We all know at a restaurant we eat with our eyes first. How many times have you looked at what other diners have ordered and commented on it? “That looks good” or “let’s ask the waitstaff about that”. Well, wedding design is the same; we need to sell our concept with images that excite our clients and explain our vision. Below is my concept for a wedding I am designing in July.
I can’t wait to get started! I think the colors are so pretty and they will pop against the navy patterned tablecloths, shown below!
Hope you like the vision, thankfully my clients did!
Houzz Contributor. I cover topics ranging from decorating ideas, product picks, Houzz tours, and interviews with designers and architects, to the monthly home maintenance checklist. My favorite pieces to write tend to center around the emotional aspects of home and savoring life’s simple pleasures. Learn more, and follow my adventures in creating a warm and cozy home at http://www.lolalina.com/.
Summertime calls for a distinctly unfussy approach to entertaining, and thankfully so — because who wants to sweat over planning a summer soiree? Make things easier on yourself by hosting outdoors instead of in, getting guests to pitch in and embracing low-key, budget-friendly decor. From DIY flowers and quick extra tables to a beachy outdoor bar, these 20 ideas will make your party planning easier.
1. Whip up an extra table with sawhorses. Short on outdoor dining space? Hunt down a few sawhorses and top them with a length of board as big as you want your table to be. You can paint the board, cover it with a cloth or butcher paper, or leave it as is.
2. Fashion a wooden crate into a drinks container. If you line it with plastic, any old crate can be a rustic-chic open-top cooler for keeping soda and beer on ice. It won’t keep it cold as long as a real cooler, but it should do the trick at a party.
3. No crate? Use whatever you’ve got. An old wheelbarrow, a garden cart, an enamel bucket or even a toy dump truck can be lined with trash bags and filled with ice to make an impromptu drinks cooler.
4. Give your outdoor bar a tiki makeover with a palapa roof. Search for “palm leaf thatch panels” to find a source and tack a few lengths of the grassy stuff to the roof of your outdoor bar or shed to give it some tiki bar style.
5. Dress up candles with woodsy details. Curl a wide green leaf and drop it into a glass jar — then fill the jar with water and float a tea light on top. Or use lengths of birch bark (available at craft stores) to wrap the outside of a jar or candleholder, and fasten them with twine. 6. Make beachy candles with mason jars and sand. Filled partway with sand, a mason jar of any size can easily become a chic candleholder. To make hanging lanterns, wrap the mouth of the jar with flexible wire and hang the jar from the branches of a tree. For safety, use battery-operated candles for hanging.
7. Use soda bottles as vases. A row of tall, slender soda bottles lined up in the middle of a table makes a pretty (and supereasy) centerpiece. Just plunk one bloom in each vase, and you’re done! Try gerbera daisies, cosmos or sunflowers.
8. Involve your guests. Have them help squeeze lemons for fresh lemonade, let them take a turn cranking an old-fashioned ice cream maker or send them into your garden with clippers to pick a bouquet for the table.
9. Seat everyone at one big table. Who wouldn’t love coming into a backyard set up like this? Put two or three tables together if you have to — the dramatic effect will be worth the effort.
10. Use old crates as trays and servers. Vintage wooden soda crates make the perfect receptacle for toting glasses, vases, napkins and other essentials out to the garden. Or use one to dole out flatware, standing utensils upright in simple mason jars.
11. Boost ambience with lanterns and signs. Flank the entrance to your party area with a pair of big lanterns and lean a sign nearby — it can announce the menu or simply say, “Welcome!”
12. Greet visitors with a pretty porch for the Fourth. A great big galvanized tub of red geraniums and a waving flag make a cheerful entrance to this home. Keep the patriotic spirit going with Americana-style cushions on a classic porch swing.
13. Give guests a healthy option with fresh flavored waters. Fill a big drink dispenser with ice water, flavored with fresh ingredients for a healthy thirst quencher on hot days. Try lemon, lime or orange slices; fresh mint leaves; cucumber rounds; or berries.
14. Place your table in the shade. There’s nothing worse than trying to enjoy a lovely meal al fresco when the sun is beating down on you! Keep your guests comfortable by pulling the tables under the shade of a tree or awning, or invest in some umbrellas.
