Details from the Designer - Vol. 18

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There is a lot to fill you in on.

For starters, Our Space opens back up on Tuesday, September 8 after taking the summer off. If you’re not familiar with Our Space, it is the retail branch of Gray Oak Studio. It started as a sweet, local home decor shop that morphed into a one-stop haven for gifts, home decor and even fashion. We are incredibly proud to highlight products from women owned, local businesses. Head to the website to see a list of just a few.

Next, Gray Oak is about to embark on a two month photography marathon. We are finishing five projects between September and October. Everything from two of coolest home offices we’ve ever decorated to the biggest stair landing in studio history to a media room/whiskey bar. Yes, whiskey bar. Instagram is always the best place to see the latest and greatest. Speaking, did you catch any of our Oxbow reveal?

Oxbow Project Dining room

Oxbow project powder room

Finally, we are changing our Style & Answered sessions just a little. Instead of one hour every month, we’re doing four hours in October and another four hours in the spring. Big, meaty sessions for me to dig my design teeth into. So, mark your calendar for Friday, October 2nd from 8 am - 12 pm. I will be at our studio (12 Centre Court in Lynnfield) and excited to tackle all your design questions/problems/ideas. Bring photos, architectural drawings and measurements. It is FREE advice. No catch.

Styling Breakdown

I’m going to depart from the typical source links to decor to share some bigger picture advice on a problem that many (many) of you are dealing with: long, narrow living rooms. And even more complicated are long, narrow living rooms with a door or window on every wall.

Friends, meet our Crestwood Project. This long, narrow, awkward living room is oh so common in New England. Below you will see three different layout options we came up with. All work, all will be beautiful. This is functional preference, not an aesthetic preference. So let’s weigh the pros and cons.

OPTION 1

PROS: If someone loves/needs a chaise with their sofa, lots of diverse seating.

CONS: There isn’t a ton of floor space and you are navigating around furniture at every turn, the relationship between the chaise and the corner chair isn’t may favorite (oversized seating on one side of the room, standard seating on the other…it feels a little heavy on the chaise side).

OPTION 2

PROS: If more than one someone loves/needs a chaise with their sofa, symmetry.

CONS: It’s even more squishy than option 1 with less seating, not a lot of surface for drinks/phones/laptops/feet, sectional corners and chaises are not typically used when there is a crowd (they become dead space).

OPTION 3

PROS: No dead corners of the sofa when there’s a crowd (people avoid sectional corners and chaises in a group setting), diverse seating, the most roomy and the most surfaces of the three options.

CONS: No lounging. This room is designed for large groups, not long movie watching.

What’s your favorite? Which would you choose? Leave a comment if you dare. I’m not sure that’s a thing anymore. Do people still comment on blog posts?

Fashion Finds

These sneakers are the only thing I purchased at this year’s Nordstrom anniversary sale. And I love them. The pink/brown combo is so good.

 
 

I’m sort of, kind of feeling the recycling of 1990s fashion. I’ll never go back to low rise jeans. Though, that’s arguably more of a mom, 40-something thing. But, I love a flannel shirt. I really do. Those little butterfly hair clip thingies? Pass. But, the accessory scarf (versus cold weather scarf) is a welcome comeback. Or, as we used to call them, the pashmina. Below are a few a like (images are linked).

Keeping Myself Busy

I’ve been ripping through books this summer. It’s been an absolute delight. My favorite was The God of the Woods. My most recent was This Book Could Save Your Life. My bookclub discussion was Strangers.

I watched Off Campus.

I’m a huge Instagram recipe person. I could watch people make delicious meals in short, well produced 45 second clips all day long. AND, I spent quite a bit of time in France this summer. So, my feed is officially full of French chefs and it’s glorious. Camille Chamignon is a favorite.

I started writing, again. I’ve had a life long dream of writing a book…my whole life long (that’s how life long dreams work, I suppose). Ten minutes a day minimum. Let’s see where this takes me.

Our Space Events

I’ve already jumped ahead and shared an October event, but let’s back up to September. I’ll spoil a bunch of upcoming promotions that we have planned. But first, here are our September store hours:

  • Sunday and Monday - CLOSED

  • Tuesday - 10 am - 2 pm

  • Wednesday - 10 am - 6 pm

  • Thursday - 10 am - 6 pm

  • Friday - 10 am - 6 pm

  • Saturday - 10 am - 6 pm

Lynnfield Toddler Sweatshirts - Right now, you can pre-order the cutest and coolest sweatshirts around! We are ordering them in sizes 2T, 4T and 5/6. Click the link and fill out an order form. Once your order form and payment is received, you’ll receive a confirmation of order email. We anticipate them being ready for pick up the week following Labor Day.

 
 

September 8 - 11 - Our annual back to school book sale. ALL book and book related items (think bookends) are 20% off.

September 15-18 - We will feature a new sale every day on product from some of our favorite New England based, women owned businesses.

September 22 - 25 - Lynnfield swag will be on sale: tshirts, blankets, key chains, mugs, hats…all of it.


Looking forward to sharing a lot of exciting design this fall. Thanks for watching, reading, listening, commenting, following and supporting. I’m so appreciative.

- Leah

*This post contains affiliate links*



Details from the Designer - Vol. 17

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March is here. Phew. Whether you’re from the Boston area or not, I’m sure you’re well aware of the amount of snow this winter has brought. As I edit this post the night before I send it off (3/3) we just got a couple fresh inches. For a family who loves to ski (like mine), it has mostly been a lot of fun. That said, ski family or not, I’m over it. We’ve skied enough. We’ve experienced enough fresh powder and plenty of bluebird days. I’m done. HAHAHA. But seriously, I am.

