Back to blogging

Well, it certainly has been a loooooong time since I last blogged.  I always enjoyed doing it, but a few years back I was at a point in my life both professionally and personally where I just had way to much on my plate.  So non-essentials got put on the chopping block, and unfortunately blogging was one of them. But with the start of the new year,  I am back and committed to posting a few entries each month.

The big news since my last entry is Sumerland Homes & Gardens moved to Cape Cod!  In the spring of 2016 we put our house on the market, and a month before we had to move out, we decided Cape Cod was where we wanted to be.

Your life does not

get better by chance,

it gets better

by change.

We needed a change, and with our daughter having just graduated from high school, it was a good time for us to make the leap.  What a crazy 3 weeks it was!  We quickly found a house in Barnstable, packed everything up, got our two oldest off to college, and arrived on the Cape two days before our youngest started school.  Things eventually quieted down and we enjoyed the change of seasons as we got into our new routine as "wash-ashores".  We absolutely love it here and know that even though it was a super quick decision, it was the best decision for us, and we haven't looked back.  

We are surrounded by such beauty, no matter the season.

As for Sumerland Homes & Gardens, business is growing on Cape Cod.  I have connected with new vendors and trades people, and had wonderful clients this past year.  We worked on new constructions, water front landscape designs, perennial gardens, kitchen and bathroom remodels, and room designs.  And we are proud to announce we received "Best of Houzz 2018".  We truly appreciate our clients putting their faith in us to design them beautiful spaces that they can enjoy with their family and friends. 


We are excited for what 2018 will bring!  We'd love to have to come along.  You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

As always, feel free to leave a comment or ask questions in the comments section below.

Need help creating a home you love? Contact me about our design services.

Townhouse Living Room Redo

Today I'm sharing a project that I completed last fall- a townhouse living room.  The client requested a space that was light, airy and clean with coastal inspired colors to provide a calm and serene retreat.  She also asked that I incorporate a "happy pop" of color- either orange or pink. The room was fairly small - approximately 16 x 13, and had to include a seating area, media center, a piano and because the front door opened directly into the living room, a console table to drop keys and mail.  This was our starting color palette:

And here are some inspiration photos for the mood we were trying to create:

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My client loved the blue planking on the back of this bookcase and wanted to incorporate it in her bookcases. If you remember, I did blue planking on my dining room hutch, only placing the planks horizontally instead of vertically.

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Take a look at these "Before" photos...lots of issues to be addressed for sure!!!  Pink walls with smoke damage up by the ceiling, 80's country wood furniture, bland tile in front of the fireplace, too much clutter...

Lots of brown...with shutters that only went two-thirds of the way up the windows.

A piano and chunky chair-and-a-half squished up against one wall, and more brown wood trim and stair railings.

And here it is now!

The room does not get a lot of natural sunlight, so we kept the walls light with Benjamin Moore's Gray Owl at 50% and crisp white trim.  The room had a challenging layout...there was only one wall to place the tv on, and the opposite wall (where the couch would go) had a window right above it. Due to the awkward placement of the windows, we chose wide white plantation shutters.

The piano fit nicely in the nook...

We had the stair railing painted white to blend in rather than stand out, and added a parsons console table.  This is located across from the front door, so she can drop her keys and mail here as she walks in.  The greek key ottoman cubes can be pulled out for extra seating...and I like how they break up all the vertical lines of the spindles.

The fireplace got a new "marble" hearth...real marble tiles were going to be too thick to match up with the wood flooring, so we chose a porcelain tile that looks just like the real thing.

A wool dhurrie rug from West Elm grounds the space.  We gave one of her end tables a coat of blue paint and a unique drawer pull from Anthropologie.

As always, feel free to leave a comment or ask questions in the comments section below.

Need help creating a home you love? Contact me about our design services.

A New Year...

Happy New Year friends!

 I can't believe we're almost at the end of January already...where did it go?!  At the beginning of the month I sat in my new studio (photos coming soon!) and worked on my 2015 goals for Summerland Homes & Gardens.  2014 was a good year with multiple projects and lots of learning experiences (some good & some not so good!)  As I'm "in the trenches" running a design business, I'm trying to find the best way to streamline my business, manage projects, take my organizational skills up a notch and successfully market my company.  So I've been doing lots of planning for Summerland and am very excited for this year and what it's going to bring. Having your own business is A TON of work, but I LOVE it! I love the creative process, working with my clients, and seeing my visions come to life.

