Posts by Barbara Bussey
Our San Francisco Get-Away’s for Sale
Nearly seven years ago, Mr. Wonderful and I bought a great 2 bedroom condo, a block from the San Francisco Bay and walking distance to so many fun things. The condo’s was wearing all of its original 30+ year old finishes when we purchased it and we really had a great time bringing the interior design…
Read MoreKitchen Window-Seat Love
One of my favorite things about our home is our large, eat-in kitchen. It’s probably one of the things that really sold me on the home, nine years ago. I really enjoy the window seat…especially changing the pillows to fit each season. This was the very last bunch of hydrangeas I could gather from the…
Read MoreJeffrey Bilhuber’s New Book Out This Week
Jeffrey Bilhuber’s third design book, “American Style” , is due out this week. The new book showcases twelve of his interiors, and there’s a fun interview with him in House Beautiful this month. Two favorite quotes include: “When you hire me, you hire a decorator, not a resourcer.” (In response to a woman looking for…
Read MoreDate Night at Home
While I love eating out, isn’t it nice to just have a wonderful dinner at home with your sweetheart? Mr. W. And I had a busy, dirty weekend and it just felt great to shower, put on some sweet smells and set a beautiful table, while the hub’s grilled a mammoth New York steak, at…
Read More(Is “Word Verification” Really Necessary?) My Son’s Wedding Day
I’ve been part of the design Blogger’s community for about a year now and wonder why many bloggers require you to copy letters in a “Word Verification” system. It never fails that my laptop/iPad or phone gets great joy, correcting the meaningless letters I copy into the word verification box, causing me to have to…
Read MoreMy Mother’s Reclaimed Vanity Chair
Since my dear Dad passed away, my four sibs and I have taken our share of my parents “treasures”. One of the last things to be adopted was my Mom’s bathroom vanity chair. My mother, the eternal “beauty queen”, started each and every day in this chair, “putting on her face”. How could I let…
Read MoreNew Lighting Line At Cost Plus
If you’re thinking about updating your home’s look for holiday gatherings, or just your own enjoyment, World Market (AKA Cost Plus) has a brand new lighting line and a dining chair sale, that I find note-worthy. Lower-end, big-box retailers like Target and World Market are experts at taking a trend popular at their big brothers,…
Read MoreMexican Antiquities for the Home
Here, in northern California, there are two predominant architectural styles for homes. The “ranch” style home and a Spanish/Mediterranean home. Sure there are many others, but these are the two that come to mind first. Our home (on a cold winter day) was designed to look like a little Mediterranean villa and is fairly typical…
Read MoreLittle Girl Bedrooms Fit For A Princess
When my daughter was little, her room was done with a 4 poster twin bed, found at a garage sale, that I painted a creamy pink. Her bedding was full of ruffles and eyelet material. Sort of early Shabby Chic! Now, I’m seeing much bolder wall color choices, and lots of fun graphics and stencils…
Read More10 Things I Love About New York City
Before Betsy started at West Point this summer, we only made one annual pilgrimage to New York City every fall. We love it there and will be heading east again, next month. In honor of David Letterman, who we enjoyed seeing a couple of years ago, I’ve created my “Top 10” list about NYC. 1.…
Read MoreGood Things Worth Sharing
Today, I’m offering a “grab bag” of ideas and news. First of all, if you ever shop Ballard Designs, they’re having a 15% off sale on everything until midnight, Tuesday night. 11:59 pm, to be exact. One of my new favorites in their mirror department is the Audrey mirror. It comes in 3 sizes, starting…
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