The Little Realtor

 Whether its for yourself or the holiday host, its great to stay local with holiday decor this season.  Here are some of my favorite, local spaces to pick up holiday decor and gifts!  Center City  Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market  Chestnut Hill  Robertson's Flowers  Tailored Home  Ambler  Antique Garden Cottage  Roost Home  Skippack  Floral and Hardy Wayne  Valley Forge Flowers  Nest Home  Havertown  Hendren House  West Chester  Pine + Quill  Also, any local garden and nursery center is usually a great place to get fresh greenery, from Christmas trees to garlands!  Have something you want to add? Let us know! 

 I've been impressed lately with some of amount of accessible design features I've seen around as of late. By "accessible design", I mean home decor, renovations and design that is accessible to those with a physical impairment or disability.  First I noticed that back in March, Better Homes and Gardens did a great feature on a home designed with a wheelchaired child in mind.  Yes, it was a rancher and mid-century modern in design so it leant itself to move open-flow and clean line design. But even if this isn't your style, there were some great ideas here!  Check it out here  Then I saw Southern Living did a great home build with "adaptive design" in mind. This was a great feature because it reviewed new construction and slight changes in thinking to make just a welcoming, easy access home for all guests.  As noted in the article,  " If you’re going to be a good host, particularly from the Southern point of view, where we’re all about hospitality, ...

 In terms of renovation projects, most people don't look up. A kitchen? Of course. The bathroom. Obviously. Paint and built in cabinets? Sure. But renovating your ceiling?  I'm actually seeing it more and more and while it won't be for everyone, spending some money on the "5th wall" can actually reap serious benefits for some homes.  The plan? Taking down your current dropped drywall or plaster and opening up the ceiling to expose the joists above.  Via If you have a mid-century home with low ceilings, or a historical farmhouse with the same, this may be a worthwhile endeavor, not only to add visual appeal but to produce the effect of high ceilings and more space.  Via  Common design ideas are to just open it up and leave it rustic, paint the underside of the floorboards above while leaving the beams, as above, spraying it all one color, often white, to keep things light, or adding new wood tones, like below.  Via Via  Via Of course, there are som...

 Two years ago I posted this list, rounding up some of my favorite local designers to follow (or hire!). Honestly, still in love with all of these designers and love seeing their businesses grow!  But I wanted to share a few more local designers to check out in 2022!  Crisco and Frisco  Via I actually just recently came across these two but am really interested in their work. A lot of its very modern and trendy but they seem to add something unexpected in all of their work and I LOVE that. Its so easy to get formulaic when your clients see something and want it, so they seem to have a fresh eye for adding uniqueness to that formula.  (I mean that tile combo!....)  Twelve Chairs Interiors The patterns! Ah! They know how to balance color and pattern with very tailored looks. Love it! I have a special place in my heart for their 1840 Greek Revival project in West Chester (PA)  Bare Root Design  Based in Bucks County, they feel very true to their loc...

 Its all about the gardens this week!  First, something near to my heart - the shade garden!  Around greater Philly, we have our fair share of heavily wooded and tree-filled yards. We aren't in the state of Penn's Woods for nothing!  My own yard is covered with great, gorgeous oaks that leave over half of my yard space in dappled or full shade. Its very beautiful, but does provide its own issues with growing plants and flowers.  If you go into any Home Depot or Lowes and look for plants, you'll see most of whats for sale needs full sun. So what can you plant in those shaded corners or dappled lawns?  Here are some of my own favorites that have done really well in my own garden!  Hostas  Via My favorite plant ever. The are big, incredibly hardy, grown like a foot a day in the Spring, are full of color and shape and LOVE the shade. The only downside is they leave nothing behind in the winter so the 3 ft they take up in the Summer is empty in the win...

Its International Women's Day today, in the midst of Women's History Month, and I keep remembering or reading about amazing women (not to mention knowing and working with many!).  So today I want to share another amazing woman who made this beautiful space for her child... by herself... with her own tools... while pregnant...  Emily Higgins is a rockstar!  Great DIY chops here!  With another one on the way, it was time to bump up their toddler, Oliver, to his big-kid room.  And if you are a mom with a design itch, thats such a fun prospect. Kids rooms are fun. Full of design opportunity we don't afford ourselves in other spaces. But also full of challenges (where do the toys go?!).  I asked Emily to divulge a bit on what went into her big-boy room makeover. Read on...  Where did you get inspiration from for the overall aesthetic?  So I always browse Pinterest for my room inspiration, but honestly for this one I never saw one room that sparked eve...

Since the pandemic hit there is something I have noticed about interior design "trends" that I am loving...  There aren't any.  Or, maybe, I should say there are so many that we can't call them "trends".  Since people have been home, learning from their homes, experiencing them, updating them, etc, we seem to be embracing a "whatever works for you" type of interior design trend.  Pre-pandemic, it was all white open spaces with California-casual furnishings that could be either more modern or more modern-farmhouse. But that was pretty much the end of Instagram and Pinterest trends.  I am so happy to say that the last two years have allowed the industry and individuals to tap a bit more into their personal styles.  I now see so many interesting things out there...  Art Deco Comeback  Via Via Ok, so the 80s/ Art Deco thing was coming about before the pandemic, but those curved arms and arched furniture lines are still thriving and we've started s...