 I also created these vision boards to be inspired and stay focused on my goals (both personal & professional) and to remind me of some of the things I want to accomplish this year.

I'm also happy to announce that Summerland Homes & Gardens won Best of Houzz 2015! Great news to start this week!  Here's part of the press release...

Summerland Homes & Gardens Receives

Best Of Houzz 2015 Award

Over 25 Million Monthly Unique Users Rated Top-Rated Home Building,

Remodeling and Design Professionals in the United States and Around the World

January 19, 2015 –Summerland Homes & Gardens of Whitinsville, Massachusetts, has been awarded “Best Of Houzz” for Customer Satisfaction by Houzz, the leading platform for home remodeling and design. The design studio, which specializes in both interior and garden design, was chosen by the more than 25 million monthly unique users that comprise the Houzz community from among more than 500,000 active home building, remodeling and design industry professionals.

The Best Of Houzz award is given in two categories: Design and Customer Satisfaction. Design award winners’ work was the most popular among the more than 25 million monthly users on Houzz, known as “Houzzers.” Customer Satisfaction honors are determined by a variety of factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2014. Winners will receive a “Best Of Houzz 2015” badge on their profiles, helping Houzz users around the world who discover and love a professional’s work to learn even more about that business’ popularity and satisfaction rating among their peers in the Houzz community. 

“Houzz provides homeowners with a 360 degree view of home building, remodeling and design industry professionals, empowering them to engage the right people and products for their project,” said Liza Hausman, vice president of industry marketing for Houzz. “We’re delighted to recognize Summerland Homes & Gardens among our “Best Of” professionals as judged by our community of homeowners and design enthusiasts who are actively remodeling and decorating their homes.”

You can follow Summerland Homes & Gardens on Houzz: http://www.houzz.com/pro/ellewoeller/__public

* * * * * 

 2015 is off to a busy start and I'm looking forward to this year's projects and all the creative possibilities!

As always, feel free to leave a comment or ask questions in the comments section below.

Need help creating a home you love? Contact me about our design services.

Charish Design Board

A happy Monday morning to everyone!

Recently, Charish reached out to me and asked me to design a room using some of their furniture pieces that are currently listed.  Have you visited their site?  They are an online marketplace offering unique vintage furniture and accessories.  It's here you can find a Mid-Century nightstand, Herman Miller Rocking Chair, Saarinen style dining table or an antique French Chandelier (just to name a few!)  After "shopping" their inventory, here's what I picked...

A rattan armless chair (I used four)

A Danish modern vintage zebra wood dresser

An aqua Abrash Turkish rug

I imagined a relaxed sitting area in a casual beach house, with lots of windows bringing in the ocean view, and white, wood-planked walls.

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I would use four of the rattan chairs positioned around a driftwood and glass coffee table.
The coffee table I feature on my board was available at Charish, but has since sold-  you need to be quick as items go fast!

I brightened up the neutral palette with this colorful piece of art by Michelle Armas and some blue and orange throw pillows.  Those colors are echoed in the framed poster.  The simple lines of the Danish Modern dresser makes it an easy stand-in as a console table while providing plenty of storage. And I love the wooden beaded chandelier from Boston Interiors!

Charish also has some fabulous accessories, and I went a bit overboard at first as there were so many to choose from! But after some careful editing, I ended up with these to add some layers to my room.

Faded blue and reds hmong blanket

Palm hand woven natural baskets

Mussel shell box

New England clamming basket

Take a few minutes to check out Charish and start imagining your own space with some of their one-of-a-kind finds!

As always, feel free to leave a comment or ask questions in the comments section below.

Need help creating a home you love? Contact me about our design services.

Right Now I'm Loving...Black Windows

Last month we headed out to Santa Barbara for my youngest sister's wedding.  The outdoor wedding was held in beautiful gardens at a private residence, a casual California bungalow. The home's interior walls were all painted white, while the windows were framed with black trim.  What a graphic statement...I love it!  Here's the dining area, which flows into the living room.  I love how the black was repeated on the mantle and fireplace surround.

Here's a peek of the garden set up for the ceremony.

The black windows (and door) frame the view outside and draws your eye outdoors.
In light and airy rooms it also helps anchor the room and adds a dramatic focal point. Here are some exterior shots of black windows done right!

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And here are some interior views...

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Here are a few more I've seen while out and about in Gloucester and Concord, Ma.

What do you think? Do you like black windows and trim?

As always, feel free to leave a comment or ask questions in the comments section below.

Need help creating a home you love? Contact me about our design services.