When we bought our house back in January 2014, we were so eager to have a home of our own that we overlooked many of the red flags and happily committed to buying a home that might not have been one of our finest choices. You can read more about our home buying experience in this post, but long story short…it has been a treacherous journey. In conjunction with the number of issues with the home, I quickly realized that even though our house was a generous 1600 square feet, the layout wasn’t so ideal. Our first floor only had one bedroom and with guests eager to visit we quickly had to get creative. Our basement was gutted (for reason’s I’m too exhausted to explain), so our only option was to either offer our guests slumber on an air mattress in our living room (complete with dog licks and smelly breath panting) or to convert our breakfast nook into a tiny guest bedroom sans doors.

Breakfast nook it was.

For over a year and a half, it worked! Friends and family came to visit and they resided in our kitchen right next to the dishwasher and sink. No one complained (if they wanted to they were too kind to say anything), but after decorating the 8×8 space with a few favorite heirloom pieces and a Jenny Vorwaller oil painting, the nook did well serving a purpose other than just an eating spot. You can spy a few images of the nook as a guest room in the last post.

When we made the decision in mid 2014 to stop ‘not trying’ for pregnancy it quickly became apparent that we needed another solution. Where would we put a baby? Would we all transition downstairs to the basement once we had it finally remodeled? Could we get it remodeled in time? How much would it cost? Would we move our bed into the guest “kitchen” room and give the baby our room as a nursery?? Would baby be in the kitchen? We went back and forth for what felt like months trying to decide how we would transition to a family of 3. Knowing full and well that many of our friends who lived in much smaller places or even studio apartments in NYC made life with a new baby work, we knew there was a solution…it was just a matter of picking one.

By May of this year, we finally settled on a plan : Guests go to the basement. We stay in our room. Baby gets the kitchen nook. Kitchen nook quickly became “baby nook” and the basement was quickly remodeled to accommodate our plan. Now with just 10 weeks to go until baby arrives, we have moved the guest bed downstairs and I’ve started setting a plan for baby boy’s space. I love that we are going to be in tight quarters as a family during his first few months and seeing my new glider already finding its spot in the nook has made me all the more excited for this new adventure. We plan to keep our babe in our room during nighttime sleeping hours for the first few months, but everything else (rocking, breastfeeding, changing, playing, napping etc.) will hopefully happen in that sweet little nook right next to the dishwasher and sink (ya know, what’s so bad about that?).

Much more to come on how we transitioned our breakfast nook into our new baby room, but for now a quick peek into some of my initial design inspiration for the teeny nook. I cannot wait to get everything set up and to rock that little guy in my arms come Thanksgiving!

Living in Seattle has many perks. Great food, beautiful scenery and a whole plethora of amazing shops and small businesses bursting with personality and charm. I’m often asked to share my coveted spots with visitors traveling from near and far, so I figured there no better time to start showcasing some of the lovely boutiques, eateries and other gems that make Seattle the place I always return home to.

I mentioned just a couple of weeks back about a recent collaboration with Rick of Ludlow Home. Rick was kind enough to lend some of his beautiful pieces for this season’s Fortunate Feast dinner and every time I visit him in Phinney Ridge I fall more and more in love with his space. Rick has such a vibrant personality, his lighthearted storytelling always enticing me to hang in his shop for hours – it doesn’t hurt that every crevice and nook in Ludlow is also perfectly curated and styled in away that’s effortlessly intriguing. But what makes Rick and his space so special and I place that I always suggest a visit to, is his attention to not only the detail of his lovely finds, but his care and attention to his customers and clients. He makes you feel right at home.

I partnered with Dorothee of Belathee just last week to capture the essence of Ludlow and give a first hand glimpse of the space. I also asked Rick to answer some of my burning questions about his journey and shop so you could get even a deeper peek into what make’s Ludlow tick…

Tell us about how Ludlow came to fruition. How long have you been in home design?

I have always loved designing my own homes and curating a collection of fabulous finds. My favorite is to mix classic pieces, modern and heritage items to a create a look brimming with patina and history. So, once I relocated from San Francisco to Bainbridge Island I saw an opportunity to bring my look and approach to the Northwest and started a pop up market on Bainbridge. Fast forward a few months after that and I was signing a lease on a gorgeous storefront in Phinney Ridge.

How would you describe your aesthetic/style?

My basic style is pretty masculine, but I like what I like with no real rules to follow. I adore transferware which can be very feminine to cracked and crusty leather chairs. Toile can excite me as much as using men’s suiting for home accessories.

Phinney Ridge is such a darling neighborhood in Seattle. Besides its charm, why did you decide to open shop there?

