Has anyone tried flameless/battery operated candles?

Well, I hadn’t until recently. I’d seen tiny LED tealights in restaurants but I’d never been crazy about them because they had the fake flame shaped bulb. The one Enjoy Lighting sent to me is definitely many steps up I have to say. Mostly, I was impressed by how real the candle itself looked and felt. It’s made of wax and resin, and the surface definitely feels like wax.

Another thing I really liked is that the candle can be programmed to automatically turn off after 4 or 8 hours. This is nice if you often fall asleep with candles burning – which also causes a huge fire risk – which these candles don’t have. So for those of you who have a habit of leaving candles unattended, or have kiddies, or fall asleep with candles burning – these are a good solution. I was also impressed by the flickering affect created by the 3 tiny LED lights in the candle.

Here are some pics I took of my candle –




from directly overhead

In pitch dark. These candles are not quite as bright as real candles, which one of my only complaints. If you are seeking real illumination be sure to get several candles. The only other drawback for the model I had is that it requires 4 batteries.

Here are some much better photos from the site:




Go to Enjoy Lighting to learn more.


Disclosure: I received this Enjoy Lighting product as a sample.

Sorry I just had to include this pic of my pups –

Remi in the passenger seat, Storm in the drivers seat. They love to make the rounds when it’s feeding time for the livestock.

Thoughtful design trends translated for your home

The people at Charles Luck Stone center reached out with their interpretation of how the design world can be translated into home decorating and I thought their perspective insightful enough – and their pictures pretty enough – to share with you guys. Tell me what you think.

They were a little more articulate: “The latest trends in color and texture don’t just play out in the world of fashion; they also influence interior design and architecture. For many individuals, the look and feel of their home is just as important as the style of their clothing. And let’s face it, it’s much easier to renovate your wardrobe then it is your kitchen! To stay ahead of the curve, interior designers and architects need to keep tabs on the latest fabrication developments and color forecasting, as well as understand the longevity of a trend.”

Here’s my favorite – “Whiteness” of course

so serene. Here’s what they predict:

In Design

• We’ll see more monochromatic, semi-plain decors with clean lines, no clutter and minimal structural effects.

• Technology and hand-tooling will be used to add dimension and texture, generating depth and visual interest.

• Homage will be paid to strong and classic interpretations of architecture, and not overly masculine or feminine.

• Woods, if used, will be pale or dark, grainy and textured.

In Stone

• We’ll see a resurgence of classic white marble in the kitchen and bathroom, often featuring the European prefence for thicker, solid edges.

• Stone will be present in various textures and face finishes for a tone-on-tone dimensional effect.

• Classic polished stone materials will be tumbled for a new look.

They also had some pretty pics illustrating the “Artisan” perspective


In Design

• Cultural influences will lead to the popularity of vertical and elongated forms. We’ll see more repeating designs.

• Artisans’ influence will be shown in an increased use of mosaic, stencil and stained glass.

• Natural, indigenous materials will be used to reflect the representative culture.

• Arts and crafts and mission will continue to be popular, as will bungalow style, with emphasis on porches and terraces.

• We’ll see a growing influence of global styling, particularly Indian, Moroccan, Latin and Chinese colors, detailing and craftsmanship.

In Stone

• We’ll see more handcrafted and handtooled materials. A mix of textures and finishes will add to the feel.

• Mosaics, especially those that are custom designed, will be incorporated into design.

• New color blends in stone will emerge.

• Accent detailing will become more prominent—an influence of the new multiculturalism.

Another good inspiration board – Authenticity




In design

• Natural (versus faux) materials will reflect the desire for designing and building enduring legacies.

• Arrangements will be more purposeful and coherent. Signature pieces will become important and personal.

• We’ll see a surge in the use of reclaimed wooden floors, natural stone, original art pieces and antiques.

• Architecture and design will remain relatively disciplined, with flexibility for personalization within the vernacular.

In stone

• Stone rooted in the history or culture of an area will gain prominent use.

• Products with great tradition or used in famous buildings will become more valuable.

• Products that exhibit a vintage, patina or weathered look will be in higher demand.

• Clients will actively seek out reclaimed stone as their desire to preserve architectural heritage increases.

There are more images and design predictions at Charles Luck Stone Center

Do you think these are some of the design trends we’ll see in the home? How do you think people will be decorating or what materials do you hope to see more of?

Finally! Pictures from my Europe trip!

I know it’s taken me way to long to start posting photos but we have about 7,000 photos to sort through. For those of you who are new to Decorology, this summer my boyfriend Chris and I spent from June 16th to August 25th backpacking around Europe. My boyfriend spent last year teaching English in Spain, and is actually flying back today to complete his second year. I will be staying in Maryland at my parents’ farm until January, and will be living with Chris in Segovia, Spain from January through June. I will still be blogging daily from Spain and designing websites on a freelance basis.

