How To Choose the Right Size Rug + How To Use Accessories to Style Your Home + My Favorite Products + My Fall Apart Chicken Recipe.
Design Tip:
How To Choose The Right Size Rug For Your Living Room
I know it can be hard to find the perfect rug for your living room that doesn’t break the bank, but in your effort to save money don’t do the “too small rug” option it just doesn’t work and rugs are a pain in the neck to return.
Typical living room rug sizes are 8x10 and 9x12. You want to make sure your rug is at least 6”-8” wider than your sofa on both sides. Run the rug the length of your sofa for obvious reasons. Ideally all legs of your sofa are on the rug, but not always do you have that luxury depending on your space. If you intend for all your pieces to be on the rug leave 8” around the perimeter so it doesn’t appear to be on the edge or falling off. Try and give yourself 10”- 18” between rug and wall and more if you have the space, this way it won’t look like wall to wall carpet. If your sofa is up against a wall this rule can be bent to accommodate. My go-to style is almost always the front legs and up to 1/3 of the sofa sitting on the rug, the back of the sofa floating off the rug. This can make your room feel spacious even if it’s not. By all means do not buy a too small rug and float it in front of your sofa, this makes your room feel small, like a sad little island, and it’s the grounding piece to your living room so it needs to be right.
Product Of The Week:
My Favorite Diffuser and Essential Oils
I absolutely love a good diffuser and the benefits of diffusing essential oils. Diffusers release cleansing molecules into your air that work to purify it, not overload it with unhealthy chemicals. They can help with sleep, stress, anxiety, bacteria in the air, congestion and so much more, plus they smell divine. I have tried so many inexpensive one’s that work great but only last a month or two. I received this one over a year ago as a gift from my guy and I love it. It makes our space smell amazing but it’s so pretty it doubles as decor. The oils are also amazing from Vitruvi, you literally cannot go wrong here. Vitruvi offers a bunch of color ways and a whole line of beautifully packaged oils. You can shop them here. Enjoy!
Recipe Of The Week:
I LOVE this recipe because it’s so damn easy and people make happy sounds when I serve it. It really is that good. I make this for all my Mexican themed parties and when I have meat eaters in the house. I have been know to eat a little myself because like I said, it really is that GOOD. It’s great for tacos, served over rice or for chicken taco bowls, it’s super moist and fall apart yummy. You can even make it in a crockpot if you prefer. I always use my cast iron skillet but hey sometimes you need a little help, just make sure you brown it like the instructions state before you place it in the crockpot and cook for 5-6 hours on low or 2-3 on high. Trust me your people will ask for more.
Cilantro Lime Chicken
Ingredients:
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
Avocado Oil
6 garlic cloves roughly chopped
1c. dry white wine
2 limes, juice of
2c. chicken broth
1 bunch cilantro stems removed + chopped, more for garnish
Spice Mix:
1Tbsp. seasoning salt
1tsp. sweet Spanish paprika
1tsp black pepper
1Tbs garlic powder
1/2tsp. ground nutmeg
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
In a small bowl, mix the spices. Pat the chicken thighs dry, and season each thigh on both sides with the spice mix. Let the chicken thighs sit in room temperature for about 15 minutes.
Brown the chicken. When ready, heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a cast iron skillet (with a lid). Brown the chicken thighs deeply on both sides in the heated oil. Remove from skillet and set aside briefly.
Lower the heat and deglaze the skillet with the white wine. Let cook to reduce and then add the broth. Bring the liquid to a simmer then add the lime juice and garlic.
Now. return the chicken to the skillet and toss in the cilantro. Bring to a high-simmer for about 5 minutes or so.
Cover the skillet with the lid and transfer to the heated oven for 45 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through.
Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with more cilantro, if you like.
I hope you love it as much as we do!
Styling Tip Of The Week:
How To Use Accessories To Style Your Home.
I realize that not everyone understands the magnitude of a great placed accessory but with a few solid tips you should be able to accessorize your home to make impactful moments for you and your family and friends.
Don’t try too hard, or overthink it. Accessories pull all the pieces of your room or vignette together. You may not need as many as you think. A simple object on a small stack of books can make a great statement and pull one area together such as your coffee table.
Find a balance. Every object has weight, you need to add contrast and visual weight to any grouping or vignette. Maybe add a stack of books for height or balance, a lamp or a vase with greens that balances out a longer space such as a console, dresser or entry table.
Use personal items. Use things that you have collected and possibly they will be great conversation starters. I like to use things like beach wood I gathered on a trip to the beach, small nicely framed family photos, my vintage childhood ski boots and my grandmother’s baby shoes. I LOVE to incorporate things that we have gathered from our past.
Use different textures together to create harmony and interest. Think elements like wood, fabric, greens, and metals. Use them together often.
When I was staging high-end Seattle homes we often threw together lots of vignettes from bookshelves to coffee tables and it often involved a stack of 2-3 books in neutral shades, a small plant or green plant ball, a vase for height and a candle. Easy peasy, once you can handle that the sky is the limit! Here is a list of simple items to gather for styling most areas in your home.
Neutral books, you can find books for $1 at the dollar store. Choose books with black, white or beige spines. You will have to strip each cover off to reveal the book color. Toss the jackets.
Faux or live small potted plants.
Decorative balls, you can find these in green (plant like), wood or plaster and even wrapped in rope or twine. Starbursts and eurchins work well too. These are great for texture.
Mala beads or wooden chains are on trend right now and add interest.
Personal items. Think vintage.
Trays, baskets or chargers can contain your vignette and add interest as well.
Fresh eucalyptus in small vases for tabletop, place setting or sink side vignettes or large glass vases in an entry or kitchen counter is a great way to create a dramatic effect on the cheap. I often skip the fresh florals and grab a eucalyptus mix from the grocery store floral department.
Have fun with it, gather some items and give it a try!
Beauty Tip Of The Week:
I Tried It. The Skincare Product Hollywood’s Most Beautiful Women Swear By.
Shani Darden is Hollywood’s go-to guru for ageless complexions. Her own face should serve as proof that she gets mega results from her science-driven approach. Apparently, I should have started using a retinol years ago, but I have to admit I was a little confused by retinols and just never took the time. Retinol is coveted as an anti-aging formula because of its powerful ability to stimulate collagen production and skin cell turnover, effectively resurfacing the complexion's surface area to uncover brighter, tauter, and more even skin. Needless to say, I am loving this product and it has earned a permanent spot on my vanity. You can get your Retinol Reform here for just $88. #glowing
Thank you for stopping by, I love having you here. xoxo
