Blog - A Home for Elegance

A Closet Update ~ Part 2

February 11, 2026/0 Comments/in Home Décor, Home Organization /by mrs.sshockley

I just had a lovely weekend. I had a show house shift this weekend, and spending time in it is quite lovely. You get to catch up with other members and spend time in a wonderful historic home. I also attended the Great Gatsby play on Sunday with a few members from the Guild. It was quite enjoyable. I always love supporting the arts and I find it to be enriching than the Super Bowl. Sorry not my thing.

I have been also waiting patiently for my walk-in closet to be finished. It has taken a few weeks because the cabinets that I wanted are a custom gray color. When my husband and I decided to go forward with my closet installation I knew that I just didn’t want a white closet. I wanted something with a pop of color.

This was my closet before. The last time that I added any new storage to my closet was in 2018. Over the years I have added items to help with storage and decor. I have changed the hangers so that they all matched. I have added multiple rugs, chairs, and table stands. But I have always wanted the feel of a dressing room.

OH MY GOODNESS! I love my new closet! It is just like the renderings that California Closets did in July of last year. This was installed by Meridian Closets. My husband had a friend there and they were able to provide a few more details to help with my vision.

Can we talk about my gray drawers and gold brass hardware? The color is a dream, and my photos are not doing it a justice right now. In the drawers are my scarfs, belts, purse charms, and other accessories.

I am loving my top cabinet drawer. They give me more storage for my space. I am storing my travel essentials in these cabinets. Since I don’t need access to them all the time, I figured those cabinets would be perfect for that.

I wanted wallpaper in this space but with the cabinet install I would never see it or enjoy it. So, I found these chinoiserie pictures/tiles on FMBP for only $40 and they look perfect! I have always wanted a floral arrangement in my dressing room, so I purchased this ceramic vase from Target. Other accessories include a new valet rod, foot stool, and push tap lights so that I can see my clothing.

Here is a glimpse of my closet. I will be doing a full tour on YouTube soon. Until then be elegant every day!

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A Before Look at the Show House ~ 2026

February 3, 2026/0 Comments/in Home Décor /by mrs.sshockley

A beautiful morning to you all. How is everyone doing? Cold right? Well, I am not trying to wish it away so soon. I find that I do that a lot and I am trying to take each day as it comes and each hill as it arrives. We are in our new space, and I am loving my new office. I will share some new photos soon.

In other news we have a new show house for the 2026 year, and I wanted to share a few rooms before the designers come in and work their magic.

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

These two rooms are the living room and dining room. We have been doing house shifts, and it has given each member the opportunity to walk through the home and admire the bones of it. It is truly a beautiful house! I love the paint colors in each room and the wall paneling. I would love to try this in my home one day. That green in the dining room is so subtle yet elegant. I believe that chandelier is original.

The room on the left is the entry way. It has lots of room to add a table and beautiful colors and fabrics. The kitchen has lots of details as well and is immaculate! I can’t get enough of the crystal chandelier!

And the last room that I am going to share is the master bathroom. This is now my bathroom inspiration. I love the mirrors and the paint color of the cabinets. I see a beautiful floral arrangement in the center and lots of opportunity for storage. This house has lots more rooms and a stunning exterior. I look forward to sharing more about our show house this year. If you are local mark your calendars for April 23 thru May 10. That is when you can come and tour the show house and help us raise money for Eskenazi Hospital!

Our next event is posted to our website. Dash by the Past is a family-friendly 5K or 1 mile walk with a scenic route that takes participants past previous Decorators’ Show House and Gardens homes on Meridian Street. It is open to register!

Have a great week!

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January Favorites ~ 2026

January 27, 2026/0 Comments/in Monthly Favorites /by mrs.sshockley

Snowmageddon is here! It is so cold! We have had frigid temperatures all week. How are all of you doing in your part of the world? Is it cold? I have had a lot going on and hopefully will have some beautiful things to share soon. Like my new updated closet, updated laundry room, new office space, and a vintage chinoiserie desk but for now it’s time for my January favorites.

We started the month of January with a baby shower for our new granddaughter who will be arriving in February. We are praying for a safe delivery and lots of hair! We celebrated with a baby shower that my husband and I hosted. We had it at Something Splendid in Westfield. The staff was incredibly nice, and we really enjoyed the food. I loved how our balloon arch turned out. I ordered the backdrop, floral garland, and arch from Amazon. The balloons were created by Banzi Balloons here in my city.

