Blog - Page 2 of 156 - Oh, I Design Studio

NATURAL PRODUCTS DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR

August 8, 2017

It can be quite overwhelming to do your own research and test products when switching to natural, non-toxic options. There is a lot of green-washing out there and a few products that just simply don’t work for everyone. I have yet to find a natural deodorant that actually works, recommendations welcome. 😉 I digress. I’m thrilled that I was recently introduced to Back to Basics, a monthly subscription service that delivers toxic-free, full-size natural essentials for your home & body at a fraction of the retail cost. The products have been carefully researched, curated, and tested by the Back to Basics founder, Ashleigh Frager, a homeopath & wellness expert. I think it’s great that you can also shop all the items individually from previous subscription boxes and/or stock up on your favorite items you’ve already tried and loved!

The 3 boxes offered:

Household Combo: Total of 6 Products // 2 Women’s Beauty/Skincare/Body Products + 2 Men’s Body/Self-care Products + 2 Home/Cleaning Products
Eco Chic Chica: Total of 4 Products // 2 Women’s Beauty/Body/Skincare Products + 2 Home/Cleaning Products
Go Green Gent: Total of 4 Products // 2 Men’s Body/Self-care Products + 2 Home/Cleaning Products

I received an assortment of items to try:

Molly’s Suds Laundry Detergent – I’m excited to try this one out!
Herbivore Cleansing Bar Soap – Pink Clay
Essential Oxygen Organic Mouthwash – I’ve been trying to find a mouthwash that works and I really love this one! It’s not going to be as strong as say Listerine, but it definitely has made my teeth whiter.
Erbaviva Sunscreen SPF 30 – this is my favorite sunscreen for Evie! I LOVE IT.
Rare Essence Aromatherapy Roll-on – I use the focus roll-on when I am working and it helps me concentrate!
Radius Floss Sachets – these are perfect for travel!
David’s Premium Natural Toothpaste – of all the natural toothpaste’s I’ve tried, this one is my favorite so far.
Anyway, after reviewing the box Back to Basics kindly sent my way, I have become a big fan of this brand! This is by far the easiest way to transition your home and personal care products to non-toxic options. If you would like to follow Back to Basics on social media, here are their links:

Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // Website

In addition, I’m so excited to meet Ashleigh, the Founder of Back to Basics, in person at The WELL Summit at the end of this year in NYC! Have you grabbed your tickets?!

*This post was written in collaboration with Back to Basics. As always, my thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support Oh, I Design!

A DAY TRIP: NANTUCKET (PART TWO)

August 2, 2017

I had the pleasure of attending another day trip to Nantucket with a few bloggers/influencers in Boston, thanks to NIR Retail! You may have remembered my trip from last year. Since it takes just over an hour to drive to Hyannis to take the fast hy-line ferry, a day trip to Nantucket from Boston is possible, you might be a bit tired once you’re home, but totally worth it. Once we arrived at the island, we began the day with a charter boat around the harbor thanks to IYC (Mark Elliot Yachts) and Nantucket Mermaids. They offer Nantucket day boats to charter, or a longer-term charter in New England (or world wide onboard your own private yacht). The rest of the day included:

Lunch at Provisions (SO good!)

Walked around the beautiful cobblestone streets & visited:

Levitate Surf – lots of cute bathing suits and they carry one of my favorite sunscreens, Raw Elements!
DeWolfe Leather Goods – Gina is such a fantastic person, I could chat with her for hours, and we own a couple of her leather bracelets! Such a good brand.
Faherty Brand – I’m obsessed with this brand now and their clothes are so soft! I bought this top & this one.
Charleston Shoe – the most comfortable shoes and super cute! Perfect for the cobblestone streets of Nantucket.
Shift – this shop is SO dangerous, too many cute pieces and brands!
Space – absolutely love this shop – so many good vintage finds & amazing home goods
Nantucket Whaler – I have this striped sweater and I’m so obsessed, I will be sure to share a photo of me in it soon!
Ice THE BEST! You cannot go to Nantucket without a stop here. I highly recommend the lemon blueberry.

the hydrangea photo & last photo were taken by my friend, Jenna of Boston Chic Party!

