The mercury is supposed to rise to 104 today. Welcome to the Texas summer. I for one cringe at the thought of cooking, yet that tub of spring mix keeps glaring back at me from the fridge in a challenge. "What are you gonna do with me, huh? Tomatoes again?!" So, a quick peruse of the recipes from our friends at Sur la Table got me inspired with some fresh summer salads, pizzas you can bake on the grill and refreshing summer bevvies to keep you cool and relaxed. OH, and might want to dust off the slow cooker, you'll never believe what we're gonna use it for!

Snappy Salads
If your garden overfloweth, or you just go a bit nuts at the farmer's market, these salads are just the remedy you were looking for. The Summer Salad with Apricots and Burrata combine that tub of spring greens mix with arugula, prosciutto and all kinds of other goodies from the garden in a taste explosion that rivals the best fireworks. The Grilled Corn, Asparagus and Tomato Salad will use up all those other fresh finds in a unique grilled salad. Serve them up on the gorgeous Positano melamine dinnerware and wait for the oohs and aahs. 

Eye-popping Pizzas
The idea of pizzas cooked on the grill seems like a no brainer. Who really wants to heat their oven up to 500 degrees in the middle of summer? This outdoor pizza stone is the trick to creating amazing gourmet pizzas in a flash. While I love a good ol traditional sausage and mushroom pizza, it's also fun to try a mashup of different ingredients. The Prosciutto and Goat Cheese Pizza adds leeks for a subtle onion flavor. And to be honest, everything is better with goat cheese. For a bit more spice, try the Leek, Chorizo and Manchego Pizza. 

Salivating Sips
That deep orangy-red drink you see on cafe tables around 5:00 all over Italy and France is an Aperol Spritz. Technically an aperitif, it's slight bitter taste is supposed to increase your appetite for dinner, it has become one of my favorite summer cocktails. Switch out the lemonade at your next pool party for this Grapefruit Faux-jito served in a glass beverage jar. We won't tell if you decide to spike it a bit. 

Oh So Sweet!
Have you been waiting for us to get back to the slow cooker? Wait for it. It's brownies. No, I haven't tried them so let me know if you take the plunge. Again, who wants to turn on the oven these days? The other cool as a cucumber treat is just that, Cucumber Mint Pops made in this handy dandy pop mold. These are a grown-up version, but you can easily leave out the tequila. (Said no one, ever).

Ok, when do we eat? 

So, we may have gone a bit overboard on our swatches last week when we visited the Dallas Design District. The whole team scoured showrooms for fabric and wallpaper swatches and then three shopping bags later, we hauled our goodies back to the office. It was a bit like Christmas morning. You all know how much we love color and well, we definitely found some amazing textiles that we can't wait to incorporate in to our clients' homes. 

Andrew Martin's new Hacienda Collection is inspired by Mexican art and wildlife and just make us so happy. The vibrant patterns and colors of the traditional dress of Oaxacan women provide additional inspiration. 

Another line we fell in love with is from John Robshaw and features traditional block printed textiles from India with whimsical motifs of elephants and birds. The indigo dyed collections are gorgeous and we are big fans of the mixing and matching of prints.  One of these days we need to take a field trip to India to check out this block printing in person. Who's in?

With the addition of our latest treasures, the hoard has grown so much, our basket storage system is about at capacity. Guess it's time to reorganize. 

Yesterday our design team took a field trip to the Dallas Design District to check out the latest in furniture, decor, and fabric. These are just a few of our favorite trends that we spotted and can't wait to incorporate them in to our clients' homes. It was also good to know that the blues that we love to use so much aren't going anywhere. Not that we would change our tune anyway.  

Feeling Blue
Indigo prints and ticking stripes were in the most unexpected places, including light fixtures and furniture. We loved this ticking stripe covered table trimmed in leather. Perfect for a beach house! And these indigo dyed fabric chandeliers are just the right amount of bohemian chic. 

