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Things I Love #29
Preparing our home for fall.
Is anyone else enjoying the cooler nights? Things I love most about fall are throwing on a sweatshirt and leggings, wrapping up in a cozy blanket while reading a book and sitting by the bonfire with friends. Here are a few items that I’ve been buying to get our home ready for fall. (Click on the photos or blue words below for more information and to shop.)
Plants – I love gardening in our yard, but I’ve never been a house plant person. I had a corner in our dining room that I wanted to fill with a house plant for years and I finally took the plunge. In early August, I bought a few larger plants and some fun planters at a local garden store. (See my Instagram for photos.) I love the look of plants in the house and I think I found a new hobby. This week I bought a couple fun planter sets that I’m excited to fill.
Peach & Pebble Classic Ceramic Planter + Wood Stand – I was on the search for the perfect white planter on a wood stand and I found it. I bought both sizes of this pot and they are exactly what I wanted. Note: The pots have a drainage hole and do not come with a plug.
Peach and Pebble West Elm Dahlia Planter Set – I’m planning to buy this set for our Chicago showroom; but I wanted to see it before purchasing multiple sets, so I ordered one to be shipped to our home. I like it so much, I’m keeping the first set. In the showroom, I plan to display the pots and tray separately. Note: The pots have a drainage hole and come with a plug.
West Elm Dahlia Planter Set West Elm Calluna Planter Set – Same story as above, I’m buying this set for the Chicago showroom and wanted to check it out. However, I always had plans to keep this one for on top of our new bedroom dresser that will arrive later this month. Again, you can separate the marble tray from the brass pots. Note: These pots do not have drainage holes.
West Elm Calluna Planter Set Two helpful items I discovered are these planter fillers and a water / pH gauge. Also, I created a notes page on my phone for all of my new plants with information about the light and water levels they prefer; so when I’m not sure, I can reference my phone. I did second guess my water gauge once and ended up overwatering my Split Leaf Philodendron which isn’t very happy with me. I just couldn’t believe that plant could go over two weeks without any water… I guess the humidity is higher than I thought.
Planter Filler 
Water / pH gauge I love making our home cozy for Fall with candles and soft blankets.
Nest Pumpkin Chai Candle – Nothing says fall like the smell of pumpkin. If you look back through my posts, you’ll see I’m a huge Nest candle fan and their pumpkin candle has been in my seasonal rotation for years. Side note: The Nest Grapefruit candle is amazing in the kitchen during the summer.
Nest Pumpkin Chai Voluspa Spiced Pumpkin Latte Candle – Even though I’m not a pumpkin latte fan; I am a Voluspa candle fan and I love the look of this candle holder, so I might have to order one.
Voluspa Spiced Pumpkin Latte Barefoot Dreams In the Wild Throw Blanket – I bought this blanket during the Nordstrom sale for myself and a dear friend. It is so soft and cozy! John has decided it’s his new favorite blanket because it’s long enough to cover his entire body when laying on the couch. If this is more than you want to spend, there are similar styles for less here.
Barefoot Dreams Throw Blanket Nordstrom Ugg Plush Throw Blanket – I have this in cream and light blue. There are several other Ugg blanket styles on Amazon.
Ugg Coastline Plush Throw Blanket Leave a comment about what household items you buy each fall to make your home cozy and inviting.
My next post will be on cozy fall clothing. If you have any favorites, send them to me and maybe they’ll make my favorites list.
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Things I Love – #23
These are items I purchased and love in our Chicago apartment’s Master Bedroom. As I’ve mentioned before, we put together our Chicago apartment very quickly, so you’ll see I purchased furniture mainly from a few stores I have used before (and where we happen to have designer discounts.) Over time I’ve added in accent pieces that are a little more unique. My current project is to add artwork in the apartment hall and guest bedroom. (Click on the photos or blue words below for more information.)
West Elm Grid Tufted Tapered Leg Bed in Stone Twill – I really like having an upholstered headboard for reading in bed and I like the clean lines of the tapered legs.
West Elm Upholstered Bed Leesa mattress (original) – This is an incredibly comfortable memory foam mattress. We actually look forward to our stays in Chicago just to sleep on this mattress. Note: The original Leesa mattress is currently on sale.
Leesa Mattress West Elm Penelope Grand nightstands – I love the combination of wood and marble; and it’s the perfect size.
