https://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blogBLOG RSSSun, 02 Jun 2019 21:40:01 GMTSun, 02 Jun 2019 21:40:01 GMThttps://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/coming-soon-vesta-2024I love my neighborhood!  We have two large dogs who love to run with me and need a lot of room to do so.  When moving back to Tennessee from Kansas City, we chose to purchase a new construction home with a large lot in a less developed area outside of Memphis.   Friends joke that my house is “half way to Nashville,” but I don’t mind.  My favorite time to run with the dogs is early in the morning just as the sun comes up.  We see so much wildlife that city dwellers miss.  My dogs are soTue, 24 Oct 2023 22:58:12https://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/coming-soon-vesta-2024https://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/dorm-decor-and-empty-nestsDorm Decor and Empty Nests  I am only a few months from dropping off my second kiddo at Auburn University for his freshman year.  As an Auburn alumnae, I am thrilled for him!  As a mom staring down empty nesting, I am sad for me.  How do I reconcile those emotions?  Honestly…  I don’t know!  But I do know we moms can have a little fun with setting up their home away from home.  Retail therapy can be a great way to redirect sadness.  So let’s get shopping and send that kid to college in style!Sun, 26 Jun 2022 21:56:44https://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/dorm-decor-and-empty-nestshttps://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/kitchen-trends-for-2022Kitchen Trends for 2022My kitchen is dated.  “What?" you say. .  .  "How can that be?  You work in the industry!”  You are correct, I do.  AND my kitchen is still dated.  It happens to all of us.  The truth is, beautiful, well functioning kitchens take time and thoughtful design on how you and your family live. The good news is it is a great time to remodel a kitchen.  We have so many new options in finishes that were not available even 5-7 years ago.  While all these choices can make theMon, 23 May 2022 14:31:42https://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/kitchen-trends-for-2022https://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/high-point-market-highlightsHigh Point Highlights  Spring 2022 High Point Market was a celebration of being back together, seeing smiles on faces again and a creative culmination of the quiet time so many makers were forced to take during Covid.  I wish I could have taken each of you with us as we reveled in the new products and ideas.  Here’s the short list of our favorite finds this Market.More Mohair!Mohair, especially in performance fabrics, is hot this year.  It’s like a luxurious velvet but so much sexier!Fri, 22 Apr 2022 13:29:37https://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/high-point-market-highlightshttps://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/fall-decor-or-halloween-goreHalloween Gore or Fall Décor?Don’t you just love Fall?  I always look forward to those gorgeous days when the air is crisp, the sun is out, the leaves begin to change color, and at long last, it’s sweater weather!  Mind you, in Memphis we are usually teased with Fall several times before our temperatures catch up with the calendar, and Fall is here to stay.If you’re a fellow autumn lover, when October 1st arrives, one of my favorite places to visit is our local Farmers Market for mums andFri, 22 Apr 2022 13:25:15https://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/fall-decor-or-halloween-gorehttps://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/styling-bookshelves-like-a-proStyling Bookshelves like a Pro  My first born left for college this week.  While I feel such pride in her accomplishments, I grieved the phase of parenthood that is now past for me.  Along with the inevitable tears, another symptom of the grief emerged.  I felt this incredible need to clean, sort and purge.  This urge that I call “reverse nesting” motivated me to reorganize some bookshelves in my own space that had gotten a little out of control. Now I know what you are thinking. . .  aTue, 10 Sep 2019 01:36:14https://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/styling-bookshelves-like-a-prohttps://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/six-steps-to-the-perfect-dorm-room-including-pro-tips-for-every-college-freshman-and-parentHere it is, friends – the unadulterated good, bad, and ugly of making a Freshman Dorm room home away from home!  In this post, you’ll learn how to put together the dorm room you’ve always wanted, plus links to our favorite new items and PRO Tips that will save you time and money.  Don’t worry, you can still get it all done without spending days searching for products or a small fortune!As many moms do, Genevieve and I met through our daughters being classmates in school.  Fast forward throughFri, 22 Apr 2022 13:25:30https://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/six-steps-to-the-perfect-dorm-room-including-pro-tips-for-every-college-freshman-and-parenthttps://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/kitchen-and-bath-trends-for-2019Kitchen and Bath TrendsKitchens and baths are frequently the priciest rooms in a home.  Often when I am planning a new construction or remodel, a client will ask how long the new design will remain "in style."  I can’t help but smile a little when I reply that nothing stays in style forever.  Trends come and go.  One need only visit Graceland to thank our lucky stars that shag carpet "went."  Some trends have a broader audience and last a bit longer, but most color and material trends areSat, 27 Jul 2019 16:54:12https://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/kitchen-and-bath-trends-for-2019https://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/estate-sale-shoppingEstate Sale FindsThere’s a running joke in my house. . . you don’t want to be in the car with me when I see an estate sale sign!  Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those compulsive shoppers up at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning to dig through piles of stuff no one else wants.  