Guest Bloggers: Camille of The Vintique Object

Hello readers of Meet Me in Philadelphia!  I'm Camille from the Vintique Object and am so pleased to be here today.  I admire Ashley for everything I am not, decorating-wise.  Her fearless use of color (I'm a neutral nelly), her ability to pick and mix amazing patterns, and her can-do DIY attitude. 

My post today might seem strange to you because you'll notice it has not much to do with September or fall, but I hope it will make sense to you when you start to read!

This is the only bathroom in our 1920s rental duplex in the San Francisco Bay Area.  It serves our family of four well though, as we have three year-old twin girls who don't need a ton of bathroom time -- yet.

When fall rolls around, the first thing I start to think about is our upcoming influx of guests.  With my girls' birthday, Thanksgiving, and then Christmas, we have a constant stream of visitors in and out of our house.  Hanging towels for all of those people becomes a bit of a challenge when you only have three towel bars.

Until I spotted these in the kitchen department at Ikea the other day.  They're large stainless steel s-hooks and can be used in damp areas. 

Hang them over one towel bar and suddenly you've tripled your towel hanging space without wielding a drill.  And the best part is that it's all reversible. 

So what inspires me this autumn is anything I can do to make a tad more room for our guests.  Hoping this tip will help you when comes time to welcome visitors to your home, whether you have one bathroom or three!

Guest Bloggers: Kim of Chattafabulous

Hello Meet Me in Philadelphia readers! I am so honored and flattered to be guest posting for Ashley! She is one of the kindest and most generous bloggers I've had the pleasure to (virtually) meet, and I love seeing all of her projects and DIYs on her blog. Ashley asked me to blog about what September means to me, so here are my thoughts on the month of September.

First and foremost, September means sweet freedom! Around here, school usually starts back at the end of August, and I still have one school-age child (13), which means I have each Monday-Friday from 9-4 to do whatever I want to do...sort of. Honestly, there's nothing terribly exciting that happens while she's at school, but it's so liberating to have that time to myself!

Another thing that comes to mind when I think about the month of September is feeling a little relief from summer's oppressive heat and humidity. July and August can be particularly brutal here in the Southeast, so in September it's such a gift to get a few mornings with cool temperatures and lower humidity. The cooler temps make me want to get out and do something touristy--like See Rock City!

And finally, September is the yard work season here in the Southeast, and in just a few weeks I plan to plant some new grass seed and plant some trees and azaleas in my front yard. I love to garden and I'm excited to begin my yard work at Project Dollhouse!

What do you love about September?

Guest Bloggers: Heather of Love Your Space

Hi there, it's Heather of Love Your Space.

I've always been a lover of plaid (and all forms of check, ranging in scale form gingham to buffalo check.)  It has been on my mind as I vacation at a Wisconsin lake (feels like Pendleton country), and I've shown samples to more than one client as of late--for throw pillows, upholstery, wallpaper, you name it!

  While I always think of plaid as a fall staple, it seems to be having a particular moment this year.  Adding just a bit to an interior can bring you to a different place.  Whether it's Sweden, London, or Palm Beach is really a matter of hue.

I'm loving all the sophisticated neutrals available right now.  Keeps it masculine and European.

(sources here)

But if you are more the feminine type, or crazy for color, there are plenty of brights to be had, too.

(sources here)

I'm particularly eyeing those little black check x-benches.  Perfectly transitional, and altogether seasonless.

Would you stick to the classics with a wool blanket?  Or get a little wild with your plaid?

Thanks, Ashley, for having me over.  This fall fling was fun!

Guest Bloggers: Sarah of The Estate of Things

Hi, everyone! I'm Sarah from The Estate of Things, standing in today for Ashley as she tromps around Scandinavia. As summer wanes and back to school shopping begins, our minds and Pinterest boards begin to wander over to fall. I began thinking about moodier spaces, richer colors; less Hamptons, more cozy throws. I've been waffling about paint colors in my den. For the longest time I was convinced that I should go warm white on the walls and blue on the ceiling. But I recently started thinking about purple.

So far, it's been a brief and intense affair with the color. I want to branch out from the blues, greys and whites that I tend toward and I'm wondering if smokey purple might be the perfect transition. It's so hard to commit.

Let's take in some purple, shall we?

Some lilacs for a warm up.