And not a minute too soon because, circling back, March is here. March brings all the hope and excitement of a chapter turn. We are in the month where it will change. We may have another few inches ahead (hopefully not), but by the end of March spring will be in the air. Knowing the end is truly in sight, visually on the calendar, is the reality I need.

Styling Breakdown

 

Pierce Project guest bedroom

 

The guest bedroom from our Pierce Project is a great template to apply to your own home for a quick, fun DIY upgrade.

Fashion Finds

I am continually impressed by the quality and fit of Quince clothing. I made two purchases last month and love them both. This sweater is excellent. It’s cotton and ivory and will be great year around, but I’m thinking it’ll be a key wardrobe addition as the weather warms up slightly. I’ll just have to be thoughtful not to put it in the dryer! My achilles heel. I tend to throw everything in and walk away.

 
 

This black shirt is a Vuori dupe. I have the Vuori version from years ago and I honestly might like this better. The price certainly helps with that opinion.

 
 

Keeping Myself Busy

I’m an Olympic super fan. I spent a lot of the February watching literally everything. I even found myself emotionally invested in curling and riveted by “boopgate”.

I’ve been working on some vacation planning and found ChatGPT to be an excellent partner in research. From big picture questions like “Please recommend 3 all-inclusive beachside hotels in warm weather locations (75 degrees or more during the day) with a direct flight from Boston and under 30 minutes of travel time from the airport to the hotel” to more granular questions like “Please compare these 3 all-inclusive hotels in terms of customer reviews, restaurant options, pool options, and spa services.” You can start the search by listing the size of your family, age of your family members and any special factors (gluten free, asthma, pet friendly, etc.). Then dig into the research that will be all within the context of your unique family.

I finished reading My Friends and began First Lie Wins.

Our Space Events

I’m incredibly excited to share that Olive & Fig is hosting a charcuterie making event at Our Space on Thursday, March 12 from 7-8:30 pm. It is a ticked event and you can purchase yours HERE. You will learn how to elevate your hosting game with an incredible charcuterie creation tutorial. Or, bring these skills to the party as a guest. Guaranteed you’ll get more invites.

Cheers to sunshine on the way (next week!).

- Leah

Details from the Designer - Vol. 16

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Well, hello there. You may, or may not, have noticed that I took a cool 14 months off from blogging. Basically, 2025 was REALLY busy! The first full year of running Our Space played a part in that, plus all those design projects. We completed 26 full service projects last year and 52 Designer for a Day consultations. That’s a beautiful year.

Styling Breakdown

Rather than show you one space with all the nitty gritty details, I’m going to show you a whole bunch of new spaces with a link to the star moment of each. Side note: you can always head to our LTK page for tons of link to actual and dupe products.

Smith Living Room

SEAVIEW FORMAL ENTRY

Smith Living Room - Semi flush mount light fixture (HERE). It comes in a 5 light version, as seen, and a 3 light version.

Seaview Formal Entry - This foyer table no longer exists. But we found two look-a-likes. One in black (HERE) and one in natural wood (HERE). The wood and stone combo is really special and adds a lot to the whole scene.

Deer Sitting Room

Ember Primary Bedroom (pre BaseBoard Install!)

Deer Sitting Room - This swivel chair is so cute and stylish. The French seam adds a great detail that elevates the entire look. It comes in three colors, we chose the white for this room but it’s more of a creamy ivory beige in real life.

Ember Primary Bedroom - This floor mirror is simple, yet so interesting. It’s the little things that go a long way to making a piece feel special, like this squared base that seamlessly meets the pill shaped frame.

Fashion Finds

As you would expect, most of my recent fashion finds have come from Our Space. We are currently carrying By Together clothing and just added a few gorgeous pieces from MOD REF. The best way to see what’s in store is to head to our Our Space Instagram page. Or, of course, pop into the store. For February, we are open Tuesday - Friday from 10 am - 6 pm and closed the week of February 16-20. We are constantly changing our hours as we figure out the rhythm of retail, so please be sure to check Instagram for changes, which seem to happen monthly.

Beyond Our Space, I bought myself this new band for my apple watch from Quince. And I really love it. I’ve worn it in the shower once accidentally and in a hot tub once accidentally. It’s held up no problem. I chose the 38mm - 42mm and it’s a great fit. I keep it on the tightest hole for workouts (I’m not a person who switches up my band based on the occasion) or second tightest hole for everyday life and it’s very comfortable.

 
 

Keeping Myself Busy

I finished reading The Court of Thorns series was mostly a wonderfully fun page turner. Book 4 got a bit slow, but I powered through and Book 5 was great. I learned that another book coming later this year, which makes sense because so many questions remain unanswered. I’m currently reading My Friends by Fredrick Backman. I love it. The quirky tone reminds me of Lessons in Chemistry, which remains a favorite (although I didn’t like the limited series, couldn’t get past 2 episodes).

I’ve been watching Pluribus and The Pitt.

I’ve been writing. Both hand written notes throughout the day and some creative writing.

I went to the Cliffhouse in Maine for a weekend it was magical. It’s an annual tradition. Supersized hot tub (mentioned earlier…wore my new watchband in there), best dinner ever at Walkers, and the best bathrobes in the world.

Our Space Events

The final Friday of February (2/27) will be Styled & Answered form 9-10 am. This is a hour of free design from yours truly. Come by Our Space with all your photos, architectural drawings, questions and shopping list. I’m excited to chat and help.

With a little time management, and luck, I’ll be back next month.

Cheers, Leah