This is my neighborhood from my childhood! Like a swallow to Capistrano I returned to my much hipper roots and found a great home in a very cool neighborhood.

Ludlow is so much more than just a “vintage” shop. Tell us about what makes your shop unique from others in the area.

Ludlow is a lifestyle. Although you can find a great deal of curated heritage pieces, you can also find custom furniture, textiles, art and fully stocked larder with many items available just at Ludlow. I love to entertain and will help my client’s in any way that I can to be a better host.

What is your favorite aspect of being a small business owner?

I love my clients. It is really a treat to get to know each and every client and hear what excites them in creating their own homes and environments.

What would you say to someone considering following their own passions or even opening their own retail space one day?

Always follow your passion, work hard, read the signposts and let go of expectations.

Any exciting projects coming up?

I’m very much looking forward to my first Holiday Season at Ludlow.

What’s your favorite home decor tip? Anything you’ve learned along the way that you might be willing to share?

Home design should be an authentic expression of the people who reside in a home. Take risks and show the world what resonates with you and your taste without regard to how you think others may perceive your taste. Mix patterns, eras, materials or whatever suits you and your mood. Move pieces in and out often to freshen things up. Also, never buy inexpensive bedding, you deserve the best.

Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful space Rick. And thank you to lovely Dorothee of Belathee for the amazing capture! Adore you both immensely!

Ludlow Home : 7315 Greenwood Avenue North, Seattle WA 98103. Hours : Wed – Sun 11AM – 630PM

photography credit : belathee photography

I can’t believe my summer adventures in Europe have come already come to an end. I loved every second of the trip (almost!) and although I’m a little bummed to be back to the regular grind of life, I’m left with overwhelming feelings of gratitude and appreciation for my travels abroad for the past month. I’m actually really excited to get back home next week (I’m in Denver today to see family and then off to Lake Tahoe tomorrow) especially since I’ll be going home to a whole new house – so crazy!

In the midst of my daily adventures around the cities I visited in Europe (9 total!), I didn’t avoid popping my head into as many wonderful boutiques and shops I could possibly find. Some of my favorite items and wonderful spots from Berlin, Copenhagen & Sweden…

Industrial Light - Herr Judit, Stockholm Sweden.

Skurduk Kitchen Cloth - Iris Hantverk, Stockholm Sweden.

Gold Clips - Hay, Copenhagen Denmark.

Kelim Cushion - Herr Judit, Stockholm Sweden.

Leather Phone Cover - Grandpa Vintage, Stockholm Sweden.

Grey Laptop Case - R.S.V.P, Berlin Germany.

Frankie Magazine - Paper Cut, Stockholm Sweden.

Leather Jodhpur Boots - & Other Stories, Berlin Germany.

Pie Newspaper - Vanishing Point, Copenhagen Denmark.

Drumroll please! …….. SO excited to be sharing the images from my recent collaboration with a wonderful team of folks down in Raleigh, NC including some close friends that always make “working” feel like nothing but play. I’ve been giving you peeks over the past few weeks of the dinner I styled a while back for Clyde Oak, including videos of all the fun over on The Fresh Exchange, but I think it’s high time to share the final images of the night – the climax of it all coming together.

I’ve said it many times before, but what I loved most about this particular project was the amazing brand I had the pleasure of supporting - Clyde Oak and everything it stands for speaks volumes about what successful branding, a heartfelt vision and a wholesome perspective of the world really looks like – and the opportunity to collaborate with a group of people who strive to live out their passions everyday, and do a damn fine job doing it, made this dinner all the more exciting! There were so many elements that came together to make this lovely dinner happen and I couldn’t have been more thrilled to style so many custom and well intended details. Dinners like this make my life as a stylist “pinch me” perfect.

The evening itself took place at Videri Chocolate Factory (this place is Yum with a capital Y) – there is nothing better than starting a design with a very clean, gorgeous and inspiring foundation. From there the dinner was built from the ground up : I tore long stripes of old pairs of denim to pay tribute to the industry of the South and the hard work of the farm, creating garland that hung high above the tabletop. Arrowhead Collective brought in custom-made tables for the occasion (yes! you heard me! custom for THIS dinner…AND I even got to see them being made! DREAM!). Corey provided a large steel plate which I used as a table runner (rust and all!), and then Megan and I got to layering the table with clear vintage vases filled with fresh herbs, and edible plants, even onion’s pulled straight from the earth outside.

I dip painted garden sticks, which Megan handwrote each guests name on and then we placed them within the “garden” lining the table as place holders. Blue and white tea towels took the place of napkins, vintage flatware, clear glass and crisp white plates finished off each setting. Tree trunks hand cut by Corey were used as seating and perfectly complemented the rustic vibe of the night.

