Pet Stairs for the Chic Home

4 Step Ivory Slipcovered Pet Stairs @ CCC

Many of us have small, senior, or pets with delicate backs who we don't want jumping on and off of beds or furniture. Pet steps are great for this purpose, but many ramps and stairs are way too ugly for my home. I have found safe, good looking, and affordable pet stairs. I ordered this one in ivory and to me it looks like it could be from somewhere like Serena & Lily. It looks like it is slipcovered in white cotton duck or canvas like many beach house sofas are.

The Blue and White Living Room

Jorge Elias

 A stunningly beautiful blue and white living room with so much inspiration - lots of blue and white Chinese porcelain, a mini bar, those elephants, orchids, a white slipcovered sofa, books, and gorgeous art. 

When I was in law school, I lived in a very grand house in Georgetown. So grand that it was rented by Joe and Rose Kennedy to house the Kennedy clan for JFK's inauguration. When I was living there, every spring the owners would take up all the oriental rugs and replace them with jute and seagrass and slipcover all the sofas and chairs in white cotton duck. The windows were all washed, silk drapes removed, and a spring house cleaning was done including the garden and pool.

I learned lots about running a house and still love the ritual of spring cleaning. Yesterday I hand washed all the screens in my lanai indoors and out! It looks wonderful. When I finished, I made an Old Fashioned and sat in the lanai at sunset. This is the life.

Amanda Lindroth and Old Florida

Tommy Bahama/Kayu

I had a lovely day in the garden yesterday and got lots done. I did take an hour to come inside for a great Zoom presentation by Amanda Lindroth. I find many of these interior design zooms I get invitations to are a waste of my time and I either leave it or multi-task, but this one was wonderful. She spent much of it talking about growing up in Florida in the sixties and seventies and Florida style and of course the Bahamas where she is based now. She talked about....

*Jack Rogers sandals that I live in - 

Jack Rogers - Southern Living

*Slim Aarons photography and vintage Lilly Pulitzer. Amanda mentioned the smell of the Lilly Pulitzer store because of the unique smell of the fabric and how when you shopped at Lilly in Palm Beach they would wrap your purchase in a cellophane bag with ribbons matching the fabric you chose. 

Slim Arrons - Vintage Lilly Pulitzer

*The John Deering estate in Miami that I would love to visit -

Vizcaya

*I was fascinated to learn that she grew up in a stark Danish modern house as did I as our styles now are very similar and not at all like the homes we grew up in. She said she had to learn about pattern and color because her mother slipcovered everything in white cotton duck. The house I lived in during law school was very grand and in the summers the owners pulled up all the antique oriental rugs and covered all the furniture in white cotton duck. It's a great look. Bunny Williams does this in light blue in her Punta Cana home.

Bunny Williams

*Since moving to Florida, I rarely buy cut flowers and Amanda mentioned how in the Bahamas they are very hard to come by and very expensive, so she cuts palm fronds and bougainvillea and gardenias from the garden. I have lots of palms and bougainvillea, and would love a gardenia bush, but have read they are difficult. I would love to plant one near the lanai to enjoy the smell while sitting out there.

Gardenia

 *That every room needs books even if you don't read them  - I'm not sure she meant the kitchen and bathrooms - LOL - but I agree.

Bunny Williams

There are so many more gems to share I think I will do a Part 2 of this post. Hope you enjoyed it. And that cute little raffia pouch pictured at the top arrives today in the mail.