All in all, it was such a fantastic day and I can’t wait to go back soon! Thank you to Jenna, Katie, & Poorva for making the day even more fun.

This day in Nantucket was organized and complimentary thanks to our friends at NIR Retail. All thoughts & opinions are, as always, my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support Oh, I Design!

SWITCHING TO NATURAL HAIR PRODUCTS (PART ONE)

July 31, 2017

This is going to be a two-part post as I’m going to test a few natural hair products and fill you in on how the process goes! I don’t know why, but in my clean beauty routine, hair products have been the last thing I’ve switched over to non-toxic. I mean, it’s all about balance, right? But I’m excited to focus my efforts on my hair for awhile and see what difference it makes. I also need to work on having more hair styles, I typically just leave it down with beach waves or up in a low bun. So perhaps this is a challenge to find the right non-toxic hair products as well as practice more hair styles (I’m thinking braids, high buns, etc.).

A little about my hair type & current routine:

My hair is naturally curly but I blow dry it straight and will either use a flat iron or my curling wand and I wash it every other day. I also get my hair highlighted (balayage) and cut once every like 6 months. To be honest, I use Head & Shoulders sometimes (don’t judge), but most days I use a shampoo and conditioner I got from my hair stylist and I rarely put product in my hair after I shower. Sometimes I will put a bit of hairspray in, but my hair holds curl really well and I feel like I don’t know the right products for my hair and get overwhelmed with options. Anyone else?

Luckily, Follain has the option of ordering sample-sizes of most of their hair products, so I’m going to be able to test quite a few without committing to a large bottle. Here’s what I will be trying (so far):

one // Josh Rosebrook’s Balance Shampoo & Conditioner (also want to try his hair spray!)

two // Josh Rosebrook’s Balance Shampoo

three // Rahua Voluminous Shampoo & Conditioner

Four // Rahua Voluminous Dry Shampoo

Five // Feed Your Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner

I’d love to know what natural hair products you use? Or if you have made the transition?

Can’t wait to tell you how these products work for my hair!

*This post was written in collaboration with Follain. As always, my thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support Oh, I Design!

MY HALF MARATHON TRAINING SCHEDULE #OHIDESIGNRUNS

July 18, 2017

Well, guys, the week has finally arrived! My HALF MARATHON training officially begins. I’ve been running/working out a few times prior to this week to make sure I’m prepared to begin, and I have to admit…I’m pretty nervous. I don’t know if I’m ready, but there’s no looking back at this point!

In case you didn’t see the half marathon details, you can read about why I signed up & the race info here. The race is October 14th, so I have exactly 12 weeks until the week of the race. These are going to be the most challenging 12 weeks of my life and if you see me out and about in Boston in workout clothes multiple times a week, don’t judge. I have a feeling I will be living in my running shorts, tanks, and running shoes for the next 3 months. 😉

Like I mentioned in my previous half marathon blog post, I am also raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, an organization that I am very passionate about. In an effort to raise $3,000, I have some pretty awesome brands (that I love & use everyday) that are donating items for an AMAZING wellness giveaway for you guys! Brands like: Runkeeper, Organic Bath Co., Follain, The Optimist Co., and more to come! I will share the giveaway details in a separate post, but basically, for every $5 you donate, your name will be entered into the giveaway(s). So for example, if you donate $20, your name will be entered into the giveaway 4 times. Got it? I’m going to finalize the details and will let you know if anything changes, but if you go ahead and donate today (or when you are reading this), your name will absolutely be included in the giveaway! So feel free to donate today & know how much I/the children at St. Judes appreciate your support!

Below is my training schedule in case you are running a half marathon as well or would like to bookmark it for the future! It’s a mix of a couple different training schedules I’ve seen online. Also, Runkeeper has an AWESOME training schedule built into the app that I’m going to use as well.

