Satori Design for Living

Finally Kicking Off Outdoor Living

May

2013

Happy Friday! Yesterday the sun was shining in full force and it looks like the weekend is going to be gorgeous too. We’ve had our patio furniture stored in the garage all winter long, and the plan is to finally pull it out tomorrow and start enjoying outdoor living. This summer I’m dreaming of an outdoor oasis where I can kick back and relax or have some friends over for an afternoon cocktail. Are you with me?

{via}

Last fall my husband and I were out shopping for furniture for our newly finished basement when we came across a going-out-of-business sale on outdoor furniture. It’s always so unfortunate when businesses fail, but it was nice to be able to score two loungers made by Mountain House Furniture. We have wanted a pair since we completed the deck addition a couple years ago, but found they were either cheap looking or very expensive. I’m sure many of you know what I’m talking about. These ones are beautifully constructed in high quality virofiber with solid mechanisms, and heavy enough they won’t blow away in a voracious wind. They’re very similar to this black one, but in a multi-toned coffee color. (I’ll snap some photos this weekend once we pull them out).

{via}

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Gardening & Outdoor, Our Home Projects Tagged With: Furniture, Outdoor Decorating

Dining Room Furniture {An Eclectic Mix}

May

2013

3 Comments

More and more I’m seeing dining room furniture sets being broken up and replaced with an eclectic mix of styles and/or colors. The matchy-matchy concept first started to fall by the wayside with living room furniture some time ago. Remember the leather sofa, love seat, and chair that seemed to be common in most households? Not so much any more. Current dining rooms appear to be following this trend, and I can say I’m totally on board with the updated look.

My interpretation of eclectic is a curation of unexpected furnishings and decor that reflect a homeowner’s personal and unique style. For instance, this dining room with settee, metal chairs, and teak table would likely speak to someone with a modern country aesthetic. However, eclectic style is broad can be interpreted in many different forms.

{via}

When putting together a mix, it’s important to have at least one element that ties everything together so it doesn’t start to look garish. The linking factor of materials seen in this marble table with rustic wood base, upholstered reproduction chairs, and slipcovered stools is color.

{via}

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Decorating Tagged With: Dining Room, Eclectic Style, Furniture, Trendspotting

Design Client Project Updates & More

Apr

2013

17 Comments

How’s your week going? It’s been busy around here with new design projects on the go, as well as a couple others that are almost wrapped up. Both parts of the process are exciting, but I get the most satisfaction when clients are finally able to enjoy their newly finished spaces. I’ll be sharing a few update photos soon, including those custom made purple chairs my clients so daringly went with. I had my fingers crossed they’d love them, and when I got a sweet tweet on Thursday, I was both happy and relieved!

For now I thought I’d show you a sneak peek of my latest design project. It’s a new home that’s currently in the drywall stage, and from what I can see so far, it’s going to be gorgeous!

I’ve been called in to develop space plans for many of the rooms, as well as sourcing a good portion of the furnishings. I can already tell that we’re on the same page with many of the ideas, and I can see this project being very rewarding.

Outdoor Decorating Ideas {Lanterns}

Apr

2013

5 Comments

Earlier this week I shared a round-up of some of my favorite outdoor lanterns I’ve come across so far this spring. With the outdoor entertaining season already starting for some, and in the near future for the rest of us (fingers crossed), it’s always nice to add something new to the mix. Lanterns are one of my top choices for outdoor decorating, as they’re not only functional and beautiful, but they’re also one of the most versatile garden decor pieces you can find.

One of my favorite ways to decorate with lanterns is grouping various sizes of the same style together on a front porch, landing, or patio.

{via}

{via}

Hanging lanterns from trees, pergolas, or arbors are an effective way to draw the eye up and bring a bit of romance to an outdoor space.

{via}

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Gardening & Outdoor Tagged With: Lighting, Outdoor Decorating

Outdoor Lanterns {A Few of My Favorites}

Apr

2013

9 Comments

Staying within last week’s outdoor theme, I want to share a few lantern options I came across while we were enjoying a Sunday afternoon out and about, in addition to a handful I’ve stumbled upon online. As mentioned, we have the foundational pieces in place for entertaining in our back yard, but we definitely need to add some new garden decor to ramp up the beauty and function. Although we installed lighting to our deck a couple years ago for safety reasons, as well as ambiance, I still find our yard feels too dark at night. Outdoor lanterns are probably the easiest and most cost effective solution.

Classic outdoor lanterns that are able to hold large pillar candles are probably my favorite. A good option is replacing a burning candle with a battery operated one that won’t drip or possibly overheat and shatter the glass (I’ve seen this happen).

Portland Lantern, Malta Lantern, Borrby Lantern

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Gardening & Outdoor Tagged With: Lighting, Outdoor Decorating

Ways to Use Mirrors in an Outdoor Space

Apr

2013

10 Comments

Although the weather isn’t looking the nicest over the next few days, it hasn’t stopped me from thinking about the changes I want to make to our outdoor space this spring and summer. As soon the temperatures start to rise and the sun shines a little longer in the day, I find any excuse I can to get outside. After completing our deck revamp a couple years ago, it created an outdoor room that we are able to use much more than we previously had been able to. Since then, I’ve been pondering what else I can do to make our back yard feel more livable. One thing that seems to keep grabbing my attention is the clever use of mirrors in an outdoor setting.

One of my favorite looks for outdoor mirrors is placing them next to a dining area. I love how they reflect the beauty of the tablescape and give the illusion of the space being much larger than it actually is.

Using Mirrors in an Outdoor Space- Dining Area

{via}

Want to add ambiance in the evening? Mirrors can be used outside to effectively reflect candlelight from votives and lanterns.

{via}

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Gardening & Outdoor Tagged With: Decorating With Mirrors, Outdoor Decorating

Get Ready to Join the Outdoor Extravaganza!

Apr

2013

10 Comments

Last year I introduced you to the Outdoor Extravaganza link parties, and I’m so excited to tell you that the series is back! This time I’m joining Tiffany, Carmel, Dawn, and Barbara to share some of the outdoor projects we’ve been working on, and to invite you to join in the fun.

Be sure to mark your calendars- dates and themes are above. Remember it’s outdoor projects, so start working on them now. We’re talking window boxes, outdoor lounge areas, benches, tablescapes, lanterns, and more.

Procrastinating? Need a little motivation to get going on some projects? This is it! Not only will your project be seen on all 5 blogs, but we’re also looking for fantastic ideas to pin, share, and feature.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: News & Updates Tagged With: Link Party, Outdoor Extravaganza 2013

Our Entryway Design Plan

Apr

2013

10 Comments

I mentioned at the beginning of April that I ordered a new blue ombre rug for our entryway. It finally arrived, and I’m feeling relieved because the bold color is exactly what I wanted to wake up the space. Like many makeover projects, the rug is only the jumping off point. Sometimes new accessories are all you need to refresh a space, but in this case, our entryway design plan requires a whole lot more to create a welcoming first impression.

If all goes well in regards to timeframe and budget, these are the steps I believe we need to take in order to give our entryway an updated look:

Remove the linoleum and replace with tile.

From the moment we moved into this home I have despised the flooring. Not only is it lifting, but the pattern and colors are terrible. I don’t care how beautiful an area rug is, it’s never going to camouflage this ugliness.

Although I haven’t finalized the tile, I’m leaning towards a charcoal slate floor.