My Work: Eclectic Style Model Home, Southern California

Hello my lovely readers! I'm still here, working away and keeping busier than ever. I've missed you all so much and have had some life-changing events happen recently that have re-inspired me to get back into blogging and connect more with the design world. I've been a busy mom to two boys (4 and 22 months) and am pregnant with our third - a baby GIRL due in September!!!

 I'm still working full time as a designer for a firm specializing in designing and merchandising model homes - an industry that's booming and keeping us very busy with projects. It's a great job and I've had the privilege of designing, from top to bottom and everything in between, about 40+ homes in the last 3 years. Needless to say, I have a lot of projects to share with you and look forward to doing so over the next several months.

 Today I wanted to share some raw/unedited/non-Photoshopped snapshots of a job I designed about 18  months ago. What really made this otherwise ordinary tract home stand out were the 13ft ceilings in the open living and kitchen area. I won't go too much into detail on this house (for lack of time today), but you'll get a peek at the Great Room, Kitchen, Master Bedroom and Home Office. I hope you enjoy and find some inspiration here! 

ALL IMAGE CREDITS: JULIE THIGPEN 

xoxo,

Hello!

Happy New Year! I CAN'T believe it has been almost ONE YEAR since I've written a blog post...I didn't write a single post in 2015! I'm still here, still designing and staying busy. I'm still working full time as a Project Manager for a design firm that specializes in designing and merchandising model homes for new-home builders. My boys are now 3 1/2 and 16 months. Needless to say, life is BUSY and I had to cut out certain things to make time for my family, one being Belle Maison :( But I'm still keeping my blog up in hopes that I'll be able to blog in 2016 every now and then. I'd love to share several of the projects I've worked on...I think I designed and installed 12 houses in 2015! I hope you are all well and wishing you a very Happy and Healthy year ahead!

 Cheers!

BM Archives :: Wrap In Style

Have you completed your Christmas shopping or are you like me, who will be scrambling at the 11th hour to get it all finished? I do love wrapping gifts and always try to leave enough time to wrap things with creativity and thoughtfulness. There are a gazillion ideas on Pinterest for DIY gift wrap and these were some of my favorites!

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BM Archives :: 8 Reasons to Get Excited for Fall

I posted this last year and it still applies today! Fall is here and I'm excited - what about you?!

Well, it's time for me to accept that summer is officially over and Fall has arrived, something that's always a little tough for me since Summer is my favorite season! Although the weather here in southern California feels like the middle of July, that "fall feeling" is in the air and I'm looking forward to cooler weather arriving soon. To fully embrace the season changing, here are some of the things I look forward to most during fall. What are you looking forward to most this season?

 No.1 - Decorating your front porch with pumpkins and and maybe a wreath for your door

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 No.2 - A great excuse to purchase some new pillows and a cozy throw for your living room sofa

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 No.3 - Homemade stews and soups - the season for comfort food!

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 No.4 - Cozy nights curled up by the fire

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 No.5 - Creating festive centerpieces and arrangements for the dining room and kitchen 

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 No.6 - Catching up on reading a good book on a cold and rainy night

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 No.7 - Lighting tealights all around the house for a cozy ambiance 

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 No.8 - Hosting an intimate Fall dinner party with your closest friends

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Baby Jacob Has Arrived!

Well, he arrive on August 11th so this post is just a little overdue! Jacob Gregory Thigpen was born 10 days early and weighed 9 lbs 6 oz. / 21" long. I decided to go for a VBAC  which was a success! Although delivering a 9.6 pound baby was no easy feat and I've never worked harder in my life (pushed for 2 hours!). I'm sharing this mainly for any of you mommies-to-be who are considering a VBAC and are unsure about it - it was an incredible experience and I'm so glad I decided to go for it!

Being a mother of two now has my world turned upside down! Luke, my 2 1/2 year old, loves his new baby brother but has his moments of jealousy and confusion. We've had to stay very patient with him and make sure to give lots of love and extra attention.  Baby Jake is so precious and I am in LOVE! Here are some photos taken over the last month. Hopefully I'll find time to start blogging again one of these days. Until then, I'm enjoying my maternity leave and doing nothing but being a mommy and wife :)

xoxo,

Baby Bump Update / Checking In...

Wow - it's been waaay too long since I've checked in on the blog! I miss connecting with all of my fabulous readers and needed to pop in and say hello. A lot has happened this summer - we moved into a town home (a nice step-up from our one bedroom apartment), are preparing for the arrival of our 2nd son and work has been busier than ever!

I have one week to go before I'm officially on maternity leave and I'm really looking forward to the time off to finish "nesting." I don't know about any of you fellow mommies out there, but I've been a crazy organizing / cleaning / decorating machine the last 2 months! At times my husband thinks I've lost my mind but then I remind him that I'm nesting and it's something that's beyond my control!

Baby is due to arrive in just 2 1/2 weeks...here are some pics from the maternity shoot my cousin did for me at 36 weeks. I've enjoyed this pregnancy as it's been really easy - but man am READY to get this baby out and back to normal! I'll keep you posted on baby's arrival and hope to squeeze in some blog posts during my time off. Take care and have a fab week! xoxo

 Images by Kelly Ciciero Photography

Quote of the Week

"I believe in doing the thing you feel is right. If it looks right, it is right." 

- Dorothy Draper

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Quote of the Week

  "There's always room for another lamp. But remember - low wattage for diva lighting."

- Jonathan Adler, Happy Chic Accessorizing

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Happy Tuesday! I've missed my readers!  It's been over a month since I last posted, which is certainly a record for me :( Life is just getting busier and busier; we just moved into a town-home from our 1 bedroom apartment, baby #2 is due in just 8 short weeks, work has been busy, and my 2-year old son never lets me sit down. Despite life's craziness, things are great and I'm very excited to meet the little guy in my belly that kicks me all day long! I'm trying to get in posts more often so please check back soon. Enjoy the rest of your week!

xoxo, 

 

Creative Kitchens

I'm so happy to be writing a blog post today! If you've followed me for the last few years, I'm sure you've noticed I haven't been posting nearly as often as I used to. But when I can squeeze in a new post here or there, it makes me happy! I've been working on several model home projects lately and have been searching for fresh innovative kitchen ideas to show our clients. Long gone are the days of granite counter tops and stained cabinets - although many people still gravitate toward this look and it can be pretty, I am seeing more and more truly unique kitchen designs that are way outside the creativity box. Here's a round up of several spaces that caught my eye for various reasons. What are you loving about kitchen design these days?

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