It's time for another edition of Make Your Home Awesome, via the incomparable Paige Lewin of Tess & Ted:

Unlike many interior designers, I did not rearrange my room monthly from the age of 5. However, whenever my mom had friends over for dinner or hosted a holiday, the table setting was MY domain. I loved hunting through cabinets for the right dishes, arranging the flowers purchased at Star Market, and choosing linens perfect for the occasion. In fact, to this day, my favorite part of throwing a party is setting the table.

I think a lot of people are overwhelmed by the idea of “dressing up” the table, but the truth is, you can have a phenomenal table by starting with what you own and adding a few key pieces (Christine does this beautifully). Here are five easy settings to use as inspiration for making your table shine:

1. For a springy lunch with friends, start with basic white dinner plates (my favorites are these from IKEA) and your own cutlery, then add the Somerset Napkin from Anthropologie ($10), Reactive Salad Plates from Sur La Table ($7.95), Daily Bubble Glasses from ModCloth ($24.99 for 2), and a small bouquet of coral ranunculus (image via Pinterest).

2. There’s no reason you can’t dress up the table for your kids…half of the dining experience is in the presentation! Again, start with your white dinner plates, cutlery, and glassware, then add these great cork-backed placemats from A Farmer’s Daughter ($40.50 for 4), black modern bowls from World Market ($47.94 for 6), black ticking stripe napkins from Little Blu Nest ($14 for 4), and a big bowl of red grapes in the center of the table for all the little hands to serve themselves (image via Pinterest)!

3. Get ready for summer with this coastal inspired setting. Breakfast by the ocean? Start with white dinner plates and cutlery, and add Honfleur Linen Napkins from Fresh American ($48 for 4), Naturalist Outdoor Chargers from West Elm (on sale for $24.99 for 4), Clara Tumblers from Williams-Sonoma ($27.95 for 4 short), and a few blue hydrangea in a simple glass vase (image via Pinterest).

4. Bring the summer picnic inside with this bright and colorful setting. Get the white dinner plates, glassware, and cutlery together and add Jolie Napkins from Furbish ($40 for 4), Laurentide Side Plates from Anthropologie ($12), Vista Square Placemats from Crate & Barrel ($10.95), and a gathering of gorgeous succulents (image via Pinterest).

5. Finally, bring elegance to your table with summery earth tones. White dinner plates and cutlery will serve as a base for the Melange Leaf Print Salad Plates from Ballard Designs ($49 for 4), Center Stripe Woven Napkins in Horseradish from West Elm ($24 for 4), Tortoise Shell Rocks Glasses from Furbish ($50 for 4), and a small arrangement of Bells of Ireland and orange roses (image via Pinterest).

Bon Appetit!

Images via linked sources above; compilation graphics by Paige Lewin

I recently shared about Gabrielle Blair's brilliant new book Design Mom: How to Live With Kids: A Room-by-Room Guide (which, by the way, is the #1 best seller in Home Design & Construction on Amazon!). And now I'm cordially inviting you to Gabby's Boston book tour stop at Trident Booksellers & Cafe Tuesday, April 21, 7pm. I'll be leading a Q&A with Gabby and there will be goody bags, treats, mingling, and you can get your book signed by (and no doubt snap a selfie with!) Gabby. Come join us for a fun evening!

Image credit: Seth & Kendra Smoot

When I first heard that my friend Gabrielle Blair landed a book deal, I was thrilled and filled with anticipation because, quite plainly, Gabby is one of the most delightful, gracious, and positive people I know, and everything she touches evokes quality, style, and beauty...but in a totally down-to-earth way that makes you feel like you're her best friend. And Gabby's new book Design Mom: How to Live With Kids: A Room-by-Room Guide does not disappoint.

This hefty hardcover book is all about the thoughtful details: from the cheerful cover that Gabby created with her kids, to the many pages of inspirational, gorgeous photography accompanying ideas for every room in your home, to sweet little DIYs, to Gabby's personal storytelling about how she manages life as a wife and mother of 6 kids while instilling values and fun and beauty into the everyday. This book is truly lovely and you will want it in your collection as a frequent point of reference, and it would make a fantastic gift for a beloved mom friend (or three!).

