Henrietta Red is a beautiful Nashville, TN eatery specializing in seasonal cooking and oysters. The name comes from chef Julia Sullivan’s grandparents and is an homage to them. In addition to the restaurant they have a private event space next door for intimate gatherings and corporate events.

The combination here of concrete floors (a surface I’ve only recently become smitten with), wooden farm house table paired with white chairs and the warm touches brought in by the fabric pendant and textiles hanging from the wall, are perfect. I want to sit here and gather with friends.

I am really into restaurant interiors that have beautiful and special details. I think because of my own experience in event planning and my love of interior design, seeing how these spaces both function and flow, in well designed ways is really inspiring to me.

What a nice treatment of tile and grays and whites here on this wood oven, even the slight arch of the oven door mirrors the organic shape of the wood stacked above. My husband wants to build a pizza oven in our backyard, woudn’t something like this be lovely?

How cool is this type treatment and sign inside the restaurant. The cute dog sitting there doesn’t hurt either.

I love potted trees and this olive tree looks so good potted in this galvanized olive basket.

Image Credits: 3. Andrew Thomas Lee for Vogue Magazine 4. Edward The Bull Terrier  5. Violetta Nashville 6. Sarah Bartholomew Design 7. Nashville Guru 8. Sam Angel

I work part-time as a food, prop & interior stylist so I always look at the names of the photographers in the magazines I read. I am endlessly inspired by their talent. Recently, I happened upon the work of Anson Smart, an Australian lifestyle photographer in the latest issue of Martha Stewart Living.

One of the biggest perks of this line of work is getting to see so many cool interiors and meeting really interesting people.

I love this blue denim fabric covered inspiration board covered in photos that Anson captured in someone’s home here. I actually also have a few denim covered pin boards in my house too. I like how they are just a little different than the traditional linen covered ones (or standard cork board) but still almost a neutral. I’m a sucker for a beautiful collection of ceramics too.

One of the things I do in my own home and the spaces that I design is use a lot of mirrors. Mirrors instantly bring brightness to a room by bouncing light and creating the illusion of bigger spaces and more rooms. They are especially lovely when placed in front of a light source or across from a window, or in front of plants, doubling your effect. I’ve also hopped on the white walls and gray trim trend that is on display here, though I haven’t really settled on it 100% in my home – half the trim in my house is painted gray and the other half isn’t while I’m still deciding…it’s been about three months…

I love this whimsical hand-lettered sign around this brass doorbell. I am always impressed by clever signage especially when businesses use them. I think smart and handsome signage can make a really nice finishing design touch.

Who doesn’t love a collection of straw hats and bags all in a row? This is a pretty display and is functional too. A secret of styling is that things always make a big impression when they are grouped together.

Bougainvillea is one of my favorite vining flowers and in parts of California and Mexico and other more tropical locales it is a perennial and blooms year-round. Here in the Piedmont area of North Carolina it is considered an annual but will bloom all the way from Spring until Fall. I have heard of some people who have brought theirs indoors to overwinter them, (though they don’t bloom during that time) and then they bring them outside again when it warms up. The thing to note about bougainvillea are their thick thorns that you have to watch out for. Regardless, whether you have your own or just admire them in a picture, they instantly transport you to a breezier state of mind.

I like a Windsor chair in small doses, I tend to like them when they are black and more rustic and organic looking. I like how these look alongside these textural abstract paintings.

I appreciate so much the ability to see things through someone else’s eyes, such as these photos by Anson Smart. His website features a vast array of work including food photography, lifestyle photography and portraits too.

I first spotted this lovely bright and cheery living room of clothing designer Ulla Johnson on Domino Magazine’s instagram feed. This is the color palette that I am always drawn to across all projects: mostly neutral with hints of green, steel blue, brown leather and pink.

I really like the glass pendant shown here that has a distinct but subtle look that doesn’t overpower the space. I also really like the texture of all the textiles in the space.

