Welcome back to another installment in our series Styling Essentials, where we talk about the decor items I source most often for photoshoots to help make a space feel layered and beautifully styled. These styling essentials are the pieces I find many homeowners often don’t have enough of - or at all. In today’s lesson, we’ll discuss a fundamental building block when it comes to styling a kitchen or dining space; whiteware. There is something so classic, clean and uncomplicated about styling an all white display, but whiteware also helps to balance more colorful or patterned collections. There are a few elements I keep in mind when styling whiteware: Sculpture & Scale, Visual Height, and Form & Function. Now let’s dive in!

My weekend was spent trying to avoid the news with the same distractions I’m sure you’ve been practicing - reading, watching movies, and cleaning. Why does that last one feel so therapeutic? Is it because our minds are preoccupied with all the scrubbing and washing or that we leave the tasks with a sense of accomplishment? Because let’s face it, that feeling is rather hard to come by right now. So in an effort to feel more normal, I dove in headfirst into tidying up. Here are the things that made me feel better - and might do the same for you?

It’s easy to feel anxious when the immediate future seems uncertain, so I wanted to bring a little light into your life with this list of happy, helpful resources! I hope these will brighten your day as we spend time at home and that it helps make the social distancing feel a little less overwhelming. If you have other ideas, please share in the comments, we’re in this together.

Hey there. How are you doing? I’ve been thinking of you and wondering how others are handling our recent events and navigating this temporary way of life. It feels surreal. I hope that you and your loved ones are well. We’ve been spending our days at home reading, nesting, and cooking together. I picked up my camera to document a few things that have brought joy and comfort during this time of social distancing. It comes as no surprise that it’s the simple things that mean the most.

I want to talk with you about something that's been on my mind for a while: the difference between inspiration and imitation. I feel that over the last few years, the prevalence of Instagram and Pinterest “inspiration” has altered our idea of what it means to actually be inspired. As a location scout for Country Living and many other magazines, I've seen homes become more and more identical online, lacking individuality and becoming carbon copies of what's trending. And, although it may seem easier to copy exactly what you see online, the results will inevitably lack depth and personality.

If you’ve been around the blog for a hot second, you’ve probably noticed (or heard me talk about) the fact that I have a lot of stuff - more commonly referred to as props. There was a time I used to apologize for having so many things, mostly because I would anticipate judgement (who wants that) until one day I realized, a doctor would never think she has too many instruments, nor a lawyer too many law books. Those items are the tools of the their trade. As a stylist, props are mine.