Design Mom officially releases April 7 but you should pre-order it now. Because one thing I've learned for sure over this last year through my own interior revamping is that making your home truly yours impacts your happiness every, single day. Design Mom is replete with inspiration to help you get on your way.

Finally, I'm thrilled to share that Gabby is coming to Boston! I'll be hosting a Q & A with her on Tuesday, April 21 at Trident Booksellers on Newbury Street in Boston. More details forthcoming, but be sure to mark your calendar and join us. You'll totally see what I mean about her delightful, gracious, and positive demeanor in person! 

Image credits: styling + photography by Seth & Kendra Smoot.

Last summer I shared about the brilliant interior design work my friend Paige (of Tess & Ted) did on our home and I'm thrilled that she is going to do a recurring series on home decor and design for Boston Mamas. She is so clever! Paige believes that everyone deserves a cozy, pretty nest and for the first post in the series -- Make Your Home Awesome -- she shares recommendations for impacting, affordable stools and poufs.

From Paige:

Nearly every time I design a room for a client, a stool or pouf makes its way into the final floor plan. These great multitaskers are one part extra seating, one part side table, one part foot rest, and all parts useful. If you need a quick room refresh, a hit of color, or a functional piece to fill an empty space, one of these 15 options should do the trick.

1. Add a touch of mid-century modernism to any room with the addition of this classic butterfly stool from France & Sons ($109).

2. This tufted-and-gold stool from Target is terrific for adding color and sophistication. At under $60, try two in front of a fireplace. (The small bench version is superb, as well.)

3. Need some pattern in your life? Add a powerful, classic graphic with this cubic pouf from CB2 ($129).

4-5. Looking to add a contemporary and playful style to your home? Take a look at the ErgoErgo stool ($100) and Riki stool ($45), both from the MOMA Store. Take note, the Riki is made of cardboard (!), but holds over 1,000 lbs. If that’s not excellent design, I don’t know what is.

6. If you need a some extra seating that doubles as storage, try the Bubble Stool from the Container Store ($39.99). Perfect for a playroom! 

7-8. Natural and neutral is a winning combination for both this rush grass storage ottoman from Wayfair ($69) and this wool wrap pouf from CB2 ($129).

9. Feeling bold? Add texture to a nursery or family room with this furry white pouf from Amazon ($41).

10-11. Classic and chic, X-stools have been the darlings of the design world for a while now. The Brendan x-base stool from Cost Plus World Market ($64.99) and green floral stool Target ($29.98) both illustrate how upholstery alone can completely change the look of this simple and elegant form.

12. While this is a slight departure from the traditional definition of a pouf, I couldn’t help but include this awesome gold beanbag from Urban Outfitters ($129). I might just have to get this for my office.

13. I’m loving this DIY modern take on a Colonial milking stool ($5 for materials!).

14. Add a global feel in sunny yellow with this leather Moroccan ottoman from Overstock ($135). 

15. Looking for a piece that can work both inside and outside? Consider this ceramic garden stool from Domino ($138).

Image credits: images sourced via links above; compilation image by Christine Koh

Though I love the convenience of online shopping, particularly around the holidays, I make an extra effort to shop local. And to that effect, how awesome is this? As part of Marriott Hotels' Travel Brilliantly campaign, American Express and Marriott have transformed Boston Marriott Long Wharf's Greatroom Lobby into a pop up store featuring 8 small local businesses. I’m thrilled to partner with American Express and Marriott today to share some of my favorite picks from these independent Boston vendors.

Note: The pop up shop is open now until Sunday, November 30 (Small Business Saturday is November 29!), from 10am - 8pm. And the Boston Marriott Long Wharf is perfectly positioned so you can browse the shop then enjoy some time on the Greenway, which is one of my favorite spots in the city these days! Now, here's who you can find at the pop up shop:

1. I simply love that Flock Boston is run by a mother-daughter pair! Offering a range of bohemian inspired clothing, accessories, and gifts, these lantern bracelets by Jenny Bird are so special. Made of gold-plated brass and resin stone (in a variety of colors), this bracelet makes a delicate statement on its own or would play well with your other arm candy.

