Leah Moss's Profile

crate and barrel: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/seguro-rectangular-coffee-table/s220012

we really love this table. We've had it for about 4 years, and it still looks f=great even in our busy dog friendly kid friendly house

yay! SO happy to see them profiled!

mmaves---

wow! HUGELY helpful explanation! You can write my next post :)

I esp. appreciate what you said about to-the-trade products. Even having worked in the design industry and now as a decorator, it's hard for me to justify mark ups even to myself. I hate the idea of anyone paying more for something...but sourcing does take time and it's not always billable, esp. when a client uses your idea as a spring board but orders elsewhere and feels opposed to compensating you for your idea. It's tricky. As much as I want to work for free (and have a lot--my husband likes to tell me that I work in non-profit design ;) because I love seeing something mediocre become something beautiful, at the end of the day, I still have bills to pay....and an accountant that keeps me honest :)

Nicole-- yay, beautiful photos! So nice to have you contributing such awesome tours.

And Julia, thank you SO much for sharing your colorful home. I echo the above in appreciating your put-together, attainable style. It looks like a joy to live in

@AART - z gallerie used to sell one, so that may be a good place to start

ALL- let me clarify. I didn't say go out and buy art that goes with your wall color. I think art should be personal and appealing. But if you're stumped on a wall color, look to your art. Presumably the piece appeals to you, and if you pick a wall color that coordinates with it (one of the accents colors rather than the dominant backdrop color), it will shine all the more, and become a focus not an obstacle.

@WORDGRL- Light does matter, but I don't think there are any hard and fast rules per se. In general with low light I think going rich and saturated is better. Cool light tends to make lighter colors look wimpy, so finding a color that can stand up to it usually works. Warm and cool don't seem to matter as much as depth if that makes sense. We painted my son's tiny nursery a dark navy blue. It's a north-facing room with only one window. Before, it was painted a pale yellow that made it look like the most depressing, dingy little room on earth, but now I really love the depth and richness that the dark blue lends even though most common decorating advice would advise you NOT to use a dark color in a small space or a blue in a north facing room. It's the only dark room in the house, but we really like it. You can check out the nursery here:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/safs-pint-size-personal-historynursery-tour-room-tour-etc-167672

@22- it's a mix of Benjamin Moore's Super white with Restoration Hardware's Silver Sage.

@TREED.PUFF -

yes, I did tape and paint the door to the bathroom. I did a post on it awhile back:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/flat-hollow-cor-94493

We only have 2 south facing windows (our kitchen and one in the dining room) but they are mostly blocked by our neighbor's house which is only about 20' away, so doesn't allow a lot of sunlight to get in

Both rooms where I used Van Deusen blue have north/east exposures

Yes, the teen's room is really seperate. He's in the addition, which is down the stairs and through the kitchen. It's probably not ideal, but in our case it works because he's an exchange student and it gives us all some space even in our small house.

I think you are talking about the craft room color light blue. It's actually more of an aqua. It starts in the addition, after the kitchen. The kitchen is a really light shade of blue, Ben Moore's Patriotic White. I got the inspiration from a set of dishtowels that I received as a house warming gift. There were three: 1 light blue, 1 aqua, 1 green. I loved the effect of them all together, so I painted three adjoining rooms in similar shades, and when you stand in the dining room and look through the kitchen into the addition, you can see all three. They are close enough that they don't feel jarring, but distinct enough to have a seperate feel.

Hope that helps!

@PhoebeK -- having seen it in person, I have to take issue with your description of the kitchen as joyless and the boys room as grim. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to convey it through my photos for you because they were two of the most luminous, refreshing, and peaceful spots in the house. I wanted to linger in both forever. Having 3 kids of my own, I'm surprised at how often I find them wanting to be in the more calm spaces of our house. Not all children need neon or bright primary colors all over the walls to be happy. I know my kids love bright colors in their own artwork, but they also like to regroup in peaceful spaces. Our craftroom is pretty neutral and some of their coolest artwork is created right their. In design, so much comes down to personal taste, but I wouldn't be so quick to label something as "designed for a zombie boy" just because it's calm.

@madmaxine - the real deal antique mirror effect is thanks to the aging and breakdown of mercury on old mirrors...you can imitate the effect on contemporary mirrors using acetone to sort of etch away at the back surface, BUT it takes a bit of skill and practice, and acetone is an extremely harsh chemical so be careful if you decide to try it.

@ABILGER- thanks! The side table is from Target. I'm not sure what it's called, but I believe it was part of their room essentials collection.. The top is a removable tray.