Penelope Grand Nightstand Zippered Mattress Protector – This prevents any sweat, dirt, mites, etc. from getting into your mattress which means your mattress is not only cleaner, but should last longer.
Mattress Protector Bamboo Mattress pad – A hypoallergenic, cooling, plush mattress pad.
Mattress Pad Pottery Barn Morgan sheets – These 400-thread-count organic cotton sheets are luxurious and they get softer with every wash.
Morgan Sheets in Twilight Buffy comforter – Another great find that is making its way onto every bed we own. This comforter is made from Eucalyptus and plastic bottles. And, it’s naturally resistant to dust, mites and mold.
Buffy Cloud Comforter West Elm organic cotton duvet – You definitely want a duvet cover for you comforter so you don’t have to clean your comforter as often. The exact duvet we have is no longer available, but I have the style below on our guest bed and I love it.
West Elm Cotton Pintuck Duvet Pottery Barn Velvet Quilt – The navy velvet is a nice contrast with all of the lighter colors and fabrics. Bonus: It also coordinates with the navy accents in the living room and kitchen. When you have a small space, it’s nice to tie it together with repeating colors. (The exact quilt picture below is no longer available, but Pottery Barn has several velvet quilts. I recently purchased this velvet quilt for our house in Saint Paul.)
Pottery Barn quilt Gray Malin art – I’ve shared this photo on my blog before… I own several of Gray Malin’s photos and this one just makes me happy.
Gray Malin Color Balloons I Navy & gold Safavieh lamps – These lamps tie together the navy quilt and the gold hardware on the nightstands. (This exact style is no longer available, but Overstock has many other navy lamps available.)
Safavieh Lamps Leather catch-all – My husband needs a place to empty his pockets at night so I found this cute holder on Amazon.
Leather catch-all If you have any favorite bedroom pieces (furniture, sheets, art work, etc.) please share in the comments.
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Things I Love – #10
All of these items are in our Chicago high-rise apartment, which I chose to furnish in a Mid-Century modern style. This is a very different style from the more traditional furniture in our 100+ year old house in Saint Paul, but I really love it. Since I was setting up this apartment quickly, you’ll see a majority of the furniture is from West Elm. Our company works with West Elm on the commercial furniture side so I was familiar and comfortable with the quality of their furniture. (Click on the photos below for more information.)
Overstock Safavieh Hudson Diamond Trellis Shag Rug I have several Safavieh shag rugs in our Saint Paul home. I love the feel and quality… and the price! This 9′ x 12′ neutral rug helped to define the living room space and really pulls the room together. (Don’t forget a quality rug pad will make even the most inexpensive rug feel luxurious.)
West Elm Urban Sofa in distressed velvet ink blue This is the first time I’ve selected a couch with color, but the ink blue really comes off as a neutral in the space without being boring. The back of the couch is low so it doesn’t block the view and if you remove the two back cushions, it’s wide enough for a make-shift guest bed.
West Elm Lucas Leather Swivel Chair in saddle The Lucas is a classic chair. After I ordered these chairs I noticed them everywhere, including the shared game room space at our Chicago apartment building and in several building lobbies. You can order it with stationary legs, but we love the swivel because we can easily swing around to view the Chicago skyline.
West Elm Mid-Century Pop-Up Storage Coffee Table in walnut This is a beautiful table with both wood and marble. It’s also practical because a portion of the table lifts up for hidden storage and for working on a laptop while sitting on the couch. (see below)
West Elm Mid-Century Tripod Floor Lamp A simple modern lamp that adds light but doesn’t distract from the rest of the room.
West Elm Retro Tripod Nesting Tables Two great tables that I actually separated in the living room. They’re just the perfect size for a beverage and appetizer plate.
West Elm Mid-Century Buffet, Acorn Our TV is mounted over this storage piece. It’s perfect for storing miscellaneous items like our laptops, extra blankets and paperwork.
Our Chicago living room. Modern Hanging Mirror from West Elm, Roman Numeral Wall Clock from Etsy, pillows from West Elm and Restoration Hardware. 
Our Chicago kitchen. Due to limited space, we chose to have counter seating and not a dining room table. The four Jones counter height stools in Blue Antique Stripe are from Pottery Barn. The sign is custom from Smallwood Home. 
The morning view from the Lucas chairs. 
The night time view. What do you think of the Chicago apartment? Would you like to see the bedrooms? Comment below.