Next is a little vanity love. Do any of you remember the Parent Trap with Lindsay Lohan and seeing her mother Elizabeth James’ vanity? I remember the scene having a crystal item of some sort so I went on the hunt for something similar and found it! I ordered it on Etsy. It is beautiful! Then my husband found these gorgeous peach roses from Costco. It has been a long time since I have had beautiful flowers.

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley

Speaking of vanities and beautiful vignettes, I was sitting in my home office and looked across the room and saw this. I realized how beautiful it was and had to snap a photo. Sometimes it is the little, small things in life that bring beauty and peace.

Earlier this month I went to my Mahjong studio to play a few games and ended up buying another Mahjong mat. This mat was inspired by the famille rose china design. This mat is stunning!

I love how it has the “Charleston” Mahjong instructions on it. The correct name for it is the Imperial Mahjong mat. I few places online have it. I also purchased this swan to keep my dice in. I was inspired by my Mahjong studio to buy the swan.

I know my list is a little small this month but that is okay. I have shared lots of great Amazon finds on my LTK. Like these slippers, and this scarf necklace. I hope you all stay safe and warm this week. Bundle up!

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Small Lux in my Powder Room

January 20, 2026/0 Comments/in Elegant Living, Home Décor /by mrs.sshockley

It is so cold! It has been so frigid this week! BRRRR! I have been trying to stay warm and stay at home. Goodness! This week will be hard because I have some meetings and we are moving buildings here shortly. I do look forward to decorating my new space.

In my free moments I have been doing things that relax me. I have been able to pick back up in reading some of the books that I ordered and purchased recently. One of them is called A Life in Good Taste by Caroline Gidiere. This book is so good! I have a lot of pages “bunny eared”. I wanted to share her ideas about the powder room since it inspired me around the holidays.

Most of you know that in 2021 I did a little powder room update and I still love it!

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

I still demand that the door stay open and I still love being in here. Around the holidays I always try to make sure that necessities are placed in here for convenience. Caroline says, “entering a powder room should feel like opening a little jewelry box and finding a hidden gem. I love to cover the space in pattern, even on the ceiling, for a luxurious and enveloping sensation.”

I believe that my stencil chinoiserie painting created that enveloping sensation in our powder room.

She goes to say, “to me it is the height of comfort to have a fragrant bar of soap and pristine hand towels close to the faucet.”

I found this vintage peacock napkin holder from an antique store and added to my powder room during the holidays. I loved it so much that it will now stay. Now I do have hand towels. They are not monogramed but I like to make sure that they are clean. I purchased this basket and placed it on the floor. Inside are fresh towels that I can just grabbed whenever we have guests at our house.

Caroline said, ” my favorites are floral hand towels from D. Porthault, whose offerings are so special that I often don’t pay attention to whether or not they match the surrounding elements.” I love the idea of having quality hand towels but sometimes you just can’t afford them. You can find great ones at affordable prices at HomeGoods or these that I found on Amazon.

Another thing that I love seeing in other powder room are the soaps that some families use. I have been able to try out or test other products because of what a powder room may have. I love the soaps at Bath and Body Works. This one is my absolute favorite! I also love the Nest brand. They have beautifully scented soaps. I purchased these soap dispensers from Amazon and have gotten compliments from all of our guests and added this jasmine scented lotion to the powder room. Everyone enjoyed using both products. We cannot forget about scents. I love a Bath and Body Works wallflower to add to the senses and to help alleviate any other smells. Again, it’s the small luxurious items that you can offer your guests for a wonderful experience. I know using the bathroom is not a fun thing sometimes but why not offer some elegance while using yours.

I hope you all found these tips helpful and will take a second look at your powder room. Turn it into your jewel box if you can! Be bold and enjoy.

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My Word for 2026~ Curate

January 7, 2026/in Inspiring Posts /by mrs.sshockley

Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope everyone has started 2026 being safe and with family. Of course, we had a quiet evening at home, and I even stayed up this year. Which honestly, I think my hormones has something to do with it but whatever. It was quiet which is what I love. I finally got my recent video edited and posted to my channel. I will share it below.

