How amazing is it when Mother Nature complies with the calendar and the first day of fall blows in with overnight lows in the 50s? Yes, daytime highs will still creep toward 90 for the next week or so, but here's hoping that cool breeze lingers on. 
Our inbox has been overflowing with new fall merchandise from some of our favorite brands and considering all the issues the design world has had with supply chain and production, it's encouraging to see that there actually IS new stuff! One of our favorites, Serena & Lily is known for their California Cool aesthetic and was selling wicker and rattan way before it was a "thing".  Their easy, breezy color palette is inspired by the calm colors of the beach, and the rich textures of sand and rock. For fall, these colors layered with terracotta, ochre and a saturated chartreuse green, will easily transform your home to the warm and cozy nest you can't wait to burrow in to. 

1.Dip Dye Oval Stool--Whether holding bath essentials or your favorite plant, this teak stool is one of our favorite accents.
2. Cuesta Pillow Cover Chartreuse--We're having a love affair with green lately and this is just about the yummiest pillow we've seen.
3.Pacifica Outdoor Sconce--Yes, outdoor! Who says the indoors gets all the cool lighting?
4. Bellport Guest Towels--Woven from Turkish cotton, you'll want to have a second set just for you.
5. Positano Linen Duvet Cover Terracotta-The ideal temperature regulating fabric, linen is our favorite choice for fall bedding.
6. South Seas Side Cart--Bring the cocktail lounge to any room with this sleek black rattan cart.
7.Fisherman's Knit Throw Ochre--Exactly what you would expect a fisherman's knit to feel like; chunky, cozy and worthy of an afternoon nap.
8.Blake Raffia Nightstand Indigo--A quick and easy way to update the bedroom and like your favorite pair of jeans, they can go with anything.
9.Larchmont Mirror--Pretty sure our 1970s living room had a mirror just like this. Everything old is new again.
There's loads more new arrivals to check out AND through October 4, save 20% during the Fall Design Event with code NEWSEASON. So head on over to Serena & Lily and find your own favorites for fall, or hop on over to our Shop section for more of our top picks.
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If you've been here longer than a hot minute, you'll know that while we follow and comment on color trends, at the end of the day, we're gonna do our own thing. And we encourage our clients and friends to do their own thing too. We don't do "matchy matchy", we believe firmly in the philosophy of "if you love it, it goes", and we get super excited when we can push the limits of color and pattern in a space and it turns out even better than we envisioned. Last year when Pantone announced the Color of the Year for 2020, Classic Blue, we appreciated the choice in that it was made in the attempt to assure us that everything was going to be OK. It was safe, dependable, dare I say, patriotic. Looking back, it appears that the Universe thought that choice was laughable and gave us plenty of reasons to protest such a confident color. Covid Red might have been the better option. 
For 2021, Pantone decided there would be not one but two Colors of the Year; Ultimate Gray and Illuminating. Maybe they learned their lesson in not putting all the chips on one bet? 

According to the Pantone website, these colors are "A marriage of color conveying a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting."
We see you, Ultimate Gray, as the pillar of concrete strength and practicality. We firmly set our design aesthetic on a room with a neutral base that often includes pale gray walls that are both practical and versatile. Gray has quickly surpassed tan and brown as the neutral of choice when buying a sofa or other large furniture item. It instantly gives an element of sophistication to a room.
Illuminating immediately has me singing "Sunshine Day" in my head, and maybe that was the intent. We could definitely use some sunshine in our lives right now and seriously when has a yellow pillow or yellow tulips not made you smile? Plus with the popularity of Ochre last fall, a brighter, sunnier yellow is a great transition to spring. 

Now, is SGD going to ever design a room in gray and yellow? No. BUT, we are fully on board with incorporating elements of this color duo in to a room and have curated an assortment of products to get you up to speed on this trend. Check out our Color of the Year Shop here and some of our top picks below. 

So tell us, what are your thoughts on these color choices? What would your pick be? If you have some great yellow and gray rooms you'd like to share, we would love to see them! 
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For those of you who maybe didn't read our New Year's Day post on Instagram, let me share with you, as it pertains to how 2021 is going to go.

​Welcome to 2021.
Here are the official rules. Please follow accordingly or you may be forced to go back to the bad place. DON’T LOOK BACK AT IT, ARE YOU CRAZY?
No skipping, no jumping, no sashaying, no beatboxing, no yodeling, no scatting, no singing of any kind, and there’s to be absolutely no moonwalking. Use your manners, speak quietly, hum to yourself if you must, but for God’s sake, nothing from Nickelback. Keep your head down, don’t make direct eye contact, and don’t touch anything. If you dare speak about how this is your year, YOU WILL BE PUNCHED IN THE FACE and could face deportation back to the bad place. Keep your confidence low and your expectations lower. If you do these things you may just be OK. But I wouldn’t hold my breath, it’s early.
May the force be with you on your journey.
​Happy New Year!

OK, I know, don't look back. BUT indulge us for a moment because despite all the s**t 2020 threw at us, we did have some pretty great moments here at SGD. Shauna celebrated her 50th birthday with a trip to Morocco and Portugal (that she still has yet to write about here), we got some editorial love from local and national magazines, we met some amazing artists and fellow creatives, and you, our fans and followers have blown us away with your likes and comments on social media. 
And with that, we'd like to share our Top 3 Posts of 2020 and thank all of you for the follows, shares, comments, messages and for supporting SGD in bringing color and love and tacos and the opposite of seriousness to the world. We couldn't do this without you. 

The #3 most popular photo was of Shauna's kitchen in her new home. Specifically the Big Chill orange fridge. Go big or go home, right? 

#2 most popular photo was of the guest room in Shauna's old house. We loved this room as it served as Shauna's "playroom" to test out new ideas. And it was always ready in a pinch for a photo shoot.

And the #1 most popular photo for 2020 was this bathroom reno we did in January. Thank God we finished in time for our client to have this beautiful space to escape to as her kids trudge through week 87 of quarantine.

That's it. No more looking back. On to bigger and better and more amazing things for 2021. Now go eat some cake, you deserve it!