sure you head over to say hello and by all means sign up.....her blog is a total keeper. Enough of me, lets hear from wonderful Mary Ann.........

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Thank you, Tina, for inviting me to tell 
you and your "enchanting readers" 
a bit about our home in 
Newport Beach, California. 

It's small, as many homes 

are on Lido Isle

(the island below on the right)

but we can walk or ride bikes 

to the beach.  

See the patch of grass on the sand?  

That is the playground for the grammar school where our son attended.

He always came home with sand in his shoes!

1. How long have you been in your present home?  Is this it for the long haul? Anything you would care to change if you could?

It's a 1950's cottage that we remodeled and moved into two and a half years ago.

I'm not sure we'll stay here forever. 

The people inside the home are what's important to me,

but this would be a comfortable place "for the long haul."  

If I could change anything, I wish we had more of a foyer...but there just isn't room.  

I do love our dutch door.

2. If you could only live in two rooms of your house, which two would be the ones?

My bedroom because I like to be lazy and

our patio has been nice to relax in lately.

3. How would you describe your decorating style?

Casual with a little French 
and classic elegance.

Both the child's corner chair and fireplace screen 

were bought at flea markets in France.

4. Do you have a favorite color scheme? What is it?

I don't really have a favorite color combination.  In my own home, I like a white backdrop so I can play with color.  I do enjoy doing all neutral interiors for others who prefer it though.

Same chairs two ways.

5. Favorite room of your house and why?

Right now, it's our guest room since I just finished it for the One Room Challenge. I stenciled the wall myself...a major feat for a non-do-it-yourselfer (but it only costed about $35).

6. Best two tips you can give to anyone looking to tackle the decorating of their own home?   

• Hire a decorator (through referrals), even to use just as a sounding board.  He/she can help keep you on track with your goals and budget.  If that's not an option enlist a friend who's taste you admire.
• Start files on Pinterest, Houzz and from magazines.  When you start to see common threads in your images, you will begin to understand your style preferences.

Best two things to NOT do?

• Don't get in over your head doing work like electrical or plumbing that is better left for the professionals
• Don't be afraid to try things...move your furniture around, mix it up (I might go a little overboard here :)

7. What do you think are the most important features for a kitchen?

My husband would say it's his stove since he loves to cook.

I like the storage in our pantry and that I can use the appliances in there and keep our counters clear.

 8.How do you like to dress up a cocktail table and console in a living room?

With books, trays, plants...

Or coral.

9.Any advice on the subject of lighting?

Dimmers, especially on overhead lighting.  

Layer with task lighting wherever you might want to read and also for ambiance.

10. Have a favorite paint color? Do tell!

I have this Benjamin Moore White Dove 
on walls throughout my house.  

11. What are a couple of really simple inexpensive things you can do in your home to make it feel "homey" and inviting?

Fruit (the lemons are from our tree), 

flowers and candles!

12. Fill in the blank- If money was no object, the very first thing I would buy for my home would be...

 a beautiful, antique Persian rug in muted tones for the living room.  Ah...someday.

Thanks so much for having me over, Tina!!!

Best wishes,

classic•casual•home

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Is she good or is she good? Mary Ann........I never tire of seeing your beautiful and welcoming  home. It is just so warm, elegant and beautifully put together and that guest room must have been done with me in mind so pencil me in for June :) By the way....that taco night I mentioned, well here it is........don't know about you but in my casa, taco night does not look like this:)

And check out the bridal  shower she threw.....are you available for my birthday in December?

Love these tomato caprese appetizers that she made......

 Thanks to everyone for stopping in and to Mary Ann for opening up her gorgeous abode for us all to marvel over! Be sure to stop over and say hello to the lovely Mary Ann, click here.

If you want to check out  my guest post over at Amy Vermillion's blog (and I do hope you will) click here.

Thanks for stopping in...have a wonderful Monday!

I am back!