2. Looking for your girlfriend’s next favorite gift? Gracie Finn offers an eclectic mix of gift items, such as books, paper goods, home items, and gifts for women and kids. I’m especially intrigued to know what’s inside their surprise balls; unwind the crepe paper to discover 12 little prizes inside!

3. If your aesthetic is modern and minimal, you'll love the offerings from Lekker Home. I love Lotta Jansdotter’s work, and I have my eye on this large serving bowl and set of smaller bowls. The patterns will cheer you out of your winter doldrums and are perfect for parents (read: unbreakable by little paws).

4. Lunarik Fashions specializes in bags and accessories handmade by local artists. They offer bags and accessories to suit a range of styles, but I’m especially drawn to the modern color blocking of this leather drawstring bag.

5. My go-to dressing prescription is to wear simple clothes and and amp up my outfits with interesting jewelry. Rebekah Brooks offers unique hand crafted items, many of a delicate or vintage persuasion. I found myself drawn to her animal motifs; specifically this snake ring (and especially so once I learned that two entwined snakes are a Victorian symbol of infinity and eternal love) and swallow necklace.

6. If you’ve struggled to find good man gifts, check out Sault New England. They offer fun, usable items (e.g., beer soap!) as well as pay it forward type gifts (e.g., notebooks whose proceeds benefit public school art programs). I love their sailormade bracelets, crafted in New England.

7. I’ve been on the hunt for a Boston map to incorporate into our gallery wall, and I think Ward Maps is the answer. They have a variety of affordable map and transit oriented gifts (e.g., coasters, mugs) and specialize in antique items, such as this antique map of Boston (1775) print. They also offer modern styled maps, if that's your preference.

8. Looking for modern and cheerful picks? Check out Xylem, which offers quirky gifts for home and the whole family. Xylem embraces geek chic, with items such as this pizza pi cutter, which I'm certain will cut pizza with mathematical precision thanks to its two wheels.

Amazing, right? Hop on down to the pop up shop and tell me what you find!

Image credits: All images via local businesses featured above.

Disclosure: This post reflects an editorial partnership with American Express and Marriott Hotels in support of the Shop Small® Pop Up initiative. Because, hey, YAY LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES! All thoughts and opinions are -- of course -- my own.

Despite being a designer and a very visual person, hanging wall art has been a point of paralysis. My general assumptions of uniformity (e.g., frame type) and centered hanging have left me with walls that haven’t felt quite right. Over the last year while we’ve been redesigning our home, I’ve been studying and collecting nuggets of wisdom regarding gallery walls. I’m thrilled today to partner with Minted -- where I’ve recently procured some gorgeous art -- to share some tips and inspiration to cozy up your home via art.

To back up briefly, you may already know about Minted's beautiful holiday cards. Minted features the work of independent designers (I've been honored to have a few designs represented in their collection) and over the summer they rolled out their art marketplace. SO. BRILLIANT. The marketplace offers a wide range of styles (close to 1,800 pieces!) with a variety of frame options (hanging hardware pre-installed -- HOORAY!). Here are 8 tips for creating a beautiful gallery wall that will feel truly yours, including some of my favorite picks from Minted. 

1. Evaluate what you have (and what you don't). Walk around your home and collect favorite existing art, photos, and small wall hangings so you can map out a wall and identify what you need. If you have frames that are due for a fresh image, grab those too. I ended up having a lot of frames with photos that were ready to swap out; I ordered several pieces of Minted art unframed, which makes for very affordable procurement!

2. Anchor your wall. Use 2-4 pieces to anchor the center of your gallery. We have a vibrant Heather Pilchard landscape as one of our anchors. Something like this gorgeous Summering Forever piece by Emily Jeffords or Lindsay Megahed’s Summer Clouds (which I ordered for our reading nook) would make for gorgeous, vibrant anchors.