Half marathon or marathon-ers out there…Please send any tips my way! 🙂

Photography by: LCS Studio (miss you, Laura!!)

Training Schedule created by: The Business Bar

GUEST ROOM UPDATES WITH FINALLY BULBS

July 14, 2017

Although we have been in our home for two years now, we are finally getting to the point where we feel things are “coming together”. Two years may not sound like a long time for a home to feel complete, but as an interior designer, it feels like a decade. Our guest room has been the room that has struggled a bit, which looking back, should’ve been the first one to prioritize considering we host guests often and have combined it with my office. I’ve been attempting to make this room feel warmer and more inviting for guests while keeping it functional for my everyday work environment.

Recently I’ve been introduced to Finally Bulbs, a light bulb created with Tesla Technology™ based in Boston, and an energy efficient bulb made to last without the cringe-worthy blue light that a typical LED bulb emits.

“Finally was founded on the notion that people should not have to sacrifice light quality for energy efficiency.” – Finally Bulbs

This is going to be quite the problem-solver for this designer (pointing at me). I’ve been working on energy efficient lighting for various clients and we can’t seem to find a solution when sourcing LED fixtures. There are either not attractive fixtures or they emit a blue light that will eventually make us all…well, sad. Trust me on this, without getting into the nitty-gritty on this topic, I will say: there are studies being done that blue light is not good for us and can leave us in a depressed state causing more health issues.

That being said, with inefficient bulbs filling our home and my bad habit of leaving all the lights on ~~because I’m scared of the dark~~, I decided to test out a couple Finally Bulbs in our guest room to see how they compare. When designing a space, obviously I want as much natural light as possible, but when artificial lighting comes into play during the night hours, I want it to be warm and easy on the eyes. Well, I’m happy to report back I think I’ve found my new go-to light bulb. The quality of light is SO good, you guys – whites are whiter and colors are brighter. I’m truly impressed! In addition to warm, energy-efficient lighting, here are some other ways you can create an inviting guest room:

1. add plants and/or fresh flowers – this is a quick, cheap, and easy way to make a room feel more welcoming. It’s simply the best accessory a room can have!

2. layer your bedding with options for the guests – everyone likes different temperatures while they sleep. I love our new Seersucker Duvet and shams for the Summer months as it’s lightweight and bright white. We also recently switched our uncomfortable mattress to a Nectar Sleep and we LOVE it! (click the Nectar Sleep link to the left for $125 off & 2 pillows). Now we can rest assured our guests aren’t uncomfortable when they stay at our home.

3. leave fresh water and some snacks – traveling guests might arrive with an empty belly and water is always key. I try to make sure guests don’t have to ask for things like water or where more toilet paper is located by leaving them easily accessible.

4. if you want to go the extra mile, create a little basket filled with towels, samples of bath products, water, snacks, the Wi-Fi password, a couple of magazines/books, any touristy items, and anything else you think they would enjoy! I haven’t done this for our previous guests this year (sorry friends) but I’m going to try to begin doing this again!

I try to keep my work area as organized as possible, but I don’t have a lot of space for my interior design samples and it tends to get chaotic during the week. But when I prepare for guests, I will typically put extra samples and random papers, etc. in a box and put it in our basement. We don’t have much storage in our condo, but there’s a ton downstairs. By the way, I changed the light bulb in this Ikea task light to a Finally Bulb and it’s made an incredible difference when I’m working at night or it’s rainy and dark outside.

Click here to switch your bulbs to Finally!

The kind team at Finally Bulbs has kindly offered to giveaway a Finally Bulb to 50 of our readers, and it takes just seconds to enter.

Head over to Oh, I Design Blog & Finally Bulbs around 10:30am today for more info!

This post was kindly sponsored by Finally Bulbs, a brand we are very excited about and use in our home every day. All thoughts & opinions in this post are, as always, my own. Thank you for supporting brands that are supporting Oh, I Design Blog!