In the video, I talk about my word of the year which is curate. The dictionary meaning of curate is selected, organized, and presented using professional or expert knowledge. This word came to me in November of last year as I was thinking about my life as whole. I told my husband that I wanted to live well and then live beautifully. I also remember mentioning it in my “becoming a better life curator” blog post. I want to first start with my thoughts. I have a lot of junk that I let run rampant in my mind. I remember driving to work one morning and this crazy thought came into my mind. I remember stopping it and thinking now why am I letting this crazy thought stay here?

That’s when curate came into my mind. Now I know that I will not get this perfect but let’s start the process. Let’s curate these thoughts.

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

The next is my home life. Once you watch my video you will understand what I am doing in my home and what is on my list. We have to update carpet, repaint rooms, and purge! Oh my goodness, we have so much stuff in this house. Just last week I dropped off 3 trashbags, and 2 big boxes of home and closet items. There is so much stuff that we are living with that we just don’t need. Curate. Let’s curate the home decor and my closet.

Now on to my planners. I will continue to use my Day Designer, but I am now adding a second planner. I decided to order the Monthly Planner from Jamie Beck. This planner is exceptionally beautiful, and I will be using it for my monthly goals. You can watch my video to get an up-close look at it.

On a second note, I found this gorgeous Christian Dior journal and pencil set on Poshmark! I thought this would a beautifully curated addition to my journal inventory.

I hope you all enjoy my video and let me know your word of the year below. I am always curious about where people are and I think your word of the year says a lot about your yearly journey. Take care!

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December Favorites ~ 2025

December 26, 2025/5 Comments/in Monthly Favorites /by mrs.sshockley

Hello Friends,

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! I still cannot believe that Christmas is over and 2026 will be starting this week! I am ready to take down all of my Christmas decorations and start my new year refresh! I got my floral and fresh candles out and I am ready to start reorganizing and cleaning. Lauren came home from break and decided to purge her closet! OMG! You all I was so surprised. I did not see this coming. She got rid of a lot of her toys and clothes. It made me kind of sad to see all of her items go but I knew she ready. When I asked her why, she said that she wanted to move in her things that she was using. What it said to me was she was growing up and I was okay with that.

Also, in other news my closet makeover has had many turns. I shared in July that I had a consultant come from California Closets and give me an estimate. Well I then tried to do a cheaper closet update. I ordered these closet organizers from Amazon. They are absolutely wonderful but don’t fit into my space well. So now I think I may have to spend a little more and get my closet updated with revamped rendering of what California Closets sent me. We will see. Now let’s get into my favorites for December!

Photo via: Old Money Culture via Instagram

I want to start with this image that I saw on Instagram. I just adored it so much. I don’t know if it is real, but it spoke to my vintage heart. Her style is impeccable, and I really want to mimic her draped scarf!

photo credits via: Mrs. Shockley

Next up is a new diffuser and scent that I am trying out in my office space. Just look at how chic this diffuser is? This is the citrus and sage porcelain diffuser from Williams and Sonoma. It is wonderful and beautiful.

I also wanted to try some hair perfume. So, I ordered this Gardenia Grace from Amazon and all I can say is 4 stars! I love the scent, and it has a slight oil base to it. It comes in different scents but so far this has been my favorite.

Oh I found an electric lighter! Now I have been wanting to try one of these for a while and I found one on Amazon that I LOVE! They are so easy to use and charge. I have been using it since November to light my candles and using my new faux fur blanket to snuggle under when I do my devotionals in the morning.

I know Christmas is over, but I have been having these blue and white floral Christmas ornaments in my cart for a while now and I decided to order them. They are the perfect fit for my blue and white tree, and I am so happy that I ordered them.

Now these were a fun find. This is a car diffuser. I did not put oil on it. I just wanted it for decor, and they both look lovely in my car. I have the gardenia and the lily of the valley. They are just beautiful and another way I am curating an elegant life.

For my Christmas table setting this year I added a flannel tablecloth and lots of pine. I added little bunches of pine to my vintage vases and placed them in the center of the table. It turned out great and only took me about 30 minutes to set. We had a great Christmas dinner and I showed my husband’s aunt how to play Mahjong. It was a wonderful evening.

I also wanted to share that a few items from the boutique are on sale for only $10! The cream Chinoiserie silk scarf is only $10, the Gigi velvet pump is only $15, and the Scarf Bracelet Cuff is on sale for only $10 as well. Order while you can. The sale won’t last long! Happy Holidays Everyone!

This post is not sponsored. Affiliate links attached.