A little (pretty) something extra

Do you get the Ballard catalog? Have you noticed their recent fixation with garden seats? Like this one:

And this one:

And you know I am in love with these (I was thisclose to buying the teal one):

Well one day I was browsing in Ross (I just love Ross and Marshalls for cheap accessories!), and I stumbled across the most pretty Ballard-esque garden stool you have ever laid eyes on. And guess what? It was $100 cheaper. How could I pass that up? And of course, I had the perfect place in mind for it. 

They actually had an option that looked exactly like that first Ballard photo (what I consider the more "traditional" garden seat look). But I decided on this more dainty, decorative one because I think it ties in some of the more "elegant" pieces of the room.

I love how the stool ties in with the damask pattern of the rug. Seriously, sometimes I just stare at the two and marvel at how well they compliment one another. If only I was joking...

I also love that the stool is slightly more cream than white. I didn't intend to have cream be one of my colors for this room, but sometimes my search for white accessories has turned up cream. Namely, the two chairs at the bar, the roman shades, and the pillows. So the stool adds another cream accent to make it look like a more conscious color decision. 

As for accessorizing the top of my garden seat, I did it completely using things I already had. I took my cues from the Ballard stylists and added a pretty book. I had some leftover (ahem--fake) hydrangeas from my kitchen table centerpiece so I put them in a vase on top of the book. I love that the flowers tie the kitchen in with the living room. I have heard Candace Olsen say to try to repeat elements in a room so it looks intentional. So there you go: my pretty accessories, and the cute sleeping husband is just a bonus :)