15. Make a plan to keep bugs at bay. If you have a water feature, make sure you regularly treat it or skim it to keep mosquitoes from breeding there. If the bugs are bad in your area, plan your event for a less buggy time of day or hold it on a screened-in porch, where your guests can enjoy a fresh breeze withoutgetting bitten.
16. Create activity zones to keep large parties moving. Setting up several distinct areas can help a large gathering feel more manageable, as your guests will naturally be drawn into smaller groups. For instance, you could set up a dining table, a fire pit circle, a porch lounge and an outdoor bar.
17. Collect thrifty party supplies. Avoid last-minute stress by keeping an entertaining cupboard well stocked with mason jars, florist’s buckets, table linens, candles and serving containers. Many times you don’t even need to buy these things — save pretty old jars to use as glasses, washed-out tin cans to use as flower containers and even old bedsheets to use as outdoor tablecloths.
18. Go wild with your arrangements. Plucking flowers and foliage from your own backyard is cheaper than buying them, and it can be more fun, too! Push yourself to look at your garden anew and clip a little something unexpected to tuck into your bouquet. Dandelions look charming in mason jars, flowering chives are utterly romantic, and an artichoke would make a dramatic centerpiece in a mixed floral bouquet.
19. Hang flowers from a tree. Use a drill to punch two holes in a washed-out tin can and thread wire through the holes to make a hanger. Fill your cans with cut flowers and hang them from a tree around your outdoor dining table. Leave the cans plain or dress them up by tying on strips of pretty fabric.
Celia Bedilia Designs of Cumberland FSD, ME Receives Best Of Houzz 2014 Award
Annual Survey and Analysis of 16 Million Monthly Users
Reveals Top-Rated Building, Remodeling and Design Professionals
Portland, ME February 4, 2014 –Celia Bedilia Designs of Cumberland Foreside, Maine has been awarded “Best Of Houzz” by Houzz, the leading platform for home remodeling and design. The Budget friendly coastal design firm was chosen by the more than 16 million monthly users that comprise the Houzz community.
The Best Of Houzz award is given in two categories: Customer Satisfaction and Design. Customer Satisfaction honors are determined by a variety of factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2013. Design award winners’ work was the most popular among the more than 16 million monthly users on Houzz, known as “Houzzers,” who saved more than 230 million professional images of home interiors and exteriors to their personal ideabooks via the Houzz site, iPad/iPhone app and Android app. Winners will receive a “Best Of Houzz 2014” badge on their profiles, showing the Houzz community their commitment to excellence. These badges help homeowners identify popular and top-rated home professionals in every metro area on Houzz.
“We use design to bring functionality, beauty and joy to each of our projects.”
“Houzz provides homeowners with the most comprehensive view of home building, remodeling and design professionals, empowering them to find and hire the right professional to execute their vision,” said Liza Hausman, vice president of community for Houzz. “We’re delighted to recognize Celia St.Onge among our “Best Of” professionals for customer satisfaction as judged by our community of homeowners and design enthusiasts who are actively remodeling and decorating their homes.”
With Houzz, homeowners can identify not only the top-rated professionals like Celia St.Onge, but also those whose work matches their own aspirations for their home. Homeowners can also evaluate professionals by contacting them directly on the Houzz platform, asking questions about their work and reviewing their responses to questions from others in the Houzz community.
I was born into design; my great-grandfather was an impressionist painter, my grandfather & father were both architects and my mother herself was an interior designer. Even more, all four of my siblings are also in the art/design fields of work. We simply had no choice, designer blood runs through our veins! Prior to my interior design business, I worked in the wholesale/retail world for several years, first in sales and then in design and production. Currently, I am designing a line of cottage furniture for a wholesale company and I have my own line of custom furniture and vanities.
I truly love my work and it is important to me to take the time to work closely with my clients as we bring their visions to life. More so, it is imperative that each one of my projects reflects the clients taste and interests rather than my own. Here at Celia Bedilia, we can help you bring your ideas to actuality.
