Touch of spring and random sidenotes.

On my walk home last night I stopped and got some lilies, not only to help mask the steak smoke smell but because it's our first taste of spring in DC.

I spent St. Patricks Day evening eating shortbread for dinner (ok, and a more nutritous salad) and watching The Irish Country House narrated by the magnificent Angelica Huston who was lucky enough to be raised in one of these grand mansions.

I also wanted to share with you the progress of my friend Maxine's house (hi Maxine!). You may remember I've been helping her in setting up her new townhouse (remember the colored lites?). These are some rough snapshots of the work we've accomplished so far.Maxine travels the world for work and is always bringing back new treasures. She is not afraid of color and her home is beginning to show this! I loved this blue updated damask wallpaper we chose for her stairwell along with one of her many moroccan lanterns we hung throughout the house.

These lanterns really add a lot of additional color to the neutral backdrops we chose for the bedrooms which don't benefit from the colored lights with the exception of the mater bedroom. This wallpaper is subtle in person, the pattern being an embossed silver over an ivory background which matches the wall color. The mirrored nightstand and nickel lamps pick up the silver accents in the wallpaper and also help reflect the natural light which streams into the master bedroom in the morning.

One last hint of color we brought into the bathrooms was by painting the wood builder-grade cabinets in bold glossy colors - why not bring a smile to your face in the morning with color?