Just In: Seeking New England Made Goods for Holiday Gift Guide
Author: StyleCarrot
Marni Elyse Katz is a design writer and editor who lives in Boston and Cape Cod with her husband, two sons, and a cat. She blogs about design at www.stylecarrot.com
Just In: Framebridge Opens in Hingham
It’s no secret that I use StyleCarrot partner Framebridge to frame much of my art. Yes, that’s alotta frames! There are a handful of Framebridge brick and mortar stores (Chicago, D.C., Atlanta, Williamsburg, etc.). Now there is a Framebridge shop near Boston, which I plan to check out soon.
Photo by Sean Litchfield
Framebridge is open at the Derby Street Shops in Hingham, Massachusetts. This South Shore Framebridge store is part of a large retail expansion; Framebridge plans to open 35 stores by the end of 2022. Boston proper will get one too. Framebridge Boston Seaport will open early next year. I will continue to ship my artwork to Framebridge until they open a shop in the Back Bay, but it’s nice to be able to check out the various frame styles if need be.
Photo by Sean Litchfield
Framebridge, Derby Street Shops, Hingham, Mass.
I have sent a variety of types of art to Framebridge, including fine art photography and works on paper. I’ve also uploaded my own digital photos for them to print and frame. Framebridge can frame objects too, though I haven’t personally tried that.
Photo by Sean Litchfield
I tend to use the Irvine Slim frame, a simple white gallery frame. If I want black, I go with the Mercer Slim, a simple black gallery frame. There’s also the Irvine and Mercer with a slightly wider dimension. The pale, natural wood Marin frame is another favorite of mine. I’ve also used the champagne silver wood Lille frame, as well as the whitewashed Bleached Maple frame, though I feel like that wood might hold onto dirt in a way the others do not.
Marin frame on a digital photo I shot at the Cape Cod Dance Festival. I requested an extra wide white matte.
Irvine Slim frame on a photo I purchased at SMFA Art Sale.
Bleached Maple frame on a mixed media piece I made during Covid. The artwork is floating (extra $25).
Framebridge has recently introduced some new frame styles. I hope to try the Monterey whitewashed gallery frame, the Gray Ash gallery frame, and maybe, maybe, maybe even the mint green (!) Positano or jade green Bangkok frames; could be cute for just the right keepsake.
Here are a few of my Framebridge endeavors in the wild:
Hanging over our dyed concrete mantelpiece on Cape Cod: Gabriel Sosa text art from Montserrat College of Art auction in Marin frame. Text art on the right by Susie Nielsen from Off Main Gallery in Wellfleet, already framed.
On the fireplace mantel: Photograph by Asia Kepka from SMFA Art Sale in a Framebridge Lille frame.
On the living room wall in Cape Cod: Painting on the left by Hilary Tait Norod; photographs on the right by Suzanne Koett via Etsy done in Irvine Slim frames.
Art layered on our built-ins in Boston: I used pale wood Marin frames for a photograph by Anastascia Cazabon on the left as well as for a nude watercolor by Dana Ellyn (my sister). The Anastascia Cazabon photo in the middle (the girl falling off the bed) is in a white Irvine Slim gallery frame. The two small photographs towards the right are in black Mercer Slim gallery frames by Framebridge. The other artwork, which I did not frame, includes a portrait by Gustavo Lacerda on the left, a woman swimming by Joy McKinney, and two abstract dot paintings by Kristi Kohut.
Above four photos by Marni Elyse Katz | StyleCarrot
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Use Framebridge for digital photos, diplomas, kid’s art, or fine art –>
Just In: Serena & Lily Fall 2021 Pillows, Wallpaper, Rugs, and Upholstered Furniture (with Fringe!)
StyleCarrot partner Serena & Lily dropped its Fall 2021 collection today. New pillows, lumbar pillows, wallpaper, natural fiber rugs, and upholstered furniture with fringe included. Colorways include the ever popular coastal blues and fall-friendly, olive-y greens, along with a touch of russet. Old favorites in updated
What types of accessories will you use to update your rooms for fall? Peruse these Serena & Lily fall introductions for inspiration.
Fringed sofas paired with a sisal rug adds sophistication to coastal decor. Don’t forget your statement chandelier.
Serena & Lily wallpaper: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
Blue and white is pretty, but without pattern can be a little boring. How about some blue and white wallpaper? These hand-painted leafy waves from Serena & Lily’s wallpaper collection are feminine but not froufy.
Perhaps Serena & Lily’s most on point piece for fall is the Buchanan fringed bed in gold washed linen. The headboard’s art deco shape is simple enough to go the long haul. That Woodland wallpaper adds a tropical-meets-the-subcontinent vibe.
Upholstered furniture: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
What’s easier than a pillow to inject the season’s juicy olive hue?
New throw pillows for fall: 1 / 2 / 3 + 3 / 4 / 5
Serena & Lily’s new neutral rugs in natural fibers: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
Serena & Lily’s quintessential SoCal furniture with natural accents, like this Mercer nightstand, straddles the seasons depending on how you dress the bed.
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Live plants delivered to your doorstep >
Design Diary: Bedroom Makeover with Serena & Lily
Serena & Lily is one of my favorite design partners. So, when I needed to kickstart my bedroom makeover, Serena & Lily was an obvious source. New Englanders embrace the coastal Cali look, Serena & Lily even opened a shop in Chestnut Hill, just outside Boston, a couple of years ago.
I love how Serena & Lily’s pieces blend seamlessly with the decor in our more traditional Back Bay condo as well as in our more contemporary Cape Cod house. As you’ll see below in the photographs, it also works well in a midcentury modern setting.