Bad to the Bone
Bone inlay is a hot trend that we just love. Lamps, vases, mirrors and the most gorgeous bed side table we've seen in a while.

New Neutrals
Neutral color palettes are anything but boring when infused with texture and unique design. These whimsical jute pillows are the perfect accent to the black and white bedding, and this unique chandelier combines iron, wood and linen panels in a way that is both rustic and modern. Lastly, this gorgeous bleached teak stool is accented with embedded glass covered in resin

 Check back on Monday when we share with you all the yummy textiles we found. Happy Summer Solstice, get out there and enjoy the day!  

Our latest big project has been a lakehouse out in Athens, TX. While it's not 100% complete yet, we are so excited with how it turned out, we had to share. The homeowners gave us free reign to unleash our creativity and style, which of course makes us happier than a pig in mud. The original storyboard for the dining room had only a minor change when we found the amazing zebra artwork. Considering the location of the property has for real ZEBRAS roaming around, it just seemed appropriate. Then we happened upon these adorable zebra plates and well, that sealed the deal. 

Since it is a vacation home, we didn't really need to have a ton of kitchen storage, so we chose to install the floating shelves on the long wall. The rustic wood shelves give a nice contrast to the concrete tile backsplash and sleek quartz counter tops. Kitchen cabinets are painted Bunglehouse Blue from Sherwin Williams, which when you look at the color online proves once again that you can't judge a color on the screen. We echoed the color in the rug under the dining room table to provide a bit of continuity.

The homeowner had two embroidered placemats that she bought on a recent vacation to Mexico and we framed those to go over the sink and on the floating shelves. It's such a fun, cheerful room. How can you not be happy here?

Resources: 
Dining room table: Joss & Main
Dining bench: Wisteria
End chairs: Serena & Lily
Side chairs: Wayfair
Rug: Rugs USA

As you by now surely now, we are a huge fan of color. Lots of color, mix and match color. Textured color. Unexpected color. One of the reasons for that is the energy that color conveys. While we appreciate calm and serene neutrals, there is just something about the vibrancy and "happy pops" that a colorful room conveys. In the latest issue of 817 Home Magazine, Shauna talks about her design influences and how color plays such a huge part of her aesthetic. Shauna also believes that your house should be a reflection of your life, so she encourages clients to bring out treasures they have acquired from family or travel and incorporate them in to the decor of a room. When you surround yourself with favorite pieces, it just brings even more joy to a space. "I think everyone needs color. There's just something about a neutral backdrop and happy pops, especially if it's carried throughout a room." Read more here. 

It's summer time, June is flying by and July is quickly approaching. We have put together some ideas for your Fourth of July party. Whether it's at your lake house, beach house, or your backyard pool, these are some fun and creative ideas to celebrate the good 'ol USA.

Fun, festive and fizzy beverages will liven up any party!

C'mon, everyone comes to the party for the food!

Setting the table is my favorite part. How cute are those painted pineapples?

Party games will keep the kids entertained. And might just engage the grown-ups too.

Speaking of the kids, they will LOVE this dessert table!

Keep beverages cool all day long with these great ideas!

Having trouble finding something for the awesome father in your life? Look no further! We've put together some great ideas for Dad including travel gear, grilling essentials, stylish accessories and the best tech gadgets. Click on the photos to purchase the product. 

School's out which means we're all going to be spending more time outside. We've rounded up our favorite (on trend) outdoor living furniture and accessories. 

Favorite pillows! (click on the photo for the link to the product)

Stay cool in the shade with these fun umbrellas.

Keep your feet cool and stay off the hot ground with these trendy rugs.

Gather around outside with your family on these awesome furniture pieces.

Looking to entertain? Here are some great dinnerware options.

Relax in the pool with these fun and flirty floats.

​Cool off by the pool with this tasty Watermelon Mojito. *Remember to drink responsibly*