boy oh boys

Growing up in a family of all girls I could never have imaged the life in store for me. After twenty years of marriage, a wonderful husband and two incredible sons; 16 and 18, I feel blessed. My house on a daily basis might have two boys (young men) or twenty. As a designer and a stylist I love for things to look a certain way. BUT, and it is a big but…I’ve given up some of my interior wants for a stress free existence (I’m only talking interiors). Because, at the end of the day, or during the day, I refuse to worry about furniture or my interiors. Here are some suggestions that have worked for me.


Leather: I love linen, the lighter the better but not in this house, not with teen-agers. Distressed leather has become my old faithful; it’s practically indestructible. In the past when one of my sons carved his name in the leather with his fingernail, I was able to rub the evidence out. Spills of every beverage know to man have occurred but are long forgotten .Because my leather is dark, I’ve opted for white walls, I love the contrast…Benjamin Moore white…  hand prints on ceilings, walls and baseboards can easily be washed off (Mr. Clean miracle sponge is another of my all time favorite cleaning tools). The leather backdrop gives me the opportunity to add any color accessory for an added pop. Light blue pillows made with a sunbrella type fabric look as clean as the day I picked them up. Which brings me to another great tool…Performance Fabrics: They aren’t just for outdoors anymore. I use them for sofas, chairs, pillows, etc. There are so many options now a day. I love their durability and I love not having to worry about spills or shoes marks on pillows. They clean up so well, Patterns, florals, solids are all available and affordable.

Kid friendly furniture is another must for stress free living with boys. When I say kid friendly I mean furniture that has been around for a while that has lots of history, lot’s of character. Take for example my farmhouse kitchen table, I picked it up at the Brimfield flea market for $150.oo. It has cracks and dings and spots all over it. But, it looks great and I never, ever, ever worry about scratches, hot pans, run off crayon marks from my nieces or red wine stains.

Sometimes I look at magazines longingly , wanting that certain look and feel; quite different from what I have and then one  son walks into the room juggling fruit and the other is sprawled out on the couch eating salsa and chips and I think…I love my house…

Mitchell Gold distress leather sofa and sunbrella covered fabric pillow allow for stress free living. The small stools are from Brimfield and are my modern day tv trays ($25 each).
My Brimfield farmhouse table that has endured so much but looks so great.