Velvet & Linen

my bedroom gets ready for its close-up: matteo bedding

When Steve and I were discussing the changes we would make to our home for our  "New Old House Magazine" photo shoot we decided to focus on the main rooms downstairs. We both agreed that our bedroom was beautiful just the way it was. The only thing that we needed to buy was new bedding.  When I shot this picture a few years ago, our white bedding still looked pretty, but after 8 years, our old bedding was starting to get thin and worn. 

 Since I like to keep my bedding for quite a while and comfort is of the utmost importance, I did quite a bit of research before making my decision. Most of the bedding I found was just too stiff in look and feel. I wanted something that was comfortable but not messy looking. 

That's when a friend of mine introduced me to  Matteo bedding. I fell in love with  the simplicity of their designs and the luxurious soft feel of their fabrics. Their Off-White bedding was the perfect color for my bedroom. It was a bit more money than planned to spend. But once I learned more about the quality of their fabrics and the care they put into the construction of their products, I knew that my Matteo bedding would look 100 times better and  last much longer than any of the cheaper alternatives I had found.

 

The torn ruffle detail of the  Tat Euro Shams added a romantic feel to my bed without making it look too fussy. 

 

My Vintage Linen Bed Panel didn't arrive in time for the photo shoot, so I used a Tat queen duvet cover for my bedskirt. I liked it so much that I decided to keep it that way!

Because Steve is always warm, I chose the light weight Scroll Coverlet. It keeps him covered without making him feel too heated, and it looks great.
  

My Sack Queen Duvet is folded back and provides gentle texture at the foot of my bed. I also added two Sack Queen Pillows behind my Euro Shams. Made of garment washed cotton and linen, the Sack fabric feels incredibly soft against my skin. 

 I love the way my bed looks now and so does Steve :)

To learn more about Matteo bedding please visit their website here.  We have also started selling Matteo at the store. We put some of the pieces that I purchased for my own bed on our online store. Put in the code V&L and you will receive 10% off plus free shipping! Need some help creating your bed? Feel free to e-mail us at the store, and we'll help you select the right pieces.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, we didn't really do anything else to the rest of our bedroom.  

I added some old rose colored books to the mantel...

 

and some matching tulips by the bed.
 
 

Photographer Eric Roth recommended that we turn our chairs so that they faced the bed instead of facing the fireplace. 

 

I was surprised at how much more open our bedroom felt after we had made that small change. 
  

Bebe and Frasier approved of the change!
  

We took a couple of pictures with the windows wide open. I think these images help you to understand why I think my bedroom feels like a tree house. 
 
 
 

I can't wait to see Eric's final pictures! 

I'd love to hear what you think of the changes to my bedroom. For those of you who subscribe to my blog, you can click here to get to this post and leave a comment.

Have a wonderful weekend.

xo

Brooke

the story of our living room

I was just looking through all of the images I have of our living room. When we first moved into our home, our living room was all white and looked like this. 

I think it's pretty, but very formulaic "Shabby Chic".

 

 
 Before our photo shoot for "New Old House Magazine", our living room looked like this:

I actually like this image. The wallpaper is Hinson's White Washed Madagascar. It adds a lot of texture to the room. Most of the fabrics are from Bennison. The couch and the chairs were from Shabby Chic. 

 

Steve never really liked the upholstered pieces. A bit too chubby for him. So, for the photo shoot I told him that we should design the room together. What would he change?

I knew these Bennison chairs would be the first to go. Steve is just not a pattern kind of guy!

 

This is what our living room looked like for the photo shoot. We replaced the oversized upholstered pieces with Steve's Courtney Sofa and Charlie Chair.
 

  
  One of our Swedish barrel chairs completed the seating area. We used an industrial bench and a couple of vintage luggage pieces for our coffee table. 

 

Photographer Eric Roth loved the gear molds and clock faces on the "coffee table".

 

 

 

We filled the shelves with our old books, shells, cozy blankets, and  Steve's Dad's plaster pieces.

 

Are you getting the idea that Steve has a thing for vintage luggage and trunks?
 
  

Did you notice our bowling pins in front of the door? They look like a beautiful sculpture. 
 
 

It was so much fun moving things around our home and giving the rooms a new look. Steve's furniture pieces will probably make their way back to the store, but some of the other items are going to stay for a while. What happened to the pieces that were here before? You'll have to wait and see....

xo

Brooke

 
 

a few changes at our home.

If you have been following my blog for a while you know that Steve and I wanted to make some changes to our home for quite a while. We even thought about moving, but financially it just didn't make sense. So when New Old House Magazine asked to photograph our home, we decided it was the perfect excuse to make a few changes. 

In order to not totally disrupt our family, we decided to do one room at a time. 

First room: The Kitchen

Before: Our pink and green kitchen was really pretty, but it didn't reflect our present personal style. 

 

After: The changes we made were very simple: 

 
 1. I replaced the floral fabric under the sink with a natural linen.

2. I traded my green glass knobs for more clean lined brushed nickel knobs from Restoration Hardware.

3. The floral print above the sink was replaced with the sign I found in Atlanta at Love Train.

4. My trophies and hotel silver that were in my office cabinet were displayed on the open shelves. All of my pink and green dishes are now stored in the cabinets, and my white dishes are taking center stage. 

 

5. For the photo shoot, I used potted herbs (mint, rosemary, lemon verbena) to add some fresh greenery to my neutral palette.

6. All of my wood cutting boards provided  warmth with their natural wood.

Another BEFORE:

 

AFTER:

  

1. We painted the holophane industrial lights silver and replaced the stools with metal medical stools (available here).

 

2. The "happy" green island was painted an aged light grey, that we matched to the color of my Bobo office cabinet.

3. The pink flowers above the cabinets were replaced with my hydrangeas and parchment luggage. 

 
 

Thank you to Kate for coming by to help with the styling...

 

 and for calming my nerves with her humor!

 

To my little Leila for her  her beautiful smile, her help, and her patience.

 

And of course, thank you to Eric Roth for capturing my home so beautifully with his lens. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until April to see his images of our home. To see more of his work check out his website!

 

 I was able to update my kitchen with a few simple changes.  I'd love to hear what you think! Your comments are always so much fun to read and add to my design process.

xo

Brooke