(via Pinterest)

Designer Angie Hranowsky uses a variety of purples in her designs:

(via Pinterest / Pinterest)

Never thought I'd say this, but purple velvet looks pretty sumptuous:

(via Pinterest)

One of the smartest mixes of purple and grey by far. The room is by Carrier & Co. 

just makes purple so grown up and mysterious:

(via Pinterest)

Purple as an accent in a more refined or traditional space:

(via Pinterest)

More purple accents in some fun spaces:

(via Pinterest / Pinterest / Pinterest)

For some reason, I really dig printed window shades in purple.

(via Pinterest / Pinterest)

Now we're headed into some serious purple, unabashed use of color:

(via Pinterest / Pinterest / Pinterest / Pinterest)

The verdict on purple for me is that it's got to be smokey with a good amount of grey in it. It needs to be mysterious, otherwise it's too feminine or immature. Ready to paint your dining room lavender or purple--or not so much?

Guest Bloggers: Samantha of Bromeliad

I'm Samantha from Bromeliad, and I'm happy to be guest posting for Ashley, especially since we share a love of interiors, DIY projects and a good bargain.

When it comes to my home design and DIY projects, I've leaned heavily surfer-shack-beach-house style this summer. For fall I'm hoping to glam it up with three trendy elements: Velvet, sequins and fur.

Specifically, I'm loving blue velvet and white Mongolian wool. And I'm pretty wide open on the sequins. 

(Bailey McCarthy's home from Design*Sponge)

(images clockwise from top via HGTV / Elle Decor / Unknown / Unknown) 

(images clockwise from top via Jean Allsopp / Sally Wheat / Bijou and Boheme / Elle Decor)

(via Tiffany Eastman)

(via Lonny / Lonny)

Will you be changing your decor for fall?

...And We're Off to Scandinavia!

My husband Adam and I are in the midst of packing for our trip to Norway, Sweden and Denmark that we will embark on tomorrow after a beautiful weekend spent celebrating our friends' wedding in Connecticut. Talk about world travelers! In my absence, I have asked a group of incredibly talented bloggers to fill in over the next two weeks and share their inspiration for the impending autumn season.

I hope you're as excited as I am to see posts from

...a really talented bunch.

Be sure to check out their great guest posts!

In the meantime, I'll miss you all but will enjoy our time in Scandinavia...and I'll be sure to snap lots and lots of pictures to share on Meet Me in Philadelphia when I return.

It's a Beautiful Morning

What a difference a week makes, am I right?

I borrowed the title of this post from the '60's song by the Rascals because it seemed fitting.
Adam and I are in my home state, Connecticut, preparing to celebrate the wedding of two very wonderful people, Eric and Beth. Eric is Adam's best friend and, tomorrow, Adam will be serving as Eric's best man.

We drove from Philadelphia to my parents' house in northern Connecticut and, upon waking up, I thought it would be nice to snap some pictures of the surroundings which are so very different from my usual urban environment. I hope you enjoy.

(all images via Meet Me in Philadelphia)

There's nothing like a change of scenery or a happy occasion to lift my mood...though, I would be terribly remiss if I didn't thank you all for your overwhelmingly kind comments to my job news last Friday. I'm not a person who regularly divulges my feelings to others, so exposing such a vulnerability on the world wide web was very unnerving. I have spent the last week licking my wounds, and your care and support has made those wounds less apparent. I am beyond appreciative.

Have a wonderful weekend, my dear readers. On Monday, my husband and I are off to begin our Scandinavian world tour (of sorts) and I'll have a host of wonderful bloggers here in my absence. Be sure to check back next week for all the details!

Candy-Coated Coat Hangers

(via Design Lovefest)

Inspired by the image above, I've been busy this week doing some very colorful things to some very bland-but-affordable wooden hangers from Ikea...

(1 / 2 / 3)

If you've paid attention to this blog for any length of time, you know I have an unabashed love for red. 

Why not carry that love for red to the coat hangers in my coat closet?

Who says the hangers in our home can't be both beautiful and delicious-looking?

I chose Montana Gold spray paint in "Blood Orange" for a vibrant coating reminiscent of M&Ms, and the truth is: I'm thinking I'll never again settle for coat hangers without a candy-colored shell.

What color should I lacquer the hangers in my closet? And in Adam's?