I’ve always been a fan of a great at-home bar. I strongly believe it’s a must-learn life skill to mix up classic cocktails, and as an avid host, it’s important to provide an array...
Looking back on Easter as a child, I remember how excited I was to dig through my Easter basket. Full of chocolate bunnies, malt ball Easter eggs, Peeps, golden coins, and my favorite Cadbury...
Lets be honest, salads can be boring. So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make. Enter...
Lets be honest, salads can be boring. So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make. Enter...
Over the past few weeks, you’ve joined us around four tables that effortlessly marry casual dining with accessible style, all set with the help of World Market. We created a cool California, wine-country themed table, a rustic and woodsy table fit for an everyday Italian meal, and let’s not forget about last week’s indulgent brunch spread.
Today’s final tablescape, and perhaps my favorite of all: a French bistro inspired table, perfect for a morning with the girls to share a little gossip, sip on french press coffee and nibble on tasty treats. With a decadent display of sweet treats front and center for all to enjoy, you really can’t go wrong.
Create this curated and delicate look at home by mixing in items you already have—varied chargers, small bowls for pastries, antique glasses for lemonade, tea towels, and your favorite flatware. Mix in easy, fresh flowers like violet hydrangeas, potted lavender and budding ranunculus or garden roses to offer the subtle aroma and soft romance that this girly spread deserves.
Round out the table with stacked dessert plates atop washed wood chargers and green woven placemats create that dainty, put-together look that’s perfectly fit for a couple of Parisians at the corner cafe, too engrossed in chatter to count calories at a table full of puff pastries and chocolate-dipped macaroons. Cheers! Truly, MKR
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PHOTOGRAPHY, RUSTIC WHITE | THIS STORY IS IN COLLABORATION WITH WORLD MARKET A BRAND WE LOVE AND ADORE. OPINIONS AND IMAGES ARE 100% OUR OWN.
Decadent food. Meticulously-styled place settings. Lush florals spanning the table. All the makings of a wonderful tablescape. It will come to you as no surprise when I say that setting the table for a special occasion is one of my absolute favorite things to do.
But the life that happens in between those special, planned occasions is what I consider to be the most authentic and cherished. Those are the occasions I can be found enjoying the casual, and beautiful simplicity of entertaining. Where the food is effortless, the wine is flowing, and my table is filled with favorite pieces like a collected blue and white pitcher, and a few new finds woven in.
For the next four weeks, join me as I team up with our friends at World Market to share easy, casual dining inspiration. As you’ll see, simple recipes, curated place settings (and of course, good company), lend themselves to create the kind of gatherings that are both achievable and affordable. Hopefully you too will be inspired to get creative in tastefully mixing and matching old pieces with new.
Today’s spread, to me, is the perfect relaxed vibe for any day of the week. With a cool California feel, and the help of new additions from World Market in the form of classic linen napkins, washed driftwood chargers, and the most perfectly imperfect ocean blue place settings I’ve ever spied I imagine sitting at this table in the hills of wine country, where I would most certainly stay a long long while. Truly, MKR
P.S. Tune in next week as I share another table full of casual dining and entertaining inspiration and head over to World Market’s blog for more. xo
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I don’t know how we’re at week 6 of the One Room Challenge, time seems to have literally flown. Looking back I also don’t know how I was able to actually pull this all off, and while the room isn’t 100% complete (which you’ll read about below) I must say I couldn’t be happier with how everything has turned out.
If you remember when deciding to remodel my officethe two most important things where to lighten up the space and make it more functional for myself and my growing team. I kept the oh-so popular Thibaut Tanzania wallpaper, my giant silver chandy, and horned sconces, but everything else went out the door. To lighten up the space I got rid of all the black and brought in modern crisp whites and warm maple woods which not only made the space immediately feel light and bright, but also much bigger which is always a plus. Staying true to Martha’s signature colors I anchored the room with pops of orange, mango and all shades of blue plus metallic accents of gold and silver. I mixed it all up with modern and traditional pieces giving it a more collected and eclectic feel.
When it came to functionality my old space only had one very large desk and because I can have anywhere from 1-3 team members with me on any given day I knew I wanted to add a table. I’ve adored the Knoll table for years and now I had the perfect opportunity to add it to my arsenal, but the Knoll is made to order and wouldn’t make my tight turnaround. However, I wanted to show the space finished so I subbed in an Ikea table while I patiently await the Knoll. An Oomph Tini Table provides a catch all for keys, phones, and any personal affects plus its the perfect table for cocktails. And the traditional jute rugbalances out the modern touches and brings warmth to the stark white and clear acrylic ghost chairs, plus it defines the space allowing this area to not get lost in the room itself.
I moved my Blu Dot Strut desk directly in front of the window because while the enormous silver chandy is gorgeous it doesn’t put out a lot of light so the more natural light I can utilize the better. I also chose to face away from the window enabling me to converse with my team rather than have my back to everyone the entire day. For my desktop I wanted to keep it clutter free so because the Blu Dot Strut doesn’t have drawers I added a rolling file cabinet from Ikea plus a second Oomph Tini Table which houses a few desk necessities. I laid a sheepskin rug underneath allowing my feet to have a soft and cozy place to rest, plus it provides the perfect spot for Addison to cuddle up on. Lastly, my custom drapes I agonized over for weeks turned out to be the centerpiece of the room. Going forward I don’t think I’ll ever do a drape without a pop of color (preferably a velvet color) again!
The Modloft Pearl Bookcase, while beautiful, needed to fulfill its purpose as an actual shelf which is why you’ll find Shop products, styling props, and art sprinkled amongst my personal items. The Pearl is also home to my latest, and quite possibly current favorite, Marshall Stanmore Speaker (worth every penny my friends). On a side note another Pearl bookcase is on its way so the entire wall will be shelving, and when she arrives I plan on sharing a step-by-step #shelfie styling story so stay tuned (say that five times fast).
Lastly, I replaced my black book shelves with two maple consoles from Ikea that have doors allowing me to store Shop products without feeling like a hoarder. Instead of styling the consoles I chose to leave them simple and clean, but flanked the sides with two media towersto house my never ending book collection.
Well I think that about sums it all up, though I’m sure I’m forgetting something…oh yeah, what do you think of my new space?! Truly, MKR
…EVERYTHING ELSE…Wallpaper, Thibaut Tanzania || Horned Sconces, Waiting On Martha (email for details) || Fiddle Fig Basket, World Market || Maple Console, Ikea || Stacked Book Towers, Hayneedle