The dinner spread was probably one of my favorite things of the night to style. Using a plethora of soft textiles and boxes for height, I intermixed Videri’s pretty boxed chocolate branding, Milled Co. cutting boards and Capital Club 16′s tasty eats on a Arrowhead Collective table. With the intention of keeping everything looking fresh, clean and crisp the table came together with ease. The greatest pleasure of the night was that everyone who had a hand in making this evening happen also shared in the meal. It was such a special moment and one that I will remember for a long time to come.

Tasty White Whale cocktails and Videri truffles were the perfect addition’s to the farm to table menu – if you haven’t had a chance to try either yet, get on that ASAP! Overall, the night became more than I could have ever imagined. It’s moments like these that make my life so complete and spending time with such an inspiring group of folks was such a thrill. A big thank you to our friend Anna Watson Carl who flew in from NYC to write up a story for Anthology Mag and my sweet friend Jonathan Grant for his help setting up the evening. So blessed to have you both there!

For additional photos and a fun video of our Clyde Oak Simple Evening head over to The Fresh Exchange!

photography credit : mike gilger of wild measure.

I’m actually giddy with excitement to share this new series on the blog today. This new series has been an idea in the making for many many months now (over a year actually) and I can’t believe I’m actually sharing a fresh batch of images from the intro series today!

For the past year or so I’ve had a strong and overwhelming desire to bring food content onto SCOUT. One of my biggest passions in life is eating food (who’s isn’t?!) and I really wanted to share recipes and unique food inspiration through this blog. Right before Christmas last year, I realized that I didn’t want the recipes or perspectives for great food to necessarily come from myself, but rather from a person incredibly passionate about cooking and who lives a lifestyle reflective of healthy and whole eating on a regular basis. I wanted someone to be a part of this blog who finds complete and utter joy in using their hands for the purpose of creating sustenance.

With all of that considered, I also realized that one of my favorite things in the world is the collaborative process and I decided having a collaborative/collective food series would be immensely richer than just a recipe series of me lost in the kitchen. NO really, I rarely have a clue what I’m doing! That’s when the idea came to mind to create a series with my good friends Monica and Seth. Monica and Seth are a husband and wife photography team here in Seattle and their creative strengths expand far outside just photography. Seth in particular is an AMAZING chef and I’ve always been so envious of Monica’s instagram feed as she’s always sharing images of these hearty and beautiful meals Seth prepares for her. I realized that by collaborating with Monica and Seth, we could create a series reflective of all of our strengths : Monica behind the lens, Seth in the kitchen, and me the detail creator and maker.

When I considered names for our series it took me a long while to find a name that fit and felt right. I didn’t want the name to be limiting or too basic, but rather a term that rolled off the tongue and continually made me excited to create. The intention of our series is to share food reflective of season (March, April and May will reflect a spring menu, June, July and August a summer menu and so on and so forth) + our area of the country : the PNW. Seth will be sourcing all of our menu items from local farmers and growers in the PNW region (wine and cocktails included!) and each tabletop that I design will in part also be reflective of the season with which we are sharing it.

When we shot our first dinner a couple week’s back, I still hadn’t come up with a name for the series yet, as I felt the appropriate inspiration would come from the interaction and process of the collaboration – and luckily it did. On that fateful Sunday, while Seth worked his magic amongst his pots, pans and cutlery, while Monica stood on tall chairs and sought out the most appealing light sources, and while I unpacked endless pieces of pretty things, I had an overwhelmingly feeling of being fortunate. Fortunate for the blessing of friendship; fortunate for the ability to create and be inspired without limits; fortunate to be sharing in the beauty AND blessing of food with people whom I admire and love; fortunate to be eating locally sourced and grown healthy food options; and fortunate to be watching all of this come to life.

The images I’m sharing today are the initial process of any food series…sourcing and prepping. Monica was able to capture some unbelievably gorgeous images of Seth at Pike Place Market (the dreamiest place in all of Seattle for foodies) and during his initial process of preparing our first Fortunate Feast. I hope you enjoy these initial images and prepare yourself for an exciting amount of restaurant worthy recipes to come your way!! Later this week I’ll be sharing images from the tabletop design itself and then next will be our first recipe for spring!!

Also, a special thank you to my dear friend Amy for the custom graphics for this new series. Her talents always blow my mind, and I feel so lucky to have her as a part of this collaboration. How cute are those paper clips?! Thank you Amy!