Good late afternoon!  I am back. Missed being in blogland.....even for a few days:) Half of my trip (4 days was spent "college shopping"...it was fun, incredibly cold, and adventurous. It was fun being on the road with my son except for when we fought about me wanting to stop and buy an umbrella and be 5 min late (gasp) to a presentation or when we argued about where to stop and eat. Besides that it was just peachy!  We enjoyed the quality time together and seeing the energy of those college campuses just made me want to be 18 all over again. Youth really is wasted on the young:) I was supposed to leave today for VA. but my sister is sick and frankly I am a little wiped out so at my husbands insistence, am staying home and just going to catch up on all kinds of things that need my attention! Nothing like having an unexpected chunk of time to get productive!! So here is what's new and exciting....  Got my window treatments done in my kitchen! Love it, it really warms up the space so much and my beloved blue and white fits in beautifully. This is Brunschwig and Fils, Digbys Tent for anyone who wants to know. I think I will have place mats made with my leftover fabric....(taken with my iPhone, better pictures to follow soon) Here is the fabric, it was love at first sight... 

 

The colors here are horrible...but you get the idea!

 

 I am always on the prowl for really high quality faux flowers. I love flowers and nothing can replace the real deal but since I like to have them all over, it is both practical and maintenance free to have the faux around along with the real. So I was super thrilled to find the best cherry blossoms and fabulous orchid stems I have seen to date, I ordered a  bunch and will be adding them to my online shop under new arrivals. They are incredibly  real looking, beautiful stems, gorgeous blossoms come in 2 lengths, I opted for the "maximum wow factor" and went with the 54", and the orchids are simply amazing, here they are....... 

Mixed two stems of faux orchids with my real orchids...can you tell which is which?

One of my big jars filled with the white blossoms in my hallway

 The pink version

 And on my living room chest......

  Love them...waiting for my next batch to add a few more stems to each jar Getting in some really fabulous new goodies for my shop. I am so excited, haven't been this thrilled about new goods in a long time! I had mentioned my new tabletop soon to be added, it will up and running in the next day or two along with a tabletop giveaway to celebrate its arrival. Have some stunning new silver additions to my growing family of beautiful silver.  Then got some amazingly beautiful new blue and whites. If you are looking for an incredible and affordable tureen look no more, these are the prettiest I have seen without exaggeration.  So take a look at some of the new goodies! As always if you have any questions/inquires click here to email me. Most of these items are now up in  my online shop, click here to visit me!  Adore all these new silver pieces.....

LOVE this new planter.....perfect size for your favorite orchids or flowering plant! So elegant!

And how about these two crested beauties! The larger one is  a large planter or a wastepaper basket, love it for a beautiful bathroom......

Love this tray and actually have this in two of my own bathrooms.....a perfect size for any bathrom vanity or I love it for an elegant way to display spices in the kitchen!

And this gorgeous scalloped serving/display tray is perfect for any entertainer....

Check out these magnificent soup tureens...some of the prettiest I have seen!

This stunning Imari tureen makes my heart sing! Love love love it.....the antique version goes for $2500 and up, this one $165!

Doubles as a gorgeous planter and includes the stand

And love this blue and white beauty....

It is "antiqued" and is an identical replica to one that fetches thousands.......

And adore this new Chinese character ginger jar...perfect size alone, as a pair or part of an existing blue and white vignette!

 This is the perfect chunky jar, I call this the "chunkster" for a big spray of your favorite blossoms, branches, flowers, the size and mouth of the opening are just perfect for centerpiece jar, love this piece!! Brand new.... 16" by 14" wide

And for all you dough bowl lovers, I got in a box of four bowls (unexpectedly) and have one left to sell..it is 24" long by about 12" wide....beautiful! Email me here if you want it.

And here is how I am loving all this blue and white and silver in my own home..............

The tureen that doubles as a planter..obviously have not added my moss yet but you get the idea!

  Proof that there is simply no such thing as "too much blue and white"! Thanks for stopping in and wishing you a wonderful evening! I look forward to spending some time in blogland later and and catching up on all I have missed.....until next time! Have a wonderful evening.