3. Vary frames. I used to think everything needed to be in a black matte frame. Not so! Mixing black and white frames creates a modern, minimal aesthetic. We're adding gold or natural frames in to a largely black and white mix to add warmth. To make for a more eclectic collection, include vintage or weathered frames.

4. Mix frame/art elements. Add visual interest by mixing paintings, photos, frame styles, and sizes. I love Minted's recommendation of contrasting within pieces; meaning, pair vintage frames with modern art or photography and modern frames for old oils or high art pieces. For example, pair this Hello Zebra! print with a distressed frame or Almond Milk with a natural French farmhouse frame.

5. Create harmony via color. One way to create harmony with a gallery wall (while still mixing elements) is via color. For our wall, I'm creating harmony with neutrals and then adding pops of color. I like the double impact of neutral and nature, such as through this Leaf print by Anna Yarm and Serene Forest by Hooray Creative. I ordered both of these pieces and they are so soothing!

6. Create a story. Be sure to include items that have meaning to you; for example, art collected on a vacation or favorite family photos. For personal photos Minted recommends including candid, non-staged photography for a more elevated look. I ordered this African drum print given that I wanted a musical element in our gallery and also as a nod to my trip to Ethiopia.

7. Don’t worry about exact linearity! Gallery walls can be a little intimidating if you’re trying to make everything matchy matchy and lined up perfectly. The good news? It will look more artful if it's not matchy matchy and lined up perfectly! You can plan it out easily in advance by using paper templates (and find plenty of inspiration for arrangement on Pinterest). Break up lines with 3D or nonlinear objects. Or incorporate round art such as R Studio's Surround Me, Paper Dahlia's Sunrise Sunset, or Kelly Ventura's Soma.

8. Avoid overwhelm by narrowing your search. As I mentioned, the Minted art collection is huge, with nearly 1,800 items. As you evaluate what you have (tip #1), narrow your search to balance out your collection. For example, we have a lot of landscape pieces and so I narrowed my search for abstract neutral pieces (such as The Rapids) to counterbalance. I’m also hoping that at some point Minted builds in the ability to search artists by state so I can support local designers!

So gorgeous right? I hope you have fun browsing the Minted collection and sprucing up your walls!

Image credits: Minted

I'm planning on being off the grid for most of the weekend on a fun little adventure with Laurel and Violet (feel free to follow along on Instagram!) so I wanted to share this week's edition of Hey Internet, Keep Being Awesome a little early. Enjoy this roundup of reads and visuals that caught my eye, and be sure to check out the 34-event Weekend Roundup if you're looking for something to do this weekend! Have a wonderful weekend!

- So thrilled about the launch of ONE’s Girls & Women site!

- Because PANDAS.

- Honored to be on this list of top 25 family travel blogs!

- Incredibly proud of my friend Katherine Stone for helping so many women rise from postpartum depression.

- How to create the perfect gallery wall.

- This is what happened when I drove my Mercedes to pick up food stamps.

- Then and now photos.

- I think Massachusetts deserves higher than #13 but I’m totally biased.

- Moscato mojitos -- a friend made these last weekend and they were delicious!

- World Cup soccer stats erase the sport’s most dominant players: women.

Image credit: lemon pie ice cream via Pinterest

Ever since making my career leap 8 years ago, I've talked with many people who have felt a desire to leap but haven't been able to step off the ledge. I totally get it; many complicating factors get in the way of dreams. Subsequently, when I see a long-desired dream come to life, it pretty much makes my heart explode with happiness. Such is the case with my longtime friend (and Boston Mamas contributor), Paige, who just launched Tess & Ted.

Today I wanted to share about my experience with Paige's interior design services. Because her work has changed our lives. No joke.