I won’t lose sleep over estate sales, but I do love to walk through homes and peruse the “found objects” that people collect throughout a life well lived.This fascination began when I was a child and wouldSat, 27 Jul 2019 16:54:09https://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/estate-sale-shoppinghttps://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/sprucing-up-the-front-porch-for-springSprucing Your Porch for Spring  For those of us who live in the South, Spring is here and gone in the blink of an eye once the sun and heat of summer set in. So when spring comes, and everything starts to bud and bloom, we enjoy it!  We enjoy our blooming dogwoods and azaleas.  We enjoy dining al fresco and we enjoy sitting on the front porch.“Fluffing” your front porch for spring doesn’t take much, and it’s easy to add a few key items to your winter porch that makes it ready for warmerFri, 22 Apr 2022 13:25:45https://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/sprucing-up-the-front-porch-for-springhttps://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/centerpiece-designCenterpiece Design  There is something extremely gratifying, even magical about working with flowers. Before you think it, let me just say – NO, I do not have a green thumb. It is actually hard to remember to even water potted plants!  For me though, there is something extremely fulfilling and organic about arranging plants and flowers into something that brings joy to friends. I can remember traveling home from a particularly traumatic experience to cry on my mom’s shoulder.  She lovinglyFri, 22 Apr 2022 13:25:50https://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/centerpiece-designhttps://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/entertaining-a-lost-artThe “Secret” Ingredient to the Perfect Dinner PartyEntertaining is a bit of a lost art these days.  I grew up in a large, very southern family who entertained often.  They modeled for me the way to host, and even though my cousins and I hid in the back room with the Atari for most events, I came away with a very clear picture of what hospitality and gratefulness look like. I love the model my family set for me, but it wasn’t until much later and farther from my home state of Alabama that ISat, 27 Jul 2019 16:54:01https://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/entertaining-a-lost-arthttps://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/genevieve-hamblenThis post might just make you blush!​I love pink.  When I found out I was pregnant for the first time, I used it as an excuse to buy pink maternity clothes, which then turned into pink baby clothes!  I have always tried to insert pink into my husband’s wardrobe and now continue to do so with my son’s.  Of course, I am a sucker for Valentine’s Day anything, if for no other reason than that beautiful color of most everything Valentine’s Day!  So, when we began seeing a resurgence of all thingsSat, 27 Jul 2019 16:53:58https://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/genevieve-hamblenhttps://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/why-hire-an-interior-designer5 Reasons to Hire a Designer for Your Custom Build or RemodelI am often asked to help with a project well after the project has already begun.  At this point, some homeowners have a haggard, discouraged look – they’ve realized they’re in way over their heads and need help. Very often I encounter this because people do not fully understand the benefits of hiring a designer until they are overwhelmed, over budget, and exhausted. While I am happy to help clients manage selections at this point,Fri, 22 Apr 2022 13:25:59https://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/why-hire-an-interior-designerhttps://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/paint-inspiration-2019I get excited every year when the paint companies release their new colors - it’s kind of like Christmas for me.  As someone who gets bored easily with trends that stick around for too long, I enjoy looking for new ideas, new colors and new fabrics to incorporate into my clients’ existing pieces and overall visions for their homes.  Staying abreast of color trends in design helps to ensure a fresh and unique look for each of my customers while maintaining a classic aesthetic that doesn’t requireFri, 22 Apr 2022 13:27:26https://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/paint-inspiration-2019https://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/warm-thanksgiving-tablescapeEntertaining effortlessly. . . what’s really the secret to it?  If you’d asked my grandmother, she would’ve said, “always have delicious food and LOTS of it.”  If you’d asked my Great Aunt, she’d have said, “pull out your finest serving pieces and set the table fit for a Queen.”  Growing up in the South, I never really paid much attention to their entertaining, but now as a mother of three daughters, I wonder if they’re learning as much from me as I did from those two wonderful ladies? FromFri, 22 Apr 2022 13:27:32https://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/warm-thanksgiving-tablescapehttps://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/incorporating-client-pieces-into-designI am often asked by people if I design around art or if the art is chosen for the design.  My answer to that often depends on the client and the project.  Most clients come to me, and thus the design, with personal items that they'd like incorporated.  Whether it is art from a favorite local artist, family pictures, an antique rug, or children’s crafts, I always try to be considerate of the client’s attachments.  Success to me is when I create a space that is not only beautiful but Home for eachFri, 22 Apr 2022 13:27:34https://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/incorporating-client-pieces-into-designhttps://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/welcome-to-our-blog-but-what-is-itLife happens so quickly all around us.  As a “creative type,” I can either be soaking it all in or so absorbed in a project of some kind that I miss some of the simplest beauty around me.  While passion in my craft is a blessing, I want to stay as present in the moment as possible.  I think I am a better wife, mother, friend and co-collaborator when I can stay aware of my surroundings. With this idea in mind, I decided to do a quick challenge. . . an impromptu Design Prompt.  If you’reTue, 12 Feb 2019 01:57:38https://gnhdesigns.my-free.website/design-blog/welcome-to-our-blog-but-what-is-it