Okay, back to the Europe trip. Below is a map I created with our path. Click on the map for a larger view.


The countries we visited include Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. I will have separate posts for each country and then each city within them that we visited.

Below are just a random selection of images from the trip

Our first day -Chris and I on the coast in the beautiful city of Bayona.

The GORGEOUS Cíes Islands near the city of Vigo. An absolutely stunning bird sanctuary.

The beautiful island, Arousa, also in the Galicia region of Spain.

In the Asturias region of Spain, the mountain lakes of Enol and Ercina, in the Picos de Europa.

In the Basque region of Spain, the Guggenheim in Bilbao.

Florence, Italy

Vienna, Austria

Amsterdam, in the Netherlands (Holland region).


The two images above are from the end of our trip in Provence, France. This town is Roussillon.

I will post images from the trip once or twice a week, going in chronological order. What country are you most looking forward to seeing photos from?

Great inspiration for hanging art and some good old eyecandy

I’m having trouble accomplishing anything today, but I thought the least I could do is get a post up!

These yummy pics are from Real Simple mag – and show some clever ways to display beloved art.


I like art on the floor leaned against the wall. It’s modern and keeps things from looking “too precious”

No one will be able to resist walking up and taking a closer look when a small piece has a solo performance above a dramatic mantle.

This is a new idea – create a horizontal line out of family photos or art across a long empty wall space – no space between frames required!


via Real Simple

Great Giveaway! No Decorator? No problem – an easy way to get a decorator look.

This awesome giveaway is provided by Design in a Bag. Just to introduce Design in a Bag, here’s a bit about their services:

“Prêt-à-porter for your kitchen and bath projects, Design In A Bag introduces collections of professionally coordinated and proven kitchen and bath design recipes, offering the expertise, access and eye of an interior designer without the price tag. Unlike other prêt interior design services, Design In A Bag allows you to browse online galleries of coordinated kitchen and bath looks – each carefully designed and crafted by Rebekah Zaveloff, an HGTV contributor and the creative force behind Chicago’s preeminent kitchen and bath interior design firm KitchenLab – and delivers selected complete concepts including cabinet, countertop, tile and paint samples, shopping list and hand-drawn renderings direct to your door. Taking the guesswork out of putting together a cohesive look for your kitchen or bath project, consumers can touch, see and experience the materials in their home, bringing the showroom and interior designer directly to you.”

You can search concepts by Modern, Vintage, or Classic styles, and by palette: warm, cool, or neutral. To enter the giveaway – leave a comment below or email me at
ashley[at]decorologyblog[dot]com saying what style or palette you think you’d choose. A winner will be picked via a random draw on Monday the 27th at 5pm EST. You can find out what’s included in the bag by reading this page “What’s in a Bag.”

Here are some great kitchen transformations from Design in a Bag where the bag materials and concept were followed to a ‘T’. They are both examples of the “Vintage” style.


Kitchen before

Materials/samples provided in the “Burgoyne” bag

The amazing transformation!

The next is using the “La Motte” bag.

Kitchen before

La Motte bag materials

Kitchen after – so much better. I really like the tiles used for the oven backsplash

Check out the Design In A Bag site for more info and photos. Don’t forget to comment or email me by Monday the 27th 5pm EST for your chance to win this awesome giveaway!

To comment, scroll to the bottom of this post, and directly above the word “Labels” click on the # Comments link. Or scroll to the bottom of the comments and click “Post a Comment”

Elegant, clean design embodied in this Hampton home

I have a really pretty house tour here for you. It’s the home of NYC decorator Timothy Whealon and is chic without being fussy. What do you think?

I like ottomans as tables

I like all the white with the plant prints

A clear piece of furniture, like this table, is a great option for a small room because it doesn’t take up so much “visual” space.

The checked floor is actually painted wood!



I really like the wall treatment going on at the staircase, which is Phillip Jeffries raffia, the two stools are nice too…

via Elle Decor

A super yummy (and healthy!) banana bread recipe I just tried

So I am not much of a cook, but I do like to bake (mostly I like the eating part). I had nine frozen bananas, baking staples, and a newly designed Pyrex® measuring cup to try out. So I figured I’d pair this product review with a great recipe. Pyrex® sent me a new spin on their glass measuring cups, with a more funnel shaped design, a non-skid rubber base, and the ability to read the measuring lines from above and inside the cup. Here’s there description:

“Providing convenience beyond measure, the new Pyrex® Read from Above™ Glass Measuring Cups offer several smart features, including:

* Read-from-above measure marks – no more bending over or lifting up required to check your measurements
* Silicone-covered bases for better grip on work surfaces (on selected designs)
* Nested designs for easy storage
* Non-porous glass that won’t absorb stains or odors
* Microwave safe for everyday convenience

* Multi-position, BPA-free lids so you can mix, stir, pour, strain and sprinkle with one tool (COMING SOON!)”