To back up, I consider myself a person with a strong sense of style; getting dressed every day is easy and in general, I know what I like (and don't like) when I see it. However, when it comes to interiors, I become paralyzed; it just seems like a large, overwhelming process and in the past I’ve been afraid to make one-off choices without having a big picture plan (and I haven’t know where to start with the big picture plan!). Subsequently, I’ve always felt unsettled in my living spaces; everything has felt temporary and handed down and mismatched (though hey, we were super grateful for all those hand me downs during our grad student days), but I haven’t known how to start making changes. Jon and my styles also differ somewhat, and I’ve had no idea how to bridge those differences -- so, the topic of interiors has always stressed me out.

After the holidays, Jon and I started working with Paige. We decided that we were going to stay put in our home and wanted to finally make it feel like it was ours. During our consultation, Paige asked questions, listened intently, and returned with a series of inspiration boards (entryway, living room, dining room) that miraculously merged Jon and my styles, opened our eyes to different options, and just looked plain beautiful. She has since guided us through the process of transformation -- from bringing in contractors, to responding to my frantic “lifeline” shopping texts, to even picking up items on the fly when she thought they might work for us (with an option to say no of course).

I’m not overstating things when I say that Paige has changed our lives. With every step of our interior transformation -- from larger changes like paint and built-ins to smaller changes like lamps -- I’ve realized how incredibly important it is to make your home yours...to create a space where you feel comfort and joy and permanence. Every time I walk down the stairs and take in our new space, I smile. I have racked up a ton more smiles in the last 6 months!

We're still a work in progress -- we've been chipping away at our redesign both to keep an eye on budget and also since it just takes us a while to get around to things what with everything else in life. I'll be shooting photos of the house more formally once it's all done, but I wanted to share a sneak peek of 4 fantastic changes. Let's just say that we started with plain white walls, neutral textiles, and a shocking collection of mismatched wood furniture.

1. LIVING ROOM. We love our gray herringbone couch but used to have a clunky dark leather ottoman + boring solid tan rug. Everything just felt so flat. Now our living area feels light and fluid yet cozy thanks to sheepskin pillows, a shag rug, and the open slats on this round ottoman.

2. ENTRYWAY. This area is still a work in progress (custom cushions are on on their way!), but one of the major transformations is our entryway. It's a large space (we have an open concept first floor) but we could never find a way to situate the space so that it actually got used. Now we have a built in L-shaped window seat that has created a fabulous new sitting area, including a cozy reading corner.

3. DINING ROOM. We were initially unsure of the dramatic contrast wall + coral lamps but of course it looks totally awesome.

4. DINING ROOM. Our dining room used to be really, really sad with a hand me down butcher block table covered with scribbles + horrendously ugly chairs I bought on sale from a department store during grad school. I love entertaining and I always felt embarrassed hosting people in this setting. Now it is a joy to entertain, thanks to a lovely oval dining table, white Eames-style chairs (including viking fur on a couple of them...awesome), and these gorgeous chairs I DIY'd after Paige found the original pair on Craigslist for $40.

I really can't say enough good things about Paige -- both as a person and a professional. But if you want to read more about her gifts (she can even help you via Skype if you aren't in the Boston area), check out what some of her other clients have to say about her. If you fit any of these 7 descriptions, I highly recommend you drop her a line.

Image credits: Christine Koh

Hello everyone, I hope you're enjoying the beautiful weather! If you've got cranky, fighting kids storming your home, head into nature like we did this morning. Seriously, it's the perfect antidote! Meanwhile, if you're looking for some good reads/visuals, I've got a great roundup in this week's Hey Internet, Keep Being Awesome. Enjoy, and have a fantastic rest of the weekend!

- Props to Honey Maid for this amazing video response.

- NPH and Jason Segel are truly epic.

- Female bodies: a weighty issue.

- 25 stores and what they should actually be called.

- Every U.S. county’s favorite baseball team (according to Facebook).

- Daily routines of the world’s most famous people.

- 39 easy ways to create DIY art for your walls.

- Register to climb out of the darkness in June.

- Think you’re too old to be an entrepreneur? Think again.

- 46 reasons my 3-year-old might be freaking out.

- 19 top African artists collaborate for ONE.

- The United States of bros.

Image credit: DIY wall art via Pinterest