About Houzz
Houzz is the leading platform for home remodeling and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish – online or from a mobile device. From decorating a room to building a custom home, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals across the country and around the world. With the largest residential design database in the world and a vibrant community powered by social tools, Houzz is the easiest way for people to get the design inspiration, project advice, product information and professional reviews they need to help turn ideas into reality. For more information, visit http://www.houzz.com
Mason Jars are hip these days. They make wonderful vases, lights, votives, storage containers and, of course jars for canning. Here are a few of the things I have done with mason jars. All photos by Liz Donnelly.
I hope this inspires you to use mason jars! Thank you for stopping by to see me. If you like this post let me know by commenting or liking it.
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As you know cabinets are literally the foundation of your kitchen. You are looking at spending between $6k low-end to $100k (or more) on the high-end for cabinets. They are arguably the most important decision you will make. Here are a few of the brands I use on a regular basis.
1. BROOKHAVEN CABINETS: I really like this line, I used it in the modern home below. Available at Paul G White, in Portland, Maine (photos Liz Donnelly)
2. CANDLELIGHT CABINETS: This is my favorite middle range cabinet line. Available through Dennis Tefft, dtefft@hammondlumber.com at Hammond Lumber (photos Liz Donnelly, Jamie Salomon, Liz Donnelly)
3. SHROCK CABINETS: The value is very high in this line, great product great price! I love this line. Available at Hammond Lumber dtefft@hammondlumber.com (photos Liz Donnelly)
Basics on different types of cabinets (from www.lowes.com)
Stock cabinets come in standard sizes and shapes, and are usually available to take home from the store the same day or just a few days later. Sizes and styles are limited with stock cabinetry, but the price is right for remodelers on a budget.
Semi-custom cabinets are built after your order is placed, so you can choose from certain sizes and styles. That flexibility makes it easier to design a kitchen that fits your particular requirements. Semicustom cabinetry usually requires a longer lead time for delivery than stock. They’re more expensive than stock cabinets.
Custom cabinets are made by hand to fit almost any standard you require. An odd-sized or irregular-shaped space in your kitchen might not accommodate a stock or semicustom piece, but a custom cabinetmaker starting from scratch can build nearly anything you need. Custom cabinets are the most expensive of the three types; the exact price varies widely because of size, materials and options. The time it takes to receive a custom-cabinet order depends on the cabinetmaker’s schedule.
Consumer Reports article below is a great place to start~
Once upon a time, dovetail joints inside the drawers were practically all you needed to distinguish high-end cabinets. That distinction has blurred as more manufacturers offer premium features even on low-end lines. Indeed, we found you can have these and other once-exclusive features and still wind up with shoddy construction.
A little research beforehand can save you time at the store and the thousands you can lose on less-than-stellar cabinets. Start by checking online manufacturer and retail sites and catalogs and taking a good look at store displays; you’ll be able to tell the quality cabinets from the polished pretenders once you know where to look. And trust your taste; readers who chose cabinets solely on the basis of advice from contractors, designers, or architects were twice as likely to report a problem as those more involved in the selection, according to a survey by the Consumer Reports National Research Center.
Put your money where it counts
If you’re on a tight budget, skip the nonessentials and focus on convenience. Work-savers include a lazy Susan, a pull-down soap and sponge holder, and deep drawers for pots. Glazing, while nice, typically adds 10 to 20 percent to the cost. Remember to factor labor into your budget, since installation can easily account for more than half of the cabinets’ cost.
Consider renewing your old cabinets
Replacing cabinets is typically the priciest part of a kitchen remodel. Readers who hired contractors paid on average more than $9,000 for new cabinets, and about a quarter of the readers paid more than $15,000, according to our survey. A couple of long weekends’ work can change your kitchen’s look for a tenth that cost. If your old cabinets are plumb, square, and sturdy, consider refinishing them with some simple sanding, painting or staining, and drilling. You can even dress them up with custom-built doors, possibly with glass panes, and still save a bundle over all-new cabinets. Even having a cabinetmaker reface old cabinets with veneer costs less than replacing them.