FF Collective : {photography : Monica Hines | food : Seth Hines | styling and art direction : Jenn Elliott Blake | custom graphics & titles : Amy Moore}

I found it only fitting to share the wedding of Michele and Ryan Tansey on the blog this week. This dynamic duo is the couple behind the brilliant and oh so enticing brand : Homestead Seattle. There hasn’t been a time when visiting Homestead’s site or etsy shop that I haven’t found (at least) 1 to 2 to 3 vintage pieces I’ve fallen head over heels for. This couple has such a keen eye for beautiful details, and their ability to scour Craigslist, eBay and local estate sales finding those oh-so -unique treasures is so so inspiring! Their finds are shared and shipped all over the country, and I was lucky enough to incorporate some of their amazing finds into this week’s shoot with Jasmine Star.

Their wedding in their lovely home here in Seattle, WA is hands down one of my favorites…EVER. Their wedding story is incredibly inspiring (and totally genius if you ask me!) as they invested the majority of their wedding budget into home improvements making their efforts and the expense of the day live on far past their wedding day. From the first moment I saw the images from their wedding day (here and here) or their home tour here I instantly knew I liked this couple. Their home is so beautifully curated and each image from their day reflects the love shared between them in the most heartfelt way. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to collaborate with this pair this week, and I hope you’ll stop over here to see what treasures they’ve found this week. Also be sure to follow them on here and here to keep up to date with their amazing work.

photo credit : {kristen marie}

A couple of weeks back I had the pleasure of not only meeting sweet Dorothee of the amazing photography duo Belathee for the first time, but also working with her in creating she and Annabel’s booth for Urban Unveiled here in Seattle. It’s always such a treat to work with other creatives who value and appreciate attention to detail, and I was so so impressed and inspired by Belathee’s booth for the show.

Thanks for including SCOUT. in your booth this year ladies! Wishing you the very best always and especially as you journey into the next wedding season! So happy to have had the chance to get to know you!

photo cred : {belathee photography}

Sorry for the minimal blog posts this week friends. I’ve been slow to get back into the swing of things since getting back home to Seattle on Monday night. Honestly, I’m just really really tired…do you ever feel that way?? Do you ever struggle to get back to your regular routine after time away? I never like admitting that I’m lacking motivation, and I’m not sure if it’s a direct result of fighting off a nasty cold that I caught while I was in Ireland, but I just feel a bit rundown. I’m hoping that a few days of rest before the weekend can help me regain some energy and get excited for the things coming up this fall.

Despite fighting off this wicked bug, I had the BEST day yesterday. Julie Harmsen is quickly becoming one of my most favorite people in the creative industry and any opportunity we get to work together feels like such a blessing. Julie had reached out to me a few weeks back and asked if I’d be interested in styling an upcoming bridal shoot for the lovely Camille of The Dress Theory. The Dress Theory is a brand new (and SUPER beautiful) bridal boutique here in Seattle, and just the mere thought of spending a day with Camille’s gorgeous gowns got me giddy with anticipation.

Yesterday I brought along a bunch of soft and lush furniture pieces from my SCOUT. collection, and along with floral beauties from Rachel of Finch And Thistle, hair and makeup from Jenny Bowker, an adorable cake from Cake Envy, Jules behind the camera & Camille’s super sweet puppy June, we set out to show off some of Camille’s prettiest pieces. I captured this quick pic of the beautiful Kaitlin during one of the shots and am SO SO happy with the choice of that dark grey backdrop…it looked absolutely stunning against Kaitlin’s ivory skin, gorgeous red locks and that Claire Pettibone stunner. I can’t wait to see all of the images from the shoot (capture a sneak peek over on Julie’s blog today!) and am so honored to have styled this fun collaboration. I hope you enjoy this fall inspired color palette too!

Stay tuned for some fun pictures from Lisa & Dave’s irish fete at the lovely Ballyvolane House coming up on the blog tomorrow!

photo cred : {jenn elliott blake via VSCO}

photo cred : {jenn elliott blake}

I’m excited to announce that I’m over on The Fresh Exchange today! Megan is traveling through Europe and I feel so honored to stop by her blog and share my essentials for traveling. With all of my frequent trips lately, I’ve needed to become a fast packer and these essentials are things I make sure to never leave home without no matter how little time I have to pack.

Head over to Megan’s blog today for my complete list of travel must haves – thanks for having me Megan! I hope your adventures are all you dreamed of and more!

Also, a BIG BIG thank you to my new friend Katie. I had the pleasure of working with Katie on a wedding a couple weeks back in Ireland and collaborating with her on this post was a dream! Planning to create many many more images together in the future!

styling cred : {jenn elliott blake} photo cred : {katie stoops} image for guest post on : {the fresh exchange}