Here’s a view of the easier to read measuring graphics from above


Got my ingredients ready to go

The spoons on the left bottom corner are from Pyrex too – my dad thought they were “cool,” because they are magnetic so they all stay together in the drawer.

I didn’t end up with as much batter as I thought – I should have just put it all in one pan.

mmmm….the bread turned out moist and dense.

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup flax seed meal
  • 5 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1/4 cup skim milk
  • 1/4 organic plain low fat yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons egg whites
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar blend, flax meal, bananas, milk, sour cream and egg whites until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the banana mixture until moistened. Spoon into prepared loaf pan.
  3. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the crown of the loaf comes out clean.

The original recipe is here, I made a few alterations based on the ingredients I had on hand

Disclosure: I received these Pyrex® products as a sample.

REALLY great French Country Decor sale at Gilt

Hurry though things are selling out really fast! If you’re not already a member get your free and fast membership by clicking on my invite link – http://www.gilt.com/invite/ashley770

Here’s just a small fraction of what’s on sale –






Here’s the invite link – http://www.gilt.com/invite/ashley770

Tips to get a “Modern Cottage” look

I love these tips from The Inglenook Decor on how to create a modern cottage.

1. Have a neutral back drop. Go for creams, white, beige, gray (like the one shown below), clay, sage & light browns.


2. Choose furniture pieces that are fuss-free. Go for clean lines & comfort. Make it livable & cozy like upholstered furniture whether it’s the sofa, dining chairs or a headboard.

3. Have white….lots of it! This picture says it all, white is not boring if you choose the right pieces.


4. Have at least one piece, a wall or a window with a bold pattern & color. Bright orange & greens seem to go real well with white.

5. Have a ledge display of your flea market finds.

6. Add ultra modern pieces in steel, aluminum, brushed nickel or chrome pieces. And last but not the least,keep it simple!

Pretty good tips huh?

The site also has lots of cute accessories to create looks such as “French Country,” “Modern Vintage,” “Rococo,” and “Shabby Chic.”



Love these tealights


These mercury bottles mix modern with rustic

If you want to see more visit The Inglenook Decor

Mini makeover for my home office

As some of you know I work from home – well, at my parent’s house – while I’m getting my web design business off the ground. Since I’m limited in how much I can alter the appearance of the room since the space and the furnishings belong to my parents, I focus on keeping it as organized and functional as possible. I was lucky enough to be contacted by the folks at Command products from 3M asking if I’d be willing to test out some of their adhesive hooks, picture hangers, and other goodies an organization junkie like me goes gaga for. Of course I agreed and below you can see how I completed two office projects.

On a side note, I was surprised when I found these chic metal hooks! White plastic doesn’t always fit into everyone’s decor, so they were smart to create these stylish options.


Okay. So the two projects I needed to do were to find some solution to the absolute mess of cords on my desk from my speakers, backup drive, and extra monitor, and to hang my inspiration board.

Below: My cords


The 3M Command problem solver, medium cord clips


First thing I did was bundle up any cord slack and secure them with white twisty ties. (Most of my cords are white so I chose white). Make sure you leave enough loose cord to reach the electronic or outlet it’s associated with.

Plan carefully and mark with a pencil if necessary where you’ll place the hook. Wipe down the surface of the wall or furniture with rubbing alcohol, and allow to dry, before applying the hook.
Another thing I never knew about the adhesives is that before hanging anything on them, let them set for an hour.

My results aren’t particularly pretty, but much more orderly. Now I need a table skirt to hide the cords!

The cord clips work great!

The next project was to hang my inspiration board. I decided to use these Damage Free Hanging Strips, which are similar to velcro – but much stronger. They have an adhesive side that go on the wall, and an adhesive side which stick to the frame.


I’ve wiped down the wall, marked where the board will go, and applied the hanging strips.


I then mounted and pressed the board to the wall. Unfortunately it fell about 30 mins later. In all fairness to the strips – I made a few mistakes that I’m sure affected the results. I didn’t really read the directions thoroughly, and didn’t press firmly for a full 30 seconds – completely forgot to wait an hour before hanging (I’m sure this was what did me in), and I didn’t apply the strips to the frame at all, but attached them to the strips on the wall. Also, this wall is actually has a plaster texture, so the surface wasn’t completely smooth.

Good news is, I used another hanging product –
I followed the directions to a T and it did the trick!

As a whole, I think these no-damage Command products are ideal for renters who don’t want to put holes in walls, or those who want the option to move things around without having to patch holes. Also – don’t make my mistake – read the directions! Also, save the packaging or go to the Command site for removal instructions.

See some pretty and practical inspiration at the Command site.

Disclosure: I received these Command 3M products as a sample

1...306307308...329Page 307 of 329
© 2025 Ashley White Design LLC