You can also make old cabinets work better than new by adding pull-out shelves, lazy Susans, and other inexpensive upgrades. The final touch: Install several under-cabinet halogen, xenon, or fluorescent task lights wherever you or a family member will be dicing, doing homework, or reading a recipe.
I hope this helps you if you are looking to renovate your kitchen. I love designing kitchens because they are the hub of the home. We all live in our kitchens and so I recommend waiting on a renovation until you are ready to do your kitchen the right way. I painted my kitchen cabinets for years before replacing them, because I knew that it would be $20k to replace them once everything was said and done!
Thank you for stopping by let me know your thoughts by commenting, or liking this post!
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I am drawn to white. It is so crisp and clean…and it will never go out of style. Best of all white looks great with everything you pair it with.
To me, bright white trim highlights any wall color, white bedding can dress any bed, and white linen curtains frame any view.
White allows your pops of color to pop! Benjamin Moore has over 200 shades of white. Surely you can find one that fits your needs!
www.architectureartdesigns.com said: “White is known as the color of purity and natural beauty. Using white when designing or decorating you can combine it with almost any other color.”
Here are some of my favorite white kitchens from House Beautiful, BHG, and Houzz.
White bathrooms are always inviting, Celia Bedilia (I love this kids bathroom), Houzz bathroom (adore the window), and finally another bathroom with a Celia Bedilia vanity.
Bedrooms dressed in white look so crisp and clean. I love this Coastal Living bunk room, and these two Coastal Celia Bedilia bedrooms are among my favorites of all time.
Living made easy in white! Love thses three living rooms:House Beautiful, Celia Bedilia & Coastal Living.
Rachel Ashwell of Shabby Chic tell Country Living: “WHITE IS EASY TO CARE FOR. There’s nothing worse than seeing someone go with an all-white room, then fear it. Let the white be lived in! I’ve raised two children in my homes, so all of my Shabby Chic slip covers are preshrunk and machine washable. Of course, it helps to like the crumpled, imperfect look. I don’t iron. If you’re a human being and have a life, that gets old very quickly.”
FreshHome.com states: “White is the most commonly used color in interior design, especially in areas where bathing, cleaning and food preparation are prevalent. This is due to the fact that you can see anything that appears on white and wipe it up, keeping the surfaces clean and germ free. White combines well with black to form a stunning high contrast look. With the popularity of minimalist homes, decorating is lending towards using neutrals again. Keeping the interiors crisp white and clean, with often the use of subtle textures in kitchen bench tops, carpet or timber floors.”
Celia Bedilia says “White is both versatile and timeless”.
I am going to paint my office white; I will photograph it and await your feedback!
Thank you for reading my post. I hope you have enjoyed it! Let me know your thoughts…comment if you would like to, or like the post and as always if you are not already following our blog please sign up by clicking the follow button!
I want to wish you all a very happy Passover, Easter & Spring. I am so thankful to have you all following my blog, and supporting my business. I have been in a blog-class this month and lots of changes are in the works for the Celia Bedilia. Wow, it is a lot of work to keep up with the ways of the web! I look forward to your feedback.
As always if you are not a follower please sign up to follow our blog, by clicking the follow button. If you like this or any post let us know by liking it, and let me know your thoughts by commenting!
Over spending is easy, even in small spaces. In this kids bathroom, we had a budget of $8k. We did not go to fancy tile stores, or buy pricey plumbing fixtures, and we still went way over budget.
We purchased our tile, tub, sinks and faucets from Lowes. We used Celia Bedilia vanities and terrazzo vanity tops. We thought we were doing a great job sticking to our budget $4,775.95, for all those items. But then came the labor, and all other building materials…before long we were over budget!
The details that make this bathroom crisp and clean, but did not blow the budget: Bead-board, sea-glass tile shower-box inserts, glass subway tile trim, wood plank floor tile, and all the white accents.
I hope you have enjoyed this post. Are you planning any renovations? Let’s us help you!
Thank you for reading our blog, without you we are nothing! If you like this post, let us know by liking the post, if you have any comments or questions…ask us! As always, if you are not already following our blog, join our family by clicking the follow button!
Enjoy your weekend, I am off to Washington, DC to see two new projects…you will hear about them soon!