About a year-and-a-half ago, I ordered a green Granada quilt for our preliminary Boston bedroom makeover. I suppose it was more of a refresh at that point. As soon as I spread the quilt on the bed, the room felt brighter and more vibrant. This was exactly the effect I was going for with the bedroom makeover, given our bedroom is located in the basement and lacks abundant natural sunlight.
As much as I love all-white simplicity, the bedroom really benefited from the rich color, rhythmic pattern, and jaunty details of the quilt. The overscale, Indian-inspired botanical pattern is a nice juxtaposition to the geometric wallpaper on the wall behind the bed. The emerald green pops against the upholstered white headboard and plays off the pale green walls. Finally, the quilting, embroidered details, and tassels are fun touches.
The Granada quilt is made from cotton and linen. There’s enough linen that there’s a textural quality to the fabric, but enough cotton to give it some weight and ensure it doesn’t feel scratchy. It’s gone through the washer and dryer a number of times and looks great. It will hold its own through another makeover.
I brought the quilt out to Cape Cod this summer to dress up the sofa bed in my yoga studio / workspace. I may even cozy up with it on our outdoor patio in the evening. I’ll be posting these variations in my Instagram stories soon.
In the meantime, I thought I’d experiment with the Granada quilt by doing an impromptu bedroom makeover in a midcentury modern home in the Cape Cod National Seashore. I thought, if this quilt can transform an urban bedroom and fit perfectly into a contemporary space, how would it work in a midcentury one? Turns out, really well!
Instant midcentury modern bedroom makeover compliments of the Serena & Lily Granada quilt
A family member kindly let do a bedroom makeover in her midcentury modern home. The house was designed by architect Charlie Zehnder in the 1960s. Have a look at this post on my @StyleCarrot Instagram feed to see the clerestory window and beams above the bed. The furniture has a southwestern flavor that works well with the botanical print.
I haven’t read this book, have you? I picked it up off the homeowner’s stack of books because the cover looks perfect against the quilt. Always judge a book by its cover. A bed too. Turkey feather found in the wild.
The pattern is printed on both sides of the cotton/linen quilt which has a clean, knife edge. The pairs of triangles in taupe embroidery thread add to the hand-crafted feel, as do the trio of tassels at each of the four corners. Not only do these details elevate the look, they add texture, and help the palette meld with natural decor elements elsewhere in a room.
The original wide-plank floor has so much character. I love how the edges of the old, tattered book look against it. The embroidery and tassels accentuate the effect.
Meet Bella, a new rescue puss. She’s fluffy, sweet, and a little bit shy. She looks grumpy here, but she is even tempered. The shoot had to pause for a few minutes because Ms. Bella takes her meals bedside.
Photos by Marni Elyse Katz/StyleCarrot
S C H E M I N G
Create a chic, neutral bedroom makeover with 16 pieces from Serena & Lily.
Our bedroom in Boston has a feature wall with white wallpaper that has a silvery geometric pattern , pale green walls that read as light and bright, neutral wool carpet with pattern and texture, and a glossy white lacquer dresser with polished chrome studs. (You can see a photo of the dresser in my bedroom here.) Yes, it’s about time for a bedroom makeover.
I’d love to do a full bedroom makeover around the Granada quilt. I devised a neutral bedroom makeover scheme using 16 Serena & Lily pieces, including a rattan-wrapped dresser that I adore. What do you think?
S H O P P I N G
1 Bone Inlay Mirror / 2 Table Lamp / 3 Raffia Wrapped Dresser / 4 Rattan Bed / 5 Textural Rug / 6 Striped Pillow / 7 Granada Quilt / 8 Granada Shams / 9 Concrete Pendant Light / 10 Hurricanes / 11 Tree Stump Table / 12 Botanical Print Pillow / 13 White Sheets / 14 Bobbin Chair / 15 X-Base Table / 16 Natural Wallpaper
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Create your own bedroom makeover
Click here to shop Serena & Lily >
Scheming: Fresh Dining Room Redo by Tracy Parkinson
Blue and white palettes and New England interiors are inexorably entwined. Designer Tracy Parkinson of Nest + Company does a fresh interpretation of Massachusetts coastal in this Abington dining room that I wrote about for Boston Globe Magazine.
Parkinson worked with architect Caitlin Struble of Winslow Design to breathe life into this corner of the house which started out as a dark sitting room that nobody used. They took down the wall between this space and the kitchen to let in light, then set it up as a dining room painted Farrow & Ball Shaded White, a tone that’s not too warm, not too cool.
Peter Fasano Vriksa grasscloth wallpaper from Studio 534 at the Boston Design Center lines the back wall as a light and airy focal point. “Both the husband and wife instantly reacted to this paper and had to have it,” Parkinson remembers.
To meet their storage needs, Parkinson designed built-ins for the lower half of the back wall, incorporating refrigerated beverage drawers and a wine fridge. Custom quarter-sawn oak shelves with a cerused finish offer woodsy warmth that ties to the extension table.
Traditional head chairs disappear on either end while midnight blue, modern Windsor chairs from Serena & Lily (most versatile dining chair ever from a top StyleCarrot partner), help make the room feel young and fun. Finally, an indoor/outdoor rug from Annie Selke alleviates worry about spills.
Photo by Tamara Flanagan | Styled by Water + Main
You can get a similar look in your own home without the pricey built-ins and custom shelves. Double buffets do the trick and there are ready made floating shelves in a variety of finishes – just be sure you anchor them securely. Check out the products I sourced, along with a couple straight out of Parkinson’s design.
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