I am particularly obsessed with how people decorate their tiny details on dressers and other surfaces around the house. You can see where I’ve cataloged these on my Pinterest board “decor details“.

Mantles too stump me a bit. I don’t like things that look too cluttered or likewise too styled and it’s hard to strike that delicate balance in this spot. My own fireplace mantle is deep and in a corner so it is an awkward spot. I think I’ve finally found a good solution but it took me almost ten years before finding it. Ha!

I love the simplicity of this bedroom. It is sweet and lovely and I’d like to imagine a space like this for my daughter, but the reality is the floor is covered in legos and her walls plastered with drawings and I’m not sure either one of us have inherited the “minimal” gene.

I’ve been brainstorming bookshelves for our house too for a few years since we are avid readers and have books in all the nooks and crannies of our home. I’ve cataloged a lot of bookcases on Pinterest too here. We’ve finally purchased the lumber so I’m excited to see how they turn out. What solutions have you found for keeping all your books tidy and accessible?

The dreamiest table setting. What’s prettier than a collection of ceramics, tableware and plants on a farmhouse table in a room with lots of light? This tabletop moment from the instagram of Jersey Ice Cream Co, a husband and wife home designer and stylist team, makes me want to pull up a chair.

I really miss making and serving up drinks like we did at the old Gather space. Now that the weather is hot I’m craving delicious iced drinks. This iced hot chocolate from the instagram of Durham’s Cocoa Cinnamon looks amazing.

As a seriously introverted person (who does a good job of making it seem otherwise) I crave time in my own space and waffle between having a public space like Gather is now, or just a home studio where I can do my photography and styling work, have an online shop only, and do events separately. My extroverted friends get stir crazy by themselves and at home, whereas I’m the opposite and thrive and am most inspired by my lonesome with little bursts of outside stimulation. I love the idea of having a home kitchen photo studio like Seattle based food photographer Cannelle et Vanille that she showcased on her instagram.

And as a person who lives mostly in my head, I find that mind over matter is a big thing these days. I love this quote by Meryl Streep posted on Clementine Daily’s instagram about putting blinders. Yes.

And speaking of checking out, don’t you just love this photo by Local Milk she posted on her instagram. Don’t you want to be here on this blanket on the beach having a picnic? I do.

I always love seeing how others shops merchandise their shelves. U.K. based Botany which sells plants and home wares and seems a kindred spirit, posted this shot on their instagram.

Here are some things that have caught my eye on instagram:

I like the idea of a handsome desk tucked away into a corner. This desk posted by homepolish with it’s dark wood and single drawer is the perfect accent against an elegant backdrop of white walls and woodwork.

I’m perpetually curious and inspired by restaurant and retail spaces in other locales. This roadside spot in Petaluma captured by aguynamedpatrick looks intriguing. The tall galvanized tin bucket planters close in the patio, the patio lights add ambiance and of course the hand lettered sign on the old facade is rustic perfection.

Here’s another spot I wouldn’t mind visiting one day. This hotel room at the Henry Howard Hotel in New Orleans captured by designsponge on her instagram looks divine. I am a sucker for blue and white toile wallpaper and a four poster bed. Everything about this room says cozy and refined and I especially love the nod towards Louisiana jazz culture with the trombone above the bed.

If I could take pictures all day every day of flowers I would be a happy girl. That’s why I’m always enamored with the photographs of Ngoc Minh Ngo, she is a photographer after my own heart. I adore the photos in her first book Bringing Nature Home and stumbled upon this gorgeous photo of a peony on her instagram account.

When you run a business there are so many goals to set and try to reach. This quote by Yogi Berra hand lettered by Sycamore Street Press and posted on their instagram hits home.

I am always in awe of the decorating sense of Victoria Smith of sfgirlbybay. When she shares snippets of her house on instagram and elseware, they are always so good and the space looks wonderfully cozy and inviting. Major house goals.